PARLIAMENT SECURITY BREACH SERIOUS ISSUE, AVOID SQUABBLING OVER IT: MODI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the seriousness of the security breach in Parliament cannot be underestimated, and called for no squabbling over the issue amid Opposition's protests over it in Parliament.

In an interview with Hindi daily Dainik Jagran, Modi said probe agencies are investigating the incident and taking stringent measures, noting that it is equally necessary to go to the root of people behind it and their motives. The newspaper said he described the breach as “painful and a matter of concern”. "Efforts should also be made to look for a solution with collective spirit. Everyone should avoid squabbling over such an issue," he said.

“The gravity of the incident which happened in Parliament should not be underestimated,” the prime minister said, adding that the Speaker has also been taking necessary steps with all seriousness.

The government has insisted that the security in Parliament complex is the responsibility of the Lok Sabha secretariat and it has been following the Speaker's directives. It has also cited numerous such violations in the past, accusing the opposition of politicising the issue.

To a question about the BJP picking relatively new and little-known leaders as chief ministers in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, Modi said the leaders have lots of experience and hard work behind them.

Taking a jibe at those questioning the Bharatiya Janata Party's choices, he said it has been the country's misfortune that a big section of people who influence the society are bound to a trite and narrow mindset. "This is not confined to only the political field. This nature troubles us in every field. If in any field, some name becomes big with some branding, then others do not get attention irrespective of their talent and hardwork. A similar thing happens in politics," he said.

The media's focus for some decades has unfortunately been the most on a few families and due to this, talent and usefulness of new people are not being discussed, he said. "That is why you often see some people as new. But the truth is that they are not new. They have done the hard work and have their own experience," he added.

On the Supreme Court verdict on Article 370, Modi said the top court has put its stamp on the abrogation of Article 370, and added that “no power in the universe can bring it back”.

Citing the BJP's stupendous show in the recent assembly polls, he said it has shown that the party is set to score a historic win again in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He said opposition parties should introspect as to why people do not accept their claims.

REVOKE SUSPENSION OF OPPOSITION MPS, ADHIR WRITES TO SPEAKER ‘

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Sunday wrote to Speaker Om Birla, urging him to revoke the suspension of 13 Opposition MPs during protests over the security breach in Parliament last week.

“Since the seriousness of the matter lies in this fact, which relates to our own security, Members of the Opposition are duty-bound to demand an explanation from the Government and expect corrective measures to be taken urgently. The sensitivity of the matter and issues involved may have led to ‘heated situations’, and as the custodian of the ‘dignity and decorum’ of the House you are bound to take remedial action when matters perceivably go out of the way in enabling the House to function smoothly,” Chowdhury wrote.

“However, considering the fact that the Members who have been suspended on account of ‘unruly conduct’ were pressing for an explanation from the Government on very troubling issues, to me, it appears to be appropriate to hear them on their concerns and points of view. Considering the factors that led to the suspension of 13 members in the recent days, I would urge that the matter be re-looked into holistically and appropriate action taken for revoking the suspension and restoring order in the House,” he wrote.

The letter came a day after the Speaker wrote to all MPs, urging them to give primacy to the dignity and decorum of the House.

‘MODI’S GUARANTEE’, INDIA TO BE AMONG TOP 3 ECONOMIES IN MY THIRD TERM: PM

Buoyed by the BJP victory in the Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where “Modi guarantee” outweighed opposition Congress’ freebie politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India would be among the top three global economies in his third term as Prime Minister and that was “Modi’s guarantee”.

“Modi guarantee” is the ruling BJP’s latest catchphrase in the run-up to the 18th General Election in 2024. The PM was speaking yesterday at the inauguration of the Surat Diamond Bourse before which he also inaugurated the new terminal building at the Surat airport.

Crediting diamond hub Surat for contributing to India’s strides from the 10th to the fifth place in the world economy, the PM said, “Now Modi has given the guarantee that, in the third innings, India will be among the top three economies of the world.”

The PM said the government had readied a roadmap for the next 25 years and was working on the goals of a $5 trillion economy and a $10 trillion economy. The PM’s remarks came just days after the Union Cabinet, in its last meeting, elevated the status of the Surat airport to an international airport. Speaking of government efforts to boost exports, the PM said the country’s diamond industry would play a major role in the segment.

The Surat Diamond Bourse building is the world's largest office complex with more than 67 lakh square feet of floor area, even bigger US defence headquarters Pentagon.

"CHINA'S XI JINPING WON'T FORGET...": EX-ARMY CHIEF ON 2020 GALWAN CLASH

China followed "wolf-warrior diplomacy" and "salami-slicing" tactics with impunity browbeating smaller neighbours and it took the Indian Army to show to the world that "enough is enough" and challenge the "neighbourhood bully", says Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane, the 28th Chief of Army Staff, recounting the Indian response to the Chinese aggression in Eastern Ladakh in 2020.

In his memoirs 'Four Stars of Destiny', Naravane, providing a rare insight into the deadly Galwan Valley clashes, says Chinese President Xi Jinping will not forget June 16 any time soon as China's People's Liberation Army suffered "fatal casualties" for the first time in over two decades in the fighting.

Naravane, one of the foremost Army Generals, provided a gripping account of the India-China confrontation before and after the deadly Galwan Valley incident, India's overall response to the Chinese action and how it served as a catalyst to firm up the Army's combat readiness along the LAC.

Naravane says the time is ripe for the resumption of the special-representative level talks to settle the border question between the two sides.

"In our posture against China, we have moved up from dissuasive deterrence (defensive) to credible deterrence (offensive defence). With these developments, the PLA must have realised that a military solution to the border problem is improbable," he adds.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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DESPITE PRESSURES, NETANYAHU VOWS TO FIGHT ON

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to keep fighting in Gaza, even as anguish over the Israeli military’s accidental killings of three hostages in the enclave raised new questions about how his government is prosecuting the war.

Amid a mounting outcry over the civilian toll in Gaza, US defence secretary Lloyd Austin is travelling to the West Asia this week. Austin will meet with Netanyahu and Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant to discuss in detail when and how Israeli forces will carry out a new phase that American officials envision would involve smaller groups of elite forces that would move in and out of population centres in Gaza, conducting more precise, intelligence-driven missions to find and kill Hamas leaders, rescue hostages and destroy tunnels, US officials said.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, began a government meeting in Tel Aviv on Sunday by reading from a letter that he said came from families of Israeli soldiers killed fighting in Gaza. “You have a mandate to fight; you do not have a mandate to stop in the middle,” Netanyahu read in Hebrew, according to a statement from his office. As a “testament” to the fallen soldiers, Netanyahu said, Israel’s military would “fight to the end”.

The letter appears at odds with the message coming from relatives of Israelis still held hostage in Gaza, many of whom have taken to the streets to demand a ceasefire so their loved ones can return home. News that the Israeli military had mistakenly killed the three hostages on Friday added a sense of urgency to the ceasefire rally Saturday night.

In a joint article in the Sunday Times, UK foreign secretary David Cameron and German foreign affairs minister Annalena Baerbock called for a ceasefire and said “too many civilians have been killed. “Israel will not win this war if its operations destroy the prospect of peaceful co-existence with Palestinians,” they said.

OVER 60 DROWN IN CAPSIZING OF MIGRANT VESSEL OFF LIBYA: UN

A boat carrying dozens of migrants trying to reach Europe capsized off the coast of Libya, leaving more than 60 people dead, including women and children, the UN migration agency said. Saturday’s shipwreck was the latest tragedy in this part of Mediterranean Sea, a key but dangerous route for migrants seeking a better life in Europe.

The UN’s International Organization for Migration said the boat was carrying 86 migrants when strong waves swamped it off the town of Zuwara on Libya’s western coast and that 61 migrants drowned, according to survivors.

THE REST

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SHINDE-FADNAVIS GOVT WON’T GET AN EXTRA HOUR AFTER DEC 24, WARNS JARANGE PATIL

In a stern warning to the Shinde-Fadnavis government, activist Manoj Jarange Patil Sunday said the Maharashtra government should pass a law granting reservation for Marathas by December 24 or face the next round of agitation.

“We are expecting Maratha reservation by December 24. We are confident we will get reservation by that date. The government should pass a law in this regard before December 24. If it does not, the government will not even get one extra hour. We will agitate peacefully,” the activist said at a meeting in Antarwali-Sarati in Jalna where Maratha volunteers, experts, intellectuals and historians from across the state had gathered to decide the future course of the protest.

“…I have consulted the community which has asked me to take a call (on the way forward) on December 23. The chief minister will also speak to me tomorrow (Monday)… We will wait and see what the government does by December 23 when we will decide about our agitation from December 24,” the activist explained.

PARLIAMENT BREACH: POLICE RECOVER BURNT PHONE PARTS

Four days after the Parliament's security was breached, the Delhi police recovered fragments of some broken and burnt mobile phones from Rajasthan's Nagaur. The police have added IPC sections related to the destruction of evidence to the FIR against the accused.

An officer privy to the investigations said a few pieces of mobile phones have been recovered on Saturday on the instance of Lalit Jha, who was among six arrested by the police in connection to the case. A team of the Delhi police's special cell on Saturday took Jha to Rajasthan's Nagaur where he stayed with the help of accused Mahesh Kumawat, officials said.

The Delhi police have arrested six persons so far – Sagar Sharma, Manoranjan D, Amol Shinde, Neelam Devi, Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat for their alleged involvement in the Parliament security breach case.

Two men -- Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D -- had jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow smoke from canisters and shouted slogans, before being overpowered by the MPs.

Around the same time, two others -- Amol Shinde and Neelam Devi – released coloured smoke from canisters while shouting "tanashahi nahi chalegi" outside the Parliament premises.

Jha, who was present outside the gate, had recorded the act on his mobile phone. After uploading it on social media and sharing it with his friends, he went to Nagaur in Rajasthan. Kumawat and accused Kailash, who are cousins, allegedly arranged his stay there.

Later Jha and Kumawat came to Delhi and surrendered to the police.

DEFAMATORY BANNERS ON CALICUT VARSITY CAMPUS AT CM BEHEST: GOVERNOR

Outraged over posters and banners put up by the SFI on Calicut University campus, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Sunday said “the defamatory posters and banners were placed at the direction of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan”.

Governor dubbed the incident as “the beginning of the collapse of the constitutional machinery in the state”.

Khan has been staying on the campus since Saturday, taking head-on the challenge of the SFI, the student wing of the ruling CPI(M), that he would not be allowed to step into any of the universities in the state. Banners, which accuse him of playing into the hands of the BJP, have been raised on the campus and near the guest house, where the Governor has been staying.

Raj Bhavan sources said that the Calicut University V-C has been told to submit a report within 24 hours on what action he has taken in this matter.

The SFI has been in an agitation against the Governor, who is the chancellor of all universities in the state, alleging that he had stacked university senates with RSS nominees. The SFI had staged a massive protest at the university campus against Khan.

REPORTS SUGGEST DAWOOD IBRAHIM HAS BEEN POISONED IN PAKISTAN

Fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim has reportedly been hospitalised in Pakistan's Karachi. Speculations suggest that he has been taken to hospital due to poisoning. Although Pakistan has not officially confirmed it yet.

Several reports are suggesting that Dawood Ibrahim is being kept under tight security inside the hospital.

1993 Mumbai blasts mastermind and India's most wanted Dawood Ibrahim has reportedly been in Pakistan for decades. The devastating bombings resulted in the killing of over 250 people and left thousands injured. Indian authorities have often said that they believe Ibrahim lives in Karachi’s upmarket Clifton area. But Pakistan has often denied his presence in that country.

A FIRST, PM MODI USES AI TO TRANSLATE SPEECH FROM HINDI TO TAMIL

In a first, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday used artificial intelligence (AI) for real-time translation of his Hindi speech into Tamil, heralding a new beginning in language integration in the country.

The PM used Bhashini, an AI-powered real-time translation tool developed under the Digital India Initiative for real-time translation of live speeches into various Indian languages.

Modi was speaking at the inauguration of the second edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam 2023 in Varanasi where he also flagged off the Kanyakumari– Varanasi Tamil Sangamam train besides launching multi-language and braille translations of Thirukkural, Manimekalai and other classic Tamil literature.

Kashi Tamil Sangamam aims to celebrate, reaffirm and rediscover the age-old links between Tamil Nadu and Kashi — two of the country’s most important and ancient seats of learning.

BJP TARGETS CONGRESS DONATION DRIVE USING THIS 80S MOVIE CLIP

The BJP yesterday used a movie clip from the eighties to target the Congress over their donation drive for the upcoming elections. The jibe seeks to link their need for crowdfunding with hundreds of crores seized from one of its parliamentarians.

The clip from the 1984 movie 'Inquilaab' featured a conversation between two characters over using black money to buy votes and passing it on as donation by well-wishers.

The scene, starring superstar Amitabh Bachchan and renowned actor Kader Khan, featured suitcases filled with cash - which the BJP used as a reference to the cash seizures from the Congress MP.

"The story and characters in this clip are not imaginary. Resemblance with Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu's party's call to seek crowdfunding is intended," the BJP wrote while sharing the video on X.

ICMR DATA LEAK: FOUR HELD, CLAIM TO HAVE STOLEN FBI, PAK’S CNIC INFO TOO

Two months after central intelligence agencies found that personal details of more than 81 crore Indians were leaked from the data bank of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and put on sale on the dark web, Delhi Police has arrested four men from three states.

During questioning, the suspects claimed to have also stolen data of the FBI and Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) — Pakistan’s Aadhaar counterpart.

A senior officer in a central agency said that Delhi Police took suo motu cognizance of the data leak earlier this month and registered an FIR. “Last week, four men — a B.Tech degree holder from Odisha, two school dropouts from Haryana and one from Jhansi — were arrested and produced before a Delhi court which remanded them in seven days police custody,” the officer said.

The breach was detected in October after intelligence officers came across the data — including Aadhaar and passport records — on the dark web.

INDIA VS S AFRICA SERIES: ARSHDEEP, SUDHARSAN STAR IN INDIA'S BIG WIN IN 1ST ODI

Seamers Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan helped skittle South Africa out for 116 before Sai Sudharsan scored an unbeaten 55 on debut as India romped to an eight-wicket victory in the first One-Day International at The Wanderers on Sunday.

South Africa won the toss and elected to bat but the decision proved disastrous as they were bowled out for their lowest total on home soil in the 50-over format, narrowly underperforming the previous worst mark of 118 - also against India - in Pretoria in 2018.

Singh picked up 5/37 runs in his 10 overs and Khan took 4/27 in eight as they bowled a wicket-to-wicket line that had seven of the South African batters either bowled or dismissed LBW.

India were positive in their chase and reached their target in 16.4 overs. Debutant left-handed opener Sudharsan scored an elegant 55 not out in 43 balls. He was supported by Shreyas Iyer, who was caught with victory in sight having scored 52 from 45 balls.

The second game in the three-match series will be played in Gqeberha on Tuesday.

Both teams are missing several of their regular players, who are either injured or rested for the two-match Test series that follows.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven. - John Milton

OFF TRACK

Why did call center jobs move to India in the first place?

One day in New York in 1998:

"Information. Can I help you?"

"I'd like the number of the Theater Guild, please."

"One moment, please." Pause. "I'm sorry sir, I have no listing for a Theodore Guild."

"Not *Theodore*! *Theater*! The word is *theater*. T-H-E-A-T-E-R!"

"That, *sir*, is NOT the way you spell Theodore."