Don't vote on caste lines, rivals busy saving black money: Modi

January 2, 2017

Lucknow, Jan 2: Urging people of Uttar Pradesh to rise above caste considerations in the upcoming Assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today attacked rival parties, saying those preoccupied with saving blackmoney and their families cannot bring development.

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Targeting Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP), the PM said the two never see eye-to-eye on any issue but are now together demanding his removal as he is working to root out blackmoney.

"Have you ever seen SP and BSP together..if SP says it is sunrise, the BSP will say it is sunset. After so many years both have come together on an issue and are saying 'Modi ko badlo' (change Modi), 'Modi ko hatao' (remove Modi) but Modi is saying change your notes, remove blackmoney," he said at party's mahaparivartan rally here.

The Prime Minister also took a swipe at Congress saying, "There are some parties which are nowhere in picture. There is one party which has been trying in vain for the last 15 years to establish the son."

There is another party "whose worry is where to keep money. It is looking for banks far and wide," the PM said in an apparent swipe at Mayawati-led BSP, which has come under scanner for alleged huge bank deposits post demonetisation.

"There is this third party which is using all its strength to focus on the family's fate," he said referring to the feud in Mulayam Singh Yadav's clan.

"People of UP have to decide if a party whose leaders are busing saving their money will be able to save UP. Or the party which is completely occupied in family (infighting) will be able to save UP.

"Somebody has to save money, somebody has to save family but it is only us who are here to save UP," the Prime Minister said. He also came down heavily on Samajwadi Party government in the state, alleging that it was doing politics at the cost of development and has no time to procure paddy from farmers despite the Centre's support.

Elated over the turnout at the rally, he said not just BJP, but the state's development had been "exiled" for 14 years and the situation will change soon.

"People of the state have already seen politics of caste and family... For once rise above caste and vote only for development in the elections and see whether UP changes or not," Modi said.
Starting his speech by eulogising former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who represented Lucknow in the Lok Sabha, Modi said that the BJP patriarch will be very satisfied to see people's response here.

Invoking Bhimrao Ambedkar, the Prime Minister claimed that some people were troubled when his government launched Bhim mobile app named after the dalit icon.

"Will politics stoop so low..... we launched Bhim mobile app a couple of days ago and named it after Bhimrao Ambedkar who was an expert in economy...if dealings in the future business is named after Bhim why is it troubling some people."

"I want that we go to villages to all those carrying mobile phone and ask them to download the app and remember Bhim everywhere...this will be the biggest tribute to Bhimrao Ambedkar," he said. Referring to his New Year eve address when he launched schemes for the poor, he said some people were troubled by it also. "They are troubled when Modi takes money and also when gives it (to the poor). Their problem is that their chairs are shaking.

"They have become irrelevant and are looking for lost ground by indulging in politics of opposing," he said ,adding that he has taken a resolve to return what has been snatched away from the deprived and middle class.

The fight against corruption will continue till it is fully uprooted and "so we want the blessings of the people of Uttar Pradesh," he said urging the voters to give a majority to BJP in the state polls.

"The central government now takes decisions on its own. The country has got a prime minister, a government whose high command is only people. It has happened for the first time in 30 years that there is a government whose high command is the 125 crore people of India," Modi said.

The PM said since he is an MP from the state he has experienced how government is run here. Modi said he was appalled to know that in his own Varanasi constituency works are decided after seeing who has made the recommendation for construction of roads or pathways. "My MPs have been complaining day and night that their works were not being done by the UP government," he said.

"Ever since our government came to power in Delhi every year Rs one lakh crore more had been given to the state through the Finance Commission...had that been used properly a lot of difference would have been made here.... development is not a priority of the state government," he said.

Referring to schemes launched for farmers, he said, "UP government is not ready to take responsibility. They instigate farmers but politics should not be played with the people and it needs to remain confined among political parties."

"There should not be any politics in development. People have to bear its brunt. Farmers work hard but when central government sets MSP, I have to say with pain that despite all help from the Government of India, UP government has no time to purchase paddy from farmers," he said. He said "the massive turnout" at the sprawling Ramabai Ambedkar rally sthal showed which way the wind is blowing.

In times when people do not have a long memory, Modi said, people still remember the BJP governments 14 years ago headed by Kalyan Singh, Ram Prakash and Rajnath Singh.
"The issue is not of BJP's exile... the issue is that development had been exiled in the state for 14 years and today I am seeing an opportunity here for development of the state which was necessary for the development of the country," he said.

Seeking full majority in the coming elections, Modi said, "I have to tell people that they should not bring a change which is half-baked and ensure a government with full majority so that there is no impediment in development."

Questioning the law and order situation in the state, Modi said honest citizens have to worry about criminals, land grabbers and safety of their daughters and sisters. "BJP governments have shown before and if given a chance my party promises to provide a peaceful life and rule of law in the state," he stressed.

These elections could be an issue of who becomes CM or MLA for other parties, but for BJP the coming elections are not about winning or losing, Modi said. "I want to tell BJP workers that the UP elections are not an issue of victory or defeat but an election which will assign you responsibility for which we have to become capable and move ahead. "We are going to get this big responsibility," Modi said adding parytmen will have to move ahead with the motto of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas'.

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News Network
December 16,2025

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The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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News Network
December 13,2025

New Delhi: School-going children are picking up drug and smoking habits and engaging in consumption of alcohol, with the average age of introduction to such harmful substances found to be around 13 years, suggesting a need for earlier interventions as early as primary school, a multi-city survey by AIIMS-Delhi said.

The findings also showed substance use increased in higher grades, with grade XI/XII students two times more likely to report use of substances when compared with grade VIII students. This emphasised the importance of continued prevention and intervention through middle and high school.

The study led by Dr Anju Dhawan of AIIMS's National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, published in the National Medical Journal of India this month, looks at adolescent substance use across diverse regions.

The survey included 5,920 students from classes 8, 9, 11 and 12 in urban government, private and rural schools across 10 cities -- Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Delhi, Dibrugarh, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jammu, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Ranchi. The data were collected between May 2018 and June 2019.

The average age of initiation for any substance was 12.9 (2.8) years. It was lowest for inhalants (11.3 years) followed by heroin (12.3 years) and opioid pharmaceuticals (without prescription; 12.5 years).

Overall, 15.1 per cent of participants reported lifetime use, 10.3 per cent reported past year use, and 7.2 per cent reported use in the past month of any substance, the study found.

The most common substances used in the past year, after tobacco (4 per cent) and alcohol (3.8 per cent), were opioids (2.8 per cent), followed by cannabis (2 per cent) and inhalants (1.9 per cent). Use of non-prescribed pharmaceutical opioids was most common among opioid users (90.2 per cent).

On being asked, 'Do you think this substance is easily available for a person of your age' separately for each substance category, nearly half the students (46.3 per cent) endorsed that tobacco products and more than one-third of the students (36.5 per cent) agreed that a person of their age can easily procure alcohol products.

Similarly, for Bhang (21.9 per cent), ganja/charas (16.1 per cent), inhalants (15.2 per cent), sedatives (13.7 per cent), opium and heroin (10 per cent each), the students endorsed that these can be easily procured.

About 95 per cent of the children, irrespective of their grade, agreed with the statement that 'drug use is harmful'.

The rates of substance use (any) among boys were significantly higher than those of girls for substance use (ever), use in the past year and use in the past 30 days. Compared to grade VIII students, grade IX students were more likely, and grade XI/XII students were twice as likely to have used any substance (ever).

The likelihood of past-year use of any substance was also higher for grade IX students and for grade XI/XII students as compared to grade VIII students.

About 40 per cent of students mentioned that they had a family member who used tobacco or alcohol each. The use of cannabis (any product) and opioid (any product) by a family member was reported by 8.2 per cent and 3.9 per cent of students, respectively, while the use of other substances, such as inhalants/sedatives by family was 2-3 per cent, the study found.

A relatively smaller percentage of students reported use of tobacco or alcohol among peers as compared to among family members, while a higher percentage reported inhalants, sedatives, cannabis or opioid use among peers.

Children using substances (past year) compared to non-users reported significantly higher any substance use by their family members and peers.

There were 25.7 per cent students who replied 'yes' to the question 'conflicts/fights often occur in your family'. Most students also replied affirmatively to 'family members are aware of how their time is being spent' and 'damily members are aware of with whom they spend their time'.

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