Narendra Modi News

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday termed the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as the one meant to save the Constitution and the democracy. «This is the election to save the Constitution and the democracy. This is the election to save reservation and save one's own honour. At one point of time, 'Samudra Manthan' (churning of the sea) had taken place. This is the time for 'Samvidhaan Manthan',» Yadav told reporters at his party office here. «On one hand, there are people who want to defend the Constitution, and on the other hand, there are people who want to end the Constitution,» he added. The Samajwadi Party (SP) chief said the people of Uttar Pradesh give a grand welcome and also bid a great farewell.

Amit Shah on Saturday alleged that the top brass of the Congress and RJD always worked for the interest of their families but did not do anything for the poor. Addressing a rally of the BJP OBC Morcha in Patna's Paliganj area, he said that it is only Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP who can do good for the poor. «The top brass of the Congress have always taken care of their families. In the name of backward people, Lalu-ji also lived his entire life for his family. Sonia Gandhi's only goal is to make Rahul Gandhi the prime minister, while Lalu-ji's aim is to make his son the chief minister,» he claimed. «If anyone can do good for the poor then it's only Narendra Modi and the BJP,» he added.

Rajnath Singh on Saturday said the country's growth cannot be imagined without the development of farmers and villages, and asserted that the Modi government was standing shoulder to shoulder with the cultivators. Addressing a mega farmers' rally at Government Science College ground in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur, he also targeted the previous Congress dispensation in the state, accusing it of indulging in corruption and derailing its development. "...I am the son of a farmer and hail from a village. Farmers can yield gold from the soil with their efforts and hard work. My government is standing shoulder to shoulder with farmers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre has been taking several steps for the welfare of farmers," the minister said.

Deve Gowda said on Saturday that the INDIA bloc is a bundle of groups who have made secularism a joke. In a veiled attack on the INDIA bloc, he reminded them that TMC leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was a Railway Minister during Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee led NDA government. Similarly, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin's father and former CM M Karunanidhi was with BJP for six years. His son-in-law was minister in then union government. TMC and DMK are part of the INDIA bloc.

Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, addressed the media in Delhi on Saturday, shedding light on matters pertaining to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. During the press conference, Minister Puri highlighted the recent decision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reduce the prices of LPG cylinders by Rs 100, announced on International Women's Day. Minister Puri said, «On International Women's Day PM Narendra Modi conveyed this significant decision of reducing LPG cylinders price by Rs 100. During the cabinet meeting on Thursday, PM Modi had announced that the LPG cylinder subsidy, which was to end on March 31, will be extended to 2024-25.»

Chidambaram said on Saturday that he welcomed the Centre's announcement to reduce the LPG cylinder price by Rs 100 but said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should assure that the price will not be increased if his party comes to power again. Also, he sought to know if there was any budgetary provision for over Rs 5.90 lakh crore projects including Rs 17,300 crore projects for Tamil Nadu announced by the prime minister in a fortnight's time from February 22. Speaking to reporters at Satyamurthy Bhavan, the Congress state headquarters here, Chidambaram said his party leader Rahul Gandhi has given five guarantees to the nation ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, and that these will translate into poll assurances in the party's election manifesto. The guarantees include: An assurance on recruitment to eliminate the unemployment problem in the country by filling up nearly 30 lakh vacancies in the Central government, Right to Apprenticeship Law for the benefit of diploma holders and graduates, a new legislation to stop question paper leak for government jobs, social security for «Gig economy» workers involved in informal jobs, and capital support for the youth to start ventures on their own.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the kind of work done by his government in the last five years in the Northeast, the Congress would have taken 20 years to do it. The PM was addressing a public meeting in Arunachal Pradesh's Itanagar after unveiling development projects worth Rs 55,600 crore in the region. «The Northeast is going to become a strong link in India's trade, tourism and other relations with South Asia and East Asia. Today, projects worth over Rs 55,000 crore have been unveiled here,» he said. «Congress would have taken 20 years to do what we have done in the last five years in the Northeast,» he added.

Congress on Saturday took a potshot at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Assam's Kaziranga National Park stating that the iconic national park owes much to the «great interest shown both by Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.» «We're glad that the Prime Minister has found time amidst his various travels to spend today morning in Kaziranga, an iconic national park, which owes much to the great interest shown both by Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. However, beyond Kaziranga, here are four questions for him on the increasingly disturbed situation in different parts of the northeast of India,» Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote on social media platform X today. The questions to the PM ranged from the India-China border situation, the Manipur crisis, the situation in eastern Nagaland and the «re-emergence of separatist groups» in Assam.

PTI, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai announced this decision after watching the film, which focuses on the abrogation of provisions of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir, at a mall in the evening. A day before, the BJP government in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh had decided to give the film the tax-free status. “Sai was accompanied by wife Kaushalya Devi Sai and cabinet colleagues Ramvichar Netam and Kedar Kashyap," a statement issued by the state public relations department said.

Congress' first list released on Friday includes names of Rahul Gandhi, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, DK Suresh and Shashi Tharoor. Out of the total 39 Congress candidates, 15 were from Kerala, seven from Karnataka, six from Chhattisgarh, four from Telangana, two from Meghalaya and one each from Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim and Lakshwadeep.

Adani Group is going to make big investments in the defence sector in the next 10 years in line with the government's push for achieving self-reliance in defence manufacturing, a top executive of the company said. Ashish Rajvanshi, the CEO of Adani Defence and Aerospace, said the company is complementing the government's efforts towards 'Make in India', noting that «everyone will have to work together» to realise the desired goal. «We are going to make big investments in the defence sector in the next 10 years,» he said at NDTV's 'Defence Summit' on Thursday. Rajvanshi, however, did not elaborate on the investments.

National Creators' Awards here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said it is his guarantee that on Shivratri next year, he will again preside over such a function. With the audience chanting «abki bar 400 paar», the prime minister said this is not Modi's guarantee but that of 140 crore Indians. The prime minister had earlier said in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would get 370 seats and the tally of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would go past 400. Noting that the Lok Sabha polls are round the corner, Modi said on Friday, «I give you the guarantee that on the next Shivratri, it could be on some other date, it will be me who will preside over such a programme.»

Sudha Murty, who was on Friday nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President, holds a 0.83 per cent stake in IT bellwether Infosys which at current prices is worth close to Rs 5,600 crore. The 73-year-old philanthropist is the wife of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy. She is the chairperson of the Murty Trust and has authored several books.

Sudha Murty has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on March 8 via social media platform X. PM Modi expressed his delight at Murty's nomination to the Upper House, emphasising the significant role it plays in showcasing 'Nari Shakti' or Women Power. Sudha Murty's nomination, disclosed by Prime Minister Modi, coincides with the celebration of International Women's Day.

author Sudha Murty was nominated to the Rajya Sabha on Friday. In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that her presence in the Upper House is a powerful testament to "Nari Shakti" (women's power), exemplifying the strength and potential of women in shaping the nation's destiny. Wishing her a fruitful tenure, he said, "I am delighted that the President of India has nominated Sudha Murty Ji to the Rajya Sabha.

Infosys Foundation Sudha Murty (73) has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President of India Droupadi Murmu. The development was confirmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on microblogging website X (formerly Twitter). “I am delighted that the President of India has nominated @SmtSudhaMurty Ji to the Rajya Sabha. Sudha Ji's contributions to diverse fields including social work, philanthropy and education have been immense and inspiring. Her presence in the Rajya Sabha is a powerful testament to our 'Nari Shakti', exemplifying the strength and potential of women in shaping our nation's destiny. Wishing her a fruitful Parliamentary tenure,” Modi wrote in the post.

RJD Chief Lalu Prasad's 'Parivarvaad' jibe on PM Modi, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he has «never been in favour of such slogans», allowing the PM to score a goal". RJD and the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference are partners in the opposition INDIA bloc, formed to take on the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. «I have never been in favour of such slogans and we have never benefited from them. Whenever we use such slogans, it harms us,» he said.

Infosys Foundation's former chairperson and author Sudha Murty thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for nominating her to the Rajya Sabha. The announcement came on Women's Day. Speaking to ET from Thailand, she said: «I had never expected this. This came as a big surprise to me. The Prime Minister called me last night and broke the news. This is a huge responsibility. I am grateful to the PM for this opportunity to serve my country, and the people. I will do my level best to live up to their expectations.” Murty is in Thailand at the invitation of Kannada Sangha at the Asian Institute of Technology to deliver a talk.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi honoured various content creators across different fields with the prestigious National Creators Award. Among the recipients was Drew Hicks, an American citizen with a special knack for speaking Bhojpuri, a dialect primarily spoken in the Indian state of Bihar. During the ceremony, Prime Minister Modi personally handed over the award to Drew Hicks, recognising his significant contribution as an international content creator. The audience erupted in laughter when PM Modi playfully requested Hicks to speak in his signature Bhojpuri style. However, Hicks admitted to feeling nervous but expressed his desire to make India proud with his work.

Murty Trust Chairperson Sudha Murty has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha by Indian President Droupadi Murmu. «I am delighted that the President of India has nominated Sudha Murty to the Rajya Sabha. Sudha Ji's contributions to diverse fields including social work, philanthropy and education have been immense and inspiring,» Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on social media platform X. «Her presence in the Rajya Sabha is a powerful testament to our 'Nari Shakti', exemplifying the strength and potential of women in shaping our nation's destiny. Wishing her a fruitful Parliamentary tenure,» he added.

More than 96 crore Indians are registered to vote at over one million polling stations across the country in a mammoth electoral exercise with 2,400 political parties that may contest, and during which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will bid for a rare third term. The Election Commission could announce in weeks the dates for general elections that Modi is widely expected to comfortably win.