Tag: Amit Shah

Congress can only daydream of winning polls, says Amit Shah

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Accusing the Congress of telling “lies” to people, BJP chief Amit Shah on Friday said the opposition party can only daydream of winning the upcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

Addressing a rally here ahead of the November 28 Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was working to enhance the country’s prestige in the world.

Shah said he heard Congress chief Rahul Gandhi saying in his speech that his party would come to power in Madhya Pradesh.

“However, he (Rahul) seems to have ignored that the BJP has been on a winning streak since 2014.

“After the 2014 (Lok Sabha) elections, there were polls in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kashmir, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Goa and Himachal. The BJP won everywhere,” the BJP president said.

“Now MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are going to polls
and the result is clear. They can only daydream about winning,” he said.
Shah said the Congress leaders have a habit of telling lies “loudly, publicly and repeatedly”.’

“Congress leader Kamal Nath says Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes on lots of foreign trips. However, when we took a stock of it, we came to know that Modi ji has done fewer trips than his predecessor Manmohan Singh,” he said.

“I thought why does it appear that Modi ji is going on more number of trips. I asked a few people and it was found that when ‘mauni baba’ (referring to Manmohan Singh) went on foreign trips, he used to take two pages of speech in English and read it.

“At times even used to read in Malaysia a page meant to be read in Thailand and vice-versa. Now, when Modi ji goes out, he is greeted by a cheering crowd. These slogans are not for the welcome of Modi ji or the BJP, but for the 1.25 crore people of the country and Madhya Pradesh,” Shah said.

“Modi ji has worked to increase the prestige of the nation,” he said.

According to the BJP leader, the Modi government had started 129 schemes in the last four-and-a-half years for farmers, Dalits, Adivasis, youth, women and poor spread across villages and cities.

Hitting out at the Congress for questioning the NDA government and the BJP over surgical strikes, he said, “They have Italian spectacles on their eyes and therefore, cannot see what has actually happened”.

“Before the surgical strikes, there were just two countries who could take revenge by conducting such strikes in other countries – America and Israel. Now, India also figures in that list,” he said.

On the issue of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Shah said the Congress created a ruckus in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha over the move.

“I want to ask, are they concerned about the human rights of infiltrators? What about the human rights of martyrs’ widows? These infiltrators take away jobs, but you are not concerned about it because vote-bank is more important to you,” he said, adding national security was more important to the BJP.

Shah said if the BJP continued to remain in power at the Centre and in Madhya Pradesh, the party would throw out every single infiltrator from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Assam to Gujarat.

“Only Modi and BJP can throw out these infiltrators,” he added.

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Congress didn’t care for nation’s security when it ruled, says Amit Shah

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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BJP president Amit Shah on Friday said the Congress did not care about the nation’s security when it “ruled India for 70 years”, adding securing the borders was a major achievement of the Modi-led government.

Addressing a poll rally, Shah credited the Modi government with giving impetus to boosting the country’s
security.

“When the Congress was in power and Manmohan Singh wasthe prime minister, Pakistani terrorists used to infiltrate,explode bombs and go back,” he said.

There was anger across the country after the 2016 Uri
attack in which 18 Indian soldiers were killed. But this was
not the regime of Mauni Baba (Manmohan Singh). Modi ji ordered
our jawans to conduct surgical strikes and take revenge,” Shah
said.

“The Congress did not care about the country’s security for 70 years when it was in power, but bothered only
about their vote banks. For us, security is more precious than
our own lives,” he said.

Shah said the difference between the BJP and the Congress is that if one wants to become the prime minister or the president of the Congress, “they have to take birth in the
Nehru-Gandhi family while in the BJP, one can rise to the top
based on abilities even after being born in a poor family”.

“An example of this is Narendra Modi, who was born in a tea seller’s family but is now the prime minister. Shivraj Singh (Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan), who took birth in a poor family of farmers, is working from the last 15 years to develop Madhya Pradesh,” he said.

“One does not need to have a family to work and go ahead in the BJP. What is needed is the ability and resolve to serve people,” he said.

Shah sought to know who was the “senapati” (army chief) of the opposition party in Madhya Pradesh poll arena.

There is only a Raja (Digvijay Singh), a maharaja (Jyotiraditya Scindia), and an industrialist (Kamal Nath) and the Congress is fighting polls on their strength,” he said.

“Congress had left Madhya Pradesh as one of the most backward states but I can proudly say today that Shivraj Singh has made it into a developed state,” he said.

“The ‘Maharaja’ (Scindia) asks what has Modi done for Madhya Pradesh, but does not know how much has the state changed. This is because he does not step out of his palace in
Gwalior,” Shah said.

“He (Scindia) does not know what benefits the poor farmers received. I want to ask the Congress president, what did he give Madhya Pradesh for 10 years when the UPA was in power at the Centre,” Shah said.

The 13th Finance Commission under the UPA regime gave the state 1,34,190 crore, but the 14th Finance Commission, under the Modi government allocated it Rs 3,44,126 crore, the
BJP chief said.

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Madhya Pradesh elections 2018 LIVE: Modi says only one family crying against demonetisation, Congress didn’t care for nation’s security, says Amit Shah

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

BJP unveils 25 new faces in list of candidates for Rajasthan polls

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its first list of 131 candidates for the Rajasthan assembly elections.

The names were announced by senior party leader JP Nadda following a meeting of the BJP central election committee, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president Amit Shah, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje besides other top leaders.

Nadda said the party has fielded 25 new faces. Sources told Press Trust of India that 85 sitting legislators have found their names on the first list.

There were 12 women, 32 youth, 17 SC and 19 ST candidates in the list. There are 85 sitting MLAs and 25 new faces in the list, according to ANI.

भारतीय जनता पार्टी ने राजस्थान विधानसभा चुनाव के लिए पहली सूची जारी की। pic.twitter.com/v8RTbWJcQE

— BJP Rajasthan (@BJP4Rajasthan) November 11, 2018

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, ministers Gulab Chand Kataria, Rajendra Rathore, Arun Chaturvedi, Shrichand Kriplani, Kiran Maheshwari, Vasudev Devnani, Anita Bhadel and Prabhulal Saini have been repeated.

Raje will contest from Jhalrapatan, a seat she has represented since 2003. The BJP under Raje won a whopping 163 of the 200 assembly seats in the state in 2013.

The assembly election is a precursor to the 2019 general elections and the BJP is keen to retain power in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

The first phase of Chhattisgarh voting began on Monday under a tight security blanket comprising over 1.25 lakh police and paramilitary personnel. The second phase of polls will see voting in 72 seats on November 20.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Amit Shah arrives in Kerala amid Sabarimala row

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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BJP president Amit Shah arrived here Saturday on a day visit to Kerala to attend a party function in the city and the 90th Mahasamadhi observance of saint social reformer Sree Narayana Guru at Varkala near Thiruvananthapuram.

Hundreds of party workers gathered to welcome Shah, who became the first passenger to land at the Kannur International Airport slated for official inauguration on December 9.

Shah will inaugurate the party’s new district office located at Thalikkavu, party sources said. He would also visit the family members of slain BJP activist Remith, who was killed allegedly by the activists of CPI(M) in 2002.
Later in the day, Shah will attend the ‘Mahasamadhi Navathi Yathi Pooja Sammelan’ at Sivagiri, a hillock spiritual mutt established by Narayana Guru in Varkala near Thiruvananthapuram.

Shah’s Kerala visit assumes significance in the wake of massive protests against the CPI(M)-led LDF government’s decision to implement the Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all age groups into the Sabarimala temple.

The BJP in the state has extended full support to the agitation led by devotees of Lord Ayyappa to protect the age-old tradition of the shrine.
The state had witnessed massive protests from devotees at various places, including Sabarimala, Nilakkal and Pamba, against permitting women of all ages to enter the shrine, where the deity is ‘Naishtika Brahmachari’ (perennial celibate), when the temple was opened for monthly poojas from October 17-22.

At least 12 women in the ‘barred’ age group (10-50) had tried to trek the hills to offer prayers but had to retreat following widespread protests.

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Amit Shah backs Sabarimala devotees, slams Kerala government

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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BJP president Amit Shah Saturday extended full support to the protest by Ayyappa devotees against the CPI(M)-led LDF government’s decision to implement the Supreme court order on entry of women of all ages into Sabarimala temple, saying the Left government was trying to “suppress” the agitation by force. Addressing party workers after inaugurating the district BJP office here, Shah said the state government was using police force to challenge the protest by devotees.

He condemned the arrest of over 2,000 devotees, including RSS and Sangh Parivar activists, across the state agitating against the entry of women of all ages into the temple.

Shah, who began his speech with ‘Swamiya Saranam Ayyappa’ mantra, said the LDF government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan would have to pay a “heavy price” if the suppression of the agitation continues.

In a warning to Vijayan, he said the effort by his government to clamp down on the agitation amounted to “playing with fire”.

“Chief Minister must stop the brutality in the name of implementing the SC verdict,” he said adding that even women in the state were against the government move to implement the top court’s order.

Alleging that the Left government was trying to “destroy” Sabarimala temple and the “Hindu traditions,” the BJP chief said the saffron party won’t allow the CPI(M)-led government to “gamble with Hindu faith.”

“There is no restriction for women to offer prayers in any other Ayyappa temple… The uniqueness of the Sabarimala shrine has to be protected,” he said.

“The communist government is conspiring against temples. They have created an emergency like situation in Kerala,” he added.

Recalling that the Left government had not implemented several court orders before, Shah said the court order in the matter should be implemented by respecting the sentiments of devotees.

Making it clear that the saffron party was all set to make the Sabarimala issue one of its main agendas in the state, he concluded his speech by asking party workers to call “Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa.”

The temple had witnessed high drama with around a dozen women in 10-50 age group being prevented from entering the temple by protesting devotees after the doors were opened for all women following the apex court verdict.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

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Why the Congress is better placed than the BJP to win the approaching assembly elections

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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All elections in India throw opportunities to ‘political’ analysts to pontificate. The past couple of decades have seen the opinion poll industry too grow like mushrooms. While analysts revel talking on alliances and other matters the ‘pollsters’ put out figures of all kinds; in many instances if not all the source of finances, the methodology and the sample size are shrouded in mystery and yet they manage to get the numbers right and thus get away with what they did and manage to stay in business. This, in some ways, is true with the ‘political’ analysts too.

The most recent instance of this is with the coming round of assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telengana and Mizoram. Let me hasten to add that the scene in Mizoram is not part of either the analysis or the polls; I am not venturing into any conclusion as to whether it is bliss to be on the margins, geographically and metaphorically, as is Mizoram in this instance. And analysts are seen blaming the Congress president, Rahul Gandhi, for having failed to seal an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the three States – Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan.

Why the BSP Alliance Is No Big Deal

It is beyond their nature, inherent as it is given the fact that they are ‘political’ and hence analyse their own way, to count the fallout of such an alliance in the given times. Three facts stare at one’s face in this regard:

• The BSP has hardly shown any presence across the state in the past two decades and has secured a decent percentage of votes in some constituencies in these states bordering Uttar Pradesh; and even this has been in one or another election and not consistent.
• The BSP is staring at the possibility of erosion of its support base to Chandrasekar Azad ‘Ravan’ and the politics he has foregrounded in Uttar Pradesh.
• The BSP’s past record is that the party has and will not have any compunctions against teaming up with the BJP if that brings positions of power to its leader.

Given these, it was not in the Congress party’s interest to strike an alliance with Mayawati’s party in the three states that have borders with Uttar Pradesh. In addition and perhaps most important in the game that electoral politics has now come to, a Congress-BSP alliance was potent with an upper-caste backlash against it and this indeed could help the BJP for sure in Madhya Pradesh and in parts of Chattisgarh. Caste and particularly the upward mobility of the Dalits are indeed a cementing force in our discourse for unity of the upper castes.

The Congress party had been in the political business for too long and Rahul Gandhi certainly is older than he was when he used to say that the Congress belongs to all the castes and all the communities. The truth that caste is a real category (and not a fiction), that we live in a fractured society (and not a monist one) and that caste is more akin to chemistry and not simple arithmetic are lessons that one learns being in politics and particularly when one is struggling to put his party back on rails. Rahul Gandhi seems to have been coached pretty much on these now than he was a decade ago. He was aware that the BSP with his party would be more of a burden than an asset in Madhya Pradesh; and if he was not, his party’s leaders from Madhya Pradesh made him aware of it.

In addition, the coming round of assembly elections are important to the Congress from the point of its positioning ahead of the May 2019 general elections. In this sense the party could not afford take the strategy it had in the Gujarat assembly elections; in December 2017, Rahul Gandhi steered his party to take in such opposites as Jignesh Mewani and Hardik Patel in its fold and even lent its party symbol to Alpesh Thakor. December 2017 was time for the Congress to simply hold on and such an alliance gave the BJP a run for its money. I had argued then and will continue to argue that the Congress was saved a lot of trouble when it fell short of a majority by just a few seats. It would have been trouble to run a government in Gujarat with such individuals in its fold.

Some Ground Realities

The Congress party has not only held on but also found its ground since then. It may not have the media building its fortunes as had V.P.Singh in 1989, Atal Behari Vajpayee in 1998 and 1999 or Narendra Modi in 2014. Neither is Rafale another Bofors nor is stability the only factor that the people in these states are looking for; they have had stable regimes in these states for too long. The promises of a flight to moon are not credible any longer and the fact that prices are rising and the farm sector in crisis are realities that people experience in their everyday life and do not look for the media to tell them.

The people also know that the Congress is as much incapable of taking them to the moon or ensuring milk and honey in the rivers and streams that flow in their midst. Then, the people of India have shown their propensity to vote against someone and that perhaps is where the Congress party is now looking for its hour in November and December 2018. It was best, then, for the party to have stayed away from sewing pre-poll alliances of the kind it did in Gujarat some ten months ago. It remains to see whether it works. Gambles are meant to work or fail and it is imperative for a leader of a party trying to re-invent itself to gamble rather than lay back.

A lot is in common in these states going to polls with things as they were in November 1993. The Congress needed a vote-swing as much as it needs now to win majority in the state assemblies. And I recall Congress veteran (and one whom those in the media shall hate for the dirty things he did during the Emergency), the late Vidya Charan Shukla asserting a Congress victory then: The Congress, he smirked, is used to tumbling into victory as much as it snatches defeat from the jaws of victory!

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

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BJP will seek to identify illegal immigrants in country if it wins 2019 polls: Amit Shah

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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BJP chief Amit Shah on Sunday said his party will seek to identify illegal immigrants living in the country if it comes to power after the Lok Sabha polls and alleged Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal care for them for vote bank politics.

He said at a rally that illegal infiltrators are also causing trouble in the national capital, and likened them to termites, action against whom should not worry any patriot.

“After forming government in 2019, the BJP will undertake a nationwide identification of illegal infiltrators living in the country,” he said.

Shah said Gandhi and Kejriwal complain when action is taken against them and asserted the Bharatiya Janata Party will repeat its 2014 feat and win all seven Lok Sabha seats in the city.

Following the ongoing National Register of Citizens (NRC) process in Assam, there has been increasing demand from many BJP leaders that an exercise should be undertaken in the rest of the country to identify illegal immigrants.

“The illegal infiltrators are acting like termites in this country. They are also causing problems in Delhi. Action against them should not worry any patriot.
“But, whenever we take action Rahul Baba and Kejriwal start complaining.

They care for illegal infiltrators because of vote bank politics,” Shah said at Purvanchal Mahakumbh organised by Delhi unit of the party at Ramleela Ground here.

The BJP chief asked Gandhi and Kejriwal to clear the stand of their respective parties on the issue of illegal immigrants living in the country.

Sharpening his attack on Kejriwal, Shah charged the AAP leader with “preventing” the development of Delhi in his three and a half years of rule.
“Kejriwal’s only mantra is to tell lies, and talk forcefully and repeatedly,” Shah alleged.

He said the Centre had given Rs 50,000 crore to the Delhi government in past four and a half years and alleged there was “anger” among people against AAP dispensation in the city.

Attacking efforts of opposition parties to forge a Mahagathbandhan against ruling National Democratic Alliance(NDA) led by the BJP, Shah said his party was ready to take the challenge.

“This Mahagathbandhan has no policy or leader. Rahul wants to lead the bandwagon but leaders like Sharad Pawar, Mamta Banerjee, Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav are against it,” he claimed.

Lauding Purvanchali people for their contribution in the development of the country under the Modi government, the BJP chief said his party will not take rest till the eastern part of the country is as developed as the western part of it.

Accusing the Congress of doing “injustice” to the eastern region, including parts of UP, Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand, Shah said the Modi government had released 13.80 lakh crore and ensured development through expressways, hospitals and industries in the area.

“I have come here to give you account of the work done by Modi government for Purvanchal. Development of the region is our priority,” he said.
Purvanchal Mahagathbandhan is first in the series of four mega rallies planned by Delhi BJP in Delhi in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections, said Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari.

In his address, Tiwari also raised the issue of “illegal” Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in the national capital and charged Kejriwal government with “settling” them in the city for votes.

Several senior leaders, including Union minister Harsh Vardhan, BJP general secretary(organisation) Ram Lal, Shahnawaz Hussain, party MPs Meenakshi Lekhi, Udit Raj, Parvesh Verma, among others attended the rally.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

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Parrikar will continue as Goa chief minister, says Amit Shah

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will continue in his post, BJP president Amit Shah said Sunday as he announced that a reshuffle of the state’s ministers will soon take place.

The BJP chief said so in a tweet following a discussion with Bharatiya Janata Party’s core group team from Goa.

“It has been decided during a discussion with the Goa BJP core team that Manohar Parrikar will continue to lead the Goa government. There will soon be a reshuffle of ministers and their portfolios,” he said.

Parrikar’s poor health has sparked speculation over his continuation as chief minister of Goa, and Shah recently sent a team of central party leaders to the coastal state to speak to allies and take stock of the political situation there.

The opposition Congress, which is the single-largest party in the state, has staked claim to form the government. The BJP has asserted that its government continues to have the support of a majority of MLAs.

Parrikar is admitted to AIIMS and undergoing treatment for pancreatic ailment.

The reshuffle of ministers will be aimed at consolidating support for the BJP-led alliance government as the Congress is looking for signs of discontent to topple the Goa government.

In the 40-member state assembly, the Parrikar-led government has the support of 23 MLAs.

The BJP has 14 MLAs against 16 of the Congress, and Parrikar’s appeal was a key reason behind its success in securing support from a cross-section of legislators following last year elections.

Choosing a replacement for Parrikar, if such a need arises, will be tricky for the BJP as finding a leader who could command the loyalty of MLAs from different parties would not be easy, political watchers believe.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

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Atal Bihari Vajpayee cremated with full military honours

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who passed away in New Delhi at AIIMS on Thursday at age 93, was on Friday cremated with full military honours at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, where people turned out in tens of thousands to pay their final tributes.

Vajpayee’s foster-daughter Namita lit the funeral pyre amidst the chanting of vedic hymns and firing of a 21-gun salute by soldiers.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a galaxy of political leaders cutting across party lines and foreign dignitaries joined the rest of the nation in bidding adieu to the departed leader at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, a designated spot for the last rites of Presidents, Vice Presidents and Prime Ministers, on the banks of Yamuna river.

In keeping with the military honours, three service chiefs placed wreaths on the body of Vajpayee before leaders paid their floral tributes.

The tricolour that was wrapped around Vajpayee’s body was removed and given to his foster granddaughter Niharika after which the body was handed over to the family for last rites.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, veteran BJP leaders and Vajpayee’s long-time associates L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Congress President Rahul Gandhi were present at the funeral.

Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk and former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai led foreign dignitaries including Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Sri Lanka’s Acting Foreign Minister Lakshman Kiriella and Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali in paying homage.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge and Anand Sharma, Lok Sabha Deputy Speker M. Thambidurai, former Union Minister A. Raja, MDMK chief Vaiko and TMC leader Dinesh Trivedi were among who witnessed the performance of the last rites.

A few thousand people, some of whom chanted slogans hailing the late leader, thronged the Smriti Sthal as the last rites took place.

Earlier, tens of thousands of commoners joined Modi and BJP President Amit Shah in the final journey to bid adieu to Vajpayee as the former Prime Minister’s body was being taken to Rashtriya Smriti Sthal.

Vajpayee, who passed away at AIIMS on Thursday evening, had a pan-India appeal and his flair for foreign policy and initiatives were acknowledged globally.

The country observed a seven-day state mourning as a mark of respect for the leader was decorated with Bharat Ratna and was very popular. The tricolour is flying half-staff.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow