Congress working on banned PFI's agenda, claims Amit Shah in Karnataka election rally
Savadatti (K'taka) (PTI): Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Saturday accused the Congress of functioning on the banned Popular Front of India's (PFI) agenda, as he urged the people of Karnataka not to vote for the opposition party in Assembly polls next week.
Alleging that Congress indulges in appeasement politics, he claimed that it has insulted Lord Hanuman, along with freedom fighter and Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar.
"Congress party for the sake of vote bank indulges in appeasement politics. First, they gave four per cent Muslim reservation, despite knowing that our Constitution doesn't provide for reservation based on religion. BJP has scrapped this unconstitutional Muslim reservation and increased quota for Lingayats and Vokkaligas by two per cent each," Shah said.
Addressing a public meeting here in Belagavi district, he said Congress promises that in case the party comes to power, they would bring back Muslim reservation and take it up to six per cent instead of four per cent.
"From where will you (Congress) get it, whose (quota) will you reduce? Will you reduce the quota of Lingayats or Vokkaligas or SC/STs, clarify it. Congress people listen with open ears, you will neither form the government, nor Lingayats reservation will get reduced. Only the BJP government will come," he added.
Recalling that the BJP government outlawed PFI last year, the Home Minister claimed Congress says that on coming to power they would take back the ban on the Islamist outfit. "We don't indulge in vote bank politics, whoever does anti-national work will go behind bars".
Pointing out that PFI had placed two demands, he further said one is to increase the minority budget to Rs 10,000 crore, and the Congress "silently" in its manifesto has promised to increase the quantum to Rs 10,000 crore.
Also, PFI had asked for reservation to minorities, and Congress said it will give six per cent reservation instead of four per cent earlier, he said. "Congress is functioning on PFI's agenda, never vote for Congress."
Accusing Congress of keeping Lord Ram "under lock" by not allowing the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya for 70 years, Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on coming to power laid the foundation for building the structure at the site.
The Congress, in its manifesto, has also insulted 'Bajrangbali' (Lord Hanuman), he said, adding "they don't stop there".
"One senior Congress leader asked what is the birth date of Bajrangbali, do you have his birth certificate? Whole country knows his birth date. It's on Hanuman Jayanti Poornima. You (Congress) don't know as you only remember appeasement."
Hitting out at the Congress for "insulting" Savarkar, the BJP leader said: "They don't know history. Rahul baba (Rahul Gandhi), you insult Savarkar. Even if you live for 10 janams (births), you cannot make one-tenth of the sacrifices that Savarkar made."
He said BJP has installed Savarkar's portrait at the Assembly hall in Belagavi's Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.
Stating that during his travel across the state for campaigning, he has seen the situation in Karnataka, the Home Minister said, BJP will form a majority government in Karnataka.
Appealing to the people of Karnataka to ensure that BJP gets full majority, he said: "Under Modi's leadership, the BJP will make north Karnataka the most developed region of the state....give all the 18 seats in Belagavi district to BJP in this election."
Noting that the Congress despite having governments in Karnataka, Goa and at the Centre in the past did not resolve the inter-state Mahadayi river water dispute, Shah said in 2007, top Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had said in Goa that Mahadayi water will not be given to Karnataka.
"Sonia ji, you left and your government too left. Modi ji came (to power) and the issue has been resolved and Mahadayi water is coming to northern districts of Karnataka," he pointed out, as he accused the Congress of using "lathis and bullets" against farmers.
Taking a dig at Congress' poll guarantees, Shah said similar promises were made by Congress in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur and Nagaland, and the party was "wiped out" there.
"Rahul baba, no one believes your guarantees. Those who don't have respect, no one trusts their guarantees," he claimed.
Pointing that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had called PM Modi a "venomous snake", Shah said it shows the party's "level", and the time has come for the people of Karnataka to teach them a lesson.
The ruling BJP is locked in a tussle with the opposition Congress with less than a week to go for polls in the state. Voting is on May 10 and the results will be declared on May 13.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Los Angeles county wildfires could be costliest in US history, early estimates say
Los Angeles, Jan 11: The wildfires that erupted this week across Los Angeles County are still raging, but already are projected to be among the costliest natural disasters in US history.
The devastating blazes have killed at least 11 people and incinerated more than 12,000 structures since Tuesday, laying waste to entire neighbourhoods once home to multimillion-dollar properties.
While it's still too early for an accurate tally of the financial toll, the losses so far likely make the wildfires the costliest ever in the US, according to various estimates.
A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between USD 135 billion and USD 150 billion. By comparison, AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Helene, which tore across six southeastern states last fall, at USD 225 billion to USD 250 billion.
“This will be the costliest wildfire in California modern history and also very likely the costliest wildfire in US modern history, because of the fires occurring in the densely populated areas around Los Angeles with some of the highest-valued real estate in the country,” said Jonathan Porter, the private firm's chief meteorologist.
AccuWeather factors in a multitude of variables in its estimates, including damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure and vehicles, as well as immediate and long-term health care costs, lost wages and supply chain interruptions.
The insurance broker Aon PLC also said Friday that the LA County wildfires will likely end up being the costliest in US history, although it did not issue an estimate. Aon ranks a wildfire known as the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, in 2018 as the costliest in US history up to now at USD 12.5 billion, adjusted for inflation. The Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed about 11,000 homes.
The LA County wildfires, which were fuelled by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds and an extreme drought, remained largely uncontained Saturday. That means the final tally of losses from the blazes is likely to increase, perhaps substantially.
“To put this into perspective, the total damage and economic loss from this wildfire disaster could reach nearly 4 per cent of the annual GDP of the state of California,” AccuWeather's Porter said.
In a report Friday, Moody's also concluded that the wildfires would prove to be the costliest in US history, specifically because they have ripped through densely populated areas with higher-end properties.
While the state is no stranger to major wildfires, they have generally been concentrated in inland areas that are not densely populated. That's led to less destruction per acre, and in damage to less expensive homes, Moody's noted.
That's far from the case this time, with one of the largest conflagrations destroying thousands of properties across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, home to many Hollywood stars and executives with multimillion-dollar properties. Already, numerous celebrities have lost homes to the fires.
“The scale and intensity of the blazes, combined with their geographic footprint, suggest a staggering price tag, both in terms of the human cost and the economic toll,” Moody's analysts wrote. The report did not include a preliminary cost estimate of the wildfire damage.
It could be several months before a concrete tally of the financial losses from the wildfires will be possible.
“We're in the very early stages of this disaster,” Porter said.
