Page 203 - Bjp

BJP, RSS want to alter Constitution, election aimed to save it: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the ongoing Lok Sabha election is aimed at saving the country's Constitution, which he claimed the BJP and RSS want to change. Addressing a public meeting at Jobat town in Alirajpur district under the Ratlam-Jhabua Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi also said the Congress government will ensure the 50 per cent cap on reservation is removed in the interest of the people. The former Congress president again batted for a caste census, claiming it will reveal everything about the status of people and change the direction of politics in the country. "This election is being held to save the country's Constitution. The BJP, RSS want to change it, but the Congress and the (opposition) INDIA alliance are trying to save it," Gandhi said. He said the BJP gave the slogan of "400 paar" (aiming to win more than 400 Lok Sabha seats) with an intention to change the Constitution. "Leave alone 400 seats, the BJP will not get more than 150 seats this

Lok Sabha polls: BJD govt will expire on June 4, says PM Modi in Odisha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asserted that the expiry date of the BJD government in Odisha is June 4, the day the assembly election results will be announced. Addressing his first election rally in the state, Modi urged people to give a chance to the BJP to make Odisha the number one state in the country. In an apparent dig at BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the prime minister said, "Odisha needs a CM who understands Odia language and culture." The BJP will form a double-engine government here after elections. The expiry date of the BJD government is June 4, 2024, Modi said at the Berhampur rally. He also claimed that Odisha has not benefitted from Ayushman Bharat Yojana as the "BJD government did not implement" it in the state. The Centre gave Rs 10,000 crore under the 'Jal Jeevan Mission' scheme to Odisha but the BJD dispensation could not spend the money properly. "You have given 50 years to Congress and 25 years to BJD. Just give five years to the B

Go back to middle school or consult eye doctor: Chidambaram slams BJP

Taking a swipe at the BJP for criticising the Congress manifesto, party leader P Chidambaram on Monday said that if the ruling party leaders read the words 'generation of wealth' as 'redistribution of wealth', they should either go back to middle school or consult an eye doctor. Chidambaram, who headed the committee that drafted the Congress manifesto, said his party is committed to rapid growth and generation of wealth. "Congress' Manifesto makes the following statements and promises on wealth - ? industrial and business policies and regulations will be designed to facilitate the production of goods and services in larger volumes and higher values," the former finance minister said. All laws and rules that inhibit free and fair trade will be reviewed and changed, he said. "If the UPA had continued in office, the economy would have doubled again and stood at Rs 200 lakh crore in 2023-24," Chidambaram said. The Congress is committed to rapid growth and generation of wealth, he ...

FIR against Nadda, Amit Malviya and Vijayendra over social media post

An FIR has been registered against BJP president J P Nadda, the party's IT cell head Amit Malviya and Karnataka unit chief B Y Vijayendra in connection with a social media post allegedly intimidating members of SC and ST community not to vote for a particular candidate, police said on Monday. The action was taken following a complaint lodged by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) with the Election Commission and police on Sunday alleging violation of model code of conduct, they said. They were booked under the sections of Representation of People Act and section 505 (2) (Statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) of the Indian Penal Code, a senior police officer said. In the complaint, the KPCC cited a video uploaded on the social media platform 'X' by the official account of Karnataka State BJP which, it alleged, is operated by Malviya, on instructions of Nadda, Vijayendra and Social Media incharge - Karnataka BJP, on May 4. "The said

Hunt for grand victories and impact on democratic culture

In the Indian system, margins of win are irrelevant. Searching for an ever-higher margin of victory is, therefore, pure hubris

BJP reduced Odisha's central funding, PM 'neglecting' people of state: Cong

The Congress on Monday said the BJP has steadily reduced Odisha's central funding in recent years and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "neglecting" the people of the state. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to the prime minister ahead of his rallies in Odisha. "Why has Odisha's central funding steadily decreased? Will the PM commit to legal status for the SC-ST sub-plan? Will the Sitalapalli wagon factory ever be completed?" Ramesh said in a post on X. Elaborating on what he said were "jumla details", Ramesh alleged that Odisha has suffered "gross neglect" at the hands of the Modi government. "In their usual style, the BJP has steadily reduced Odisha's Central funding in recent years. According to CAG reports, Central transfers as percentage of Revenue Receipts have been consistently decreasing from 57 per cent in 2017-18 to 38 per cent in 2021-22," he said. Similarly, the CAG noted that the state's share of Union taxes, as a percentage of revenue ...

BJP to encourage voter participation in Indore amid Cong's appeal for Nota

Amid the Congress' appeal to voters to opt for NOTA in the Indore Lok Sabha poll, Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda has said the BJP will encourage the people to come out in large numbers to exercise their franchise. The BJP held a meeting here late Sunday night where a discussion was held on how to increase the voting percentage in the Indore Lok Sabha seat. Polling in Indore, where the Congress is out of race after its candidate withdrew his nomination, is scheduled on May 13. There are a total of 14 candidates in the fray, including BJP's sitting MP Shankar Lalwani. Nine of the candidates are contesting as independents. The Indore Lok Sabha seat is held by the BJP for last 35 years. After the meeting on Sunday, Deputy CM Devda, who is the in-charge of BJP's Indore cluster, told reporters, "It was discussed in the meeting that maximum voting should be held in the Indore Lok Sabha constituency." The BJP will motivate people to come out in large numbers to vote a

LS polls: BJP, Congress again set for battle in 14 seats in Karnataka

The Congress and BJP will lock horns on the electoral battleground again in less than a fortnight in Karnataka, as the stage is set for the second phase of elections in the 14 remaining Lok Sabha seats on Tuesday. It is going to be a straight fight between the ruling Congress and BJP in Parliamentary segments in the northern districts. The JD(S) is not contesting in these seats and is supporting its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner -- the BJP. The state has a total of 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. The first phase of polling in 14 seats in most of the southern and coastal districts was held on April 26. A total of 227 candidates -- 206 men and 21 women -- are in the fray for the second phase. More than 2.59 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in 28,269 polling stations where voting will take place between 7 am to 6 pm. The segments where elections will be held on Tuesday are: Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal, Bellary,

TDP quitting NDA in 2018 not a mistake, says ex-Minister Ashok

Telugu Desam Party quitting NDA in 2018 was not a mistake, senior party leader and former Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapati Raju has said. The regional party rejoining the alliance (NDA) was justified as BJP is saying it would do "something" for Andhra Pradesh, he added. The scion of the Vizianagaram royal family said he did not retire from politics, but only chose not to contest the ongoing polls due to health reasons. His daughter Aditi is vying for the Vizianagaram Assembly seat taking on the present YSR Congress legislator Kolagatla Veerabhadra Swamy. Aditi is likely to face headwinds to some extent as former TDP MLA Meesala Geetha is contesting as an independent after being denied ticket by the former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu-led party. "I don't think it (TDP leaving NDA in 2018) was a mistake. Because what had happened at that time (was that), there were certain commitments made in the legislation (AP Reorganisation Act) which needed to be attended to. Cert

Vehicles vandalised outside Amethi Congress office, party accuses BJP

Lok Sabha Polls: Congress has fielded KL Sharma from the Amethi seat against the incumbent MP Smriti Irani. Rahul Gandhi will be contesting from Raebareli

LS polls: PM Modi begins two-day Odisha visit, to address 2 rallies today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Sunday night to lead the BJP's campaign for its candidates on Monday, officials said. Modi was received by senior BJP leaders including party's Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi at the Biju Patnaik International Airport. Modi was seen flashing a lotus symbol to people who were standing on both sides of the road connecting the airport with Raj Bhavan. He is likely to visit Shree Lingaraj temple in the city on Monday morning, sources said. The PM is scheduled to address two election rallies in Berhampur and Nabarangpur on Monday. Sarangi said Modi will again visit Odisha on May 10 and hold a road show here. He will address an election rally in Bolangir on May 11, she added. Modi arrived at the state capital hours after BJP president J P Nadda left the city after releasing the party's manifesto ahead of the Lok Sabha and assembly elections to be held between May 13 and June 1.

BJP releases manifesto for Odisha polls, promises 350,000 jobs in 5 years

The BJP on Sunday released its manifesto for the assembly elections in Odisha, promising 3.5 lakh jobs in five years, cash voucher of Rs 50,000 for women, returning the money people lost by investing in chit fund companies, and procurement of paddy at Rs 3,100 per quintal. The manifesto, titled 'Modi Ka Guarantee for Odisha 2024', was released by BJP president JP Nadda for the four-phase elections to Odisha's 147-member assembly, which will be held simultaneously with polls for the state's 21 Lok Sabha seats, starting on May 13. In the manifesto, the BJP promised 'Samrudh Krushak Niti', under which paddy will be procured at Rs 3,100 per quintal and the money will be credited to the bank accounts of farmers within 48 hours. If voted to power, the BJP said it will launch 'Subhadra Yojana' under which every woman will receive a cash voucher of Rs 50,000 which can be encashed over two years. "We will aim to create 25 lakh 'Lakhpati Didis' in Odisha by 2027. For this, we will create ...

26-0 hat-trick in Gujarat? BJP upbeat but Congress sees opening

Nivedita Mookerji, who visited Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Rajkot, Surat, and industrial hubs Dholera and Sanand, sums up the mood in Gujarat ahead of the May 7 polls

Highlights: BJP will ensure reservation for SC, ST, OBC; even if one BJP MP in Parliament, says Shah

From Congress' star campaigners list for Lok Sabha elections to PM Modi's roadshow in Ayodhya, catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

Cong govt in Karnataka to give financial aid to Prajwal rape victims

The Congress government in Karnataka will provide financial assistance to those allegedly sexually assaulted by JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, the national party said on Sunday. Congress general secretary and the party's Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala made this announcement at a press conference here in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He said former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had demanded that appropriate action be taken against the accused. "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced financial assistance to the rape victims who are in hundreds, since it is a unique case which has never happened in the last 75 years," Surjewala said. Prajwal, the JD(S)-BJP alliance candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, is the grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and nephew of former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. He is wanted in a case pertaining to rape and molestation after hundreds of explicit videos allegedly came out in open. Flanked by ...

LS polls: PM Modi to file nomination papers from Varanasi on May 14

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be filing his nomination papers from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat on May 14, BJP's city president Vidyasagar Rai said on Sunday. On May 13, Modi will hold a roadshow in the constituency, and preparations for it are underway, he added "The route for the roadshow has been finalised. On May 14, Prime Minister Modi will file his nomination from the Varanasi seat," he said. The Congress has fielded its Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Rai in Varanasi and the BSP Athar Jamal Lari. Elections in Varanasi will be held on June 1 in the seventh and last round of the general elections.

Cong vows justice amid probe discrepancies in Rohith Vemula's death

The Congress on Sunday said there were many discrepancies in the investigation conducted previously into Rohith Vemula's death in 2016 and asserted that its government in Telangana will leave no stone unturned to ensure justice for his family. Police in Telangana have filed a closure report before a court in its probe into the death of Rohith Vemula, a student of the University of Hyderabad, claiming he was not a Dalit and died by suicide in 2016 as he feared that his "real caste" would be discovered. Congress general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal, said Rohith Vemula's death was a grave atrocity that completely exposed the "anti-Dalit mindset" of the BJP. "The Congress, including Rahul Gandhi ji, has stood with Rohith Vemula's family through this difficult period," he said in a post on X. As has been clarified by the Telangana Police, the closure report concerned was prepared in June 2023, Venugopal said. "There were many discrepancies in the investigation conducted ...

Congress files complaint with EC against JP Nadda over MCC violation

The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Sunday sought the Election Commission to initiate action against BJP's national president J P Nadda and other senior leaders for allegedly violating the model code of conduct by posting a video on social media intimidating members of SC and ST community not to vote for a particular candidate. In a complaint to the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer, the Congress mentioned about a video uploaded on social media platform 'X' by the official account of Karnataka State Bharatiya Janata Party @bjp4karnataka which is operated by Amit Malviya, the head of IT cell on instructions of J P Nadda, BJP National President, B Y Vijayendra, BJP State President and Social Media incharge- Karnataka BJP on May 4 at 5.34 pm. "The said video posted on social media featured animated characters of Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah. In the clip, SC, ST and OBC community are portrayed as "eggs" in a nest and it also suggested Rahul Gandhi planting a big egg ...

Congress has lost faith of people, confidence of its leaders: CM Sai

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Sunday took a swipe at the Congress, saying the party has lost the faith of people and even the confidence of its leaders. Addressing a press conference at the BJP office Ekatma Parisar here, Sai exuded confidence that the saffron party will win all 11 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Sunday is the last day for campaigning for the third and last phase of the general elections in Chhattisgarh, where seven Lok Sabha constituencies will go to polls on May 7. Elections to 11 parliamentary constituencies in the state are being held in three phases, and polling in four seats took place in the first two phases. "This has been a unique election for me because, for the first time, I connected with the people as a chief minister during campaigning. I addressed 64 public rallies and 11 party workers convention and attended 26 meetings of different communities in 45 days while campaigning from March 20 to May 4, Sai said. The chief minister said he w

LS polls: TMC, BJP tread cautiously in Jhargram amid identity politics

The tumultuous days of Maoist violence may now be a thing of the past for residents of Jhargram constituency in western West Bengal but the tribal-dominated seat sits on a powder keg of identity politics which has a direct bearing on the elections. A long-standing demand for Scheduled Tribe status by the minority Kurmis, a traditional tiller community listed as OBCs in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha, had led to sporadic violence in the recent past and has vertically divided the inhabitants of region with the majority Adivasis, enlisted STs, firmly opposing it. Both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP have chosen to tread cautiously over this "extremely sensitive" issue which, some voices from the ground feel, has the "potential to explode at the slightest provocation". While the ruling party in the state has declared in its poll manifesto that it would "actively work with the Centre" to award the desired status to the Kurmi-Mahato community, the saffron party has officially remain