FirstUp: PM Modi at Statue of Unity, SC to hear electoral bonds plea.... big news today

Today is sure to be a packed news day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is visiting the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, is set to inaugurate projects worth nearly Rs 6,000 crore. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is set to hear a blockbuster plea on electoral bonds. The Mahua Moitra-Nishikant Dubey tussle could see a new development with the Delhi High Court set to weigh in on a defamation plea. Meanwhile those keeping an eye on the state of the economy will be watching for the release of the Index of Industrial Output for September. And in tech news, Elon Musk’s X is shutting down it’s Circles feature. It’s also the anniversary of the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi. And finally, on this day in 1875 in Gujarat’s Nadiad, the ‘Iron Man of India’ was born. Let’s take a look at today’s big-ticket items: PM Modi at Statue of Unity The prime minister’s two-day trip to Gujarat continues. Modi is slated to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various projects worth ₹5,950 crore at a public function in Dabhoda village. Among these are two railway works in Mehsana and Ahmedabad districts, a 77-kilometre long western dedicated freight corridor section and double tracks of 182-kilometre railway line from Viramgam to Samkhiali. The prime minister will also pay tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary at the Statue of Unity by participating in the National Unity Day celebration at Ekta Nagar in Narmada district. SC to hear electoral bonds plea How will the Supreme Court rule on electoral bonds? A five-judge bench of the apex court is set to begin hearings on the validity of the scheme – in what could have far-reaching implications for politics in India. The scheme was originally set up in January 2018 to make the funding of political parties less opaque. [caption id=“attachment_13169062” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Supreme Court is set to hear a plea on electoral bonds. ANI[/caption] However, critics have claimed that the scheme has had the opposite effect. According to the provisions of the scheme, electoral bonds may be purchased by any citizen of India or entity incorporated or established in India. An individual can buy electoral bonds, either singly or jointly with other individuals. Delhi HC to hear Moitra defamation plea Will the ‘cash for query’ story witness yet another twist? The Delhi High Court is set to weigh in on Mahua Moitra’s defamation plea against her BJP bete noire Nishikant Dubey. The hearing comes nearly two weeks after Moitra’s lawyer Gopal Sankaranarayanan abruptly withdrew from the case citing a ‘conflict of interest’. Dubey had cited papers from Moitra’s friend-turned-foe lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai to claim she was paid by businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions in Parliament about the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Moitra has vowed to ‘demolish the charges’ against her and filed a defamation case against Dubey and others. Index of Industrial Output to be released India is set to release its Index of Industrial Output (IIP) data tomorrow. September data showed that factory output measured in terms of IIP had contracted by 0.7 per cent in August 2022. The IIP grew by 6.1 per cent in April-August 2023 compared to 7.7 per cent in the same period of 2022-23. X to shut down Circles X has announced it will shut down its Circles feature – which allowed users to limit certain tweets to only their select group of users. X made the announcement on its blog post. [caption id=“attachment_13179502” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] X is shutting down its Circles feature a little more than a year after Elon Musk took over.[/caption] “X is deprecating Circles as of Oct 31st, 2023. After this date, you will not be able to create new posts that are limited to your Circle, nor will you be able to add people to your Circle,” the company stated. The development comes just days after the one year anniversary of the world’s richest man taking over the platform formerly known as Twitter. Anniversary of Indira assassination On this day in 1984, India lost its first and so far only woman prime minister. The daughter of India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Indian Congress leader Kamala Nehru, Indira was perhaps destined to rule. She won three consecutive terms as prime minister and a fourth term later. [caption id=“attachment_11653861” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Indira Gandhi was the daughter of of India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Indian Congress leader Kamala Nehru. AFP[/caption] Her time at the helm saw the highest of highs and the lowest of lows – from helping Bangladesh gain its independence from Pakistan to imposing the Emergency. Her death, at the hand of her own Sikh bodyguards after ordering the Blue Star military operation at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, was as tragic as its dark aftermath in which thousands of Sikhs were massacred. Happy b’day Iron Man of India! On 31 October 1895, India got its own Iron Man. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s role in stitching in uniting the many princely states into the nation called India can never be understated. Though many have wished that Patel had served as the first prime minister of India, the Iron Man’s legacy is without equal. Besides, Patel would continue to serve the nation after Independence in a variety of roles including deputy prime minister, minister of home affairs, minister of information, and minister of states.