Only communists can build alternative to BJP, says Prakash Karat
CPI(M) politburo member Prakash Karat has said that only the communists can build an alternative to the BJP at the Centre.
Addressing a convention organised to commemorate the centenary of the CPI’s foundation, Mr. Karat said in Agartala on Thursday that the Congress has lost the ideological base that it had during the freedom struggle.
“In this backdrop, only the communists can build an alternative to the Modi-Shah rule,” he said. - PTI
PM should 'steal' ideas from Congress manifesto to tackle economic mess: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged on Friday that the government is “clueless” about the economy and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman should “steal” ideas from his party’s Lok Sabha poll manifesto to tackle the “mess“.
Gandhi’s attack on the government came over a media report which claimed rural consumption generally grows faster than urban consumption, but in this quarter the trend has been reversed with rural consumption being at its lowest in seven years for the quarter of September.
“Rural India is in severe distress. The economy has sunk and the govt is clueless about what to do,” the former Congress president said in a tweet.
“PM & FM should steal ideas from manifesto.inc.in, where we had anticipated and set down detailed plans to tackle the mess,” he also wrote on the microblogging site.
Congress speaks the language of Pakistan: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election campaign in Haryana's Sonipat said that Congress was neither bothered about the unity of the country nor Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s Constitution.
Without naming anyone, Mr. Modi said that those who had been the most vocal in opposing Article 370 were now coming to handle the affairs in Haryana. He said that it was disrespectful to the martyrs and their families, but it did not make any difference to Congress.
Saying that Congress spoke the language of Pakistan, Mr. Modi added that the party should also speak what the people of India liked. He said that the statements made by Congress had helped the Pakistan strengthen its case on Article 370. “What is this chemistry and for whom? The people will have to look for answers to it in the election,” said Mr. Modi.
Sonia Gandhi to skip election rally in Haryana, Rahul to step in
Interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday decided to skip an election rally in Mahendragarh, Haryana, which she was scheduled to address. The Congress has not stated any official reason for the development, although sources claim that she decided to stay away owing to ill health. Her son and former party chief Rahul Gandhi will step in instead.
The last campaign outing for Ms Gandhi was in 2017 for the U.P. Assembly polls in Varanasi. During the roadshow then, she fell ill and has stayed away from rallies and public meetings ever since.
BJP wants to curb movement of our leaders: Maharashtra Congress
The Congress in Maharashtra on Friday accused the ruling BJP of attempting to restrict the movement of its leaders during campaigning for the October 21 assembly polls.
State Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant claimed the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) has not been giving timely clearance to jets/helicopters carrying party leaders for campaigning.
The ATC has become “Air Traffic Stopper”, especially for the Congress, he alleged.
“BJP wants to restrict movement of our leaders. I have been stranded since yesterday at Solapur airport even Scindia ji. Yesterday reason for no clearance was PM movement, now no reason,” Sawant tweeted.
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia is scheduled to address election meetings in Kolhapur and Sangli on Friday
DMK caused agony to Jayalalithaa: T.N. CM
AIADMK co-coordinator and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Thursday claimed that former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s health had suffered a setback due to mental agony caused by slapping of corruption cases by the erstwhile DMK government eventually leading to her death.
Canvassing votes for M.R. Muthamizhselvan, AIADMK candidate for the Vikravandi Assembly byelection, at Thumbur near Villupuram, he said that the former DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi and DMK president M.K. Stalin had caused mental agony to ‘ Amma ’ (Jayalalithaa) by filing the disproportionate assets case against her.
Jagan Mohan Reddy to meet Amit Shah on Oct. 21
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has an appointment with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on October 21.
YSR Congress Party sources said the Union Home Minister gave the Chief Minister a slot to meet him, but Mr. Jagan going for the meeting had to be confirmed.
Raj Thackeray launches attack on ruling parties, seeks change
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray raised questions on the axing of trees at Aarey, rise in unemployment among Maharashtrians, increasing potholes in the city, deaths of depositors of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank and farmer suicides, at a public rally of the party at Prabhadevi on Thursday.
Campaigning for party candidate Sandeep Deshpande, Mr. Thackeray began his speech by referring to the woman doctor and PMC Bank depositor who ended her life by consuming sleeping pills. Speaking in Marathi, he said, “At one end we have educated people committing suicide and on the other we have our farmers ending their life. In the last five years, over 14,000 farmers have killed themselves. I don’t know what will happen to our State in the coming five years.”
