
Dost, dost na raha: Congress mocks Modi-Trump ‘special bond' amid tariff threat
"Claims were made that the PM shares a special bond with President Trump, that they are old friends. What is the result of all of it? Threats of increased tariffs are being made. This friendship proved to be very expensive. The PM should answer," the General Secretary said at a press meet.Ramesh also pointed out past high-profile events like "Howdy Modi" and "Namaste Trump," and even the slogan "Abki baar Trump sarkar," slamming these were just "photo ops". Trump recently imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods and threatened further penalties if India continues purchasing oil from Russia. He went so far as to describe the Indian economy as "dead" and accused India of indirectly funding Russia's war in Ukraine through its oil imports. In a strongly worded response, India on Monday rejected the US stance, calling it unjustified and hypocritical.The Congess leader added, "MEA has issued a statement now, but it is clear that our relations with the US have deteriorated". He also warned of a new geopolitical threats, saying, "Today, CAP - China, America and Pakistan have become a challenge for us."Ramesh further highlighted President Trump's repeated claims of mediating a ceasefire, which he said Trump mentioned "32-33 times," while PM Modi remained silent on the issue.- Ends
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Economic Times
18 minutes ago
- Economic Times
INDIA bloc MPs to march from Parliament to Election Commission on August 11 over "vote theft" claims
Synopsis INDIA bloc MPs plan a march to the Election Commission, protesting the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and alleged voter fraud during the 2024 elections, according to Congress leader Digvijaya Singh. Rahul Gandhi's claims of voter list irregularities prompted the Karnataka CEO to request supporting documents for investigation, particularly regarding allegations of a voter casting two ballots. ANI The INDIA bloc MPs will march from the Parliament to the Election Commission's office on Monday to mark their protest over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar and allegations of "voter fraud" during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, said senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh. Addressing a press conference, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh alleged that all the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are filling out "fake forms" in one said, "Rahul Gandhi has put forward such facts that no one can deny... The name of one person appears at multiple locations, including polling booths... Rahul Gandhi's demand is for electronic data of the voter list, which we can scan using software to determine how many votes have been cast on a single EPIC number... What is the reason for the SIR happening in Bihar? It was thoroughly tested in 2003, which took 2 years in Bihar, but this time they want to do it in 1 month...""All the BLOs are filling out fake forms in one room. The Election Commission says that so many people have died, but their list is not given... And tomorrow the MPs of the entire INDIA alliance, who are from all parties except the BJP and NDA alliance MPs, will march from the Parliament to the Election Commission's office..." he added. Earlier today, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) asked Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to submit documents to inquire into his "vote theft" allegations against the Election Commission of India. In a notice issued on August 10, the Karnataka CEO stated that Rahul Gandhi has claimed to have documents presented during his August 7 press conference from the Election Commission of India records, alleging that a voter, Shakun Rani, voted twice based on data shown by a polling officer. The polling body further stated that upon preliminary inquiry, Shakun Rhas denied voting twice. The CEO's office also found that the tick-marked document presented by Rahul Gandhi was not issued by the polling officer, raising questions about the authenticity of the claim. The letter read, "In your Press Conference, you have stated that the documents shown in your presentation are from the records of the Election Commission of India. You have said: "This is EC data". You have also stated that as per the records given by the polling officer, Smt. Shakun Rani has voted twice. You have said; "Es ID card per do baar vote lagahai, wo jo tick hai, polling booth ke officer kihai"." "On inquiry, Smt. Shakun Rani has stated that she has voted only once and not twice, as alleged by you. Preliminary enquiry conducted by this office also reveals that the tick-marked document shown by you in the presentation (copy enclosed) is not a document issued by the polling officer," it added. The Karnataka CEO requested Rahul Gandhi to provide the relevant documents that form the basis of his allegation so that a detailed investigation can be conducted by the Karnataka electoral authorities. The letter stated, "Therefore, you are kindly requested to provide the relevant documents on the basis of which you have concluded that Smt. Shakun Rani or anyone else has voted twice, so that a detailed inquiry can be undertaken by this office."


Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
$600 stimulus payment for adult and dependent child in US soon? What you should know
Senator Josh Hawley introduced the "American Worker Rebate Act of 2025," proposing rebate checks for working Americans funded by Trump's tariffs. The plan suggests a minimum of $600 per adult and child, phasing out for higher-income couples. However, the bill faces significant hurdles, including Republican opposition, economic concerns, and potential inflationary effects, making its passage unlikely. The bill proposes 'at least' $600 for every adult and dependent child. For example, if you're a family of four, you'd get $2,400 Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Will you be getting $600 stimulus payment? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What is $600 stimulus payment and why you won't get it? Republican Senator Josh Hawley introduced the 'American Worker Rebate Act of 2025' — a bill that would send rebate checks to working Americans, funded by revenue from President Donald Trump's tariff policies. The proposal was expected to provide a huge financial relief to millions of people in the United is weighing a bill that would send Americans hundreds of dollars in the form of tariff rebate checks in a bid to soften the financial blow of the administration's new tariffs. The bill proposes 'at least' $600 for every adult and dependent child. For example, if you're a family of four, you'd get $2,400. The amounts would phase out for married couples making over $150,000 a year.'Like President Trump proposed, my legislation would allow hard-working Americans to benefit from the wealth that Trump's tariffs are returning to this country,' Hawley said in a legislation regarding tariff rebate introduced by Josh Hawley in late July 2025 must be approved by both the Senate and House of Representatives before going to the president. There are significant obstacles to its passing right now: Sen. Hawley's fellow Republicans in the Senate are less than enthusiastic about the bill, and several economists have voiced concerns that it won't provide the relief consumers are looking for amid bill is also facing criticism from other Republican senators, who call it a "bad idea" and "unsustainable" due to the federal cost of approximately $164 billion, according to a report in Marca. This is compounded by skepticism from several economists who doubt that the measure will provide the financial relief that consumers need. Despite the fact the President Trump has endorsed the idea, his strained relationship with Hawley makes it unlikely that they will work together to move the project project, spearheaded by Hawley, is called the "Reimbursement for American Workers Act" and consists of sending direct checks to US households funded by revenues generated from tariffs imposed on foreign products. The plan seeks to send a minimum of $600 for each adult and dependent minor. If tariff revenue exceeds projections for 2025, the bill could allow for 'a larger credit per person.'Josh Hawley's proposal to send tariff rebate checks faces insurmountable hurdles. On the one hand, the lack of enthusiasm from Republicans in Congress themselves, who have already passed a bill costing $4.1 trillion in the last decade, makes any new spending initiative addition, several senators, including James Lankford, Ron Johnson and Roger Marshall, have publicly opposed the idea, suggesting that the funds be used to pay down the national himself is open to the idea. Asked at the White House about a possible rebate for Americans from tariff revenue, he told reporters: 'We're thinking about that. We have so much money coming in, we're thinking about a little rebate.'To be fair, Trump also said the 'big thing we want to do is pay down debt' — but added that 'a little rebate for people of a certain income level might be very nice.''I don't believe a rebate would make for sound policy,' Alex Durante, senior economist at the Tax Foundation, told CNBC. 'I'd much rather see that revenue directed toward reducing the deficit than handing out checks to individuals.'Critics also caution that such payments could reignite inflationary pressures — a problem that has persisted since the pandemic-era stimulus.'Recipients are likely to spend at least part of that money, which would drive up demand, push prices higher, and potentially intensify inflation,' said Joseph Rosenberg, senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.


The Hindu
20 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Vote theft charge: Congress leader seeks digital data of voters' rolls from EC
Andhra Pradesh Congress Party Professionals Head Valluru Bhargav on Sunday demanded that the Election Commission of India release complete digital data of the voter lists in the wake of 'the exposure of vote theft by party leader Rahul Gandhi.' In a statement, Mr. Bhargav said that every citizen's vote value should be reviewed collectively across the nation. He said: 'With the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi exposing vote rigging in certain constituencies, the public is also expressing outrage over the conduct of the Election Commission,' and he urged the BJP government to intervene and demand that the Election Commission hold a 'Mann Ki Baat' on this matter, as the entire nation wants to know the value of their vote. He warned that for everyone involved in vote-tampering, the democratic alarm bell has now rung. Accusing the BJP government at the Centre of failing miserably in its foreign policy, he said now the ruling party leaders were trying various tricks to distract the attention of the people of this country from its series of failures. He warned that the public was closely watching the developments and that people would soon teach a befitting lesson to the BJP and its allies at the Centre.