Category: India

Elon Musk’s car company, Tesla, is excited to open two new showrooms in India. One showroom will be in New Delhi near the airport, and the other will be in Mumbai’s busy Bandra Kurla Complex. This move comes after Tesla had paused its plans to enter the Indian market last year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently met with Elon Musk in the United States to talk about electric cars, technology, and even space!

The showrooms will each be about 5,000 square feet in size. However, Tesla plans to sell imported electric vehicles (EVs) and these showrooms will not have service centers. They are still deciding when to open the new showrooms.

Tesla is also looking to hire new staff in India for different positions, such as store and customer relationship managers. Elon Musk has expressed his concerns about India’s high taxes on electric cars, which are around 100%. Local car makers worry that Tesla’s entry could affect their business. Last week, during a meeting in Washington, President Trump also pointed out India’s high car taxes but agreed with PM Modi to work on a trade deal.

On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi from the Congress party strongly disagreed with the appointment of Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). He criticized the Modi government for “removing” the Chief Justice of India (CJI) from the committee that selects the CEC. Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and part of that committee, stressed that it is important for the Election Commission to be independent and not influenced by the government.

He shared his thoughts online, saying that the way the CEC is chosen must be free from government pressure. He claimed that removing the CJI from the selection group goes against a Supreme Court order and damages the trust of millions of voters. As the Leader of the Opposition, he feels that it’s his duty to hold the government accountable for its actions and to honor the values laid down by the founders of India.

Gandhi stated, “By going against the Supreme Court order and leaving out the CJI, the Modi government has made many voters worried about the fairness of our elections.” He was upset with the Prime Minister (PM) and Home Minister (HM) for making a quick decision to select a new CEC right before an important court hearing.

The Congress party has also expressed their disapproval of the swift appointment of Gyanesh Kumar, calling it a “hasty midnight move” that goes against the Constitution and the idea of free elections. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said the decision should have waited until the Supreme Court made its ruling, highlighting that the CEC should be impartial.

Even with these concerns, the government went ahead with appointing Gyanesh Kumar as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner. He is set to take office on February 19, 2025, after the current CEC Rajiv Kumar retires. The Supreme Court is expected to review the process of appointing the CEC on February 19, 2025.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court strongly criticized YouTube star Ranveer Allahbadia for making inappropriate comments on Samay Raina’s show “India’s Got Latent.” The judges stated that such behavior is unacceptable and must be condemned. They remarked that Allahbadia seems to have “something very dirty” in his mind which he expressed on the show.

The court asked, “Is there anyone who would like to hear this kind of language?” They emphasized that just because someone is popular, it does not mean they can disrespect society.

Ranveer Allahbadia filed a case in the Supreme Court against several FIRs (First Information Reports) about his comments, and he wanted the court to combine all these cases into one.

The bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh listened to the case. Fortunately for Allahbadia, the court said he would not be arrested for now but has been ordered to stop making more YouTube shows.

Gyanesh Kumar has been named the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), according to the Union law ministry. He will take over from Rajiv Kumar, who is leaving the job when he turns 65 on Tuesday. CECs serve for six years or until they reach the age of 65, whichever comes first. Gyanesh Kumar is the first person to be appointed CEC under a new law about how election commissioners are chosen.

His name was chosen by a committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi also on the panel. This meeting took place at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Earlier that day, Congress suggested that the selection meeting should be postponed until after the Supreme Court hears a related case on February 19. Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said the government is trying to control the Election Commission instead of keeping it trustworthy by not including the Chief Justice of India in the selection committee.

Singhvi said, “We believe the government should wait until the hearing is done before making any decisions.” He also criticized the new law for creating a system that favors the government when choosing Election Commissioners.

According to Singhvi, this new committee goes against a Supreme Court ruling from March 2nd, 2023, which stated that the CEC and other Election Commissioners should be chosen by a team that includes the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Justice of India.

In his farewell speech on Monday, Rajiv Kumar, the outgoing Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), said that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has often been unfairly blamed by people who do not want to accept the results of elections. He pointed out that blaming election officials after an election is becoming a common problem.

Rajiv Kumar emphasized that candidates and their parties are involved in every part of the election process and that they should voice any issues during the process, not after the results are announced. He called for an end to this blame game.

“Talking things out should always be the first choice. Even though the Commission stays calm and collected, it is upsetting to see this trend of blaming after losing,” he added.

His comments come as some opposition parties claim that the ECI favors the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The ECI has firmly denied these claims.

For example, on February 7, Rahul Gandhi, a leader of the Congress party, stated that the number of voters in Maharashtra jumped by 39 lakh between Lok Sabha elections in April-June 2024 and the assembly elections in November. In the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party won 30 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra. However, the BJP-led party won 230 out of the 288 assembly seats in the state.

The opposition has also raised concerns about using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), asking to switch back to paper ballots. In October 2024, after losing to the BJP in Haryana despite the BJP’s ten-year rule, Congress shocked everyone by refusing to accept the election results, claiming that there was a big mismatch between votes counted and actual votes cast.

On Monday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized Sam Pitroda, a leader from the Overseas Congress, because he said that the threat from China is often over-exaggerated. He claimed that this worrying about China is a “serious blow” to India’s identity and diplomacy. Pitroda, who is the head of the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC), said during a chat with a news agency that he doesn’t fully understand why China is seen as a big threat. He mentioned that the United States sometimes labels countries as enemies and suggested that it’s time for countries to work together instead of fighting against each other.

Pitroda’s comments came when U.S. President Trump offered to help solve border issues between India and China, but India said it would manage these issues on its own.

He also expressed that a confrontational attitude creates enemies and might gain some political support at home, but it’s not helpful overall. Sudhanshu Trivedi, a BJP MP, criticized Pitroda for his statements and connected them to similar comments made by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, questioning if these remarks disrespect the soldiers who lost their lives in the Galwan Valley clash.

The Congress party quickly distanced itself from Pitroda’s comments. Jairam Ramesh, a Congress leader, made it clear that Pitroda’s views do not reflect the party’s stand on China, emphasizing that China is a major challenge for India’s foreign policy and security.

Earlier, Pitroda faced backlash for saying that different regions in India look like people from other countries, which led to him resigning from his position as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, although he was later reappointed.

Bhubaneswar: A former worker at Raj Bhavan has accused the son of former Odisha governor Raghubar Das of attacking him. This incident allegedly happened on July 7 last year. Baikuntha Pradhan, who was working as an assistant section officer, claims that Lalit Das and his five friends slapped, punched, and kicked him at Raj Bhavan in Puri. Pradhan was there to prepare for President Droupadi Murmu’s visit.

In response to a question from a BJD legislator, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said that no written complaint was filed at the Sea Beach police station in Puri. However, an online complaint was submitted on July 12, which is still being investigated.

After the incident, the state government ordered an investigation, but it has been unclear what has happened since then. In his account, Pradhan mentioned that on the night of July 7, around 11:45 PM, he was called to meet Lalit Das. When he arrived, Lalit Das allegedly started hitting him and using foul language. Pradhan said he tried to escape but was caught and dragged back, where further violence occurred.

The attack is believed to have started because Lalit Das was angry about not getting a fancy car in Puri. After Raghubar Das was replaced as governor in December, Pradhan’s wife has attempted to meet the new governor to seek action on this case.