PM Modi slammed over BJP’s political agenda amid India-Pak tensions

Agencies
February 28, 2019

New Delhi, Feb 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to one crore BJP workers on Thursday came under fire from the opposition, who accused him of pursuing a political agenda at a time when clouds of war were hovering over the nation.

Congress slammed Modi for carrying on with his ‘Mera Booth Sabse Majboot’ programme where he was set to address one crore BJP workers through video conferencing.

“It is a glaring case of misplaced priorities,” Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

“132 crore Indians pray for safe and immediate return of India’s brave-heart Wing Commander Abhinandan but Modiji desperate only for re-election,” Surjewala said.

BSP supremo Mayawati termed Modi’s plans as “laughable” and aimed at playing with the emotions of the nation.

“At a time when war clouds are hovering and the nation is in dire need of leadership, Prime Minister Modi, instead of focussing on national security is worried about his party,” she said.

“His address to the BJP booth workers is not only laughable but also playing with the emotions of the nation,” Mayawati said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the Prime Minister to call off his political engagements for the day,

“I would urge the PM to postpone this. At this moment, we as a nation, need to spend all our energies and time to get the IAF pilot back safely and to sternly deal with Pakistan,” Kejriwal said.

Surjewala pointed out that the Congress had cancelled the meeting of the Congress Working Committee, the party’s top decision-making body scheduled for Thursday at Ahmedabad as well as the rally to be addressed by Rahul Gandhi.

“Pradhan Sevak hell-bent on creating a video conference record,” Surjewala said taking a dig at Modi using a sobriquet oft-quoted by Modi himself.

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury asked the BJP to introspect on the statement of 21 opposition parties who had asked the ruling party to refrain from politicising the Pulwama attack and its aftermath.

“BJP leaders have been doing election rallies, Modi has been attending party events, when CRPF jawans were martyred or when Pakistani jets were being taken on by our brave pilots,” Yechury said.

At a meeting of 21 opposition parties on Wednesday, senior leaders decided to train their guns at Modi, who they accused of driving political mileage from the Pulwama terror attacks.

The Congress also launched a social media campaign targeting Modi’s actions in the immediate aftermath of the Pulwama attack.

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News Network
December 20,2025

train.jpg

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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