You had 10 years, what happened: Sibal's swipe at PM over his I-Day pitch against corruption
New Delhi (PTI): Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks during the Independence Day speech, asking where were the "achche din" and what happened as he had almost 10 years to get rid of corruption.
In a post on X, Sibal said, "PM on August 15: You said: We have to get rid of corruption. But you had almost 10 years. What happened? Where are the 'Acchhe Din'. Forgotten? Inflation is imported. Our vegetables are not!"
"Next 5 years golden period. For whom? The poor, Dalits, Minorities or ?" Sibal said in a dig at the prime minister.
Sibal, who was a Union minister during UPA I and II, quit the Congress in May last year and was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Independent member with the Samajwadi Party's support.
He has floated a non-electoral platform 'Insaaf' aimed at fighting injustice.
Setting the tone for his 2024 re-election bid, Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday called for waging a war against the "three evils" of corruption, appeasement and dynastic politics, and exuded confidence he would return to address the nation from the Red Fort next year.
Showcasing his politics of perform, reform and transform as against the previous politics of instability, Modi, in his last Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort here before the next Lok Sabha polls, also spoke of a resurgent India globally on his watch, projecting the country's rising global profile to emerge as 'Vishwa-Mitra' (friend of the world).
The next five years are a period of unprecedented development and will prove to be a golden period in realising the dream of a developed India by 2047, he asserted, assuring people of "Modi ki guarantee" that the country will become the third largest economy in the next five years.
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BJP will form govt in Bengal with thumping majority: Nabin
Mirzapur (UP) (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday voiced confidence that his party will form the government in West Bengal with a "thumping majority".
Polling is underway for 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, covering key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas.
The high-stakes contest is being seen as decisive for the ruling TMC's bid for a fourth consecutive term and the BJP's push to form its first government in the state. The first phase held on April 23 recorded a high voter turnout of over 93 per cent, reflecting intense electoral engagement.
Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Nabin said, "The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority."
Earlier in the day, the BJP chief visited the Vindhyavasini temple and offered prayers. The rituals were conducted by his priest Acharya Agastya Kumar Dwivedi.
On his first visit to the district after assuming office, Nabin was welcomed by party workers at several places. At the temple, he was received by city MLA Ratnakar Mishra and District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Gangwar, who felicitated him with a traditional 'angvastram'.
After offering prayers for about 10 minutes amid Vedic chants, Nabin held a meeting at a hotel with local MLAs, including Mishra, Majhwan MLA Suchismita Maurya and Madihan MLA Ramashankar Patel.
Patel said Nabin emphasised strengthening the organisation and asked public representatives to focus on serving people in their respective constituencies.
Several party leaders, including district president Lal Bahadur Saroj, district vice-president Gaurav Umar, municipal chairperson Shyam Sundar Kesari, women workers and senior officials, were present on the occasion.
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place by the district administration for the visit, with multiple officers of circle officer rank deployed, officials said.
