Modi lambasts Mamata over her comments against EC
Barely hours before the EC-curtailed campaigning ended in West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday tore into TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s criticism of the poll body saying had it not ensured free and fair polls she would have never been able to oust the Left and be the Chief Minister.
Mr. Modi also criticised Ms. Banerjee for her comments labelling BJP leaders in the State as “outsiders” and said Bengal is a part of the country and not her personal fiefdom.
Bringing down the curtains on BJP’s high voltage campaigning in the State, he said the recent statements by opposition leaders giving up their claim for prime ministership is a reflection that they had already accepted defeat.
“Didi is abusing the EC and central forces today. But there was a time when during the Left rule, she used to demand central forces. Had the EC and the central forces not conducted free and fair polls, she would have never been the Chief Minister of Bengal,” Mr. Modi said at a poll rally at Dum Dum.
Hitting out at Ms. Banerjee for labelling the BJP leaders in the state as “outsiders”, Mr. Modi said she has problems with people coming from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar but “welcomes infiltrators with open arms“.
“Didi should not forget that if people have come from Bihar and UP then they are contributing towards Bengal’s growth. She has problems with their coming but she welcomes infiltrators. Bengal is not the personal fiefdom of Didi and her nephew (TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee),” Mr. Modi said.
Mocking Ms. Banerjee’s reported aspiration of becoming the next Prime Minister, he said she may very well “dream” of it but should not make any comment which affects the morale of the armed forces.
Where your heart lies, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asks PM
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday had a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claim of a 56-inch chest , asking where his heart lies.
Addressing an election rally in Maharajganj in support of Congress candidate Supriya Shrinate, Priyanka Gandhi asked, “You boasted about your 56-inch chest, but where is your heart?”
The Congress leader also questioned claims of nationalism.
“The PM talks about Pakistan while speaking on nationalism. For him, nationalism is all about speaking on the work done to counter Pakistan. Employment and farmer issues are not nationalism to him, she said.
Ms. Priyanka Gandhi accused the Prime Minister of solely concentrating on marketing strategies and dubbed him arrogant .
In the past five years, Mr. Modi was seen going to every place across the world, but he never bothered to meet farmers of his own country,” she said terming the PM anti-farmer.
She lambasted the government over an initiative it took for farmers.
“They have announced Rs 6,000 per year for farmers under the Kisan Samman scheme. But the scheme is an insult to farmers as a family of five would get just Rs 2 per day,” she said.
In comparison, the Congress had announced the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (Nyay) under which Rs 72,000 would be given every year to each poor family, the Congress leader said.
Commenting on the job situation, she said, “Five crore jobs were destroyed in the past five years. As many as 24 lakh posts are lying vacant in government departments while 50 lakh people lost their jobs due to demonetisation.”
She promised that the Congress would fill vacant posts in government departments.
“We are confident that after coming to power, the MGNREGA would be strengthened by increasing the labour days from 100 to 150. Labourers would get wages regularly,” she added, referring to a rural employment generation scheme
Aunt-Nephew 'jodi' interested in looting Bengal, says Modi
While addressing an election rally in Mathurapur, West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "Bengal police trying to wipe out evidence of statue [Vidyasagar's] desecration by TMC goons".
Mr. Modi said, "Didi, frustrated by imminent defeat, is threatening to put me behind bars."
The Prime Minister further reiterated "It was TMC goons who vandalised Kolkata college and broke the bust of Vidyasagar."
He further added "The aunt-nephew ‘jodi’ is only interested in looting Bengal."
Mr. Modi said "While we are working to bring about development in Bengal, TMC working to create disturbances."
More they abuse, the more people love me: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the love of the people towards him increases with the abuses hurled at him, claiming that the opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh is now sensing defeat.
“All the 'mahamilawatis' including the SP and the BSP are in low spirits today seeing their impending defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, ’ he said an election rally in Chandauli.
“As the dose of the rivals’ abuses increases, the people are increasing their dose of trust and love too,” he said at another meeting in Mirzapur.
He also addressed a meeting in Mau, where he blamed Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress for the violence during BJP president Amit Shah’s roadshow in Kolkata on Tuesday.
- PTI
’Modilie’ a new word that has become popular worldwide: Rahul’s fresh attack on PM
Congress President Rahul Gandhi fired a fresh salvo at Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing him of speaking lies, and mentioned about a website that he claimed “catalogues the best ‘Modilies’“.
Gandhi said “Modilies” is a new word that has become popular worldwide.
“Now there’s even a website that catalogues the best Modilies!” the Congress president tweeted, along with a link to the website “Modi Lies: The Most Accurate List of PM Modi’s Many Lies“.
Gandhi has been accusing Modi of speaking “lies” on various issues, including on the Rafale jet deal.
On Wednesday, he had said “Modilie” is a new word in dictionary and tweeted a screenshot of a photoshopped page of an English dictionary explaining the meaning of the word.
In the fabricated page, “Modilie” was described as a “mass noun”.
The photoshopped page listed three meanings and examples of the usage of the word.
- PTI
Rahul will play ‘central role’ in formation of new govt.: Tejashwi
A coalition of progressive parties will come together to form the next government and Congress president Rahul Gandhi will play a “central role” in the formation of the new dispensation, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said on Thursday.
Asserting that the BJP has failed to deliver on its slogans, including ‘achche din’, ‘kala dhan vapsi (return of black money)’ and ‘beti bachao beti padhao’, he alleged that the party has intensified its “hate-filled politics” to avoid being questioned on its promises.
Mr. Yadav, whose Rashtriya Janata Dal is fighting the polls in Bihar in alliance with the Congress, Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, Hindustan Awam Morcha and Vikasshil Insan Party, also claimed the ‘mahagathbandhan’ will sweep the polls in the state.
“Those who colluded in flouting people’s mandate will be defeated. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have always been key to forming central governments, that will not change,” he told PTI in an interview.
Sedition law will be made more stringent: Rajnath
Slamming the Congress over its poll promise of repealing the sedition law if voted to power, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that the BJP government would make the law even more stringent.
Speaking at a gathering in Kullu, Mr. Singh said the sedition law would be strengthened so that even the soul of the anti-nationals would shiver.
“The Congress is saying that it will repeal the sedition law. We are going to make it more stringent so that no one dares to act against it,” Mr. Singh said in his 30-minute address.
Speaking on economy, Mr. Singh said that inflation had been the main poll issue during elections but not in 2004 and 2019, as the management of the two BJP Prime Ministers (Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi) did not allow prices to go out of hands.
Mr. Singh was in Kullu to seek votes for sitting BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma, who is seeking re-election from Mandi. He said that Mr. Sharma, who has regularly attended sessions in the Lok Sabha, is an honest politician.
The four Lok Sabha constituencies in Himachal Pradesh will go to the polls in the seventh and final phase of polling on May 19.
Haryana minister, ex-Congress MLA booked for disorderly conduct during polling in Rohtak
The Haryana Police have booked State minister Manish Grover and former Congress MLA B.B. Batra for allegedly entering a polling booth without permission and disorderly conduct in Rohtak district of the state.
Mr. Grover, the Minister of State for Cooperation, and Mr. Batra, the ex-MLA from Rohtak, were on Wednesday booked under Section 188 of the IPC (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and Section 131 of the Representation of the People’s Act (disorderly conduct in or near polling stations) in Shivaji Colony police station, Rohtak, on the complaint of an Assistant Returning Officer, SP, Rohtak, J S Randhawa said on Thursday.
As per the complaint, Mr. Grover and Mr. Batra had allegedly entered a polling booth inside a school without permission and created ruckus when polling was underway in the Rohtak parliamentary constituency, which went to polls on May 12 along with nine other Lok Sabha seats in the state.
"TMC goondas broke Vidyasagar’s statue, BJP govt will install grand statue"
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said his government was committed towards Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s vision and promised to install his grand statue at the same spot in Kolkata where it was vandalised by "TMC goondas".
”The statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was broken by TMC goondas during the road show of BJP President Amit Shah. Those involved in this act should be given strong punishment," he said at a rally in Mau.
He said a grand “panch dhatu” (made up of five metals) statue of Ishwar Chand Vidyasagar will be installed at the same spot to give a befitting reply to TMC workers.
The 'Mahamilavatis' are frustrated: PM Modi
PM Modi also said the 'mahamilavatis' (adulterators) who were raising 'Modi-hatao' slogans were frustrated. "Their arithmetic has gone wrong and so their abuses have increased," he said.
"The Mahamilavatis want somehow to get a ‘khichdi’ govt at Centre which can be blackmailed for their needs," he said.
Pitting Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata against each other, Mr. Modi touched on Ms. Maywati's allegation that Mr. Modi had "abandoned" his wife . "Mayawati targeted me and EC, though I thought she will lash out at Mamata for way people of UP and Bihar are treated in WB," he said.
He added that he was going to West Bengal for a rally in Dum Dum. "Let us see if Didi allows it. If she has her way, she will not allow the helicopter to land," he said.
- PTI
Mamata thanks opposition leaders for backing her
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday thanked the leaders of opposition parties , who came out in her support as she protested against the Election Commission’s decision to cut short the poll campaign duration in the state.
“Thanks and gratitude to @Mayawati, @yadavakhilesh, @INCIndia, @ncbn and others for expressing solidarity and support to us and the people of #Bengal. EC’s biased actions under the directions of the #BJP are a direct attack on democracy. People will give a befitting reply,” she tweeted.
The poll panel on Wednesday cut short campaigning for the last round of voting in West Bengal, in the wake of violence between the BJP and the TMC workers in Kolkata.
The campaign closing time has been advanced to Thursday 10 p.m. in the nine Lok Sabha seats - Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Joynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Calcutta South and Calcutta North.
Accusing the Election Commission of acting on the instructions of the BJP, Banerjee said the move was “unethical and unconstitutional”.
- PTI
BJP, Congress sweat it out to capture Parrikar’s Panaji
After the elections for Goa’s two Lok Sabha seats, the BJP and the Congress are preparing for a face-off in the bypoll for Panaji Assembly constituency, which was held by former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
The bypoll was necessitated after Parrikar’s death in March .
Refusing ticket to the late Chief Minister’s son, Utpal, the BJP has fielded former MLA Siddharth Kunkolienkar. Kunkolienkar has represented the seat in the absence of Parrikar in 2015 and 2017 assembly elections, when the latter was the Union defence minister.
He is pitted against Congress’s Antanasio Monserratte, a former minister in state governments led by Parrikar and Digambar Kamat.
- PTI
Mayawati comes out in support of Mamata, says EC acting under pressure
Rallying behind Mamata Banerjee, BSP supremo Mayawati Thursday charged that the West Bengal chief minister is being targeted as part of a conspiracy to divert attention from failures of the Modi government.
It is now clear that under the present Chief Election Commissioner, Lok Sabha polls are not being held in a totally free and fair manner, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister told reporters here.
The Election Commission curtailed campaigning in West Bengal under pressure of central government, she further charged.
The Election Commission on Wednesday ordered campaigning in nine West Bengal constituencies to end at 10 p.m. on Thursday , a day before its scheduled deadline, in the wake of violence between BJP and TMC workers in Kolkata.
- PTI
EC lost its independence, time to review process of its appointment: Congress
Accusing the Election Commission of losing its credibility and independence, the Congress on Thursday said time has come to review the process of the poll panel’s appointment.
Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the order prohibiting campaigning in West Bengal by 20 hours is a “dark spot” on India’s democracy and institutions like the Election Commission.
“Election Commission has completely abdicated its Constitutional duty under Art 324 to ensure level playing field, besides negating the due process under Article 14 and 21 of India’s Constitution,” he told reporters.
“The time has come to review the process of appointment of Election Commission,” he said, calling for a national debate on the issue.
The Congress, a responsible political party, has never cast unwarranted aspersions on the actions of Constitutional bodies, Surjewala said.
“But we are deeply saddened to say that Election Commission of India has completely lost its independence and abdicated its Constitutional integrity,” the Congress leader added.
- PT
