“The matter can be deemed concluded,” Iran’s mission to the United Nations said in a post on social media platform X just a few hours after the start of the operation late on April 13.
“However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe,” the Iranian mission warned. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi also warned Israel against a “reckless” retaliation, saying it would face “a decisive and much stronger response”.
U.S. President Joe Biden has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States would not participate in any Israeli counter-offensive against Iran, a White House official said on April 14.
John Kirby, the White House’s top national security spokesperson, told ABC’s “This Week” programme on Sunday that the United States will continue to help Israel defend itself, but does not want war with Iran.
Asked if the United States would support retaliation from Israel in Iran, Kirby said that “our commitment is ironclad” to defending Israel and to “helping Israel defend itself.”
An Israeli military spokesman said the launches numbered more than 300 but 99% of them were intercepted. Calling the outcome “a very significant strategic success,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Iran fired 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles. Of those, several ballistic missiles reached Israeli territory, causing minor damage to an air base.
Meanwhile, the Indian mission in Israel issued a fresh “important advisory” later in the day after the attacks, advising them to stay calm and adhere to safety protocols.
Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs expressed serious concern about escalation of hostilities, threatening the peace and security in the region. The Ministry also called for immediate de-escalation, exercise of restraint, stepping back from violence and return to the path of diplomacy.
Air India suspended its flights to Tel Aviv amid the escalating tensions. Air India operates four weekly flights between Delhi and Tel Aviv.
PM Modi accuses INDIA of trying to finish Sanatan dharma
Addressing an election rally in Mysuru, PM Modi referred to the Congress and allies boycotting the Ram Mandir consecration in Ayodhya and said the INDIA bloc wants to destroy the strength of Hindu religion.
However, he vowed that he will not allow these “forces of hate” to succeed as long as he enjoys the blessings of the people of the country. He also described the consecration of Ram temple at Ayodhya on January 22 as the realisation of a 500-year-old dream.
Stepping up his attack on the Congress and describing it as the “Sultan of tukde tukde gang”, which was going about “dividing” and “weakening” the country with its “dangerous ideas”, PM Modi took a potshot at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for his reported statement over the abrogation of Article 370 that sought to question what Kashmir had to do with the rest of the States in the country.
PM Modi also alleged that the Congress had rewarded those who spoke against the country, with a ticket to contest the elections, apparently referring to Bengaluru Rural MP D.K. Suresh’s reported statement seeking a separate nation for South India.
In a veiled reference to Rahul Gandhi, PM Modi said a Congress leader tried to portray India poorly during his foreign tours at a time when the country’s respect in the eyes of the world had increased. He also accused the Congress party of seeking proof for “surgical strikes” from the army when the country has given a befitting reply to its enemies.
While blaming the Congress for working with the political wing of an organisation that had been banned for terrorism, PM Modi said the Congress in Karnataka, which was practising the politics of appeasement, was imposing restrictions on festivals and bringing down religious flags.
Pointing out that the BJP’s manifesto promised to promote regional languages, PM Modi said a prosperous language like Kannada will also receive good recognition. He said places like Mysuru, Hampi and Badami in Karnataka will be promoted on the world tourism map.
The public meeting also brought PM Modi on the same stage as former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda of the JD(S), which has allied with the NDA.
Addressing the gathering, the 91-year-old Gowda said he was not stupid to ask his son and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy to go with the BJP. He said he gave his consent to the JD(S) to align with the BJP to save Karnataka.
Need a strong government, PM Modi says at BJP manifesto launch
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14 released the BJP’s manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls and said that a “strong government with a full majority was necessary” in an uncertain international situation that exists currently, pointing out that his government had time and again managed to bring back Indians stuck in conflict situations abroad. However, he avoided any explicit mention of specific international conflicts.
“Today there is a cloud of uncertainty and tension looming over the world. There are conflicts everywhere. In such an hour of crisis, the safety of the Indians living in conflict ridden countries is our priority. In times of global unrest, the necessity for a stable government with an unequivocal majority in India becomes even more pronounced. The BJP remains dedicated to forming a government that will fortify the nation’s economy and propel it towards progress and development. This Sankalp Patra from the BJP assures such a government. India, as a global ally, will persistently endeavor for the welfare of humanity. The Bharatiya Janata Party steadfastly takes bold and challenging decisions in the nation’s interest, prioritising the country over the party itself,” he said.
He added that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by him had positioned India as a “Vishwa Bandhu” friend to the world, but that it was also a government that could take “big and tough decisions in the interest of the country.”
The BJP’s manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls is entitled “Modi ki Guarantee 2024, committed to building Viksit Bharat by 2047”, terms the section on foreign policy as “Modi ki Guarantee for Vishwa Bandhu Bharat” or the universal friend.
In it, apart from stating that the Modi government in the past managed to evacuate 1.5 crore Indians stuck in conflict zones, it is said: “We have established Bharat as a reliable, trusted and dependable voice globally in the last 10 years. We have demonstrated Bharat’s independence of thought and action for the benefit of humanity. Our human centric worldview has helped to be a consensus builder, first responder and a voice for the Global South.” Indian nationals were evacuated from war-hit Ukraine and Israel apart from other conflict zones.
The BJP manifesto also contained a letter from Modi addressed to the country, which expanded on this being “India’s time” for exponential growth and on the international scene.
Meanwhile, the Congress trashed the BJP’s manifesto for being full of rhetoric, with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge saying that PM Modi has failed to fulfil the promises made in the past.
The Congress also accused Modi of not fulfilling promises made on the issue of jobs, doubling of farmers’ incomes and tackling price rise and inflation, and alleged that he was now shifting the goalposts by talking about 2047 instead. Kharge charged that the PM did not do any major work during his tenure which would have benefited the people, youth and farmers of the country.
Cash for vote I Tamil Nadu police summon BJP candidate Nainar Nagendran
A week after ₹3.98 crore was seized from three passengers — S. Satish and S. Naveen of Agaram in Chennai and S. Perumal of Srivaikundam in Thoothukudi district — travelling in the Chennai-Tirunelveli Nellai Superfast Express, the Tambaram police have issued summons to examine Nagendran, police sources said on April 14.
Satish told investigators he was an employee of a hotel owned by Nagendran in Chennai and claimed the money was meant for distribution to voters in Tirunelveli. Police said he had an identity card to establish that he was a member of the BJP and was also in possession of a copy of Nagendran’s proof of identity.
After conducting searches at suspected locations in Chennai and Tirunelveli, investigators have also issued summons to Govardhan, the BJP’s industrial wing functionary, sources said.
A detailed report on the seizure, after the Model Code of Conduct came into force, was sent by the Chengalpattu District Collector/District Election Officer to the Chief Electoral Officer, Tamil Nadu.
After fresh killings, Kuki-Zo people in Churachandpur, Kangpokpi take to streets
Protests erupted across Manipur’s Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts and in New Delhi by Kuki-Zo people after two “village volunteers” from the community were killed in firing near Kangpokpi district on April 13. This comes even as a Kuki students’ body in Delhi NCR wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, stating that the latter’s visit to Manipur was “a must” now and that Shah must promise the Kuki-Zo people in writing to settle the conflict once and for all.
The violence came after a lull of over a month and days ahead of polls in the State, jolting the Kuki-Zo community to take to the streets in both Kangpokpi and Churachandpur. Throughout the last week, as political parties in the State found covert ways to campaign in light of the conflict, voters in both constituencies expressed no enthusiasm towards the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on April 19 and 26.
The violence and the protests come amid reports that Shah was to visit Imphal for campaigning.
Meanwhile, a group of Kuki-Zo women, including journalists, social workers, former MP of Outer Manipur Kim Gangte and leaders of Kuki-Zomi-Hmar women’s forums in Delhi, have written to the Chief Election Commissioner of India Rajiv Kumar, informing him of their decision, as representatives of the “Global Kuki-Zomi-Hmar Women community”, to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
In Churachandpur’s Motbung area, Kuki-Zo civil society organisations and apex tribe bodies held a march, where thousands of people showed up with posters and banners, one of which read: “Protest against the inhuman killing of two village volunteers.”
The Committee on Tribal Unity, meanwhile, issued a statement calling for a day-long shutdown across Kangpokpi district and the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) in Churachandpur has called for a candle-light vigil near the “Wall of Remembrance” at the playground opposite the DC office in the district.
In Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, the KSO’s Delhi NCR unit and the Kuki-Zo Women’s Forum, Delhi organised a protest on April 14 morning, during which hundreds of people showed up holding posters pointing out the failure of the N. Biren Singh-led government of Manipur and others saying, “Nincompoop like Biren cannot lead a multi ethnic state”. Another protester had shown up with a poster saying, “Want peace? Give us same amount of government guns”.
DCP (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar, however, claimed that only 10-15 protesters from Manipur had gathered to protest at Jantar Mantar. Since they did not have prior permission to stage a protest at the site, they were asked to leave the premises and seek permission for protest later. All protesters returned, he said.
Poll roundup
- The Congress on April 14 issued another list of 10 candidates for the Lok Sabha election in Delhi and Punjab, fielding former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi from the Jalandhar-SC parliamentary seat. The party fielded veteran politician J.P. Agarwal from Chandni Chowk and Kanhaiya Kumar from North East Delhi. For North West Delhi, MP Udit Raj will contest for the Congress. In Punjab, the party renominated its sitting MPs Gurjeet Singh Aujla from Amritsar and Amar Singh from Fatehgarh Sahib (SC). Former MP Dharvir Gandhi will be contesting from the Patiala and Congress’ All India Kisan wing chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira from the Sangrur. Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu will contest from Bathinda and Ujjwal Revti Raman Singh from Uttar Pradesh’s Allahabad.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 14, addressing an election rally in Madhya Pradesh, said it was because of the Constitution made by Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar that the son of a poor is able to seek a third term. “Parties like Congress always insulted Baba Saheb Ambedkar. But it is because of the Constitution he made that Modi, son of a poor mother, is seeking your blessings for a third term,” Modi said as he addressed the crowd at Pipariya in Hoshangabad Lok Sabha constituency. Referring to President Draupadi Murmu, Mr. Modi said the elevation of a tribal woman to become the first citizen of the country was also made possible due to the architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. Ambedkar.
- The BJP’s national media chief Anil Baluni has taken on the challenge of winning in Garhwal (Pauri), Uttarakhand’s largest constituency, spread over 1,000 sq. km. and home to important religious sites, including the Badrinath-Kedarnath temples, and Hemkund Sahib gurudwara. Baluni spoke to The Hindu’s Ishita Mishra about his campaign, in which he is promising “guaranteed development and jobs”. “Being the Rajya Sabha MP from here, I had started a campaign named ‘apna vote, apne gaon’ (my vote will be in my village). It was a huge success and reduced political migration from the State. To check cultural migration, I started a campaign to ensure that all those who have moved outside the State in search of work must come back to their villages to celebrate at least one festival, be it Holi, Diwali or Igas (a festival celebrated in Uttarakhand after Diwali). Then we also started convincing people to organise at least one wedding or relatives’ function in their native village,” he said, to a question on migration.
In Brief
Police have identified on April 14 the assailant who stabbed and killed six people at a busy Sydney shopping centre before he was fatally shot by a police officer. New South Wales Police said that Joel Cauchi, 40, was responsible for the Saturday afternoon attack at the Westfield Shopping Centre in Bondi Junction, in the city’s eastern suburbs and not far from the world-famous Bondi Beach. NSW Assistant Police Commissioner Anthony Cooke told reporters at a media conference on Sunday that Cauchi suffered from yet unspecified mental health issues and police investigators weren’t treating the attack as terrorism-related.
Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.
