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In an all-out attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Sunday accused her of joining hands with Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to save the Saradha scamsters and ruining the state by vote bank politics.

Addressing an election rally in this town of Hooghly district, Modi raised the issue of the multi-crore rupee Saradha scam, promising “no one will be spared” if he came to power at the centre and specifically raising questions about who bought one of Banerjee’s paintings for Rs.1.80 crore.

The verbal spat between the Congress and the BJP grew more strident Sunday with the BJP’s allegations of “corruption under patronage” in land deals of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra evoked a spirited response from his wife Priyanka Gandhi, who accused the party of “running like bewildered rats”.

Ridiculing Rahul Gandhi, BJP’s prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi Sunday said that for the Congress vice president, poverty was a “matter of fun” as he had never experienced any such thing in his life.

“Those born with a golden spoon don’t know what poverty is. Just as those who have not seen Taj Mahal, go with friends and relatives to see it, similarly Rahul goes to see poverty. For him, poverty is like tourism,” Modi said at a rally here.

“Because he wonders what poverty is, he goes to see poverty and takes along the media. For him, the poor are only a means to gain votes.”

Pro-Russian militants in Ukraine today presented a captured team of international observers as “prisoners of war,” raising the stakes in the crisis as US President Barack Obama warned Moscow against “provocation”.

The self-styled mayor of rebel-held Slavyansk, which has become the epicentre of the crisis, led eight European members of an OSCE military inspection mission before scores of local and foreign journalists in the town hall.

BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday threatened to deport Bangladeshi immigrants if NDA comes to power, saying they were being welcomed with red carpets for vote bank politics.

“I want to warn from here, brothers and sisters write down, that after May 16, will send these Bangladeshis beyond the border with their bags and baggages,” Modi said alleging that Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee was pursuing vote bank politics.

AAP leader Rakhi Birla today flayed Yoga guru Ramdev over his remarks on Dalits saying he has not only insulted the community but also women of this country and questioned the silence of Narendra Modi and BJP on the issue.

She said BJP and its prime ministerial candidate Modi’s silence on the statement shows how insensitive they are towards women of this country and also their lack of commitment toward the uplift of women.

Union Minister and NC chief Farooq Abdullah today said those who vote for Narendra Modi should “drown” in the sea and also threatened that Kashmir will not remain with India if the country becomes communal. The BJP hit back at Farooq for his remarks that communalism was not acceptable, saying that the country does not need a certificate from the Union minister to become secular.

Trinamool Congress tonight heaped scorn on Narendra Modi, calling him the “Butcher of Gujarat”, in an angry retaliation to his no-holds barred attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

“Butcher of Gujarat air-dropped into Bengal. He has no answers to Bengal’s development model. So, making personal attacks,” TMC Spokesperson Derek O”Brien said in a series of tweets lambasting the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate after the latter’s fresh attack on the party supremo at a rally in Serampore earlier in the day.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh today claimed a ‘deal’ has conspired between Robert Vadra and BJP in Rajasthan, just after the saffron party released a video and booklet on an alleged land scam involving Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law.

“You (BJP) run the Rajasthan government, but not a single FIR has been lodged during the last five months. I mean there is a deal between Vasundhara Raje Scindia and Robert Vadra.

There is a deal between BJP and Vadra,” Singh told reporters here today.

Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi, on Sunday, met veteran Congress leader, Narayan Dutt Tiwari to seek his blessings.

Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday lashed out at West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee stating that she practiced vote-bank politics. “Mamata made Bengal a ground for vote bank politics.

Accusing Congress of “trying to hide in the bunker of secularism”, Narendra Modi today said that it was fighting for its survival with even a 100-seat mark in the new Lok Sabha appearing “an uphill task for it”.

Reacting sharply to Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s accusation that his election campaign was a “dangerous combination of religious fanaticism, power and money”, the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate said, “faced with certain defeat, fighting for its survival it is once again trying to hide in the bunker of secularism.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, released a video showing the alleged Vadra-Gandhi family scams during a press conference held at BJP headquarters.

Several politicians criticised Bharatiya Janata Party”s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for his ”communal image” and for becoming bigger than his party. The blame game among key players of ongoing general elections has intensified with party representatives slamming each other repeatedly over critical issues including inflation, economic growth, governance and corruption.

Congress president, Sonia Gandhi’s daughter, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying that the latter was scared and hence acted like rats spreading lies before the elections. “They are scared and acting like panicky rats. I know that just few days before elections they will say all sorts of lies. There is nothing new in it. They can do anything they want,” Priyanka said. “I am not scared of them or anyone. I will continue speaking against their disastrous and shameful politics. I am not going stay silent,” Priyanka added.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief, Mayawati, on Sunday asked Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, to reveal his caste. The BSP chief cautioned people of lower community to be cautions of BJP”s theatrics. “Narendra Modi has till date not told the people of backward community which caste he belongs to. As a result, you need to be cautious of the Bharatiya Janata Party,” she said in Allahabad. Mayawati also alleged that BJP has deployed top soothsayers to create a wave in its favour.