Jaswant deprecates veneration of individual by BJP

March 30, 2014

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Jaisalmer, Mar 30: In a sharp attack on Narendra Modi and BJP campaign centric around him, expelled party veteran Jaswant Singh today deprecated "veneration" of an individual and said world was full of graveyards of those who are considered indispensable to their nation.

Singh, who was expelled by the party yesterday for six years for refusing to withdraw his nomination as an independent form Barmer, further added that no political party should become handmaiden of an individual.

He also hit hard at BJP president Rajhnath Singh saying that he had cautioned the party about his (Rajnath Singh's) presidency and that the party would be victim of his decision.

Singh said, "I don't think veneration of an individual is a proper attitude for a political party. There was a very great leader of France who said that graveyards of world are full of those who are considered indispensable to their nations.

"We must learn the essence of this. Individuals are transitory. The nation and political organisations that aspire to or endeavour to serve the country must not become handmaiden of individuals."

The former Union Minister was reacting to BJP coining the "Namo" chant and glorification of individuals over party.

On a question whether it was a good thing to announce Prime Minister in advance, he said good or bad it has happened. "Samay bataega aur Bharat bhugtega," he said.

Singh said he was deeply "wounded" by decision of BJP to not let him contest from Barmer despite his plea that he wanted to serve his motherland in what could be his last term in the Lok Sabha.

The new avatar of BJP in which senior leaders are being sidelined is making the party "destructably (sic) aggressive" instead of getting progressive, Singh said here today.

The nine-time MP, who was one of the founding office bearers of the party, has decided to contest as an independent against BJP candidate Col Sonaram from here who switched over from Congress barely three days before getting a ticket.

Announcing his suspension yesterday, the party had said, "As per section 25(9) of the party's constitution, any leader contesting against the party's official candidate is liable for immediate expulsion.

"Accordingly, as per BJP president's directions, Jaswant Singh, MP... has been expelled from the party for six years with immediate effect."

Slamming the party's decision against fielding him from Barmer, Singh said that its move to give the ticket to Sonaram had added to his dismay.

"The seat was not decided on 19th (March). I asked Rajnath ji what is the matter and he said he would let me know by (the next day).

"On 20th of March, on telephone when I asked him again, he said 'no, you are not the candidate from Barmer'. It was very wounding.

"And it became doubly so when the party announced that the candidate would be a Congress outcast (Col Sonaram). I simply could not understand how that was done," he said.

Retired Colonel Sonaram Choudhary, fighting on a Congress ticket, had lost to Singh's son Manvendra in 2004 elections by more than two lakh votes. Ruling NDA was defeated by Congress in the 2004 elections.

The surprise announcement of Choudhary has left local BJP workers confused as they have been opposing him for over two decades.

However, when asked whether he would extend support to BJP if he wins the elections, Singh said it was a hypothetical question. On joining any political formation, Singh said he would take the decision after consulting his electorate.

"When I win this election, if the question of my any other political affiliation arises, I will come back to this land and its people and ask them what they want me to do as they would have sent me to Parliament," he said.

Singh said he is a nine-time MP and in each term he followed the instructions of senior party leaders like Bhairon Singh Shekhawat to contest from particular seat, but this being his last election, he wanted to serve the area where he was born.

Jaswant Singh said he had conveyed his wish of contesting from Barmer to his colleagues in Parliament, including LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Venkaiah Naidu, after which a response was sought from local party office bearers and MLAs, all of whom favoured his candidature.

"Then a myth was put out by the Chief Minister (Vasundhara Raje) when Advani asked 'if seven MLAs are saying Jaswant Singh, why not him'. To which the Chief Minister replied (this was told to me by Mr Advani himself) in writing saying Jaswant Singh, but privately didn't favour him. So, I spoke to some friends here 'is that what you did' and they said 'not at all this is total fabrication'," he said.

When asked whether any senior leader of BJP has tried to convince him from withdrawing his candidature as an independent candidate, Singh said he was not bestowed with any such honour.

Meanwhile, referring to the BJP president, Singh said with sarcasm that he alone was not the victim of the "great wisdom and leadership quality" of Rajnath Singh.

When asked whether his relationship with Rajnath was jinxed as, earlier, in 2009 also, he was expelled when the latter was the party president, Singh said, "Is my relation with him jinxed or has he got an obstacle in his mind or psyche about me? If you want my reply this is what it is."

"How is it that I am the victim of his great wisdom and leadership quality. It is not I alone. I did caution the party that it will now be the party that would be the victim of his presidency of the BJP."

The 76-year old leader, an astute diplomat, is credited with the successful handling of diplomatic crisis with the United States after the 1998 Indian nuclear tests at Pokharan.

Tasked by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to handle the sensitive issue, Singh repeated rounds of discussion with the US to ameliorate the crisis, which culminated with the visit of US President Bill Clinton.

Known to be a moderate and secular face of BJP, Singh was expelled in 2009 for his scholarly work, 'Jinnah: India- Partition-Independence' and his statement that former Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was in agreement about India's partition in 1947.

"My expulsion was never explained to me. Even later, when I had the occasion to ask (Rajnath) and others, none of them gave an answer. (Muhammad Ali) Jinnah had nothing to do with it. The book was banned in Gujarat on account of my saying that Patel had supported the partition. So, what is the point of that great saying by Tagore "where the head is held high and mind is without fear..." he said.

Asked why he decided to return to the party in 2010, Singh said he is a nine-term parliamentarian and had held crucial ministerial positions in External Affairs, Finance and Defence ministries and was also Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, which was all possible because of the party and its leadership.

"I could not conceive being in any other party. It is a tough question why did I rejoin the party. Shri Nitin Gadkari and Shri Advani invited me back and admitted that it was a mistake (his expulsion) that occurred in Shimla.

"They said the party needs you. Members of my family were torn whether I should go back or not, cautioning me that the party will not treat you with customary courtesy and I might not receive the consideration that is due to me," he said.

Singh along with Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Lal Muni Choubey were denied tickets from their preferred seats. Senior leader Lalji Tandon has not been given a chance to contest the elections.

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News Network
December 20,2025

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At least seven elephants were killed and one calf injured after a herd collided with the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai on Saturday morning, leading to disruption of rail services. 

The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express struck a herd of elephants, resulting in the derailment of the locomotive and five coaches. No passenger casualties or injuries were reported, officials said.

The New Delhi-bound train met with the accident around 2.17 am, PTI reported. The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express connects Mizoram's Sairang (near Aizawl) to Anand Vihar Terminal (Delhi). 

Railway has issued helpline numbers at the Guwahati Railway Station:-

•    0361-2731621
•    0361-2731622
•    0361-2731623

The accident site is located about 126 km from Guwahati. Following the incident, accident relief trains and railway officials rushed to the spot to initiate rescue operations.

Train Services Disrupted

Sources said that due to the derailment and elephant body parts scattered on the tracks, train services to Upper Assam and other parts of the Northeast were affected.

Passengers from the affected coaches were temporarily accommodated in vacant berths available in other coaches of the train. Once the train reaches Guwahati, additional coaches will be attached to accommodate all passengers, after which the train will resume its onward journey.

The incident occurred at a location that is not a designated elephant corridor. The loco pilot, upon spotting the herd on the tracks, applied emergency brakes. Despite this, the elephants dashed into the train, leading to the collision and derailment.

Last month, an elephant was killed after being hit by a train in Dhupguri in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district. The incident took place on November 30. 

The adult elephant was killed on the spot, and a calf was discovered lying injured beside the tracks. 

Over 70 Elephants Killed In Train Collisions Over Last 5 Years

At least 79 elephants have died in train collisions across the country in the last five years, the Environment Ministry had informed Parliament in August.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh had said the figure is based on reports from state governments and Union Territory administrations for the period 2020-21 to 2024-25.

He said that the ministry does not maintain consolidated data on the deaths of other wild animals on railway tracks, including in designated elephant corridors.

Singh confirmed that three elephants, including a mother and her calf, were killed on July 18 this year after being hit by a speeding express train on the Kharagpur-Tatanagar section in West Bengal's Paschim Midnapore district. The incident took place near Banstala between Jhargram and Banstala stations.

The minister said several measures have been taken jointly by the Environment Ministry and the Railways to prevent such accidents.

These include imposing speed restrictions in elephant habitats, pilot projects such as seismic sensor-based detection of elephants near tracks and construction of underpasses, ramps and fencing at vulnerable points.

The Wildlife Institute of India, in consultation with the ministry and other stakeholders, has also issued guidelines titled 'Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure' to help agencies design railways and other projects in ways that reduce human-animal conflicts.

Singh added that capacity-building workshops were conducted for railway officials at the Wildlife Institute of India in 2023 and 2024 to raise awareness on elephant conservation and protection.

A detailed report titled 'Suggested Measures to Mitigate Elephant & Other Wildlife Train Collisions on Vulnerable Railway Stretches in India' had also been prepared after surveys across 127 railway stretches covering 3,452 km.

Of these, 77 stretches spanning 1,965 km in 14 states were prioritised for mitigation, with site-specific interventions suggested. 

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News Network
December 6,2025

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New Delhi: IndiGo, India’s largest airline, faced major operational turbulence this week after failing to prepare for new pilot-fatigue regulations issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The stricter rules—designed to improve flight safety—took effect in phases through 2024, with the latest implementation on November 1. IndiGo has acknowledged that inadequate roster planning led to widespread cancellations and delays.

Below are the key DGCA rules that affected IndiGo’s operations:

1. Longer Mandatory Weekly Rest

Weekly rest for pilots has been increased from 36 hours to 48 hours.

The government says the extended break is essential to curb cumulative fatigue. This rule remains in force despite the current crisis.

2. Cap on Night Landings

Pilots can now perform only two night landings per week—a steep reduction from the earlier limit of six.

Night hours, defined as midnight to early morning, are considered the least alert period for pilots.

Given the disruptions, this rule has been temporarily relaxed for IndiGo until February 10.

3. Reduced Maximum Night Flight Duty

Flight duty that stretches into the night is now capped at 10 hours.

This measure has also been kept on hold for IndiGo until February 10 to stabilize operations.

4. Weekly Rest Cannot Be Replaced With Personal Leave

Airlines can no longer count a pilot’s personal leave as part of the mandatory 48-hour rest.

Pilots say this closes a loophole that previously reduced actual rest time.

Currently, all airlines are exempt from this rule to normalise travel.

5. Mandatory Fatigue Monitoring

Airlines must submit quarterly fatigue reports along with corrective actions to DGCA.

This system aims to create a transparent fatigue-tracking framework across the industry.

The DGCA has stressed that these rules were crafted to strengthen flight safety and align India with global fatigue-management standards. The temporary relaxations are expected to remain until February 2025, giving IndiGo time to stabilise its schedules and restore normal air travel.

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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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