Farzi dosti of bua and babua will end results day: Modi
After BSP president Mayawati termed the Prime Minister a ‘fake’ backward class member, Narendra Modi has said the farzi friendship of the SP and the Bahujan Samaj Party will fall apart the day Lok Sabha election results are announced.
“You all remember the friendship that was struck during the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, which came to an end with the announcement of results and turned into rivalry, he said referring to the understanding in 2017 between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party.
“The farzi dosti of bua and babua will also end the same way,” Modi said at an election rally here, referring to Mayawati and SP president Akhilesh Yadav.
“The date of this friendship has also been fixed. May 23, Thursday, this farzi dosti will fall apart,” he said. “That day bua and babua will start part 2 of their rivalry.”
86 nominations in Delhi so far
A total of 38 nominations have been filed for the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, scheduled on May 12, taking the total to 86.
Eight candidates filed their nominations from Chandni Chowk, including two independent candidates, and leaders from lesser known outfits like the Sarvhit Samaj Sewa Party and the Kanshiram Bahujan Dal.
Five candidates filed nominations from northeast Delhi parliamentary constituency, including candidates from the Republican Party Of India (A) and Satya Bahumat Party. Nine candidates filed papers from east Delhi, out of whom two were independents. Two candidates filed their papers from New Delhi, including a woman candidate fighting as an independent. Four candidates filed their papers from northwest Delhi, including two independents. Five candidates filed their nominations from west Delhi, including an independent and candidates from lesser known outfits -- Proutist Bloc India and Asankhya Samaj Party.
Four candidates filed their nominations from south Delhi, including candidates from Hum Bhartiya Party and Mazdoor Kirayedar Vikas Party.
Delhi, which has seven parliamentary constituencies, will vote on May 12 and the overall results will be declared on May 23.
BJP asks Rahul to come clean on his citizenship, qualification
Citing a complaint filed against Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the BJP raised questions on his citizenship and educational qualification, and asked him to come clean on the matter. The BJP’s reaction comes in the wake of the complaint filed with returning officer in the Amethi seat against Mr. Gandhi’s candidature in which allegations and objections have been made about his citizenship and qualification.
The returning officer (RO) has fixed Monday as the next date of hearing on the matter.
BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao told reporters it was “stunning” that Mr. Gandhi’s lawyer sought time to reply to the objections.
“These are serious allegations. Is Rahul Gandhi an Indian citizen or not? Did he ever become a British citizen? He should come out with the real story,” he said.
There was no immediate reaction from the Congress.
According to sources in the Election Commission of India, the returning officer is the final authority on such a matter, but he cannot check the veracity of whatever is written on an election affidavit.
“If someone approaches an RO raising objections, he must hear the affected party. If anyone has any objection to whatever is recorded in an affidavit, the person should approach court. The ECI has no role in any objection made to the election affidavit,” the sources said.
Mr. Rao claimed that a British company, in which Mr. Gandhi said in 2004 that he made investment, in its submission to the authorities there stated that he was a British citizen.
Referring to the complaint, the BJP spokesperson said there were “discrepancies and attempts to suppress facts” in Mr. Gandhi’s affidavits filed during different elections from 2004 to 2014.
The Congress chief had said that he did M Phil in development economics from the Cambridge University, but later claimed it was in development studies, Mr. Rao alleged.
The BJP spokesman said inquiries showed that one Rahul Vincy and not Rahul Gandhi got the degree in that particular year.
“We will like to know if Rahul Gandhi goes by multiple names in different countries,” Mr. Rao said.
He also wondered if the Mr. Gandhi scion’s qualification was like the Congress manifestoes that change every five years.
No alliance just in Delhi, AAP tells Congress
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said an alliance just in Delhi was not possible after the Congress refused to have a tie-up anywhere else with it .
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that giving three seats to the Congress in the national capital would mean “giving three seats to the BJP”, when asked his opinion on the 4:3 seat sharing formula proposed by the Congress.
He said the Congress first proposed 6:3:1 seat sharing formula to the AAP in Haryana where six seats would be for the Congress, three for the Jannayak Janata Party and one seat for the AAP. “Our decision to form an alliance with the Congress was to stop the Modi-Shah duo,” he said.
Mamata Banerjee can go to any extent for appeasement politics, says Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue of campaign by actors from Bangladesh for Trinamool Congress candidates and hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleging that “she can go to any extent for appeasement politics”.
“People from other countries are being brought to campaign here for appeasement politics. Has this ever happened in the country? For her vote bank and appeasement politics Didi [Ms. Banerjee] can go to any extent,” he said at a public meeting in Buniyadpur, South Dinajpur district of West Bengal.
Videos of actors from Bangladesh, Ferdous Ahmed and Ghazi Abdul Noor, campaigning for Trinamool Congress candidates was aired by certain television channels, which also went viral on the social media. The Election Commission of India and the Ministry of External Affairs took note of these incidents and the actors were asked to return to Bangladesh.
Bihar expecting lies and jumlas in PM rally: Tejashwi Yadav
Bihar is expecting “lies and jumlas” in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rally in Araria Lok Sabha constituency, RJD leader and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav said on Saturday.
Hours before the PM’s rally at Forbesganj town in favour of NDA candidates in the State, Tejashwi Yadav, also the leader of opposition in the Bihar assembly, said Mr. Modi will portray himself as the son of the extremely backwards.
“PM @narendramodi ji is coming to Bihar today. He would portray himself as the son of extremely backwards. Will make an abortive bid to create polarisation,” he tweeted.
“Bihar is expecting ‘lies and jumlas’ from him (PM Modi). Hope that the PM would give account of his 2014 promises such as giving special status, special package to Bihar, and also about giving free education and medicine #BiharRejectsModi,” Tejashwi Yadav said.
The RJD leader’s tweet comes two days after he had termed Mr Modi as “fake backward”, who did nothing for OBCs.
The remark had drawn a sharp reaction from the BJP, with national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav terming it as “arrogant, graceless and childish” made on the advice of Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
Tejashwi Yadav on Monday also asked the PM to name any project in Bihar, for which he had laid the foundation and inaugurated.
Mr. Modi would address a public meeting near the highway that was constructed by the UPA government, he said, adding, the Manmohan Singh-led government sanctioned projects worth Rs 1.44 lakh crore for Bihar, “while you (PM) merely indulged in rhetoric“.
Taking a swipe at Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for not releasing its manifesto, he said, “Nitish jee is so much scared of PM Modi that they (JDU leaders) have not released their manifesto so far.”
BJP has fielded Pradeep Singh from the Araria constituency, which would go to polls along with four other constituencies of Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Madhepura and Khagaria in third phase on April 23.
- PTI
We will forcibly take money from those who looted the country under Modi: Rahul
In a sharp response to BJP leaders who termed the minimum income guarantee scheme (NYAY) promised by the Congress as something that could not be implemented, Congress president Rahul Gandhi hit back stating that his party, upon coming to power, would forcibly take money from the pockets of big businessmen who looted the country under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule and put it into the bank accounts of poor people. He was addressing a public rally jointly organised by the Congress and the Janata Dal(S) here Friday.
“When we promised NYAY, the BJP and Mr. Modi started asking from where we will mobilise money for the scheme. Whenever we come up with any pro-people programmes, they ask from where we would bring the money for them. Now, I tell you that the money for the scheme meant for the 20 % of the poor will not come from the pockets of the middle class. Instead, we will, soon after coming to power, forcibly take the money from Ambani, Choksi, Mallya and others who looted the country and put it in the accounts of the poor [through NYAY],” he said, referring to industrialists Anil Ambani, Vijay Mallya and Mehul Choksi who are allegedly involved in different scams.
Terming the scheme as very much implementable, Mr. Gandhi said that his party would show Mr. Modi that it would be possible to spend ₹ 3.60 lakh crore every year for the scheme.
Fielding Pragya a reply to those who called Hindu civilisation terrorist: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that fielding of Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, as BJP candidate from Bhopal was a symbolic answer to all those who labeled the rich Hindu civilization as “terrorist” and asserted that “this symbol will prove costly for the Congress”.
He said the Congress works with a certain “modus operandi” to create false narratives on incidents such as Samjhauta Express blast and death of judge B.H. Loya. While defending the fielding of Ms. Thakur, who is on bail in the blast case, Mr. Modi asked why no such questions are being asked when Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi are contesting from Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies, respectively, despite being on “bail”.
“One woman, that too a ‘sadhvi’, was humiliated in such a manner,” he said in an interview to Times Now while answering a question on fielding of Thakur in the Lok Sabha elections.
“Samjhauta Express verdict came. What came out? Without any evidence, a rich civilization as old as 5000 years, which gave the message of ‘the whole world is one’... You called such a civilization terrorist? To give a reply to all such people, this (fielding of Ms. Thakur) is a symbol and this symbol will cost Congress dearly,” the Prime Minister added.
She joined the BJP on Wednesday and soon after was fielded as its candidate from Bhopal against Congress leader Digvijay Singh.
- IANS
Congress demands PM’s apology, EC seeks report on Pragya’s ‘curse’ remarks
Pragya Singh Thakur offering prayers at a temple in Bhopal on Friday.
Amid widespread outrage over the BJP’s Bhopal candidate, Pragya Singh Thakur’s derogatory comments about 26/11 martyr Hemant Karkare, the Congress on Friday demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ms. Thakur, an accused in the 2013 Malegaon blasts case, claimed at a gathering of party workers on Thursday that Karkare, who was heading the probe into the blasts, was killed because she had cursed him for “torturing” her. The BJP issued a statement later in the day, distancing itself from Ms. Thakur’s comments, saying these were her personal views and she might have made them “due to years of physical and mental torture.”
In the evening, an aide quoted Ms. Thakur as saying at a rally in Berasia, “I felt that the enemies of the country were being benefited from it [my remarks], so I take back my statement and apologise for it.” “Pragya ji said that if her remarks hurt someone, she was sorry for it,” Upma Singh said.
EC seeks report
The Election Commission on Friday sought a report from Bhopal’s Returning Officer on remarks by the BJP’s Bhopal candidate Pragya SIngh Thakur that Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare had died in the 26/11 terror attack because she had cursed him.
At a gathering of BJP workers on Thursday, Ms. Thakur, an accused in the 2013 Malegaon blasts case in which six persons were killed, said Karkare, who was heading the probe, had committed an anti-national act by allegedly falsely implicating her in the case. “It was treason. It was against religion,” she said.
Ms. Thakur alleged that she was tortured during her detention and that she had cursed him. “He tortured me and subjected me to harsh abuse which was unbearable. I told him he will be destroyed. A little over a month later ‘sutak’ (ritual observed after the death of a family member) was going to start ...just over a month later, he was shot dead by terrorists and the inauspicious period ended,” she said.
This is the first time Ms. Thakur has spoke of torture. She had not raised the issue even when she filed for bail.
