NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday criticised Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ visit to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, calling it a “picnic” and questioning the relevance of the conference.“Chief ministers from various states in India are having a picnic in Davos,” Raut said. “The Davos conference is ridiculous from an Indian perspective.”Raut also raised questions over the chief minister signing agreements with Indian companies during the visit, stating that such deals could have been finalised in Mumbai. Raut told reporters, “The chief ministers from across the country are having a picnic in Davos. He (CM Fadnavis) will pay attention to the mayoral elections after that is over. The Davos conference is ridiculous from an Indian perspective. Chief ministers from many states meet there, they talk to each other, and Indian industries go to Davos and sign agreements, on taxpayers’ money.”Also read | BMC mayor race heats up: CM Devendra Fadnavis in Davos, talks on hold, poll process set to last till Jan-end“They go to Davos every year. They should tell the nation and their states how much is spent on their travel. This could have happened sitting in Mumbai. If the figures (of the investment and job creation) being given are true, then I welcome them,” he added.Devendra Fadnavis is currently in Davos to attend the WEF annual meeting.Responding to Raut’s remarks, CM’S wife Amruta Fadnavis dismissed the criticism as baseless. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Mumbai, she said, “I can never understand his (Raut’s) language. But I will only say this much that someone who goes for a picnic does not hold conferences and meetings daily from 6 am to 11 pm to bring investment to India and Maharashtra, and boost employment.”“So I feel that this statement of his, like all his other statements, is baseless,” she said.Amruta also underlined the importance of the Davos summit, saying it is an international platform where representatives from across the world meet to discuss their countries and explore business opportunities. “Going there, I believe, is the duty of the head of every state in India,” she added.Devendra Fadnavis has been credited with the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance’s performance in the recent municipal corporation elections. The BJP emerged as the single largest party in the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, winning 89 seats.

NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress leader Manirul Islam on Wednesday said the Election Commission will be “hunted down from the netherworld” and “taught a lesson” as the impasse continues between the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government and poll body over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).Manirul Islam, threatening the Election Commission of India, is not his first brush with controversy, as the Farakka MLA was accused of leading a mob to the Block Development Office (BDO) in his constituency and ransacking the space, leaving officials injured last week.

After the incident, BJP MLA Gouri Sankar attacked Mamata Banerjee for instigating her party cadres across the state to commit riots and violence.Lashing out at the ruling TMC over its MLA threatening the EC, the BJP on Wednesday accused CM Mamata Banerjee of “asking her MLA to intimidate officials”.“Manirul Islam, a sitting TMC MLA, openly threatens the Election Commission of India, saying it will be “taught a lesson” and “hunted down from underground.” Mamata Banerjee as Home Minister is asking her MLA to intimidate officials! TMC protects illegal infiltrators!” BJP’s national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari posted on X.Manirul Islam’s remark comes days after tension was reported over the submission of Form 7 across Bengal districts on Tuesday as Trinamool and BJP workers blocked roads and staged protests.The violence prompted Trinamool to appeal to people not to be “provoked”. “The anger and frustration is understandable. But the fight has to be fought in courtrooms and on EVMs. CM Mamata Banerjee is fighting for you. Do not fall for provocation,” said party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari accused the TMC of unleashing “statewide anarchy” to derail the SIR exercise.At Mogra in Hooghly, BJP workers blocked GT Road and demanded they be given an opportunity to submit Form 7 in the presence of the central security force.Mamata backs SC’s logical discrepancies rulingMeanwhile, Mamata Banerjee personally addressed concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, urging district magistrates to ensure that voters face no inconvenience over “logical discrepancies.”Banerjee made the remarks during an unexpected meeting with district magistrates at the state secretariat, Nabanna, which was chaired by chief secretary Nandini Chakraborty.“The CM made it clear that all hearings related to SIR must be conducted strictly in accordance with the apex court’s directives. She specifically instructed officials to ensure that people are not put to inconvenience under the pretext of logical discrepancies,” a senior official said.The Supreme Court had on Monday directed the Election Commission to display the names of those on the ‘logical discrepancies’ list at gram panchayat bhavans and block offices, where documents and objections can also be submitted. The apex court also granted electors an additional 10 days to submit documents to confirm their inclusion in the state electoral roll.The latest directions have brought relief to several voters in Kolkata who were summoned for hearings after discrepancies were found in their voter records.PM Modi slams parties protecting illegal immigrantsPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday doubled down on his government’s ambition to detect and deport illegal immigrants in the country, while strongly criticising the political parties “protecting or covering up for illegal immigrants for the sake of vote bank politics”.Addressing the party workers after the new BJP chief Nitin Nabin took charge, PM Modi said: “Illegal immigrants pose a great threat to the country’s security. Identifying them and sending them back to their countries is absolutely essential.”“No country in the world accepts illegal immigrants. India, too, cannot allow illegal immigrants to steal the rights of our poor and our youth. Illegal immigrants pose a great threat to the country’s security. Identifying them and sending them back to their countries is absolutely essential,” PM Modi said during an address at the BJP headquarters.Without naming any political party, but in an apparent attack on Trinamool Congress (TMC), which rules the poll-bound West Bengal, PM Modi lashed out at parties “covering up for illegal immigrants” and said: “We must expose them to the public”.

Modi had previously visited Motihari, Siwan, Madhubani and Patna since April.

It may seem to people that Narendra Modi is the third-term PM of the country, he became CM at only 50 years of age and has been head of a govt for 25 continuous years. But above all this in my life is the fact that I am a BJP worker. This is my biggest pride, PM Modi said. He chose the occasion to emphasise the role of BJP’s organisational strength and discipline behind its rise, contrasting this with decline of Congress from the all-time high of over 400 parliamentary seats and nearly 50% votes in 1984 — the largest mandate for any political party — to its current struggle to win even 100 seats.“Congress can never introspect over its decline because it will raise questions over the family which has captured it. They keep looking for excuses. They have lost courage to look for even correct reasons behind their fall,” he said. LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly blamed an alleged collusion of EC and BJP for “vote chori” behind Congress’s string of dismal poll shows.“This family rule is an enemy of democracy,” Modi said and recalled after BJP’s big win in 2002 Gujarat polls, when he was CM, he was at a meeting to review reasons for its loss in some seats. BJP started as a party with a difference and has become the preferred party of governance, he said, in a nod to its “unprecedented” strike rate in recent assembly and civic polls.Raising the issue of infiltration and demographic imbalance, which he had flagged at a recent rally in assembly poll-bound West Bengal, Modi said even rich and strong countries are deporting infiltrators. “The world does not question them for expelling infiltrators,” he said, adding that these nations would claim to be flag-bearers of democracy and act like “nawabs (lords)” of the world. No country accepts infiltrators, he said, without naming any nation. While US has launched an expansive crackdown on infiltrators, several wealthy countries are also tightening measures against them.Asserting that India, too, cannot allow illegals on its soil, he called them a big threat to national security. “We will have to expose parties that are shielding them for vote-bank politics,” he said.In the same breath, he also slammed “urban naxals”, saying they are acquiring international dimensions and conspiring to harm India. They must be defeated by the party’s organisational and ideological strength, he said. Maoism is in its last breath in the country, he said.Modi touched on a host of his govt’s welfare measures and said he is giving an account of his work to the new chief who will write his confidential report, drawing good cheers from the audience.

VISAKHAPATNAM: Senior YSRCP leader Gudivada Amarnath on Tuesday alleged that Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu used a global platform for self-promotion and to level baseless charges against the opposition.Amarnath’s remarks came amid Naidu’s participation in the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, where CM addressed members of the Telugu diaspora and global investors.“Naidu misused a global platform for self-promotion and for making baseless allegations against the opposition YSRCP, while the situation in the state tells a different story,” Amarnath claimed while addressing a press conference.The former minister accused Naidu and his team of turning “the overseas tour into an exercise in political marketing”, ignoring the ground realities faced by people in Andhra.He alleged that several sections of society were in distress, claiming that farmers were not receiving the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and students were burdened by pending fee reimbursement dues.Amarnath further alleged that the NDA coalition government had failed to fulfil its election promises to youth, women, farmers and students, and accused it of repeatedly “misleading the public through propaganda.” He also accused the TDP-led NDA government of indulging in “credit chori” over the Bhogapuram airport project, claiming that statutory clearances and preliminary groundwork had been secured during the YSRCP government’s tenure between 2019 and 2024.The Bhogapuram project is a proposed aviation hub near Visakhapatnam, aimed at boosting regional connectivity, handling passenger and cargo traffic, and supporting economic growth in north Andhra.A validation flight was conducted on January 4 to assess runway readiness, navigational systems, and overall operational safety ahead of commercial operations.Amarnath said the TDP “had a history of making false claims” and asserted that people were aware of the facts and would not be misled again.There was no immediate response from the ruling TDP.