Highlights: For 60 yrs, Cong could not find a tribal who could be country's President, says PM Modi

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9:24 PM

President Muizzu-led People's National Congress poised to win parliamentary elections in Maldives: Report

President Muizzu-led People's National Congress poised to win parliamentary elections in Maldives, claims media report.

8:59 PM

INDIA bloc rally: Lord Ram belongs to everyone, not only Hindus, says Farooq Abdullah

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said on Sunday that Lord Ram belongs to everyone, not only Hindus. Abdullah was addressing the opposition INDIA bloc's ‘Ulgulan Naya Maharally' in Ranchi. Without naming any party, he said, “They are selling Lord Ram, claiming that they brought him. They do not know Lord Ram. He does not belong to Hindus alone but to the world. Ram is for everyone. But they have made Ram their own, claiming He is only theirs.” Attacking the saffron party, Abdullah said that it got scared of the popularity of former chief minister Hemant Soren and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. “They were put behind the bar without any fault,” he said. Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. He is lodged in Tihar jail.

7:50 PM

Congress approaches Press Council of India seeking action against CPI(M) mouthpiece

The Congress in Kerala on Saturday lodged a complaint with the Press Council of India (PCI) against the ruling CPI(M)'s mouthpiece in the state for allegedly publishing fake news about its leaders. The Congress alleged that the CPI(M) mouthpiece carried an article on April 18 accusing it of carrying out an obscene campaign against Left candidates. A caricature, published along with the report, features photos of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President, Leader of Opposition in Kerala, UDF Candidate of Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency, and others holding a digital device, indicating that they were spreading "extremely derogatory morphed porn videos", it alleged. The complaint was lodged by Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan.

7:28 PM

Fire breaks out at Ghazipur landfill site in Delhi

6:43 PM

Hemant Soren sent to jail for refusing to part ways with INDIA bloc: Kharge at Ranchi rally.

Hemant Soren sent to jail for refusing to part ways with INDIA bloc, alleged Congress President Kharge at Ranchi rally.

6:23 PM

BJP will be wiped out if it continues to terrorise tribals: Kharge at Ranchi rally

BJP will be wiped out if it continues to terrorise tribals, says Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge at Ranchi rally on Sunday. 

6:23 PM

Students with 4-yr undergrad degrees can directly pursue PhD if they have 75% marks or equivalent grade: UGC

Students with 4-year undergraduate degrees can now directly pursue PhD if they have 75% aggregate marks or equivalent grade, says UGC chief Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar.

5:58 PM

LS polls update: 'Kejriwal ko insulin do': AAP workers protest outside Tihar jail

Carrying insulin, the workers and leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party protested outside the Tihar jail in west Delhi on Sunday and demanded that insulin be given to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who is suffering from diabetes. Delhi cabinet minister Atishi and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Sanjeev Jha were present at the protest site. Scores of party workers carrying placards saying 'Kejriwal ko insulin do' sang 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' outside the jail. "This is not a protest. The people of Delhi are worried about the health of Chief Minister Kejriwal who is diabetic. They have sent insulin for him," she said.

Atishi alleged there is a "conspiracy" to harm Kejriwal.

"The Tihar administration had said they have specialist doctors but yesterday they wrote to AIIMS for a diabetologist. Kejriwal has been in judicial custody for nearly 20 days but they are asking for a diabetologist now.

4:58 PM

Will fight against dictatorship; Arvind Kejriwal, Hemant Soren will come out of jail: Sunita in Ranchi

"BJP govt wants to kill my husband Arvind Kejriwal. He is not getting insulin in jail," says Sunita Kejriwal at Ranchi rally.

4:42 PM

Lok Sabha polls Live: Congress slams BJP govt for 'rolling back' pro-people schemes in Rajasthan

Congress on Sunday said its previous government in Rajasthan passed a series of visionary laws to meaningfully improve the quality of life of thousands in the state and asked why the current BJP dispensation is "rolling back" pro-people schemes. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed the questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his rallies in Jalore and Banswara. "Why is the BJP Government rolling back the INC's pro-people schemes? Does the PM prioritise his businessmen friends over Rajasthan's rural communities? Why has ERCP not been designated a national project yet," Ramesh asked in a post on X.

Elaborating on what he said were "jumla details", Ramesh said when the Congress was in power in Rajasthan, it passed a series of visionary laws that would meaningfully improve the quality of life of thousands in the state.

4:24 PM

Amit Shah skips Darjeeling rally as helicopter fails to land due to inclement weather

 Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday could not attend a scheduled election rally in Darjeeling town of West Bengal as his helicopter failed to land due to inclement weather, a party leader said. Shah was scheduled to address the rally in support of BJP candidate for Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, Raju Bista. "Amit Shah ji's visit to Darjeeling had to be cancelled as his helicopter failed to land in Darjeeling because of bad weather," he said. Later, while talking to reporters, Bista, who is the local MP, said Shah might come to the hills at a later date before Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat goes to polls on April 26.

4:23 PM

LS polls: Regional bias, favouritism in jobs rampant during Cong rule, says Haryana CM Saini

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday slammed the Congress, alleging there was regional bias and favouritism in jobs while corruption was rampant in all spheres when the party was in power in the state. At a poll rally in Jhajjar, he claimed the Narendra Modi government initiated many schemes in the last 10 years for the benefit of the poor and farmers, bringing smiles to their faces. On the other hand, the Congress in its six decades in power did nothing for poverty alleviation other than raising the 'garibi hathao' slogan, he alleged. In a veiled jibe at Rahul Gandhi, the senior BJP leader said, "Now, Congress' 'yuvraj' says that he will eradicate poverty in one stroke. Which 'Aladdin Ka Chirag' (magic lamp) has he got now?" Asserting that the Modi government's scheme benefitted all sections of the society, Saini said that across the country there is a consensus that "Ab ki baar 400 paar". 

3:44 PM

Congress' fight is only to cross 40: Anurag Thakur slams 'INDIA' bloc

Claiming that the "corrupt coalition" of the opposition's INDIA bloc will be wiped out in the Lok Sabha polls, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said on Sunday that Congress's fight is only to "cross 40 seats." "INDI alliance partners and these princes (Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav) want this (BJP to be reduced to 150 seats) but their intentions will never be fulfilled. They had come together before as well but the public had wiped them out. This time again, this coalition of corrupt people will be wiped out in Lok Sabha polls. I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that neither in 2014 nor in 2019, the public made you win. This time too, Congress' fight is only to cross 40, the public will bless BJP with absolute majority and to cross 400," Anurag Thakur told reporters.

3:14 PM

Israeli strikes on Rafah kill 18

Israeli strikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight killed 18 people, including 14 children, health officials said Sunday, as the United States was on track to approve billions of dollars of additional military aid to its close ally. Israel has carried out near-daily air raids on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's population of 2.3 million has sought refuge from fighting elsewhere. It has also vowed to expand its ground offensive to the city on the border with Egypt despite international calls for restraint, including from the US.

2:32 PM

Rahul unwell, Kharge to address Cong's rally in MP's Satna today, says Jitu Patwari

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is set to address the party's rally in Satna in Madhya Pradesh today as senior leader Rahul Gandhi is unwell.

'Rahul Gandhi is not well so Kharge will address the Satna meeting for party candidate Siddharth Kushwaha,' party's state unit chief Jitu Patwari said. Kushwaha is up against the ruling BJP's Ganesh Singh, who has been MP from the seat since 2004. Voting in Satna will take place on April 26.

2:19 PM

Lok Sabha polls: Congress a synonym for scams, terrorism and Naxalism, says UP CM Adityanath

Addressing an election rally in Chhhattisgarh's Kabirdham district, Yogi Adityanath today hit out at the Congress, claiming the grand old party is a synonym for scams, terrorism and Naxalism. 'At the age when a tablet and a good book should be in the hands of youth and they should have the spirit to take the world ahead, the Congress handed over pistols in the hands of those youth,' the UP CM claimed.

2:00 PM

LS elections: 10 police personnel heading for poll duty injured as bus overturns in Chhattisgarh's Bastar

At least 10 personnel of the Madhya Pradesh police were injured when a bus ferrying them for Lok Sabha poll duty overturned in Bastar, Chhattisgarh today. The incident took place near Raikot village on Geedam-Jagdalpur road under Geedam police station limits, the official said. After the poll duty in Bastar Lok Sabha seat, where voting was held on April 19, the security personnel were heading from Faraspal (Dantewada) to Gariband in Mahasamund parliamentary constituency which will go to polls on April 26, he said.

1:53 PM

Net direct tax collections (provisional) for FY 2023-24 exceed Budget estimates by Rs 1.35 trn

The provisional figures of direct tax collections for the Financial Year (FY) 2023-24 indicate that net collections stand at Rs. 19.58 trillion, compared to Rs. 16.64 trillion in the previous financial year (FY) 2022-23, marking a significant increase of 17.70 per cent.

12:21 PM

Kerala CM aaccuses PM Modi, Cong leader Rahul Gandhi of covering up state's progress with lies

As Lok Sabha polls are just five days away in the state, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan intensified his attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today. The Kerala CM has accusing both leaders of attempting to cover up the progresses achieved by the state with "lies".

'Modi and Gandhi have a similar voice while speaking against the southern state,' Pinarayi Vijayan said in Kanhangadu while adressing a press conference..

 

12:15 PM

Lok Sabha polls 2024: Rahul, Lalu likely to address INDIA bloc's 'Ulgulan Nyay' rally in Ranchi

Moreover, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad are expected to address India bloc's 'Ulgulan rally' in Ranchi today in a mega show of strength for opposition alliance. A total of 14 political parties are taking part in the rally and over 500,000 people are expected be there amid the ongoing elections.

12:09 PM

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress holds CEC meeting for Punjab

A Central Election Committee meeting of the Congress party was held at the party headquarters in New Delhi today chaired by party President Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Sonia Gandhi. The meeting was held to finalise candidates for the remaining Lok Sabha seats in Punjab and other states. Senior Congress leaders of Punjab were present in this meeting. Polling for the 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Punjab will be held in the last phase on June 1.

 

10:22 AM

ED nabs retired Chhattisgarh IAS officer Anil Tuteja in liquor 'scam' case linked with money laundering

Days after filing a fresh case, the Enforcement Directorate today arrested retired Chhattisgarh IAS officer Anil Tuteja in connection with a Rs 2,000 crore alleged liquor scam linked money laundering case in the state. ED detained the 2003-batch officer from the Economic Offences Wing (EOW)/Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) office in Raipur yesterday evening where the bureaucrat and his son Yash Tuteja had gone to record their statements..

10:19 AM

Fire breaks out in residential building in Navi Mumbai, no casualties reported

9:36 AM

Nine dead in a road crash in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district

A car collided head-on with a truck in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district early morning today, leaving nine men returning from a wedding dead. The accident took place at 2:45 am near Eklera village when the deceased were returning from Dungri village in Bhopal, Jhalawar Superintendent of Police, Richa Tomer told PTI. While two persons were killed on the spot, seven others succumbed to injuries at a hospital. One person was critically injured in the accident and has been admitted to the Jhalawar government hospital.

9:08 AM

Pakistan polls: 2024 Elections more rigged than 2018 elections, says JUI-F chief

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman said that the Pakistan elections in 2024 were "more rigged" than the elections held in 2018. While addressing JUI-F's public gathering in Pishin on Saturday, Rehman said that the Pakistan government was imposed through 'rigging'. The JUI-F chief stated that Pakistan is being made an unsafe state as the country is heading towards turmoil through "ill policies," according to reports.

8:56 AM

PM Modi greets the nation on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti today

8:43 AM

Posters of INDIA alliance put up at ground in Ranchi ahead of the mega rally of opposition parties

8:40 AM

2 Japanese navy helicopters crash in Pacific Ocean; 1 dead, 7 missing as search operation continues

Two Japanese navy helicopters, each carrying four crew members, crashed in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo during a nighttime training flight. As per some reports, Japan's defence Minister Minoru Kihara stated that the helicopters, SH-60K choppers from the Maritime Self Defense Force, lost contact late Saturday near Torishima island, approximately 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Tokyo. One crew member was recovered from the waters but was later pronounced dead. Search operation is still underway for the remaining seven crew members who are missing.

8:35 AM

Ukraine's Prez Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu thank US govt for passage of aid package

On Saturday, the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives passed the first in a series of bills as part of a $95 billion legislative package. This package aims to provide security assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, despite objections from party hardliners. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US lawmakers after they voted in favour of aid packages for their countries.

8:33 AM

INDIA alliance to hold Ulgulan rally in Ranchi today, Sunita Kejriwal also expected to participate

Lok Sabha polls: INDIA alliance is gearing up for a massive show of strength at the Ulgulan rally scheduled today in Ranchi, Jharkhand today. While the first phase of polling concluded on April 19, Jharkhand is set to begin its four-phased election from May 13. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife, Sunita Kejriwal is also expected to particiapte in the mega rally organisied by the opposition parties.