modi tour yesterday

Modi State Visit Modi Promotes India to Congress After Meeting With Biden

Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized his country’s development and played up what he described as commonalities with the U.S. Earlier, he ducked a question about his government’s treatment of minorities.

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Modi Praises ‘Limitless’ Potential of U.S.-India Partnership

In a speech to congress, prime minister narendra modi of india promoted his nation’s development and said the relationship between his country and the united states was important for democracy’s future..

The U.S. is the oldest — and India, the largest — democracy. Our partnership augurs well for the future of democracy. [cheers] Together, we shall give a better future to the world and a better world to the future. Everyone wants to understand India’s development, democracy and diversity. Everyone wants to know what India is doing right and how. We are not only growing bigger, but we are also growing faster. When India grows, the whole world grows. I can go on and go on. But to summarize I would say: The scope of our cooperation is endless, the potential of our synergy is limitless and the chemistry of our relations is effortless.

Peter Baker

Biden welcomes India’s prime minister despite concerns over human rights.

President Biden emphasized common ground with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India on Thursday during a lavish state visit meant to bolster ties with the world’s most populous nation, while largely skirting points of friction over human rights and Russia’s war in Ukraine, at least in public.

After a pomp-filled, red-carpet arrival ceremony, Mr. Biden and Mr. Modi announced a range of initiatives to advance cooperation in technology, energy and military hardware but revealed no movement toward each other on the areas of disagreement that have strained the relationship in recent months, most especially Ukraine.

In a modest but notable breakthrough, however, Mr. Biden coaxed Mr. Modi into taking questions from reporters at a news conference, apparently the first time he has done so in his nearly decade-long tenure .

Here’s what else to know:

Challenged on his record on human rights and religious freedom, Mr. Modi insisted that democracy was “in India’s DNA” and denied that his government had engaged in discrimination based on race, faith or other such distinctions. Mr. Modi’s government has cracked down on dissent and hounded opponents in a way that has raised fears of an authoritarian turn not seen since India’s slip into dictatorship in the 1970s. In hosting Mr. Modi, Mr. Biden is pushing democracy concerns to the background .

The United States is trying to draw India closer , as the urgency for improved relations has intensified with Russia’s war on Ukraine. India has maintained military and economic relations with Russia, buying up Russian oil at a discount and staying away from backing United Nations resolutions that have condemned Russia’s aggression.

Mr. Modi gave an address to a joint session of Congress where he promoted his country’s development and played up what he described as common themes with the United States.

The two leaders announced initiatives advancing cooperation on telecommunications, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and other areas. Mr. Modi agreed to sign the Artemis Accords — principles governing peaceful exploration of the moon, Mars and other celestial bodies — and they will announce a joint mission to the International Space Station in 2024. The United States and India also will open additional consulates in each other’s country.

Tonight, the Bidens will host Mr. Modi for a state dinner on the South Lawn. The vegetarian menu — in accordance with Mr. Modi’s diet — includes an optional fish entree. The first course will be a marinated millet and grilled corn kernel salad with compressed watermelon and avocado sauce, followed by a main course of stuffed portobello mushrooms and creamy saffron-infused risotto.

Suhasini Raj

Indian television heaps praise on Modi during his trip.

“Super King of Diplomacy,” read the ticker placed in bold on top of one news channel. “Long live our friendship,” said another. A third declared, “The Boss in America.”

Mainstream Indian news channels — in Hindi, English and some regional languages — covered Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reception in Washington with adulation, praising his diplomatic skills for millions of viewers before a crucial election year for him.

The visuals from Washington played into what Mr. Modi has already set as one of his main campaign themes: tying India’s rise as a major economic power with his rise as a global statesman.

“The scale, the splendor, the warmth,” one headline enthused. Others, such as “Modi’s breakthrough diplomacy” and “Watch history being made,” flooded Indians’ homes Thursday evening as Mr. Modi walked the red carpet to meet President Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden.

“Their body language reflected that they were incomplete without one another,” one news anchor said as visuals of the two leaders shaking hands played on the screen.

Mr. Modi has carefully crafted his relationship with traditional news outlets, using a mix of incentives and pressure tactics to get most of them on his side.

When uncomfortable issues arise — a state election loss, an ethnic war resulting in weeks of unrest and bloodshed in a northeastern state, a deadly three-way train crash — they are quick to deflect blame away from Mr. Modi.

And when a major moment like the state visit to Washington comes, they are happy to join in the cheerleading — a factor that, combined with how Mr. Modi’s party has mastered social media to take his messages viral, helps explain Mr. Modi’s talent for shaping politics to his benefit.

The coverage of Mr. Modi’s visit to the United States is a political boon, setting the agenda in his favor before he launches himself full-time into campaign mode for parliamentary elections next year.

While many channels showed the White House dinner menu ad nauseam, calling it “dinner for friendship,” some others waxed eloquent about the importance of the gifts Mr. Modi had carried for the Bidens. One anchor declared of a military deal between the two countries: “The biggest defense deal. The hearts of enemies will burn!”

And when, at his news conference with Mr. Biden, Mr. Modi skirted a question on India’s grim human rights record and suppression of free speech, one Hindi-language news anchor came to his rescue on her show, saying he had “very bravely” faced the question.

Lisa Friedman

The U.S. and India agree to speed deployment of electric buses.

The United States and India have long been at odds over the responsibility of different countries in tackling climate change. But as Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up a visit to Washington, he and President Biden cast their nations as partners in the fight.

As Mr. Biden declared climate change an “existential threat to humanity” during a joint news conference on Thursday, Mr. Modi pledged that India was working to become a green energy hub. Both governments also announced plans to help India increase the production of electric vehicles and meet its ambitious goal of installing 500 gigawatts of wind, solar and other renewable energy this decade.

The Biden administration did not announce any direct U.S. funding for India. But senior administration officials said the governments had agreed on a plan they believed would encourage banks to give loans for electric buses, which are seen as a high-risk investment in India.

India aims to deploy 50,000 public electric buses over the next five years. The plan includes establishing three months of delayed payments so that companies can secure loans at lower rates. Biden administration officials said the payment security plan will help underwrite at least 10,000 electric buses.

The United States and India also announced a separate investment plan that officials said will be joined by private companies and others that aims to lower the cost of capital and attract international private finance for large-scale renewable energy projects. The joint announcement billed it a “first of its kind, multibillion dollar” package but no specific dollar figure from the United States or any other country or organization was announced.

Katie Rogers

Guests just started arriving at the White House for the state dinner. Some of the more notable names include Huma Abedin, a former senior adviser to Hillary Clinton; the designer Reem Acra; Apple’s Tim Cook; Hunter and Ashley Biden; and the president’s brother, James.

Alex Travelli and Mujib Mashal

Reporting from New Delhi

One accomplishment of Modi’s visit? Greater defense cooperation between India and the U.S.

One of the biggest takeaways from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit might be that it has injected new momentum into defense cooperation between the United States and India, a slow and turbulent undertaking in the past.

The two sides announced a deal for coproduction in India of engines for fighter aircraft, a $3 billion purchase of about 30 American Reaper drones by India, and a road map to expand cooperation between the two countries’ defense industries. There were also agreements on intelligence sharing and on space-based, quantum and other strategic technologies.

For the Biden administration, helping India expand its defense manufacturing tracks with its efforts to further isolate Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine . India has long relied on Russia for a majority of its military equipment, and any increase in manufacturing capability at home or diversification of its arms sources would lessen its purchases from Russia.

For India, the United States’ latest efforts to improve defense ties is in line with its attempt to grow its domestic manufacturing and reduce its reliance on foreign partners.

India’s military forces have stuck to most of the same weapons systems that they began using during the Cold War. India was neutral but tended to side more closely with the Soviet Union. Indian officials have said their dependence on Russian weapons over the decades was simply out of necessity: The U.S. long held back on sales of military equipment to India, and that has only started to change over the past two decades. As a result, the Indian armed forces still use equipment of Soviet design and specifications. Parts cannot be swapped out, piecemeal, for American-standard weaponry. In some rare cases, as with India’s use of Lockheed’s C-130 Hercules transport plane, a stand-alone American platform can be soldered onto the existing framework. But for the most part, the systems are not interoperable.

Technical challenges aside, one thing that the defense road map seems to be addressing is the reluctance that has kept the world’s biggest two democracies from seeing eye-to-eye. They have a long history of disagreement, over matters including Pakistan, Iraq and United Nations votes. But tensions with China are bringing them to the same table, especially after Indian and Chinese troops started clashing along their Himalayan border in 2020.

Australia and Japan, the other members of the fledgling security bloc aimed at containing China around the “Indo-Pacific region” (as the Americans renamed it, to include the Indian Ocean, in 2018), have long-established military partnerships and even alliances with the United States.

The “ Roadmap for U.S.-India Defense Industrial Cooperation ,” published earlier this month, illustrates the American goal of making India into something more like a formidable ally — and the Indian goal of beefing up its own capabilities. They find common cause in trying to “cooperatively produce the systems required to meet India’s military modernization objectives.”

But India’s ties with Russia are deep and cannot be undone quickly or with good will alone. Ajai Shukla, a retired colonel with the Indian Army who writes extensively about defense, is skeptical that America will find any durable role to play. He recalls how Alexander Kadakin, a Russian ambassador to India, liked to tell the story about visiting the Indian space centers and feeling more at home there than he did in Russia — because so many of the scientists were speaking Russian.

Karoun Demirjian

Modi waves to crowd in the third floor gallery, who stuck around to cheer him as he slowly makes his way toward the exit. Emphasis on slowly. He stopped for more autographs and pictures on the way out.

He texted from the speech to say that he “appreciated PM Modi’s unequivocal statement that India must be home to all faiths and celebrate all of them.” But he added that “American leaders need to also have the difficult conversations with Indian leaders about protecting minority rights, an open press and open internet.”

At the White House, some 400 guests are going to pass by reporters to attend the dinner. One of the guests is Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, who played a part in inviting Modi to give an address to Congress.

Here’s why Modi and many other Indian politicians stay single.

When President Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, take their place on the red carpet at the White House on Thursday to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, there will be an asymmetry of sorts in the picture-perfect setting.

Mr. Modi will go stag.

While a family-centric image is often a political selling point in the United States, in India, many top leaders — the prime minister among them — are proudly unattached, to make a statement that no other commitment can come between them and the nation.

Work-life balance? Not for politicians in the world’s largest democracy, who stay busy attending to the needs of 1.4 billion people and compete with one another in their declarations of sleep deprivation. (Mr. Modi clocks only four hours of slumber a night, his aides say.)

“Every moment of my time, every pore of my body, is only for my countrymen,” the prime minister said in 2019 after winning re-election .

India may seem a strange place for expressions of solitary political devotion. Here, family comes before self and arranged marriages keep families together. Nearly a third of new members of Parliament have had a relative in elected office or a prominent party position, according to one study .

But in a country tired of official corruption, with lawmakers enriching themselves and their families and ensuring political futures for their children, many voters have come to believe that single politicians are less likely to steal.

“The very strong perception,” said Ajoy Bose, a journalist and author, “is that they have no personal interest. That they belong to the people.”

Modi is sticking around in the well of the chamber to shake hands and sign autographs after the speech. In the gaggle of lawmakers around him are Representatives Shri Thanedar, Democrat of Michigan who was born in India; Mike Lawler, Republican of New York; Brad Sherman, Democrat of California; and Joe Wilson, Republican of South Carolina. Modi seems to be enjoying the attention and is not in a rush to leave the chamber -- though his security detail is trying to gently nudge him out.

As Modi makes his way out of the House chamber, he is stopped by members asking him to autograph their printed copies of his remarks.

Alex Travelli

India’s economy is already a star, but Modi wants the attention of American businesses and investors.

NEW DELHI — The state visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India is full of eye-catching moments — practicing yoga outside the United Nations building in New York and addressing a joint session of Congress — that seem designed to burnish both India’s image on the world stage and his own image at home.

Apart from impressing voters back home and his fellow statesmen, Mr. Modi is hoping to get the attention of American businesses and investors.

India’s expanding economy is already in some ways a star. It displaced Britain as the world’s fifth biggest economy last year, and is on track to outpace both Germany and Japan in the decade ahead. The value of the companies listed on its stock markets are worth $3.3 trillion, more than ever before, and Mr. Modi’s government has tackled some challenges that have long stymied Indian growth, including rickety infrastructure and banks burdened with bad loans.

Foreign investors have taken notice, especially with much of the world’s economy looking shaky. A string of high-tech, high-value companies have flocked to India this year, with Apple and possibly Tesla making it known that they see a big future here.

But there are ominous signs, too. While foreign investment has been pouring in and the government has spent heavily on roads, energy and other public goods, private Indian investment has shrunk in proportion to the whole. And the incomes of average Indians have hardly budged in recent years, with most of the country still dependent on farming and many others working in jobs that barely keep them fed.

Indian and American policymakers and businessmen have been trying to devise ways that the United States could help India meet the moment — through a combination of trade, technology transfer, labor mobility and integration with global supply chains.

India’s trade with the United States is worth about $190 billion now, Atul Keshap, a former American ambassador to New Delhi who is president of the U.S.-India Business Council, said in an online discussion this week. It should soon be worth $500 billion, he argued, on par with the size of the U.S. trade relationships with only a few others: Canada, Mexico, the European Union and China.

The relationship could be boosted by the two countries’ altered relationships with China, not only in geopolitics, but also in civilian business and trade. American companies and political leaders are eyeing India — with its 1.4 billion people, same as China — as the sole country fit to shoulder some of the immense weight that China has carried in the world economy. “It’s a lot easier to invest $100 million in a country with 1.4 billion people than in a country with 40 million people,” said Cate Ambrose, chief executive of the Global Private Capital Association, an industry group focused on emerging markets.

With much of the world’s economy hindered by the war in Ukraine, inflation and other headwinds, the Indian economy’s power increasingly stands out. This week, Airbus, a European airplane-maker, signed deal to sell 500 aircraft to IndiGo, a low-cost Indian carrier founded in 2006. It is the kind of contract that American leaders dream of winning for the U.S. airplane giant Boeing.

Indians’ median incomes may be stagnant, even as gains made by wealthier people have brought the per capita income up to $1,200 a year. But the room for growth makes the country attractive as a consumer market. Last year, for example, 123 million passengers flew between India’s airports. The government’s goal is to reach 1 billion by 2040.

A new emphasis in the U.S.-India relationship is high-value manufacturing, and an initiative on emerging technologies has brought together government agencies from both countries to speed up cooperation on microchips, satellites and artificial intelligence. The White House argues that these projects, which sidestep bilateral trade negotiations, should help foster “resilient supply chains” for both countries.

Damien Cave

One of the things that makes Modi an interesting kind of popular leader in our current global moment might be his optimistic tone. He speaks of positive momentum, success and destiny more than flaws and enemies.

Mujib Mashal

As we wrote in our recent story about his role as a radio host, Modi has many avatars for keeping himself intimately omnipresent across India’s vastness — including that of a poet. He has written poetry in Gujarati, though he was reading a Hindi poem just now.

Congressional addresses often end with poetic language, but not usually poetry. After quoting the poem Amanda Gorman read at President Biden’s inauguration, Modi recited lines in Hindi that he penned himself.

On China, Modi has always been careful to avoid escalating tensions. When tensions at the India-China border escalated to bloody skirmishes, American diplomats were saying Modi’s government was not comfortable with U.S. officials mentioning China by name in statements made out of New Delhi.

A policy proposal from Modi, as he calls for the African Union to get full membership in the G20. (The speech so far has been big on promoting accomplishments but light on articulating demands for change.)

As Peter notes, the omissions of the words “Russia” and “China” show how carefully Modi is choosing his words as he supports the spirit of the U.S. position, while clearly signaling that India is not going to take a side in these geopolitical rivalries.

The technology transfer piece of the defense deal reflects not just improved U.S.-India ties, but also a major shift in how the United States works with allies in the Indo-Pacific. Australia is getting nuclear-powered subs from America. Japan is buying American Tomahawk missiles. It’s all part of a broader effort to balance China’s military growth.

U.S.-India defense relations have had to overcome a history of deep mistrust rooted in both bureaucracies. But it feels like the countries are turning a new page. The American defense secretary and national security adviser were both in New Delhi in the weeks before Modi’s visit to Washington.

India’s ties to Russia stretch decades, and India still relies on Russia for a majority of its military equipment. So India has been careful in calling for peace and dialogue while staying away from condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

In discussing Ukraine, Modi calls for respecting U.N. principles of sovereignty, earning a standing ovation. He also said “we all must do what we can to stop the bloodshed and human suffering.” However, India continues to buy a lot of oil from Russia, engaging in a practice that the United States argues fuels the Russian war machine.

Likewise, when he discusses “the dark clouds of coercion and confrontation” that are “casting their shadow in the Indo-Pacific,” he leaves unstated who might be doing the coercing and confronting, never mentioning the word “China.”

When Modi mentions Ukraine, he shifts to passive construction. “With the Ukraine conflict, war has returned to Europe,” he said, without mentioning the word “Russia.”

Zolan Kanno-Youngs

Reporting from Washington

State Dinners: Who Gets Them, Who Doesn’t and Why They Matter

As President Biden welcomed India’s prime minister to the White House , the two leaders were looking for more than a fine vegetarian meal and a night of glitzy entertainment.

Under the guise of pomp and pageantry, state visits are a chance for presidents to push foreign dignitaries to align with American interests. They can be a way to celebrate old, ironclad alliances . And with high-profile guest lists , multicourse meals and top-flight entertainment, they are much-coveted invites in Washington .

“These are not just dinners,” said Matthew Costello, a senior historian for the White House Historical Association. “There’s a lot more that goes into them in terms of planning, in terms of invitations, and a lot is geopolitics, a lot is foreign policy.”

When President Dwight D. Eisenhower invited Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union, to the White House in 1959, he was focused on thawing Cold War tensions after the launch of Sputnik. Before President Barack Obama hosted President Xi Jinping of China, the two countries negotiated for weeks over an arms control accord for cyberspace. President Ulysses S. Grant held the first state dinner for King David Kalakaua of Hawaii to strengthen trade.

The dinners can also provide a window into the regions the United States is prioritizing — and the ones being neglected.

European and Latin American nations have received the most state dinner invitations, while sub-Saharan African and Southeast Asian nations have received the fewest, according to a study by the Center for Global Development that tracked 40 years of state visits from the Carter to Obama administrations.

Out of 160 dinners, just 15 were with guests from sub-Saharan Africa, the study found.

“To be a foreign leader and not get the state dinner, you feel snubbed,” said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian. “It’s often the smaller countries in the world who don’t get them, but when you’re dealing with big power players like India, it’s a must.”

The invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India was not without controversy. Mr. Biden has made the global struggle between democracy and autocracy a key part of his foreign policy, but Mr. Modi’s government has cracked down on dissent in ways that have raised fears of authoritarianism.

Still, the White House views the world’s most populous nation as a potentially welcome addition to its coalition against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as a crucial player in its growing economic competition with China.

The other nations whose leaders received the official invitation to dine with Mr. Biden — France and South Korea — have also been partners in Mr. Biden’s effort to confront Russia.

The state dinner can sometimes be a means of smoothing over hiccups among allies.

Mr. Biden hosted President Emmanuel Macron of France for the first state visit of his administration, more than a year after the two nations feuded over a deal to provide Australians with nuclear-powered submarines. Mr. Biden invited Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of Australia, for a state visit after he canceled a trip there in May because of negotiations over the debt ceiling with congressional Republicans.

“There are multiple times we see presidents using these visits to not just describe immediate concerns, but also to talk through short-term and long-term solutions,” Mr. Costello said.

Domestic politics often hang over the dinner, as well.

Julianna Smoot, Mr. Obama’s social secretary from 2010 to 2011, said she made sure to invite the often-feuding majority and minority leaders of the Senate, Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell, to state dinners for a rare détente. Governors and mayors who had previously expressed support or campaigned for the president were likely to make the list. And the primary donors of presidential campaigns could expect an invitation, particularly if they had business connections to the visiting nation.

“They didn’t become donors in politics because they were slouches,” Ms. Smoot said. “A lot of them do international work and have an interest” in attending the dinner.

The prospect of strengthening political partnerships overseas and within U.S. borders was usually enough to get a quick response from invitees.

“You’re supposed to say yes,” Ms. Smoot said of responding to the invitations, “unless there’s a death in the family.”

Cheers and laughs for Modi’s hat tip to how well Indian American kids have done in successive national spelling bees.

Mentioning that the United States “has become one of our most important defense partners” gets a standing ovation. Not mentioned: India still buys weapons from Russia.

Another thought on Modi’s sales pitch. William Dalrymple, the esteemed historian of India’s past empires, told me recently that India’s sense of overconfidence might be its biggest problem at the moment, hindering the country’s ability to fully confront and solve the enormous challenges it faces, like youth unemployment and social, economic and religious divides.

Very true, Karoun. Not much love for digital payments here in a chamber that has struggled with how to regulate technology of any kind!

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Modi winds up two-day Karnataka campaign tour with mega road show in Mysuru

PM addresses three rallies in south Karnataka on Sunday

Hundreds of people gathered on both sides of the road to greet Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he held a mega road show in Mysuru on Sunday as part of BJP's election campaign for the Karnataka Assembly elections. Modi also concluded his whirlwind two-day tour of the poll-bound state during which he addressed six public rallies. 

Clad in traditional Mysuru 'Peta' and a saffron shawl, Modi was flanked by Mysuru MP Pratap Simha, former ministers K.S. Eshwarappa and sitting MLA S.A. Ramadas. Notably, Eshwarappa had recently announced retirement from electoral politics, while Ramadas was denied ticket to contest in the May 10 elections. 

A cultural troupe of men and women in traditional attire walked all along the road. While men wore 'Peta' and 'Kurta', women were in attire resembling that of Bharatanatyam dancers. 

Earlier in the day, Modi addressed three rallies in 'Old Mysuru' region (South Karnataka) where he launched a scathing attack on both the JD(S) and the Congress, calling them a "sign of instability".

In Kolar, Modi targeted Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for his 'venomous snake' remark, and said that the snake was the charm of lord Shiva's neck, and for him the people of the country were a "form of god", and he was fine with being compared to the snake on their necks.

"I know that the people of Karnataka, the land of saints and sanskar, will give a befitting reply to Congress's abuses through votes. The anger of the people against the Congress will reflect through votes on May 10," he said.

Addressing a rally in Belur, Modi called the JD(S) a 'B-team' of the Congress. 

"Every vote you cast in favour of JD(S) will go into the Congress's account, while voting for Congress means putting a break to Karnataka's development," he said.

"This time Karnataka has decided to end the decades of jod-tod (coalition) politics. Congress and JD(S) both are signs of instability. In whichever states Congress governments are remaining, there its identity is of rivalry between its leaders. You are too seeing what is happening in Rajasthan and Chattisgarh," Modi said.

The prime minister addressed another rally in Channapatna where he accused the Congress and the JD(S) of encouraging corruption. He alleged that both parties saw Karnataka as an ATM, and that they found opportunity in instability.

• Karnataka elections 2023

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Pm’s visit to bhutan (mar 22, 2024 - mar 23, 2024 ), pm’s visit to uae & qatar (feb 13, 2024 - feb 15, 2024 ), pm’s visit to dubai (nov 30, 2023 - dec 01, 2023 ), pm’s visit to indonesia (sep 06, 2023 - sep 07, 2023 ), pm’s visit to south africa & greece (aug 22, 2023 - aug 26, 2023 ), pm’s visit to france & uae (jul 13, 2023 - jul 15, 2023 ), pm’s visit to usa & egypt (jun 20, 2023 - jun 25, 2023 ), pm’s visit to japan, papua new guinea & australia (may 19, 2023 - may 25, 2023 ), pm’s visit to indonesia (nov 14, 2022 - nov 16, 2022 ), pm’s visit to japan (sep 27, 2022 - sep 27, 2022 ).

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PM Modi Mumbai Visit Highlights: PM says Shinde-Fadnavis duo will help realise people’s dreams in Mumbai, travels on newly-inaugurated Metro

Narendra modi mumbai visit highlights: hailing the projects launched from the mmrda grounds in bkc, prime minister narendra modi said that for the first time, the world is taking note of india's work..

PM Modi Mumbai News Highlights: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that while the world is reeling under economic crisis, India is providing subsidies. “Double Engine government is committed to giving better amenities to poorest of the poor. Therefore, even railway stations are being developed on the lines of airport. CSMT, which is one the oldest railway stations, is being redeveloped. We are pushing for multi model connectivity,” he said. He was speaking from the MMRDA grounds in Bandra Kurla Complex, where he inaugurated two new Mumbai Metro lines and various projects, including road concretisation, sewage treatment plants and PM Svanidhi scheme, among others.

Ahead of the civic body polls in the city, the BJP and Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena are expected to use the opportunity to display a united front and the might of their alliance. The PM’s visit comes as part of the BJP’s strategy to emphasise on ‘Mumbai Makeover’ and to counter the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) attempts to portray the party as ‘anti-Mumbai’ as well as the sympathy factor working in favor of Sena (UBT) ever since its split.

PM Modi will also inaugurate or lay the foundation stone of projects worth nearly Rs 38,800 crore in the city. He will inaugurate the two lines of Mumbai Metro 2A and 7 from Gundavali Metro station in Andheri and also undertake a metro ride from the station.

Mumbai News Live Updates: PM Narendra Modi holds public rally at BKC, inaugurates projects worth Rs 38,800 crore; Follow latest updates here

Following commissioning of the new Mumbai Metro Lines 2A and 7 on Thursday, BEST has introduced new three bus routes which will cover some of the main stations of both these metro lines. 

Mumbai Metro 2A BEST Bus number--A-295 

1)Eksar Metro Line 2A station--  Shanti Ashram -- Yogi Nagar-- Jayraj Nagar MHB Post Office 

2) Borivali Metro Station --Gorai sector 1&2--Gorai Creek (Khadi)--MHB Colony 

3) Pahadi Eksar Metro station--Charkop-Charkop Market--Charkop Sector 6--Mahaveer Nagar

Mumbai Metro Line 7--BEST bus number A-286 

1) Akurli Metro station --Damunagar-- Anita Nagar--Krantinagar--Gautamnagar--Mahindra Gate No.4--Hanuman nagar--Narsipada-- Sambhajinagar 

2) Kurar Metro station --Bandongari--Puspa Nagar--Kurar Gaon--Pathanwadi--

3) Dindoshi Metro station --Dindoshi Depot-- Oberoi Mall

Mumbai Metro 7 --BEST Bus number--A 216  

1) Dahisar East Metro 7 station --Saraswati Sankul--Ashish Sankul--Anand Nagar 

2) Ovaripada Metro 7 station-- Novelty Silk Mill-- Ketki Pada--Dahisar Checknaka--Ghartanpada--Ganesh Nagar

For the convenience of passengers, additional stoppage is being provided at Borivali station to Vande Bharat Express train that runs between Mumbai Central – Gandhinagar, Gujarat starting from January 23.

Due to the additional halt at Borivali station, the timings of the train at a few stations also will be revised. Further, the days of operation of this train will be changed from ‘all days except Sundays’ to ‘all days except Wednesday with effect from May 30 as per the Western Railways which looks after the train operation and maintenance.

PM @narendramodi on board the Metro in Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/nE03O7nDmW — PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 19, 2023

Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi how can he shun the responsibility from his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of corruption in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation as BJP shared power with Shiv Sena for 25 years.

"In a bid to target Shiv Sena and make allegations of corruption, PM Modi targeted his own BJP which was in power with the Sena for 25 years. It seems Modiji forgot that whatever has happened in Mumbai, the BJP is equally responsible," said Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole.

Patole said that all the projects for which foundation stone was laid were started during Maha Vikas Aghadi government and not in last six months. "Modiji says that his government gives free ration to 80 crore Indians. How come despite BJP rule, India is witnessing so much of poverty?" Asked Patole.

The Congress leader reminded that PM Modi shared stage with State governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari who has made 'objectionable' comments against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. "Not a single BJP leader felt it was necessary to condemn him. It just shows the level of respect BJP has for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled in the newly-inaugurated Mumbai Metro train, from Gundavali to Mogra and back.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi avails Mumbai metro and interacts with the youth onboard. Earlier this evening, he inaugurated two lines of the Mumbai metro. (Video Source: DD News) pic.twitter.com/6IXCOeivXx — ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2023

Actor Sheezan Khan, who is in jail for allegedly abetting the suicide of co-actor Tunisha Sharma, had not cooperated during custodial interrogation, had deleted some WhatsApp chats and was also in a position to threaten material witnesses if released on bail, a court in Maharashtra's Palghar has said.

The details of the Vasai court's January 13 order rejecting the bail plea of Khan was made available on Thursday. The order also said "just prior to the alleged incident, something is appeared to have been happened between them in the make-up room of applicant, which forced her to commit suicide". (PTI)

Motorists witnessed heavy traffic jams in parts of suburban Mumbai on Thursday afternoon due to curbs imposed on movement of vehicles and diversion of routes in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the metropolis.

Heavy traffic snarls were observed at BKC (Bandra-Kurla Complex), Santacruz, Vakola and Andheri areas in the western suburbs, an official said. (PTI)

?????? ??????????????? ????? ????? ?????? ?????????? ??????? ?????????? ?????? https://t.co/XaADdg6kYe — Eknath Shinde - ????? ????? (@mieknathshinde) January 19, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that there is no pauncity of funds for the development of Mumbai, adding that the duo of CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis will help realise people's dreams in the city.

"Local governance is integral for bringing Mumbai transformation. Funds have to be utilized properly and that requires political will. Let us all together join hands for development of Mumbai," he said.

Stressing that Dharavi redevelopment is the state government's commitment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Mumbai will get a face lift in the coming days.

"Our emphasis will be on electric vehicles to curtail pollution. Through water treatment plants, rivers are being cleaned on massive scale," Modi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that while the world is reeling under economic crisis, India is providing subsidies.

Modi said that Mumbai Metro was running on just an 11 km stretch in 2014, but the Shinde-Fadnavis team has put infrastructure on fast track. 

"Double Engine government is committed to giving better amenities to poorest of the poor. Therefore, even railway stations are being developed on the lines of airport. CSMT, which is one the oldest railway stations, is being redeveloped. We are pushing for multi model connectivity," he said.

Hailing the projects launched from the MMRDA grounds in BKC, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that for the first time, the world is taking note of India's work. "There is a lot of positivity about India world over. With its futuristic and modern approach, India is moving forward. Today, we are providing modern infrastructure for better connectivity and economic prosperity," Modi said.

While thanking BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal for transforming the city, CM Eknath Shinde said, "G20 presidency is a matter of pride for us. We got this chance because in the past few years, Modi has taken the economy of India to new heights. In next 3 years, we will complete the makeover of Mumbai."

Speaking on the upcoming BMC polls, Shinde said, "Our endeavor will be to convert the double engine into triple engine. Under PM's leadership, we will make a new Maharashtra. No matter how much we are criticised, Mumbaikars are wise and appreciate the work we do."

??. ????????? @narendramodi ?? ??????? ??????????? ??????????? ?????? ?? ???? ?????.. @BJP4Maharashtra @BJP4India @BJP4Mumbai #MumbaiOnFastTrack pic.twitter.com/rbfjrUP1Ub — Adv. Ashish Shelar - ??. ???? ????? (@ShelarAshish) January 19, 2023

Speaking about his Davos visit, CM Eknath Shinde said, 'I went to Davos and saw that every one from all over the world only asked about Modi. I am happy to tell you that Modi's charisma is resonating worldwide, not just India. This is a matter of pride for us.'

'We have to transform the face of Mumbai. We have to fast track development. All those projects which were stuck in pipelines will be expeditiously taken up,' he said.

Talking about the road concretisation project, Shinde said, "We will make Mumbai potholes free through concrete roads. The roads of Mumbai are being concretised and work for 400 km roads will be inaugurated by Modi today. There are still some people who want to hinder our work. Let them hinder it, and we will continue our work."

"The 350 km Metro mega project was conceptualized and implemented by Devendra Fadnavis as CM in 2014. PM Modi had done its bhoomipujan in 2015. Today, he is dedicating the two Metro lines to Mumbaikars," Shinde further said.

Addressing crowds at BKC's MMRDA grounds, CM Eknath Shinde said his double engine government will bring major transformation in Mumbai. he said that the BJP-Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena government is working under the guidance of PM Modi, and hailed his decisions in the last six months.

"Everything we are doing is bothering others. They think that within six months if this government can do so much work, what all it will achieve in the next six months. We will respond to criticism with work. We will do ten times more work in comparison to criticism," Shinde said.

?LIVE Now? PM @narendramodi launches development projects and transfers benefits under PM-SVANidhi in Mumbai Watch on #PIB 's? Facebook: https://t.co/ykJcYlNrjj YouTube: https://t.co/nkQQo03ewb https://t.co/vUiyvw1KGI — PIB India (@PIB_India) January 19, 2023

Addressing crowds at MMRDA ground in BKC, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said that the double-engine government was chosen in 2019, but foul play led to a government ruling in the state for 2.5 years which the people did not want.

"But the true follower of Balasaheb Thackeray, Eknath Shinde showed courage and with your blessings, a government of the liking of the people came to Maharashtra once again. Maharashtra started walking rapidly on the path to development once again," Fadnavis said.

Real estate developers foresee good traction as two new Metro lines — 2A (Dahisar to DN Nagar) & 7 (Dahisar East to Andheri East) — are set to begin operations this month.

Keval Valambhia, chief operating officer of CREDAI-MCHI Mumbai, a real estate apex body of members from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), expressed hope that these two Metro lines will play a crucial role in decongesting Mumbai’s current public transportation system and foster a new real estate boom in the western suburbs.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived on the stage at the MMRDA grounds in Bandra Kurla Complex and was presented a traditional Marathi turban or 'pheta' by CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.

Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Ramdas Athavale and Bhagwat Karad are also on the stage. Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar and BJP (MP) Pooja Mahajan share dias with PM.

NCP (MP) Supriya Sule said her party welcomes Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mumbai but also feels sorry that he has to the running for the BJP. be it the BMC polls or the Lok Sabha polls.

"In the past, we have seen great leaders such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley. Unfortunately, BJP does not have leaders now. As a result, Modiji is burdened to do all running around in each and every poll," she said.

Marathi Singer Avdut Gupte sang the song 'Jai Jai Maharashtra Majha' at BKC's MMRDA grounds. The song has been proposed as the official state song by state cultural affairs minister Sudhir Mungantiwar.

Gupte has previously performed for BJP's Marathi Dandiya, and also sang at the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena's Dussehra rally. He also composed the theme song for the Shiv Sena, before the party split last year.

Satyajeet Tambe has been suspended from Congress for six years, after he threw in his hat as an Independent candidate in the Legislative Council’s Nashik graduate constituency.

Haji Arfat Shaikh, BJP leader and former president of the state minority commission, said, "The opposition is trying to paint a picture that BJP is creating a Hindu-Muslim divide. There are a large number of Muslims here who support Modi and the work he is doing for the country and our community.

Oppn trying to paint wrong picture that PM Modi is creating Hindu-Muslim divide, says former state minority commission chief. Follow Live Updates: https://t.co/F7eraPKNDZ pic.twitter.com/Z4oYtZHM1P — Express Mumbai (@ie_mumbai) January 19, 2023

Ambulances, fire engines and around 5,000 police personnel are deployed at the MMRDA grounds in BKC where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will shortly arrive to inaugurate projects and address a public rally.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Mumbai on Thursday evening. He will be inaugurating several projects and two Mumbai Metro lines, before departing from the city around 7.15 pm.

PM @narendramodi landed in Mumbai a short while ago. pic.twitter.com/W5Lnq6xuCb — PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 19, 2023

#MumbaiMetroOurMetro #AmchiMumbaiMetro #MumbaiKiApniMetro #StationConnectivity Our #Gundavali station on #Metroline7 connects Bisleri jn, & Andheri railway stn but has interchange with Line 1 at WEH & will facilitate reaching CSMIA T2 quickly through #Metroline7A pic.twitter.com/NrqJrxE7w0 — MMRDA (@MMRDAOfficial) January 19, 2023

#MumbaiMetroOurMetro #AmchiMumbaiMetro #MumbaiKiApniMetro Our campaign on #StationConnectivity will help you know nearest landmarks that our stations will help connect. #MOGRA station on #Metroline7 will help connect to Natwar Ngr, Ismail Yusuf college, Parsi Colony & Shankarwadi pic.twitter.com/USkQ09usMs — MMRDA (@MMRDAOfficial) January 19, 2023

#MumbaiMetroOurMetro #AmchiMumbaiMetro #MumbaiKiApniMetro #Jogeshwari metro station on Metroline7 will help bridge connectivity to crucial locations like #BalasahebThackeray trauma care center #JVLR #BimbisarNagar & #JogeshwariCaves . pic.twitter.com/AxRMZ8oVQS — MMRDA (@MMRDAOfficial) January 19, 2023

Tweeting hours ahead of the inauguration of Mumbai Metro's lines 2A and 7, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said in a jibe at the erstwhile MVA government, "Don’t forget this is what some people kept away from you and delayed for decades."

Dear Mumbaikars, This how your new companion of life looks like! And don’t forget this is what some people kept away from you & delayed for decades! But now, Metro yellow line 2A & red line 7 is all set & ready to serve you! #MumbaiOnFastTrack pic.twitter.com/6AU3AZc7aV — Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) January 19, 2023

Mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his visit to Mumbai, Shiv Sena (UBT) in its mouthpiece 'Saamana' said that his coming to the city was just another "campaign for his party'.

"Modi is visiting Mumbai for a few hours and it is being said that in these few hours, he will lay the foundation for the bright future of Mumbai. But the question is since when did the BJP start worrying about Mumbai's future and fortune? This propaganda that the Prime Minister is incarnating for the bright future of Mumbai is false. He is campaigning for his party, but can the saffron of the Shiv Sena be removed from Mumbai?" the editorial argued.

It further said that Mumbai would be blessed only if no attempt is made to "loot" the labour of Maharashtrians.

The Nationalist Congress Party demanded the resignation of Wresting Federation of India president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexually exploiting women wrestlers for years, a charge vehemently rejected by the sports administrator.

Top wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and many other grapplers are on a silent sit-in in New Delhi for the second day against WFI and its chief Singh. “Women wrestlers who have won laurels for our country are protesting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to seek justice for themselves for all the wrongdoings meted against them by the Wrestling Federation of India,” Clyde Crasto, NCP's national spokesperson, said in a statement. (PTI)

Mumbai Police detained actor Rakhi Sawant in connection with an FIR registered against her based on a complaint by another woman actor for allegedly circulating the latter's video links and photos on social media.

Following the actor's complaint, the Amboli police in Mumbai had registered an FIR against Sawant under Indian Penal Code Sections 354A (sexual harassment of the nature of unwelcome physical contact and advances or a demand or request for sexual favours showing pornography), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 504 (insult intended to provoke breach of peace) and provisions of the Information Technology Act, he said.

The Maharashtra government has given a fresh three-month extension to the Koregaon-Bhima Inquiry Commission, probing the violence that took place on January 1, 2018 on the outskirts of Pune city, after the panel sought more time to record statements of some witnesses. The earlier extension granted to the two-member commission was valid till December 31, 2022.

Entry of all heavy vehicles, including on the Western Express Highway and western suburbs, will be banned till 9 pm on Thursday, a Mumbai traffic police advisory said.

* Only 18.5 per cent of Class III students in Maharashtra government schools can do subtraction.

* Only 20.1 per cent of Class V and 38.1 per cent of Class VIII students can do division.

* Only 55.5 per cent of Class V students can read Class II-level books.

* Only 34 per cent of the schools have computers.

These are some of the findings mentioned in the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2022, which showed the impact of two years of Covid-19 pandemic on teaching and learning in government schools.

In the wake traffic restrictions in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) of Mumbai where Prime Minister Narendra Modi would take part in an event on Thursday evening, police have advised offices and establishments in the area to allow their employees to leave early.

The police have also asked the establishments in the area to report immediately about any suspicious activity by a person, suspicious e-mails, any other such cyber incident including hacking.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will land in Mumbai on Thursday at 4.14 pm and proceed to lay the foundation stones of a string of projects worth at MMRDA grounds in BKC, followed by inaugurating two metro lines.

Check his full schedule here

The massive cutouts of the Shiv Sena founder along the route Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take on his visit to Mumbai on Thursday have more than established that the BJP won't miss an opportunity to show its reverence to the late Bal Thackeray.

But there is another reason behind these posters which cannot be ignored. The Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has claimed it has upheld the political legacy of the late Bal Thackeray which was based on Hindutva and the welfare of the Marathi Manoos.

Read full story here

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole has said that the party is likely to take action against rebel party candidate Satyajeet Tambe today. Tambe has filed nomination for the Legislative Council elections from Nasik division graduates' constituency despite the party giving ticket to his father and sitting MLC Sudhir Tambe. Sudhir has already been suspended for not filing his nomination.

The BJP and Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena have resolved to use Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Mumbai on January 19 to showcase their combined political might and improve bonding at the grassroot-level ahead of upcoming city elections. Highly placed sources in the BJP said, “Although CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis formed the coalition government in Maharashtra on June 30, this will be the first occasion the party workers of BJP and Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena can display a united front. They will come together on the same platform to show their collective might at the PM’s rally.” A senior BJP functionary said, “Deepak Kesarkar at the meeting exhorted both BJP and Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena to leave no stone unturned to make this a grand rally. He also told party workers to realise that Aaditya Thackeray’s growing attack against CM Eknath Shinde was a sign of his frustration as Shiv Sena (UBT) is losing ground. They can sense their support base shrinking.” Read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Karnataka’s northern districts of Yadgiri and Kalaburagi on Thursday to lay the foundation stone and inaugurate a bevvy of development projects valued at over Rs 10,800 crores.  Addressing the crowd there, PM Modi said, "Our government is not for votebank politics, it is for development... Double engine government means double welfare. You can see how Karnataka is benefitting by this." Follow live updates from PM's visit in Karnataka here . 

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took stock of the preparations at the BKC ground on Wednesday evening. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address a rally there on Thursday.

??????? ???? ????? ?????? ?????????? ????????? ??????????? ????????? ????????? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?????????? ????? ?????? #?????????????_??????? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ?????????? ???? ????. pic.twitter.com/FH212gfnQ4 — Eknath Shinde - ????? ????? (@mieknathshinde) January 18, 2023

Two thieves who had successfully managed to evade the Mumbai police even as they committed more than 50 robberies across the country ran out of luck after they gifted a stolen mobile phone to a friend on his birthday. It proved to be a costly mistake that subsequently led to their arrests in 2017. Read Sagar Rajput's report

The BMC authorities have said that a 'no parking' rule has been imposed on all roads within BKC premises in view of PM Modi's rally in the evening. Earlier, the Mumbai traffic had said that slow movement of traffic on the southbound carriageway from 4.15 pm to 5.30 pm and the northbound carriageway of the Western Express Highway (WEH) from 5.30 pm to 6.45 pm was expected. No heavy vehicles will be allowed on all roads in the western suburbs including the Western Express Highway Thursday between 12 noon and 9 pm, officials had said.

Amid tight security, preparations are ongoing at BKC's MMRDA grounds in Mumbai. The stage is being set with seating for atleast 20 top leaders. The stage is surrounded by blue banners, which in Marathi read, ' Nirdhar Sarkarcha Kayapalat Mumbaicha ' (Government resolute to give Mumbai a makeover) and ' Mumbaicha Ujjwal Bhavishya hi Payabharni' ( Laying foundation of Mumbai's bright future).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate several important developmental projects for the benefit of citizens of Mumbai. The include:

- Mumbai Metro Lines 2A and 7 - 7 Sewerage Treatment Plants (STP) - 52 medical clinics - 3 special hospitals - 400 kms of road concretisation work - 1,000 new toilet facilities - SWANIDDHI certificates for 1 lakh hawkers

While preparations have been made to seat 75,000 people at the BKC ground where PM Modi will be holding his rally, the BJP expects a turnout figure of 1,00,000. The ground can accomodate those many, authorities have said. Short films of two-three minutes on the metro, municipal hospitals, CSMT train station and the Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) will be presented during the PM's program. This will be followed by addresses by CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, before PM Narendra Modi's address.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mumbai on Thursday is part of the BJP’s strategy to emphasise on ‘Mumbai Makeover’, to convey how the financial capital is integral for the country’s development, and to counter the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) attempts to portray the party as ‘anti-Mumbai’. The rally at the MMRDA ground in Bandra-Kurla Complex is titled ‘Sankalp Sabha’ while the tag line is ‘Mumbai Awaits PM Modi’. BJP’s larger concern is to counter the sympathy factor which has worked in favour of the Shiv Sena (UBT) since split in the party. Read more

The school education department has decided to stay the process of accommodating 555 surplus teachers in BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)–run civic schools. Even as the stay order does not mention any reason, the department was criticised for breaching the code of conduct ahead of teachers’ constituency elections. Read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to arrive in Mumbai by 4.40 pm. At 5 pm, he will be in BKC, where he will launch projects worth over Rs 38,000 crore, and address a public rally. At 6.30 pm, the PM will inaugurate Metro 2A and 7 lines at Gundavali in Andheri East. He's also expected to travel in the metro. PM Modi will leave Mumbai at around 7.20 pm.

Leaders of the two constituents of the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) — the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) —held a meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday to sort out their differences. The meeting came even as the third MVA constituent — Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) — continues to delay announcing its support to Shubhangi Patil, an Independent candidate in Nashik Division Graduates’ constituency, against Satyajeet Tambe, an Independent candidate who has rebelled against the Congress.  Sources in the MVA said all three parties will hold a press conference on Thursday morning to make a final announcement about the January 30 Legislative Council polls. Read more

At least nine people were killed and a child was injured when a speeding truck collided with their van on Mumbai-Goa highway in Maharashtra’s Raigad district on Thursday morning, police said.  The accident took place at 4.45 am at Repoli village in Raigad, located more than 130 km from Mumbai. The victims, all relatives, were going in the van to Guhagar in Ratnagiri district, Superintendent of Police Somnath Gharge said. Read more

The BJP and Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena have resolved to use Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Mumbai on January 19 to showcase their combined political might and improve bonding at the grassroot-level ahead of upcoming city elections.  A joint meeting of the two alliance partners late on Sunday night went into the minute details of planning and coordination for the public rally at the MMRDA grounds in Bandra Kurla Complex.  Highly placed sources in the BJP said, “Although CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis formed the coalition government in Maharashtra on June 30, this will be the first occasion the party workers of BJP and Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena can display a united front. They will come together on the same platform to show their collective might at the PM’s rally.” Read more

The city police commissionerate has issued an order banning the use of drone, paragliders, and remote control microlight aircraft flying activities in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), Andheri, and Jogeshwari areas on the day for 24 hours. “No drone, para-gliders, remote control microlight aircraft flying activities to be allowed in the jurisdiction of BKC police station, Andheri police station, Meghwadi police Station, and Jogeshwari police Station,” read the order. Read more

The Mumbai traffic police have issued traffic guidelines. An official said slow movement of traffic on the southbound carriageway from 4.15 pm to 5.30 pm and the northbound carriageway of the Western Express Highway (WEH) from 5.30 pm to 6.45 pm was expected owing to the planned public function in the BKC and Gundavali Metro station area Thursday. “Citizens are advised to plan their commute accordingly,” the official said. The official further added that no heavy vehicles will be allowed on all roads in the western suburbs including the Western Express Highway Thursday between 12 noon and 9 pm. The official, however, added that ambulances, school and other buses have been exempted from the ban.

The Mumbai police will press into service around 5,000 cops in the western suburbs as part of security arrangements during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the city Thursday. The local police have planned security measures in coordination with the central agencies as per protocol in case of such visits.  An officer said nearly 4,000 policemen along with 1,000 police officers will be present on the ground. In terms of senior officials, five deputy commissioners of police will be present in the area and they will be assisted by 27 assistant commissioners of police. Read more

Apart from inaugrating the two metro lines, PM Modi will launch MUMBAI 1 Mobile App and National Common Mobility Card (Mumbai 1). The app will facilitate ease of travel, can be shown at the entry gates of Metro stations and supports digital payment for tickets through UPI.  The National Common Mobility Card (Mumbai 1) will initially be used in metro corridors and can be extended to other modes of mass public transit including local trains and buses. Commuters will not need to carry multiple cards or cash; the NCMC card will enable quick, contactless, digital transactions.  PM Modi will also lay the foundation stone of seven sewage treatment plants, which will be built at a cost of around Rs 17,200 crores. These sewage treatment plants will be set up in Malad, Bhandup, Versova, Ghatkopar, Bandra, Dharavi and Worli. They will have a combined capacity of around 2,460 MLD. In an effort to strengthen health care infrastructure in Mumbai, the PM will inaugurate 20 Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Aapla Dawakhanas, which provide free essential medical services like health checkups, medicines, investigations and diagnostics. Read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Mumbai today and inaugurate or lay the foundation stone of projects worth nearly Rs 38,800 crore in the city. After visiting Karnataka today morning, PM Modi is likely to arrive in the city post lunch and at around 5 pm, he is slated to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development initiatives in Mumbai.  At around 6.30 pm, he will inaugurate two lines of Mumbai Metro 2A and 7 from Gundavali Metro station in Andheri, and will also undertake a Metro ride from the station. The foundation stone of these lines was also laid by the Prime Minister in 2015. Read more

BJP banks on ‘Modi magic’ to take control of political narrative ahead of elections

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mumbai on Thursday is part of the BJP’s strategy to emphasise on ‘Mumbai Makeover’, to convey how the financial capital is integral for the country’s development, and to counter the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) attempts to portray the party as ‘anti-Mumbai’.

While the PM launched infrastructure projects worth Rs 38,000 crore, the BJP scripted the events to draw maximum political mileage. The rally at the MMRDA ground in Bandra-Kurla Complex is titled ‘Sankalp Sabha’ while the tag line is ‘Mumbai Awaits PM Modi’.

“When you think of PM Narendra Modi, the first thing that comes to mind is his development work,” said Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday.

P M Modi’s Mumbai rally brings BJP and Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena to make BMC a common cause

Mumbai police to deploy 5,000 cops for pm modi’s security in bandra kurla complex.

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• West Bengal

PM Modi to hold roadshow in Kolkata today, police issues traffic advisory | Check details

In the final push for his campaign in west bengal for the last phase of the lok sabha elections, prime minister narendra modi will be holding a mega roadshow in kolkata today..

PM Modi itinerary 

At 6 pm, Modi will hold a 2.5-km-long roadshow in Kolkata and then he will pay floral tributes at floral tributes Vivekananda.

According to the BJP, Prime Minister Modi will arrive in West Bengal on Tuesday afternoon. He is scheduled to hold a public meeting at Ashoknagar in the Barasat constituency at 2:30 pm, followed by another meeting in Jadavpur at 4 pm. Around 5:55 pm, Modi will pay floral tributes at the statue of Subhas Chandra Bose.

Kolkata Police issues traffic advisory

The Kolkata Police has issued a traffic advisory to facilitate smooth commuting during Prime Minister Modi's poll campaign in the city.

“In view of the public safety and convenience in connection with visit of the Prime Minister of India to the city of Kolkata on 28.05.2024 and 29.05.2024, I, Vineet Kumar Goyal, Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, do hereby order that movement and parking of vehicles for the city of Kolkata shall be regulated in the following manner notwithstanding any other orders in force on 28.05.2024 and 29.05.2024,” the traffic police wrote in a statement.

According to the advisory, the movement of all types of goods vehicles will be restricted in some places in Kolkata between 3 pm and 9 pm on Tuesday and from 8 am to 12:30 pm on Wednesday or until PM Modi's visit is over. The advisory also said that vehicle parking will be regulated or restricted during these hours.

Check traffic advisory, diversions

• The routes on which vehicles will restricted on Tuesday include--- 11 Furlong Gate, Khidderpore Road, J&N Island, Red Road, R.R Avenue, Govt. Place East, Esplanade Row East, Esplanade Crossing, C.R Avenue, J.M Avenue, Girish Avenue, K V V Avenue, N K Saha Lane, Udbodhan Lane, Bhupen Bose Avenue, Shyambazar 5point Crossing, Bidhan Sarani, College Street, Aurobinda Sarani, Beadon Street, Vivekananda Road, Girish Park Crossing, B. B Ganguly Street, Lalbazar Street, BBD Bag East, and Old Court House Street.
• On Wednesday, vehicles will be restricted on THESE routes: Raj Bhawan (South) Gate, RR Avenue, Red Road, Jenson & Nicholson Island, Khidderpore Road, and 11 Furlong Gate. 
• Biddhan Sarani will remain closed for all kinds of vehicles from 3 pm to 9 pm or till completion of the programme on Tuesday.
• All kinds of heavy goods vehicles will be restricted to ply in and around Raj Bhawan from 6 am on Tuesday till 10 pm on Wednesday.
• Vehicular traffic may also be diverted from any of the arterial roads and feeder roads by the Traffic Police on duty as and when considered necessary, according to the programmes. 

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The economic times daily newspaper is available online now., modi receives warm welcome in trichy; marks first visit by a pm to ranganathaswamy temple.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a warm welcome in Tiruchirappalli during his visit to the renowned Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. The temple's priests expressed their happiness at his visit, calling it a blessed occasion. This visit is part of the Prime Minister's tour of significant temples in Tamil Nadu, where he will also attend Ramayana chanting sessions.

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Mission Divyastra: PM Modi hails first flight test of Made in India Agni-5 missile

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced India's first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile. In a social media post on X, the Prime Minister hailed DRDO scientists for Mission Divyastra. "Proud of our DRDO scientists for Mission Divyastra, the first flight test of indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology," PM Modi said.

PM Modi Big Announcement News Live: PM Modi announces 1st test flight of Agni-5 missile

— narendramodi (@narendramodi)

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, walks across the carpeted steps with Hindu priest Brahmaviharidas Swami to inaugurate the first stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle East, belonging to Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha in Abu Mureikha, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, is given a bouquet by Hindu priest Brahmaviharidas Swami during an event in Abu Mureikha, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. Modi visited the Middle East’s first traditional stone-built Hindu temple Wednesday, internationalizing both his re-election campaign and his effort to push India from a secular state into a Hindu state. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in light pink clothes, holds an urn with water as he inaugurates the first stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle East, belonging to Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha in Abu Mureikha, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center right, walks up the carpeted steps with Hindu priest Brahmaviharidas Swami after arriving for the opening ceremony of the first stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle East, belonging to Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha in Abu Mureikha, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, waves as he walks with Hindu priest Brahmaviharidas Swami after arriving for the opening ceremony of the first stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle East, belonging to Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha in Abu Mureikha, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, waves as he arrives for the opening ceremony of the first stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle East, belonging to Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha in Abu Mureikha, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, front left, looks at a miniature model of the first stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle East, belonging to Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, after arriving for the temple’s opening ceremony in Abu Mureikha, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Devotees blow conch shells before the opening of the first stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle East, in Abu Mureikha, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures during an event in Abu Mureikha, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. Modi visited the Middle East’s first traditional stone-built Hindu temple Wednesday, internationalizing both his re-election campaign and his effort to push India from a secular state into a Hindu state. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures during a speech in Abu Mureikha, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. Modi visited the Middle East’s first traditional stone-built Hindu temple Wednesday, internationalizing both his re-election campaign and his effort to push India from a secular state into a Hindu state. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

The first stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle East, belonging to Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha is seen before its opening ceremony in Abu Mureikha, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Devotees holding conch shells pose for photographs before the opening of the first stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle East, in Abu Mureikha, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, poses for a photograph with Hindu priests after inaugurating the first stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle East, belonging to Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha in Abu Mureikha, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

A group of devotees cheer as they pose for photographs before the opening of the first stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle East, in Abu Mureikha, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Devotees make last minute preparations before the opening of the first stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle East, belonging to Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha in Abu Mureikha, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducts a Hindu ritual as he inaugurates the first stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle East, belonging to Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha in Abu Mureikha, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

A reflection of the first stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle East, belonging to Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha is seen in water before its opening ceremony in Abu Mureikha, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

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ABU MUREIKHA, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Middle East’s first traditional stone-built Hindu temple on Wednesday, internationalizing both his reelection campaign and his effort to push secular India into a Hindu state.

The trip to the BAPS Hindu Mandir just north of the city of Abu Dhabi capped Modi’s whistlestop tour of the United Arab Emirates during which the Indian leader embraced the UAE’s president, describing him as a brother and also spoke before a global leaders at a Dubai summit .

Modi is widely expected to win a third term as prime minister in the upcoming elections in India, the world’s largest democracy. But Modi’s policies and his governing Bharatiya Janata Party have raised concerns over India’s future, particularly for members of its Muslim minority as they have come under attack in recent years by Hindu nationalist groups.

That has made warming Indian relations with the Muslim-led Gulf Arab states crucial not only for India’s energy security and for millions of its expatriate workers in the region, but also its international standing.

“Every part of the time that God has given me and the body that God has given me are all for Mother India,” Modi told the crowd gathered at the temple, drawing rapturous cheers in what at times resembled a campaign stop.

Even Hindu priest Brahmaviharidas Swami, who helped build the temple, made a point to repeatedly praise Modi’s work, calling him “the most beloved prime minister perhaps that India has ever had.”

The temple in Abu Mureikha was built by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha or BAPS, a worldwide religious and civic organization within the Swaminarayan sect. Modi has close ties to the organization.

Modi walked past the temple’s seven spires, a nod to the autocratic UAE’s seven sheikhdoms. He looked inside the temple, where earlier Wednesday a priest had consecrated the statues of deities, each worshipped by different Hindu denominations across India.

Modi waved to thousands gathered for the event, described as a Festival of Harmony. Children greeted Modi, others cheered as he toured the temple with priests.

“Today, the United Arab Emirates has written a golden chapter in human history,” Modi told the crowd. “A beautiful and divine temple is being inaugurated here. Many years of hard work have been involved behind this moment.”

Back in India, Modi in January opened a Hindu temple built on the ruins of a historic mosque in the northern city of Ayodhya.

That temple is dedicated to Hinduism’s Lord Ram and had been wanted by Hindus who describe it as restoring a religion suppressed by centuries of Mughal and British colonial rule. But the 1992 demolition of the mosque at the site trigged riots across India that killed 2,000 people, mostly Muslims.

Earlier Wednesday, Modi spoke before the World Governments Summit in Dubai, hosted by the city-state’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Much of the speech could be seen as a stump speech on the global stage, describing his years in power as pushing for “minimum government, maximum governance.”

“Over the years, the trust of the people of the country on the government of India has become stronger,” Modi said. “People have full faith in both the intentions and commitments of our government.”

“It is as a friend to the world that India is moving forward,” he said.

Modi’s personal touch on the trip, including embracing Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, seems aimed at further cementing ties with the UAE, an oil-rich country that supplies India’s energy needs while also serving as a home for some 3.5 million of his countrymen abroad. Modi at one point urged people to give Sheikh Mohammed a standing ovation at the event.

The relationship also underscores the Emirates’ realpolitik foreign policy. Modi received the Emirates’ top civilian honor in 2019 even as he stripped statehood from the disputed Muslim-majority region of Kashmir .

Associated Press writer Malak Harb in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

Tuesday, June 04, 2024 2:36 am (Paris)

• International

The Modi decade: Economic boom and democratic decline

India's Hindu nationalist prime minister, in office since 2014, is hoping to be reappointed on June 4 for a third term.

By  Sophie Landrin   (New Delhi, India, correspondent)

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When he came to power in 2014, Narendra Modi, a master in the art of storytelling, promised Indians a grand design. "I want in 10 years to make the 21st century, the century of India," he declared, appealing to the upper castes and the urban well-to-do, driven by dreams of pride and great power, but also to the poor in search of a better life.

Modi promised to change the country from top to bottom. But his record at the end of his first term was harshly judged. He failed his reforms, according to The Economist in 2019. Five more years have passed and the Hindu nationalist, who hopes to be re-elected on June 4 for a third term, is now committed to making India the world's third-largest economy by 2030 and a developed country by 2047, the centenary of India's independence. After ten years in power, his record shows an economy still in the making and a fragile democracy.

Rise of the economy

By 2022, India had risen to become the world's fifth economic power, ahead of the UK, with a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 7.8 % for fiscal year 2023-2024, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Largely underpinned by public investment, the services sector, mining and petroleum products, this growth, real or supposed – some economists are not entirely convinced – is not enough to absorb the new entrants to the labor market, all 10 million a year. As a result of an underdeveloped industry, India is experiencing an employment crisis that particularly affects young people: 42 % of young graduates are unemployed.

GDP per capita gives another idea of the country's wealth. At around $2,500 (€2,300) a year, it places the sub-continent 129 th in world rankings. Most of Modi's economic reforms – digitizing the economy, improving tax collection – had been prepared by his predecessor, Manmohan Singh. Modi implemented them, often brutally, as was the case with the introduction of a single VAT, the GST, in 2017, his major tax reform. This tax harmonization, imagined at the turn of the 2000s, took 17 years to materialize.

Infrastructure development

The digitization of payments launched in 2016 is arguably the best initiative of the last 10 years. It has considerably facilitated trade and reduced the flow of cash exchanges. People in India now pay for their purchases using their phones, thanks to a UPI (unified payments interface) real-time transaction platform. By 2023, the number of transactions will have exceeded 100 billion, with a value of €2,000 billion.

Infrastructure development has been the main driver of India's growth, along with services. Modi has built roads, bridges, hydroelectric dams and solar installations, boosting related sectors. Under his two mandates, the number of airports in the country doubled from 70 to 140. India now has modern, fast trains – more expensive than ordinary trains, which remain overcrowded, slow and uncomfortable.

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PM Modi's next 10-day plan: 12 states and UTs, 29 programmes and… | Details

On march 4, pm modi will visit telangana where he will unveil multiple development projects in adilabad and address a public meeting..

Ahead of the much-anticipated Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Monday, March 4, embark on a 10-day visit to 12 states and union territories (UTs) across the length and breadth of the country to attend 29 programmes.

Follow PM Modi visit LIVE Updates

As per the schedule shared by the officials, Modi will be visiting Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Delhi over the next 10 days in a bid to woo voters for the upcoming parliamentary polls.

Here's the 10-day scheduled visit of PM Modi:

March 4: Modi will visit Telangana where he will unveil multiple development projects in Adilabad and address a public meeting. Then he will proceed to Tamil Nadu's Kalpakkam where he will pay a visit to Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) and will address a public meeting in Chennai. Later in the day, he will depart for Hyderabad.

March 5: On day 2, he will attend several programmes and inaugurate several projects in Telangana's Sangareddy followed by a public address. He will then travel to Odisha where he will inaugurate, dedicate, and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects at Chandikhole, Jajpur, following a public address in Chandikhole. Later in the day, he will depart for West Bengal.

March 6: On Wednesday, Modi will be in Mamata Banerjee's bastion West Bengal, where he will inaugurate, dedicate, and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth Rs. 15,400 crore including Kolkata Metro's Howrah Maidan- Esplanade Metro section in Kolkata and address a public meeting in Barasat. Later, he will proceed to Bihar to attend several inauguration programmes worth around Rs. 12,800 crore in Bettiah.

Read here: What is PM Modi's ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ vision? NDA's next big plan ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections

March 7: On day 4 of his visit, Modi will travel to the erstwhile state and now a union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, where he is scheduled to address a public rally at the Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar. It will be PM Modi's first visit to the Kashmir valley after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Though, he had visited Jammu last month to inaugurate several development projects. He will later attend a media event in New Delhi.

March 8: On day 5, he will participate in the first-ever National Creator's Award in Delhi which he announced in his latest episode of Mann ki Baat, his monthly radio address to the people. Later he will travel to Assam in the evening to attend several development programmes.

March 9: On Saturday, PM Modi will be in north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh to inaugurate the Sela Tunnel in West Kameng followed by attending several launch programmes in capital Itanagar. Later, he will then proceed to Assam where he will unveil the statue of Lachit Barphukan in Jorhat followed by laying the foundation stone for multiple development projects there. Later in the day, PM Modi will visit West Bengal to inaugurate, dedicate, and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects in Siliguri, followed by a public address.

March 10: On Sunday, PM Modi will travel to Uttar Pradesh to attend several programs in Samajwadi Party's bastion Azamgarh. Ahead of the PM's visit, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday visited the city to take stock of the preparation at the possible venue of the public meeting at Manduri Airport.

March 11: On day 8, PM Modi will be in the national capital to attend 'Namo Drone Didi' and 'Lakhpati Didi' programs. Later, he will inaugurate the Haryana section of the Dwarka Expressway and in the evening, the prime minister will attend a DRDO event.

March 12: On day 9, PM Modi will visit Gujarat's Sabarmati and later will head to Rajasthan, touring Pokhran in Jaisalmer district.

March 13: In the last peg of his visit, PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of three semiconductor projects in Gujarat and Assam via video conferencing, followed by an outreach programme for disadvantaged sections of society.

Read here: 'Go all out, win': PM Modi's message to ministers at Viksit Bharat 2047 meet | 10 points

PM Modi has been in action mode and has been unveiling a slew of development projects worth lakhs of crores of rupees across the nation as he turns the spotlight on his government's development and welfare agenda in the run-up to the general elections, which are slated to take place in April-May this year.

Meanwhile, the BJP has also released its much-awaited first list of 195 candidates for the parliamentary polls fielding big stalwarts such as PM Modi from Varanasi and Amit Shah from Gujarat's Gandhinagar.

(With inputs from agencies)

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What does the death of a jailed Jesuit priest say about India's democracy under Modi?

MUMBAI, India — Two days before police finally came to arrest him, the Rev. Stan Swamy recorded a video of himself speaking directly into the camera.

"They want to put me out of the way," the ailing 83-year-old Jesuit priest said.

His voice sounded frail. But what he was saying was explosive.

The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, was targeting him in retaliation for his advocacy on behalf of Indigenous people in Indian jails. A sociologist as well as a Roman Catholic clergyman, Swamy had recently published a study of 3,000 people jailed for being members of banned Maoist groups. He found that 97% of them had no such affiliation and that many of their trials were held without lawyers, in a language they didn't understand. He'd filed a case on their behalf in the state court of Jharkhand, where he lived. All of this had embarrassed the government, he said.

Swamy's office had since been raided several times. Police hauled away a loaner laptop he'd recently started using and then came back for his old desktop computer. They interrogated him for 15 hours over five days, he said, about a terrorism plot he knew nothing about.

"Let us hope that some human sense will prevail," he said. "And if it does not, I am ready."

That video was recorded on Oct. 6, 2020. Two days later, Swamy was arrested, then imprisoned and repeatedly denied bail. Less than a year later, he was dead.

Born Stanislaus Lourduswamy in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the priest was one of 16 outspoken Modi critics who were jailed, one by one, in the aftermath of 2018 caste riots in western India. All were charged with terrorism offenses and conspiracy against the state, after police investigating the riots uncovered what they described as a brazen plot to assassinate the prime minister.

Swamy's 15 fellow prisoners included professors, lawyers, trade unionists and members of an improv theater troupe that performed skits poking fun at the government. All 16 denied the charges against them.

Swamy was accused of membership in the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), the same faction that some of the Indigenous people he helped were accused of being in. For decades, Maoist guerrillas have recruited from India's Indigenous tribes and waged an insurgency against the Indian state and its representatives — security forces and elected leaders — in tribal areas where Swamy worked.

The evidence appeared to be damning: Letters and minutes of alleged terrorist cell meetings were found on Swamy's and his co-defendants' computers. One of the letters proposed a suicide attack against Modi.

But the suspects, their lawyers and independent experts who've reviewed the evidence in this case say the prisoners were framed. They say someone hacked into the suspects' phones and laptops and planted fake evidence on them.

Digital forensics investigators trace the hack back to Modi's government. Indian police and government officials deny that. But the case has drawn condemnation from Human Rights Watch , Amnesty International , Catholic cardinals and bishops , and many other groups — as well as scrutiny from a U.S. government commission and the United Nations .

"There were cases of files being planted, and then like the next day, the arrests went down. You could go your whole career in this industry and never find something that's as obvious," says Tom Hegel, a Washington-based cybersecurity expert who reviewed evidence in this case. "It's a slam-dunk. This is fabricated."

More than six years after the start of this case, the 15 remaining suspects are still awaiting trial. Seven have been granted bail. Eight remain in prison. And Modi is expected to win a third term, when election results come out this week.

Swamy may have been the oldest person ever charged with terrorism in India. What happened to him is emblematic of what is happening to India under a democratically elected leader with autocratic tendencies. Under Modi, India has not only stripped away legal protections for minorities and those who seek to defend them. It has also allegedly used cyberwarfare to attack them and silence them — with impunity.

This story has percolated for more than six years. Most of the digital forensics evidence obtained by NPR and published here has also appeared in Indian media . But despite outrage from human rights groups and criticism from the United Nations, the United States and Catholic Church officials, there has been no reexamination of this case by Indian authorities.

Erosion of democracy in the world's largest one

Government-sponsored cyberhacking may be common in authoritarian countries like China or Russia. But India is the world's biggest democracy.

Some in the West may have been surprised by allegations that Indian diplomats were involved in the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada last year and that other Indian officials may have been involved in trying to commit a similar crime on U.S. soil .

But Freedom House, a Washington-based nonprofit that measures democratic decline, classifies India as only "partly free." It says those involved in investigating human rights abuses "face threats, legal harassment, excessive police force, and occasionally lethal violence" themselves. It also accuses Modi's Hindu nationalist government of politicizing the judiciary and denying its opponents due process.

In March, one of Modi's top rivals, Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the opposition Aam Aadmi Party, was jailed on bribery allegations . The largest opposition party, the Indian National Congress, had its bank accounts frozen in a tax dispute. The timing of both, just before voting began in the current elections, prompted the U.S. State Department to call for "timely legal processes" for each. Those bank accounts have since been unfrozen, and Kejriwal has since been freed on bail , after missing several weeks of campaigning and voting, in elections that last six weeks and in which voting happens in stages.

Years before this, though, the case that ensnared Swamy was an earlier bellwether for India's democratic decline under Modi, his critics say.

It began with riots on the 200th anniversary of a rare victory for Indian minorities

The defendants in this case worked with three Indian minority groups: Indigenous people, or Adivasis, who comprise more than 8% of the population , or more than 100 million people; India's 200 million Muslims , the country's largest religious minority, increasingly demonized and marginalized under Modi's Hindu nationalist rule; and those on the lower rungs of South Asia's caste hierarchy, including about 200 million Dalits , who used to be called "untouchable" and have long been shunned by other castes as such.

On New Year's Eve 2017, tens of thousands of members of minority groups who supported left-wing parties gathered en masse on the banks of the Bhima River in western India's Maharashtra state. They were there to celebrate the 200th anniversary, the following day, of a rare battlefield victory for Dalits.

In the 1818 Battle of Bhima Koregaon , a ragtag army of Dalits and other oppressed people fought an army of upper-caste elites called Peshwas — and won. More than a century later, the battle inspired the author of India's Constitution, B.R. Ambedkar, on his crusade to abolish untouchability and to write affirmative action into Indian law.

But when minority members amassed on the riverbank on the last night of 2017 and first day of 2018, there were counterdemonstrations by members of upper-caste groups, most of whom supported Modi's right-wing party. Violence erupted after thousands of Dalits recited a pledge, in unison, vowing not to vote for Modi in the 2019 elections. They called his political party — in power at the time at the state and national levels — a Hindu supremacist group.

"In retrospect, that pledge was important, actually. ... The government was scared," says Anuradha Sonule, 35, a member of a theater troupe that performed at the anniversary celebrations. "We gathered people in quantity."

Her theater troupe, called Kabir Kala Manch, is infamous in India. Most of its members are Dalit or Muslim activists, and several had been in and out of jail for alleged affiliation with banned communist groups — even before the 2018 battle anniversary.

Indians have traditionally voted along caste and clan lines. But Modi has changed that. He has sought to unite all Hindu voters. He comes from a lower-caste community himself, even though his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has upper-caste roots.

So it must have rattled the BJP, Sonule says, to see tens of thousands of members of minority groups denouncing the prime minister on live TV. This, as well as the presence at the rally of well-known Modi detractors and dissidents, may have set in motion what happened next, she says.

A day after that pledge, on Jan. 1, 2018, riots broke out between rival demonstrators in villages along the Bhima River. Cars were burned. Neighbors attacked one another along caste lines. At least one person was killed, and dozens were injured. It was never clear who started it.

Who was behind the riots?

One of the politicians who led that anti-Modi pledge from a stage at the rally believes the violence was not spontaneous.

"This was preplanned, and the government was involved in it," insists Prakash Ambedkar, Dalit leader B.R. Ambedkar's grandson. Prakash Ambedkar leads a Dalit political party and has served three terms in India's Parliament.

He accuses the Maharashtra state branch of Modi's BJP of instigating the violence at the Bhima River and then blaming it on left-wing opponents — in order to silence them ahead of the 2019 election.

The state branch of the BJP did not respond to NPR's request for comment. But in an affidavit filed in court, it said the violence was part of a left-wing conspiracy to turn Dalits — a group the BJP had been making inroads with — against the party.

Police initally arrested two upper-caste men in the days after the riots, for allegedly instigating them. But about a week later, they were released and the cases against them dropped. Then police arrested three members of Sonule's left-wing theater troupe, and a new theory emerged.

"Somewhere along the way, police stopped looking into all the other complaints and concentrated on this one complaint that said the violence was a result of a giant conspiracy by underground left-wing elements," says Shalini Gera, a lawyer for one of the other defendants. "And that's when the police started adding terror charges."

The suspects were charged under India's Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act , which allows authorities to seize property and hold terrorism suspects without bail. The U.S. State Department has cited the law in annual reports on India's "significant human rights issues."

As the investigation passed from local to federal authorities, they cast a wider net. They started arresting people who had past contact with rally attendees but weren't present themselves. These included some of India's most famous human rights activists — now known as the BK-16.

Stan Swamy was one of them.

Swamy had never been to Bhima Koregaon. That didn't matter

More than a year after the 2018 riots, Swamy called the Mumbai law offices of an old acquaintance, Mihir Desai. The two had met in the 1980s, working on lawsuits filed by the families of coal miners killed on the job in eastern India.

"He asked me, 'What is this Bhima Koregaon thing?' He had no clue about it," Desai recalls. "But the police were at his door, interrogating him about it."

At the time of the January 2018 riots, Swamy was on the other side of the country, at his home in the eastern state of Jharkhand. But police were investigating whether he — as a prominent advocate for Indigenous people — may have incited his followers to violence, even from afar. In the summer of 2018, his name started popping up on nationalist TV channels. News anchors called him an enemy of the state.

In October 2020, Swamy made his selfie video, denouncing the allegations.

"What is happening to me is not unique. We are all aware how prominent intellectuals, lawyers, writers, poets, activists, student leaders are all put into jail just because they have expressed their dissent or raised questions about the ruling powers of India," he said into the camera. "I am part of it, part of the game, and ready to pay the price."

Two days later, on Oct. 8, 2020, he was arrested.

How the Indian government sees this

Local and state police and federal authorities did not respond to several NPR requests for comment over a period of nearly three years, between Swamy's July 2021 death and the time of this publication. Neither did the Indian equivalent of the FBI, the National Investigation Agency. A BJP spokesperson declined to speak with NPR on the record. The party has publicly denied any wrongdoing .

To Indian authorities, the Bhima Koregaon riots were a thread they pulled at, which unraveled and led them to what they claim was a bigger plot by leftists to overthrow Modi's government. Not only were Maoists waging guerrilla war against the Indian state in the jungle, as they had for years, but they now also had sympathizers — sleeper cells — in academia and human rights circles.

It's possible — perhaps even likely — that Swamy did have contact with Maoists in the course of his work with India's Indigenous tribes, his former colleagues say.

"It's difficult to tell who is a Maoist! You organize a meeting of 30, 40, 50 people, and someone will later say one of the guys in the back was a Maoist," says the Rev. Joe Xavier, a fellow Jesuit and longtime associate of Swamy. "But if or when he found out, Stan would have cut ties. He would never knowingly associate with them."

People close to him say it's unlikely, though, that Swamy could have typed up notes for Maoists in the form of the alleged minutes of terrorist cell meetings found by police on his computer. They say he didn't have the dexterity. He had Parkinson's disease.

"He was a one-finger, slow typist," his lawyer Desai says.

Digital forensics analysts outside India say the evidence was planted by hackers

Swamy's computers are still in Indian police custody. But cloned copies were shared with his lawyers, who then shared the data with Arsenal Consulting , a Massachusetts-based digital forensics firm that has done analysis in other high-profile cases, including the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. (The firm says Swamy's loaner laptop was clean; that may explain why, lawyers say, police returned to seize his desktop computer, on which incriminating evidence was eventually found.)

Arsenal shared its pro bono analysis of Swamy's desktop computer with NPR. (It was first shared with The Washington Post in late 2022. Other reports have been shared with Wired magazine .)

The Arsenal report about Swamy's computer is a 25-page technical document that defense lawyers have submitted to the court. It concludes: "This is one of the most serious cases involving evidence tampering that Arsenal has ever encountered."

Here are the report's main findings:

• It started as a phishing attack. On Oct. 19, 2014, Swamy opened a document that had been weaponized with NetWire, a type of malware. For nearly five years after that, the hacker or hackers had access to Swamy's computer.
• Starting in July 2017, the hacker dropped dozens of files into a hidden folder on Swamy's machine. These are the alleged minutes of terrorist cell meetings that police later uncovered. Swamy never opened them and was probably unaware they were there.
• Whoever did this is probably the same hacker who infiltrated the computers of at least three of Swamy's co-defendants. The hacker used the same malware, linked to the same servers. In Swamy's case, though, the hacker inserted profanity — in English — into the coding.
• The night before Swamy's computers were confiscated by police, in June 2019, the hacker tried to cover up his or her digital footprints — erasing malware and surveillance data.

Desai, the lawyer, calls that timing "very, very, suspicious." "The only people who knew his house was going to be raided was the National Investiga[tion] Agency," he says. "So unless they informed the hacker — or unless they are the hacker — this doesn't make sense any other way."

The NIA did not respond to NPR's request for comment. In court documents , it alleges Swamy was more computer savvy than he appeared, and took steps to encrypt his own messages. But the NIA has not publicly addressed the timing of its raids.

Arsenal was unable to identify the hacker or hackers. But someone else might.

The work of this hacker looked familiar

Tom Hegel, a Washington-based threat researcher with the cybersecurity firm SentinelOne , reviewed Arsenal's analysis of Swamy's desktop computer and said the hacker looks familiar. It looks like a "threat actor" — an individual or a collective — he has tracked for years and given a name: ModifiedElephant .

"It's almost like a safari. I pursue different species of hackers and categorize them," Hegel explains. "We created the ModifiedElephant threat actor name to refer to a decade of activity against 100 individuals in India, spread across journalism, human rights defenders, academia — and even legal professionals tied to the BK-16."

Just as with Swamy, the ModifiedElephant hacker often uses phishing to plant malware on a victim's device. Once it gets access, it operates like a remote administrator, taking over the computer, sending emails and planting files, or erasing existing ones.

"Then the police arrest these individuals and do their quote-unquote 'forensics' on the devices and say, 'Hey, we found this Word document that's a plot to assassinate PM Modi — you're guilty of that,'" Hegel says. "However, you can prove that file came through the session that was operated by this ModifiedElephant attacker. This would never be done legitimately by a user."

After monitoring a decade of ModifiedElephant's behavior and considering the identities of its targets, Hegel says he thinks it's a group of hackers who are either part of the Indian government or third-party contractors hired by it.

"All of this does tie back, high confidence, to the Indian government," he says.

The Indian government denies that. Officials from the BJP declined to speak on the record. But based on background conversations with those familiar with their thinking, their view appears to be this: Even if Swamy was hacked, there's no evidence it came from the prime minister, or that Modi even knew about it. It may have been some renegade hacker, unaffiliated with the party or government, whom government officials don't know.

Hegel is one of several cyberthreat experts who've reviewed Arsenal's findings, done their own pro bono analysis of evidence in this case and shared their conclusions with NPR. They also include officials from the Citizen Lab , a nonprofit affiliated with the University of Toronto, and Amnesty International's technology branch, called Amnesty Tech .

Hegel, from SentinelOne, traced the malware found on Swamy's desktop computer to backup email addresses and recovery phone numbers associated with the police officers who arrested Swamy. The server and IP address that those police officers use was also used by the hacker, he says.

"That was the smoking gun," Hegel says. "It's like the crown jewel of examples of this operator having a sense of impunity."

Researchers from the Citizen Lab also matched a selfie used as the profile image on the WhatsApp account for one of those phone numbers to the face of a police officer who appeared at news conferences involving the BK-16 and in news footage of the arrest of one of Swamy's co-defendants.

NPR has not been able to independently verify the identity of anyone who allegedly hacked Swamy.

In India, reaction has been muted

Much of this has already been reported in India . But there hasn't been much blowback. Nobody has resigned. Police have not been fired or even investigated. They haven't responded to NPR's interview requests about Swamy, going back to his 2021 death, or about the alleged hacking, going back to September 2023.

Meanwhile, Indian lawyers and journalists looking into this case are among dozens or hundreds of people in India who've found Pegasus spyware on their devices . It's a surveillance tool that's made by an Israeli company and used only by governments. The Indian government has refused to confirm or deny whether it uses Pegasus. (NPR has not yet submitted its own devices for analysis of whether they may have been infected with Pegasus during this reporting.)

At least one of the BK-16 defendants, activist Rona Wilson, had a smartphone that was infected with Pegasus before his arrest, according to a separate forensic analysis by Amnesty International's Security Lab .

"There is a really worrying, disturbing pattern of spyware attacks in India," says Becka White, a campaigner with Amnesty Tech . "It's part of a broader pattern of dissent being crushed, freedom of expression being stifled, people speaking truth to power and being targeted."

NPR is quoting experts outside India here because many in the country said they were too scared to speak on the record.

In recent years, Indian tax authorities have raided the BBC's offices in Delhi and Mumbai , frozen bank accounts for international charities and forced Amnesty International out of the country . An Indian expatriate working in Europe for a big human rights organization declined to speak to NPR for the radio version of this story unless their voice could be disguised.

Swamy died before he could clear his name. His co-defendants are still awaiting justice

In the summer of 2021, another of the BK-16, Sudha Bharadwaj — a mathematician turned lawyer who also worked with India's Indigenous tribes — received a letter from Swamy, written in a shaky hand. They were both incarcerated, at different prisons, where letters arrived after a long delay. Bharadwaj was released on bail in December 2021 and showed the letter to NPR.

Swamy began the letter by asking about the health of his co-defendants. Indian prisons are notoriously overcrowded, and this was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Hoping both of you will be well soon," Swamy wrote, referring to Bharadwaj and Shoma Sen, another of the BK-16 who was in the same women's prison. (Sen was freed on bail in April after nearly six years behind bars.) "We all have to outlive the critical period we're going through. A lot of people are in solidarity with us. But finally, we are the ones to plough through the rugged field."

"We have to outlive," Bharadwaj repeats the words as she reads aloud Swamy's last letter.

They were some of his last words.

Later that summer, Swamy's health deteriorated. He was transferred out of prison and into a Mumbai hospital. On July 5, he died of cardiac arrest, complications from COVID-19, Parkinson's and, his lawyers say, dismal prison conditions. He was 84.

His death made headlines in India and abroad. His body was cremated, in accordance with hospital rules during the pandemic. Some of his ashes were taken on tour across India and then scattered at Bagaicha, a social action center for Indigenous people in Jharkhand where Swamy had lived. His Catholic order, the Jesuits, held a memorial ceremony in Rome .

Swamy's death "will forever remain a stain on India's human rights record," Mary Lawlor, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights defenders, said in a statement .

Some of Swamy's ashes were also buried in a small cemetery, ringed by bright pink bougainvillea flowers, outside a Jesuit chapel in northern Mumbai, near the hospital where he died. That's where NPR met one of the last people to see him alive.

Prison guards had been present in Swamy's hospital room. But they allowed one of his fellow priests to enter. The Rev. Frazer Mascarenhas says he found Swamy calm and unafraid.

"He was totally confident of the law," Mascarenhas recalls. "He was confident that the Indian judiciary and constitution would see him and his people through."

Freelance producer Shweta Desai contributed to this story from Mumbai and Pune, India.

Copyright 2024 NPR

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