
'Tears for terrorists…': PM Modi hits out at Rahul Gandhi's Cong, 'they import issues from Pakistan'
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Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Time of India
For Congress' vote theft protest, Freedom Park wall demolished for ramp; BJP files complaint
1 2 Bengaluru: BJP Tuesday submitted a complaint at Upparpet police station accusing Congress of demolishing a portion of the boundary wall at Freedom Park and cutting trees to build a ramp for Rahul Gandhi's protest rally scheduled for Friday. The rally is to protest alleged vote theft during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has been preparing the venue for the protest at Freedom Park and had erected a massive stage on the covered space atop the multi-level car parking complex in Gandhinagar. BJP alleged that a portion of the park's compound wall was demolished to make way for a ramp and claimed videos have surfaced of chopped trees and branches being carted away on trucks. Sapthagiri Gowda, BJP's Bengaluru Central district president, said in the complaint that organisers did not obtain permission from relevant authorities before demolishing the wall, which amounts to damaging public property. A separate complaint was submitted on tree-felling. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru "Congress has misused its power and inconvenienced the public," Gowda alleged. Shashikumar, BBMP chief engineer (west zone), said he was unaware of the development. "I will have to verify with the executive engineer," he said. Meanwhile, although deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar had earlier directed authorities that no political banners — not even those belonging to Congress — should be allowed within city limits, a stretch from Sheshadri Road to KR Circle was lined with towering hoardings featuring Shivakumar himself, chief minister Siddaramaiah, and senior Congress functionaries including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. The banners were erected as part of a rally on Friday by Rahul and other senior Congressmen to protest alleged vote theft during the Lok Sabha elections. Suralkar Vikas Kishor, BBMP commissioner (West Zone), confirmed no formal application was received to put up the banners. "We will identify persons or agencies behind this and fine them regardless of political affiliation," he said. "There is no provision to place any type of banner in Bengaluru's public spaces." Under BBMP's recently notified Advertisement Bylaws 2024, banners and cutouts are allowed only in select zones based on road width. The situation has sparked criticism of possible selective enforcement of rules. Several residents voiced concerns over the visual clutter and suggested motorists were at risk. "It's hard to ignore these massive portraits while driving," said one commuter. "If these are illegal, why aren't they being removed?"


India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Kashmir issue main source of India-Pak tension: Shehbaz Sharif
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that the Kashmir issue remains the main source of tension between Pakistan and India, as he strongly criticised New Delhi's 2019 decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and on the occasion of Youm-i-Istehsal, observed every year in Pakistan to protest the Indian government's move, Sharif condemned the abrogation of Article 370, which stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status and led to the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistani Prime Minister said that the Kashmir issue was the main reason for tension between Pakistan and India. 'The will and aspirations of the Kashmiri people, in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions, are the only path forward,' he added. He reaffirmed that a just and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue remains a cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy. Shehbaz also urged the international community to play a constructive role in reversing what he termed India's 'unilateral' actions of August 5, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also called for peace in the region, stating that Islamabad seeks friendly ties with all its neighbours and prefers dialogue and diplomacy over a rally in Islamabad, Dar said Pakistan's armed forces and its people are fully prepared to respond firmly to any act of aggression. Rallies, symbolic walks, and commemorative events were held across all four provinces and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistani missions abroad also marked the occasion with special 370 ABROGATIONSix years have passed since the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories. On August 5, 2019, Home Minister Amit Shah announced in the Rajya Sabha the revocation of Article 370, a constitutional provision granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir since 1954 under the Instrument of move was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 125 votes in favour and 61 against, and later cleared by the Lok Sabha with 370 votes for and 70 Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, also introduced by Shah, formalised the bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir (with a legislature), and Ladakh (without one).- EndsTrending Reel


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
MoD clears big arms deals, including BrahMos, armed drones, worth Rs 67,000cr
NEW DELHI: The defence ministry on Tuesday gave the initial nod for the procurement of 87 new heavy-duty armed drones and over 110 more air-launched BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, which IAF used as the primary weapon to strike Pakistani airbases and radar sites in May, among several modernisation proposals collectively worth Rs 67,000 crore. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The acceptance of necessity (AoN) granted by the Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) for the 87 armed medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) remotely-piloted aircraft will see an Indian company tying up with a foreign one to produce the drones with "an indigenous content of 60%". "The need for such MALE drones, armed with air-to-ground missiles and laser-guided bombs as well as capable of operating at long ranges, was acutely felt for the three services during Operation Sindoor," a senior official told TOI. Armed forces hope to induct 87 new MALE drones, which are faster than 'Predator' HALE The 87 drones, with ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and weapon-carrying capability, will cost around Rs 20,000 crore. Another Rs 11,000 crore will be for logistical and other support by the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) for 10 years," the senior official added. India, of course, had used Israeli-origin Harop and Harpy kamikaze drones, which act as cruise missiles by exploding into enemy assets and radars, to hit targets deep inside Pakistan during the May 7-10 hostilities. The armed forces hope to induct the 87 new MALE drones, which return to their bases after strike missions, faster than the 31-armed MQ-9B 'Predator' HALE (high-altitude, long endurance) drones ordered from the US for Rs 32,350 crore in Oct last year, which will be delivered only in the 2029-30 timeframe. The over 110 air-launched BrahMos missiles, which are jointly manufactured by India and Russia, in turn, will cost around Rs 10,800 crore. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now These 450-km range missiles, which fly almost three times the speed of sound at Mach 2.8, combined with Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, with a combat radius of about 1,500-km, constitute a deadly weapons package, as was witnessed during Operation Sindoor. The DAC also accorded AoN for eight BrahMos fire control systems and vertical launchers for older Indian warships for Rs 650 crore. Around 20 frontline warships, including the latest destroyers and frigates, are already armed with the BrahMos missiles. In March last year, the defence ministry had inked a Rs 19,519 crore deal for procurement of over 220 BrahMos missiles for frontline warships with the Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace. The total value of deals inked for BrahMos has crossed Rs 58,000 crore over the years, with the missiles becoming the "prime conventional (non-nuclear) precision strike weapons" for the armed forces. For the Army, the DAC gave the nod for new thermal imager-based driver night-sights for infantry combat vehicles (BMPs). "This would provide higher mobility and operational advantage," another official said.