Tag: Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal speaks on ‘400 paar’ target, Maharashtra power play and more | Full text

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

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Union minister and BJP leader Piyush Goyal, who is making his Lok Sabha election debut from Mumbai North, spoke on burning issues ranging from the Opposition’s narrative to the Congress’s manifesto and reservation, in an exclusive interview. In a candid discussion with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, he also spoke at length on Maharashtra politics, and Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar’s factions of the Shiv Sena and the NCP. Full text:

RAHUL JOSHI: Piyush ji, welcome to this special show of News18. Thank you very much for coming to our studio. The election is in full swing and three rounds have been completed. Your election is on May 20. You are contesting elections for the first time. How are you feeling?

PIYUSH GOYAL: I am very happy. I am grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that after working in the field of politics for 40 years, I have got this opportunity to go into the people’s court, gauge their joys and sorrows on the ground.

In the last 40 years, I have seen many elections, created strategies for many elections, worked for others in many elections. I even oversaw LK Advani ji’s first election. He contested the Lok Sabha elections for the first time in 1989. Before that, he had never contested any election. I am almost the same age now. He must have been 62 years old then.

But, when a person is a candidate, it is a different proposition. There are anxieties and overall a maturity also develops. You go among the people and interact with them in their everyday life.

RAHUL JOSHI: We will come back to Maharashtra and talk about your constituency as well, but you are with us today, you are a national leader, you have handled a lot of ministries. At one time, I think you were handling the highest number of portfolios in the government. So, let’s discuss some big issues with you first. I recently interviewed Amit Shah ji and the first question I asked him was that your slogan is ‘Abki baar, 400 paar’. Does that still hold or is the campaign coming off the tracks?

PIYUSH GOYAL: It still holds. And when you come on the ground, when you go among the people, see their response, their reaction, and political leaders gauge from the reaction of the audience what response you are receiving. What the response is during the speech, what the response is on an issue.

I believe we will definitely cross 400, but the way the opposition is making so many distasteful, controversial, and appalling statements, the way it is trying to divert issues with fake narratives, the way internal conflicts have come to the fore in the INDI Alliance, the fight between the CPM and Congress in Kerala… They are friends in West Bengal, but the TMC and Congress are fighting.

This entire opposition has exposed itself as a very weak opposition. They have no leader, no leadership, no policy, no intent for the country. How will they work with amity and sensitivity? In such a situation, the 10-year tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his 50 years of impeccable public life inspire people and assure them that it is only him who can take this country to the world stage.

RAHUL JOSHI: We have noticed that the voter turnout was a little low in the first two to three phases. We have also seen a bit of a fall in the stock markets for the last few days. FIIs are selling. There is a buzz that you may not be able to reach your seat target. Four months ago, you had given me the figure of 330 for the Bharatiya Janata Party. So, what number are you looking at? Is there any truth to reports that due to the low turnout, there is overconfidence in the BJP and workers are not coming out of their homes? How are you looking at this narrative?

PIYUSH GOYAL: First of all, let me state that the figure of 330 that I had given you was before our alliance with JD(U), before our alliance with Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP, and before any alliance in Tamil Nadu. I think this was around September-October.

After all these developments, this figure has been increasing. Due to this, the BJP’s figure increased and overall NDA’s figure also increased. Along with this, the circumstances also changed. For example, West Bengal, Odisha and Telangana. In these three states, we are getting a much better response, love and blessings from the people than we had originally expected for the BJP.

In Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra (Pradesh), we thought the BJP might go empty-handed, but now they are also looking very promising.

RAHUL JOSHI: Will the BJP open its account in Kerala and Tamil Nadu this time?

PIYUSH GOYAL: Of course, we will definitely open our account. Almost everyone agrees. In Kerala, we will open our account and in such a way that it will be surprising both in terms of seats and vote share.

RAHUL JOSHI: In terms of vote share, everyone agrees. But will it be converted into seats?

PIYUSH GOYAL: There are two or three seats, in which we are very strongly in the race, and we will definitely win one, I think.

RAHUL JOSHI: In Tamil Nadu?

PIYUSH GOYAL: No, not Tamil Nadu…Kerala. In Tamil Nadu, too, the situation is almost the same; we will definitely win two, and in four or five we are in a strong position.

RAHUL JOSHI: And if we look at the whole south, where there are almost 130 seats…

PIYUSH GOYAL: If we look at the whole of south, at one point we had an almost negligible presence in three or four states. And today, we are the only party, which has a presence in every state. As soon as we open our account in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and we will get good results in Andhra, this time, as you must have also gauged from the response in Vijayawada, which was stunning.

In Telangana, the way the situation is developing, we are far ahead of the opposition and the ruling party. And in Karnataka, we have largely been able to maintain our position.

RAHUL JOSHI: Your party garnered a massive victory in Karnataka last time. Will you be able to maintain it? People are saying that the atmosphere is a little subdued there.

PIYUSH GOYAL: The atmosphere can change in one or two seats, but I don’t think there will be a huge difference between this time and the last time. This is a national election. People have in mind that the leader of the country is being elected, the government of the country. And everyone believes that those dark days of the UPA, replete with corruption; whatever the prime minister does, a ‘yuvraj’ would pick it up and tear it apart in a press conference. Every day, every week, a new case of corruption is revealed. The prime minister is so helpless that he says ‘what can I do, these are compulsions of coalition politics’. People do not want this kind of a government in any part of the country.

So in the south, as Amit Shah ji said, I had also not fully thought about it, but when I did the math I realised that no other party even comes close to the number of seats we have in all these states combined – Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu.

RAHUL JOSHI: So, what is the figure? Out of 130?

PIYUSH GOYAL: I don’t have the exact figure but we will be the single largest among all the parties in the south.

RAHUL JOSHI: Piyush ji, let’s talk a bit about some of the bigger issues. If you have so much confidence that 400 seats will be crossed easily, BJP will get 370 seats, when this election started gaining momentum, your party was talking about development, the economy, the big things done during Modi ji’s tenure; but then, especially after two phases, the whole campaign has shifted to Hindu-Muslim. The prime minister also talked about this in his rally in Rajasthan. It was even said that the Congress is talking about wealth distribution, that it will take the savings of Hindus and divide them among Muslims and infiltrators. How do you see this? What was the need to raise this issue at this time?

PIYUSH GOYAL: We didn’t start this discussion. You can check out Modi’s guarantees. It is a very positive narrative. We have put every issue in front of the country very seriously and deeply. We have kept a vision of how we can become a developed India in this Amrit Kaal, and what steps will be taken in that direction in our third term.

I feel it is unfortunate that after the manifesto of the Congress was released, they were completely exposed, that they are still thinking of appeasement. They are still thinking of following the economic path shown by Sam Pitroda ji. For them, the politics of discrimination still takes priority. And the kind of confusion they tried to create in society, we felt it necessary to present it properly before the people. And I think we have not stopped talking about development and a positive agenda.

But, naturally, whether it is the media or social media, there is always some inclination towards sensationalism, TRPs, and headline hunting. So, it feels like the narrative has changed. But, you can watch the speeches of any of us, be it the prime minister, Amit bhai, JP Nadda ji, Rajnath ji, or even candidates like us, we are going to the people with a very positive attitude and are promoting a positive narrative. That this election will decide the fate of the country is our focus. This election will decide whether Modi ji becomes the prime minister or on the other side is a question mark. Because even though they have said that they will appoint five prime ministers in five years, they have not been able to say who those five will be, and who will be the first.

RAHUL JOSHI: But, they say they have not said all this. They haven’t talked about any of this and they haven’t mentioned Muslims in the manifesto. They say that all of you have brought this up. So, how did you come to this conclusion?

PIYUSH GOYAL: Rahul ji, you see Sam Pitroda ji has been their trusted adviser and for years, he used to tom-tom it too. Sam Pitroda ji was taken around the world in the name of Overseas Congress and he would badmouth the country there as well.

Now, when such a person talks about 55% inheritance tax at the same time and, I believe, that he must have definitely had a hand in the manifesto as well. Now, on the one hand the manifesto comes, which says we will take the details of everyone’s savings, we will investigate everyone, we will assess the savings you have. And if we talk about redistribution of wealth, then for redistributing the savings, first you will have to take it and snatch it.

So, naturally that’s what they are saying. And then, you see, four things happened at the same time. First, the manifesto says that your assets will be fully investigated, everyone in the country, every middle-class person. If 25 crore people have come out of poverty, then broadly most of them are in the middle class. So, the details of all their assets will be collected.

The second narrative is that on the basis of population, they will redistribute wealth. A third narrative is created that the minorities and, this is false, have been treated unfairly by Modi ji, so they have first right to the country’s resources, as said by our former prime minister. And then fourth, Sam Pitroda ji talks about inheritance tax at the same time. Perhaps, he inadvertently spoke his mind; like America, and that’s 55%, not little. We had an inheritance tax earlier, but it was a small amount. Can talking about 55% tax be good for India?

Now, when you connect these four links, only then can you understand what is the thinking of the Congress and in which direction Rahul Gandhi and his friends want to take the country. That is why I think we felt it necessary to alert the country about their mindset.

RAHUL JOSHI: The prime minister has said this manifesto has an imprint of the Muslim League. Where did that come from?

PIYUSH GOYAL: If you look at the entire history of the Congress, they have discriminated on the basis of language, state, religion and, now, even on the basis of your and my skin colour.

Now, I don’t know what yours is but I am a Maharashtrian, so you can tell your viewers which category I fall in. But, it is unfortunate that they have always tried to divide people in this manner. They divided people even through their schemes. What was the Sachar Committee? They asked people in every state what specific policies or schemes they had for Muslims. It’s so unfortunate. So, if we build any infrastructure project for roads or railways, will we have to decide how much reservation to give Muslims to use that road?

Similarly, in Karnataka and in their other states, they have pitched that Muslims should get reservation. Now, all these things were said by the Muslim League. Their actions and their words, in their manifesto, and their work in the few states that they have, looking at that and how they are constantly insulting Lord Shri Ram, boycotting the pran pratishtha at the Ram temple, questioning the very existence of Shri Ram, some Congress leader saying they will have to purify the Ram temple; when all these statements come and are seen in this context that these people are asserting that one community should have the first right to the country’s resources, then you can judge that they are talking like the Muslim League.

RAHUL JOSHI: And they will take away reservation of OBCs and give it to Muslims, how do you see it? Where is that?

PIYUSH GOYAL: We believe in the rule of law. The Supreme Court has fixed a ceiling, with reservation earmarked for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and OBCs. And the Mandal Commission report has been around for so long, and the Congress never implemented it. A non-Congress government had to come to give reservation to OBCs under the Mandal Commission.

If you see, when we gave reservation to the economically weaker sections, we did so from outside the OBC, SC, ST quota, so it was not removed. But, the Supreme Court has clear guidelines that reservation for social and economic reasons can be up to a limit and, in this, if they connect Muslims, then in Islam there is no question of social backwardness because they don’t have a caste system.

So first, that would be non-constitutional or unconstitutional and, if they try to do that, it would naturally happen after snatching away reservation from OBCs or SCs and STs.

Therefore, if they want to give reservation to a particular religion and take away reservation of OBCs, SCs, STs, this country will never accept it. The BJP, our allies and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will never let anything happen to the reservation granted to this country’s OBCs, vanvasis, scheduled castes, Dalits, any underprivileged or backward person. This is our guarantee, that no matter how much the Congress tries, we will not allow it to tinker with the OBC, SC and ST reservations just for its appeasement politics.

RAHUL JOSHI: Rahul Gandhi says that any of you and Narendra Modi cannot win an election if you do not have the ED, CBI and EVM on his side; that with their support, he does match-fixing and wins elections. How do you see this?

PIYUSH GOYAL: In Karnataka and Telangana, they won the elections so they should immediately resign saying the results from EVMs are inaccurate. They should resign and say they will not form the government, and that they want ballot boxes back for elections. So, let them decide. They also emotionally blackmail the Supreme Court, that if a decision goes in their favour, then ‘democracy is saved, Satyameva Jayate’ Supreme Court is lauded. But, if the decision is in favour of building Ram Lalla’s temple, then they criticise the Supreme Court… Also the Supreme Court has decided in favour of EVM.

It is such a silly issue. The lakhs of EVMs used across the country are not even interconnected over the net. I mean their thinking is so appalling. I would say below contempt. Can you imagine that there are over 12 lakh EVMs in use across the country, and they are not even interconnected. So, if there is to be any foul play, then you have to tamper with 12 lakh EVMs. And if that happens, then there is no question of any opposition party winning or forming the government in any election.

So, this is a very silly narrative. They already know that they are going to lose, so now they are preparing ground for a narrative to hide that it is Rahul Gandhi’s defeat. Therefore, they will blame the EVM. Then they might blame Sharad Pawar or even Uddhav Thackeray. They just have to save Rahul Gandhi and the Gandhi-Nehru family. As far as the ED and CBI are concerned, I believe that the law takes its own course. There is a rule of law. If you did corruption, you were nabbed. If you get caught with your hand in the till, the law will work accordingly.

RAHUL JOSHI: But, isn’t this true Piyush ji that most of the cases and raids of ED are happening against opposition parties? Recently, a national newspaper had also done research and found that out of about 25 leaders who joined the BJP from other parties, 23 saw cases against them dropped or put in cold storage. How do you look at this?

PIYUSH GOYAL: I think the law takes its own course and its own time as well. But, our government does not interfere in any case. These are independent agencies that do their own work.

And, before we take anybody in the party, we also check what type of case the person is facing and whether that person will fit in with the ethos of our party or not. There are so many people who want to join whom we do not consider, if we feel that their background is such that they cannot be accepted into our party.

RAHUL JOSHI: And if they have cases against them and they join your party, then those cases would be buried?

PIYUSH GOYAL: Then the law will take its own course. It’s not possible for the cases to be buried because of us. These are independent agencies. They don’t work according to what we say.

RAHUL JOSHI: Another narrative that has been going on in the last few phases of the elections has been the India-Pakistan narrative. In the beginning, it was said today’s India is not the kind of India that will stand and watch a spectacle and go home – ‘Yeh Bharat ghar mein ghus ke maarega’. Foreign publications said some of our intelligence agencies killed 20 terrorists on Pakistani soil. Congress’s Mani Shankar Aiyar said we shouldn’t mess with Pakistan as they have an atom bomb and they could also react. How do you see this narrative? Is this also a narrative of appeasement?

PIYUSH GOYAL: India has said it very clearly that neither do we interfere in the politics of other countries, nor should they. Second, in the past, we have had weak governments, everyone knows this. I am a Mumbaikar. We have seen terrorists hold us ransom, be it the bomb blasts or 2008 terror attacks. In those situations, every citizen was saddened by the weak government the Congress gave the country. Today, every citizen of the country is proud that Prime Minister Modi ji did a strike in Balakot or Uri, it has boosted the morale of the country. The country has got a sense of security, every person in the country feels safe. This is a big issue among people.

Yesterday, I was on a tour of Kandivali East and Malad East, during which a woman in Magathane told me I should convey her message to Modi ji that she is very happy, she will only vote for Modi ji and she finds herself very safe as a woman today. She spoke with excitement for almost 1.5 minutes, telling me things I should convey to Modi ji. The mood of the nation is that India has got self-respect. India is not going to bow down to anyone now. There is a sense of confidence among Indians. This is also a big reason for the popularity of Prime Minister Modi ji.

RAHUL JOSHI: The Opposition says the government shows its strength to Pakistan, but when it comes to China, you do not give any direct answer. China took our land and you didn’t say anything…

PIYUSH GOYAL: Rahul ji, China did not take our land during the BJP’s time, but during the Congress’s time. The Congress is in the dock. The Congress has to answer about the land we lost after losing the war during their tenure. Under the BJP and NDA rule, India’s borders are safe. The morale of the armed and security forces is strong. They give a strong answer if anyone tries to attack us.

You will remember how in the Pangong Valley our soldiers gave a befitting reply and not a single person moved from there. Today, we have equipped them with the best facilities and equipment.

During Congress rule, our equipment or our defence manufacturing had become weak. Today, our armed forces have got a new boost.

RAHUL JOSHI: Another issue that has come up in this election is that the Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister has done an analysis of the population. It has been seen that the Muslim population has grown by around 43% between 1950 and 2015. The Hindu population, at the same time, has seen a fall of around 7.8%. How do you view this issue? If you come back to power, will you take any steps to control the population?

PIYUSH GOYAL: The public should think seriously about it. We don’t have a scheme from the government, but people should study this matter seriously, think about it and there should be a debate on it. There should be a debate in the media about this matter. People need to think whether the country’s balance is going in the wrong direction. Will it have any consequences in the future? If you look around the world today, this is an issue of concern in many countries. Many countries are worrying about this type of change in their demography and thinking about it. Many are even bringing laws. India is an inclusive country, we take everyone along. We, on behalf of the government, do not want to do anything in this matter. But, the people of India need to definitely think about it.

RAHUL JOSHI: We are in Mumbai today. Let us talk about Maharashtra, which is an important state in this election. You will agree that last time you were with the Shiv Sena, and you won 41 out of 48 seats. This time, there is a bit of a mess. Two parties have split. One party is with you and the other party is the one that the prime minister calls “duplicate Shiv Sena”. How do you see it this time? You are fighting on 28 seats and last time the BJP had won 23 seats. Will you be able to defend it? Maharashtra is an important state for you in the big picture…

PIYUSH GOYAL: The politics of Maharashtra took a new turn in 2019. You will remember the 2019 Lok Sabha elections were fought in the name of Narendra Modi. I still remember that to make Shiv Sena MP from our area win, I had gone from door to door, to resident welfare association meetings, saying people should vote for Modi ji, that it is Modi ji’s election, to elect the PM. Shiv Sena MPs won the election in the name of Modi ji and they are aware of it. In the 2019 assembly elections, too, it was repeatedly said Devendra Fadnavis will be the chief minister. Even in public meetings on many stages, where even Uddhav Thackeray ji was present, it was said Devendra Fadnavis will be made the chief minister.

Uddhav Thackeray betrayed us; he betrayed Modi ji and Fadnavis. After all, it was our alliance. The alliance got the majority of votes. His ambition to become the Chief Minister in one way or the other, and perhaps his desire to establish his son… in that greed he abandoned every single principle of Balasaheb Thackeray which the Shiv Sena stood for. He sacrificed Hindutva. Balasaheb Thackeray’s famous statement was: ‘I will dissolve my party, but will never join hands with the Congress.’ Uddhav Thackeray abandoned it.

Practising the politics of appeasement, Uddhav Thackeray went and sat in Rahul Gandhi’s lap. I think there was a lot of anger within the Shiv Sena about this. The MPs and MLAs also realised they will have no face next time. In that situation, almost the entire Shiv Sena decided that they had to change the leader. When Eknath Shinde ji was made the leader, a few people decided to stay out of the party. There are some two to four senior leaders with them. Uddhav Thackeray’s is a splinter group. Most of the MPs, MLAs are with the original Shiv Sena. So this is not a split. The Shiv Sena is intact. That is a small splinter group.

Similarly, in the case of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Ajit Pawar is the natural leader. Sharad Pawar deserted the party to save his daughter. In 2014, they went with the BJP; they wanted to go with the BJP in 2017 and, in 2019, they went and backtracked.

RAHUL JOSHI: Doesn’t it seem that there can be some sympathy for Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar?

PIYUSH GOYAL: Sympathy will be for Modi ji and Fadnavis, because they have been cheated. They have been back-stabbed and deceived. If at all there will be sympathy, it will be for these people. Even to an extent for Ajit Pawar, who was made a pawn. He was told to support the BJP in 2014, when the Shiv Sena was not supporting us. In 2017, all MLAs were told to support the BJP. Then they backed out. In 2019 too…now it has been disclosed, Sharad Pawar ji has also confirmed that he had asked them to go with the BJP. He said it was his strategy. The people of Maharashtra will not tolerate the kind of mischief that has been played with them. I see in my constituency how strongly the Mahayuti is standing.

RAHUL JOSHI: The Opposition says that you are so confident in Maharashtra on the one side and, on the other side, the prime minister is saying that Sharad Pawar can join Ajit Pawar… Is this any messaging, how do you read it?

PIYUSH GOYAL: Sharad Pawar ji has bowed down. He has said now we or smaller parties might merge with the Congress, after the Baramati elections. So, it has become clear that he has guessed that Sunetra Pawar ji is winning in Baramati and Supriya Sule ji is losing. He has only one goal in mind – to save Supriya Sule ji. He may not have a Rajya Sabha seat, and they will lose the Lok Sabha seat. So, he must have thought that he will make Supriya Sule join the Congress. So Supriya Sule ji might join the Congress… There will be nothing left in the splinter group…

Uddhav Thackeray has anyway become the B-team of the Congress. He is running on their advice. The politics of appeasement has become the calling card of Uddhav Thackeray. Surprisingly, he has abandoned Hindutva and all basic principles of Balasaheb.

RAHUL JOSHI: This time in Maharashtra, many Muslims will be voting for Uddhav Thackeray Sena.

PIYUSH GOYAL: Yes, nowadays, Uddhav Thackeray is running behind the Muslim vote bank…That’s why I said that Balasaheb must be feeling very sad seeing the behaviour of his son today. But, he will be satisfied that Shinde ji has still kept his basic principles intact and the Shiv Sena is intact with him. It is unfortunate that his own son has left the principles. I believe that our policy, the policy of our Mahayuti is such that we invite Muslims too. I am seeing in my area that our Muslim brothers are supporting us in large numbers. They are with us. Yesterday, a big group of hawkers came to my office. They told me that Modi ji has taken care of them. They said Modi ji gave them SVANidhi and other such schemes. The triple talaq law has secured the future of their daughters, they said. They said they used to be worried about their daughters. Members of society will no longer be affected by appeasement and such controversial statements. Today, they want to come into the mainstream of the country. They are with the prime minister, who believes in Sabka saath, sabka vikas.

RAHUL JOSHI: I would like to ask one more direct question. You talked about Muslims, but is the Maratha sentiment in Maharashtra still a little against the BJP? There was a Maratha agitation here, Manoj Jarange Patil ji agitated here. Is there any clarity even today whether the Marathas are with the BJP? It is a big vote bloc here…

PIYUSH GOYAL: The entire Maratha community believes that if anyone can protect their interests, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji… Modi ji and our Mahayuti government, only this double engine government can protect the Maratha interests. The community knows that their vote will be wasted if they cast it here and there. Neither will anyone get elected, nor will anyone be able to protect their interests. I have full faith that Maratha brothers and sisters are with Modi ji and will support him.

RAHUL JOSHI: Piyush ji, Mumbai North is your seat, a stronghold of the BJP. Last time, too, the BJP had won with a huge margin. Will you be able to cross last time’s margin?

PIYUSH GOYAL: Janata janardan decides whether you can beat the margin or not. But, wherever I have gone so far, the love, blessings and support that I have received on the ground… be it slums or any community groups, I have not met anyone in the constituency who has negativity towards the BJP. Every section wants to go with Modi ji. This vote will be in the form of a blessing for Modi ji from the people of north Mumbai. Modi ji’s guarantee and my strong resolve is to ensure that Modi ji’s guarantee reaches the people of north Mumbai. I have a commitment to make Uttar Mumbai ‘Uttam Mumbai’. I am sure that people will come out to vote in large numbers and more than the previous time. And the votes will be for Modi ji.

RAHUL JOSHI: Bhushan Patil, the Congress candidate against you, says you are an outsider. There is also an attempt to give it a Marathi vs Gujarati colour… Will it make a difference? How do you see this statement given that you are a Mumbaikar?

PIYUSH GOYAL: When someone has no subject, no principle, policy or vision or no following or even issue, then they start talking about this… The funny thing is… We all are Mumbaikars, I am a Mumbaikar, so are you. Have you ever called yourself South Mumbaikar or North Mumbaikar? You have so many people in this studio, I want you to take a poll. Does anyone ever say he is North Central Mumbaikar or Northeast Mumbaikar? We are all Mumbaikars and are proud of being from Mumbai. The Congress and Uddhav Thackeray ji probably want to divide Mumbai as well. They have a plan and policy to divide the country anyway. Now they want to divide Mumbai into parts and want Mumbaikars to fight among each other. Only such a party and people can give such kind of statements… It is funny because Varsha Gaikwad and I both are from the same area. I am from Sion, she is from Dharavi. The constituencies are adjacent to each other. She started to talk about outsiders as the president of the Congress. Now, she has left Dharavi and is going to contest from Bandra Santacruz. Now, I don’t know if she sees herself as an outsider or insider. Aaditya Thackeray ji, all Mumbaikars know he lives in Bandra, he left that place and became an MLA from Worli. So, I don’t know if he is an outsider or an insider in Worli.

Uddhav Thackeray ji’s leader Rahul Gandhi ji, whose praises Thackeray ji sings day and night and on whose orders his party has started to move these days, I don’t know where he is from. Sometimes he runs to Wayanad, sometimes to Raibareli, before that Amethi… so according to that, he would probably be considered an Italian, I don’t know…

RAHUL JOSHI: Appeasement has come here as well. We are sitting in Mumbai, appeasement is happening here as well. Someone was saying Hemant Karkare ji was killed by some RSS sympathiser policeman, not Kasab. How do you see all these things?

PIYUSH GOYAL: It is a matter of shame. The Congress can at least spare the army. The Congress, Uddhav Thackeray ji, this MVA, is so-called MahaVikas Aghadi (MVA), all of them should at least not break the morale of our armed forces, should at least not belittle their sacrifices. They did the same thing in Batla House. In Kashmir, too, they repeatedly humiliated our army personnel in a way. The stone-throwers were good for them… now that it has been banned after the removal of Article 370, they do not see what kind of change has happened to the lives of people. When the Congress connects Hemant Karkare’s sacrifice with the politics of appeasement or Tukaram ji, who became a martyr to catch Kasab, or Ujjwal Nikam ji who worked hard day and night to get Kasab hanged or our security forces who gunned down the remaining terrorists… Mumbai was on the edge, held ransom for two days. Our security forces saved Mumbai. The sacrifices of all these… So many of our friends, including mine, lost their lives in the 2008 attacks. When such statements come from the Congress leaders, be it the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray or Sharad Pawar, they are betraying the country, every Maharashtrian, every Mumbaikar. All of them should publicly – be it Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray or all of their small leaders – apologise to every Mumbaikar, every jawan, every armyman, every person associated with the armed forces and the family of every martyr.

RAHUL JOSHI: Jamiat Ulema has issued a fatwa that Muslims should vote for the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar’s party. Raj Thackeray, who is associated with you, has now said he too has issued a “fatwa” that all Hindus should vote for the BJP, Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar ji. How do you view this?

PIYUSH GOYAL: Look, Raj Thackeray ji is not a religious leader. He said it in anger, in a fit of rage that nobody has the right to issue a fatwa on this. This is a kind of reaction and counterattack. Fatwa is issued by religious gurus on the basis of religion. We condemn the fatwa strongly. By issuing such a fatwa, social harmony is destroyed. Raj Thackeray ji is a political leader… Political leaders appeal, put forth their views and seek people’s support and blessings. He used this word in anger. No maulvi or any religious guru has the right to issue such a fatwa. Have you ever heard of any religious guru issuing a fatwa saying vote for this party only or else God will get angry or it will reflect badly on their religious faith? I believe that religion and politics should not be mixed. This country is secular. In a secular country, we all should follow our religion. In the political arena, we should fight elections on political and concrete issues.

RAHUL JOSHI: One more question, you have been the commerce minister, railway minister, you have made a huge contribution to reforms. A big issue here is slum rehabilitation. How do you look at this issue as a central leader, where you contributed to these reforms? How will you tackle it and what is the solution?

PIYUSH GOYAL: Look, you must have seen Modi’s guarantee, our ‘sankalp patra’ (resolution) for 2024. This is a small synopsis of it. Its first chapter talks of service to poor families. The prime minister has given a clear guarantee that by increasing slum rehabilitation on slum land, low-income families will be rehabilitated in high-quality houses. It means that slum residents will be rehabilitated in-situ. Our guarantee letter says low-income families will get a good house and their children will be brought up in good conditions. It is clear that we want to rehabilitate all slum residents across the country at the earliest, at the place where they live. It is our resolution that they should get a new and good house at the same place.

RAHUL JOSHI: Thank you very much, I wish you all the best for the election on May 20, the voting day. After that, we will meet you again and ask whether the election predictions you made today are correct or not after the formation of the government. Thank you very much.

PIYUSH GOYAL: Thank you very much. Namaskar.

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Investigation against Ajit Pawar will go on as per law, says Piyush Goyal

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

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Union Minister Piyush Goyal was in Mumbai’s Gorai area on Wednesday, May 8, campaigning for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and rallying voters for himself. Contesting from Mumbai North on a BJP ticket, he commenced his campaign from Moolji Nagar signal, traversing through Gorai’s slum pockets.

Amidst the din of dhol, blaring speakers, showers of flower petals, and a throng of supporters, he spoke to CNBC-TV18 about his election campaign and the focal points if he secures the vote. With nearly three decades in politics, this marks Goyal’s first election contest. Expressing gratitude, he stated, “I am grateful that PM Modi has given me an opportunity to connect with my people and see what more we can do for them.” Addressing election issues, Goyal emphasised, “In the last 10 years of our government, we have focused on women empowerment, employment opportunities, and welfare of farmers, and we will continue to do so.”

Last year saw Ajit Pawar’s split from his uncle Sharad Pawar to join hands with the BJP. Interestingly, all corruption allegations against Ajit Pawar by BJP leaders ceased overnight. Opposition has criticized BJP for this trend of aligning with leaders facing corruption charges. On this, Goyal responded, “The investigation against Ajit Pawar will proceed as per the law. The law will take its own course.”

Regarding election issues specific to Mumbai North, Goyal mentioned plans for a 1000-bed private hospital by September 2026 and emphasized BJP’s focus on slum rehabilitation. He stated, “We will introduce a slum rehabilitation model where dwellers won’t be uprooted and shifted far away. We will ensure they get homes at their current location.”

Regarding the traffic menace, Goyal pointed to ongoing road and metro projects as solutions. However, he refrained from specifying a deadline, stating that it would take time. He said, “Mumbai will have more metros than New York, which will significantly ease traffic congestion.”

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Four unidentified persons booked for threatening journalist over newspaper article

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

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Four unidentified persons were booked on Saturday April 27 for threatening a woman journalist in Mumbai over a newspaper article, a police official said.

Sukhda Sadanand Purav aka Neha Purav of Navkal newspaper, in her complaint at MHB police station in Borivali West, said she had published an article on April 14 about Union Minister and BJP’s Mumbai North Lok Sabha candidate Piyush Goyal reportedly having trouble due to the smell of fish while on a campaign trail.

Four men came to her residence on Thursday April 25 night at around 10:30 pm and warned her against publishing such articles, the MHB police official said quoting her complaint.

Four persons have been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 448 (house trespass), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) and further probe was underway, he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi strongly condemned the incident in a post on social media platform X.

Interim Cabinet Minister and Mumbai North Candidate, Piyush Goyal continues to embarrass his party and hurt the sentiments of the first residents of Mumbai, the Koli community by saying he cannot stand the smell of fish. Just for reporting this, Neha Purav, Navakal journalist is… pic.twitter.com/saSAh7762j

— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) April 26, 2024

In another news, an Australian journalist recently alleged that she was forced to leave India after the government refused to extend her work visa contending that her reportage had “crossed a line”.

Avani Dias, the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, said she had to leave India on April 19, the day the Lok Sabha elections started after the government objected to her reporting on the assassination of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

“Last week, I had to leave India abruptly. We were also told my election accreditation would not come through because of an Indian Ministry directive. We left on day one of voting in the national election in what Modi calls “the mother of democracy,” Dias said on X who had been working in India for the past two-and-a-half years.

(With inputs from agencies)

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BJP hatching plan to remove slums, relocate its residents to salt pan lands: Aaditya Thackeray

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

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Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday accused the BJP of hatching a plan to forcibly remove slums from Mumbai and relocate those living in them to saltpan lands.

Addressing a news conference, Thackeray latched on to the remarks of Union Minister Piyush Goyal, the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat.

In an interaction with a media house, Goyal had said if elected, he intends to pursue a project that would entirely clear his constituency, which comprises northern suburbs like Malad, Kandivali and Borivli, of slums. Goyal had welcomed the idea of salt pan lands in Mumbai to be redistributed for slum rehabilitation.

“This is a very dangerous scheme. Those who live in slums have their livelihood around that place. We will not allow them (BJP) to go ahead with their plan to relocate slums to saltpans,” Thackeray said. “The BJP’s policy is not to eradicate poverty, but poor people,” alleged Thackeray, who was a minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi regime.

He alleged the BJP’s ploy is to give all the saltpans to its “friends” and referred to the Dharavi redevelopment project under which there is a proposal to settle some of the residents on salt pan land in north-eastern Mumbai.

Thackeray said it is the people of Mumbai who will decide on relocation and not the Centre. He said when the Maha Vikas Aghadi government sought salt pan land for the metro rail car shed project, the Centre denied permission.

However, the same saltpans are not now being used to rehabilitate slum dwellers, he added. Thackeray also accused the BJP-led Centre of demoralising Mumbai and taking away businesses from the metropolis to its “favourite states”.

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India’s UK, Oman trade agreements may figure in Commerce ministry’s 100-day agenda for new government: official

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

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India’s proposed free trade agreements (FTAs) with the UK and Oman are expected to figure in the commerce ministry’s 100-day agenda roadmap for the new government, an official said. The ministry will also focus on issues pertaining to the exporting community with a view to promoting the country’s outbound shipments.

Further talks between India and Australia to expand the scope of existing economic cooperation and trade agreement (ECTA) for a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA) are also progressing at a healthy rate. The exercise assumes significance as while chairing a Cabinet meeting on March 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the ministers to meet secretaries and other officials of their respective ministries to discuss how the agenda for the first 100 days and the next five years can be better implemented.

The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls, the world’s biggest election exercise, will kick off on April 19 with the counting of votes set to take place on June 4. The official said that these two FTAs are in their final stages as talks on most of the issues have been concluded.

”The majority of difficult matters in India-UK FTA negotiations are moving towards resolution, and both sides are actively engaged for a fair and equitable deal,” the official said. India and the UK launched talks for an FTA in January 2022. There are 26 chapters in the agreement, which include goods, services, investments and intellectual property rights.

The 14th round of negotiations was held in January. Chapter-wise textual negotiations are near close, and the schedule on goods and services is at an advanced state of negotiations. Recently, a team from the UK visited India for negotiations on outstanding issues. The bilateral trade between India and the UK increased to $20.36 billion in 2022-23 from $17.5 billion in 2021-22.

According to a report by the think tank GTRI (Global Trade Research Institute), the overall gains for India in the trade deal will be limited because most of the goods from here are already entering the UK at low or zero tariffs (import or customs duties). In 2022-23, India’s merchandise exports to the UK were valued at $11.41 billion and out of this, $6 billion worth of goods such as petroleum products, medicines, diamonds, machine parts, airplanes, and wooden furniture entered Britain at zero levies, it has said.

However, there will be gains from reducing duties for Indian exports worth $5 billion and those items include textiles, apparel (shirts, trousers, women’s dresses, bed linen), footwear, carpets, cars, marine products, grapes and mangoes, the report has noted. On the proposed free trade agreement between India and Oman, the official said that this will be concluded ”very” soon.

For India, Oman is the third largest export destination among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. India has already implemented a trade pact with another key GCC member — the UAE. The bilateral trade between India and Oman stood at $12.39 billion in 2022-23 as against $10 billion in 2021-22. India’s exports have increased to $4.48 billion in 2022-23, while imports rose to about $8 billion in the last fiscal year.

Another GTRI report has stated that Indian goods worth $3.7 billion such as gasoline, iron and steel, electronics, and machinery will get a significant boost in Oman, once both sides reach a comprehensive free trade agreement as these goods at present attract 5 per cent customs duty. Export sectors which could get a boost in Oman include motor gasoline (exports worth $1.7 billion), iron and steel products (exports worth $235 million), electronics ($135 million), machinery ($125 million), textiles ($110 million), plastics ($64 million), boneless meat ($50 million), essential oils ($47 million), and motor cars ($28 million), will benefit from duty elimination, the report has said.

Key products imported by India to Oman in 2022-23 included petroleum products (USD 4.6 billion), urea (USD 1.2 billion); propylene and ethylene polymers (USD 383 million). Currently, more than 80 per cent of India’s goods enter Oman at an average of 5 per cent import duties, the GTRI report has said.

The current government has so far signed trade deals with Mauritius, Australia, the UAE and four European nations EFTA bloc. India has so far signed as many as 14 FTAs and six preferential pacts with its trading partners to promote exports and ensure greater market access for domestic goods and services.

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India ranks among top 10 nations for patent grants: Piyush Goyal

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

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India is among the top 10 countries worldwide when it comes to granting patents. This was announced by Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry, on Friday, March 15.

Highlighting the progress in the country’s intellectual property landscape, Goyal said India issued approximately 100,000 patents during fiscal year 2023-24 so far, a jump from 6,000 patents granted in 2014. The country is also receiving patent applications at great speed — in fact one application is filed every six minutes online.

Goyal outlined several key initiatives aimed at further bolstering India’s industrial landscape. He unveiled plans to train an estimated 1,600 freshers annually at the Mega Common Facility Centre (CFC) in the Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone (SEEPZ), with a focus on enhancing skills in the gems and jewellery sector.

Also read: Centre unveils ambitious scheme to boost EV manufacturing in India

Goyal spoke on a wide variety of topics. He announced a new scheme to promote electric vehicles (EVs) and urged EV manufacturers to consider India as a manufacturing hub. He credited Prime Minister Modi’s proactive approach for positioning India ahead of many nations in terms of industrial development.

The minister also lauded the Government e Marketplace (GeM) for ensuring transparency in transactions and preventing corruption in government-related activities, drawing a parallel with past incidents such as those observed during the Commonwealth Games.

⁠”Government e Marketplace (GeM) has been transparent about every transaction and has made sure there is no corruption in any govt related activity like we saw during Commonwealth Games.”

“As PM Modi enters his third term, the focus remains on infra projects with (the) coastal road, Atal Setu, Mumbai-Delhi highway (and similar) projects,” Goyal added.

Questioned about diverting rice or sugar for ethanol production, he clarified that there are no such plans. The government plans to keep using corn for ethanol production due to its cost-effectiveness and rapid growth cycle, he asserted.

The minister expressed concern over misuse of funds in certain states. Goyal highlighted instances of mismanagement in states like West Bengal and Punjab. He criticised the diversion of wheat meant for beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) to mills instead of reaching the intended recipients, raising an alarm over cases of adulteration of high-quality wheat with inferior substitutes.

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Lok Sabha election 2024: BJP names 72 candidates, Piyush Goyal, Nitin Gadkari, Anurag Thakur get ticket

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

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, March 13, released a second list of 72 candidates with Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Nitin Gadkari, Pralhad Joshi and Anurag Thakur getting ticket to contest Lok Sabha elections.

Former chief ministers Basavaraj Bommai, Trivendra Singh Rawat and Manohar Lal Khattar are also named in the list. BJP chief spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Anil Baluni has been fielded from Garhwal in Uttarakhand.

The BJP Central Election Committee has decided on the following names for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

(1/2) pic.twitter.com/5ByPC2xoW1

— BJP (@BJP4India) March 13, 2024

The BJP Central Election Committee has decided on the following names for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

(2/2) pic.twitter.com/UAUnTtrput

— BJP (@BJP4India) March 13, 2024

In Delhi, it has fielded two new candidates — Harsh Malhotra from East Delhi and Yogendra Chandolia from North West Delhi. In Karnataka, Union minister Pralhad Joshi will fight from Dharwad while former chief minister BS Yediyurappa’s son BY Raghavendra will contest from Shimoga.

Tejasvi Surya, the BJP’s youth wing chief, will seek re-election from Bengaluru South. Yaduveer Krishnadatta Wadiyar of the erstwhile Mysore royal family replaces Pratap Simha as the BJP candidate in the Mysore seat.

Earlier this month, the BJP had announced its first list of more than 190 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, due in April-May.

Here’s the list of candidates:

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India safeguards farmers and fishermen’s interests at WTO, says Union Minister Piyush Goyal

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

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Union Minister Piyush Goyal on March 1 spoke about India’s successful navigation through crucial matters, ensuring the welfare of the nation’s farmers and fishermen, during the 13th World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting.

In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Goyal highlighted India’s pivotal role at the WTO, emphasising its significance in establishing rules for international trade. He expressed India’s commitment to the WTO’s success, foreseeing its continued importance for less developed and developing countries. Goyal asserted India’s role as a catalyst in uniting diverse nations to serve global trade interests.

Reflecting on the outcomes, Goyal stated, “We are pleased with the results achieved at the WTO. While we aimed for more, we ensured no compromise on the interests of our farmers and fishermen. We maintain full control over supporting them without any restrictions.”

Read Here | India to gain from over 70 nations backing WTO agreement to take up additional obligations in service sector

Regarding non-trade issues, Goyal pointed out the existence of separate bodies like the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to address subjects such as investment, labour, and environment. He emphasised that the WTO, primarily a trade-focused organisation, should not encompass all issues.

Discussing the e-commerce moratorium, Goyal stressed the need for clarity on its scope and operation. He advocated for a two-year extension to facilitate a smooth transition period for businesses and governments to determine their future actions regarding taxes and operations within the e-commerce sector.

Also Read | New services’ domestic norms at WTO may cut trade costs by over $125 billion globally: Govt sources

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WTO 13th Ministerial Conference: India advocates global trust building, mandate enforcement

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

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India launches ‘Bharat rice’ at ₹29 per kg

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

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The government launched ‘Bharat rice’ on Tuesday at a subsidised rate of ₹29 per kilogram to alleviate the impact of a 15 percent rise in retail prices of the grain over the past year. Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal, during the launch, stated that the government is committed to ensuring that daily food items remain affordable for the common people.

Goyal mentioned that retail intervention under the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) was initiated when wholesale interventions were not benefiting a larger population. As part of this retail intervention, ‘Bharat rice’ will be retailed at ₹29 per kg under the ‘Bharat brand’ to provide relief to the middle class and the poor. Each kilogram of ‘Bharat rice’ will contain 5 percent broken rice.

The minister highlighted the positive impact of government efforts on reducing the prices of tomatoes and onions. Goyal expressed confidence that the introduction of ‘Bharat rice’ would replicate the success seen with ‘Bharat atta,’ where wheat inflation has been zero in the last six months.

He emphasized the government’s proactive approach in stabilizing the prices of commodities in the middle-class households’ thalis (plates). Goyal flagged off 100 mobile vans that will sell ‘Bharat rice’ and distributed 5 kg packs to five beneficiaries.

In the first phase, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) will provide 5 lakh tonnes of rice to cooperatives like the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED), National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF), and retail chain Kendriya Bhandar. These agencies will then pack the rice in 5 kg and 10 kg packs, retailing them under the ‘Bharat’ brand through outlets and e-commerce platforms.

The government opted for retail sale of FCI rice after facing a lukewarm response for bulk sales through the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS). The success of ‘Bharat atta’ and ‘Bharat chana’ at affordable rates has encouraged the government to expect a positive response to ‘Bharat rice’ as well.

Goyal, sharing his personal experience, mentioned using ‘Bharat dal’ and ‘Bharat atta,’ expressing satisfaction with their quality. Despite efforts to control rice prices through measures like export restrictions, the government is still grappling with rising retail prices. Goyal stated that the government has urged retailers, wholesalers, processors, and large retail chains to disclose their stocks to prevent hoarding.

Ministers of State for Consumer Affairs Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and Ashwini Choubey, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh, and Food Corporation of India (FCI) CMD Ashok K Meena were among those present at the event to launch ‘Bharat rice.’

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