Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday alleged that the two activists Girish Mattannavar and Mahesh Shetty Thimarody were associated with the RSS and BJP. The two people are accused of being the brains behind the Dharmasthala row involving large-scale excavation following complaints of the burial of many young women and girl students, sources said. Two separate cases have been registered against Mattannavar and Thimarody for allegedly creating and circulating videos on social media, that disturbed communal harmony and offended public sentiments, police said on Tuesday. Kharge, who holds the Information Technology and Biotechnology Minister portfolio, told reporters that Thimarody is from RSS. "Against whom did they (BJP) speak inside the Karnataka Assembly? Wasn't that Mahesh Shetty Thimarody? This person is from RSS. The RSS is BJP's Guru. These people grew up in RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal," Kharge said. Regarding Mattennavar, the Minister said, "He is Bharatiya Janata Yuva .
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is in Mumbai to attend the ongoing Ganesh festivities, visited Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' residence and later took 'darshan' of the famous Lalbaugcha Raja Ganpati with his family members. Shah also held a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and state BJP leaders. Shah arrived in the city on Friday night. On Saturday morning, he met Shinde at the state government's Sahyadri Guest House in south Mumbai, where he also interacted with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) joint general secretary Atul Limaye, Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan and newly appointed Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam. Shah later visited 'Varsha', the official residence of CM Fadnavis, party sources said. After that the Union minister visited the famous Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh mandal with his family members as part of his annual tradition. CM Fadnavis and Deputy CM Shinde also accompanied them. Shah is also scheduled to pay a visit to the Ganesh pandals in
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With the Election Commission planning to add nearly 14,000 new polling booths amid prospective Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of rolls in West Bengal, the BJP faces a shortage of Booth Level Agents (BLAs), exposing a critical organisational gap that could weaken its 2026 poll challenge, while the TMC, with no such issues, exudes confidence. For the Trinamool Congress, the expansion of polling stations from the existing 80,000 to an estimated 94,000, spread across 294 assembly seats, is less a burden than an opportunity to tighten its grip at the grassroots. In contrast, the BJP functionaries acknowledge they are planning to cover only about 70 per cent of booths with BLAs during the SIR exercise, well short of what is needed to ensure an effective presence statewide. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP could deploy polling agents in around 50,000-55,000 of West Bengal's existing 80,681 booths. The target now stands at 65,000-70,000, but insiders admit the party may struggle to ge
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday demanded that India impose higher tariffs on imports from the United States to protect the interests of Indian farmers. There was no immediate response from the central government to Kejriwal's demand. US President Donald Trump has imposed a 50 per cent trade tariff on India over its crude oil imports from Russia. The tariff will impact exports and job creation in labour-intensive sectors such as shrimp, apparel, diamonds, leather and footwear, and gems and jewellery. Addressing a press conference here, Kejriwal alleged that the BJP-led central government has decided to waive 11 per cent duty on cotton imported from the US, a move he claimed could adversely affect domestic growers. "There are lakhs of farmers in the country who depend on cotton for their livelihood. If cotton is imported duty-free, our farmers will suffer losses. Why is the government hurting them?" he asked. The former Delhi chief minister said countries across th
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Ruling BJP on Thursday fulfilled its major poll promise, with Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini announcing the rollout of the 'Lado Lakshmi Yojana' from September 25 under which eligible women will be given Rs 2,100 monthly assistance. Saini announced the decision after a meeting of the Haryana cabinet. The cabinet took a decision to implement the Deen Dayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana, Saini said. This scheme will be implemented from September 25, on the day of Deendayal Upadhyaya's birth anniversary, he said. Under this scheme, all eligible women beneficiaries will get Rs 2,100 financial assistance every month, Saini said. From September 25, women aged 23 years and above will get benefits of this scheme.Be it married or unmarried, both categories will get benefit of the scheme, he said. In the first phase of this scheme rollout, we have decided to include those families whose annual income is below Rs 1 lakh, Saini said. In coming time, this scheme will be expanded in phases to include
Home Minister Amit Shah will arrive in Assam on Thursday to take stock of the party's organisation ahead of the assembly elections, which would be due next year. After reaching Guwahati, Shah will attend a meeting of the state BJP's core committee, and later have dinner with party members. "He will discuss the preparation for the forthcoming Assam assembly elections, which is very important for the party. The home minister takes a keen interest in it," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday. On Friday, Shah will inaugurate the newly-constructed Brahmaputra wing of the Raj Bhavan, followed by the inauguration of the National Cyber Forensic Laboratory and unveiling of various projects of ITBP, SSB and Assam Rifles. Later in the day, he will also attend a convention of the newly elected panchayat members of the NDA. After that event, he will review the progress of the Jyoti Bishnu Cultural Complex, an auditorium with a seating capacity of 5,000 people. In the evening,
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday accused the BJP of making elections a "mockery", asserting that people will remove it from power as it has "stolen votes". Addressing a rally in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar, the DMK leader alleged that the deletion of the names of 65 lakh voters from the electoral rolls of Bihar during the special intensive revision was "more dangerous than terrorism". "Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav have joined hands to protect democracy. The BJP-led NDA will be defeated in the upcoming assembly polls in Bihar," he asserted. Accusing the BJP of making the Election Commission its "puppet", he said, "Rahul Gandhi has exposed the EC, but the poll panel did not respond to his charges. It asked him to file an affidavit... Rahul Gandhi won't be scared." Earlier in the day, Stalin and DMK MP Kanimozhi arrived in Bihar to join the Congress's 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Muzaffarpur district. Soon after joining the yatra, Stalin, in a
The BJP on Tuesday said the Enforcement Directorate's raids against AAP Delhi unit chief and former health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj have exposed the "medical scam" under the previous Arvind Kejriwal government. The AAP government in Delhi was involved in the "scam" in the construction of hospitals and purchase of medicines and equipment. An investigation into the "scam" in purchase of medicines is already being conducted by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said in a video statement. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is searching the premises of Bharadwaj and some private contractors as part of a money laundering probe linked to an alleged scam in health infrastructure projects during the previous AAP government in Delhi, official sources said. At least 13 locations in the National Capital Region are being searched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, they said. "We have said it earlier also that the previous AAP government led by Arvind ..
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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday charged the Election Commission with having a "partnership" with the ruling BJP at the Centre, and vowed to thwart "institutionalised theft of votes" in the guise of special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. A week into the fortnight-long 'Voter Adhikar Yatra', Gandhi also seemed delighted at the response, claiming that people were taking part "organically, without being asked to do so", and that the slogan 'vote chor, gaddi chhod' (vote thief, vacate your seat of power) was now on the lips of "even six-year-old children". The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha wound up the second leg of the yatra, which will now resume on Tuesday, with a press conference in Araria district, where he reached from adjoining Purnea in an impromptu motorcycle rally. The Congress leader deftly side-stepped a pointed question about the reluctance to declare RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, seated by his side, as the chief ministerial candidate even though
Former Union minister Anurag Thakur attacked Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Sunday, saying the Congress has already lost around 90 elections under his leadership and he is now haunted by the fear of another defeat in the upcoming Bihar polls. Speaking at a private event held in Hamirpur, the BJP MP alleged that Gandhi blames VVPATs or EVMs after every electoral defeat, and "now, even before the polls, he is making baseless statements about the Election Commission of India". "It is very unfortunate if the opposition leaders have lost faith in the country's constitutional framework," he said. Thakur asserted that work to strengthen the constitutional institutions was undertaken during the tenure of the BJP-led governments. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made efforts to bring strict laws against corrupt leaders. In a veiled dig at AAP leaders, Thakur said that in Delhi, some ministers continued to sign files and take decisions from jail itself which is not good f
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A key highlight of the visit is the dedication of the 21-kilometre Viramgam-Khudad-Rampura road in the Ahmedabad district of North Gujarat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched several projects, including the 660 MW Buxar thermal power plant, worth a total of Rs 6,880 crore in Bihar's Gayaji district on Friday, officials said. The PM also flagged off two trains -- Amrit Bharat Express between Gayaji and Delhi and Buddhist Circuit train between Vaishali and Koderma. The latter will give a boost to tourism and pilgrimage across key Buddhist sites in the region. The Buxar thermal power plant will significantly enhance power generation capacity, improve energy security, and meet the growing electricity demand of the region, they said. Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and several Union ministers, state ministers, MPs and MLAs were also present on the occasion. The PM also inaugurated the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre at Muzaffarpur. The medical facility includes advanced oncology OPD and IPD wards, operation theatres, modern
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who was confined to her residence after the attack on her, is likely to resume her official engagements from Friday, officials said. Gupta, who has been staying in her official residence in Civil Lines since the attack on Wednesday morning, is also likely to return to her office at the Delhi Secretariat, the officials added further. The chief minister was assaulted by a 41-year-old man from Rajkot, identified as Rajeshbhai Khimji, during a 'Jan Sunwai' session at her camp office. The accused was arrested, and a case under various charges, including attempt to murder, was registered against him. The officials at the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) stated that Gupta will attend an event, 'Vastrika', at the garment hub of Delhi, Gandhi Nagar, at 11.30 am on Friday. She will also attend the grand finale of 'Ideathon', an event by the industries department, at the Ashok Hotel in Chanakyapuri at 4 pm, they added. Earlier in the day, Gupta asserted that h
The Congress on Thursday cited the Election Commission's own 2024 survey of all 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar to allege that the Special Intensive Revision is less about cleansing electoral rolls and more about "destroying democracy itself". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared a media report on X which claimed that while the Election Commission has launched a special intensive revision (SIR) to clean up Bihar's electoral rolls, its own 2024 KAP (knowledge, attitude and practices) survey on voter insights noted the perceived "near-perfect accuracy of voter listings" in Bihar reflecting the "robustness of the electoral roll system". "The Election Commission's own 2024 KAP (Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices) survey of all 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar just after the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections stated that Rolls are already at 'near perfect accuracy'. Many eligible citizens are still unenrolled - thanks to paperwork & lack of ...
The Union government has provided a 'Z' category VIP security cover to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta following an attack on her, official sources said on Thursday. Gupta and her official residence will be secured by the VIP Security Group (VSG) of the paramilitary force that also provides protection to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Gandhi family of the Congress party. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has taken charge of Delhi CM's security on the directions of the Union home ministry, the sources said. A team of 22-25 armed commandos will be on the CM's protection duty round-the-clock, they said. Gupta was attacked during a 'Jan Sunwai' programme at her camp office in the Civil Lines area on Wednesday morning, with her office terming the assault a part of a "well-planned conspiracy to kill her".
Virendra Sachdeva, Delhi BJP chief, has strongly condemned the incident. Further, a police inquiry is likely to reveal more details