‘BJP uses communal hatred to divert attention from real issues’, says RG as Bharat Jodo Yatra rolls into capital

News Network
December 24, 2022

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New Delhi, Dec 12: Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra rolled into national capital with the 'mohabbat ki dukaan' (shop of love) in a ‘nafrat ka bazaar' (market of hatred), covering around 2,800 km of the 3,570 km Kanyakumari to Kashmir walkathon, before taking a short break ahead of New Year but only after making some bold political statements.

The yatra reached Red Fort after covering around 23 km in the capital in the evening with Rahul addressing a 'Jan Sabha' with the iconic Mughal era monument from where the prime ministers address the nation on the Independence Day as the backdrop.

Rahul was to drive to memorials of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi as well as former Prime Minister AB Vajpayee, who belonged to his political rival BJP against which he has started the yatra, on Saturday but it has been rescheduled as the padayatra could not reach the destination on time due to “surging crowd”.

The choice of visiting Vajpayee’s samadhi, which usually the Congress leaders have avoided so far, is seen as an interesting move by Rahul, who has been projecting the yatra as one that is uniting the country against the spread of hatred by the BJP-RSS.

The yatra entered the capital in south-east Delhi Badarpur from Haryana’s Faridabad early morning and then moved towards Ashram where it had the morning halt. When the yatra resumed in the afternoon, it passed through Nizamuddin, India Gate, ITO, Daryaganj and finally touched Red Fort. In Nizamuddin, Rahul also visited the historic Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya Dargah while actor-politician Kamal Haasan joined him towards the end of the yatra.

At the Jan Sabha near Red Fort where Kamal Haasan was also present, Rahul said he has appealed to people to open ‘mohabbat ka dukan’ in ‘nafrat ka bazaar’ and now people have opened “lakhs of mohabbat ka dukan”. 

Like a pick-pocket who distracts one’s attention before the act, he said, the media is being used to distract people’s attention from real issues, as it benefits its owners. “I have walked 2,800 km now and I don’t see hatred among people. But when I watch TV, I see such stories. Hindu-Muslim, Hindu-Muslim…Why does the media spread hatred?...Your attention is diverted and your pocket is picked” he said.

He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “not in control” of his government. “This is not Modi’s government. This is Ambani and Adani’s government,” he said adding, “the Prime Minister cannot control. He is being controlled.”

Rahul said he was asked by the media whether he is feeling the winter chill but he thought that they would ask this question actually to the farmers, labourers and the poor.

In the morning session, Rahul was also joined by former Congress President and his mother Sonia Gandhi as well as his sister and party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, her husband Robert Vadra and their children. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge joined him at Red Fort.

Thousands of party workers and supporters joined throughout the yatra route, which adorned posters and party flags, by raising slogans ‘Bharat Jodo’ and ‘Rahul Gandhi Zindabad’.

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News Network
November 21,2025

Bantwal: A domestic dispute appears to have led to a violent confrontation in BC Road area, where the owner of a textile shop was allegedly attacked with a knife by his wife on Wednesday evening.

Krishna Kumar Somayaji, the owner of Somayaji Textiles, sustained serious injuries in the incident and was immediately taken to a hospital for treatment. He is currently receiving care in the intensive care unit and is reported to have survived the assault, according to police.

The Bantwal Town police have registered a case against Somayaji's wife, Jyothi KT, who has since been taken into custody.

Police stated that the complainant, Namita, an employee at the shop, reported the sequence of events. She stated that around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, the suspect entered the shop, wearing a burqa and disguised as a customer, before attacking Somayaji with a knife. The employee then transported the injured owner to a local hospital via an autorickshaw.

Superintendent of Police Arun K confirmed that an ongoing domestic dispute between Somayaji and his wife reportedly preceded the attack. Police noted that Jyothi KT had previously visited the shop and issued threats.

Based on the complaint, Bantwal Town police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Indian Arms Act-1959. An investigation into the incident is currently underway.

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News Network
November 24,2025

Mangaluru, Nov 24: The original departure time of 11.10 pm was a distant memory for scores of Dammam-bound passengers at Mangaluru International Airport last Friday night, as their Air India Express flight was abruptly cancelled at the eleventh hour, sparking hours of frustration and chaos.

The flight, IX 885, initially scheduled to depart at 11.10 pm on November 22, was subject to two back-to-back reschedules—first pushed to 11.45 pm and then significantly postponed to 1.40 am—before the final, crushing announcement of cancellation was made. For the travellers, many of whom are likely expatriate workers with tight schedules, the last-minute change marked the beginning of a distressing ordeal.

"There was no drinking water, no food, and absolutely no proper guidance. We were left stranded like refugees," complained a stranded passenger.

According to multiple passenger accounts, the airline's ground staff failed to provide adequate support or essential amenities following the cancellation. Complaints poured in about the total absence of drinking water, food provisions, and any reliable guidance from the carrier's representatives. Travellers alleged they were left stranded for a considerable period, with no immediate arrangements or clear communication offered regarding accommodation or alternative travel to send them back home.

The incident has highlighted serious concerns over the carrier's contingency planning and customer service protocols during flight disruptions at one of India's key international gateways. The airline is yet to issue a comprehensive statement addressing the alleged lapse in passenger care.
 

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News Network
November 21,2025

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Local authorities say the Israeli military has expanded the so-called “yellow line” truce demarcation in Gaza City and repositioned its forces deeper into the territory in violation of a ceasefire agreement that came into force on October 10, besieging dozens of Palestinian families.

Gaza’s Government Media Office announced in a statement on Thursday that Israeli forces widened the boundary by shifting the markers, and advanced roughly 300 meters (984 feet) into the neighborhoods of Ash-Shaaf, An-Nazzaz and Baghdad Street.

The move pushed further into civilian areas, trapping families who were unable to flee as tanks rolled forward, it added.

“The fate of many of these families remains unknown amidst the shelling that targeted the area,” the office said, adding that the expansion of the yellow line shows a “blatant disregard” for the ceasefire deal.

On Friday, sources said the Israeli military carried out continued air and artillery strikes inside the so-called “yellow line” east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to the reports, Israeli warplanes and tanks targeted areas within the zone. One Palestinian was reported killed and several others wounded in the strikes, the sources said.

The fresh aggression came only a day after 25 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City and Khan Younis on Wednesday.

The media office reported that Israel has consistently violated the truce deal since its implementation last month, with near-daily attacks by air, artillery and direct shootings.

The office said over 400 violations have been documented. These breaches have resulted in the deaths of more than 300 Palestinians and left hundreds injured.

The Government Media Office in Gaza urged the guarantors of the ceasefire — the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey — to take swift action to halt the ongoing violations and facilitate the delivery of food, shelter materials, medical aid, and infrastructure equipment.

The so-called “yellow line,” set out in the agreement between Israel and Hamas resistance movement, refers to a non-physical partition where the Israeli military repositioned itself when the truce deal took effect.

It has allowed Israel, which routinely fires at Palestinians who approach the line, to retain control over more than half of the Gaza Strip.

International bodies, including the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, and other rights groups, have concluded that the Israeli war on Gaza amounts to genocide.

In the attacks in Gaza since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 69,546 people and injured 170,833 others, leveling large swaths of the territory and displacing almost all of the population. 

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