The male and female policemen have been deployed at the Kashi Vishwanath temple in priest's attire on the orders of Varanasi Police Commissioner Mohit Agarwal
In a veiled attack on the BJP-led central government, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday wondered why the country's borders were shrinking and how free was its press. Yadav attended the special prayers at Aishbagh Eidgah here on Eid-ul-Fitr and greeted people on the occasion. "People are noticing that our country that was once developing, what is the state of law and order here now, what is our unemployment level, how free our press is, where are we standing on the parameters of health and poverty index? Why are our borders shrinking?" Yadav said without taking any names. "People are going to vote on these issues and they have decided to bring a change," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said after initially declining to make any political comments "at the time of festivities". Earlier in the day, the Congress targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "ineffective and feeble" response to China for its border transgressions, and demanded that he apologises to
Government had respected the sentiments of the people and ensured the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, says Home Minister
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said the BJP is "worried" about losing power as he attacked the ruling party for "misusing" probe agencies to target the opposition. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also said that the BJP is being "criticised" across the world for the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Yadav, who arrived in the city for the INDIA Bloc rally at Ramlila ground, told reporters at the airport, the "BJP is worried that it is going (out of power). While we (opposition leaders) are coming to Delhi today, the PM is going out of Delhi. This shows who is going out (of power)". He was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Meerut later in the day. While mounting an attack on the government over the issue of electoral bonds scheme, he said, "This is a new invention... put ED, CBI, IT to work, and get as much donation as you like". On Kejriwal's arrest, he claimed, "The BJP is being criticised across the world for arresting
Security arrangements have been strengthened outside the residence of Mukhtar Ansari in Ghazipur and a burial ground in the Uttar Pradesh district ahead of the last rites of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari on Saturday. The last rites of Mukhtar Ansari, who died due to a cardiac arrest on Thursday and whose body was brought to his home town around midnight on Friday, is scheduled to be held around 10 am, sources in the family said. Rituals related to Ansari's burial are underway and the body will be taken to the Kali Bagh burial ground where a grave was dug on Friday, the sources said. Security personnel in large numbers have been deployed around the Ansari residence and the burial ground, which is located at distance of about a kilometre and a half. In a post on X on Friday, Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA and Mukhtar Ansari's nephew Suhaib Ansari informed: "My uncle Mukhtar Ansari passed away last night. Tomorrow, at 10 am, he will be buried in our Kali Bagh graveyard of Yusufp
Raising a question mark on the law-and-order situation in Uttar Pradesh after the death of mafia don-turned-politician Mukhtan Ansari following a cardiac arrest in Banda, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said there should be a probe supervised by a Supreme Court judge into such doubtful cases. Ansari died in the Banda Medical College due to a cardiac arrest on Thursday. He was rushed to the hospital from the district jail after his health condition deteriorated. In a post in Hindi on X, Yadav said, "It is the foremost responsibility and duty of the government to protect someone's life in every situation and at every place." "The death of a hostage or prisoner in any of the following circumstances will erode public confidence in the judicial process -- while confined in a police station, in a fight inside the jail, on falling ill inside the prison, while being taken to hospital, during treatment in hospital, by showing a false encounter, by showing a false suicide,
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday slammed the BJP for the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying they can put leaders in jail but not the public which will teach them a lesson. "Sending the chief minister to jail and controlling news will not help them as they are weakening democracy and suppressing the voice of those who want to raise the truth," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister told reporters after meeting senior party leader Azam Khan who is lodged in a jail here. "They (BJP) can send as many leaders to jail as possible but will not be able to send the public to jail," Yadav said, adding time is the biggest factor and when time comes it will teach them a lesson. He also accused the BJP of having a 'brahmand record" (universe) of getting fake cases filed. Not only in Uttar Pradesh, look anywhere else, fake cases are being filed everywhere and because of the electoral bonds expose, look at what is happening in Delhi also. Will the country ..
"The government has made extortion strategies, and now with the electoral bonds it has been proven that no one could have done extortion the way the BJP has done," said Yadav
Known by its acronym I.N.D.I.A. - or Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance - the coalition of more than 20 parties has been beset by defections to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday attacked the previous governments stating that they "imposed curfews" while the double engine government "held kanwar yatras". The chief minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 513 crore in the district. "How can we talk of development and don't discuss education and health in it. Previous governments did the same. They first spoiled the system of education and destroyed the arguments for health,' he said in his address at the event. "They made businessmen and daughters insecure. Riots began to happen. The curfews and riots surrounded the state and a problem of identity crisis appeared before the youth. Entrepreneurs started leaving the state. Nepotism entered into development works and slowly this state with unlimited potential lost its identity." Adityanath went on to add, "The previous governments imposed curfews, we started kanwar yatras. They looted earnings and provided jobs to the youth
Senior politicians, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, paid tributes to prominent Dalit leader and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) founder Kanshi Ram on his birth anniversary on Friday. "Humble tributes to Kanshi Ram, who fought throughout his life for the rights and overall development of the Dalits, the deprived and the exploited, on his birth anniversary," Adityanath said in a post in Hindi on X. Paying tributes to her mentor, BSP supremo Mayawati said in a post in Hindi on X: "Immense reverence and respect to honourable Kanshi Ram, who gave strength to the caravan of self-respect that was scattered after the demise of B R Ambedkar, on his 90th birthday. The missionary goal of social transformation and economic progress he achieved for the 'Bahujan samaj' by establishing the Bahujan Samaj Party and obtaining the master key of power in Uttar Pradesh through his continuous struggle is historic and incomparable." She added that it will be a true tribute to Kanshi Ram
Latest LIVE: Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, TMC has announced to go solo in West Bengal, Assam.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the "poison of appeasement" is weakening as development takes place. Addressing a rally in Azamgarh, earlier seen as a family bastion of Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, the PM took a dig again at RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav's recent remark and said 140 crore Indians are his family. Modi said Azamgarh, which was once considered backward, is a shining star today and writing a new chapter of development for the country. "Today, the star of Azamgarh is shining. There was a time when there would be an event in Delhi and other states would join in. Today, the event is being held in Azamgarh and thousands of people from different parts of the country are connecting with Azamgarh," Modi said. Before his speech, Modi inaugurated and laid the foundations of projects worth Rs 34,700 crore in the state. The PM said one must not link these projects with elections and added that he sped up the development works to achieve the dream of a devel
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday arrived in the Bihar capital to attend the 'Jan Vishwas Rally', which is being seen as a virtual show of strength for the opposition INDIA bloc ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The rally, which has been organised by the RJD, is being attended by top leaders including its national president Lalu Prasad, his son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI general secretary D Raja. Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has also reached the venue. The historic Gandhi Maidan, a sprawling public ground situated in the heart of the city, is choc a bloc with supporters of the 'Mahagathbandhan', a coalition comprising Congress, RJD and Left parties, which was sharing power in the state until the abrupt exit of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who heads the JD(U), recently. The 'Jan Vishwas Rally' is being seen as a culmination of 'Jan Vishwa
Reacting to the CBI summons to him in the mining case before elections, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said they (CBI) act as a cell of the BJP. Attacking the BJP, Yadav mentioned Chandigarh mayoral poll and alleged that the BJP's "theft" and "dacoity" of votes came to the fore as election was held through ballot and CCTV was there. Yadav was talking to reporters on the sidelines of the PDA conference in which office-bearers of backward, minority and Dalit cells of the party were present. "Summons before elections... they (CBI) act as 'prakoshth' (cell) of the BJP," Yadav said while here at the party office. "Jo kagaz aaya tha, humne uska jawab de diya hai" (I have given a reply to the paper that I got), he said. He said in the Lok Sabha elections, the people of Uttar Pradesh will remove the BJP government at the Centre. On investments in the state, the former chief minister said the dreams of investment shown by the government were not fulfilled. "Despite inve
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is unlikely to appear before the CBI on Thursday for questioning in an illegal mining case registered five years ago in which he is a witness, party sources said. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister is scheduled to attend a meeting of PDA "Picchda (backward classes), Dalit and Alpsankhyak (minorities)" at the party office here and has no plans to go anywhere till now, they said. In reply to a question, the Samajwadi Party's backward wing state president Rajpal Kashyap told PTI, "Akhileshji will attend a meeting of PDA at the party office today." "He is not going anywhere. He will be attending a meeting in Lucknow," Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajendra Chowdhury said. About the CBI notice to Yadav, he said, "I don't have detailed information regarding this. But it is sure, he is not going to Delhi today." In a notice issued under section 160 of CrPC, the CBI has asked Yadav to appear before it on February 29, officials said. The section all
The CBI has summoned Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav as a witness for questioning on Friday in illegal mining cases, five years after registering the case. In a notice issued under section 160 of CrPC, the agency asked him to appear before it on February 29 in connection with the case registered in 2019, officials said. The section allows a police officer to summon witnesses in a probe. The case pertains to the issuance of mining leases in alleged violation of e-tendering process. The Allahabad High Court had ordered the probe. It is alleged that public servants allowed illegal mining during 2012-16, when Yadav was chief minister, and illegally renewed licences despite a ban by the National Green Tribunal on mining. It is alleged that the officers allowed theft of minerals, extorted money from lease-holders and drivers. The CBI had filed seven preliminary enquiries in 2016 on the directions of the Allahabad High Court to probe the
Seven MLAs from Samajwadi Party (SP) cross-voted for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh
Manoj Kumar Pandey's resignation comes a day after Pandey and 7 other SP MLAs skipped a party meeting convened by SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav
Amid fears of cross-voting by Samajwadi Party MLAs in the Rajya Sabha polls on Tuesday, party chief Akhilesh Yadav said those who are looking for "profit" in the situation will leave. Speaking to reporters ahead of casting his votes, Yadav slammed the BJP saying it will adopt all means to win elections. Asked about the absence of some party MLAs from a party meeting on the polls called on Monday, Yadav said, "Those who wanted to profit from the situation will go. Those who were promised will go." "Those who put spikes in someone else' path or dig holes for others themselves fall," Yadav said in a swipe at the BJP. "You have seen what happened in Chandigarh in front of CCTV cameras. I thank the Supreme Court which saved the Constitution. BJP can adopt all tricks to win elections. It must have given assurance (to some MLAs) of some profit... BJP will do anything to win," he said. As many as eight SP MLAs did not attend a meeting called by the Yadav on Monday. A senior SP leader, ..