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Tag: Taranjit Singh Sandhu

  • Lok Sabha Polls: In 8th Candidate List, BJP Bets On Turncoats In Odisha, Punjab; Fields Ex-Ambassador From Amritsar |

    The Bharatiya Janata Party has so far announced the names of 118 candidates for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The party released its eighth list of 11 candidates yesterday which had names of several turncoats and even a surprising name of a foreign ambassador. The list had names from three states – Punjab, Odisha and West Bengal. The list puts BJP way ahead of the Congress as the grand old party is yet to announce names on the majority of seats. The Congress has so far released names of 218 candidates. 

    BJP’s Odisha List

    The BJP nominated Bhartruhari Mahtab from the Cuttack Lok Sabha seat. A sitting MP from the seat on the BJD ticket, Mahtab recently joined the BJP. Mahtab, a six-time MP, had on March 22 resigned from the BJD. Other names in the list include Rabindra Narayan Behera, a former director of the National Informatics Centre, from Jajpur and Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi from Kandhamal. The BJP had earlier announced candidates for 18 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha.

    BJP’s Punjab List

    The saffron party surprised everyone by fielding former Indian ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu from the Amritsar seat in Punjab. Hans Raj Hans, who lost their party ticket from North West Delhi, has now been fielded from the Amritsar seat. Former AAP MP Sushil Kumar Rinku, who recently joined the BJP, got a ticket from the Jalandhar seat while former Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu got a ticket from Ludhiana. Dinesh Singh Babbu has replaced star Sunny Deol from the Gurdaspur seat. The party also fielded Preneet Kaur, wife of Capain Amarinder Singh, from Patiala.

    Why Sandhu From Amritsar?

    The BJP has been actively working to expand its support base among Sikhs, who constitute a majority in Punjab, with hopes of making significant gains in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The party is particularly focused on reclaiming the Amritsar seat, which it hasn’t held since Navjot Singh Sidhu’s victory in 2009. However, Sidhu, now with the Congress party, currently holds the seat, represented by Gurjeet Singh Aujla. Both Arun Jaitley and Hardeep Singh Puri, BJP candidates and current Union ministers, faced defeat in the 2014 and 2019 elections respectively.

    BJP, Congress Candidate List So Far

    On March 2, released a list of 195 candidates. On March 13, it announced the names of 72 candidates. On March 21, the BJP released a list of 9 candidates for Tamil Nadu. On March 22, the party released another name of 15 candidates. On March 24, the party announced the names of 111 candidates and on March 26, the party announced three more candidates – two from Rajasthan and one from Manipur. The party released its seventh list on March 27 which had two names. On March 30, the party released the eighth list of 11 candidates. With this, the party has so far announced the names of 118 candidates. 

    Congress released its first list of 39 candidates on March 8. This was followed by 43 candidates in the second list on March 12, 57 candidates on March 21, 3 candidates on March 24, 46 candidates on March 46, 5 candidates on March 25, 5 candidates on March 26, 14 candidates on March 27 and 5 candidates on March 29. The party additionally announced the name of KV Gowtham from Karnataka’s Kolar on March 30. With this, the party has announced names of a total of  218 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls.

  • Indian American citizens cling peace rally at San Francisco consulate after Khalistani assault

    Through Press Consider of India: Rankings of Indian American citizens held a peace rally in entrance of the Indian Consulate right here to specific team spirit with India following a up to date tried arson on the diplomatic facility via Khalistan supporters.

    A video via Khalistan supporters, dated July 2 posted on Twitter, confirmed the act of arson on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. It used to be the second one such act of violence inside months.

    A lot of Indian American citizens from in and round San Francisco got here out in fortify of India this week as they held a calm rally in entrance of the Indian Consulate in San Francisco in opposition to the new act of violence.

    ALSO READ | Indian pupil in Australia attacked with iron rods via Khalistan supporters

    The protesters described it as an act of terrorism act and demanded that the ones liable for violence be delivered to justice.

    India’s Ambassador to the USA, Taranjit Singh Sandhu visited the Consulate right here on Thursday and met Indian diplomats and officers on the challenge.

    India has requested its spouse nations similar to Canada, the United Kingdom and the USA to not give area to “extremist Khalistani ideology” as it’s “no longer just right” for bilateral members of the family.

    ALSO READ | Indians focused in Australia, Khalistani supporters assault scholars keeping tricolour

    The “radical, extremist Khalistani ideology” isn’t just right for India or its spouse nations similar to the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated in New Delhi early this month.

    On March 19, a gaggle of pro-Khalistan protesters attacked and broken the Indian Consulate in San Francisco.

    Elevating pro-Khalistan slogans, the protesters broke open the makeshift safety obstacles raised via town police and put in two so-called Khalistani flags within the Consulate premises. Two consulate workforce quickly got rid of the ones flags.

  • Match held in honour of Indian defence drive veterans in US

    Recognising the significance of Indian militia’ veterans, the Indian Embassy right here on Monday organised ‘Varishtha Yoddha’, an match to honour the ex-servicemen who at the moment are residing in the USA.

    Greater than 140 other people, together with some prominent veterans who had fought in more than a few wars and their households, attended the development right here.

    “Pals, you could have served and sacrificed for mom India, with the maximum sense of responsibility and selflessness. You and your members of the family as part of 4 million-strong Indian neighborhood are instrumental in strengthening India-US ties throughout a range of sectors,” Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India’s Ambassador to the United States, stated.

    “Whilst no popularity and award can do justice in your contributions, nowadays’s match in a small method expresses our admire and gratitude and tells you that we’re right here for you,” he stated in his admiration for the veterans. “It’s a question of pleasure, privilege and honour for me to be part of this particular amassing.” There are other people on this room, who’ve fought for India in 1948, 1962, 1965 or 1971, 1985, the Kargil battle in 1999 and in a lot of different operations, he stated.

    “Lately’s Varishtha Yoddha match is our humble effort to recognise the sacrifice and repair of our veterans and honour them for his or her patriotism, willpower and willingness to serve and sacrifice fascinated with the country. We stay dedicated to taking good care of our veterans in the similar method as they’ve looked after the protection of our nation,” he stated.

    Sandhu stated Indian veterans, anywhere they cross, lift the best possible requirements of responsibility, self-discipline and professionalism for which Indian militia are identified.

    “Our veterans residing in the US stays the flag-bearers of the traditions of our militia and proceed to encourage the Indian neighborhood,” he stated.

    The India-US strategic partnership is enriched via their knowledge, onerous paintings and top ethical values, he added. In his cope with, Sandhu stated the defence partnership between the United States and India has been instrumental in intensifying a lot of pacts between them, together with the ones associated with sharing of defence generation and cooperation in maritime safety and counter-piracy.

    India has been designated as a ‘Main Defence Spouse’ via the United States and conducts extra army workouts with the United States than with another nation. Recently, an Indian naval contingent, together with a naval send, is in Hawaii for participation, in RIMPAC naval workout, Sandhu advised the veterans. During the last decade, he stated, India has procured defence-related acquisitions from the United States value over $20 billion.

    “Lately, Indian forces are working US defence platforms, together with delivery planes, helicopters, howitzers, ships and various different gentle apparatus lots of which were totally deployed in operational and humanitarian makes use of, together with all through the COVID pandemic to ship help and delivery clinical provides,” stated the Indian envoy.

    “In step with ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, we’re shifting ahead leveraging our comparative benefits and the chance for defence business collaboration, particularly to innovate, co-develop and co-produce for India and for the arena,” he stated.