Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday took potshots at the Gandhi family, saying that the ‘Congress-I’, a faction of the grand old party formed by former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi in January 1978, stands for “Italian Congress” rather than “Congress-Indira”, while terming the party’s electoral defeats as “purification” by citizens.

The BJP chief made the remarks while speaking at the ‘Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy’ march at Delhi’s Chandni Chowk. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra and Minister Parvesh Verma were also present.

Addressing a gathering, Nabin asserted that democracy is in safe hands under the BJP-led Centre.

“If democracy is in the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then it is absolutely safe. Citizens know that 140 crore people of the country are the family of the son of the soil of the country – PM Modi,” he said.

Targeting the Congress and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, the BJP chief said: “The people who think that they are speaking for democracy…LoP Rahul Gandhi walks around with a copy of the Constitution; actually, he doesn’t care about the Constitution. Whatever Rahul Gandhi says, the Congress deems it right, due to which the party is sinking lower and lower. If they continue to obey Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party will be wiped out.”

Referring to the imposition of the ‘Emergency’ under the Congress regime in 1975 and the party’s subsequent electoral defeat, he said: “To those so-called Congress leaders who try to turn one family’s rules into the law of the country, I want to make it clear that the roots of Indian democracy are strong enough and you have already experienced this, even after imposing the Emergency…Whenever you have tried to undermine democracy, citizens have replied by punishing you (in elections)”

Further, Nabin accused the Congress of opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in order to protect its “political interests.”

“There are crores of voters whose names appear in the voter list at two different places. There are also crores of voters whose addresses and whereabouts cannot be traced. They (Congress) wanted such ‘ghost voter lists’ to remain this way so that they could continue serving their political interests…But we (BJP) believe in purification,” he said.

Referring to ‘Congress (I)’, Nabin said: “People thought that they would be known as Congress-Indira, but rather they are known as Italian Congress, having a distorted mindset. That is why the people of the country ‘purify’ them from time to time.”

Accusing the party of not learning from its electoral defeats, he asserted that anarchy cannot have a place in the country.

“We are working for India’s development, to take ahead the nation’s heritage. As ‘didi’ (Delhi CM Rekha Gupta) was saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi won’t go anywhere, rather he will be again seen hoisting the Tricolour at the ramparts of the Red Fort in 2029 (Independence Day) as well,” he asserted.

Further, Nitin Nabin drew a parallel between the SIR process and the ritual followed by traders on Diwali festival where they worship and make new entries in the ‘Bahi Khata’ (account books) and delete those being repeated.

“This is because our traders believe that a clear account book reflects the credibility of businessmen. Similarly, voter list is the account book of a democracy. Whenever attempts are made to clean it, the Congress becomes restless,” he alleged

Asserting that the ‘Bahi Khaata’ of the democracy will be “purified”, the BJP chief stated: “The names of every genuine Indian citizen who is entitled to vote will be included in the voter list, while the names of infiltrators will be deleted. Every BJP worker is fully prepared to fight for this cause.”

Moreover, Nitin Nabin also referred to the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) October 16 call for Tiranga Assembly in Delhi’s Connaught Place, underlining that BJP members had hoisted the Tricolour for the first time at Jammu and Kashmir’s Lal Chowk, despite peak militancy.

“Today, people are taking to the streets carrying the Tricolour and talking about hoisting it at Connaught Place. We should all remember the time when it was a challenge to hoist the Tricolour at Lal Chowk in Kashmir, an integral part of India. It was our party workers who, through their struggle and sacrifice, made it possible to hoist the Tricolour there,” he said.

Notably, then-BJP president Murli Manohar Joshi, accompanied by now PM Narendra Modi and Indian troops, hoisted the national flag atop the clock tower at Lal Chowk for the first time during the peak of militancy, on January 26, 1992.

In a warning to the Opposition, Nabin added: “Even the Opposition leaders know that only if their views align with the Tricolour, they will be able to live in India.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Bharat Renewable Energy Summit & Expo (BRESE) 2026 on 2nd November, which will bring together participants from over 130 countries, including global leaders, investors, industry and innovators, at Bharat Mandapam here.

Australia, Denmark, the European Union, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom will participate as country partners.

Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Santosh Sarangi, on Wednesday said, “India’s clean energy transition is entering a decisive phase. With 308 GW of installed non-fossil fuel capacity, we are firmly on course to reach our 500 GW target by 2030. Realising this ambition will require approximately USD 220 billion in investment between 2027 and 2030, alongside accelerated deployment of energy storage, stronger transmission networks and expanded domestic manufacturing capabilities.”

He told journalists that the Bharat Renewable Energy Summit & Expo 2026 will provide a vital platform to connect global capital, technology and industry expertise with India’s growing clean energy opportunities, translating investment potential into projects, partnerships and progress.

The four-day event, themed ‘Invest. Innovate. Inspire’, will be organised alongside the 9th Session of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Assembly and the 4th International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH).

The three events will provide a common platform for discussions on renewable energy investment, international cooperation, emerging technologies and clean energy deployment.

Delegations from several countries are also expected to attend the Summit to explore cooperation opportunities in renewable energy financing, green hydrogen, energy storage, clean energy manufacturing, and technology development.

Thirteen States and Union Territories will participate in the Summit, including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, showcasing their renewable energy potential, investment opportunities and manufacturing capabilities. Other participating states will also highlight opportunities for renewable energy development and investment.

India ranks third globally in renewable energy and solar installed capacity and fourth in wind power capacity, as it advances towards its target of 500 GW by 2030. India invested USD 63.7 billion in its renewable energy sector during July 2024–June 2026, as per BloombergNEF.

Building on this momentum, the Summit will bring together global policymakers, investors, industry leaders and innovators to strengthen international cooperation, mobilise investment and accelerate renewable energy deployment, particularly across emerging economies and the Global South.

The four-day conference will feature high-level plenaries, ministerial discussions, CEO roundtables, and country and state sessions focused on financing, policy, technology, and skilling.

Discussions will cover clean energy investment, emerging technologies, manufacturing, energy storage, and workforce development, with an emphasis on technology exchange, scalable solutions, and greater participation and leadership by women in the global energy transition.

A man accused of breaking into a bungalow in Vapi’s GIDC area and stealing gold and silver jewellery and cash worth more than Rs 32 lakh was arrested in Mumbai’s Dadar area, with the Valsad Local Crime Branch of Gujarat recovering property worth Rs 18.28 lakh, police said on Wednesday.

The burglary took place on the night of October 24 at Bungalow No. A/4 in Vraj Co-operative Housing Society, Vraj Row House, on Chharwada Road in Vapi.

According to the police, the accused cut through an iron window grille and broke a wooden window to enter a first-floor bedroom before taking jewellery weighing approximately 142.61 grams, around 900 grams of silver and Rs 12 lakh in cash from a wooden cupboard. The total value of the stolen property was estimated at Rs 32,62,482.

Vapi GIDC police registered a case under Sections 305(a) and 331(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

The arrested accused has been identified as Atish alias Dancer, 38, a labourer residing in Virar East in Mumbai’s neighbouring Palghar district.

Police said teams from the Valsad Local Crime Branch, its burglary squad and Vapi GIDC police station examined footage from more than 200 CCTV cameras along the route from the crime scene to Mumbai.

Investigators also examined records of people involved in similar offences and used technical analysis to identify the suspect.

Acting on a tip-off received by a team led by Local Crime Branch sub-inspector J G Parmar, the police traced and arrested the accused in Dadar. He and the recovered property were subsequently handed over to Vapi GIDC police for further investigation.

During questioning, the accused allegedly told investigators that he had travelled by train from Virar to Vapi around two days before the burglary.

He allegedly climbed onto the sheet-metal roof of a bungalow, approached a first-floor window, cut its iron grille with a hacksaw blade and broke the wooden window using a screwdriver before entering the house and stealing the valuables.

According to the police, the accused’s modus operandi involved surveying a target area two or three days before a burglary.

After familiarising himself with the surroundings, he would allegedly approach the rear of a locked house, cut through a window grille and enter the premises.

The recovered property includes three gold necklaces with earrings weighing 35.95 grams, valued at Rs 4.75 lakh; two gold bangles weighing 32.32 grams, valued at Rs 4.26 lakh; a gold chain worth Rs 1.03 lakh; diamond-studded gold earrings valued at Rs 78,000; and other gold ornaments and coins.

Police also recovered a five-gram silver coin, Rs 5,48,800 in cash, two mobile phones valued at Rs 10,000, and a screwdriver and hacksaw blade allegedly used in the burglary.

The total value of the recovered items was put at Rs 18,28,780. Police list 69 cases against the accused in Gujarat and Maharashtra, including cases registered in Umargam and several Mumbai police station jurisdictions.

The listed cases date from 2005 to 2026 and include allegations of theft, housebreaking, robbery and cheating, among other offences. Further investigation is being carried out by Vapi GIDC police.