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Latest Narendra Modi articles

Indian opposition marches in protest seeking resignation of election chief

Indian opposition marches in protest seeking resignation of election chief

NEW DELHI: Dozens of Indian opposition lawmakers began a march on Tuesday seeking the resignation of the election chief over a controversial revision of voter lists, as hundreds of security personnel kept vigil in the heart of the Indian capital ⁠and barricades were thrown up. Parties opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and members of the popular 'cockroach' youth movement launched protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar - appointed by Modi's government - after the Indian Express newspaper reported divisions in the poll body ‌last month. The protests mark a fresh political challenge to Modi, midway into his third term in office and just months after similar protests forced the resignation of his ‌education minister over exam paper leaks. The reported differences over the lists ‌and voter registration procedures stoked concern about the commission's neutrality. Holding a large banner ‌that said "Save Democracy", lawmakers raised slogans against ‌Modi and demanded that Kumar resign as they marched from parliament to the Election Commission of India headquarters in central Delhi. "The election ‌commission is a puppet in the hands of the government. We ⁠are fighting to save our democracy," Mallikarjun Kharge, president of the main opposition Congress party, told reporters as the march began. Hundreds of security personnel, including paramilitaries in fatigues, fanned out in the ⁠area, with barricades ⁠thrown up and several routes closed. Television showed security personnel, some holding batons, outside the barricaded Election Commission office. Congress and other parties allege that the revised voter lists benefit Modi ⁠and his party. Kumar has not commented on the issue, but the commission and Modi's BJP denied the accusations. Authorities advised against travel around planned protest areas and shut off some routes. Tuesday's event is the latest of a series of almost daily demonstrations by student organisations, political parties and the 'cockroach' movement, which ‌began last week. India's Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear legal arguments seeking its intervention in the accusations against the poll body's voter drive, and the conduct of its chief. If "there are decisions against the law ... We will take care of it," the court said at the hearing, after the petitioners alleged bias by the poll body.

DelhiGyanesh KumarNarendra Modi
Oct 6, 2026 · byMobile Business
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Hero FlyDubai Pilot Says He Was 'Fighting For My Life'

Captain Smit Machchhar Recalled Saying, 'This Is The Last Push Smit, Do It, The Door Is Right There’ Capt. Smit Machchhar, the FlyDubai pilot who heroically opened the plane's cockpit door after being stabbed by his copilot in a mid-flight attack, told Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi he was fighting for his life before taking the heroic action. "You are my biggest idol, and I am feeling very proud that you called me and encouraged me. I was fighting for my life in that moment," he told Modi during a Friday phone call, Fox News reported. "It was a moment when I thought, because I had fallen on the floor, I was wounded and fell down. At that moment, I thought if I don't get up, I've been flying for the last 17 years and I have been a captain for the last 11 years, and even if I shut my eyes, I can tell what is happening inside a plane. When I was lying on the floor, I could feel that the aircraft was plunging, and I said to myself while I was getting beaten, 'This is the last push Smit, do it, the door is right there,'" he recalled. "Somehow, I opened the door and everyone came in and everyone else had an equal role (in the rescue). I was trying to save myself, but I also knew that I can't let anyone die," he said.

Flydubaineutral
FlydubaiFox NewsNarendra Modi
Oct 4, 2026 · byAero-News Network
Meet Captain Smit Machchhar: The Indian pilot who safely landed flydubai FZ1073 after the cockpit incident

Meet Captain Smit Machchhar: The Indian pilot who safely landed flydubai FZ1073 after the cockpit incident

Dubai: The name of Indian Captain Smit Machchhar has become widely known in recent hours, following the incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30, which ended with the plane being diverted and landing safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. Flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith confirmed that the flight experienced a "safety incident in the cockpit," noting that all 172 passengers and crew members on board were safe. Al Ghaith praised the captain and the pilots who contributed to securing the aircraft and landing it safely, along with the cabin crew and passengers who provided assistance during the situation, stressing that the captain returned to the UAE after receiving the necessary medical assessment. Who is Captain Smit Machchhar? Captain Smit Machchhar hails from Mumbai, India, and has a long career in commercial aviation, spanning about 17 years, as he stated during a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Aviation was not originally his childhood dream, as Machchhar had previously spoken of his readiness in his youth to join his family's business, before his participation in a specialised seminar led him to take an interest in the world of aviation and change his career path. In 2008, he moved to New Zealand to study aviation at the Mainland Air College of Aviation Sciences, before beginning his commercial aviation career with the Indian company SpiceJet in 2011. During his more than 11 years with the company, Machchhar progressed through the ranks to become a first officer, then a pilot instructor, a role that includes training pilots and evaluating their performance during flight operations. In June 2022, he moved to Dubai and joined flydubai as a pilot with extensive prior experience. Approximately 10,000 hours in the air Data published in Machchhar’s professional file indicates that he has approximately 9,750 flight hours on Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft, while his previous experience as a pilot exceeded 6,400 hours. According to testimonies from former colleagues and trainers, Machchhar was known for his calmness and professional discipline, qualities that the aviation industry highly values ​​in dealing with unusual situations. Philip Keane, the chief executive of Mainland Air College, who knew Machchhar during his training in New Zealand, described him as a calm, composed, and professional person. Safety before the appointment A previous interview with Machchhar reveals an aspect of his professional philosophy in piloting aircraft, as he spoke about his complete transformation into ‘work mode’ once he put on the pilot's uniform, and about the importance of commitment and discipline during flights. He also recounted that during his career he encountered unusual situations, including a case of premature labour for a passenger on one of the flights, which the crew dealt with until the birth was completed safely. Machchhar emphasised that the safe arrival of passengers takes precedence over strict adherence to flight schedules, saying, in the context of delays and operational situations, that his priority is for everyone to leave the plane safely. Praise from India Machchhar received widespread praise in India following the incident, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi making a video call to him on Friday to check on his health. The Indian Prime Minister's office said that Modi praised the pilot's courage, composure, and ability to make decisive decisions in short moments, and wished him a speedy recovery and return to full health. Flydubai, for its part, confirmed that the safety of passengers and crew members remains its top priority, and that it continues to provide support to those affected by the accident.

Flydubaineutral
Arabia SauditaBoeingBoeing 737
Oct 2, 2026 · byMobile Business
Flydubai hero pilot tells Modi 'I could not let all those people die'

Flydubai hero pilot tells Modi 'I could not let all those people die'

Smit Machchhar, the Indian captain who was attacked by his co-pilot onboard the Flydubai flight 1073 in an apparent attempt to crash the plane, on Friday told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that although he was severely injured in the altercation, “I could not let all those people die”. Although collapsed, he made a last-ditch effort and managed to push the door to the cockpit open.

Narendra Modineutral
FlydubaiNarendra ModiSmit Machchhar
Oct 2, 2026 · byFrance 24
‘I was fighting for my life’: Indian pilot hailed as hero recalls flydubai cockpit attack

‘I was fighting for my life’: Indian pilot hailed as hero recalls flydubai cockpit attack

Smit Machchhar says in video call with Indian PM that he realised if he did not get up then ‘passengers would lose their lives’ The Indian pilot who helped thwart an apparent attempt to crash a flydubai flight has described how he fought for his life in the minutes after his co-pilot stabbed him and the plane began a steep descent. Capt Smit Machchhar, who is recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital, told the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, in a video call broadcast live on television news channels that he knew he had to get back on his feet to save the passengers onboard the aircraft. Continue reading...

Flydubaineutral
Abu DhabiFlydubaiNarendra Modi
Oct 2, 2026 · byThe Guardian
India's Cockroach Janata Party, student groups to protest, demand poll chief's resignation

India's Cockroach Janata Party, student groups to protest, demand poll chief's resignation

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will face renewed pressure on Friday as the Gen Z-led Cockroach Janata Party and a separate coalition of student and activist groups stage fresh protests, demanding the resignation of the elections commission chief over a controversial voter roll revision. The CJP will rally in ⁠Mumbai and plans to expand demonstrations nationwide in the coming days, while student and civil society groups will gather at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar. The protests mark the latest escalation in a dispute that has put unprecedented scrutiny on India's Election Commission, long ‌regarded as one of the country's most trusted institutions. The protesters' main allegation is that the commission manipulated voter rolls in ways that favour Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The commission ‌and the government have denied the allegations. Pressure on Election Commissioner Gyanesh ‌Kumar intensified last month after the Indian Express newspaper reported the election chief's two ‌deputies had formally raised concerns at ‌least 14 times over the past 10 months over voter-list revisions, registration procedures and the commission's digital systems. The Election Commission has said differing ‌views are a normal part of internal deliberations and that all its ⁠actions were lawful. "We have been asking and demanding for a change but nothing of that is going to happen, if our only tool that is left to change anything in our society 'the ⁠right to vote' ⁠is taken away from us," Saurav Das, CJP's convenor, told Indian news agency ANI on Thursday. "We will only end the protest after Gyanesh Kumar resigns." The controversy centres on a ⁠nationwide voter-verification exercise launched last year that critics say has led to millions of eligible voters being removed from electoral rolls. The commission says the exercise is intended to remove duplicate, deceased or ineligible voters and ensure the accuracy of electoral rolls. Opposition parties led by the Congress party are also set to begin protests demanding ‌Kumar's resignation on October 6. The CJP, a youth movement that emerged earlier this year from online frustration over unemployment and leaked examination papers, has become an unexpected political force. Led by Abhijeet Dipke, the party gained national prominence after spearheading mass protests over exam-paper leaks that led to the resignation of India's education minister, one of Modi's most significant political setbacks in recent years.

Cockroach Janata PartyIndienNarendra Modi
Oct 2, 2026 · byMobile Business
India poll chief battles calls to resign over voter-list claims

India poll chief battles calls to resign over voter-list claims

NEW DELHI: Opposition groups are demanding the resignation of India's election chief Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of widespread voter-list manipulation during the verification of the country's one billion voters. The calls come barely a month after US President Donald Trump praised Kumar, a former bureaucrat who took over as India's chief election commissioner in February 2025, for insisting that Indian voters ⁠prove their identity with photo ID, unlike in the US. Criticism of Kumar, who has denied all allegations, soared last week when the Indian Express newspaper said his two de facto deputies had raised at least 14 formal objections over 10 months to decisions related to ‌voter rolls, registration procedures and the poll body's digital systems. Political analysts estimate that 130 million names have been struck off the voter list since the latest round of revisions began last year. Nearly ‌650 million people voted in the last national election in 2024. The opposition ‌has long claimed that the government is trying to fix voter lists to its ‌advantage and was quick to repeat the ‌allegations following the Indian Express report. Government ministers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party and the poll body have all denied the charges. Kumar, 62, ‌and the two other election commissioners have not commented, but the Election ⁠Commission said "differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution". FILE PHOTO: Members of security forces stand guard at the entrance of Election Commission of India headquarters on the day of a protest by the supporters of India’s main opposition Congress party demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, in New Delhi. (Reuters) Protest threat The youth-led Cockroach Janta Party has threatened nationwide protests on Friday demanding Kumar's ouster, calling him the "biggest anti-national". The main opposition Congress party ⁠has said Kumar should ⁠be criminally prosecuted for treason. Kumar has defended the actions of the poll body and said at a press briefing last year: "For the Election Commission, there is neither an opposition nor a ruling side; ⁠everyone is equal." Kumar was riding high in sections of the Indian media last month when Trump praised him. But since the Indian Express report, graffiti has appeared near his ancestral home in northern India calling him a traitor. Kumar joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1988 after completing his B.Tech in civil engineering from an elite government college in his ‌home state of Uttar Pradesh. He previously worked in the ministries of defence and interior affairs, and retired in January 2024. He was appointed as an election commissioner two months later, before becoming the chief. Kumar has had a troubled relationship with opposition parties from the very start of his tenure atop the election body. Opposition lawmakers tabled a motion to have him removed earlier this year but it was rejected by parliament.

Donald TrumpGyanesh KumarIndien
Sep 29, 2026 · byMobile Business
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourns Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourns Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Dubai: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his deep sorrow over the passing of Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and extended his condolences to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. In a post on X, Modi said: "I am deeply saddened by the passing of Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. His efforts in serving the community will be appreciated by future generations." The Indian Prime Minister also conveyed his sincere condolences to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Al Maktoum family following the loss.

DubaiIndienNarendra Modi
Sep 21, 2026 · byMobile Business