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New Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Minister Lokesh slams former CM Jagan over education system failures, SSC exam issues
VIJAYAWADA: HRD and IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Saturday launched a scathing attack on former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, accusing him of damaging the State's education system during his five-year tenure. In response to his allegations over discrepancies in SSC examination evaluations, Lokesh said the current government achieved 99.75% accuracy and maintained full transparency, unlike the previous regime. Citing the fallout of past policies, Lokesh said more than 12 lakh students shifted from government to private schools due to poor decisions, including the rushed implementation of the CBSE curriculum in 1,000 schools without adequate teacher training. '90% of students failed when we assessed their readiness after taking charge. For girls, failing Class 10 often means the end of their education,' he said, defending the rollback of the CBSE model. He also criticised Jagan for wasting Rs 5 crore on an unimplemented IB curriculum plan and leaving Rs 4,500 crore in fee reimbursement arrears. 'From eggs to textbooks, bills worth Rs 1,000 crore were unpaid. You called it reform without teachers who could even pronounce TOEFL,' Lokesh quipped.
New York Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Sen. Joni Ernst sparks crowd's anger with ‘we all are going to die' response to Medicaid cut questions
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst was met with shouts and groans when she said 'we all are going to die' as she addressed potential changes to Medicaid eligibility at a town hall in north-central Iowa on Friday. She had been consistent in her message throughout the contentious forum at a high school in Parkersburg, Iowa, as she defended the tax and immigration package that has passed the House and is now under consideration in the Senate. Facing several constituents concerned about cuts to Medicaid, she defended the $700 billion in reduced spending, saying it would keep immigrants in the U.S. illegally and those who have access to insurance through their employers off the rolls. Advertisement Sen. Joni Ernst was met with shouts and groans when she said 'we all are going to die' when citing the potential changes that could be made to Medicaid eligibility at an Iowa town hall Friday. IB Photography – Then someone in the crowd yelled that people will die without coverage. 'People are not … well, we all are going to die,' Ernst said, drawing groans. Advertisement 'So, for heaven's sakes. For heaven's sakes, folks.' 'What you don't want to do is listen to me when I say that we are going to focus on those that are most vulnerable,' Ernst went on. 'Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid we will protect.' House Republicans last week muscled through the massive spending and tax cut package, dubbed 'the big, beautiful bill' at the urging of President Donald Trump, by a single vote. Advertisement Ernst had the forum held at a high school in Parkersburg, Iowa, while she also defended the tax and immigration bill that had passed the House and is now under consideration in the Senate. WAAY 31 News It now moves to the Senate. Ernst made clear Friday that any measure that emerges from the Senate will look different from the House version. Republicans have defended the new work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents and stepped up eligibility verification, saying the generated savings will sustain the program for vulnerable populations. Advertisement Democrats warn that millions of Americans will lose coverage. A preliminary estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the proposals would reduce the number of people with health care by 8.6 million over the decade. Video of Ernst's comment started making the rounds among Democrat elected officials and candidates. Ernst is up for reelection in 2026. 'This morning, Joni Ernst said the quiet part out loud:' Republicans do not care 'about whether their own constituents live or die as long as the richest few get richer,' said Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, in a statement.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
No mention of Manish in PM's speech: It's hurtful, say kin
1 2 Sasaram: After IB officer Manish Ranjan , a Rohtas native who was among the victims of Pahalgam terror attack last month, didn't find mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's 33-minute address at Bikramganj in the district on Friday, his family said they were shocked and felt particularly hurtful. They alleged discrimination when the news of the Prime Minister meeting the wife and other family members of another victim, Shubham Diwedi, at Kanpur airport emerged just two hours after his Bihar rally in Bikramganj — just 30km from Manish's native Aruhi village. Manish's younger brother, Rahul Ranjan, initially dismissed the omission from the PM's speech, saying they had no grievances when "he (PM) didn't name him during his half-hour speech." "But when we learned just two hours later that he met the wife and other family members of another victim at Kanpur airport, we were shocked. In Kanpur, the meeting was pre-planned, and they were called by the PMO." Manish's father-in-law Jai Shankar Mishra, a resident of Allahabad, about 100km from Kanpur, said his daughter (the IB officer's widow) is still in trauma and receiving treatment at a local hospital. During his Rohtas address, Prime Minister Modi focused on "Operation Sindoor" and the broader development agenda for Bihar. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Finger Shape Says a Lot About Your Personality, Read Now Tips and Tricks Undo Manish's aunt, Sunita Devi, expressed her disappointment. "It feels our son's life is less valuable. The Prime Minister met another family affected by the same tragedy, but he did not acknowledge Manish or his sacrifice, here in Rohtas. This is clear discrimination," she said, her voice heavy with emotion. Manish's uncle Alok Priyadarshi echoed the family's plea for official recognition. "We want our son to be given the tag of a martyr. His death was for the nation, and he deserves the same respect and recognition as anyone else who lays down their life, he said.
Mint
4 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
‘Zealots fulminating about…': Shashi Tharoor hits back at trolls after praise for PM's anti-terror response
All-party delegation Leader Shashi Tharoor responded sharply to online criticism after he praised the Prime Minister's handling of terrorism. Facing backlash from some quarters, Tharoor clarified that his comments were specifically about India's responses to terrorist attacks, not past wars. In a post on X, Tharoor wrote, 'After a long and successful day in Panama, i have to wind up at midnight where with departure for Bogota, Colombia in six hours, so I don't really have time for this — but anyway: For those zealots fulminating about my supposed ignorance of Indian valour across the LoC: in the past.' He added, "I was clearly and explicitly speaking only about reprisals for terrorist attacks and not about previous wars; & My remarks were preceded by a reference to the several attacks that have taken place in recent years alone, during which previous Indian responses were both restrained and constrained by our responsible respect for the LoC and the IB. " But as usual, critics and trolls are welcome to distort my views and words as they see fit. I genuinely have better things to do. Goodnight, he added. 'My remarks were preceded by a reference to the several attacks that have taken place in recent years alone, during which previous Indian responses were both restrained and constrained by our responsible respect for the LoC and the IB. But as usual, critics and trolls are welcome to distort my views and words as they see fit. I genuinely have better things to do. Goodnight,' he added. While speaking at a gathering in Panama City, where he led one of the seven multi-party delegations involved in the Operation Sindoor campaign abroad, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, 'What has changed in recent years is that the terrorists have also realised they will have a price to pay. On that, let there be no doubt. When, for the first time, India breached the Line of Control between India and Pakistan to conduct a surgical strike on a terror base, a launchpad - the Uri strike in September 2016. That was already something we had not done before.' 'Even during the Kargil War, we had not crossed the Line of Control; in Uri, we did, and then came the attack in Pulwama in January 2019. This time, we crossed not only the Line of Control but also the international border, and we struck the terrorist headquarters in Balakot. This time, we have gone beyond both of those. We have not only gone beyond the Line of Control and the international border. We have struck at the Punjabi heartland of Pakistan by hitting terror bases, training centres, terror headquarters in nine places,' he added. Several Congress leaders have pushed back, reminding Tharoor of the surgical strikes conducted during the UPA era. Among them, Congress leader Udit Raj went as far as to sarcastically label Tharoor the 'super spokesperson' of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 'How could you be so dishonest to the party which gave you so much ?' Raj asked in a post on X. Echoing Raj's remarks, Congress's media head, Pawan Khera, who reshared his post on X, also tagged Tharoor in a video in which former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke about the surgical strikes conducted during the UPA era. The delegation led by Tharoor includes Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayagi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejaswi Surya, Bhubaneswar Kalita--all from BJP; Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), former Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Tharoor slams ‘zealots'; says he was clearly speaking only about reprisals for terrorist attacks
Amid Congress leaders' swipes at him over his 'surgical strike' remarks, party leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday (May 29, 2025) said that for those 'zealots' fulminating about his supposed ignorance of Indian valour across the LoC, he was 'clearly and explicitly' speaking only about reprisals for terrorist attacks and not about previous wars. Mr Tharoor said his remarks were preceded by a reference to the several attacks that have taken place in recent years alone, during which previous Indian responses were both restrained and constrained by India's responsible respect for the LoC and the IB. The Congress leader, who is leading a multi-party delegation to five countries, while speaking in Panama City, reportedly said that when "for the first time" India breached the LoC between India and Pakistan to conduct a surgical strike on a terror base that was something we had not done before. Also Read | All-party delegations receive support from world leaders in India's fight against terror The Congress had taken swipes at him over the remarks with party colleague Udit Raj saying he should be made a "super spokesperson of the BJP". Responding to the criticism, Mr Tharoor said, 'After a long and successful day in Panama, I have to wind up at midnight here with departure for Bogota, Colombia in six hours, so I don't really have time for this 'but anyway: For those zealots fulminating about my supposed ignorance of Indian valour across the LoC in the past - I was clearly and explicitly speaking only about reprisals for terrorist attacks and not about previous wars.' 'My remarks were preceded by a reference to the several attacks that have taken place in recent years alone, during which previous Indian responses were both restrained and constrained by our responsible respect for the LoC and the IB,' Mr Tharoor said. "But as usual, critics and trolls are welcome to distort my views and words as they see fit. I genuinely have better things to do. Goodnight," he added. Tagging Mr Tharoor's remarks on surgical strikes, Mr Raj said on Wednesday (May 28, 2025), 'My dear Shashi Tharoor, Alas! I could prevail upon PM Modi to declare you as super spokesperson of BJP, even declaring (you) as Foreign Minister before landing in India. How could you denigrate the golden history of Congress by saying that before PM Modi, India never crossed LoC and International border.' 'In 1965 Indian Army entered Pakistan at multiple points, which completely surprised the Pakistanis in the Lahore sector. In 1971, India tore Pakistan in two pieces and during UPA government several surgical strikes were unleashed but drum beating was not done to encash (it) politically,' he said. "How could you be so dishonest to the party which gave you so much," asked Mr Raj, who is the chairman of the Unorganised Workers and Employees Congress Other Than Professionals. Mr Raj's post on X was also reposted by Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh and the party's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera. Taking a swipe at Mr Tharoor, Mr Khera had posted a picture which shows officers of the 4 Sikh Regiment posing outside a captured Pakistani police station in Burki, Lahore district. "This image is from the Battle of Burki (also known as the Battle of Lahore, 1965), a significant engagement during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, fought between Indian infantry units and Pakistani armoured forces," Mr Khera had said. "Burki is a village located southeast of Lahore, near the India-Pakistan border, approximately 11 km from Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport, connected to the city by a bridge over the Bambawali-Ravi-Bedian (BRB) Canal. CC @ShashiTharoor," Mr Khera posted. Also Read | Udit Raj targeting Tharoor at Rahul Gandhi's behest for keeping national interest above party: BJP In another post, Mr Khera had put out a media report, which quoted former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as saying that India carried out multiple surgical strikes under the UPA rule. "Former PM Manmohan Singh: Many Surgical Strikes Conducted Under UPA. CC @ShashiTharoor," Mr Khera said in his post which was reposted by Mr Ramesh. Following the Pahalgam attack, Mr Tharoor has been making comments on the India-Pakistan conflict that are at variance with the party's stand, which has been questioning the government over U.S. President Donald Trump's claims of mediating a ceasefire between the two countries.
