VIJAYAWADA, May 4: Andhra Pradesh Minister Satya Kumar Yadav on Monday said the BJP's strong performance in the West Bengal Assembly elections signalled the end of what he described as a regime that fomented religious hatred, issued voter identity cards to illegal infiltrators, and deprived the poor of their rightful entitlements.

Reacting to the election results, Mr. Satya Kumar Yadav said the people of Bengal had blessed Prime Minister Narendra Modi in recognition of his commitment to regional development, basic infrastructure, and wealth creation for ordinary citizens. The BJP's victory, he said, was proof of the people's faith in the vision of Viksit Bharat.

The Minister said the NDA coalition was now poised to usher in successive terms in governance, breaking what he called the earlier assumption that a second consecutive victory was near impossible. He noted that in several States where the NDA was in power, the alliance had been consistently fulfilling its electoral promises.

Mr. Satya Kumar Yadav said the government would identify, delete, and deport illegal infiltrators, invoking what he described as the BJP's three-point slogan of "Detect, Delete, Deport." He said the party would continue to consolidate its presence across States on the strength of this agenda.

Underlining the party's inclusive development philosophy, the Minister cited Prime Minister Modi's "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas" commitment as evidence that no region or community would be left behind. He reiterated that the people's trust in the BJP's ideology remained firm and that the party's win in Assam further reinforced this confidence.

State president PVN Madhav reaffirms party's ideological moorings in Upadhyaya and Mookerjee; calls on cadre to strengthen organisation from booth to village level

GUNTUR : The Bharatiya Janata Party observed its 47th Foundation Day with a solemn and spirited function at the district party headquarters 'Vajpayee Bhavan' here on Monday, with state president PVN Madhav reaffirming the party's foundational commitment to national service and the principle of Antyodaya — ensuring justice for the last person in the social order.

The event, organised under the chairmanship of district president Cherukuri Tirupati Rao, saw Mr. Madhav formally unfurl the party flag before addressing a gathering of workers and leaders drawn from across the district.

Tracing the BJP's journey since its founding on April 6, 1980, Mr. Madhav said the party had evolved not merely as a political organisation but as a force dedicated to the service of the nation. "The BJP has always stood apart — guided not by electoral arithmetic alone but by the philosophy of Nation First and the welfare of the people," he said. He added that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the country was advancing rapidly towards the vision of 'Viksit Bharat' — a developed India by 2047.

Mr. Madhav attributed the BJP's rise to become the world's largest political party to the spirit of service and sacrifice demonstrated by its cadre at every level. He called upon workers to further consolidate the party's organisational presence from the village to the booth level, describing each worker as a foundational pillar of the party's strength.

Underlining the party's ideological continuity, Mr. Madhav said the BJP drew its direction from the thoughts and principles of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. He reiterated that the concept of Antyodaya — uplifting the weakest and most marginalised sections of society — remained at the core of the party's mission and governance philosophy.

District president Cherukuri Tirupati Rao, addressing the gathering, pledged to work with renewed commitment towards strengthening the party across every village and booth in Guntur district. He said workers must immerse themselves in the lives of the people, address their problems proactively, and take personal responsibility for ensuring that Central government schemes reached every citizen. He added that the BJP would play a pivotal role in fulfilling the aspirations of the people under the alliance government.

The function was attended by Kisan Morcha state president Chigurpati Kumar Swamy, SC Morcha state president Panatala Suresh, Minority Morcha state president Syed Basha, and senior leaders including Kothuru Venkata Subba Rao, Yadlapati Swaroopa Rani, Bhimineni Chandrasekhar, Bajrang Ramakrishna, Dasu Satyanarayana, Palапати Ravi Kumar, and a large number of district morcha presidents and mandal presidents.

The proceedings concluded on a high note with workers raising spirited chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' as party flags were hoisted across the venue.

BJP State president PVN Madhav pays tributes to Vajpayee, reaffirms party's commitment to rural development and Viksit Bharat vision at Guntur Foundation Day celebrations

GUNTUR The Bharatiya Janata Party marked its 47th Foundation Day in Guntur on Monday with a spirited celebration that doubled as the launch pad for its ambitious six-month grassroots campaign 'Mana Ooru Mana Jenda' (Our Village, Our Flag), with state president PVN Madhav vowing to hoist the party flag in every village across Andhra Pradesh before the drive concludes.

The event, organised under the chairmanship of district president Cherukuri Tirupati Rao, began with party leaders paying floral tributes at the statue of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Lakshmipuram Vajpayee Circle in the city, before proceeding to a public meeting where the party flag was formally unfurled to inaugurate the occasion.

Addressing the media, Mr. Madhav noted that the BJP had completed 46 years of its founding and entered its 47th year as an organisation that had grown from a modest beginning rooted in national service to become the largest political party in the world. He said the 'Mana Ooru Mana Jenda' programme would be sustained over six months with the singular objective of planting the party's presence in every village of the state.

Invoking the legacy of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Mr. Madhav said the former Prime Minister's life and leadership remained an abiding source of inspiration for every party worker. He added that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stewardship, the country was advancing rapidly towards the goal of 'Viksit Bharat' — a developed India by 2047.

Mr. Madhav underlined the Central government's commitment to rural development, saying that funds were being consistently allocated for the progress of every village. He also highlighted the substantial support extended to Andhra Pradesh through infrastructure investment and welfare schemes, and called upon party workers to carry both the alliance agenda and the BJP's ideological message to the grassroots level.

District president Cherukuri Tirupati Rao, speaking on the occasion, said the party would prioritise expansion in Guntur district with a focus on building a strong organisational structure at every booth level. He emphasised that workers were the backbone of the party and urged them to remain at the forefront of resolving people's problems.

The function was attended by Kisan Morcha state president Chigurpati Kumar Swamy, SC Morcha state president Panatala Suresh, Minority Morcha state president Syed Basha, and senior party leaders including Yadlapati Swaroopa Rani, Kothuru Venkata Subba Rao, Bhimineni Chandrasekhar, Vakkalagedda Tirumaala Rao, Bajrang Ramakrishna, Dasu Satyanarayana, and several other functionaries. The proceedings concluded with rousing chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' as workers participated with notable enthusiasm.

NEW DELHI — In the heart of one of India's oldest and most celebrated universities, something remarkable happened on Saturday evening.

A Union Minister stood before a room full of young students from India's Northeast — young men and women who have travelled thousands of kilometres from Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim to study in the capital — and told them something they perhaps needed to hear more than anything else.

Not that the Northeast is important. Not that the Northeast has potential. But that the Northeast is ready. Ready to lead. Ready to drive. Ready to shape the future of a nation of 1.4 billion people.

The occasion was NEtym 2026 — the 15th edition of the annual cultural festival of the Northeast Cell at Hindu College, University of Delhi. The speaker was Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya Scindia. And the message he delivered was as bold as it was overdue.

Eight States. One Extraordinary Potential.

Scindia did not come to Hindu College with platitudes. He came with a vision — sharp, specific, and unapologetic in its ambition.

"Eight states, one extraordinary potential," he declared. "The Northeast is India's gateway to the Global South."

It is a framing that redefines the region entirely — not as a peripheral corner of the subcontinent requiring charity and attention, but as a strategic powerhouse sitting at the intersection of South Asia and Southeast Asia, uniquely positioned to drive economic and cultural exchange on a global scale.

For a region that has spent decades being described primarily through the lens of its challenges, Saturday's address offered something different and something powerful — a lens of opportunity.

The Numbers That Demand Attention

Scindia backed his vision with a statistic that stops you in your tracks.

The Northeast, he pointed out, has an average literacy rate of nearly 93 percent — a figure that outpaces the national average and places the region among India's most educated populations. In a knowledge economy where human capital is the ultimate competitive advantage, the Northeast is not behind. In critical ways, it is ahead.

"The region's youth must lead India's growth story across sectors," Scindia said — and given the literacy numbers, it was not an empty exhortation. It was a statement grounded in demographic reality.

Hindu College itself provided a fitting backdrop for the message. As the institution approaches its 125th year, it stands as one of India's great centres of learning — and on Saturday, it was filled with the energy of young people from the Northeast who are very much part of that tradition.

A Minister Who Has Fallen in Love With a Region

What made Scindia's address distinctive was not just its content but its evident personal sincerity.

The minister spoke of his familial ties to the Northeast. He described his frequent visits to all eight states — visits that he said continue to inspire and energise his vision for the region's development. He recalled cultural performances from Assam that left him "mantramugdh" — spellbound — describing how every gesture and movement in the region's classical and folk traditions carries within it generations of accumulated meaning and beauty.

He paid tribute to Bhupen Hazarika — the legendary musician and cultural icon whose voice became the soul of the Brahmaputra — and to Zubeen Garg, the contemporary superstar who carries that tradition forward. In doing so, Scindia acknowledged something that policy documents rarely capture: that the Northeast is not just a geographical entity or an economic opportunity. It is a civilisation — deep, layered, and irreplaceable.

"The Northeast remains a repository of unparalleled artistic and cultural wealth," he said. In the room, heads nodded. These students knew it. They had always known it. It mattered, enormously, to hear it said from a national platform.

From Intent to Implementation: The Programmes Making a Difference

Scindia did not limit himself to inspiration. He came with specifics — three flagship programmes that represent the government's concrete commitment to unlocking the Northeast's potential.

The NE SPARKS Programme — implemented in partnership with ISRO — is already changing lives. Each year, 800 students, 100 from each of the eight Northeastern states, gain direct exposure to space science and cutting-edge technology. Eight batches have already completed the programme. In a region where access to advanced scientific education has historically been limited, SPARKS is opening doors that previous generations could not have imagined.

The Ashtalakshmi Darshan Programme takes a different but equally powerful approach — bringing students from the Northeast into meaningful interaction with students from other parts of India, building the human connections that ultimately hold a diverse nation together. Currently covering 1,280 students across 32 batches, the programme is set to scale dramatically — reaching 8,000 students by 2030.

And then there is the Advancing NER Portal — scheduled for launch in April 2026 — perhaps the most ambitious of the three. A single digital platform integrated with the National Career Service, it will provide access to over 1,000 job opportunities, more than 300 career pathways, over 200 entrance examinations, 3,000-plus courses within the Northeast itself, and connections to more than 800 national institutions. For a young person in Kohima or Itanagar trying to navigate the overwhelming complexity of career options and educational pathways, the portal promises to be transformative.

"Under Prime Minister Modi," Scindia said, "the approach to the Northeast has transitioned from intent to implementation. Opportunity must be defined by access and inclusion — not geography."

What the Northeast Is Becoming

Scindia closed his address with a challenge — and an invitation.

"The conversation must move," he said, "from what the Northeast is to what it is becoming — and what its young people are enabling it to become."

It is a subtle but significant shift in framing. The Northeast has spent too long being defined by what it was — by conflict, by remoteness, by marginalisation. The story that is emerging — of a region with 93 percent literacy, of students topping national examinations, of cricket teams winning Ranji Trophies, of young people from Pulwama and Kupwara visiting Parliament and feeling at home — is a different story entirely.

NEtym 2026, Scindia said, is not merely a cultural festival. It is "a powerful expression of identity, aspiration, and India's collective journey towards a Viksit Bharat."

In the room at Hindu College on Saturday evening — filled with music, dance, colour, and the electric energy of young people celebrating who they are and where they come from — that description felt exactly right.

The Northeast is not waiting to be discovered. It is already arriving. And on Saturday night in Delhi, it arrived in style.

NEtym 2026 was organised by the Northeast Cell of Hindu College, University of Delhi. The event featured cultural performances from across all eight Northeastern states.

NEW DELHI — In a moment that captured the quiet but profound transformation underway in Jammu & Kashmir, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh sat face to face with young men and women from Pulwama, Bandipora, Anantnag, and Kupwara on Saturday — districts that once made headlines for conflict and unrest — and listened as they spoke confidently about their dreams, their ambitions, and their place in the story of modern India.

The occasion was the concluding interactive session of the 6th Kashmir Youth Exchange Programme — "Watan Ko Jaano" — organised by My Bharat under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs. And the message that emerged from the gathering was as significant as it was striking: Jammu and Kashmir's youth are no longer on the margins. They are moving — confidently, purposefully, and with growing momentum — toward the centre of national life.

Eleven Years of Transformation

Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State with Independent Charge for Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, and also holding charge of the PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, used the platform to reflect on what he described as a fundamental shift in the trajectory of J&K's youth over the past eleven years.

"Over the last eleven years, the Modi Government has enabled the mainstreaming of youth from Jammu and Kashmir," the minister said, "which has in turn raised their level of self-confidence and aspiration."

The evidence, he argued, is visible and measurable. Young people from J&K are now appearing — and excelling — in civil services examinations and other highly competitive national tests. They are entering sectors like tourism, hospitality, and aviation. They are building careers and connections across the country that would have been unthinkable for many in the region just a decade ago.

"Earlier, many young people from the region were hesitant to step beyond their immediate surroundings," Dr. Jitendra Singh observed. "Today, they are confidently engaging with opportunities across the country."

From the Margins to the Mainstream

The minister traced this transformation back to a specific moment — Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision, articulated in 2014, to bring regions that had long remained on the periphery of India's development story — Jammu and Kashmir and the North East — firmly into the national mainstream.

Sustained policy support, targeted interventions, and a deliberate focus on youth development have, Dr. Jitendra Singh argued, begun to bear tangible fruit. The change is not merely statistical. It is visible in the faces and voices of the young people who gathered for Saturday's programme — students from some of J&K's most historically troubled districts, speaking with a confidence and openness that reflects a region in the process of genuine transformation.

Voices From the Ground

The most powerful moments of Saturday's session came not from the minister's podium but from the participants themselves.

Young men and women from Pulwama, Bandipora, Anantnag, and Kupwara shared their experiences of visiting national institutions — Parliament, Legislative Assemblies, and Rashtrapati Bhavan — describing how exposure to these symbols of Indian democracy has deepened their sense of belonging and participation in the nation's civic life.

Several students spoke of a growing sense of trust and openness — a willingness among J&K's youth to explore opportunities beyond the region, to engage with different cultures and communities, and to build connections that transcend geographical and historical boundaries.

"Programmes like this are helping youth from Jammu and Kashmir move beyond earlier limitations," participants said, describing how the exchange has broadened their horizons and strengthened their identity as citizens of a larger, shared nation.

Sports, Infrastructure, and the Road Ahead

The session was not limited to celebration. Participants raised practical and pressing concerns — calling for stronger sports infrastructure, better access to coaching facilities, and improved resources for local talent in Jammu and Kashmir.

Dr. Jitendra Singh acknowledged these gaps and pointed to progress already underway. The ecosystem for sports and youth development in J&K, he said, is steadily improving — with greater transparency in selection processes and increased investment in infrastructure. As a symbol of what is possible, he cited the recent Ranji Trophy victory by the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team — a landmark achievement that captured the imagination of a region hungry for stories of success on the national stage.

Participants also offered constructive suggestions on improving logistical arrangements and deepening structured interaction with students from other parts of India through institutional visits and peer engagement. The minister received these inputs positively, indicating they would help shape and strengthen future editions of the programme.

A Larger Mission

Dr. Jitendra Singh placed Saturday's programme within what he described as a broader national commitment — the determination to ensure that no region and no section of Indian society is left behind in the country's development journey.

"The transformation underway in Jammu and Kashmir is part of a larger effort," he said. "The increasing participation of youth from J&K in national life is a clear indication of this shift. Their growing confidence and aspirations will play an important role in shaping India's future."

It is a vision of inclusion — of a Viksit Bharat, a developed India, that draws its strength from every corner of the country, including those corners that history has treated most harshly.

A Celebration of Heritage and Identity

The programme concluded on a note of cultural pride, with participants offering performances that showcased the rich and diverse heritage of Jammu and Kashmir — music, dance, and artistic expression that reminded a national audience of the beauty and depth of a region too often defined only by its conflicts.

It was a fitting end to a programme built on a simple but powerful idea: that when young people from different parts of India meet, talk, and share — the nation grows stronger, more connected, and more whole.

For the young men and women of Pulwama, Bandipora, Anantnag, and Kupwara who gathered in New Delhi on Saturday, "Watan Ko Jaano" — Know Your Nation — was more than a programme title.

It was a promise. And on the evidence of Saturday's session, one that is being kept.

The 6th Kashmir Youth Exchange Programme was organised by My Bharat under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs.