PM's Big Assurance During Call With BJP Candidate Against Mahua Moitra

PM's Big Assurance During Call With BJP Candidate Against Mahua Moitra

PM Modi also took a swipe at the Congress for its support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that he is working to ensure that nearly Rs 3,000 crore “looted” from poor people in West Bengal and attached by the Enforcement Directorate is returned to them.

PM Modi made this assertion in a telephonic conversation with Amrita Roy, a member of erstwhile royalty and BJP candidate against TMC’s Mahua Moitra in Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency, and claimed that power and not country is the priority of opposition parties.

“PM Modi told ‘Rajmata’ Amrita Roy that he is exploring legal options to ensure that the money looted from the poor goes back to them through whatever assets and money the ED has attached from the corrupt,” a BJP leader said.

According to the details of the conversation shared by the party, the prime minister put the amount of money, which was paid by people in the state as bribe for getting jobs, at Rs 3,000 crore.

He told her to inform people about his stand and asserted that soon after coming back to power he will find a way, including making legal provisions if needed, to do so.

PM Modi also took a swipe at the Congress for its support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal following his arrest by the ED in a corruption case, saying those who made complaint against the AAP have now changed tack to help it. He, though, did not name anyone.

“This shows that their priority is not country but power,” he said, asserting that the BJP-led alliance is fighting for a corruption-free country for the bright future of the youth while all the corrupt have come together on the other side to save each other.

With Roy tracing her lineage to 18th century local king Krishnachandra Roy, PM Modi hit back at those who have targeted the erstwhile royalty for its alleged support to the British after the BJP named her its candidate.

She told Modi that her family is being called traitors and noted that Krishnachandra Roy worked for people and joined hands with other kings to save “Sanatan Dharma”.

He asked her to not take any pressure, saying that they (TMC) practice vote bank politics and will make all kinds of wild allegations. They do so to hide their sins, he said.

On the one hand they seek evidence of Lord Ram’s existence while on the other they cite incidents dating back to two and three centuries to defame others, he said.

“This is their double standards,” Modi said, praising the king’s legacy of social reforms and development and asking her to carry forward his legacy.

Expressing confidence of her win, he asked Roy to be ready with the agenda for the first 100 days for her constituency.

He also expressed confidence that West Bengal will vote for “Parivartan” (change) in the state.

The alleged corruption of the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress leaders is one of the main planks of the BJP in the state, as it has highlighted the arrest of some of them, including former minister Partha Chatterjee, and recovery of large amounts of money and other assets from them to target its rivals.

“You have the challenge to save Bengal’s heritage,” he told her.

She said people have expressed their confidence in the Modi government’s work and told her that Moitra, the incumbent TMC MP from the constituency, will go to jail, drawing laugher from the prime minister.

Moitra is facing probe in a corruption case for allegedly allowing a businessman to use her parliamentary log-in in return of bribe and other favours.

She has termed the businessman her friend and refuted the corruption charges, blaming the BJP for it.

Roy told Modi that people during her campaign have spoken about corruption and unkept promises of the state government.

The BJP had won 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2019 in what was seen as a surge in its fortunes and it is looking to boost its tally this time round. 

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

In-service govt teachers exempted from permission requirement to take TS TET 2024

Earlier, the teachers had to seek a no objection certificate from the district educational officer concerned to appear for the test.

Published Date – 27 March 2024, 01:36 PM


In-service govt teachers exempted from permission requirement to take TS TET 2024

Representational Image

Hyderabad: The School Education department on Wednesday clarified that in-service government school teachers need not obtain permission from authorities concerned to appear for the Telangana State Teacher Eligibility Test (TS TET) 2024.

Earlier, the teachers had to seek a no objection certificate from the district educational officer concerned to appear for the test.


“It is hereby clarified that teachers who want to appear for TET 2024 need not apply for any permission to write the test,” said A Sridevasena, Commissioner School Education department.
Following an order from the High Court, TET qualification is mandatory for the in-service government school teachers for their promotions.

The TET registration can be done on the website schooledu.telangana.gov.in from March 27 to April 10.

Hezbollah targets occupied Palestine with barrage of rockets

Zionist media outlets say that at least a Zionist was injured following the Hezbollah operation.

Reports suggest that at least 30 missiles and rockets have been fired toward the Kiryat Shmona settlement.

Issuing a statement on Tuesday morning, the Lebanese Resistance group announced that it had targeted two Israeli positions in the settlements of Shlomi and Shomera with missiles.

Meanwhile, Zionist sources said that two rockets were fired from southern Lebanon toward a settlement in Western Galilee, causing damages.

The Lebanese Resistance movement has been conducting regular raids since early October against the Israeli regime’s military position in retaliation for the occupying regime’s offensives against Gaza and southern Lebanon.

Israel waged its brutal war on besieged Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out an unprecedented operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

So far, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 32,142 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 74,412 others.

Israel has imposed a complete siege on the densely populated territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

MP/FNA1711521094858288754

Rameshwaram Cafe blast: NIA raids multiple Karnataka locations

Sources indicate that the NIA conducted raids at five locations within Bengaluru city and several residences in Thirthahalli town, located in the Shivamogga district.

Published Date – 27 March 2024, 01:40 PM


Rameshwaram Cafe blast: NIA raids multiple Karnataka locations


Bengaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was on Wednesday conducting simultaneous raids in Bengaluru and Shivamogga district in connection with the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case.

According to sources, the NIA was raiding five locations in Bengaluru city, and some houses in Thirthahalli town of Shivamogga district.


The raids were conducted on the suspected persons, who were in direct contact with the bomber and provided him financial assistance, sources said. More details are yet to emerge on the NIA action.

The agency had detained two suspects in connection with the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case in Bengaluru on Tuesday. The preliminary probe revealed that the two suspects were in direct contact with the suspected bomber. Sources said that the raids were being conducted on the basis of information given by these two suspects.

Even as the NIA and police teams have launched an extensive search operation in various states, the bomber has remained elusive. The authorities had obtained the bomber’s images and videos from CCTV footage on March 1, soon after the incident.

Sources said that the sleuths were suspecting that the bomber had come from Tamil Nadu and had stayed in a neighbouring state for two months before carrying out the blast.

The hair samples of the accused were gathered from the hat of the accused which he abandoned in Bengaluru near a religious place. The authorities have sent the samples for the DNA testing and were hoping for a breakthrough.

The Rameshwaram Cafe bomb blast took place on March 1 in the Brookfield area. Low-intensity Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was used to carry out the blast and nine persons were injured in the incident.

Arvind Kejriwal In High Court Against Arrest, Questions "Delaying Tactics"

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by ED on Thursday night

New Delhi:

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today challenged in Delhi High Court his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case related to the now-scrapped liquor policy. The bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma has passed over the matter for a hearing later in the day after Mr Kejriwal’s counsel, Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi questioned the agency’s “delaying tactics”.

Appearing for the ED, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju said the agency got a copy of Mr Kejriwal’s petition only yesterday and sought three weeks’ time to file a detailed reply.

Mr Singhvi responded, “The person has been jail. On March 23, the petition was filed. Defects were cured later. I am sure Mr Raju does not want us to serve the defective copy to him. Defects were cleared late last night and we shared the petition with him then.”

Justice Sharma then said she will seek a reply and give a short date for the hearing on interim relief.

Mr Singhvi said he has challenged the remand that ends tomorrow. “I am asking the ladyship to decide the basis of the remand. That requires no reply from anyone.”

“This delaying tactics, I am asking my ladyships to decide it today. There are weighty reasons why a matter which challenges the foundation of the remand requires a hearing today. It is my ladyship’s prerogative to allow it or deny it. My ladyship may take a call on that. Therefore, there is no question of reply,” he said.

Mr Kejriwal has said in his petition that his arrest violated his human rights and that the ED has failed to prove the crime. “Arrest without interrogation shows that the current action is politically motivated,” he has said, demanding immediate release from jail and cancellation of remand.

The court then said it will hear the matter later in the day after finishing the supplementary list.

When the court started hearing the matter, Mr Singhvi said the ED’s request for three weeks’ time is “completely mala fide”. “Even one day incarceration is an issue of fundamental right,” he said.

“There is a strange situation of a sitting CM arrested on a summons issued in October without any statement under Section 50 and non-existent inquiry. The object of the arrest is very different. It is to create a non-level playing field,” he said.

“You are hitting at the heart of democracy and the heart of basic structure doctrine,” he said.

Mr Singhvi said the ED arrests a person, who suffers in jail and is then made to apply for bail. “Next step, the ASG tells the court I have no opposition to bail. The reason cited is he has back pain. The next step is, he comes out and makes a statement against me. Next he turns approver and is granted pardon,” he said.

“This has happened in every case in the liquor policy case. It is blowing to smithereens the constitutional safeguards,” Mr Singhvi said, adding that there is no corroboration of these statements.

Describing an approver as the “most untrustworthy friend”, Mr Singhvi said, “This species called approver… In our history, whether for good motives or bad motives, the courts have dealt with phrases like Jaichand and Trojan Horses. The history looks very harshly at these Jaichands and Trojan horses.”

A day after his arrest, Mr Kejriwal had approached the Supreme Court for relief. However, he later withdrew his petition and his counsel, Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, said they would contest the remand proceedings before the trial court and return to the top court with another petition.

Thereafter, he was produced before the Rouse Avenue court, which remanded him in a weeklong custody.

The ED’s money laundering case is based on a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2022 that alleged irregularities in the liquor policy.

The CBI case, registered on a complaint by Delhi’s Centre-appointed Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, alleges that top AAP leaders intentionally left loopholes in the policy to favour some licensees.

The ED alleges that Mr Kejriwal was a key conspirator in the case. AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, and Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha have been arrested in this connection.

The Opposition leaders have denied the allegations and accused the BJP-led central government of using probe agencies such as ED and CBI for political motives.

The AAP has also hit out at the BJP over the timing of the arrest, alleging that it was trying to prevent Mr Kejriwal from campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The party, which is in power in Delhi, has maintained that Mr Kejriwal will continue as Chief Minister. AAP ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj have said the Chief Minister is issuing orders from the ED’s lock-up and assured Delhi residents that the Chief Minister is constantly thinking about their well-being.

EAM Jaishankar holds ‘productive, frank discussion’ with Malaysian counterpart

EAM Jaishankar, who arrived in Malaysia after wrapping up his Singapore and the Philippines visit, “exchanged views on the multifaceted dimensions of Malaysia-India bilateral affairs.

Published Date – 27 March 2024, 01:18 PM


EAM Jaishankar holds ‘productive, frank discussion’ with Malaysian counterpart


Kuala Lumpur: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a ‘productive and frank discussion’ with Malaysian counterpart Mohamad bin Haji Hasan on Wednesday, and the two leaders exchanged views on bilateral ties as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.

EAM Jaishankar, who arrived in Malaysia after wrapping up his Singapore and the Philippines visit, “exchanged views on the multifaceted dimensions of Malaysia-India bilateral affairs.


“The two Ministers had a productive and frank discussion, including exchanging views on the multifaceted dimensions of Malaysia-India bilateral affairs as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest,” the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

In their first meeting since Hasan took office in December 2023, the two leaders also discussed the exchange of high-level visits and the convening of the seventh Joint Commission Meeting of Malaysia and India on a mutually agreeable date.

In November 2023, then Malaysian Foreign Minister, Zambry Abdul Kadir, paid an official visit to India to co-chair the sixth India-Malaysia Joint Commission Meeting in New Delhi.

Dr Jaishankar is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call to Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim later today and meet with Minister of Digital, Gobind Singh Deo.

Bound by robust economic partnerships and close people-to-people ties, the two nations share a long-standing and substantive relationship.

In 2023, India was Malaysia’s 12th largest global trading partner with total trade amounting to RM 77.76 billion (USD16.53 billion).

Hezbollah targets Israeli barracks in response to deadly Habbariyeh strike


A massive fire breaks out in a building in the Kiryat Shmona settlement after missiles were fired from Lebanon, on March 27, 2024.

Hezbollah resistance movement has launched a barrage of retaliatory rockets at an Israeli military barracks in the northern part of the 1948 Israeli-occupied territories in response to a deadly air strike against an emergency center in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s Arabic-language al-Manar television channel, citing a brief Hezbollah statement, reported that the group struck the outpost inside Kiryat Shmona city, close to the border with Lebanon, on Wednesday morning with dozens of projectiles.

The report added that the rockets struck the Command Center of the Israeli military’s 769th Brigade in the Kiryat Shmona Barracks.

Israeli media outlets, meanwhile, reported that at least two settlers were injured as a result of the salvo of rockets launched from southern Lebanon.

The reprisal attack came after seven medical staff were killed in an Israeli air strike on an emergency center in Habbariyeh in southern Lebanon.

(The item is being updated)


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7 in 10 Indian B2B sellers utilize AI to exceed targets: Report

According to a report by professional networking platform LinkedIn, B2B sellers in the country are increasingly turning to AI to aid their selling processes, including prospect research, target identification, and finding warm leads with buyers

Published Date – 27 March 2024, 01:20 PM


7 in 10 Indian B2B sellers utilize AI to exceed targets: Report

Representational Image

New Delhi: More than seven in 10 (73 per cent) of business-to-business (B2B) sellers in India who exceed their targets are using artificial intelligence (AI), a new report said on Wednesday.

The B2B sellers in the country are increasingly relying on AI in their selling journeys — to research prospects, identify targets, and find warm leads with buyers, according to the report by professional networking platform LinkedIn.


Top three habits of “deep sellers” are prioritising high potential accounts, investing in relationships and finding hidden allies.

About 78 per cent of sellers and 82 per cent of buyers expect consumer budgets to increase in the next 12 months, pointing to an optimistic B2B sales landscape this year.

The findings showed that 32 per cent of B2B sellers in India are “deep sellers” and are 1.8 times more likely to exceed their quotas, and those who use social networks to find key buyers are 2.3 times more likely to do so.

“Deep sellers are expert guides in the sales world: they reach out with purpose, dig deep into research, and focus on building lasting connections. That’s why companies are on the hunt for deep sellers who know how to use AI and sales intelligence tools,” said Abhai Singh, Head of Sales Solutions, LinkedIn India.

About 93 per cent of B2B sellers in India agreed that meeting face-to-face before closing a deal is important.

“At the same time, 52 per cent of buyers in India say they still buy from the same salesperson even after changing companies. This shows how important relationships are for sales success and lasting value,” the report noted.

Extradition delayed but WikiLeaks founder Assange to remain jailed

Saeed Pourreza

Press TV, London

A British court has handed a temporary reprieve to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in his fight against extradition to the United States. Two judges have ruled that Assange could take his case to an appeal hearing if the US government fails to provide the court with suitable assurances.


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Six naxals killed in EoF on the banks of Taliperu in Chhattisgarh

According to sources, Maoist platoon No 10 deputy commander Nagesh and his wife Soni were among the naxalites killed.

Published Date – 27 March 2024, 12:50 PM


Six naxals killed in EoF on the banks of Taliperu in Chhattisgarh


Kothagudem: Six naxals, including two female cadres, were killed in an exchange of fire (EoF) with police in neighbouring Chhattisgarh State on Wednesday.

The exchange of fire between security forces and PLGA platoon No 10 of Maoists took place in the forests near Chipurbhatti on the banks of river Taliperu under the limits of Basaguda police station of Bijapur district. Many naxals were said to be injured in the incident.


According to sources, Maoist platoon No 10 deputy commander Nagesh and his wife Soni were among the naxalites killed. Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma told the media that bodies of six naxals have been recovered and the encounter occurred during a search operation by security forces following the murder of three villagers by naxals.

Basaguda district reserve guard (DRG), CRPF 229 Bn and CoBRA 205 and 210 battalions personnel took part in the action against the Maoists. The security forces have recovered firearms and ammunition from the encounter spot and search operation is underway. The number of casualties was expected to increase.