States like Bengal, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh with non-Congress (I) governments were economically “moving in reverse gear”, Rajiv Gandhi had said
Editorial
Feb 11, 2025 07:30 IST First published on: Feb 11, 2025 at 07:30 IST
The Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, launched his party’s poll campaign with slogans of a cleaner public life and a fair deal for women and youth. He said there should be amicable relations between the Centre and states for balanced development. States like Bengal, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh with non-Congress (I) governments were economically “moving in reverse gear”, he said.
Rebels Expelled in MP
Three former ministers, eight sitting MLAs and a former MP were among 112 Congress (I) rebels expelled from the party’s primary membership for contesting against party nominees for the coming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh. According to a PCC(I) release, Congress rebels are contesting against party nominees in 90 of the state’s 320 Assembly seats.
Arms Flight
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The Zaire cargo aircraft carrying arms from Portugal to Sri Lanka, which was forced to land at Trivandrum airport because of a fuel shortage, was allowed to leave. A defence ministry official told Reuters that the plane carried mainly ammunition for security forces fighting separatist Tamil guerillas in the north and east of the country.
Gold Smuggling
Mohd Ali Abdi, second secretary in the Somali embassy here, will shortly be sent back as he was apprehended at the Central Warehousing Corporation (Gurgaon Road) for trying to smuggle 2,000 tolas of gold, valued at more than Rs 50 lakh, in his household articles. Abdi, who arrived last year on his first posting, in his confessional statement said he was “duped” by the proprietor of Capital Refrigeration, Vijay Kumar Gujral, into smuggling gold from Hong Kong.
