One Man Cycled From India To Europe To Meet His Wife. Read His Story

Charlotte Von Schedvin met Indian artist PK Mahanandia in Delhi in 1975. Ms Schedvin travelled all the way from Sweden to India after she heard about Mr Mahanandia's art and decided to get her portrait made by him.

Dr Pradyumna Kumar Mahanandia had just started making a name for himself as an artist. He was a poor art student at the College of Art in Delhi.

As luck would have it, both of them fell in love with each other while Mr Mahanandia was making her portrait. He fell in love with her beauty and she fell in love with his simplicity.

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By the time Ms Von Schedvin had to leave, the duo decided to get married. In an old interview with BBC, Mr Mahanandia said, "She wore a sari when she met my father for the first time. I still don't know how she managed. With blessings from my father and family, we got married according to tribal tradition."

As the time for her departure neared, she asked her husband to accompany her. However, Ms Mahanandia had to finish his studies first. She made him promise that he would follow her to her home in the Swedish textile town of Boras.

The two kept in touch through letters.

After one year, when he planned to visit Ms Von Schedvin, he realised he did not have enough money to buy an air ticket. He sold everything he owned and bought a bicycle.

During the course of the next four months, he crossed Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey. His cycle broke down many times on the way and he even had to go on without food for days. But nothing could break his will.

He started his journey on January 22, 1977, and he would cycle for around 70 km every day.

"Art came to my rescue. I made portraits of people and some gave me money, while others gave me food and shelter," he told BBC.

He reached Europe on May 28- via Istanbul and Vienna, and then travelled to Gothenburg by train.

The two officially got married in Sweden.

"I had no idea about European culture. It was all new to me, but she supported me at every step. She is just a special person. I am still in love just as I was in 1975," he told BBC.

The couple now lives in Sweden with their two children and he continues to work as an artist.

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Buffaloes Take A Morning Dip In UK Pool, Cost Couple Rs 25 Lakh

A video is going viral on social media which shows a herd of escaped buffaloes wrecking a couple's new swimming pool- by taking a dip. The 18 buffaloes escaped from a nearby farm and took a morning dip into the Essex swimming pool, reported BBC.

The CCTV footage captured the moment the animals fell through the pool cover and caused damage of 25,000 pounds (Rs 25,00, 000).

Andy and Lynette Smith, who are retired told Guardian that eight of the buffaloes ended up falling into the 70,000 pounds pool and triggered a stampede that ruined the fencing and flower beds. The animals were rescued later and were unharmed.

It's hot but it's not that hot! Moment herd of escaped water #buffalo stampede through couple's garden and take dip in their swimming pool - causing £25,000 in damage to their Colchester #Essex home pic.twitter.com/uYM8kZpwgP

— Hans Solo (@thandojo) May 23, 2023

The incident happened last year in July when electric fencing failed, allowing the herd to breach a wooden fence and hedge separating their field from the Smiths' garden.

"When my wife went to make the morning tea, she glanced out of the kitchen window and saw eight buffaloes in the pool," Andy Smith told Guardian. "She called 999 and was told the fire brigade doesn't accept hoax calls. It took some persuading to get them to take us seriously. When they arrived, one of the buffaloes, spooked by their hi-vis jackets, headed straight at them."

A spokesperson from NFU Mutual Insurance said that the claim had been "settled and paid".

They said, "We apologise for the delay in paying this claim and in particular the initial wait for an inspector's visit, which took too long and fell short of our usual standards."

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NDTV Public Opinion: Over 55% Satisfied With Centre's Work On Various Fronts

More than half the people are satisfied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's work on various fronts, a unique NDTV survey called 'Public Opinion' that examines nine years of PM Modi showed. Despite the Karnataka loss, the PM's popularity remains strong, and BJP's vote share remains stable. Over 55 per cent of the respondents -- among over 7,000 people across 19 states and 71 Lok Sabha constituencies -- said they were either fully or partially satisfied with the government's work in the last nine years.

17 per cent of respondents said they were fully satisfied, and 38 per cent voted partially satisfied. 19 per cent said they were slightly disappointed, and 21 per cent said they were totally disappointed with the PM Modi-led work. Five per cent said they didn't know.

Rahul Gandhi's popularity has risen after his pan-India foot march Bharat Jodo Yatra, the poll, in partnership with Lokniti-Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), has found, but he remains far behind PM Modi.

People remain divided over the central probe agency Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation's role. 37 per cent said agencies are working as per law. Several opposition parties across the country have repeatedly alleged that the Centre has weaponised these agencies to settle political scores. 32 per cent of respondents agreed with the charge that the agencies are being used for political vendetta. 31 per cent said they had no opinion on it.

The survey, which included people from all social classes, was conducted between May 10 and May 19.

43 per cent of poll participants, when asked who they'd prefer as the Prime Minister if elections were to be held today, chose PM Modi, while 27 per cent voted for Rahul Gandhi. When asked to choose parties they'd vote for today, 39 per cent chose BJP, Congress got 29 per cent votes, and others 28 per cent.

Other top leaders trailed far behind. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal both got four per cent votes, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav was the choice of three per cent of the respondents, and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar got just one per cent votes.
 
Interestingly, PM Modi doesn't seem to face anti-incumbency even after two consecutive terms at the Centre. In 2019, he was the preferred choice for the PM for 44 per cent of respondents and has seen a drop of just one per cent in 2023. Rahul Gandhi has seen a three per cent jump as favourite for the top job in the same period -- from 24 per cent in 2019 to 27 per cent in 2023.

To a more pointed question about their views on the PM, 40 per cent of respondents said they like him, 23 per cent said they dislike him, 25 per cent remained ambivalent, and 12 per cent did not respond. A majority (25 per cent) of those who said they like the PM said they like him for his oratory, a fifth (20 per cent) said because of development work (vikaspurush), 13 per cent said because he works hard, and an equal percentage like him for his charisma, 11 per cent are impressed by his policies, and 15 per cent cited other reasons. Three per cent did not respond. 
 
On who they see as a challenger to PM Modi in next year's general elections, Rahul Gandhi was the clear favourite, with 34 per cent voting for him, followed by Arvind Kejriwal, who 11 per cent of respondents backed. Akhilesh Yadav got five per cent votes, Mamata Banerjee four per cent, and a quarter (25 per cent) chose other Opposition leaders.

When questioned about how they feel about Rahul Gandhi, 26 per cent said they have always liked the Congress leader. 15 per cent said they started liking him after the Bharat Jodo Yatra. 16 per cent said they dislike him, and 27 per cent were ambivalent (neither like nor dislike). 16 per cent did not respond.

Almost half (47 per cent) of the respondents said they like the PM Modi-led government's work on development, and 40 per cent said they didn't. Eight per cent said it was average, and five per cent said they didn't know.

On Kashmir, a majority of respondents (30 per cent) said they didn't like the Centre's work, while 28 per cent said they did. 13 per cent thought it was average, and 29 per cent didn't know.

A majority (45 per cent) also didn't like the government's efforts in stopping corruption. 41 per cent said they liked it, while eight per cent said it was average. Six per cent said they didn't know.

However, when asked which big issue was top of their list when voting, just five per cent said it was corruption.

To a direct question on whether they want the PM Modi-led government to return to power again, 43 per cent said they did, while 38 per cent said they didn't. 18 per cent did not respond.

The BJP, which got a 37 per cent vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, can expect a two per cent bump, the survey showed. Congress, which got 19 per cent, will go up to 29 per cent.

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Setback For Indian Students In UK Over Right To Bring Dependents

The UK government on Tuesday announced a new immigration crackdown targeted at overseas students, including Indians, and their visa right to bring dependent family members to the country while enrolled at a British institution.

In a written statement to the House of Commons, UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman said that only international students on postgraduate courses currently designated as research programmes will be allowed to bring in their family members, including children and elderly parents, as their dependents.

The Indian-origin minister said the new package of measures was necessary after it emerged that around 136,000 visas were granted to dependents of sponsored students in the year ending December 2022 - a more than eight-fold increase from 16,000 in 2019.

"This package includes removing the right for international students to bring dependants unless they are on postgraduate courses currently designated as research programmes," Braverman's statement notes.

Removing the ability for international students to switch out of the student route into work routes before their studies have been completed and reviewing the maintenance requirements for students and dependants are listed among the other new measures.

The minister also pledged steps to clamp down on unscrupulous education agents "who may be supporting inappropriate applications to sell immigration not education".

Improved and more targeted enforcement activity is also listed within the new package.

"The terms of the graduate route remain unchanged... We are committed to attracting the brightest and the best to the UK. Therefore, our intention is to work with universities over the course of the next year to design an alternative approach that ensures that the best and the brightest students can bring dependants to our world-leading universities while continuing to reduce net migration," she said.

The new curbs are expected to be enforced "as soon as possible", after consultation with the educational sector and key stakeholders.

The crackdown was widely expected as reports indicated that the UK's latest net migration figures to be released later this week will show a massive rise from 504,000 between June 2021 and 2022 despite a Conservative Party-led government pledge to bring down immigration in the wake of Brexit.

"While the vast majority of students will be unaffected by proposals that limit the ability to be accompanied by dependants, more information is needed on the programmes that are in scope before a proper assessment of the impact can be made," said Jamie Arrowsmith, Director of Universities UK International (UUKi) - the representative body for 140 UK universities.

"Yet we do know that any changes are likely to have a disproportionate impact on women and students from certain countries. We, therefore, urge the government to work with the sector to limit and monitor the impact on particular groups of students - and on universities, which are already under serious financial pressures," he said.

The UUKi welcomed confirmation that the new Graduate route visa, which allows students to stay on and seek work experience for up to three years at the end of their degree, will remain "open and competitive".

Indians, who recently overtook Chinese as the leading nationality granted study visas to the UK, are the highest cohort to access this visa launched in July 2021.

As per official data for 2020-21, there were 87,045 Indian first-year enrolments behind China's 99,965 and ahead of Nigeria's 32,945.

In terms of the number of dependants accompanying these students, Nigerians rank the highest followed by Indians.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Watch: MI Squad Erupt In Celebration Following RCB's Loss Against GT

Mumbai Indians had a day to remember on Sunday as they registered a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last league stage match. However, the main reason of happiness came after Gujarat Titans defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore in the second match on Sunday, which paved way for the five-time champions into the Playoffs of IPL 2023. MI, who have now qualified with a total of 16 points, were dependent on GT's win over RCB. The team erupted in joy to celebrate their entry into the knockout stage of the tournament. 

Taking to Instagram, MI posted a video where the likes of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Cameron Green, Ishan Kishan and others were seen jumping and celebrating after Gujarat registered a six-wicket victory over RCB. The loss of RCB gave MI the fourth place on the points table. 

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Cameron Green's magnificent maiden century (100*) and Rohit Sharma's half century powered Mumbai Indians to a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last league match of the IPL at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

Green smacked eight fours and eight sixes during his unbeaten 100 which came off just 47 balls. He added 53 runs with Suryakumar Yadav (25 not out) for the unbroken third wicket to take MI over the line.

Earlier, unheralded Uttarakhand pacer Akash Madhwal nailed his yorkers consistently at the death as MI restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad to 200 for 5. 

MI will now be going up against Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator match of IPL 2023 on Wednesday at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. 

(With PTI Inputs)

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Zeenat Aman Reveals Why She And Big B "Made A Good On-Screen Jodi"

Veteran actress Zeenat Aman, who likes to keep it real on Instagram, is often found sharing anecdotal tales from her days in cinema, personal relations and all things good. On Monday, the actress did nothing different. Posting a still of Amitabh Bachchan and herself from their 1980s film Laawaris, the actress shed some light on the "long working relationship" she harboured with the superstar. Celebrating 42 years of her film Laawaris, Zeenat Aman recalled shooting for a song from the film, kab ke bichhde hue hum aaj with her co-star Amitabh Bachchan, with whom she shared a similar "work ethic."

Zeenat Aman in an eloquent post wrote, "Laawaris was released 42 years ago on this day on 22nd May 1981.An old school Masala blockbuster, it's the story of a man born from an illicit relationship, and includes themes of love, betrayal, murder and reconciliation. This still is from the song “kab ke bichhde hue hum aaj”. I had been visiting a friend in London, and flew directly to Kashmir to make it in time for this shoot. Director Prakash Mehra had been keeping unwell, but his excellent team of assistants stepped up to the plate. We shot the song over two-three days in some of the most stunning locations I have ever been to. Jumpsuits were all the rage back then, and this purple set was just fabulous! ( and the reason I chose this picture.)"

Talking about the equation she shared with Amitabh Bachchan, the actress continued, "Amit ji and I have had such a long working relationship, and I think part of the reason that we made a good onscreen jodi is our shared work ethic. We were both punctilious and punctual, which anyone in the industry will agree is not quite as common amongst actors as they'd like! I only ever recall him being late to set once in all those years, and boy is that a story to tell."

Undoubtedly, the post caught the attention of many celebs, who hailed the veteran actress for treating her followers with such wholesome posts. Actress Chitrangada wrote, "It's just so rare to find someone so gracious so articulate so stunning .. n so inspiring ! So much love."

For the unversed, Zeenat Aman and Amitabh Bachchan have starred together in some iconic films like Don, Gol Mall, Dostana, The Great Gambler and Pukar, to name a few. 

Take a look at the post here: 

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Earlier, in another beautifully written note, the veteran actor bared her soul to the world and talked about the tumultuous relationship she shared with actor and "Starmaker" Dev Anand. She began the post by referring to the "golden trio" of Dev saab, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor, who she said were the brains behind shaping Hindi cinema.

"When I embarked on my cinematic career, It was the age of the Golden Trio. The genius of Dev saab, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor was widely acknowledged, and any actor worth their salt recognized that these three giants had shaped and were shaping Hindi cinema. Dev saab had already launched my career, and I was now keen to broaden my portfolio. Over the next few years, I starred in a string of movies, both with and without him," the 71-year-old actor noted.

Expressing her wish to be cast under the RK Banner, Zeenat Aman continued, "Meanwhile Raj ji's 1973 release Bobby had been a blockbuster hit that had swept every award. We knew each other socially too, exchanging warm greetings at public events. He was also my costar in Vakil Babu and Gopichand Jasoos. Naturally, I wanted to be directed by him under the RK banner, and when the opportunity arose, I jumped at it. The story of how I landed SSS is well-known, so I won't repeat it. I was giddy to have been cast for Raj ji's unconventional project and put heart and soul into it. I was completely unaware that Dev saab was simultaneously misreading the situation."

Talking about the "great misunderstanding" between Dev Anand and herself, the Satyam Shivam Sundaram star revealed details about the episode that left her feeling, "humiliated, hurt and disconcerted".

She wrote, Years later, in 2007, ‘Romancing with Life', Dev Saab's autobiography hit the stands. In it, he professed that he was in love with me, and insinuated that Raj ji and I had more than a director-actor equation which broke his heart. To be honest, I was livid. I felt humiliated, hurt and disconcerted that Dev saab, my much older mentor, a person I loved and admired platonically, would not only believe such a story devoid of a shred of truth but would then go on to publish it for the world to read. For weeks my phone rang incessantly as friends inquired about “what happened” and shared excerpts from the book. I never did read it though, and in my anger, I consigned the copy I was sent to storage in the basement!"

Concluding the post, Zeenat Aman wrote, "So here it is - the great misunderstanding. This episode embarrassed me deeply. For years I felt unable to talk about it to set the record straight. But now, time has granted me perspective and peace. Human folly is an eternal truth, and we all fall victim at one point or another. I will always remember Dev saab for his rare talent and warm guidance. He has my earnest gratitude and I do not tolerate disrespect to his name."

Take a look at the post here:

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Zeenat Aman rose to fame with her work in films such as Don, Satyam Shivam Sundaram and Hare Rama Hare Krishna.
 

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Prince Harry Feels Car Chase Made Him Understand Princess Diana's Death

Days after being involved in a "near catastrophic car chase" with paparazzi photographers in New York City, Prince Harry has been thinking of his mother Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in 1997 that also involved photographers pursuing her vehicle. 

According to People Magazine, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle were "shaken" after the car chase incident. It occurred on May 16 in New York City after the couple left the Ms Foundation's Women of Vision Awards where Meghan was honoured for her work. 

Following the incident, Prince Harry reportedly told his friends the incident was the "closest I have ever felt" to understanding what happened on the tragic night his mother died. 

"It was a disturbing situation, and they were shaken, but they are glad everyone's okay," the outlet's source said. They added that the photographers were attempting to pursue the couple after were seen leaving the award function in order to find where they were staying while visiting the city. 

According to a previous statement, after the chase, a spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said that the couple and Meghan's mother Doria Ragland were in a "near catastrophic car chase" as they were pursued by "a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi". 

"Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi," the couple's spokesperson said in a statement, adding, "This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD (New York Police Department) officers." 

Also Read | Megan Fox Reveals She Has Body Dysmorphia. Know More About The Disorder

Earlier this week, the New York Police Department also confirmed the situation in a statement, saying that the couple's travel was made "challenging" by paparazzi. 

"The NYPD assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging," the statement said, as per People. 

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard," the department added. 

Meanwhile, Sukhcharn Singh, an Indian-origin cab driver who transported the couple during a "near catastrophic car chase", said that the couple were clearly nervous during the short journey. However, he also added that the paparazzi were not being aggressive. 

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Vande Bharat Train's Windshield Cracks After Branches Fall On It In Odisha

Tree branches fell on the Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express during a storm in Odisha's Jajpur district on Sunday, stranding it there for over three hours, officials said.

The branches got entangled with its pantograph, besides cracking its windshield, bringing the train to a halt, they said.

No one was injured in the incident, a South Eastern Railway (SER) official said.

The incident happened around 4.45 pm between Baitarani Road and Manjuri Road stations, near the Jajpur Keonjhar Road station, he said.

The train remained stranded there for over three hours, before it restarted its journey with a diesel engine at 8.05 pm, the official said.

A diesel engine would haul the train to Bhadrak as the overhead traction wire was damaged by the fallen tree branches, he said.

"It will run on its own from Bhadrak to Howrah thereafter," he added.

The up and down services of the train will remain cancelled on Monday since some repairs would be required for the rake, the SER said.

"22895/22896 Howrah-Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat express will remain cancelled for repairs of damages caused by thunderstorm on May 21 in Cuttack-Bhadrak section of East Coast Railway," a statement by SER said.

The train was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, and commenced its commercial run on Saturday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Ex-Nepalese Soldier With Artificial Legs Scales Everest, Creates History

A double amputee ex-British Gurkha soldier has scaled Mt. Everest, scripting history by becoming the first in the category to scale the world's highest peak with artificial legs, an official said on Saturday.

Hari Budhamagar, 43, scaled the 8848.86-metre peak on Friday late afternoon.

"Double amputee ex-soldier Hari Budhamagar created history on Friday by becoming the first person with such conditions to scale Mt Everest," the official from the Department of Tourism said. Budhamagar, who lost both his legs in the war in Afghanistan while fighting as a soldier of British Gorkha for the UK government in 2010, scaled Mt Everest with artificial legs.

He had postponed his plan to scale Mt Everest in 2018 after the government introduced a mountaineering regulation that banned blind, double-amputee and solo climbers from climbing the mountains, including Everest in 2017.

A writ petition was filed against the ban and in response to that the Supreme Court vacated the rule by issuing an order in 2018, paving the way for Budhamagar to create history.

On Sunday, five foreigners climbed the summit of Mount Everest.

Nepal has issued a record 466 permits to climb Mount Everest this spring, officials said.

Nepal is home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Watch: Tigress Tries To Steal Tiger's Meal. This Happens Next

The animal kingdom undoubtedly offers some of the most entertaining and fascinating videos. And now one such chilling video showing a vicious fight between two tigers is going viral on social media. The clip was shared on Latest Sightings' official YouTube Channel. The incident took place at Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan. 

"A female tiger spots what seems to be an abandoned deer in the road, but this meal isn't as easy as she hopes! A huge male was nearby and didn't let her steal the meal without a fight! Tinged by Vijay Kumawat in Ranthambore National Park," the caption of the post read. 

Watch the video below: 

The video shows an intense confrontation between a tigress and a tiger over a prey. It opens to show the tigress trying to drag away an animal carcass lying in the middle of a road. Within seconds, a tiger appears from behind the bushes and confronts the tigress. 

The two wild cats pounce on each other and fight for a brief moment. However, soon they come to a standoff that goes on until the tigress decides to back off. The video ends with the tiger dragging away its huge meal behind the buses. 

The video was shared on YouTube earlier this month. It has accumulated more than 885,000 views and over 3,500 likes. Internet users flooded the comment section with all kinds of reactions.

Also Read | "Polar Express In Real Life": Video Showing "Typical Workday In Antarctica" Baffles Internet

"That is one huge tiger! Until I saw them live, I never realized just how big they are. Beautiful animals!" wrote one user. "The size of that male tiger, especially his shoulders rising and falling into his back, my goodness. Unbelievable," commented another. 

"At about 1:47 you see the male hold back. He had a clear swipe to the females head when she laid on her back , but he's just reasserting dominance and not looking to harm her," explained a third. "Despite his best efforts, the male successfully defended his meal and the tigress eventually withdrew. This behavior is not uncommon in big cats, as they are known to be territorial and will be fiercely protective of their food and resources," added fourth. 

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Opinion: After Expert Panel's Clean Chit To Adani Group, Big Questions For Congress

Days before the Budget session of parliament, it was business as for the economy, the share market and politics. Everyone was gearing up for  newly elected President Droupadi Murmu's maiden address to the joint session of parliament, and the Finance Minister's Budget announcements. 

In came the Hindenburg report, 'Adani Group: How the World's 3rd Richest Man is Pulling the Largest Con in Corporate History'. The title was designed to catch eyeballs, urgent, far and wide. The Adani Group was the only infrastructure company in the top five or 10 global firms, both in terms of market capitalisation and in expanse, in a league dominated by tech.

Once it grabbed attention, the impact was calamitous. The Adani Group's share prices went on a downward spiral. It took a toll on other companies' shares too, and the share market took a bad hit. The political temperatures soared. The budget session was washed out by the Congress party and parties supporting it. In the Hindenburg report, they thought they had finally found an issue to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government.

Four months later, just when the market was stabilizing, and the Karnataka turbulence had settled to an extent, news broke that the Supreme Court-appointed committee on the Adani-Hindenburg issue had concluded: "prima facie no regulatory failure on part of the SEBI around the allegation of price manipulation."

The composition of committee constituted by the Supreme Court should also be noted. The committee was led by former Supreme Court Justice AM Sapre, with former SBI Chairman OP Bhatt, former Bombay High Court Judge Justice JP Devadhar, reputed banker KV Kamath, infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani and senior lawyer Somasekhar Sundaresan. It was the demand of some of the petitioners. It is worth noting that Chief Justice DY Chandrachud had refused to accept the Centre's suggestion on the constitution of the committee. The Chief Justice had then said "We don't want sealed cover suggestions. Even if we don't accept your suggestions, the other side will have the impression that we accepted the government-adopted committee. I want to have complete transparency. We will appoint our own committee and a sense of trust should be there."

The competence, independence and impartiality of the expert committee was thus beyond any doubt. The most important findings are - short selling on Adani stocks and undue profiting by some entities; No price manipulation by Adani Group Found; empirical data shows the retail investment exposure to Adani stocks has increased multifold after January 24; The report has also very clearly mentioned that the mitigating measures taken by the Adani Group has helped in building confidence in the stock and the stocks are stable now. 

The committee findings make it abundantly clear that the Hindenburg report was motivated mischief to make money and create a political upheaval in the Indian polity and economy. This is further substantiated by Hindenburg's stated position that it was a shortseller group and there was nothing illegal in making money via short selling.

Second, much to the dismay of the Congress party, which had been gunning for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government on the issue, George Soros, a Hungarian-born American billionaire and a known Modi baiter, said, "In India, Modi and business tycoon Adani are close allies. Their fate is intertwined. Adani Enterprises tried to raise funds in the stock market but failed...Modi will have to answer on Adani in parliament. This will significantly weaken Modi's stranglehold on India's federal govt. I expect a democratic revival in India".

It is open to public wisdom snd the kind of democratic revival Soros saw, when he more than once openly praised the Congress-led UPA government at was in power.

What Soros said and the publicly stated position of Hindenburg (or vice-versa) is corroborated by the preliminary findings of SEBI and the Enforcement Directorate that there was unusual short selling activity around Adani shares a few days before he Hindenburg report with the intention of making money.

This was not the first time that a foreign media report emerged ahead of a parliament session or election and was immediately picked up by sections of the media and opposition parties to target the Modi government and create doubts in the people's mind. It has happened, most prominently in case of Pegasus and Rafale. In both the cases, the matter ended after the Supreme Court pronounced a verdict. Remember Rahul Gandhi in 2019 had had tried to make an election issue out of the Rafale deal but ended up offering a written unconditional apology to the Supreme Court.

Now the questions which the protagonists of the Hindenburg report, lobbyists and the Congress party leadership will perhaps need to answer are:

- Did they not intentionally cause the loss of small investors' money? Not only did the Adani share prices drop, the stock market as a whole went down.

- Why did they not listen to the clarifications given by the SBI, LIC, RBI and others that no wrongdoing was done and public money was safe? They banked on the  allegations of a foreign short seller rather than their own banks, investigative and regulatory agencies.

- Why was entire Budget session of parliament washed out, leading to a wastage of time and public money?

- Why did they persist in making noises even after the Mauritian finance minister strongly rebutted allegations of shell companies in parliament?

- Why did they continue making wild charges even after Chief Justice DY Chandrachud cautioned the lawyer of a petitioner to stop using the phrase "there was a regulatory failure...you cannot stand here and say that there was regulatory failure...because whatever you say here affects stock markets...let us be responsible...easy to stand and make allegations."

- Why did the Congress and some of its allies insist on a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe when the Supreme Court-appointed committee constituted by it was seized of the matter?

- Is it not a fact that the Congress while protesting in parliament along with other opposition parties had with banners and placards demanded a probe by a Supreme Court committee or a JPC?

- Did it not insist on a JPC even as the likes of Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, Jagan Mohan Reddy and KCR were satisfied after the constitution of a committee to probe the issue, only to keep the political pot boiling?

- Did this entire group and parties not have faith in the Supreme Court?

- How come some foreign banks which were hyper active after the Hindenburg report went bankrupt and the Indian banks against whom allegations were made remained strong amidst the shake-up of western banks?

On a broader level, it is an issue of right or wrong. Is doing big business and going global with the same business wrong? Or, doesn't "dream big, think big"  rightly signify an aspirational New India, which wants to be at the head table of developed nations in the world? No one is condoning wrongful business practices in violation of the law of the land, but the fate of millions of ordinary investors and workers must not be allowed to suffer because someone sitting abroad in some fancy office has decided to make money at their cost or has some whimsical desire to decide how a nation must run and who should run it. 

(Sanjay Singh is a senior journalist based in Delhi)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author.

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Congress's Revdi Politics Threatens Karnataka's Future: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

The Karnataka assembly results of 2023 will have no impact on the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 and the people of the country will once again decisively vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said in an interview.

He said the future generations of Kannadigas will have to incur the fallout the Congress's debts with the party's promise of various guarantees, including 200 units of free electricity and monthly income support for women and unemployed youth.

Mr Chandrasekhar also spoke on the recent controversy over the film 'The Kerala Story' and said the movie was a legitimate narrative of a reality and that everyone has the right to know what endangers the unity of the nation. Excerpts:

What are the BJP's major learnings from the Karnataka defeat, especially as many top ministers and leaders have lost?

It is a little too early to say anything on that. Our party leadership both at the state and the centre will look into the causes, reasons and changes that need to be done. Our (former) Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has already spoken about it, and we will analyse, introspect and see what went wrong and what went right.

Do you think the guarantees of the Congress will have an impact on the fiscal health of Karnataka?

The kind of "revdi (freebies)" economics the Congress is promoting will definitely affect the state's fiscal health. Particularly, after the way Mr Bommai and the BJP have rebuilt the state's economy after the COVID-19 hit. The early estimates are that the revdi politics of the congress will lead to an additional spending of Rs 60,000 crore a year, which means essentially the fiscal deficit of the state will be affected, and the future generations of Kannadigas will have to incur the fallout of the debt borrowed by the Congress government of today. I think it is not good for the state and its future, specifically for the youth who will have to bear the burden of the debt. Let's see how much the government is able to fulfil its promises, and how much of it they don't.  The track record of the Congress has been that they make a lot of promises and fail to deliver on them.

The BJP has lost the election in Karnataka

The BJP's tally went up in Bengaluru, unlike its performance in other parts of the state. What are your expectations as a resident of Bengaluru?

I think Bengaluru has responded very significantly this time to the call of decisive majority. Unfortunately, that did not work out for the rest of the state. But I am deeply pleased and happy and proud that Bengalureans have seen that the future is best under a BJP government. Bengaluru is a very important part of not just Karnataka but for India, and the India story and the way new India is shaping as per the vision of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And therefore it is important that Bengaluru must move out of the urban chaos and the exploitation that people have seen for decades. It must move to modern governance and create ease of living for all of its residents. It is something I am hopeful of. But I am not sure if this government will be able to deliver on that because the track record of the Congress for all the years that it has governed Karnataka has been that the party has always looked at Bengaluru as an exploitation opportunity. So I am not holding my breath about the Congress being able to do anything substantial for Bengaluru, but I am really hoping that we are able to do something for the city in the near future.

Do you think the disagreements between the top Congress leaders of Karnataka that became evident in the last few days has the potential to impact governance of the state?

Look, I know these gentlemen (Mr Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar) really well, and during the campaign too, I referred to them as poster boys of everything that is wrong with Karnataka politics today. Both represent two different kinds of politics that we should be actually walking away from. But they are both two sides of the same coin, where there is rampant corruption, tremendous exploitation of public money and public resources, and whether it is mining or contracts, both the leaders have an illustrious track record, including a socialist but wearing a Rs 70 lakh Hublot watch. I don't think there will be anything new in the Congress dispensation, and it will be more of the usual. There was a recent meme that said Mr Siddaramaiah will exploit and run the ATM from 6 am to 6 pm and DK Shivakumar will run the ATM from 6 pm to 6 am. So I don't know what clocks they are working on and what the divisions of the spoils will be. But this is bad news for the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned extensively in Karnataka

The oath ceremony of Mr Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru will see many opposition leaders coming together. Will the election result have any bearing on the Lok Sabha results of 2024 and will it mobilise efforts to forge a united opposition?

Not at all. I don't believe that at all. I think no sane observer who has seen India progress in the last nine years will have any doubt over which way the country wants to go, which way the people of the country want to move. We are on the path of becoming the third-largest economy in the world, we are creating opportunities for all regardless of religion, or any other factors. And we have embarked on that path, and that is what people want. We can expect the Congress and the motley group of opposition leaders to muddy the water, spread more lies and do hit jobs leading up to 2024. But the train with Indians has already left the station and they are determined to continue the progress made in the last nine years. Nobody wants to look back, or go back to the bad, old 65 years of the Congress, and certainly they don't want the revdi economics of the Congress that can bankrupt the nation and weaken the future generations. PM Modi is taking the country forward where the new generations of Indians can hold their heads high with their hard work and enterprise. The Modi government has been an enabler of successes, rather than a roadblock, and the government should rather enjoy the successes of its citizens, rather than exploiting them. So, 2024 is a foregone conclusion that PM Modi will continue to govern and lead the country to where it is meant to go. People are clear that Karnataka 2023 will have no implications on India 2024. If you recall, the same leaders came together in 2018 for JD(S)'s HD Kumaraswamy's oath ceremony in 2018, but what happened in 2019 is here for everyone to see. The opposition in India is reduced to political tourism and spreading lies.

Amit Shah was also a key campaigner for the BJP in Karnataka

The controversy around the film 'The Kerala Story', the ban on it by some states and the subsequent stay on the ban by the Supreme Court have ignited the debate on creativity and censorship. What are your comments on it?

I think it is a very strange behaviour, political impulse on the part of the TMC (Trinamool Congress) and the Congress and others where they are so fearful of their own vote bank that even creative expression of truth on the ground is being held back for the fear that it is in some ways hurting the sentiment of their vote bank. Hurting the sentiments of people wilfully is wrong, but laying the truth out there and allowing a story to be put out there for everybody to understand and learn from, is a very different proposition. I certainly think that political parties and leaders who do this for their vote bank are doing a grave injustice to the fabric of India which is about free expression. The Kerala story is a story that everybody must watch. It is a legitimate narrative of a genuine problem. It is not against any religion and is not pro any religion. It is showing a societal phenomenon that is showing present dangers to the unity of the nation. I think it is something everybody should have the right to watch.

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Rise In Digital Payments A Reason To Withdraw Rs 2,000 Notes, Says RBI

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will withdraw Rs 2,000 denomination banknotes that were in circulation since 2016. The central bank mentioned several reasons that influenced its decision to withdraw the currency notes.

Citing data from a report titled 'India Digital Payments Annual Report', the RBI said the use of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and digital payments increased tremendously in the last few years. Payment modes like UPI, Credit, Debit cards, Mobile and Prepaid cards processed 87.92 billion transactions worth Rs 14.92 lakh crore in 2022 alone.

The Reserve Bank of India said the decision is a part of its 'Clean Note Policy' to ensure the availability of high-quality bank notes to people. The majority of the Rs 2,000 denomination was issued before March 2017 and "reached its estimated life-span of four-five years", the RBI said.

"About 89 per cent of the Rs 2,000 denomination banknotes were issued before March 2017 and are at the end of their estimated lifespan of four-five years. The total value of these banknotes in circulation declined from Rs 6.73 lakh crore at its peak of March 31, 2018 (37.3 per cent of notes in circulation) to Rs 3.62 lakh crore constituting only 10.8 per cent of notes in circulation on March 31, 2023," the RBI said.

The decision also aims to rationalise the currency structure and ensure the availability of lower denominations in the market.

Terming it as a usual practice adopted by the RBI, the central bank said a similar decision was undertaken for the withdrawal of notes from circulation in 2013-2014. In January 2014, the RBI completely withdrew all currency notes issued before 2005.

The notes will be gradually pulled out and will continue to remain legal tender. The RBI has provided a window until September 30 for the public to either deposit or exchange their banknotes. The deadline can be extended only if the need arises, sources told NDTV.
 

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Why R Ashwin Is Not Playing Against PBKS? RR Skipper Sanju Samson Explains

Rajasthan Royals suffered a bitter blow for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against Punjab Kings, with marquee all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin missing out. At the time of toss, RR skipper Sanju Samson explained the reason behind the absence of Ashwin, who has been a consistent performer for the franchise this season. The Royals find themselves in a tricky situation in the playoffs race. Even if the 2008 champions or PBKS manage to clinch two points at the end of the night, a playoff spot would still remain out of their reach. Their qualification will depend on the results of the other teams. But a victory will keep their hopes of making it into the IPL playoffs alive.

RR skipper Sanju Samson said at the toss that they had chosen to bowl looking at the requirements. He also revealed that Ashwin is missing the game due to back spasm.

"We will bowl. Looking at the dimensions and looking at what we require in the tournament, it is better to bowl. We need to win the game. Then see how the other games go. If you want to play good T20 cricket, you need to forget things. We have had four to five days off. One has to understand the conditions. We have a couple of changes. Last-minute changes. Ashwin misses out because of a back spasm."

PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan said there is no change in the team.

"Last match, dew wasn't much. First batting or second, it shouldn't change much. We will come and enjoy the game. Will try to give our best shot. We need to take more wickets in the first 6 overs. We can cash in more. We are playing the same team."

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Adam Zampa, Trent Boult, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan(c), Prabhsimran Singh, Atharva Taide, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma(w), Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh.

With ANI inputs

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UK To Be Hit By 'African Plume Heatwave', Temperatures To Reach...

The United Kingdom is bracing itself for extreme heat wave conditions as meteorologists believe that the country will witness "record-breaking" temperatures with the arrival of the African Plume. The weather maps show that this high-pressure system is rapidly approaching the nation and will lead to extreme conditions within the UK by the end of May and temperature would soar to as high as 35 degrees Celsius, as per a report in Independent.

The meteorological phenomena called African Plume is marked by a mass of hot air coming from the Sahara desert towards Europe. The plume brings an extended period of unusually high temperatures, frequently surpassing 30 degrees Celcius in the UK. The exceedingly high temperatures may even persist for days or weeks. Further, the intensity can vary each year, depending on the atmospheric conditions.

"During an African plume event, southerly or southeasterly winds carry the hot and dry air across the Mediterranean Sea towards the British Isles. As the air mass moves over the warm waters of the Mediterranean, it absorbs heat and moisture, further intensifying its warmth and humidity," the outlet said. 

Researchers said that the increasing frequency of African plumes is consistent with climate change and warmer Earth despite the fact that many different causes can affect weather patterns. This summer, there is "a greater than normal chance" of heatwaves in the UK, according to Met Office meteorologist Honor Criswick. This is "consistent with our warming climate." She, however, said, "As always with a longer-range forecast, there is some uncertainty."

As per the outlet, Scotland and Northern Ireland should anticipate mostly cloudy skies with drops of rain that will gradually move southeast on Saturday. "The far southeast could experience cooler temperatures due to a brisk breeze. Next week, most regions can expect fine and dry weather, with periods of cloud and rain more likely in the northwest of the UK. Unsettled weather remained a possibility in the far southeast," the outlet further said.

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Indian Climber Piyali Basak Rescued From Nepal's Mount Makalu

Indian mountaineer Piyali Basak who scaled Mt. Makalu has been rescued from the mountain after she experienced some difficulty while descending from the peak, the organisers said.

Piyali, who scaled Mt Makalu on Wednesday without supplemental oxygen, got struck above Camp IV on the 8,485 metres high peak, Pasang Sherpa, Chairman at Pioneer Adventure said.

“Piyali has been successfully rescued by a team of three skilled Sherpas from an elevation of 7,800 metres,” said Pasang.

“She is aware and has been talking,” he added.

“Piyali has now been taken back to camp III, and she will be airlifted by a helicopter from here to Kathmandu Friday morning,” he told PTI over the phone.

“All necessary precautions are taken to ensure a smooth and secure descent,” he said adding “All necessary support and medical assistance are being provided to her.” "Piyali was very slow and couldn't move when she arrived at around 7,800m descending from the summit point," according to Sherpa.

Piyali is one of the four Indian mountaineers, who scaled the world's fifth-highest peak.

Six Sherpa mountain guides, including Angdawa Sherpa, also successfully climbed the Makalu under the expedition organised by Pioneer Adventure.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Cannes: Yes, That's Aishwarya In A Giant Silver Hood - See OTT Outfit

Is it even Cannes Film Festival without OG Aishwarya Rai Bachchan slaying on the red carpet? The Cannes veteran went big and bold for her first red carpet appearance of the season. Aishwarya, who is one of the most popular celebrities at the film estival, walked the red carpet at the screening of Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny on Thursday night. The actress was dressed in an outfit completely out of her comfort zone - a black gown with a giant silver hood that extended into a train. Aishwarya finished her look with her signature crimson lips.

(Image courtesy: Getty)

Two gentlemen accompanied Aishwarya down the red carpet to adjust her train as she posed for the cameras. "Not supposed to comment on the outfits but Aishwarya's is very striking," announced the red carpet compere on the official live stream.

Incredible as it may sound, this is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's 21st year at the Cannes Film Festival. Ash has been serving looks on the world's most glamorous red carpets since 2002 when she attended with her Devdas co-star Shah Rukh Khan and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The next year, she was on the Cannes and jury and subsequently became one of L'Oreal's biggest faces on the Croisette.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been accompanied to Cannes by daughter Aaradhya, 11, who is a French Riviera veteran herself - she's been her mother's travel buddy since she was a baby. Aishwarya and Aaradhya were filmed flying out of Mumbai airport early morning on Wednesday - Aishwarya posed for pictures with fans before entering the airport.

Aishwarya is pretty much the only Indian celebrity this year to be an old Cannes hand. The rest of the Indian contingent are mostly making their debuts at the film festival, among them Anushka Sharma, Sara Ali Khan, Aditi Rao Hydari, Mrunal Thakur, Sunny Leone, Esha Gupta and Manushi Chhillar. Sunny stars in Anurag Kashyap's film Kennedy which will be screened at Cannes.

Back to Aishwarya - the actress was recently seen in the acclaimed Ponniyin Selvan 2, the conclusion of Mani Ratnam's two-part epic drama on the Chola kingdom.

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Delhi Professor Who Got Leaves Sanctioned Posing As Lt Governor Arrested

An assistant professor at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) has been arrested by the Delhi Police for allegedly impersonating Lt Governor V K Saxena and making calls on his behalf, officials said on Wednesday.

Rohit Singh was arrested at the IGI Airport when he arrived from the UK for making call on behalf of the Lt Governor in September 2022, they said.

According to the officials, Mr Singh had called the Vice Chancellor of the IP University twice over the landline phone impersonating the Lt Governor.

In the first instance, Mr Singh got his leave sanctioned and in the second instance on September 30, 2022, he tried to get his sister appointed as faculty in the English Department of the GGSIPU.

The matter was reported after the second call Mr Singh made to the varsity.

To ascertain the veracity of the call, the Vice Chancellor had contacted the Lt Governor's Secretariat, which denied having made any such call and asked him to report the matter to police, the officials said.

"During the investigation, it was revealed that Rohit Singh, an Assistant Professor in the Economics Department of the University, had made the call, posing as the LG, for the appointment of his sister Manvi Singh in the English Department of the University. From the call detail record of the Vice Chancellor's landline number, it was revealed that the call was made from a UK-based number," a senior official said.

Mr Singh had left India on September 27 to pursue some academic interests in the UK, he said.

After his name surfaced in the probe, a Look-Out Circular was issued against him. Police had also booked Mr Singh's father and sister too under sections of criminal conspiracy and IT Act.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Supreme Court Reprimands Petitioner For Mixing Up Past SEBI Probes With Hindenburg Case

The Supreme Court has reprimanded the petitioner in the Hindenburg case for mixing up an investigation by the capital markets regulator SEBI in 2016 and 2020 with the current case.

In the court hearing today, the petitioner demanded that the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) should tell the outcome of its 2016 and 2020 probe.

SEBI's lawyer Tushar Mehta raised a strong objection to the petitioner's demand since none of the 51 Indian firms probed by the SEBI earlier were linked to the Adani Group.

"You can't just pick up anything from 2016 and link it to the Hindenburg report. The 2016 case was a completely different one and has nothing to do with the Hindenburg case. In 2016, none of the 51 Indian companies that were investigated by SEBI were related to the Adani Group," Mr Mehta told the Supreme Court.

Chief Justice DY Chandrachud also agreed to the objection by Mr Mehta.

Replying to the demand by Prashant Bhushan, the petitioner's lawyer, to see the reports of the SEBI investigations in 2016 and 2020, Chief Justice Chandrachud said, "We are only on the Hindenburg case. The 2016 probe pertains to the issuance of global depository receipts (GDR), while the 2020 probe pertains to the violation of the minimum public shareholding (MPS) rule."

The Supreme Court has also given three more months to SEBI to complete its probe in the Hindenburg case. The SEBI had asked for six more months, which the Supreme Court declined today.

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud told the SEBI to submit a status report of its investigation by August 14, after which the court will decide whether to give the regulator more time, as requested by Mr Mehta in the hearing today.

On March 2, the Supreme Court directed SEBI to investigate within two months any violations before and after the Hindenburg report on the Adani Group. On April 29, three days before SEBI's deadline, the regulator asked for six more months. SEBI's lawyer said the matter involves cross-border jurisdictions, which will take time to process.

Chief Justice Chandrachud said the report by a panel of Supreme Court-appointed group of domain experts to look into India's regulatory mechanism to protect investors, which has already submitted its report, will continue to assist the court and share the report with the parties involved in this matter and their lawyers.

The next hearing on the report of the Supreme Court-appointed experts' committee is on July 11.

(Disclaimer: New Delhi Television is a subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited, an Adani Group Company.)

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As Mamata Banerjee Backs Congress, BJP Finds "Statement Of No-Confidence"

The BJP on Tuesday said Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee has drawn "a no-go zone" for the Congress in West Bengal and other states by saying she will support the grand old party wherever it is strong provided it reciprocates.

BJP national spokesperson Shahzad Poonawala said Ms Banerjee's statement on Monday would set a template that the Congress should not enter into states like West Bengal, Telangana or Uttar Pradesh where it is perceived to be weak.

He also said there is "no mission and vision" in the efforts being made to forge opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The West Bengal Chief Minister said on Monday that in the seat-sharing formula for the 2024 polls, strong regional parties must be given priority where they are strong.

Mr Poonawalla noted Ms Banerjee has said she is ready to support the Congress wherever it is strong, provided it reciprocates in West Bengal and does not interfere in the state.

"It is not Mamata Banerjee's statement of support but a statement of no-confidence (in the Congress)," BJP national spokesperson Shahzad Poonawala told PTI when asked for a comment.

"It is an assault and attack on what the Congress had started dreaming about which is its expansion across the national spectrum in 2024... a break has been put by Mamata Banerjee," he added.

"She is drawing a no-go zone for the Congress party and setting a template that the Congress should enter into a no-go zone agreement with these parties and should not enter, say in Bengal, Telangana or in Uttar Pradesh where the Congress is not strong," he said.

"The template being set by the TMC is actually a vote of no-confidence," he said, adding, "A sharp retort and message is being sent to the Congress that there are certain no-go zones clearly defined, notwithstanding the results that have come out in Karnataka."

The BJP spokesperson said the hopes of those who are very enthusiastic in drawing "a national template" from the Karnataka assembly poll results have been "dashed and crashed by their own ideological cousin like the TMC".

On opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he said, "It is only a mission for position division, commission, corruption. It is only an alliance of negativity, directed at stopping the BJP.

"It has an obsession with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For them, it is important who will get more share in the pie. This usually happens when there is not any mission or vision for the country in such kinds of of prospective alliances," Mr Poonawalla told PTI.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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