Page 229 - Bjp

It's 'King' versus 'Queen' in Mandi as Cong fields royal against Kangana

The stage is set for a battle royale in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi Lok Sabha seat as the Congress on Saturday pitted state minister Vikramaditya Singh, the titular king of the erstwhile princely state of Bushahr, against BJP candidate and actor Kangana Ranaut. Himachal Pradesh PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh is the son of six-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh and Pratibha Singh, the sitting MP from Mandi and the Congress' state unit president. Historically, the Mandi constituency has favoured scions of erstwhile princely states, electing royals in 13 out of 19 elections, including two bypolls since 1952. Vikramaditya Singh, the two-time MLA from the Shimla (rural) assembly segment, is not new in the parliamentary constituency as his father and mother each won the seat thrice. In the 2021 Lok Sabha bypoll to the seat, Singh had campaigned extensively for his mother. Even before his candidature was announced, Vikramaditya Singh was involved in a spat with the actor-politician of ...

Cong names 16 more LS candidates, fields Vikramaditya against Kangana

The Congress on Saturday announced a list of 16 more candidates for the Lok Sabha polls and fielded former Union minister Manish Tewari from the Chandigarh parliamentary constituency. The party also pitted Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh against BJP candidate and Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut in the state's Mandi Lok Sabha seat. Vikramaditya Singh is the son of the Congress' Himachal Pradesh unit chief Pratibha Singh. The candidates were announced during a meeting of the party's Central Election Committee here on Saturday evening.

Model code violation case filed against BJP's Brij Bhushan Singh in Gonda

A case for violation of the Model Code of Conduct and prohibitory orders was on Saturday filed against BJP MP from Kaiserganj and former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a senior official said. District Magistrate (DM) Neha Sharma said the MP visited several villages in the Katra assembly segment of his constituency under the Khargupur police station area with a convoy of about 25-30 vehicles on Friday without permission. As a result, in-charge of the flying squad team of the Katra market area Dr Nazmul Islam filed a case under relevant sections against Singh, Sharma said. The DM said restrictions under CrPC section 144 is in force in the district in view of the Lok Sabha elections ahead and that the district administration was committed to complying with the Model Code of Conduct. Strict action will be taken if anyone violates it, the official added. Police station in-charge Dinesh Singh said a case has been registered under relevant sections and the

Modi has no knowledge of eating habits of people, says Abhishek Banerjee

Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has no knowledge about the culture and eating habits of the people of the country. He said this while addressing an election rally in CoochBehar in support of TMC candidate Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia. "The PM said those who eat fish during this holy month are not devout Hindus. He said they are Mughals. My question to the PM, does he know that in our culture Durga Puja, Kali Puja rituals are not complete without 'maach' (fish), without 'mangshho' (meat) in many Hindu households? What his minister Nisith Pramanik will say about this?" the Diamond Harbour MP, said. "We practice religion at home but at the time of voting should we ask votes in the name of dharma (religion) or karma (deeds)," Banerjee said. At an election meeting in Udhampur on Friday, Modi made a veiled attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, accusing the opposition leaders

BJP supports reservations, Congress spreading lies: Amit Shah in Rajasthan

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday accused the Congress of spreading misconception that BJP wants to abolish quota for Dalits, tribals, and the Other Backward Castes. "I want to make one thing clear. Congress party is spreading misconception, especially among Dalit and tribal brothers, that BJP is going to abolish reservation," Shah said while addressing an election meeting in Harsoli (Alwar) in support of Alwar Lok Sabha candidate Bhupender Yadav. "Listen to me carefully. Be it reservation for Dalits, tribals or backward classes, BJP supports it. We will neither end the reservation nor allow anyone to do it," he said. "(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi himself is the biggest supporter of reservation," he said and accused the Congress of being anti-OBC and cold shelving key reports on the issue of reservation. "Congress party is an anti-OBC party. The Congress Party did injustice to the backward classes for years. kept the Kaka Kalelkar report suppressed. Kept the Mandal ...

BJP to release its poll manifesto on Sunday, PM Modi to be present

The BJP will release its manifesto -Sankalp Patra - for the Lok Sabha polls on Sunday, with its planks of welfare and development besides a roadmap for 'viksit Bharat' expected to figure prominently in its election agenda. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders of the party are expected to attend the unveiling of the manifesto at the party headquarters that coincides with the birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar, a towering leader from the Dalit community and an architect of the Indian Constitution. As the BJP government has fulfilled most of its core ideological promises, including the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the repeal of Article 370, all eyes will be on how the ruling party's larger cultural and Hindutva agenda figures in the manifesto. Party sources said measures for the youth, women, farmers and the poor -- four "castes" Modi has often spoken about -- will be among the highlights of its poll pledges. The BJP had appointed a manifesto committee

LS polls: Shiromani Akali Dal announces 1st list of 7 candidates for Punjab

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday announced its first list of seven candidates, fielding senior party leaders Prem Singh Chandumajra from Anandpur Sahib and Daljit Singh Cheema from Gurdaspur. Besides, the SAD also named former MLA N K Sharma from Patiala, former minister Anil Joshi from Amritsar, Bikramjit Singh Khalsa from Fatehgarh Sahib, Rajwinder Singh from Faridkot and Iqbal Singh Jhoonda from Sangrur seat. The list of candidates was announced by party leader Daljit Singh Cheema in a post on X. Polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats will be held in the last phase on June 1.

BJD moves EC against Sambit Patra for distributing clocks with BJP symbol

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Saturday moved to the Election Commission (EC) accusing BJP nominee for Puri Lok Sabha constituency Sambit Patra of distributing clocks adorned with the saffron party symbol, and his photograph to shopkeepers ahead of the polls. A BJD delegation led by Rajya Sabha Member Sulata Deo has submitted a petition to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha in this regard. "It has come to our attention that Sambit Patra and his campaign team have resorted to gross misconduct by distributing clocks adorned with the BJP logo, lotus symbol, and even Patra's photograph," the BJD alleged in its petition. Alleging this move of Patra is a blatant attempt to influence voters and also a clear violation of the model code of conduct, the BJD said, "We strongly condemn such reprehensible actions by Patra and his team. It is imperative that immediate and stringent action be taken by the EC to rectify this situation and ensure that the sanctity of the electoral process is ..

PM Modi interacts with country's top gamers, discusses gaming industry

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday interacted with top Indian gamers on a host of issues relating to the gaming industry. In a free-wheeling interaction regarding the future as well as the challenges before the e-gaming industry, the prime minister posed curious questions to the gamers while also trying his hands at some of the games. "People have offered different solutions. I have an alternative solution called Mission LIFE, which advocates for changing our daily lifestyle to benefit the environment. Now, envision a game aimed at addressing global climate issues, where the gamer must explore various methods and solutions to identify the most sustainable approach," Modi told the gamers during the interaction. "What are these steps? How do we navigate through it and choose the best approach for success? Take swachhata as an example, the game theme could revolve around cleanliness and every child should play this game. Youngsters should embrace Indian values and understand thei

Won't withdraw nomination papers, says rebel BJP leader Eshwarappa

Rebel BJP leader and former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa on Saturday dismissed reports that he would withdraw his candidature for the Lok Sabha elections. Eshwarappa on Friday filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate from Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency. He will be contesting against BJP's sitting MP and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's elder son B Y Raghavendra and Congress candidate Geetha Shivarajkumar. The rebel leader said his aim is to "strengthen" Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Some people are spreading rumours that I will withdraw my nomination papers. Those who rally behind me, I would like to say, I will never betray and remain in the fray," Eshwarappa said addressing a press conference. Eshwarappa said he demonstrated on Friday that youth power, women's power and farmers' power were with him. The former deputy CM who had served as BJP state president has rebelled against the party after the denial of a ticket to his son K E Kant

Congress to conduct caste census if voted to power: Rahul in Chhattisgarh

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said if his party is voted to power at the Centre, it will immediately conduct a caste census in the country. Addressing an election rally at Bastar village Chhattisgarh's Bastar district, he described the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as a fight between two ideologies involving those seeking to protect the Constitution and those out to destroy it. He also attacked the Narendra Modi-led government and said President Droupadi Murmu was prevented from attending the consecration of Ram temple in Ayodhya as she is a tribal, and it reflects the Bharatiya Janata Party's mentality. The rally was held in support of Congress' candidate from Scheduled Tribe-reserved Bastar Lok Sabha seat Kawasi Lakhma. "Modi ji has been trying to change the word 'adivasi'. We call you (tribals) adivasi, but they use the term 'vanvasi'. There is a huge difference between vanvasi and adivasi terms'," he said. The word 'adivasi' has a deep meaning. The word expresses ...

DMK hurt people's sentiments by insulting Sanatan Dharma, says Amit Shah

Senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Saturday accused the DMK of 'hurting' the sentiments of the people by insulting 'Sanatan Dharma' and called upon the people to reject the Dravidian party in the April 19 Lok Sabha election. He said the DMK passed unsavoury remarks on the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The DMK party has hurt the sentiments of people by making insulting remarks on Sanatan Dharma. But on the other hand, the BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi respected everyone and believed in unity, Shah said at the roadshow in Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency in support of the party candidate Pon Radhakrishnan. Shah, who addressed the cadres from his campaign vehicle, invoked the name of Lord Ram, before targetting the ruling dispensation. Hundreds of party cadres, invigorated by his visit, joined the BJP veteran in the road show from Mettukadai Junction, Thuckalay, to the Old Bus Stand in Kanyakumari. Shah greeted the cadres from his specially-designed veh

LS polls: Cong will get more seats than in 2019 elections, says Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday asserted that his party would get more seats in the ensuing elections than in 2019 and predicted that the INDIA bloc would secure a resounding victory in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In an interview with PTI, Chidambaram also said that neither Hinduism nor the Hindus were under any threat and it was the BJP's "calculated strategy" to paint the entire Opposition as "anti-Hindu" to project Modi as the "saviour of Hindus". He also described West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee as a "key player" in this election and said that her ability to hold the fort in the state will strengthen the INDIA bloc. "I cannot speak for all the states. I can confidently predict that the INDIA bloc will record a resounding victory in Tamil Nadu. In Kerala, the two fronts (UDF and LDF) will share the 20 seats, leaving nothing to the BJP. In Karnataka and Telangana, the Congress governments are popular and Congress will get many more seats than

LS polls: BJP will not even win 200 seats, says Mamata Banerjee

Alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guarantees are "false", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday claimed that the BJP will not even win 200 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Speaking at an election rally here, the Trinamool Congress supremo accused the BJP of destroying the country's Constitution drafted by B R Ambedkar. "The BJP will not even win 200 seats. What have they done for north Bengal? Do not fall prey to PM Narendra Modi's 'guarantees'. These are nothing but electoral jumla (false)," Banerjee said at the TMC's programme. The BJP-led NDA is aiming at crossing the 400 Lok Sabha seat mark in the upcoming elections. "You (BJP) have destroyed the country's Constitution drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar," she alleged.

Lok Sabha elections: BJP, AIMIM working hand in glove, alleges Digvijaya

Veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has accused the BJP and the AIMIM of being hand in glove with each other, and sought to know the source of funding of Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi. He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) instigates Hindus, while the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), headed by Owaisi, provokes Muslims, but they complement each other and work in tandem. Singh was addressing a gathering on Friday night at Susner under Agar Malwa district, falling under Rajgarh Lok Sabha seat. Singh is a Congress nominee from this seat. "Owaisi openly provokes Muslims in Hyderabad, the BJP provokes Hindus here. But I ask you where does the money come from to field Owaisi to cut the votes of Muslims? They always do politics together...They complement each other," Singh alleged. Singh alleged that democracy has been murdered in the country and people are being sent to jails. He said that West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee rightly said the BJP has become a ...

LS elections: Cong questions PM ahead of his poll campaign in Tamil Nadu

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha poll campaign in Tamil Nadu, the Congress posed several questions to him on Saturday, asking why is he so eager to privatise the Salem Steel Plant and why the ruling BJP has not set up a single educational institute in the southern state. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also asked Modi whether the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Madurai is merely a publicity stunt. "Today's questions for the PM as he heads to Tamil Nadu: AIIMS Madurai: Premier institute or publicity stunt? Why hasn't the BJP set up a single premier educational institute in TN? Why was the PM so eager to privatise Salem Steel Plant," Ramesh asked in a post on X. Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of giving "jumlas" (rhetoric), he said the saffron party proudly announced the establishment of the AIIMS, Madurai in the 2015-16 Union budget and for four years since the announcement, no action was taken. "Then just before the 2019 electi

Kerala CM attacking Rahul Gandhi to hide govt failures, help BJP: Congress

The opposition Congress in Kerala on Saturday claimed that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was attacking the grand old party and Rahul Gandhi to hide his government's administrative failures and to help the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls in the state. Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan said that for the past more than 30 days, Vijayan has been reading out the same speech attacking the Congress and Gandhi, while avoiding the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Satheesan said that the Congress has only one question to ask the Marxist veteran -- "how will you defeat communalism and fascism at the national level without us?" "The Congress is leading the INDIA bloc. If the Congress is destroyed or weakened, whom will it help? That is our question to Pinarayi Vijayan. So, you (Vijayan) are speaking against Rahul Gandhi and the Congress to help the BJP," he said. Satheesan, the Congress MLA from Paravur assembly constituency, also alleged that since the CPI(M)-led stat

Congress accuses BJP-led Centre of under-utilising budget for northeast

The Congress on Saturday accused the Centre of under-utilising the budget for the northeast and said it is the only political party that can deliver justice to the states in the region. "The Modi government's 'Bluff and Rule' policy continues to unravel. The Modi government has a history of allocating big budgets to the North East and then chronically underutilising these budgets in the last 10 years," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. He said since 2014, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has utilised the full budget for the northeast only on two occasions. "While the UPA consistently utilised around 90 per cent of the budget, the Modi government's utilisation falls to a mere 60 per cent regularly. "In FY23, the budget was Rs 2,755 crore. However, in June 2023, a report from the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) revealed that the ministry utilised only Rs 989 crore (35.9 per cent) of its allocated budget," the former Union minister ..

Sonal Patel, Cong's pick in Gandhinagar, says not hesitant to fight Shah

Sonal Patel, whom the Congress has fielded against Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Gujarat's Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, said she was not at all hesitant to fight the upcoming election against the senior BJP leader. The 62-year-old leader, who is All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary and the party co-incharge of Mumbai and western Maharashtra, claimed that anti-incumbency prevails as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has failed to fulfil the aspirations of people. She also accused the ruling party of intimidating Congress workers in her constituency and sought a "level-playing field" in fighting elections. In an interview to PTI, Patel said, "I had not asked for a ticket from the party as I was busy with Congress's affairs in Maharashtra, where I am co-incharge of Mumbai and Western Maharashtra. But the party fielded me from Gandhinagar and I accepted it." "Our workers are being intimidated, nobody is ready to rent a space to us for organising meetings of party ...

My party not like your degree: Uddhav attacks PM over 'fake' Shiv Sena barb

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his "fake Shiv Sena" remark, and said his party was not like "your degree". Speaking at a campaign rally at Boisar near Mumbai for his party's Palghar Lok Sabha constituency candidate Bharti Kamdi, Thackeray also claimed that the opposition INDIA grouping will cross the 300-mark and defeat the BJP. He also vowed to scrap the Vadhavan port project in Palghar district, which he said is opposed by local fishermen. Attacking the Union government and BJP, Thackeray alleged that good projects were being taken to Gujarat, while environmentally destructive projects were being introduced in Maharashtra. He also assured that a new airport will be built in Palghar. "The Shiv Sena, founded by the Shiv Sena pramukh (Bal Thackeray) to fight for the rights of sons of soil, is being called fake. It is not your degree to call it fake," Thackeray said. Earlier this week, at a rally in Maharashtra, Modi had