New Delhi:

Decrying the excesses that had taken place during the period, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has hit out at the government for using the Emergency as a “diversionary tactic” and said that while imposing it may have been undemocratic, it was not unconstitutional.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV on Thursday, the senior leader, who has just been reelected as the MP from Thiruvananthapuram for the fourth consecutive time, also addressed issues like the demand for replacing the ‘sengol’ and the NEET paper leaks, which are set to dominate the ongoing session of Parliament. 

To a question on the Congress and other opposition parties opposing the references to the Emergency by Speaker Om Birla on Thursday and President Droupadi Murmu in her address on Friday, Mr Tharoor asked why something that happened 49 years ago was being “dredged up” so forcefully by the government. 

Accusing the BJP-led NDA of moving the goalposts and either talking about 1975 or 2047, and not about the present, he said the focus should be on burning issues like unemployment, the NEET paper leaks and the situation in Manipur. 

On the BJP using the Emergency to blunt the Congress’ plank that it was trying to save the Constitution, which yielded dividends in the Lok Sabha polls, the MP said, “The irony is that is actually one thing the BJP could not accurately say. I am a critic of the Emergency, but the very fact is that the Emergency may have been undemocratic, but it was not unconstitutional. It was a provision in the Constitution that permitted the imposition of an internal emergency. That provision has since been removed.”

“But it was there at the time and therefore what was done by the government in 1975 was strictly within the boundaries of the Constitution. So for the rashtrapati to say it was an unconstitutional attack or an attack on the Constitution is actually inaccurate in legal terms. I am not supporting the emergency; I think arresting opposition politicians, censoring the press and a number of steps taken were undemocratic steps, but they were, sadly, not unconstitutional steps,” he asserted. 

The Congress leader emphasised that the Constitution had not been suspended during those months and even the 42nd Amendment – which amended the Preamble and is referred to as a ‘mini Constitution’ –  was “passed within the provisions of the existing system”. 

“So I am not saying this is something to be proud of. I don’t think we should be debating the Emergency and politics today when there are more important things to do. But I am just challenging the claim that it was unconstitutional. It was not. It was completely within the Constitution, however undesirable,” he said. 

The ‘Sengol’ Debate

The BJP has attacked the opposition over the Samajwadi Party’s demand that the ‘sengol’ – a sceptre symbolising the transition of power from the British Raj to self-rule by Indians – be replaced with a copy of the Constitution in the Lok Sabha. The demand has also been backed by at least one senior Congress leader, who said that the baton symbolises “kingship”.

When Mr Tharoor was asked about this, he said, “This is a debate I personally don’t wish to enter into because I can see the arguments on both sides – one that it is a symbol of monarchy and we are a republic, and the other saying it is a purely symbolic thing and honours a part of India… And I don’t really want to pick and choose between these two things.”

“I will say, however, that what the Congress Party and the opposition are focused upon are the real issues facing people today, which, certainly include NEET. We are concerned about unemployment, particularly for young people, and we are concerned very, very seriously, about some of the issues the government simply does not want to talk about, from Manipur to the India-China border,” he emphasised. 

Advice For Rahul Gandhi?

Asked if he had any advice for Rahul Gandhi, who is now the Leader of the Opposition and is holding his first constitutional post, he said the former Congress president has emerged as a “considerable leader” in his own right. 

“The turning of the narrative began with the two Bharat Jodo Yatras, particularly the first one, which seized the imagination of the nation and of young people everywhere. He (Rahul Gandhi) moved on from there into this very effective, active campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections of 2024. I think his ability to now frame the narrative in a way that appeals to and attracts large numbers of people is beyond dispute. So I would say that he doesn’t need any advice from the likes of me,” Mr Tharoor said. 

“What he needs is now the opportunity to use the platform of being Leader of the Opposition to set the agenda for the government to respond to, and to ensure that the government is kept on the nation’s business rather than distracting us with what are really not relevant debates. A vast majority of the Indian population was not even born when the Emergency was declared,” he pointed out.

Opposition’s Strength

The Thiruvananthapuram MP, who was once in a race for the Congress president’s post, also said that it is in the government’s interest to focus on cooperation rather than confrontation with the opposition. 

“This is no longer a small number of MPs that you can just roll over with a brute majority. This is a very large swathe of Indian public opinion represented in these elections, and we are talking about 234 members in the India Alliance alone, as well as others who are not affiliated with the government… The problem often is that the government acts as if they don’t really need to consult the opposition and that, I believe, would be very unwise,” he warned. 

New Delhi:

Major Radhika Sen, a peacekeeper who served with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was pursuing a career in biotechnology before she joined the Indian Army. Major Sen said it was after she made the switch that she realised there was no better way for her to serve humanity and the country.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV, the Major, who will be honoured by the United Nations with the prestigious 2023 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, also said that being part of the Indian Army made the challenges faced by her in the Congo easier because soldiers in the force work in different regions of the country and are exposed to different environments.

Major Sen will receive the award, which recognises a military peacekeeper who has best integrated a gender perspective into peacekeeping activities, from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Asked about the challenge of ensuring that peacekeepers under her command recognised the importance of gender and socio-cultural norms in the country, Major Sen, who served with the Organisation Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), said, “The country has a long history. It has its own culture. It has its own tradition. There are many socio-economic issues that happen. But, I would say, being a part of India, which is a culturally rich and a diverse country, and especially being a part of the Indian Army, helped.

“Because all my soldiers have been working in different regions of the country, and they have served in different terrains, they have seen different environments, it was not really challenging for me to have a team. I would say it was their support and cooperation which has motivated me and helped me to get the information and the concerns of the people better. So, (it was) because we are from India and the Indian Army gives you all the opportunity and exposure possible (that) it was easy for me,” she asserted. 

On rape and violence being used as an implement of warfare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Major Sen said it is very important for peacekeeping forces to have a gender perspective because it helps build an inclusive and sustainable peace process.

“In any conflict, it is always the women and the girls who are more affected and who face increased risk of abuse. So, I would say, why should any human being suffer? As women peacekeepers, we try and address their concerns and encourage them to raise their voices,” she said. 

The officer explained that they realised that talking to the country’s leadership wasn’t enough and they began to speak to local communities to get a better idea of issues facing the people in the country. 

“We had also involved ourselves into creating awareness about many topics that concern women, like women’s health and education on sexual violence in conflict. We also engaged with people on creating employment training, like baking and tailoring for women and English training for children. So there were multiple things that we tried to do in order to engage with people which could help us address their concerns better,” she said. 

The major also spoke about misinformation spread against MONUSCO and said there were times when they were engaging with people that they had to get into vehicles and return because stones were thrown at them. 

The Major Switch

Major Sen graduated as a biotech engineer and was pursuing a Master’s degree from IIT Bombay when she decided to join the Army. 

When she was asked about what made her make the switch, she said, “I always wanted to serve humanity and India, but I always thought I would I’ll be a scientist and do it. In my last year of college, I applied for an SSB (Service Selection Board), just for the sake of it. And I went for the SSB just to see Allahabad, I thought I will see a new place and, somehow, I just cleared it.”

“I was enjoying studying – I love science. I love to study. It was my parents who have taught me there are many ways of serving mankind and the country, and I think there’s no better way for me to do it than what I’m doing now. And I cannot be happier that I chose this field and it’s just really good to be a part of the armed forces,” she emphasised.

India will become the world’s third-largest economy in the next 10 years of Narendra Modi government, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has told NDTV while outlining the focus areas for the BJP-led dispensation.

Speaking to NDTV’s editor-in-chief Sanjay Pugalia on what would be the BJP government’s economic priorities if it returns to power, Mr Shah said, “I think that between 2014 and 2024, Narendra Modi ji has laid a clear path for the government’s economic policy. Whether it is inflation or budgetary loss or infrastructure costs, we have put all these things on the right path. PSU balance sheets, share market’s situation and acceptability… earlier, there were 2.20 crore demat accounts, now there are 15 crores. Our base has widened.”

The government, he said, had made several policies to transform India into a manufacturing hub. There has been a push to make India a pioneer in emerging sectors such as green hydrogen, electrical vehicles, and ethanol production. “These sectors will drive the global economy for the next 25 years, and India has taken the lead as a pioneer. We will reap its benefits for 25 years. And in the sectors in which we fell behind in the past 25 years, such as semiconductor (manufacturing), defence production, space technology, start-ups, we are closing the gap.”

The Home Minister said the BJP government has given a “human touch to GDP”. “When 14 crore toilets are built, GDP goes up and 14 crore families live with dignity. When 10 crore households get cooking gas connection, 50 crore people live a smoke-free and healthy life. When the Nal Se Jal programme ensures fluoride-free water to 14 crore families, GDP goes up, but his health improves too,” he said.

It is the Narendra Modi government that has given 5 kg ration to every household in its fight against malnutrition, the Home Minister said. “Every household has received power supply, we have built 4 crore homes, we are going to build 3 crore more. So, besides making India a manufacturing hub, we have taken India’s market from Rs 60-70 crore to Rs 130 crore. Earlier, the purchasing power of the people had not developed. But by fulfilling their primary needs, the Narendra Modi government has helped their purchasing power evolve.”

Stressing that India’s economy is on the right path, Mr Shah said, “We will need to step up the speed and facilitate PLI (Production-Linked Incentives), flexible approach, free trade agreement, trade in rupees, free atmosphere for share markets. I am very optimistic that in Narendra Modi’s third term, India will become the third-largest economy of the world,” he said.

India went from the 11th largest economy to No. 5 in the past 10 years after “10 years of stagnancy” during the UPA era, Mr Shah said. “Atal ji left it at No. 11. Manmohan Singh kept it at 11. Modi ji took it from No. 11 to No. 5. I believe that in the third term, we will go to No. 3,” Mr Shah said.

Mr Shah is on the last leg of his extensive election campaign, as the Lok Sabha polls near the seventh and final phase, scheduled for Saturday. A total of 57 seats are going to polls in the last phase. Results will be out next Tuesday – June 4.

The BJP is set to win most Lok Sabha seats in eastern and southern India this time, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has told NDTV in an exclusive interview. Mr Shah was speaking to NDTV’s editor-in-chief Sanjay Pugalia on the campaign trail ahead of the last phase of the general election, scheduled to be held this Saturday.

Asked what are his expectations for Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Mr Shah replied, “We will take a significant lead in Bengal too. We may win between 24 and 30 seats (out of 42). In Odisha, our target is 17 Lok Sabha seats (out of 21) and 75 Assembly seats (out of 147). In Telangana, we will win around 10 seats (out of 17). As for Andhra Pradesh, our alliance government is going to form the government and NDA is will win a big chunk of Lok Sabha seats too.”

Already the dominant force in the North and West, the BJP is pushing hard this time to expand its footprint in the East and South, where several states are ruled by the Opposition parties. Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are also voting in the Assembly polls alongside the general election. In Odisha, the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government is seeking another term. As for Andhra Pradesh, the BJP has tied up with the N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party to give a tough fight to the ruling YSR Congress.

“In the eastern zone, comprising Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, we will emerge as the biggest party. This is certain. And in the five states of the South, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, we will win the biggest party among all states,” he said.

To a question on whether “Ab ki baar 400 par” was just a slogan or a target based on facts, Mr Shah replied, “When we won the 2014 elections under Narendra Modi’s leadership on the slogan of absolute majority, many political analysts from Delhi had said this was not possible. But we got absolute majority. Then, in 2019, when we gave the slogan of ‘300 plus’, people said it is not possible. People are saying the same this time. But I think they will believe us in the next election before ‘400 par’ is happening this time.”

A total of 57 Lok Sabha seats are going to polls in the seventh and last phase of the election on Saturday. Out of these, 26 are in the eastern states of Odisha, Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. Counting of the votes will be held on June 4.

New Delhi:

Hitting out at prominent leaders who switched to the BJP, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has said the ones who left were not rooted in the party’s ideology. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Mr Kharge said, “They would move around with Rahul Gandhi. He ensured that they get ministerial berths, helped them create a political identity. Now suddenly, they remember Ram Temple?”

Asked about these leaders’ claim that they were not growing within the Congress organisation, Mr Kharge said, “Those who were not rooted in our ideology have switched sides. They say they did not get importance here. Are they getting it in BJP? What is their identity there? They switched because they were scared.”

Mr Kharge said the Congress is hopeful of a good show in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls and that the BJP tally reached its high point in the last election. “We will do well in Rajasthan, we won’t score a zero this time. In Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, too, we will get some sears. Last time, we won just one seat in Maharashtra. But this time, the Maha Vikas Aghadi is fighting strongly and will win at least 30 seats. The BJP’s tally is decreasing. They reached their peak, they cannot go beyond that. But we are scoring where we lost,” he said.

Asked how many seats the INDIA Opposition bloc may win, Mr Kharge said that he does not want to mention an exact figure, but “we will stop the BJP from returning to power”.

On Nitish Kumar’s surprise switch back to the NDA, Mr Kharge said, “Such people would have gone at some point anyway. He called people to his home and spoke about an (Opposition) alliance. And then he switched as per his convenience. We are not worried. Those who are ideologically committed are important. If he left after winning, that would have been bad,” he said. Asked if the Congress will be open to accept Mr Kumar back into the INDIA fold if he wants to return, Mr Kharge said, “Such people do not stay. Now he has sworn that he won’t come to this side. They are hungry for power.”

The Congress chief was also asked about Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, whose ties with the Congress have been rocky. The Congress and Trinamool are contesting separately in Bengal. Ms Banerjee recently accused the Congress and its ally CPM of being hand-in-glove with the BJP.

Evading a direct reply, Mr Kharge said, “It is not right to talk repeatedly about her. It will be good if she joins forces with us after we win. If she doesn’t, we will strategise accordingly.”

On Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s political role within the Congress, Mr Kharge said she has huge popularity and mass appeal. “Wherever she goes, people come out. People like her a lot, but she cannot campaign everywhere. She has worked very hard. Both Rahul and Priyanka are very hardworking,” he said.

Countering Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “shehzada” jab at Rahul Gandhi, Mr Kharge said, “Modi Sahab is the prince, he changes a kurta every hour and a jacket every two hours. Such people are calling Rahul Gandhi prince.”

Asked who will be the INDIA bloc’s face if it wins the election, the Congress chief replied that the alliance will decide this. “How can we measure the baby’s head before its birth?”

New Delhi:

Dynastic opposition parties are so disconnected from the youth that they have not been able to fathom the changes that are taking place, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV’s Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia, the PM spoke on a range of issues, including his roadmap for the future, focus on infrastructure, the BJP’s prospects in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, and foreign policy. 

Answering the opposition’s allegations on unemployment, the Prime Minister said many new avenues of employment generation have been created under his government and data from various sources also belies the claims of his critics.

Pointing to all the infrastructure projects carried out by his government, the PM said in Hindi, “The first thing to know is that so much work cannot be done without manpower. Just spending  money does not mean a road is built or work on the electrification of the railways is carried out. You need manpower for that. Which means employment opportunities are created. I can’t see any issue or truth in the opposition’s talk of unemployment.”

“I believe dynastic parties can’t understand the changes that are taking place among the youth. Before 2014, there were only a few hundred startups and now there are 1.25 lakh such companies. Each startup employs many bright youngsters. There are 100 unicorns as well, which means business worth Rs 8 lakh crore. And these are people in the age group of 20-25, they are our sons and daughters,” he added.

Strides have also been made in the gaming arena, the PM said, adding that India will be a leader in the field and young people between the ages of 20 and 22 years will show the way. Another emerging area, he stressed, is the shift from an entertainment economy to a creative economy and said he firmly believes India’s creators will capture a significant share of the global market. 

“Green jobs are also being created. Look at the aviation sector. There were 70 airports, now there are 150. My estimate is that the total number of aircraft in the country is 600-700 and an order has been placed for 1,000 new planes. Can anyone even imagine how many kinds of people will get employment? Therefore, this narrative is being peddled by people in politics who only know how things were 30 years ago and are talking about the same things,” he said.

‘Unemployment Halved’

Using numbers to back up his claims, Prime Minister Modi cited data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) and said it had shown that unemployment has been halved. 

“The PLFS data also states that 6 crore new jobs have been generated in six to seven years. The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation has also said the same thing. I ran a big campaign for government jobs as well, and these people (the opposition) keep shouting about employment,” he said.

Referring to a report released by the SKOCH group, PM Modi asserted, “It said 5 crore person-years of employment have been generated every year for the past 10 years. And they have used 22 parameters to say this. It’s backed up by research. All of this can be seen on the ground as well, it isn’t restricted to data alone.”

The Prime Minister is eyeing a historic third straight term in office and has set an ambitious target of winning 370 Lok Sabha seats for the BJP and over 400 for the NDA. Four phases of the ongoing election have been completed and the fifth is on Monday. 

Kolkata:

Multiple incidents of violence were reported in West Bengal, where people in eight constituencies are voting today in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls. While poll officials have claimed that voting has been peaceful, different political parties have filed about 1,088 complaints of alleged EVM malfunction and agents stopped from entering booths.

Workers of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP clashed in some areas of the Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha constituency. In Kalna Gate, BJP candidate Dilip Ghosh faced a protest when he was going to a poll booth after receiving some complaints. Trinamool supporters blocked his way and staged a protest, raising ‘go back’ slogans. Stones were also thrown at the BJP leader’s convoy, and some cars were damaged.

Visuals captured by NDTV showed paramilitary personnel trying to keep the crowd under control. Soon after, a group of people throwing stones at Mr Ghosh’s car. A security personnel was injured in the head and somehow managed to hop into NDTV’s vehicle, blood oozing from his wound. A stone hit the NDTV cameraperson on his leg.

The unruly scenes were a far cry from a show of bonhomie between Mr Ghosh and his main opponent, Trinamool’s Kirti Azad, earlier in the day. The two leaders hugged each other during a visit to a poll booth, a rare sight in an election characterised by sharp barbs exchanged by leaders of the ruling Trinamool and the BJP, its main challenger.

Earlier in the day, Mr Ghosh told the media that “goons of TMC” were preventing polling agents from entering booths.

“When I went to villages, women asked me with folded hands if they would be able to vote or not. It is their (Trinamool) habit to threaten people. The goons of TMC are not letting the polling agents enter the booths, including the presiding officer. Last night, they threatened people in certain areas and asked them not to come out to vote. I hope the situation will improve and voting will be done smoothly,” he said, according to news agency ANI.

Trinamool has accused Mr Ghosh of trying to vitiate the atmosphere “because he has sensed defeat”.

Clashes were also reported in Birbhum and Krishnanagar constituencies, where BJP workers clashed with Trinamool supporters. BJP candidate Amrita Roy, who is taking on Trinamool’s firebrand leaer Mahua Moitra is Krishnanagar, was seen accompanying two injured supporters to the police station. In the constituency’s Tehatta area, a CPM worker was injured in a scuffle with Trinamool supporters over being present in a polling booth. In some areas of Birbhum, Trinamool workers held protests, accusing central forces of intimidating voters.