Kharge, Rahul not to attend Invest Karnataka Summit: Congress
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi will not be attending the Invest Karnataka Summit in Bengaluru beginning Wednesday due to their preoccupation in Parliament.
AICC general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said both Kharge and Gandhi are tied up in Parliament for the debate on the budget and have sent their best wishes to the Karnataka government.
"Both the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and @INCIndia President Shri Mallikarjun @kharge and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Shri @RahulGandhi are extremely tied up in Parliament today on account of the continuing debate on the Budget.
"Hence they have regretted their inability to attend the inauguration of the Karnataka Investor Summit this evening in Bengaluru," Ramesh said in a post on X.
"They have sent their best wishes for the Summit and are confident that it will be a very productive and successful one in keeping with Karnataka's unique competitive and comparative advantages," the Congress leader also said.
The 'Invest Karnataka 2025' global investors meet is being held in Bengaluru from February 12 to 14 with the theme "Reimagining Growth".
The event will see several top industrialists as well as some global investors attending it.
The event is being organised by the Karnataka government to attract global investment in the state, highlighting its strategic advantages in fostering innovation, industrial development and global partnerships.
It is expected that investment proposals worth Rs 10 lakh crore, with a target of realising at least 70 per cent of these commitments like fostering innovation, industrial development and global partnerships, would be made at the three-day event, according to Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries M B Patil.
While Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the summit on February 12 in the presence of Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will preside over the inaugural session.
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Bengal: On way to PM's rally, 3 mowed down by train amid dense fog
Kolkata (PTI): Three persons died and three others were injured after being hit by a train amid dense fog on Saturday, while travelling to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally at Taherpur in West Bengal's Nadia district, a senior official said.
The incident occurred between Taherpur and Badkulla railway stations under the Sealdah-Krishnanagar section of Eastern Railway, he said.
Modi, whose helicopter could not land at Taherpur due to dense fog and low visibility, condoled the death of the “BJP workers” in his virtual address from Kolkata airport.
“I have come to know that some BJP workers, while travelling to the rally, lost their lives in a rail accident. My condolences are with the families of those who have lost their loved ones, and I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Modi said.
The Eastern Railway official told PTI that the incident occurred in the morning when these people, who were travelling by a bus, had stopped the vehicle and walked to the railway tracks to answer nature's call.
"While three persons died on the spot, two others with injuries were admitted to a local hospital," he said.
Another person with minor injuries was released after having been administered first aid, the official said.
The deceased have been identified as Ramprasad Ghosh (74), Shaktipada Sutradhar (55) and Gopinath Das (38).
Meanwhile, Mahua Moitra, Trinamool Congress MP from Krishnanagar constituency in Nadia district, alleged that the BJP ignored the incident and went ahead with the rally.
"Terrible tragedy hushed up at altar of @narendramodi ego. @BJP4India supporters brought from far Murshidabad for PM rally in Ranaghat today," she said in a post on X.
"4 went to answer nature's call and were killed by 31814 down local train near Taherpur. BJP ignored, blacked out & went ahead with rally," Moitra claimed.
Reacting to her remarks, the West Bengal BJP, in a post on X, asserted that the TMC "has always been adept at milking tragedies", and was being "disrespectful to the unfortunate victims of this tragedy".
The TMC alleged that BJP leaders have not shown "neither concern nor compassion" over the mishap.
"The loss of three lives in Taherpur should have united everyone in grief. But @BJP4India leaders showed neither concern nor compassion," it said in another post on X.
"At this painful moment, Smt @MamataOfficial and Shri @abhishekaitc put humanity above party lines and stood beside the families of the deceased," the party said.
TMC’s on-ground leaders promptly reached out to the grieving family members, ensuring them of help and assistance, it said.
"While Delhi’s rulers chase Bengal with arrogance, our leadership chose empathy. This is the difference between politics of power and politics of people!" the TMC added.
