Opposition Criticises PM Modi's RSS Mention In Independence Day Speech
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
19 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
‘We broke Handi of corruption': Mahayuti sounds poll bugle
MUMBAI: Blazing a new campaign trail ahead of local body elections in the state, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is tapping into festivals deeply cherished by Maharashtrians, starting with Janmashtami on Saturday, to win hearts – and votes. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis visited a total of 14 Janmashtami Dahi Handi events in Mumbai and Thane. (Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) With nine municipal corporations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) up for elections, where the contest is expected to be fierce, the alliance cashed in on the Dahi Handi festival in a big way on Saturday. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attended as many as 14 Dahi Handi celebrations in Mumbai, Thane and Bhiwandi, while his deputy and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde attended nine, most of them in Thane. Sounding the bugle for the polls, Fadnavis was blatant about the Mahayuti's new and admittedly ingenious strategy. 'Change is imminent in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation this year as we have broken the 'Handi of corruption' in the civic body,' said Fadnavis, in a veiled reference to the Shiv Sena-UBT, which has ruled the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for more than 25 years. 'With the help of 'development Handi' to be placed in BMC, we want to give a piece of development to the common people of Mumbai,' said the chief minister, at a Janmashtami celebration at Worli organised by BJP leader Santosh Pande. On Saturday, Fadnavis visited seven Janmashtami Dahi Handi events each, in Mumbai and Thane, organised by sitting MLAs and other BJP and Sena leaders. He jointly presided over a celebration with Shinde at Tembhi Naka, organised by Sena MLA Balaji Kinikar. Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar attended nine Dahi Handi events organised in party strongholds, including Ghatkopar, Borivali and Malad. 'Most of the big Dahi Handi mandals are linked to the ruling parties and their leaders such as Pratap Sarnaik, Prakash Surve and Ram Kadam. The presence of their senior leadership at the celebrations has helped the Mahayuti alliance reach out to lakhs of voters, especially Marathi-speaking people in the MMR,' said a BJP leader. 'Political parties traditionally cash in on these festivals but the Mahayuti alliance is going all out this time as local body elections are around the corner.' The strategy already appears to be paying rich rewards. The Konkan Nagar Raja Govinda Team in Thane set the record of a ten-layer Dahi Handi pyramid. The event was organised by the Sanskruti Yuva Pratishthan Trust mentored by Sena leader and transport minister Pratap Sarnaik. Up next, the BJP plans to use the upcoming Ganapati festival as part of its campaign strategy. The Mahayuti alliance recently gave it the status of a state festival and has announced prizes and funding worth ₹11.5 crore to Ganesh Mandals and people associated with the festival across the state. 'Through this drive, the BJP aims to connect with thousands of Ganesh Mandals and the devotees associated with them,' a BJP leader said.
Hindustan Times
19 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
PM Modi to inaugurate Delhi sections of UER-2, Dwarka Expressway on Sunday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate two major highway projects worth ₹11,000 crore on Sunday, as the government attempts to ease chronic traffic congestion in Delhi and improve connectivity across the National Capital Region. An aerial view of a national highway project ahead of its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (@narendramodi) The Delhi sections of the Urban Extension Road-II and Dwarka Expressway will be formally opened at a ceremony in northwest Delhi's Rohini, the Prime Minister's Office announced on Saturday. 'These initiatives reflect Prime Minister Modi's vision of creating world-class infrastructure that ensures seamless mobility,' the PMO said. Officials hope the new corridors will reduce travel times, divert freight traffic from the city centre and provide relief to Delhi's gridlocked Inner and Outer Ring Roads. Third ring road for Delhi The flagship project is the 54.21km stretch of UER-II, running from Alipur through Bawana, Rohini, Mundka, Bakkarwala, Najafgarh and Dwarka to Dichaon Kalan at a cost of ₹5,580 crore. The six-lane highway, conceived as Delhi's third ring road under the Delhi Master Plan Road 2021, includes new links to Bahadurgarh and Sonipat. The corridor is expected to ease traffic on Delhi's Inner and Outer Ring Roads and busy points including Mukarba Chowk, Dhaula Kuan and NH-9. The new spurs will improve industrial connectivity, cut city traffic and speed up goods movement in the NCR. It will cut travel time from Indira Gandhi International Airport to various locations in southwest and northwest Delhi by 40-60%, according to government estimates. Officials say the route will provide faster connectivity for commuters travelling from Chandigarh to Gurugram and Delhi's IGI Airport. Sections around Najafgarh, Mundka and Alipur have already opened in phases, benefiting previously undeveloped areas including Karala, Alipur and Bawana. The route provides quicker access to south Delhi, Noida and Faridabad whilst improving connectivity to areas such as Dwarka, Mahipalpur and Vasant Kunj. The complete UER-II spans 76km—54.21km in Delhi and 21.5km in Haryana—with a total construction cost of ₹8,000 crore. Declared as a national highway, the project is being implemented by the National Highways Authority of India in five packages, with the Delhi Development Authority funding the capital's section. Airport connectivity boost The second project is a 10.1km section of the Dwarka Expressway, built at ₹5,360 crore. The bypass of NH-48 Delhi-Gurugram Expressway includes an underpass near the airport and provides direct connectivity from IGI Airport to UER-II, Gurugram and Dwarka. It provides a direct route to Yashobhoomi in Dwarka's Sector 25 and will also provide multi-modal connectivity to Delhi Metro's Blue and Orange Lines, the upcoming Bijwasan railway station and Dwarka cluster bus depot. The construction of the Dwarka Expressway has already reduced travel time for areas in the capital such as Dwarka, Mahipalpur, Vasant Kunj and Najafgarh, enhancing connectivity to Gurugram and key locations like IGI Airport. The Delhi section comprises two stretches: 5.9km from Shiv Murti intersection near the airport to Dwarka Sector 21, and 4.2km from Sector 21 to the Delhi-Haryana border. The route includes a tunnel to ensure uninterrupted traffic flow. The 19km Haryana section of the Dwarka Expressway was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on March 11, 2024. The complete 28km corridor was constructed at ₹8,611 crore. Sustainable construction Construction has incorporated environmental initiatives, with two million tonnes of waste from the Ghazipur landfill used in UER-II development, reducing the waste mountain's height by seven metres. Union minister Nitin Gadkari highlighted this during Delhi assembly election campaigning earlier this year. 'We are using inert materials recovered through biomining of legacy waste for highway construction to promote sustainable infrastructure,' an NHAI official said. 'These inert materials such as soil, silt, stones and construction debris are stable and suitable for embankment filling, subgrade layering and service roads,' the official added. The inert material is also being used for other projects, including the DND-Faridabad Bailabgarh Sohna bypass, aimed at reducing landfill volume, conserving natural resources and lowering construction costs and carbon emissions. Regional connectivity Chief minister Rekha Gupta, along with senior officials and party leaders, visited the inauguration site on Saturday to review the preparations and issued necessary instructions. She described the projects as a 'historic gift' for the city. 'The commencement of UER-II will play a vital role in reducing congestion, improving industrial corridor network, lowering vehicular pollution and thereby contributing to a cleaner and healthier environment,' Gupta said. 'UER-II is not just an infrastructure project; it is an investment in the future of Delhi. It will improve traffic flow, cut travel time drastically, and uplift the quality of life for lakhs of people living in Delhi and NCR,' she stated. She also emphasised the long-distance connectivity that UER-II will bring, saying the route will integrate with the Delhi-Jaipur national highway, KMP Expressway, and Gurugram-Sohna Highway, which connects to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. 'Travel to Chandigarh, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Jaipur, and even Mumbai will become faster and more convenient. It is truly a transformative project,' she added. 'With this network, UER-II will emerge as a backbone of high-speed connectivity, linking Delhi not just with NCR but with the entire nation,' Gupta said. The projects are part of the government's broader plan to decongest the national capital, though transport experts have previously questioned whether new roads provide lasting relief or simply shift bottlenecks to other locations.
Deccan Herald
an hour ago
- Deccan Herald
RSS will be ideological foundation of BJP, Santhosh tells Siddu
BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh on Saturday slammed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reference of the RSS during his Independence Day speech.
