News

Mamata has lost mental balance due to Modi wave: BJP

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Launching a scathing attack on Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, BJP today said her comments against Narendra Modi showed she has lost her “mental balance” and was increasingly getting worried about the Modi wave in her state.

Party’s in-charge of West Bengal Sidharth Nath Singh said her comments that the country will be “ruined” and plunge into darkness if Modi comes to power was also a reflection of the fact that TMC has “lost the plot” in the state.

TDP approaches EC for free and fair poll in Kadapa district

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Telugu Desam Party (TDP) urged the Election Commission (EC) on Monday to take steps for free and fair polls in the district, where they alleged that the YSR Congress dominates with muscle power, sources said.

Kadapa district TDP MP Ramesh Naidu and contesting candidate from Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency R Srinivasula Reddy have urged the Election Commission to do so in a representation to the EC.

Sources said that the TDP had doubts about the polling pattern in Jammulamadugu and Pulivendula assembly constituencies.

It will be nightmarish if Modi becomes PM: Mamata

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Keeping up the attack on Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today alleged it would be a ‘nightmarish’ if the Gujarat Chief Minister became the PM and accused the media of giving such a projection.

“We are staring at a nightmarish dream as the person is being projected by you (media) as the PM of the country.

Goa begins probe into mass death of clams

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The Goa government Monday launched an investigation into the mysterious death of a large number of clams, a well-known seafood delicacy, in a river near the capital.

The investigation was launched after reports in media about the strange phenomenon of deaths of clams in Velim village, around 50 km south of here.

The state’s fish-loving population is already reeling under high prices on account of severe shortage in fish catch over the last few months.

Ramdev calls Modi a ‘saviour’, asks people to vote for him

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Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Monday called Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi as a ‘saviour’ and urged people to vote for him to save the country from what he alleged ” the anarchic and anti-Hindu rule of the Congress President Sonia Gandhi”.

Addressing a news conference here, Baba Ramdev said that Modi”s win is certain and the result of the ongoing general elections on May 16 is just a formality. “Today the country is going through a period of political and financial chaos. And only Modi can save us from this political turmoil,” said Baba Ramdev.

Modi blames Abdullah family for Pandit exodus, Omar hits back

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Taking on National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah who said those voting for Narendra Modi should “jump into the sea”, the BJP prime ministerial candidate hit back, blaming Abdullah and his family for the exodus of Pandits from the Kashmir Valley.

Jumping into the fray, Abdullah’s son and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah defended his father saying his family did not need a lesson in secularism from Modi.

Voting time in Srinagar reduced by an hour

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Voting time in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency has been reduced by an hour, an election commission official said here Monday.

Voting will now start at 7 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. as was the schedule in Anantnag, Udhampur and Jammu where balloting has already taken place.

“Voting time has been reduced by one hour for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat where polls are scheduled to be held Wednesday,” a poll official told IANS here.

Final hearing on two Delhi gang rape convicts’ appeals in July: SC

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The Supreme Court Monday extended its March 15 interim order staying execution of the death sentence of Mukesh and Pawan Gupta – two of the four convicts in Dec 16, 2012, Delhi gang rape case – and directed the matter be listed in July’s second week for final hearing.

A bench of Justice B.S.Chauhan and Justice J. Chelameswar asked the Delhi government to place before it all the records in the case including that of the trial court along with their English translation.

Campaigning ends in Punjab, Amritsar remains in focus

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All eyes were on the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat as campaigning ended on all 13 seats in Punjab Monday evening. Polling in the state will be held Wednesday.

Nearly 1.96 crore eligible voters will decide the fate of 253 candidates who are in the fray this time. The main contest is between the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance and the Congress. The presence of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is likely to make the contest three-cornered on some seats.

Invoking Vajpayee, Modi asks Lucknow voters to support Rajnath

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BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has appealed to voters of Lucknow to support party president Rajnath Singh in the Lok Sabha election, saying that both of them together “will take forward the work done” by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

In his address to the people of Lucknow released by the Bharatiya Janata Party Monday, Modi said that he wanted to himself come and meet people of Lucknow in the “karambhumi (land of work)” of Vajpayee but he was touring the country.

Except polling station, EC bans Punjab minister’s movement in Amritsar

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Coming down hard on Punjab cabinet minister Bikram Singh Majithia, the Election Commission Monday ordered that his movement will be restricted to the polling station area from where he is an elector till polling ends.

Chief electoral officer (CEO) V.K.Singh said here that the poll panel has ordered that Majithia would not visit any other part of any assembly segment of the Amritsar parliamentary constituency.

“The commission has also directed to keep his movements under surveillance and video-graphed with immediate effect,” Singh said.

Suspected SIMI leader arrested by ATS in Bhopal

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The anti-terrorist squad (ATS) arrested a suspected activist leader , Gulrez Mustafa, belonging to the banned outfit, Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), outside the Bhopal railway station.

Inspector General of ATS, Sanjeev Sharma, disclosed the details while addressing a news conference.

Gulrez is believed to be a close associate of SIMI chief, Abu Faisal, and had reportedly helped him escape from Khandwa Jail in 2013.

UPA’s wrong policies behind inflation, price rise: Gadkari

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Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nitin Gadkari on Monday said that the country was reeling under inflation and price rise due to wrong economic policies and misrule of Congress-led UPA Government.

Gadkari criticized Congress party and its alliance United Progressive Alliance (UPA), saying they had created a world record in corruption.

BJP, RSS campaigning aggressively to gain power: Anand Sharma

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Commerce Minister Anand Sharma on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was aggressively campaigning for gaining power.

Addressing a news conference here, Sharma said BJP-RSS were unfairly targeting Congress’ United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

If your name is Adani, then Gujarat Govt. will help you: Rahul in Kanpur

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Taking a dig at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that the Gujarat Government will help a person if there is ‘Adani’ in his surname.

“If your name is Adani, then the Gujarat government will give you both land and moeny,” said Rahul while addressing a rally here.

Alleging that the Gujarat Development Model only helps industrialists and big corporate houses, Rahul said, “Huge land was given to one businessman (Adani) whereas the farmers whose land was acquired are now working under NREGA scheme.”

Kejriwal prayers at the grave of Bismillah Khan

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Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal today prayed and offered flowers at the grave of shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan at Dargha -E-Fatmaan in Sigra here.

Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan’s son Ustad Zamin Hussain Bismillah, along with Bismillah Khan’s grandson, Afaque Haider, was also present at the Dargha with Kejriwal.

Kejriwal told reporters later that “the land of Varanasi gave birth to a large number of legends who won Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna besides other awards.

Modi has insulted Kashmiris with his statement: Omar Abdullah

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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is the opposite of being secular, and added that he has insulted all Kashmiris through his statement.

“Modi has always used other people as his pawns and put words into their mouths, rather than saying that directly. He has always attacked other politicians through other people, but today, Modi has insulted the Kashmiri community in front of the whole nation,” said Abdullah.

Many politicians welcome ban on yoga guru’s meetings by Election Commission

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Politicians cutting across party lines on Monday, welcomed Election Commission’s (EC) ban on programmes and meetings of yoga guru Baba Ramdev in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.

The EC stated Ramdev cannot hold any meetings till May 16, the day results of general elections will be announced.

The ban comes after remark of Ramdev, who had said vice-president of the Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, visits Dalit households for ‘ picnics and honeymoon’, which triggered a storm especially among the Dalit community.

Law and order deteriorating fast under Raje Govt: Cong

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Congress today condemned the BJP-led Rajasthan government for the recent atrocities against women, and claimed the law and order situation had been deteriorating fast in the state as no action was being ensured against the perpetrators.

The people of the state were scared and horrified after the recent incidents of crime and atrocities against women and Dalits under the BJP government of Vasundhara Raje, Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson Archna Sharma said in a statement here.

I can choose to reject “gifts” of criticism: Priyanka

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With BJP stepping up the offensive against her husband, Priyanka Gandhi today said she was not bothered by the personal attacks and that she can choose to reject the “gifts” of criticism.

“If they choose to give me gifts, I can choose to reject them. The malice is with them, not mine,” she said.

Priyanka, who is campaigning for her mother here, made the remarks here when asked for her reaction to the attacks against her and her family by BJP.

She said she remains unfazed by criticism and exuded confidence about her mother Sonia Gandhi winning from the constituency.

EC asks for CD and transcript of Modi’s speech at Serampore

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The Election Commission today asked for the CD and transcript of BJP prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi’s speech at an election rally at Serampore Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal to see if there was any violation of Model Code of Conduct.

“We have asked the district magistrate of Hooghly for the CD and transcript of Narendra Modi’s speech at Serampore parliamentary constituency yesterday,” the OSD in CEO’s office Amit Roy Chowdhury said here today.

Only strong SP can stop Modi from coming to power: Mulayam

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Mulayam Singh Yadav today said only a strong Samajwadi Party can prevent Narendra Modi from coming to power and save the country from communal forces.

“If the country has to be saved from communal forces then strengthen SP in Uttar Pradesh as only it can prevent Modi,” Mulayam said while addressing an election rally in support of party candidate Rakesh Sachan.

“If SP does not become strong, then no one can stop Modi from coming to the power in the country,” he added.