Congress invites Hardik, Mevani to meet Rahul Gandhi

The Congress today invited Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani to meet party vice president Rahul Gandhi during his visit to Ahmedabad tomorrow ahead of the assembly polls.

Gandhi will take part in 'Navsarjan Gujarat Janadesh' rally organised by the party in Gandhinagar where OBC leader Alpesh Thakor will join the Congress.

Congress's invite to Patel and Mevani comes a day after its state unit president Bharatsinh Solanki extended open invitation to Patel, Mevani and Thakor to join the party to ensure the ruling BJP's defeat.

"Rahul Gandhi will be coming to Ahmedabad tomorrow. We have invited Hardik Patel and other leaders of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti. They had given a memorandum to us and we are positive about their demands," Solanki said today.

"Rahul ji will hold a meeting with them before the rally and discuss all the issues and will invite them to support the Congress," Solanki said.

"We have separately invited Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and others after the rally; Rahul ji will meet them and discuss their issues," Solanki said.

Thakor, the leader of OBC Ekta Manch, will join the Congress with his associates at the rally, Solanki said.

Gandhi is also likely to meet Chotu Vasava, the leader of Janata Dal-United in Gujarat, during his one-day visit.

Thakor met Gandhi in Delhi yesterday and later announced that he would soon join the party.

The Congress, which is out of power in Gujarat for 22 years, is wooing leaders such as Hardik Patel, Mevani and Thakor who have significant support base in their respective communities.  -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the Opposition parties have no 'authority' to question the Election Commission and its decisions.

"The Opposition parties have no 'authority' to question the EC over the election schedule. People are having issues on my visit to Vadodara. They cannot say anything to me, therefore, they putting pressure on the EC. But I want to make it clear that they do not have any right to point a finger at the Commission," he said.

Further taking a jibe at former finance minister P Chidambaram, the prime minister said, 'Someone' who won during 'recounting' is targeting the EC now.

Trying to woo electorates of Gujarat, the prime minister added that development is Centre's prime focus.

"We are clear in our working. All our resources will be spent towards the well-being of every citizen. Not a penny of public money will be given to those opposing development," Prime Minister Modi said.

"Since I was a child I was hearing about a ferry service from Ghogha to Dahej. It was not done all these years because development was never a priority for them. When we got a chance to serve we focussed on all-round development and the ferry is operational today," he added.

This is Prime Minister Modi's third visit to his home state Gujarat this month.Ruling BJP, has launched 'Gujarat Gaurav Yatra', its biggest mass outreach programme in poll-bound Gujarat, that will cover 149 out of 182 constituencies.

The yatra publicises the achievements of the BJP government across the state.  -- ANI

Photograph: Press Information Bureau of India

Demanding that India's history should be rewritten, Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya today said there should be a debate on Tipu Sultan, the 18th-century ruler of Mysore.

"The history of India has not been written properly. It needs to be rewritten. Tipu Sultan's place in history should be reconsidered and there should be a debate on the issue," he told reporters in Indore.

The statement comes at a time when the Congress and the BJP in Karnataka are headed for a showdown over Tipu Jayanti (Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary) celebrations on November 10.

Union minister Anantkumar Hegde has conveyed to the Karnataka government that he does not to want to be invited to the 'shameful' event.

"Those who wrote the history of India were, in a way, slaves of the British. They have deliberately written it in such a way that we do not take pride in our great icons," Vijayvargiya said.

"Maharana Pratap and Akbar (both Indian kings) were contemporaries. But in history, Akbar is described as great, whereas Maharana Pratap, who ate rotis made of grass and lived in the forest for the sake of the country and culture, is not referred to as great," he added.

The BJP leader also alleged that great personalities had not got the places they deserved due to the sycophancy of the historians.

Vijayvargiya also expressed confidence that the saffron party would win the upcoming Gujarat Assembly polls with a huge majority.  -- PTI

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe swept to a resounding victory in a snap election today, winning a mandate to harden his already hawkish stance on North Korea.

Abe's conservative coalition was on track to win 311 seats in the 465-seat parliament, according to a projection published by private broadcaster TBS, putting him on course to become Japan's longest-serving leader.

Abe was heading for a 'landslide win', the top-selling Yomiuri daily said on its website, as the premier's gamble to hold a snap election appeared to be paying off.

But it was unclear in the immediate aftermath of the vote whether Abe's coalition would retain its two-thirds 'supermajority', requiring 310 seats, as some media had it falling just short.

A 'supermajority' would allow Abe to propose changes to pacifist Japan's United States-imposed constitution that forces it to renounce war and effectively limits its military to a self-defence role.

Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) benefited from a weak and splintered opposition, with the two main parties facing him created only a matter of weeks ago.  -- Agencies

"India is deeply concerned at the spate of violence in Rakhine State of Myanmar," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said in Dhaka.

Swaraj made the remarks after co-chaired 4th Joint Consultative Commission meeting with her Bangladeshi counterpart A H Mahmood Ali.

"We have urged that the situation be handled with restraint, keeping in mind the welfare of the population," she said.

"It is clear that normalcy will only be restored with the return of the displaced persons to Rakhine state," Swaraj said.

"The only long-term solution to the situation in Rakhine state is rapid socio-economic and infrastructure development that would have a positive impact on all the communities living in the state," she said on the first day of her two-day Dhaka visit.

"We are determined to protect our societies from threat of ideologies of hate, violence and terror by adopting a zero tolerance policy and a comprehensive approach in fighting violent extremism and terrorism at all levels," the external affairs minister said.  -- ANI

Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein will stay in a rehabilitation centre at least till the next month amid the sexual harassment scandal.

The media mogul's spokesperson told People magazine that he will continue to be under treatment at the facility, despite his constant insistence to be shifted to a five-star hotel.

"Mr Weinstein is receiving in-patient as well as outpatient medical treatment for the next month or so," the spokesperson said.

Another insider told People, the producer believes he does not needs assistance round-the-clock.

"He agreed to treatment, but he doesn't think he needs rehab," they said.

However, another Weinstein source claims that the media mogul has accepted that he needs help.

"His team set him up at a secure place to get him the help he needs -- he knows and wants help. Specialists and at least one doctor are coming to him and he's taking the therapy seriously. He's not taking this lightly. This has been something he's actually been working on for a while."

In his first statement after the controversy blew up, Weinstein had said he is trying to be a better person and knows that he has a long way to go.

"My journey now will be to learn about myself and conquer my demons... I've brought on therapists... to deal with this issue head on. I so respect all women and regret what happened. I hope that my actions will speak louder than words," he had said.

Over 40 women, including names such as Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lupita Nyong'o and Lena Headey, have come forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct after a New York Times expose, which revealed that he settled with more than eight women.

The NYT story was followed by a more detailed report in the New Yorker.  -- PTI

"After all hardcore reforms, the economy is on track and moving in right direction," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at rally in Dahej, Gujarat.

"Many economists agree that the fundamentals of economy are strong. We have taken tough decisions for the economy and will continue to do so while maintaining financial stability," the PM said.

"We are committed towards fair and transparent functioning of the economy. Demonetisation and GST were steps in this direction," he said. -- PTI

Pakistan's former president Asif Ali Zardari has claimed that ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif twice planned to assassinate him.

Zardari, 62, said that Nawaz and Shahbaz plotted his murder when he was serving his eight-year-long sentence in corruption cases. He said the Sharif brothers planned to kill him when he was going to a court to attend his hearing.

"The Sharif brothers twice planned my murder in captivity in 1990s," Zardari said while speaking to party workers at Bilawal House Lahore.

Zardari further said Nawaz has been trying to make a contact with him to seek his support but 'I have refused'.

"I have not yet forgotten what they (Sharifs) have done to Benazir Bhutto (his wife) and me. We forgave them and signed Charter of Democracy, but still Mian sahib (Nawaz) betrayed me and went to court in memogate in order to label me a traitor," he said.

The memogate controversy revolved around a memorandum seeking help of the Obama administration in the wake of the Osama bin Laden raid to avert a military takeover of the civilian government in Pakistan.

The memo is alleged to have been drafted by Pakistan's then ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani at the behest of Zardari.

Sharif demanded an inquiry into the matter and also threatened to resign from the National Assembly if the Zardari government did not satisfactorily probe the matter.

"The Sharif brothers cannot be trusted this time around and I will not shake hands with them," he added.

"They change colour so quickly. When they are in trouble they are ready to cooperate with you.... when in absolute power they hit you smartly," Zardari said.

Zardari made it clear to the party leaders to forget an alliance with the PML-N after 2018 election. -- PTI

The mother of the 11-year-old girl, who died allegedly of starvation in Jharkhand's Simdega district a few days ago as her family's ration card was not linked to the Aadhaar, has accused the villagers of threatening and abusing her for 'defaming' the village.

Koyli Devi, the mother of the victim, said she was 'living in fear' as the villagers thronged outside her house and abused her family.

"I have been living in fear; villagers abused me and asked me to leave the village. They thronged outside my house and abused me and threatened me as I raised the issue," she told ANI.

Following the threats, Koyli Devi and her family reportedly travelled 8 km from her village to the Patiamba village in the Jaldega block to take shelter.

The police then brought them back to Simdega and deployed a security team outside their residence.

The victim, Santoshi Kumari, died on September 28 after her mother was unable to feed her.

The family was struck off from the government welfare rolls for not linking their ration card with the Aadhar card.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand Food Minister Saryu Roy said, "Action would be taken if anyone threatens Koyli Devi. We have ensured now that she doesn't face any problem."  -- ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is speaking at a public meeting in Dahej, Gujarat:

- Our mantra is P for P - Ports for Prosperity. India needs better ports and more ports.

- We believe Sagar Mala project alone will provide around one crore jobs.

- Without proper connectivity, the economic development of a nation slows down. Keeping this in mind we are focussing on ports infrastructure.

- Our focus is on the blue economy. We see the blue economy as integral to our vision of a new India.

- I'm digging out old files and getting projects on track which were stuck for decades.   -- ANI and courtesy @PMOINdia/Twitter

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today took a swipe at Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over a controversial ordinance, pointing out that the year was '2017, not 1817'.

'Madam Chief Minister, with all humility we are in the 21st century. It's 2017, not 1817,' Gandhi tweeted.

He also tagged a news report titled 'Rajasthan ordinance is against free speech, say legal experts'.

The report said the ordinance prohibited an investigation without prior sanction against judicial officers and public servants and also restricted the media.

It said under the proposed law, the media cannot report on accusations against magistrates and others until the prosecution gets the go-ahead from the sanctioning authority.

The state government said in a release last night there was no provision in the ordinance to protect corrupt officials.  -- PTI

A jawan of the Central Reserve Police Force's elite CoBRA unit today died of malaria in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, police said.

Head constable Brahmanand, belonging to the 206th battalion of CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), succumbed to malaria at Sukma district hospital, Additional Superintendent of Police Jitendra Shukla told PTI.

The jawan, posted at the paramilitary force's camp in Chintagufa, was last night admitted to the CRPF's field hospital there.

He was shifted to the district hospital in a serious condition this morning, he said.

The body will be sent to his native place in Uttar Pradesh after the post-mortem, the ASP said.

Last week, a jawan from the same camp suffered from malaria and is currently under treatment in Raipur, he said.

Shukla said adequate precautions are being taken as all personnel deployed at the camps are provided mosquito nets and repellents.

Despite the precautions, the personnel are exposed to mosquitoes due to their long operations in the forest areas, he said.

Malaria, the mosquito-borne infectious disease, has been common in the interiors of Bastar division after rains.

Several security personnel, deployed in anti-Maoist operations in the region, have lost their lives or fallen sick due to the life threatening fever in the past.  -- PTI

Photograph: ANI

Pakistani troops today violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Kamalkote area of Uri sector in Baramulla district for the second consecutive day, an Army official said.

No casualties have been reported in today's firing so far, the official said.

There was unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Kamalkote area and they fired indiscriminately for the second day running, he said.

The Indian Army personnel were giving a 'strong and befitting' response to the ceasefire violation, he said, adding that further details were being ascertained.

In yesterday's firing, an army porter was killed while two women were injured.  -- PTI

Image for representation only.

China has asked Pakistan to step up security of its newly-appointed ambassador in Islamabad in the wake of threats to his life from a terrorist organisation, according to media reports.

The Chinese Embassy made the request in a letter written to the Interior Ministry on October 19, saying a member of the banned terrorist group East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) has sneaked into Pakistan to assassinate its ambassador.

The letter, circulated in the local media, was written by the focal person for the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Ping Ying Fi who asked the Interior Ministry to 'enhance the protection' of the ambassador and other Chinese working in the country.

This, the letter says, will not only help foil the nefarious designs of the terrorist but will also help in getting to other terrorists involved in the plot. China has appointed Yao Jing, who has served as Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan, as its new envoy to Pakistan.

Yao replaced Sun Weidong, who served as China's Ambassador to Pakistan for three years and recently returned to his country.

In the letter, Ping shared details of the terrorist's passport and demanded his immediate arrest and handover to the Chinese Embassy. It identified the terrorist as Abdul Wali.

The Interior Ministry and the Chinese Embassy have declined to comment on the letter.

The ETIM largely operates from China's restive Muslim- majority Xinjiang region, bordering Pakistan. The security of Chinese officials in Pakistan is a major issue and the Army has been tasked to provide security to the Chinese working on various projects, including the CPEC.

The CPEC, which traverse through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, will connect Xinjiang with Pakistan's seaport Gwadar through a network of rail, road and pipeline. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing a public meeting in Bhavnagar District.

- I am happy to be in Gujarat to personally convey new year greetings. This programme may be for a ferry between Ghogha and Dahej but this programme is of vital importance for the entire nation.

- Ferry service is a first of sorts. Its a dream come true for people of Gujarat.

- I am also here with regard to a project in dairy sector, a sector to which we have given immense importance over the last two decades.

- I urge people to explore opportunities in animal husbandry.

- The history of human civilisation illustrates the vitality of rivers and maritime trade. Gujarat is the land of Lothal. How can we forget these aspects of our history.

- This programme is to bring back to life our glorious past, connect Saurashtra and South Gujarat.

- Imagine how much time and petrol this ferry service will save. This ferry service connects Saurashtra and South Gujarat...people from these regions frequently travel to and fro.

- When I was serving as CM, I faced hostility from the then Central Government. Efforts were made to stall industries and the state's growth.

- Over the last three years we have changed that and given importance to the development of Gujarat.

- Gujarat is blessed with a long coastline and we should harness opportunities arising due to this. We took steps in developing coastal infrastructure.

- This ferry service will not be restricted to this one route. We are planning to link other places also through ferries.

Photograph and matter: Kind courtesy @PMOIndia/Twitter

The government has de-affiliated close to 400 industrial training institutes after quality inspections administered by it found the institutes lacking the requisite infrastructure and trainers for imparting vocational training to students.

Asked about around 400 out of the 13,000-odd ITIs being de-affiliated, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajesh Agarwal replied in the affirmative.

"We get (them) inspected, we see the quality of infrastructure, the trainers that should be there as per the guidelines.

"When it is not there the ITIs are de-affiliated because ultimately if you have to be an ITI at the NCVT (National Council for Vocational Training) level, there are certain minimum conditions that you have to meet," Agarwal told PTI.

He said the skill development ministry has begun monitoring the ITIs with a view to maintaining their quality standards and also introduced voluntary self grading by the institutes.

"We are trying to see that centres or institutes which are not up to the mark or quality are slowly chucked out of the system," Agarwal said.

The government's vocational training programmes are administered by ITIs, whichcater to about 36 per cent of the seven million people enrolled invarious training programmes in India.

According to Agarwal, about 5,100 ITIs have been gradedtill now under the star rating system and are presently in theprocess of getting inspected through third parties andcertification assessment.

"It is a voluntary process. We are trying to build incentives around grading. ITIs who get graded and are doing well, there are incentives for them to grow, whereas the ones not getting graded will slowly phase out," the Joint Secretary said.  -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the launch of Phase 1 of RO-RO (Roll on, Roll off) ferry service and other projects in Ghogha, Gujarat.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Deputy CM Nitin Patel and others are also seen.

The PM will also travel by the newly-inaugurated ferry and address the people in Dahej thereafter.

The prime minister had called ferry service his dream project while addressing a gathering at Gandhinagar on Monday.  -- ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy CM Nitin Patel received him.

Modi will launch different projects in Ghogha, Dahej and Vadodara today.   He will inaugurate Phase 1 of the RO-RO (Roll on, Roll off) ferry service between Ghogha and Dahej.

The PM will also travel by the newly-inaugurated ferry. After the maiden journey, he will address a gathering at Dahej.

The seven to eight hours of travel time between Ghogha in Saurashtra, and Dahej in South Gujarat will reduce to one hour after the ferry service begins.

At the public meeting there, the prime minister will also inaugurate the Sarvottam Cattle Feed Plant of Shree Bhavnagar District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd.

Modi will then head to Vadodara, where he will dedicate the Vadodara City Command Control Centre, the Waghodiya Regional Water Supply Scheme, and the New Head Office Building of the Bank of Baroda to the nation at a public meeting.

The PM will hand over the residences to beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (urban, as well as rural).

Prime Minister Modi will also lay the foundation stones of several infrastructure and development projects, including capacity expansion of Mundra-Delhi petroleum product pipeline, green-field marketing terminal project of the HPCL, an integrated transport hub, regional water supply schemes, housing projects, and a flyover.  -- ANI

Photograph: ANI

The Government of India has said that asking relatives of the 39 Indians who went missing in Mosul, Iraq, three years ago to undergo DNA tests is normal procedure to confirm identification. 

The silence of a rape victim cannot be taken as proof of consent for sexual relations, the Delhi high court has observed while upholding a man's 10-year jail term for raping a pregnant woman.  

Former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin has been invited by the Telangana Congress to contest the 2019 elections from the state. 

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka today.  

A proctorial inquiry committee of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has issued show cause notices to around 15 students for staging a gherao, which "disrupted the normal functioning" of the university administration early this year. 

An unidentified terrorist was killed in a gun battle with security forces in Langet area of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir.  

The Congress has received a boost ahead of the Gujarat assembly polls, with backward class leader Alpesh Thakor announcing his decision to join the party, after a meeting with Rahul Gandhi.  

NorthernComd_IA) tweeted at 7:38 a.m. on Sun, Oct 22, 2017:
#IndianArmy One terrorist killed in #Handwara. Operation in progress.

Facing flak from the Tamil Nadu BJP over dialogues allegedly flaying the GST in Mersal, the film production house has said that if needed, it would delete scenes that have caused "misunderstanding", even as the Congress slammed the saffron party for demanding cuts.