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Cong is losing in Punjab, says Ashwani Kumar after quitting party

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Former Union Minister Ashwani Kumar, who resigned from the Congress on Tuesday, targeted Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and claimed that the party’s defeat in the state in the February 20 Assembly polls is certain.

In an interview to IANS, Ashwani Kumar, who was perceived as a loyalist of the Gandhi family and had supported against the ‘G23’ , said it was getting difficult to continue in the party. He also said he is open to join any other party.

Here are excerpts of the interview.

Q. After being so long in the Congress, you have decided to quit now. Why?

A. I was feeling uncomfortable, helpless and ignored for the last many months and I understood that now I am not needed in the party. Therefore, I distanced myself. I was not able to do whatever I wanted to do by staying inside the party. That’s why I decided to fulfil my duty and now I can do what I feel comfortable to do.

Q. You tried to keep your point on the party platform. Were all those points ignored?

A. What is the platform of the party now… I tried to tell them (the top leadership) in my own way, but indication was clear that I am not needed in the party. I gave a lot of thought to this and came to the decision that according to the current circumstances and my limitations, it would be better for me to break away from the party and work in the national interest on a larger scale.

Q. Is everything going well in the Congress in Punjab? You have indicated that result will be shocking.

A. I have been involved in the work of party organisation in the campaign of Punjab for many weeks and from what I have seen on the ground, it seems that the Aam Aadmi Party is moving ahead there with a huge majority.

Q. Why do you feel that Congress is losing in Punjab?

A. Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi says he is from a poor family, then how come he has Rs 10-12 crore in his house. So the definition of poverty has changed in the eyes of the Congress, especially for Channi. Now let’s see how many people in Punjab have Rs 10-12 crore in their homes. Those who have so much money will definitely vote Congress. Congress is being made fun of in Punjab. Apart from two-three leaders, no one has done anything for the party. It is beyond my understanding how such an old party will move forward in such circumstances. As far as I understand, Congress is losing elections in Punjab and Aam Aadmi Party is winning hands down. In rural areas, where once Akali Dal, Congress dominated, new candidates are getting support.

Q. You were in the Congress for about 46 years and were also the Union Law Minister. Now that you have resigned, what advice would you give to the Congress?

A. This is not my duty to give advice. Now I will do politics on my own strength, will write my own destiny because today the country needs politics that connects people.

Q. Have you thought of joining other party?

A. I have not given any thought so far, but no party is untouchable. It is also not right to hold Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for every shortcoming in the country. I have always believed that ideas should be fought, not persons.

Q. Will you go to BJP like Jitin Prasada, Jyotiraditya Scindia and R.P.N. Singh or with Aam Aadmi Party?

A. I said earlier that no decision has been taken yet in this regard, nor have I talked to the BJP or the AAP. I have met (AAP chief) Arvind Kejriwal and (West Nemgal Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee also. I have good relations with all the leaders but have not decided yet.

Crime

Delhi Police arrest 11 cyber criminals for digital arrests linked to Cambodia

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New Delhi, Oct 13: Eleven cyber criminals were arrested and a potential loss of Rs 7.25 crore through digital arrests, prevented by the Delhi Police, who busted an international syndicate linked to gangs in Cambodia and other South-East Asian countries, an official said on Tuesday

The arrests by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police led to the working out of cybercrime cases spread across different states, including Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, and resulted in a freeze/hold on Rs1.96 crore in HDFC and SBI accounts related to fraud cases, the police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, IFSO Unit, Gaurav Tyagi said in one case probe began on the complaint of Pradeep Kumar Das, 69, retired Scientist “F”, Director, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, regarding a “digital arrest” fraud of Rs 1.25 crore, the police said.

During the investigation, the police identified a hotel and a flat in Sector-7, Dwarka, along with the mobile number 8617839064, which was registered/linked with the HDFC Bank account of the MR Traders and used for facilitating cybercrime, said a statement.

The main handler was identified as Anish Khan, a resident of Etah, UP, who was in contact with foreign-based handlers through Telegram and involved in operating/managing the bank account allegedly used for cybercrime-related transactions.

As per the investigation, he was allegedly working on a 5.5 per cent commission basis. The commission was allegedly received in USDT (Tether/cryptocurrency) and subsequently converted into Indian Rupees through different cryptocurrency exchanges/platforms, the police said.

Other accused were identified as Mahfuzar Rahman and Izhar Alam, both from West Bengal; Altaf Hussain, a resident of J&K; and Intekhab, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, UP, the police said.

The mastermind of another related case was identified as 31-year-old Anil Sagu alias Krishna, a resident of village Dabri, District Hanumangarh, Rajasthan. He was arrested in connection with a case registered by the Special Cell.

The DCP said that Sagu collected commission in USDT (Tether/cryptocurrency) and distribute it among his associates.

He was the main handler who remained in touch with foreign associates through Telegram, the police said.

Other arrested accused were identified as Neeraj Kumar Mittal, an account holder from Meerut; Kanwar Pal, introducer for the bank account in Meerut; Saif Ali Khan, resident of Gajraula, UP; Ranbir, resident of Rampur, District Shimla; Prabhat Rai alias Ashutosh, resident of Mangolpuri, Delhi.

During the investigation, the police recovered the cheque book of the alleged bank account No. 50200099629024, maintained with HDFC Bank, of MR Traders.

Six Mobile phones, which contain the WhatsApp chat, Telegram chat, and the crypto currency transaction history and other incriminating evidence relevant, with the case, were also seized.

As many as seven Telagram channels have been identified through which the sale and purchase of mule bank accounts was being undertaken by the accused, said the police.

An analysis of Telegram and WhatsApp chats revealed the sharing of bank credentials, linking the accused to 78 National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) complaints across different States, with further investigation ongoing. The total amount involved in these 78 NCRP complaints was Rs 73 crore, said the statement.

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Business

Adani Enterprises, Jabil plan to build mega AI, data centre infra platform in India

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New Delhi, Oct 13: Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) and global engineering, supply chain and manufacturing company Jabil Inc. on Tuesday said they have signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a proposed 50:50 joint venture to manufacture and assemble artificial intelligence (AI) and data centre equipment in India.

The MoU follows the June 2026 announcement of Adani Group and Jabil’s intent to establish a strategic alliance to develop an AI and data centre infrastructure manufacturing ecosystem in India.

“The AI revolution will demand far more than just breakthroughs in algorithms. It will require an entire new industrial architecture where energy, hyperscale infrastructure, advanced computing and precision manufacturing converge to power the intelligence economy,” Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani said.

At Adani, “our vision is to expand up the AI value chain evolving from powering and hosting AI infrastructure to engineering and manufacturing the critical systems that will define the next generation of computing”, the billionaire industrialist said.

According to a statement, the proposed joint venture remains subject to execution of definitive agreements, receipt of applicable approvals, and satisfaction of customary conditions.

“Our proposed joint venture with Jabil marks a strategic step towards this future, combining Jabil’s world-class engineering and manufacturing capabilities with Adani’s integrated strengths in energy, infrastructure and data centres to help build the physical backbone of the global AI economy,” said Gautam Adani.

The venture would provide a manufacturing base in India to serve domestic demand and support exports.

The companies estimate the global market opportunity at more than $3 trillion over the next seven years, driven by investment in AI computing.

“The signing of this MoU is the next step forward in our shared efforts to establish a scaled AI infrastructure manufacturing platform in India, a market we believe will become increasingly important for both domestic and global AI infrastructure demand,” Jabil Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mike Dastoor said.

“Integrating Jabil’s 60 years of engineering and manufacturing expertise with Adani’s significant infrastructure and energy capabilities, we can bring our rack-level data centre solutions to more hyperscalers in India and around the world,” he added.

The venture is aligned with Adani Group’s $100 billion commitment to develop 5 GW of green-energy-powered, hyperscale AI-ready data centres by 2035. The proposed venture would add hardware manufacturing to the Group’s presence across infrastructure, energy, logistics and data centres.

The joint venture would manufacture and assemble AI racks, servers, storage and networking equipment used in data centres. The racks would house high-performance computing systems for AI applications and other digital services, the statement said.

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National News

‘People will never forgive such behaviour’: Piyush Goyal on LoP ‘pushing’ a female journalist

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New Delhi, Oct 13: Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday that the way Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and members of the Opposition “misbehaved” with a female journalist during the INDIA bloc march a day before, the conduct would “never be forgiven” by the people of the country.

Addressing a press conference, Goyal said: “Yesterday’s disgraceful behaviour by Rahul Gandhi and his colleagues towards a woman journalist was unacceptable. She was three months pregnant and therefore was repeatedly telling them to be careful. However, she was pushed around and thrown to the ground, and eventually had to be hospitalised. What was her only fault? She was covering their protest and asking a few questions.”

“I do not believe the 1.4 billion people of this country will ever forgive such behaviour. I do not believe that even a single journalist, male or female, could ever forgive this conduct,” he added.

Meanwhile, Goyal referred to Rahul Gandhi’s previous allegations against former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying: “They (Congress leaders) abuse Mamata Banerjee and contest elections against her, accusing her of opening the doors for the BJP to win the recently held West Bengal polls through her alleged wrongdoings and malpractices.”

“After both of them (Congress and Mamata-All India Trinamool Congress) lost elections (in West Bengal), they shamelessly took a U-turn and started blaming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Election Commission since both of them are now searching for a reason for their defeat. Both Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee should show some spine and stick to one story rather than constantly changing narratives,” he remarked.

The Union Minister spoke about the protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls, emphasising that the Supreme Court had upheld the constitutional validity of Bihar’s SIR in May 2026.

“While proceedings regarding Form-6 are ongoing in court, if they (Congress) truly respect the Constitution, why take to the streets? The judicial process is already underway. The court is examining whether Form-6 is appropriate, and if any corrections are needed, it will direct them. The court has already held that the SIR is constitutionally valid. So, why are they (Congress) taking to the streets and trying to create anarchy?” Goyal said.

“Why are they (Congress) trying to provoke people? When constitutional avenues and methods are available to you, but you refuse to follow or respect them, you demonstrate that you are an anarchist and believe in the path of anarchy. I think Rahul Gandhi and the Congress are insulting the Constitution and showing anarchy on the streets,” he remarked.

Goyal said that if Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party really have any evidence of “vote chori”, then why was it not submitted to the court or to the Election Commission?

“This is such height of stupidity that they (Congress) can’t even file a petition properly despite (Congress) giving Rajya Sabha seats to such big lawyers. There were 14 defects in the petition (filed) in the Supreme Court…I believe the Congress is itself responsible for its failure. The party has a dark future under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi,” he remarked while referring to the petition filed by opposition leaders in the Supreme Court alleging irregularities in SIR.

Goyal added: “The person (Rahul Gandhi) who believes in anarchy and does his politics based on lies, the party’s leaders who can’t even file a petition properly…what future will such a party and its leader give to the country!”

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