Page 205 - Bjp

LS polls: BJP's Hindutva regressive, our Hindutva is reformist, says Uddhav

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday attacked the BJP claiming its Hindutva is "gaumutradhari" (regressive), while his party's Hindutva was reformist. Addressing a rally in Kankavali in Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg district, his second this week, Thackeray accused the Centre of "looting" Maharashtra. He said when INDI alliance comes to power, he will ensure the lost glory of the state is reclaimed. "BJP's Hindutva is gaumutradhari. Our Hindutva is reformist," Thackeray said. His remarks come after Union Home Minister Amit Shah's blistering attack at Ratnagiri earlier in the day. Shah had asked if the chief of the "nakli" Shiv Sena can mention freedom fighter and Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar in his speeches. "What are you as Shiv Sena chief if you are ashamed of taking Savarkar's name. You are running a 'nakli' Shiv Sena. The real Shiv Sena is with (Chief Minister) Eknath Shinde," Shah said in a swipe at Thackeray. Hitting back, Thackeray said BJP founder Syama Prasad ...

Who is Dinesh Pratap Singh, BJP's Raebareli contender against Rahul Gandhi

A BJP MLC in Uttar Pradesh, Dinesh Pratap Singh switched from the Congress in 2018 after being suspended over alleged misbehaviour

LS polls Highlights: My heart bleeds for the woman molested at Raj Bhavan, says CM Mamata

General Elections 2024: Catch all the latest news updates on the Lok Sabha polls here

Highlights: Telangana Police say Rohith Vemula was not a Dalit, give clean chit to all accused

Latest news updates: Catch all the news updates from around the world here

Madhya Pradesh BJP MLA Khatik's daughter held by police on bribery charges

The daughter of a BJP MLA in Madhya Pradesh was arrested for allegedly seeking and accepting a bribe from a businessman, a Lokayukta official said on Friday. Amangang Nagar Parishad president Sarika Khatik (40), who is the daughter of BJP's Hatta MLA Uma Khatik, was held on Thursday, Sagar-based Lokayukta Inspector Roshani Jain told PTI. "One Raghvendra Raj Modi lodged a complaint with us on April 29 stating Sarika Khatik had demanded Rs 40,000 from him to clear his bill of more than Rs 1,30,000. The next day he provided us with a recording to back his claim. We arrested her while she took Rs 30,000 during a trap on Thursday at her office in the Nagar Parishad," Jain said. She was charged under Prevention of Corruption Act and released on bail on the spot, the Lokayukta inspector added. In a video, the complainant Modi alleged the accused was seeking commission to clear his bills ever since she became president of the rural civic body. "Initially, she demanded a commission of Rs .

Sonia Gandhi's attempt to launch Rahul from Raebareli will fail, says Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh after running away from Amethi and predicted that he will lose the polls there against the BJP candidate by a huge margin. He also said former AICC President Sonia Gandhi's multiple attempts to "launch" Rahul Gandhi had failed and claimed that this was the twenty-first attempt. The top BJP leader addressed a public meeting here in Belagavi district for party candidate from Chikkodi Lok Sabha segment Annasaheb Jolle. "Modi ji tried and at once Chandrayaan (mission to Moon) got launched. Sonia Gandhi has launched this 'yaan' named Rahul Baba (Rahul Gandhi) twenty times, but her launching has not been successful. Today for the twenty-first time, running away from Amethi, he has filed nomination from Raebareli," Shah said. He said, "Rahul Baba, I'm telling the result of Raebareli from here. Against BJP's candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh, you will

Rahul contesting Rae Bareli seat out of fear of defeat: MP CM Yadav

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, saying the Congress leader who currently represents the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, has now changed the constituency and decided to contest from Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli seat out of fear of defeat. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Gandhi had contested from Amethi as well as Wayanad seats. While he won from Wayanad, he lost the Amethi seat to Union minister Smriti Irani. In a press statement, Yadav said, "Rahul Gandhi ran to Kerala last time after losing from Amethi, now he is running to Rae Bareli seeing the possibility of defeat in Wayanad. He will face defeat from Rae Bareli also." "Rahul was thinking of contesting from Amethi out of fear of defeat from Wayanad, but Irani did excellent work during the past five years and the Congress lost deposits on four out of five assembly seats of Amethi," he said. Earlier this week, Yadav held a roadshow in Amethi after accompanying local BJP candidate Smri

Fielding Rahul from Rae Bareli a responsibility, not just legacy: Congress

The Congress on Friday said it has taken a decision to field Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli after a lot of deliberation and strategy, and that the constituency is not just a legacy but also a responsibility. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said it is a long election process and there are a few chess moves still left to play. He also justified Priyanka Gandhi Vadra not contesting any election, saying she can reach Parliament by contesting any bypoll, but is currently taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to counter him on his alleged "lies" during campaigning. "Many people have given different opinions on the news of Rahul Gandhi contesting elections from Rae Bareli. But he is a seasoned player of politics and chess. He makes his moves after careful consideration. The party leadership has taken this decision after a lot of deliberation and strategy," he said. Ramesh claimed the decision to filed Rahul has devastated the BJP, its supporters and sycophants. "The poor ...

LS polls 2024: Priyanka, Rahul 'irrelevant' in Assam, says CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are "irrelevant" in this North Eastern state and they are "past expiry date". He dismissed Vadra's allegations that there is a 'mafia raj' in Assam and claimed that there was peace across the state and all welfare measures were reaching the people. He also hit back at the opposition party's 'washing machine' jibe at the BJP and alleged that the Congress has a "big, high voltage washing machine" which was used to cleanse Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. "They (Congress) have a big washing machine. In which washing machine did they wash Arvind Kejriwal? I ask Priyanka Gandhi, four months ago she was saying Kejriwal has looted money through the liquor scam and now he is a good person, which high voltage washing machine she has?" Sarma said on Thursday, responding to the opposition leader's swipe at him. "Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are irrelevant in Assam. They are past expiry .

'Daro mat, bhago mat': PM Modi on Rahul Gandhi's nomination from Raebareli

Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress for nominating Rahul Gandhi from the Raebareli constituency instead of Amethi

BJD being run by bureaucrats, outsiders trying to capture Odisha: Pradhan

Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal is facing public revolt for the first time and a caucus of "outsiders" in the chief minister's office wants to capture the state, BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has claimed. The Education Minister, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Sambalpur, also dismissed the speculation that there were any attempts from BJP to enter into an alliance with the BJD. In an interview with PTI, Pradhan, who is returning to the electoral fray after 15 years, said, "the Odia identity is under threat and this election is all about that identity." "BJD is being run by a group of bureaucrats...the caucus in the chief minister's office which has few non-Oriya officers, they all came together and thought let's exploit the inability of the chief minister, let's create a vacuum from back door and their intention is to capture the state. "This is a very dangerous trend and this is what public is angry about besides their inaction on the ground," Prad

Would want a Gandhi to contest the seat, says Cong's Amethi bet KL Sharma

Congress's Amethi candidate Kishori Lal Sharma on Friday said he would rather a Gandhi fight from the seat, but he cannot refuse the party's order which asked him to fight the election. Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded by the Congress from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat a longstanding bastion of the Gandhi family, breached in 2019. "Even today, I want the Gandhi family to contest the election from Amethi. But I consider it my duty to accept the order given by the family," Sharma told PTI at the Gauriganj Congress office here. "I have always been a 'sevak' of the Gandhi family and whatever responsibility the Gandhi family has entrusted to its sevak, I will fulfil it," he said. After days of suspense, Congress on Friday fielded Sharma, a representative of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and before them, Rajiv Gandhi, in Amethi, as its candidate for the seat. Sharma is scheduled to visit the Collectorate later in the day and file his nomination papers before ...

Manipur unrest: Modi govt apathetic, remorseless, alleges Congress

The Congress on Friday attacked the Modi government over the situation in Manipur, accusing it of being apathetic and remorseless. In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge noted that Manipur started burning exactly a year ago on May 3, 2023. "Humanity perished in Manipur The cruel combination of an apathetic Modi Government and an inept BJP State Government have virtually divided the state into two halves. "A remorseless PM Modi has not set foot in this border state, for it exposes his rank incompetency and absolute indifference. His ego has damaged the social fabric of a beautiful state," he charged in a post on X. Kharge noted that the people of Manipur, from all communities now know how the BJP made their lives miserable. "People of Northeast, now know that Modi Government's shameless drumbeating about so called development drowned the voices of humanity in the region. People of India, now know that PM Modi and his Government has no iota of sympathy for the countle

Amethi to not have contender from Gandhi family for first time in 25 yrs

Uttar Pradesh's Amethi has long been synonymous with the Gandhis and it would be the first time in 25 years that a Gandhi family member will not be contesting election from the Lok Sabha seat. Considered a citadel of the Gandhi family since its creation as a constituency in 1967, Amethi has been represented by a Gandhi family member for about 31 years since then. The Congress fortress was breached in the last general election in 2019 when BJP's Smriti Irani beat Rahul Gandhi by more than 55,000 votes. This time, Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha election from the Rae Bareli seat, while Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat. Sharma was the key person who looked after the two prestigious constituencies on behalf of the Gandhis. The last time a non-Gandhi was in the fray from the constituency was in 1998, when Satish Sharma, a close aide of Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, contested the polls but lost to the BJP's .

LS polls: Razakars fled, those loyal to country stayed back, says Owaisi

Taking exception to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's comments that Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency was held by a representative of 'Razakars', AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi said the Nizam's private militia had fled the country and that those who are loyal stayed back. Addressing an election rally here Thursday night, he said BJP leaders have often made statements (about Hyderabad LS seat) that 'Razakars have ruled over for 40 years', 'old city is den of ISIS' and surgical strikes would be carried out. Why this hatred for Shah and his party men towards the old city of Hyderabad (which mainly constitutes the LS seat)? he asked. "There are no Razakars here. Humans live here. Those who were Razakars fled to Pakistan. Those who are loyal to the country stayed back here and have been defeating RSS since 40 years and defeat you and Modi again this time," he said. 'Hindu brothers', including Dalits, people belonging to backward classes, those from Rajasthan and different other communiti

LS polls: TMC's win against BJP in Arambagh likely to be close call

Development, or the alleged lack of it, and recurrent floods in every monsoon are the key issues of the erstwhile red bastion Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal's Hooghly district, an SC-reserved political hotspot of the state in terms of law and order volatility. The TMC may have won the 2014 and 2019 editions of parliamentary polls in Arambagh, but the party's steady decline in vote share over the last two editions coupled with BJP trumping Trinamool in four of Arambagh's six assembly seats in Hooghly in the 2021 state polls are signs of an upcoming battle which Mamata Banerjee's party may find tougher to tide past than what appears on paper. That's perhaps why Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose Arambagh to kick start his poll campaigns in Bengal and addressed one of the poll season's first public meetings on March 1 from where he slammed the Mamata Banerjee government for "betraying the people of the state". The state's ruling dispensation has replaced its two-time MP

LS polls: PM Modi to address rally, undertake roadshow in Jharkhand today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address an election rally in Jharkhand and undertake a roadshow in Ranchi on Friday, a party official said. The PM is scheduled to visit the West Singhbhum district on Friday where he will address an election rally 'Maha Vijay Sankalp Sabha' at Tata College Ground, Chaibasa, from 3 pm and seek votes for party candidates in two Lok Sabha constituenciesSinghbhum and Khunti, both are scheduled tribe (ST) reserved seats, he said. The party has fielded sitting MP Geeta Kora, who recently switched to BJP from Congress, from the Singhbhum Lok Sabha seat and Union Minister Arjun Munda from the Khunti seat. After the rally, the PM is scheduled to arrive at Ranchi's Birsa Munda Airport in the evening and will undertake a roadshow till Raj Bhawan amid heavy security deployment. During the roadshow, BJP workers, leaders and common citizens will greet him at various locations along the route, including Hinoo Chowk, Birsa Chowk, DPS Chowk, Argora Chowk, BJP ...

LS polls: Rahul Gandhi to contest from Rae Bareli; KL Sharma from Amethi

While Rahul Gandhi will be contesting against BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh for the Bareli seat, KL Sharma will be up against Smriti Irani in Amethi

Rahul Gandhi to contest LS polls from Rae Bareli, KL Sharma from Amethi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Rae Bareli seat, the constituency held by his mother Sonia Gandhi earlier. Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, the party said in a statement. Sharma was the key man who looked after the two key constituencies in the absence of the Gandhis. The two will file their nomination papers on Friday, the last date for the filing of nominations for the seats that will go to polls on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase general elections.

Congress founded on Hinduism and its tenet of truth, says Priyanka

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said her party was founded on the tenets of Hinduism, the cornerstone of which was truth. Addressing a Lok Sabha poll rally in Morena in Madhya Pradesh, she said the ruling dispensation was using religion to garner votes. "Our tradition is of mahatmas (saints). Our (Congress') political foundation was laid by Mahatma Gandhi, who fought the British. Congress is based on what the Hindu religion teaches. Mahatma Gandhi taught us to walk on the path of truth," she said. India attained Independence due to this truth and the religion of the party that is in power must be service to the nation and its people, she asserted. "This is our tradition. But in the last 10 years you have garnered votes in the name of religion to stay in power," she said in a swipe at the BJP. Asserting that every citizen was religious, the Congress leader said her grandmother Indira Gandhi taught her how to do puja, adding that she went to the temple .