Tag: thecliffnews

In the second leg of the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ through poll-bound Bihar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (August 23, 2025) escalated his attack on the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging large-scale irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Congress launched the 16-day yatra on August 17 to highlight what it calls attempts to “steal votes” in the state. Addressing a rally in Katihar district, part of the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region, Gandhi accused the BJP of wanting to keep Dalits at the margins of society while handing “entire power and business” to industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani. ‘Battle of Ideologies’ Holding up a copy of the Constitution, Gandhi framed the campaign as a “battle of two ideologies” — one centered on equality and equal rights, the other on concentrating power in the hands of a few billionaires. He alleged that despite widespread public support, the media was ignoring the yatra, saying: “If you turn on the TV, you won’t see this slogan or yatra anywhere, because these media people don’t belong to the poor. They belong only to billionaires.” Gandhi also criticized the Modi government for unemployment in Bihar, linking it to demonetisation and GST, while accusing banks of waiving off big loans for industrialists but denying relief to farmers. Charge of Electoral Manipulation He reiterated claims that the BJP and the ECI are “stealing votes” through manipulations in Bihar’s voter lists, alleging: “They have deleted the names of lakhs of people in Bihar.” Visit to Makhana Farmers Earlier, Gandhi met makhana farmers in Katihar, highlighting their poor share of profits despite Bihar producing 90% of the world’s makhana. “In big cities, it sells for ₹1,000–2,000 per kilo, but farmers get only a nominal price. All the hard work is done by the 99% Bahujans, but the profit goes to just 1% of middlemen,” he wrote on X. Opposition Leaders Join In RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also targeted the Prime Minister, coining a new full form for the NDA as “Nahi Denge Adhikar” (Won’t Give Rights). He dismissed the FIR filed against him for remarks on Modi as intimidation, saying: “I will say it again and again that Narendra Modi is a factory of lies. I am not scared of the FIR.” Meanwhile, Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi said the government was rattled by Rahul Gandhi’s campaign: “Ever since Rahul Gandhiji raised the issue of vote theft, unease has spread across the Election Commission and BJP governments throughout the country.”

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Sunday, August 23, 2025, successfully conducted the maiden flight test of the Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) at 12:30 PM off the coast of Odisha. According to DRDO, the IADWS is a fully indigenous, multi-layered air defence system that integrates: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, the Armed Forces, and the Indian defence industry, calling the test a landmark in India’s defence preparedness. “This unique flight test has established the multi-layered air-defence capability of our country and is going to strengthen area defence for important facilities against enemy aerial threats,” Singh posted on X. The maiden test validates India’s ability to neutralise aerial threats across multiple ranges, combining missile defence with next-generation directed energy technologies. The breakthrough comes just three days after India successfully test-fired the Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Agni-5 from ITR Chandipur, Odisha on August 20, 2025, under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command, validating all operational and technical parameters.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday said that it has received documents from 98.2% of electors in Bihar during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state’s electoral roll, with eight days still left in the Claims, Objections and Documents period. According to the press note, data provided by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Bihar shows that between June 24 and August 24, 2025, nearly all eligible electors submitted their documents—an average of 1.64% per day. With just 1.8% of electors pending, the ECI expects the collection process to be completed well before the September 1 deadline, with the help of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and volunteers. Simultaneously, verification of submitted documents is being carried out by 243 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and 2,976 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) across the state. From the draft electoral roll of 7.24 crore electors, only 0.16% Claims and Objections have been received so far, including ten cases filed by Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of 12 recognised political parties, none from non-constituency electors, and 1,21,143 from electors within their constituencies, the ECI said. The poll body also confirmed that 3,28,847 new voters, who turned 18 by July 1 or will turn 18 by October 1, have submitted Form 6 along with declarations for inclusion in the electoral rolls. The Commission stated that the SIR process in Bihar is proceeding as per schedule. All claims, objections, and document verification are to be completed by September 25, after which the final electoral rolls will be published on September 30.