"Unfortunate": Kangana Ranaut's Mandi Rival Vikramaditya Singh On Slap Row

After a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) official allegedly slapped BJP MP Kangana Ranaut at the Chandigarh airport today, Congress leader and Ms Ranaut's poll rival in Mandi Vikramaditya Singh called the incident "unfortunate" and called for action against the official concerned.

"It is unfortunate if these kinds of incidents are happening and should not happen to any person, particularly a woman. It is unfortunate that it has been done by a security person. We got to know that the security person had some grievances related to the farmer's protest," Mr Singh said.

It is the duty of the CISF to provide a peaceful atmosphere inside airports, he added.

"You have a constitutional right and platform to bring up your grievances and issues. To assault a person like this is unfortunate. The government should take action against the person. Once you are in an airport, you are under the security protection of the CISF, and it is their duty to provide you with security and a peaceful atmosphere," Mr Singh said.

Meanwhile, the CISF suspended the woman constable, who allegedly slapped actor and MP Kangana Ranaut inside Chandigarh airport during the security check.

A senior CISF officer confirmed the incident and said they are also in the process of filing an FIR against the constable.

"We have given a complaint to the local police station against the lady constable. She has been suspended with immediate effect and an inquiry has been ordered into the matter," the officer said.

The incident took place around 3:30 pm when Kangana Ranaut was on her way to board a flight to Delhi.

Reacting to the incident, Ms Ranaut in a video message said, "I am safe. I am perfectly fine. The incident took place during the security check. After I was done with the security check, a woman constable of the CISF waited for me to pass through the cabin. Later, she came from the side, hit me in the face, and started abusing me."

"When I asked her why she did this, she said that she supported the farmers' protest. My question is how we end the growing extremism and terrorism in Punjab", the BJP leader added.

Meanwhile, the CISF constable said her mother was among the farmers sitting in protest against the farm laws, which have now been repealed.

"She (Kangana Ranaut) said that the farmers are sitting there for Rs 100. Will she go and sit there? My mother was sitting there and protesting when she gave this statement..." the constable said.

Farmers protested for 15 months against the now-repealed farm laws and other issues.

Kangana Ranaut defeated Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi by a margin of 74,755 votes in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.

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Row Over Relocation Of Parliament's Gandhi, Ambedkar, Shivaji Statues

The members of the 18h Lok Sabha, when they take oath, will do so at a rather different looking Parliament complex. Not only the iconic statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Babasaheb Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji will no longer be found at their designated spots, the parliament security personnel at the complex will be replaced by the Central Industrial Security Forces. While the first change has raised eyebrows, especially in the Congress, the second has raised concerns about security.

The statues will be moved to a new spot towards the back of the parliament complex, called Prerna Sthal, the Lok Sabha Secretariat has said in a statement.

Announcing a plan to landscape the Parliament grounds, the Lok Sabha Secretariat, in a statement, said: "In the Parliament Complex, statues of great leaders and freedom fighters of the country were installed at different parts of the Complex. Due to their location at different places in the Parliament Complex, visitors were not able to view these statues conveniently. For this reason, all these statues are being respectfully installed in a grand Prerana Sthal in the Parliament House Complex itself."

"This Prerana Sthal is being developed in such a way that the visitors coming to visit the Parliament complex could easily see the statues of these great leaders and take inspiration from their lives and philosophy," the statement read.

Protests By Opposition

Newly elected MP from Amethi, KL Sharma, posted the photos of the removal and the denuded spots.

"The statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar have been removed from their special places in front of the Parliament House. This is a very cheap and petty act," read a translation of his post in Hindi.

संसद भवन के सामने छत्रपति शिवाजी महाराज, महात्मा गांधी जी और बाबासाहेब अंबेडकर जी की मूर्तियों को उनके विशिष्ट स्थानों से हटा दिया गया है। यह बेहद घटिया और ओछी हरकत है।
# pic.twitter.com/QqAu7GPNu1

— Team Kishori Lal Sharma Amethi (@KLSharmaAmethi) June 6, 2024

The 16-ft tall bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi had become iconic, with Opposition MPs choosing it as a protest spot for years.

Protesting against the move, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, said, "Statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar have just been removed from their places of prominence in front of the Parliament House. This is atrocious."

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera alleged that the statues of Shivaji and Ambedkar were removed because Maharashtra did not vote for the BJP. As they did not get a clean sweep in Gujarat, they removed the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. "Just think, if they had been given 400 seats, would they have spared the Constitution?" read a rough translation of his Hindi post on X, formerly Twitter.

CPI's D Raja also condemned the move, calling it "arbitrary and unilateral". "All statues in the Parliament House are erected in the honour of individuals who significantly contributed to our national life," read his post on X.

Lok Sabha Secretariat Responds

The Lok Sabha Secretariat has pointed out that the Parliament House complex comes under the jurisdiction of the Lok Sabha Speaker and earlier also, statues were shifted inside the complex with the permission of the Speaker.

"It is clear that no statue of any great person has been removed from the Parliament House complex, rather they are being installed in an orderly and respectful manner inside the Parliament House complex," the statement read.

The Opposition has questioned the haste when a new Speaker is about to take charge.

Congress's Manickam Tagore, meanwhile said the move to replace parliament security personnel is  an "attack on parliament's autonomy" and called for the constitution of a joint security committee.

"Shah wants to control Parliament with CISF jawans. 450 parliamentary security personnel are being relieved of their duties during the elections. The first task of the new Speaker should be to constitute a joint security committee otherwise, we may see future incidents like Chandigarh airport," he added, pointing to the slapping of new MP Kangana Ranaut by a CISF constable at the Chandigarh airport earlier today.

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T20 WC Live: Naseem Provides Pakistan Breakthrough, USA One Down In Chase

USA vs Pakistan Live Updates, T20 World Cup 2024: Steven Taylor and Monank Patel eye a solid start for United States in chase of 160 against Pakistan at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas. On the fifth ball of the second over, Taylor smashed Mohammad Amir for a four but broke his bat in the process. Earlier, Babar Azam scored 44 off 43 as Pakistan posted 159 for 7 after getting an invitation to bat first. Pakistan were 26 for 3 in 4.4 overs before Babar Azam and Shadab Khan took the side out of the hot water with a 72-run stand. Shaheen Afridi's 23 not out off 16 also played a crucial role in taking Pakistan to a competitive total. Nosthush Kenjige was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 for 30 in four overs. (Live Scorecard) (Points Table)

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Ex-Chief Ministers, Actors Among 280 First-Term MPs In 18th Lok Sabha

Former Chief Ministers, film stars, political activists, and a former High Court judge are among the 280 first-term members of the Lok Sabha.

Uttar Pradesh, the largest state that sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha, elected 45 first-term members to the Lower House, which include actor Arun Govil, who played Lord Ram on TV, from Meerut, Congress leader Kishori Lal Sharma, who defeated BJP's Smriti Irani in Amethi, and Dalit rights activist Chandrashekhar Azad of the Azad Samaj Party from Nagina.

Maharashtra, where the BJP faced electoral reverses, elected 33 first-term Lok Sabha members, including school teacher Bhaskar Bhagre, fielded by Sharad Pawar's NCP from the tribal seat of Dindori. He defeated BJP leader Bharti Pawar.

Also among first-term members from Maharashtra are BJP's Piyush Goyal, elected from Mumbai North, Congress leader Balwant Wankhede, who defeated BJP's Navneet Rana in Amravati, BJP's Anup Dhotre, the son of former Union Minister Sanjay Dhotre, from Akola, and Independent member Vishal Patil from Sangli.

Former Chief Ministers Narayan Rane (Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg), Trivendra Singh Rawat (Haridwar), Manohar Lal (Karnal), Biplab Kumar Deb (Tripura West), Jitan Ram Manjhi (Gaya), Basavraj Bommai (Haveri), Jagdish Shettar (Belgaum), Charanjit Singh Channi (Jalandhar) are among the first-term members of the Lok Sabha.

Suresh Gopi (Thrissur) and Kangana Ranaut (Mandi) are the actors who will enter the Lok Sabha for the first time.

Rajya Sabha members Anil Desai (Shiv Sena UBT), Bhupendra Yadav, Dharmendra Pradhan, Mansukh Mandaviya, and Parshottam Rupala have also made their maiden entry into the Lok Sabha.

Members of the erstwhile royal families - Chhatrapati Shahu (Kolhapur), Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar (Mysore), and Kriti Devi Debbarman (Tripura East) - will enter Parliament for the first time.

Former Kolkata High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who won the Talmuk Lok Sabha seat in Bengal, is also a first-time MP.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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What PM Modi's Third Term Means For The World: Foreign Media

India has played an increasingly larger part on the global diplomatic stage under Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- but his third term will see him look to take a starring role.

PM Modi portrays his country as a leader of the Global South, with himself a chief spokesman for the loose grouping, and another five years in office gives him greater longevity and seniority among the world's most powerful, despite his reduced parliamentary majority.

The 73-year-old is pressing for the world's most populous nation and fastest-growing major economy to have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

"Modi will be one of the most senior leaders on the global circuit and that too with three election victories under his belt," said Harsh V Pant, professor of international relations at King's College London.

"He has set out major ambitions for himself and India and it's unlikely that he would compromise on his legacy."

Analysts say that India has interests rather than allies and PM Modi has been courted by the United States and European nations as a counterweight to China.

He uses India's growing global footprint to bolster his own domestic standing, and at the same time used India's holding of the G20 presidency last year to burnish his image abroad.

Now he hopes to build on hosting the 2023 Cricket World Cup by bidding for the 2036 Summer Olympics.

Here is how a third term for Modi could build on a decade of his diplomatic ambitions.

United States and Europe

India is part of the Quad grouping with the United States, Japan and Australia that positions itself against China's growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region.

President Joe Biden hosted PM Modi for a state dinner last year and has called Washington's ties with New Delhi the "defining partnership of the 21st century".

In February, Washington approved a $4 billion sale of state-of-the-art drones to India, the latest bolster to India's defence in a counterbalance to its northern neighbour.

And the US Justice Department last year charged an Indian citizen with allegedly plotting an assassination attempt in New York approved by India's intelligence agency.

India also has growing ties with European countries, and hopes to expand multi-billion-dollar defence deals with France including the sale of Rafale fighter jets and Scorpene-class submarines.

China

Beijing and New Delhi are both members -- alongside Moscow and others -- of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization forum.

But relations between the world's two most populous countries slumped in 2020 after their troops fought a deadly high-altitude skirmish along their 3,500-kilometre (2,200-mile) frontier.

Tens of thousands of troops from the nuclear-armed Asian giants continue to eyeball each other and territorial claims fester, but despite their rivalry China is India's second-largest trade partner.

Jayant Prasad, a senior former ambassador, said he expected "adversarial relations" to endure.

"India, with its friends, will try to rein in China's assertiveness," he said.

The Modi government has pumped billions of dollars into border infrastructure and boosted military spending by 13 percent last year -- but it is still barely a quarter of China's.

'Global South'

PM Modi this week called New Delhi "a strong and important voice of the Global South", and last year India hosted two "Voice of the Global South" summits as it sought to strengthen its role as a representative of Asian, African and South American nations.

It was under PM Modi's watch that the African Union bloc became a permanent member of the G20, with India arguing developing nations need a greater say in global decision-making.

India is also a founder member of the BRICS club of emerging economies.

Russia

New Delhi and Moscow have ties dating back to the Cold War and Russia remains by far India's biggest arms supplier.

New Delhi has shied away from explicit condemnation of Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, abstained on UN resolutions censuring Moscow, and snapped up cut-price Russian crude oil supplies.

PM Modi in March congratulated President Vladimir Putin on his re-election, adding he was looking forward to developing their "special" relationship.

Pakistan

PM Modi's government has refused to engage with historic rival Pakistan since accusing Islamabad of cross-border terrorism.

The two nations have fought three wars and numerous smaller skirmishes since being carved out of the subcontinent's partition in 1947. Kashmir has been at the centre of tensions.

In 2015, PM Modi made a surprise visit to Lahore but relations plummeted in 2019.

In March, PM Modi congratulated Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif on his return to the premiership -- a rare expression of goodwill between the leaders of the nuclear-armed neighbours.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Uttar Pradesh Shocker: INDIA Wins More Lok Sabha Seats Than BJP-Led NDA

If shocking results on counting day could be ranked, Uttar Pradesh would be the topper this time. With the counting of votes for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls concluding after more than 15 hours on Tuesday, the BJP's big bastion in the past two general elections saw an epic battle between the NDA and INDIA bloc comprising Samajwadi Party and Congress. 

According to the Election Commission's final figures, the BJP won 33 seats, while its allies got three (the Rashtriya Lok Dal two and Apna Dal (Soneylal) one).

On the other hand, the INDIA bloc made a surprising comeback, winning 43 Lok Sabha seats. While Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party secured 37 seats, Congress got six constituencies. The SP had contested 62 seats and the Congress fought 17.

Chandrashekhar of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) won from the Nagina constituency and Mayawati's BSP, which went solo this time, failed to open its account.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led NDA won 62 of the state's 80 seats, with the BSP and Samajwadi Party, then allies, winning 10 and five seats, respectively.

Exit polls had earlier given the NDA an edge in Uttar Pradesh, but the INDIA bloc leaders had dismissed the projections.

UP Election Results 2024 Live: Key Lok Sabha Seats

Among the key Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi won in Varanasi, while former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was victorious in the Rae Bareli constituency. 

Akhilesh Yadav won from the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat, while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh secured a victory in Lucknow.

Hema Malini, BJP's actor-turned-politician, won the Mathura constituency.

In Amethi, Congress leader KL Sharma defeated Union minister and incumbent MP Smriti Irani.

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In Delhi, BJP Leads On All 7 Seats, Heartbreak For INDIA Bloc

The BJP, which won all seven Delhi Lok Sabha seats both in 2014 and 2019, won all Lok Sabha seats in the national capital yet again.  

Bansuri Swaraj, late BJP leader Sushma Swaraj's daughter, is making her electoral debut in this general election. Ms Swaraj, 40, won against her AAP rival Somnath Bharti in the New Delhi seat.

Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, which rules the national capital, is in a 4:3 seat arrangement with the Congress as part of the INDIA bloc taking on the BJP. 

The AAP that contested East Delhi, West Delhi, New Delhi and South Delhi seats could not win any seat. Its vote share, however, was 24.14 per cent as compared to 18.2 per cent in 2019 polls. The AAP's vote share was 33.1 per cent in 2014 general elections but it lost all seven seats that it contested.

Kanhaiya Kumar, who lost the last Lok Sabha election from Begusarai in Bihar, is up against BJP's two-term MP Manoj Tiwari from North East Delhi. Mr Kumar, former student union president of JNU, lost to Mr Tiwari, a popular Bhojpuri actor.

The Congress that failed to win any seat out of three contested by it in Delhi, lost its vote share by over three per cent as compared to 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav, in a statement, accepted the verdict of the voters and promised that the Congress will strengthen its cadres at the grassroots level, and come back forcefully to regain its old glory in the national capital.

A total of 162 candidates contested the elections held during the sixth phase on May 25, according to official data.

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