With the Delhi polls weeks away, Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will hit the campaign trail on Monday and address a public meeting in Seelampur, the party said last week.
Addressing a press conference at the Delhi Congress office, AICC Delhi in-charge Qazi Nizamuddin said that Gandhi has emerged as the voice of the people of the country. Wherever there was an issue, Gandhi reached there and raised people’s voice, he said. “Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address a public meeting — ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan’ — on Monday at 5.30 pm in Seelampur. A large number of people, Congress party workers and leaders will participate in it,” Nizamuddin said.
This will be Gandhi’s first rally in Delhi.
The 70-member Delhi Assembly will go to polls on February 5. The counting of votes will be taken up on February 8.
PM Modi to inaugurate Sonamarg tunnel in J-K
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Sonamarg tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. According to an official statement, the entire project, including the 12-km tunnel, has been constructed at a cost of over Rs 2,700 crore.
Situated at an altitude of over 8,650 feet above sea level, it will enhance all-weather connectivity between Srinagar and Sonamarg en route to Leh, bypassing landslide and avalanche routes, the statement said.
In a post on X, Modi echoed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s statement after the latter visited the site to review preparedness for his visit and shared some pictures and videos. Abdullah said, “The inauguration of the Z-morh tunnel will open Sonmarg to tourism all year round, Sonmarg will now be developed as a great ski resort. The local population will not have to leave in winter & the travel time to Kargil/Leh from Srinagar will also reduce.” Modi replied, “I am eagerly awaiting my visit to Sonmarg, Jammu and Kashmir for the tunnel inauguration. You rightly point out the benefits for tourism and the local economy. Also, loved the aerial pictures and videos!” The statement said the project will also promote tourism by transforming Sonamarg into a year-round destination, boosting winter tourism, adventure sports, and local livelihood.
Along with the Zojila tunnel, set for completion by 2028, it will reduce the route length from 49 km to 43 km and boost vehicle speed from 30 km/hr to 70 km/hr, ensuring seamless NH-1 connectivity between Srinagar Valley and Ladakh.
The prime minister will also meet the construction workers who have worked meticulously amid harsh conditions in an acknowledgement of their contribution to this engineering feat, the statement added.
45-day long Maha Kumbh to begin
Maha Kumbh 2025 — a 45-day event billed as the biggest gathering of humans in one place — is all set to begin Monday with the first major bathing ritual or ‘Shahi Snan’ on the auspicious occasion of ‘Paush Purnima’ at the Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mystical Saraswati rivers here.
The present edition of the Kumbh is being held after 12 years, though seers claim the celestial permutations and combinations for the event are taking place after 144 years, making the occasion even more auspicious.
The Uttar Pradesh government is confident of 35 crore devotees visiting Prayagraj this time.
“It will be a grand Maha Kumbh this time. Along with divinity and spirituality, it would also showcase modernity as this time it is going to be a ‘Digi-Kumbh’ of sorts with Artificial Intelligence (AI) being tapped in a big way,” officials said.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said during his one-of-the-many visits to Prayagraj that the Maha Kumbh, to be held from January 13 to February 26, will elevate India’s ancient cultural and religious traditions to global prominence.
“Spanning 10,000 acres, the event will set an exemplary standard for cleanliness, security, and modernity. To enhance the convenience of devotees, a digital tourist map will facilitate monitoring the cleanliness of toilets, while an AI-powered security system integrated with smartphones will ensure safety,” the chief minister said.
Delhi HC may hear ex-AAP councillor’s bail plea
The Delhi High Court on Monday is likely to hear the bail plea of former AAP councillor and AIMIM’s Mustafabad candidate Tahir Hussain’s related to a murder case in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots.
The plea was listed before Justice Amit Sharma who recused himself following which it was listed before Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, but wasn’t taken up.
In his plea, Hussain sought the reprieve from January 14 till February 9 to participate in the election process, which requires him to physically file the nomination form, open a bank account and canvass.
Hussain, in the bail plea, said he had spent 4.9 years in jail and though the trial started in the case, only 20 of the 114 prosecution witnesses were examined so far.
Hussain said he had suffered a long incarceration and since there were many witnesses left to be examined, the trial wouldn’t be concluded soon.
SKM to meet protesting farmers
Acceding to the request of Punjab farmers protesting at the Khanauri and Shambhu border points, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Sunday advanced from January 15 to 13 the proposed meeting for deciding on a joint fight.
The move came a day after the SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) wrote to the SKM to hold the meeting on January 12 or 13 in the wake of “deteriorating” health of fasting farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal.
A six-member committee of SKM, which visited the Khanauri protest site on Friday, had invited the SKM (Non-Political) and KMM for a meeting on January 15 in Patiala for unity among farmer bodies for a joint fight against the Centre to press for acceptance of farmers’ demands including a legal guarantee to minimum support price for crops.
The SKM, which had led the 2020 agitation against the now-repealed three farm laws, is not part of the ongoing agitation of the SKM (Non-Political) and the KMM.
In a letter to the SKM (Non-Political) and the KMM on Sunday, the SKM said after considering the request of protesting farmers in a meeting of its national coordination committee, it has been decided that the meeting will now be held on January 13 at 11 am at Guru Tegh Bahadur gurdwara in Patran, Patiala.
Jaishankar to begin two-day Spain visit
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will visit Spain on January 13-14 during which he will meet the country’s leadership and hold discussions with his Spanish counterpart Manuel Albares on the gamut of bilateral ties, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Sunday.
“External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar (EAM) will be on an official visit to the Kingdom of Spain on 13-14 January 2025. This will be his first visit as External Affairs Minister to Spain,” the MEA said in a statement.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also said that he is scheduled to address the 9th Annual Conference of Spanish Ambassadors and meet the Indian community.
– With PTI inputs
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