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'Bigots are blinded by hatred': Rahul comes out in support of Nobel laureate Banerjee

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday (20) hit out at India's Union minister Piyush Goyal for his remarks that Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee is "left-leaning", saying "these bigots are blinded by hatred" and have no idea what a professional is.

Goyal, at a media briefing in Pune, had described Banerjee as a "left-leaning" person. The Nobel laureate on Saturday told a TV channel that the commerce minister is "questioning my professionalism".


"Dear Mr Banerjee, These bigots are blinded by hatred and have no idea what a professional is. You cannot explain it to them, even if you tried for a decade," Gandhi said in a tweet tagging the media report on Banerjee's response to Goyal's comments on him.

"Please be certain that millions of Indians are proud of your work," the former Congress president said.

Goyal on Friday had also said Banerjee's suggestion of a minimum income scheme was rejected by Indian voters and there was no need to "accept what he thinks".

On Saturday, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had also hit out at Goyal for his remarks and said the government's job is not to run a "comedy circus", but improve the "collapsing" economy.

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British Passports

Anyone whose last passport was issued before January 1, 1994 must apply for what is classed as a “first adult passport

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Brits with passports issued before 1994 may need to apply all over again

  • Passports issued before January 1, 1994 cannot be renewed normally
  • Travellers may need to apply for a “first adult passport” instead
  • Applicants could be asked to provide birth certificates and citizenship documents

Britons planning holidays this year are being urged to check the issue date on their passport carefully, as some older documents may no longer qualify for a standard renewal.

According to guidance on the UK government website, anyone whose last passport was issued before January 1, 1994 must apply for what is classed as a “first adult passport” rather than renewing it in the usual way.

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