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‘BJP wants to own everything’: Akhilesh Yadav in LS during Vande Mataram debate

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New Delhi, Dec 8: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday accused the BJP of trying to “own everything and claiming exclusive nationalism”, which was in fact “Rashtra-vivadi (anti-national).”

In his address during a special session of the Lok Sabha to commemorate 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’, he said the national song belongs to every Indian and cannot be politicised.

Yadav said, “When in Kolkata, Congress leaders and Rabindranath Tagore sang this, it reached the common people, and when people fought against the British, the slogan of Vande Mataram played a major role in uniting them.”

He added, “When the British got panicked by this slogan, they used to put people in prison under anti-national cases. From 1905 to 1908, Vande Mataram was banned by the British, but they were not able to stop our revolution, and our freedom fighters kept taking it forward.”

Targeting the ruling BJP, Yadav said, “The ruling party in our nation wants to own everything. The things they do not have, they want to own. When the organisation was being formed, and the chairman who was chosen, there was debate on whether the BJP would go on the secular path, the socialist path or not. The chairman appointed at that time chose the secular and socialist path. On his stage, using Jaiprakash Ji’s picture, they tried to spread that they would follow his footsteps.”

Urging that Vande Mataram must be understood beyond symbolism, he said,

“Vande Mataram is not just to sing but to act as well. The Vande Mataram, which connected everyone in the independence movement, today, some people are trying to break the nation; they are still trying to do so. Vande Mataram is not a political subject or something to show off, but these BJP leaders act like it’s a song made by the BJP. People who did not take part in the independence movement — how will they know the value of Vande Mataram?”

In one of his strongest lines, Yadav said, “They are not ‘Rashtravadi’ (nationalist); they are ‘Rashtra-vivadi’ (anti-national). Back then, the British used to divide and rule; today, also some people are accepting that path of divide and rule.”

Continuing his criticism, he added, “The truth is that only a few people truly recited Vande Mataram from the heart. Some even worked as spies and informers for the British against those freedom fighters. Vande Mataram is not for fake politics.”

Yadav also accused the BJP of trying to appropriate icons: “Our party ended communal politics from where the BJP started it. They started putting Ambedkar’s picture in their election meetings after facing losses from the SP.”

Crime

Rajasthan Police arrest man from UP’s Faizabad in Rs 3.81 crore online trading fraud

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Jaipur, Sep 12: Acting on the directives of Rajasthan Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Kumar Sharma to prevent cybercrimes and take effective action against cybercriminals, the Rajasthan Police Cyber Crime Branch has arrested a man from Faizabad (Ayodhya), Uttar Pradesh, in connection with a multi-crore online trading fraud.

The arrest was made by the Central Cyber Crime Police Station, Jaipur.

The accused has been identified as Alok, a resident of Faizabad (Ayodhya), Uttar Pradesh.

DGP (Cyber Crime) VK Singh said that, according to a complaint filed on October 5, 2025, the complainant had been searching on Google for information related to online trading and investment. During the search, the complainant came across an online trading platform called ‘CMC Forex’ / ‘CMC Global CS’.

The accused allegedly contacted the complainant through Telegram while posing as representatives of the company’s India-based customer care or management team. They lured the complainant with promises of high returns from online trading and induced him to transfer a total of Rs 3,81,37,677 into various bank accounts.

During the investigation, police found that the cyber fraudsters had created a website and fake online trading platform resembling ‘CMC’, a reputed foreign trading company. The accused allegedly claimed to be associated with the company’s India-based customer care and management teams. They continuously provided trading-related instructions to the complainant through Telegram and encouraged him to invest in different companies. Initially, to gain the complainant’s confidence, a portion of the money invested in small amounts was returned.

This convinced the complainant that the platform was genuine and prompted him to invest larger sums. The accused allegedly directed the complainant to deposit money into multiple bank accounts. At the same time, the fake trading account showed steadily increasing profits against the investments. As a result, the complainant was led to believe that profits worth crores of rupees had accumulated in the account. When the complainant attempted to withdraw the money, the cyber fraudsters allegedly demanded additional payments on various pretexts, including income tax, currency exchange fees, security deposits and margin guarantees. Even after each payment, new conditions and charges were allegedly imposed, with the complainant repeatedly pressured to make further deposits. Despite the payments, the crores of rupees displayed in the fake trading account were never actually made available for withdrawal.

During the investigation, police examined bank records and followed the money trail. A beneficiary bank account linked to ‘Shiv Bakers and Fast Food’ was identified.

Police found that Rs 20 lakh of the money allegedly obtained through the fraud had been deposited into this account. Investigators are now tracing the subsequent movement of the money and working to identify other individuals associated with the cyber fraud network. Based on bank records and technical analysis, police identified Alok, a resident of Faizabad (Ayodhya), Uttar Pradesh.

The investigation allegedly established his involvement in connection with the beneficiary bank account used to receive proceeds of the cyber fraud.

According to police, the bank account and financial channels provided by the accused were used to receive the defrauded money and facilitate further transactions.

Alok has been arrested, and further investigation is underway. Police are conducting detailed technical analysis of CDRs, CAFs and IPDRs, along with the money trail from the banking transactions. Investigators are collecting information about the accounts into which the defrauded funds were deposited, the subsequent movement of the money and the identities of other individuals linked to the network.

The operation was conducted by a team constituted under the direction of Shantanu Kumar Singh, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Cyber Crime). The team was led by Gajendra Sharma, Station House Officer (SHO) and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) at the Central Cyber Crime Police Station, Jaipur, Rajasthan. The team included Police Inspector Radheshyam, Constables Manoj Samota and Krishna Yadav, and Constable-Driver Sube Singh.

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Business

Centre urges states to utilise cess funds for workers’ welfare

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Mumbai, Sep 11: Union Labour & Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday urged state governments to undertake a detailed assessment of the current utilisation of cess funds, identify gaps, and explore new avenues for their effective utilisation, keeping in view the long-term welfare and social security of workers.

Addressing the National Conference on Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) here, the minister also called upon states to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the Labour Codes after one year of their implementation and identify areas where more effective execution may be required. He emphasised the need for workshops and orientation programmes for labour law practitioners to facilitate effective implementation of the Codes in letter and spirit.

Highlighting the significance of the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY) in promoting employment and expanding social security coverage for new entrants to the workforce, the minister urged state governments to undertake focused workshops and engagements with industry and other stakeholders. Such efforts, he noted, would help create greater awareness and ensure that eligible new entrants receive the benefits of the scheme, thereby strengthening the collective efforts towards expanding formal employment and worker welfare.

He stressed the importance of sharing best practices among states and ensuring optimum utilisation of BOCW funds to provide wider social security coverage to workers. He further emphasised the need for the labour ecosystem to continuously evolve with changing times, and underlined the need for the Centre and states to remain aligned in their vision and policies for the holistic welfare of BOCW workers.

He also emphasised the need to explore measures that can provide workers with greater dignity, honour and self-respect, including the possibility of providing pension support to workers. He further highlighted the growing global demand for skilled and semi-skilled workers, and underscored the need to prepare India’s workforce to meet these emerging opportunities.

Mandaviya called for deliberations on international labour mobility, highlighting its significance in the nation’s economic growth through remittances, and in meeting the aspirations of Bharat’s Yuva Shakti. He emphasised the need for coordinated efforts by the Centre and states to create a comprehensive platform for international labour mobility, supported by appropriate financial and digital infrastructure, so that Indian workers can access global opportunities while enhancing India’s credibility on the global stage.

In his address, Labour & Employment Secretary Dr Chandra Bhushan Kumar drew attention to the significance of the Conference, highlighting the number of construction workers across India, which stands at over 7 crore, and the BOCW cess corpus available in the country, amounting to about Rs 77,000 crore. The deliberations at the Conference provide an opportunity to share best practices and engage with industry partners, he added.

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National News

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince arrives in New Delhi to attend to attend 18th BRICS Summit

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Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the 18th BRICS Summit. He was warmly received by the Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, at the airport.

“Warmly welcome Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. He was received by MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh at the airport,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated on X.

“The visit will be an opportunity to further strengthen India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership centred on robust trade and energy security for shared prosperity,” it added.

Earlier in the day, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi arrived in New Delhi to attend the BRICS Summit. He was warmly received at the airport by the Minister of State (MoS) Sanjay Seth.

“Warmly welcome the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, to the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. He was received by MoS Sanjay Seth at the airport. India and Egypt share deep bonds of friendship, as we work together to build a stronger BRICS partnership,” the MEA stated on X.

As BRICS chair in 2026, India will host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, bringing together leaders of BRICS members, partner countries and outreach invitees.

BRICS comprises Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. BRICS partner countries are: Belarus, Cuba, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said leaders from across the world will gather in New Delhi over the next few days for the BRICS Summit, expressing confidence that the high-level meeting will witness positive and meaningful discussions on various issues with the welfare of the world in mind.

“Over the next few days, leaders from around the world will gather for the BRICS Summit. I am confident that the Summit will see positive and meaningful discussions on various issues with the welfare of the world in mind,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

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