UP Minister calls Rahul Gandhi 'mad, unfit to be Congress chief'
Lucknow, Sep 28: Uttar Pradesh Labour Minister Swamy Prasad Maurya on Friday lashed out at Congress President Rahul Gandhi for attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and called him a "mad man who doesn't deserve to lead India's oldest political party".
"Rahul Gandhi has been continuously calling the Prime Minister a thief. Look at the decency of Modi that he is not (even) responding," said Maurya, who switched sides from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the 2017 Assembly elections.
"It is a matter of great shame that the Congress leader is mouthing such (abusive) language for the country's Prime Minister," the Minister told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Mainpuri.
He said that "this childish behaviour did not behove of the Congress chief", adding that the opposition party should be worried since this will invite public ire.
Maurya said that the "immature behaviour" of Gandhi was for all to see as he had embraced Modi in the Lok Sabha and also gave statements that even a child would not.
The Minister also said that the vicious Congress campaign on the Rafale deal will not cut into BJP victory prospects in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
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1,600 Indians travel to India on 5 Qatar Airways flights amid airspace curbs
Doha (PTI): Around 1,600 Indian nationals travelled to India on five Qatar Airways flights on Tuesday, even as the airline continues to operate limited services due to restrictions on Qatar's airspace, the Indian Embassy here said.
The flights included two services to Delhi and one each to Mumbai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, the embassy said in a social media post.
"In total, about 1600 Indian nationals travelled on Qatar Airways flights today," it said.
The mission noted that Qatar's airspace remains largely closed and Qatar Airways is currently operating only limited, non-scheduled flights.
The airline has announced services to nine Indian destinations starting Wednesday, and passengers can make bookings through the Qatar Airways website, mobile application or authorised travel agents.
The embassy said it continues to facilitate temporary Saudi transit visas for stranded Indian nationals wishing to travel to India via Saudi Arabia by crossing the Salwa land border.
The mission will remain open on all days in the coming week to provide consular services, including issuance of passports, while its control room and helplines through phone, email and WhatsApp will continue to function on a 24/7 basis.
It urged the Indian community to follow instructions issued by Qatari authorities and exercise responsibility in sharing information to help maintain public safety and community stability.
The embassy and Indian community organisations have also collaborated to support members of the Indian fishermen community in Qatar by providing dry rations to those in need.
Tensions in West Asia continue to escalate following the US-Israel strikes on Iran since February 28.
