Special thanks to Malikarjun Kharge. I have hardly felt such joy in Parliament. I was pleased with the fact that Mr Kharge spoke at length
I wondered how he had the freedom to speak so much. Then I realised, two “special commanders” were not there. Mr Kharge made use of this opportunity.
Mr Kharge would have heard the song ‘Aisa mauka kaha mila hoga’. He was having fun hitting fours and sixes since “commanders” were not there
In the old Parliament, attempts were made to stifle the PM’s voice. I kept hearing each word of yours. Today too, you (Opposition) have come prepared to not hear a thing
But you can’t suppress my voice. The country’s citizens have given power to this voice.

Esha Deol and her husband Bharat Takhtani have chosen to go their separate ways after being together for 11 years. In a joint statement released on Tuesday, the couple announced their mutual and amicable decision to separate. They also expressed their commitment to co-parenting their children and requested privacy during this time. 

“We have mutually and amicably decided to part ways. Through this shift in our lives, the best interests and welfare of our two children is and will be of utmost importance to us. We’d appreciate our privacy is respected,” read their statement provided to Delhi Times.

The news of Esha’s and Bharat’s split had been in the spotlight for quite some time. It began when Bharat didn’t attend his mother-in-law Hema Malini’s birthday party last year and was also absent from Esha’s birthday celebration.

Esha and Bharat were married in 2012. They have two daughters, Radhya and Miraya, who are currently six and four years old.

See Also: Gadar 2: Esha Deol gives a shout-out to Sunny Deol, says Let’s Hear The Lion Roar 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday doubled down on his attacks on the Congress, declaring party stalwart and former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru said he was against reservations for marginalised communities because it “promoted inefficiency in the system”.

“I remember Nehruji a lot these days…” Mr Modi began, “He once wrote a letter to chief ministers, in which he said he was against reservation and that (it promoted) non-meritorious people.”

“Nehruji used to say that if SC, ST or OBCs get reservation in jobs, then government work standards will fall. He even stopped recruitment. What Nehruji said has been pathhar ki lakeer (‘set in stone’) for the Congress since. Your mindset can be understood through such examples,” the PM lashed out.

“The party has always been against the interest of SC and ST communities.”

“But we have always prioritised them… first Dalits and now Adivasis. Who are the beneficiaries of our schemes? All our works are for the SC, ST, and OBC communities,” the PM continued.

The PM also referred to President Murmu’s election; she is the first tribal woman to hold the post.

READ | Congress’s Slave Mentality Led To World Undermining India: PM

“Your (opposition to Ms Murmu) wasn’t for ideology. You made someone who went from BJP (former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha) the candidate. You were opposed to an Adivasi woman.”

The sharp comments on the Congress – part of a vitriolic attack in the Rajya Sabha (following similarly sharp remarks in the Lok Sabha Monday) – come weeks before a general election the BJP is expected to win, and one in which a caste survey/census, and reservation, are likely to be key poll planks.

READ | “Had No Faith In Indians’ Abilities”: PM Quotes Speeches By Nehru, Indira

On Monday the PM targeted both Mr Nehru and another Congress stalwart and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, claiming their speeches revealed they had no faith in Indians’ abilities.

“The Congress never trusted India’s potential. They always considered themselves rulers and belittled people,” the Prime Minister claimed, before he attacked Nehru (again) for the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. “Kashmiris have paid a heavy price for Nehru’s mistake…” he declared.

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