Lucknow, Oct 2: Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said he would welcome leaders from rival camps, willing to join the opposition’s efforts to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), into his party, saying that elections are a time to “forget past mistakes”.

Interacting with reporters here, the SP chief said: “This is the time for Rajya Sabha elections, and elections are a time for coming together. It offers an opportunity to forget past mistakes, stand with others, and stand up for principles.”

“If anyone feels that our democracy, our Constitution, and our country’s economy are under attack, due to rising inflation, E20 being blended into petrol — if they believe these are wrong decisions (by the Centre), then…it is a time to come together before the Rajya Sabha and (Assembly) elections. That is why we should forget all bitterness during this time,” he added.

“Those who have been deviated from their path, those of our friends who want to join us…we will forget everything that took place in the past.”

Akhilesh Yadav also came out in support of the INDIA bloc’s proposed ‘Save Democracy’ march even as the BJP-led NDA continues to criticise him for skipping the opposition alliance’s recent meeting in New Delhi.

“Everyone should unite to ‘Save Democracy’. Together, we must come forward to save this beautiful country, its rich history of democracy, and our Constitution,” he said.

He also launched an attack on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government over flooding issues being faced by those residing in areas near the Gomti River.

“I am saddened by the fact that many families living along the banks of the Gomti River are facing a crisis. There has been waterlogging in the area for months. This government is asleep. Those who wanted to create smart cities and clean the rivers ended up cleaning out the budget, but the rivers remain uncleaned,” he said.

On Gandhi Jayanti, Akhilesh Yadav underlined that Mahatma Gandhi showed us the path of truth, non-violence and taught us the spirit of sacrifice.

“Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi ji worked towards fostering goodwill, brotherhood, and mutual love in society, and he forced the British to leave India. Today, on his birth anniversary, as we remember Mahatma Gandhi ji’s contributions, we take a resolve to work towards fulfilling his goal — to ensure that the last person, the poorest person, is connected to the mainstream,” he said.

New Delhi, Oct 2: Left student unions and several other organisations staged protests here on Friday to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with a large number of students and activists participating and several of them being detained by police.

CPI-M General Secretary M.A. Baby told media that thousands of youth and student activists of the party-affiliated Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) had arrived in Delhi from different parts of the country to participate in the protest.

“I think this would be the biggest mobilisation in Delhi today. They are going to strongly register their demand that Gyanesh Kumar, who has been nakedly violating all existing rules of the functioning of the Election Commission, should be removed,” he said.

“INDIA bloc has taken a decision. We are going to conduct a rally on November 1. On October 6, MPs of the INDIA bloc and others will be marching. As he (Gyanesh Kumar) is not resigning, we will continue to protest,” he added.

Rajya Sabha member A.A. Rahim said Delhi Police had denied permission for the protest at Jantar Mantar, forcing protesters to proceed without permission.

“We will not surrender to authoritarianism. We will not turn back and will continue our fight to safeguard the Indian Constitution, because that is our duty. Peaceful protests are our right; how can they prevent us?” Rahim said.

“We will fight for justice,” he added.

CPI-M leader Brinda Karat alleged that the Election Commission’s actions had undermined voting rights and demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation or removal.

“On Gandhi Jayanti, we are pledging to defend the principles for which Gandhi ji fought, and one of those rights is the equal right to vote,” Karat said.

Karat also alleged that nearly 13 crore voters had been illegally deleted under Gyanesh Kumar’s leadership and demanded an end to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

About the denial of permission for the protest, Karat said, “We don’t require permission to defend democracy.”

She also criticised the detention of protesters, saying, “What is detention? Detention versus deletion.”

Delhi Police had imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, in the Jantar Mantar area. The order prohibits public gatherings or assemblies of five or more people, processions, demonstrations, picketing and dharnas without prior written permission. It also restricts shouting slogans and making speeches without permission.

Members of Left organisations and civil society groups had called for protests against the Election Commission over the ongoing SIR exercise and demanded action against Gyanesh Kumar. Protesters were detained after police denied permission for the demonstration.

New Delhi, Oct 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke with flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar over a video call, praising his courage, presence of mind and composure during the mid-air incident in which he helped save the lives of passengers and crew members.

The conversation turned emotional as Captain Machchhar became teary-eyed while speaking to the Prime Minister. At one point, the visibly emotional pilot broke down and apologised to PM Modi for losing his composure during the call.

Machchhar told the Prime Minister that he had never imagined he would one day get an opportunity to speak with him.

PM Modi consoled the emotional captain and said, “Why are you crying? The whole country wants to talk to you.”

Referring to Machchhar’s remarks about the Hanuman Chalisa, PM Modi said, “And what you have said about the Hanuman Chalisa, I will thank Geeta Ben for giving you such values.”

“The whole country is here to welcome you with great excitement,” the Prime Minister added.

PM Modi also described Machchhar as a ‘Veer Purush’ and praised his courage during the incident.

During the conversation, Machchhar said he did not consider what happened merely as his work but as a journey.

“I am confident that I will recover soon,” he told the Prime Minister.

PM Modi wished him a speedy recovery and congratulated him for his courage and presence of mind.

“I want to congratulate you, and today is Gandhi Jayanti. I want to say that you have demonstrated what ahimsa (non-violence) means,” PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister also spoke with Machchhar in Gujarati during the interaction.

Machchhar sustained severe injuries during an attack by the Omani co-pilot on a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight on Wednesday. The co-pilot allegedly attempted to take control of the aircraft, following which Machchhar fought him off and managed to unlock the cockpit door.

The move allowed crew members and passengers to enter the cockpit and restrain the attacker, averting what could have been a major disaster.

The flight was carrying more than 170 people. Meanwhile, flydubai has temporarily suspended flights to and from Israel as an investigation into the incident is underway, according to the airline.