‘PM Modi’s AI vision powers ‘Orange Economy’: TN BJP hits out at Rahul Gandhi

Gangtok, July 19 (IAN) The ruling party in the hill state, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), on Saturday vehemently denied allegations by the opposition Citizen Action Party (CAP) that its youth president, Lakpa Moktan, instigated an attack on CAP members outside Sadar Police Station on July 17, calling the accusations “baseless and politically motivated.”

SKM spokesperson Jacob Khaling accused CAP of attempting to divert attention from the State Vigilance Department’s ongoing anti-corruption drive and targeting party leaders out of frustration.

Khaling asserted that Moktan had no involvement in the incident and challenged CAP to provide evidence.

“Lakpa Moktan is innocent. There is zero proof against him. It would take them a hundred years to produce a youth leader of his calibre,” he said.

He further alleged that CAP was avoiding direct criticism of Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay due to his popularity and instead attacking other SKM leaders.

The confrontation occurred near Sadar Police Station after CAP members allegedly obstructed vigilance officials. SKM spokesperson Bikash Basnet stated that twelve CAP members were named in an FIR for blocking officials for over three hours.

“The police acted based on the FIR and arrested only those identified. Later, some individuals voluntarily demanded arrest, though their names were not in the FIR. This proves our police work impartially – punishing the guilty, protecting the innocent,” Basnet said.

He also claimed that CAP’s protests were not spontaneous but driven by fear of exposure in corruption cases linked to the previous Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) government.

“Since May, the Vigilance Department has conducted large-scale raids, including outside Sikkim, probing corruption in hydroelectric projects and other schemes. CAP’s agitation suggests they are shielding someone involved in pre-2019 scams,” Basnet alleged.

Khaling also addressed criticism over the reappointment of a retired divisional engineer in the Vigilance Department, stating it was for technical expertise.

“Police are not engineers. The investigation required specialist knowledge, hence the appointment. Unlike the SDF, which used vigilance for political vendettas, we prioritise professionalism,” he said.

SKM spokesperson Krishna Lepcha compared CAP’s tactics to those of the former SDF regime.

“Their rhetoric and baseless accusations mirror SDF’s methods. Their leader, Ganesh Rai, was part of the SDF for 25 years – what did he do for the youth then? Now they preach clean governance, but their past speaks otherwise,” Lepcha said.

Khaling also criticised CAP’s contradictory stance on bureaucratic extensions.

“First, they protest pensions, then job extensions. They lack clarity. While we halted routine extensions, some reappointments are necessary for public interest,” he stated.

The SKM maintains that CAP’s allegations are a desperate attempt to undermine the ruling party amid growing public support for the government’s anti-corruption efforts.

–IANS

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New Delhi/Aizawl, Nov 25 (IANS) NITI Aayog has recommended that Mizoram be recognised as the “Ginger Capital of India” and emphasised the need to preserve the organic quality of its produce while adopting modern processing technologies and expanding its footprint in domestic and global markets, officials said on Tuesday.

A senior Mizoram government official said that the NITI Aayog recommendations will be followed by targeted action plans for implementation.

He said that the Mizoram government, in collaboration with NITI Aayog, organised a high-level stakeholder consultation titled “Stakeholders Consultation for Mizoram Ginger Produce” at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Monday.

The consultation, where more than 60 participants from various government departments and the private sector took part, primarily focused on strengthening market linkages, improving processing facilities, addressing value-chain challenges, and creating better opportunities for ginger farmers and entrepreneurs in Mizoram.

Farmer-Producer Organisations (FPOs), industry representatives, and entrepreneurs held open discussions on strategies to expand markets for Mizoram ginger across India and international destinations, develop stronger trade linkages, and build an efficient ecosystem for processing and export.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Lalduhoma stated that Mizoram has emerged as one of the major ginger-producing states in India over the past two years, with its produce recognised for superior quality. He reiterated the state government’s commitment to supporting both farmers and investors. To ensure stable returns, the Mizoram government currently provides a Minimum Support Price of Rs 50 per kilogram.

The Chief Minister also highlighted improvements in the state’s industry and investment policies to facilitate ease of investment, noting that opportunities extend beyond ginger to other agricultural and value-added products. He invited stakeholders to participate in the ‘Ginger Buyer–Seller Meet’ scheduled in Aizawl on December 5-6.

The Chief Minister also expressed his appreciation to NITI Aayog Member Dr V.K. Paul and the government think tank’s team for their guidance and support in organising the consultation.

The day-long programme commenced with an inaugural session chaired by Paul, followed by a presentation from Special Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ramdinliani, highlighting the state’s initiatives and the growing potential of Mizoram ginger in national and global markets.

Other key dignitaries who addressed the consultation included NITI Aayog’s Additional Secretary Rohit Kumar, APEDA Chairman Abhishek Dev, Food Processing Industries Secretary A.P. Das Joshi, Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi, state LESDE Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar, and Mizoram Chief Secretary Khilli Ram Meena.

–IANS

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Mumbai, Nov 3 (IANS) Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister and former Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar on Monday accused the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of deliberately ignoring Muslim duplicate voters while focusing only on those speaking Hindi and Marathi.

“MNS chief Raj Thackeray does not see Muslims with duplicate names in many constituencies. Raj Thackeray too seems to have been affected by the so-called ‘vote jihad’ as he is now talking only about Hindi and Marathi-speaking duplicate voters in the lists,” Shelar said at a press conference.

The minister said the BJP never discriminates between voters, but claimed that the MVA and its new ally Raj Thackeray were “dividing voters along caste, religious and community lines”.

“We will expose them,” he asserted.

Shelar further alleged that during the Lok Sabha elections, the MVA had carried out a “well-planned vote jihad” and deliberately excluded the names of “many honest voters”.

To substantiate his charge, he presented a list of eight categories of alleged Muslim double voters in several constituencies, claiming a correlation with MVA legislators’ victory margins.

Taking on Raj Thackeray and the MVA, Shelar said, “Should we assume that the victories of many legislators were due to those Muslim duplicate voters?”

He reiterated that the BJP’s stance remains “justice for all, appeasement for none”.

Shelar accused the opposition of misleading the public with “utter lies” during the MVA’s Satyacha March (Truth March) held on Saturday in Mumbai.

“After the Assembly elections, the opposition suffered a big setback. From Pappu in Delhi to Pappu on the street, everyone started creating a fake narrative of vote theft. Now, on the eve of the upcoming local body polls, they are again trying to mislead people with false information,” Shelar alleged.

“By raising the false narrative of vote theft, the real scam committed by the MVA is being hidden. We are not speaking on behalf of the Election Commission, but are only presenting facts visible to the public,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhhav Thackeray strongly rejected the BJP’s allegations of a “vote jihad”, saying that his party, along with other MVA constituents and the MNS, has consistently demanded a clean-up of electoral rolls before holding local and civic body elections.

“The Election Commission should rectify all errors, including duplicate and bogus entries, in the voters’ lists. Neither the Shiv Sena (UBT) nor any other party has referred to any bogus voter by religion. We are not opposing elections, but we insist they should be held only after the electoral rolls are cleaned up,” Thackeray said at a press conference, held two days after the opposition’s Satyacha March in Mumbai.

He also alleged that the Election Commission and the Centre were “scared of Gen Z voters”, claiming that youths turning 18 after July 1 would be deprived of their right to vote in the forthcoming local and civic body elections.

“The youth who turn 18 after July 1 should be allowed to cast their votes in the upcoming polls,” Thackeray added.

–IANS

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