KOTDWAR, (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday asserted that after 500 years, Ram Lalla will celebrate his birthday within the temple premises rather than in a temporary tent. Addressing a public rally in Kotdwar, Union Home Minister praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for overseeing the temple’s construction and conducting the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony.

“Today is Ashtami, tomorrow is Ram Navami and after 500 years, Ramlala is going to celebrate his birthday in a grand temple instead of a tent. It is a matter of great fortune that we have witnessed the Pran Pratishtha of Ramlala in our lifetime. The Congress party kept the issue of Ram Mandir pending for 70 years. During the 5-year rule of Modi ji, the decision regarding Ram Mandir came, the Bhoomi Pujan of Ram Mandir was performed, and the Pran Pratishtha was also done,” Amit Shah said. He further praised Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for implementing the Uniform Civil Code in the state.

“When the Bharatiya Jana Sangh was founded, our election manifesto demanded that no religion-based laws would exist in the country, only a Uniform Civil Code will exist. I am proud to say that Uttarakhand has become the first state to implement a Uniform Civil Code. In the party’s recent manifesto, PM Narendra Modi has mentioned the implementation of a UCC in the whole country,” Shah added. Amit Shah said that making Modi the Prime Minister for the third time means creating a ‘Vikshit Bharat.’

“Making Modiji the Prime Minister for the third time means creating a ‘developed India’. Making Modiji the Prime Minister for the third time means making India the third largest economy in the world. Making Modiji the Prime Minister for the third time means making three crore lakhpatis didi,” he asserted. He further said that by implementing CAA, citizenship will be granted to Hindu refugees who came to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

“By implementing CAA, the Modi government has done the work of granting citizenship to Hindu refugees who came to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and were living in misery for the last 70 years,” he said. The Lok Sabha elections for all five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand are scheduled to take place in a single phase on April 19, and to increase voter turnout in the hill state, more than 11,000 polling booths are being set up across the state. (ANI)

NEW DELHI: Jailed Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal’s personal assistant Bibhav Kumar was questioned for several hours today by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the liquor policy case.

The party’s Goa desk-in-charge during the 2022 Assembly polls, MLA Durgesh Pathak has been summoned by the probe agency. Sources within the ED said there is a direct link between Kumar and Pathak and the duo had all the details regarding the flow of funds during the Goa State Assembly polls. Kumar’s statement was recorded under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and his version will be tallied with what Pathak says.

The ED has recorded the statements of several vendors, agencies, service providers and others who were paid in cash during the Goa 2022 polls. The Aam Aadmi Party has claimed that a huge sum to the tune of Rs 25 crore was paid to volunteers and party workers in cash towards food, travelling, transportation during the campaign, which according to them lasted nearly three months.

ED sources claimed that either Kumar or Pathak could be arrested if discrepancies are found in their statements. “As long as they co-operate and are telling the truth we have no reason to arrest them, but if any discrepancies are found in their statements or if they fail to co-operate, we will arrest them.

The ED has already got the exact turn of events and the financial trail. The recipients of the amounts have already admitted that the received cash from AAP leaders. It wants to find out who were the leaders or party workers who were distributing the amounts and to what extent of cash did they handle, the source stated.

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Monday questioned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s PA Bibhav Kumar in the excise policy-linked money laundering case and ED sources said he is likely to be arrested.

Kumar’s statement was recorded under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and further questioning is likely either tomorrow or after the Eid festival.

The ED said Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Durgesh Pathak has been called for questioning in the case after recording Kumar’s statement.

Meanwhile, the Supreme court dismissed AAP leader Sanjay Singh’s plea against a Gujarat HC order rejecting his petition to quash summons issued to him by a local court in criminal defamation case.

NEW DELHI, (PTI): Delhi minister and senior AAP leader Atishi lashed out at the Election Commission (EC) after she was served a show-cause notice on Friday, asking if it was a ”subsidiary organisation” of the BJP.

The notice was issued to her over her remarks that the BJP had approached her to either join the party or be prepared to be nabbed by the Enforcement Directorate within a month.

In a press conference, Atishi alleged that the notice was leaked to the media by the BJP an hour before the EC sent it to her through email.

She asked why the Election Commission did not issue notices to the central agencies concerned after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested and bank accounts of the Congress were frozen ahead of elections.

She asked if the Election Commission is a ”subsidiary organisation” of the BJP.

She said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) wrote multiple letters to the poll panel over the BJP’s ”objectionable” hoardings and posters, but no action was taken on them.

Atishi said she will reply to the notice and remind the Election Commission of the neutrality and non-partisanship expected of it in conducting free and fair elections in the country.

In its notice, the poll panel asked Atishi to back with facts her statement that the BJP approached her to join the party.

The BJP moved the poll commission a day back against Atishi’s claim made on April 2. (PTI)

NEW DELHI: According to media reports, while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is almost set to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Rae Bareli, a voice in the Congress AICC claimed that even South Goa was being considered as an option. The party does not want to lose the seat, which is a traditional Congress stronghold and could even consider fielding a senior national leader in the constituency.

After the BJP fielded Pallavi Srinivas Dempo – wife of Goan industrialist Srinivas Dempo as their candidate, the Congress high command began to rework their strategies. The bickering between some factions in the Congress Goa unit – namely the Girish Chodankar faction and the group supporting Captain Viriato Fernandes could well be a smoke screen or façade to throw the BJP election planners off track, said the source. This development also probably explains why GPCC President Amit Patkar has suddenly gone incommunicado and had even switched off his mobile phone for two days.

“The entire Congress voter and karyakarta base, including the alliance partners in South Goa can be galvanized into action within a span of a few days if a national leader of the stature of Priyanka Gandhi were to be declared as the candidate. It will take only 2-3 days to create a frenzy, if Priyanka Gandhi is contesting from South Goa. For the last few days, there has been gossip about the Congress “importing” a candidate from outside for the South Goa seat and more likely a ‘woman candidate’. It is only today that Priyanka Gandhi’s name has cropped up in some quarters,” the source said, adding that if there are factions, they will get ‘dissolved’ if a name like Priyanka Gandhi comes up.

Even though no official announcement was made, Pradeep Singhal, district Congress president from Amethi had told the Times of India a month ago that Priyanka Gandhi is very likely to contest from Rae Bareli.

The Congress high command on Tuesday had deputed two Observers to South Goa to undertake a “secret” survey. Even the LoP Yuri Alemao and other senior leaders have not been informed, our source said. The survey is already underway and the Observers who reached Goa on Wednesday are to submit their findings by Friday.

“The observers reached Goa on Wednesday and have already started their work in South Goa. They are visiting various  areas in the constituency and have been given a very clear assignment to focus on Ponda, Shiroda, Cuncolim, Quepem, Curchorem, Sanvordem, Sanguem and Canacona which have a huge ‘silent voter’ base,” our source informed.

“If a strong Goan candidate who can win the election is not identified, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra remains an option. Maybe she may contest from both seats Rae Bareli as well as South Goa,” our source said, adding that the party will not let the seat slip away from their hands.

Meanwhile Congress leader Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination papers from Kerala’s Wayanad Lok Sabha seat today. Rahul, accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi and other senior party leaders including AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, submitted his nomination papers to the Wayanad District Collector who is also the Returning Officer. Earlier, K C Venugopal filed his nomination from Alappuzha constituency in Kerala.

NEW DELHI: After the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Delhi office was completely sealed off by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday evening,  sources claimed that at least two or three AAP Goa MLA candidates who received huge cash amounts during the 2022 State Assembly polls, could be called in for questioning by the ED. If they are not able to give convincing answers, they could also be arrested, the ED source said, adding that both AAP MLAs from Benaulim and Velim constituencies will be questioned by the ED. The ED has claimed that Rs 45 crore which were “proceeds of crime” in the Delhi Excise policy case were spent during the 2022 Assembly polls and everyone who worked for the party was paid in cash. The money was moved between states by angadias or couriers who function in a similar manner like hawala operators.

The Delhi High Court refused to give Kejriwal’s lawyers an urgent hearing and his application for relief is likely to be heard only on Wednesday or Thursday. The ED is likely to call in for questioning several Goa AAP MLA candidates and leaders who received monies in cash during the poll campaign.

While the agency confiscated some papers, two laptops and other digital devices from Kejriwal’s residence, the party office was sealed the next day after Kejriwal was arrested.

The ED has said its officers will question several present and past AAP leaders from Goa as it has alleged that Rs 45 crore from the proceeds of crime in the Delhi excise case were used by the AAP in the 2022 Goa State Assembly polls and payments were made in cash.

Statements of some Goa AAP MLA candidates (for the 2022 Assembly polls) and party workers were recorded in the weeks preceding Kejriwal’s arrest and according to media reports, one MLA candidate gave a written statement to the ED that all payments and polls expenses were made in cash. According to sources, one ex-AAP leader from Goa who was questioned earlier, has told the ED that huge amounts in cash were distributed to voters to “buy” votes during the 2022 polls.

The present AAP MLAs in Goa – Venzy Viegas of Benaulim constituency and Cruz Silva of Velim will be questioned by the ED and their statements recorded, as will all the other MLA candidates who has contested the 2022 polls on an AAP ticket, ED sources in Delhi said.

Kejriwal was remanded to ED custody for six days, until March 28, in connection with the Delhi liquor policy excise scam. The ED alleged that Kejriwal was the mastermind behind the scam, diverting funds to the Goa election campaign in 2022. According to the ED, Kejriwal solicited substantial bribes from stakeholders in the liquor policy, promising them undue benefits during the Punjab and Goa elections.

MUMBAI: Sunday, 17th March, 2024 saw all the Montessori Schools in Mumbai get together for a Montessori Walk, flag off from Carter Road, Bandra to raise awareness about the profound benefits of the Montessori way of teaching for the children’s education and well-being.

Besant Montessori School, Juhu which is a 75 year old institution and one of the finest Montessori Schools in the country obviously participated too.

Yesteryear actress Poonam Dasgupta was a student of Besant Montessori School, Juhu in the early 70’s and today half a century later her son Navam is also a student of Besant Montessori School. Poonam is absolutely convinced that the Montessori way of teaching is by far the best as this method ensures that children not only learn to pronounce words properly but are able to spell words correctly as well.

Poonam says that this gives Montessori students a big advantage over children from other schools and in this competitive world of education any advantage is a huge, huge bonus. This is exactly why Poonam who stays at Aksa Beach near Madh has no qualms that her son travels all the way to Juhu for which the to and fro travel time for Navam is about 3 hours. As Poonam puts it, “It’s surely worth the effort.”

While modern schools are becoming fancier and creating an unhealthy air-conditioned environment to justify absurd fees of Rs. 10 lakhs plus a year, Montessori Schools though largely have air-conditioners which are only used on very hot days have a simplistic environment and normally a fee structure of a very reasonable amount of Rs. 1 lakh a year.

This is why Montessori is the right and best stepping stone in education, opines Poonam.

PANAJI: In a blistering attack on former Congress leader and current Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar, Goan social worker and women’s rights activist Shreha Dhargalkar while speaking to this website said, “Your hard disk may have crashed, but we have not forgotten all your extra marital affairs.”

She was referring to an interview given by Amonkar to a Goan news website, where Amonkar stated that he has forgotten about the earlier memories of his time with the Congress party.

Amonkar was among the Congress MLAs who crossed over in 2022, after winning the 2022 State Assembly polls on a Congress ticket.

Continuing her tirade, Shreha said, “You were the one who trapped the former MLA in a fake sex scandal and made the edited and morphed images viral. You did it only to win the election. You orchestrated the entire incident by planting a dummy or fake victim to trap the former MLA,” Shreha alleged, adding that she would reveal all the details soon.

Shreha also referred to some so-called gossip of rumored extra-marital affairs in which Amonkar’s name had cropped up, which was the talk of the town some years ago.

“Your hard disk has crashed. You have deleted your memory, but we Mahilas remember all your extra marital affairs and all the women you used and abused to further your political agenda,” Shreha quipped, alleging that there can be no smoke without fire and the rumours and gossip had some truth in it.

She also blamed Amonkar for messing up business at the docks and arm-twisting the stevedores and other service providers at the Mormugao Port for his own gain.

MLA Sankalp Amonkar did not respond to our request for comment. We will update this post as and when he replies to us.