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Wednesday,08-October-2025
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Is Priyanka Gandhi Vadra proving to be a trouble shooter after Ahmed Patel?

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Priyanka-Gandhi

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hopped from 10 Janpath, residence of party president Sonia Gandhi to 12 Tughlak Road, residence of Rahul Gandhi on Friday during the meeting with Bhupesh Baghel. At the end of the three-hour meet, it’s status quo in Chhattisgarh and there is no word on leadership change in the state.

Priyanka was seen exiting from 10 Janpath and entering and exiting from Rahul Gandhi’s residence to formalize middle path in the state but there is no official announcement of any formula, also the Chhattisgarh CM did not answer on the rotational chief ministership.

It’s being said in political circles that Priyanka Gandhi’s intervention and Bhupesh Baghel’s involvement in Uttar Pradesh saved the day. Baghel maintains good relations with the Congress General Secretary in-charge of UP as about 50 people from the state are being put in UP to train the cadre by Bhupesh Baghel’s team and recently about 100 workers from UP were trained in Raipur.

The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister has put in all the resources in UP before that he was campaign in charge of Assam.

It is not the first time Priyanka Gandhi has intervened in crucial decision making process, she was instrumental in the appointment of Navjot Singh Sidhu as Punjab Congress President when he was sulking and was about to jump the ship. Before that when Sachin Pilot led a revolt in July 2020 it was Priyanka Gandhi who pacified Pilot and saved the government last year in Rajasthan, however, she was unable to stop the revolt of Jyotiraditya Scindia which led to the collapse of the government in Madhya Pradesh while Jitin Prasada who worked closely with her also left and joined the BJP.

While Scindia is a Union Minister, Jitin Prasada is expected to get reward soon.

Last year when G-23 leaders wrote a letter and after passing away of Ahmed Patel, she defused the tension by arranging a meeting with the group and Sonia Gandhi, since then there have been individual statements like from Kapil Sibal and some others but no collective movement has started.

For the party it was AP as Ahmed Patel was popularly called, was the chief trouble shooter but after his untimely demise due to Covid, the party was feeling the gap but PG (Priyanka Gandhi) has stepped in his shoes and along with Kamal Nath has been talking to leaders and working behind to solve problems, a close aide points out.

Coming back to Chhattisgarh, she in her intervention has asked the Chief Minister to placate sulking T.S. Singhdeo and it’s expected that final decision may be taken after Rahul Gandhi visits the state next month while the Chief Minister has showed his strength by rallying support of more than 50 MLAs which has not gone down well in the party.

On Friday, Bhupesh Baghel had three-hour meeting with Rahul Gandhi, after which, Baghel said that he has invited Gandhi to visit the state.

“I have apprised him of everything and discussed political as well as administrative issues… have requested Rahul Gandhi to visit Chhattisgarh,” he said. After the meeting Baghel went to Akbar Road, the party headquarters to meet the MLAs camping in support of him.

The Congress high command had summoned Baghel to Delhi on Friday to take a final call whether the powerful OBC leader should be allowed to continue as the Chief Minister or be replaced by T.S. Singh Deo, scion of the Surguja royal family.

Political temperature within the Congress in Chhattisgarh has all of a sudden soared as 56 party MLAs are openly backing Baghel and paraded before the party high command in New Delhi.

The issue in the state boiled after the two leaders were called to Delhi on Tuesday and both Singhdeo and Baghel met Rahul Gandhi in Delhi and was summoned again on Friday.

Crime

CBI arrests two CGST officers in Mumbai for accepting Rs 25,000 bribe

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Mumbai, Oct 8: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday said it has arrested a Superintendent and an Inspector of the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) in Mumbai, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 from a businessman.

According to a CBI statement, the arrested officials have been identified as Superintendent Vikram and Inspector Lav Kumar Chittoria, both posted in the CGST Santacruz Division.

The case was registered on Tuesday following a complaint from a textile trader who had applied online for GST registration of his firm on September 24, the statement said.

The complainant alleged that during a field inspection on October 3, Chittoria demanded Rs 25,000 as illegal gratification for himself and his superior officer.

The officers allegedly warned that the GST registration certificate would not be issued unless the bribe was paid.

Acting on the complaint, the CBI laid a trap and caught both the accused red-handed while accepting the bribe amount inside the CGST West Mumbai Office on Tuesday.

The bribe money was recovered from their possession. Following the arrests, searches were carried out at the offices and residences of both officials, during which several incriminating documents were also seized.

A CBI spokesperson said that both officers were taken into custody for interrogation and will be produced before a competent court in Mumbai later in the day.

“Further investigation is underway to determine whether other officials were involved in the bribery racket and to trace possible links with similar cases,” the official added.

The agency reiterated its zero-tolerance policy towards corruption in government departments and urged citizens to report any instance of demand for bribes through its dedicated helpline and online portal.

Just a few days ago, in its crackdown on bribery in government offices, the CBI arrested two senior government officials of the Ministry of Defence and a railway hospital, in two separate cases of bribery.

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Business

Committed to boosting Mumbai’s infrastructure, ease of living: PM Modi

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Mumbai, Oct 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reaffirmed his government’s commitment to enhancing Mumbai’s infrastructure and the ‘Ease of Living’ as he is set to inaugurate Phase-1 of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) and the Mumbai Metro Line-3.

In a post on X, PM Modi said, “On the way to Navi Mumbai to take part in the programme marking the inauguration of Phase-1 of the Navi Mumbai International Airport. With this, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region will get its second major international airport, thus boosting commerce and connectivity.”

“The final phase of the Mumbai Metro Line-3 will also be inaugurated. We are committed to enhancing Mumbai’s infrastructure and boosting ‘Ease of Living’ for the people of this dynamic city,” he added.

Phase-1 of the Navi Mumbai International Airport, developed at an estimated cost of Rs 19,650 crore, will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister in line with his vision of transforming India into a global aviation hub.

The Navi Mumbai International Airport is India’s largest Greenfield airport project, developed under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. As the second international airport for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, it will work in coordination with the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to reduce congestion and position Mumbai among global cities with multi-airport systems.

Spread across 1,160 hectares, NMIA is designed to be one of the most efficient airports in the world, capable of handling up to 90 million passengers per annum and 3.25 million metric tonnes of cargo.

Among its standout features is an Automated People Mover (APM) system that will connect all four passenger terminals to facilitate smooth inter-terminal transfers. A landside APM will also link the city-side infrastructure, ensuring convenience for passengers and staff.

Committed to sustainability, the airport will include storage for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), solar power generation of nearly 47 MW, and electric bus services for city-wide connectivity. NMIA will also become the country’s first airport to be connected by a Water Taxi service.

In addition to the airport, PM Modi will inaugurate Phase 2B of the Mumbai Metro Line-3, which stretches from Acharya Atre Chowk to Cuffe Parade and has been constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 12,200 crore.

With this launch, the Prime Minister will dedicate the entire Mumbai Metro Line-3 (Aqua Line) to the nation. Built at a total cost exceeding Rs 37,270 crore, this milestone marks a major leap forward in the city’s urban transport infrastructure.

Mumbai Metro Line-3, the city’s first fully underground metro line, is set to redefine commuting in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region by offering faster, more efficient, and eco-friendly transport options for millions of daily commuters.

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National News

Akhilesh Yadav to meet SP veteran Azam Khan in Rampur amid rumours of latter’s party switch

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Lucknow, Oct 8: In a significant political development in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav is set to meet old warhorse Azam Khan on Wednesday, a meeting seen by many as an attempt to bring an end to ‘differences and distrust’ with the party stalwart.

The meeting between the duo will be closely watched, not just by SP workers but also by political analysts, as this is expected to have greater ramifications for the party in strengthening its Muslim votebank, as the latter is one of the biggest Muslim faces of the party and commands strong influence in Western Uttar Pradesh areas like Moradabad, Amroha, and other cities.

SP’s Bareilly president Shivcharan Kashyap said that Akhilesh Yadav will arrive in Bareilly from Amausi Airport and from there, he will travel to Rampur by road.

He informed that the two leaders will meet and discuss issues in private.

The proposed meeting between the two comes amidst rumours of Azam Khan, once one of the most powerful ministers in the SP government, contemplating a switch to BSP.

Azam Khan, one of the tallest SP leaders in Uttar Pradesh, was incarcerated in jail for about two years, and this left him ‘disillusioned and disenchanted’ with the SP leadership, as the latter failed to show solidarity with him during his difficult time.

After his release from Sitapur jail on September 23, Azam Khan also said that he will meet only Akhilesh Yadav and no one else.

“Akhilesh Yadav will meet me, and I will meet only him,” he said, while replying to reporters, when quizzed about meeting the SP supremo.

He also said sarcastically, “It’s his magnanimity that he’s coming to meet a goat thief and a buffalo thief.”

Rumours of Azam Khan joining the BSP have been circulating in political circles for quite some time. However, he rubbished all these speculations, calling himself a true soldier of the party.

Azam Khan was one of the founding members of the Samajwadi Party and one of the closest aides of late Mulayam Singh Yadav. The meeting with Akhilesh Yadav is not only an attempt to rekindle old relationships but also to convey a message of unity within the party.

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