Page 610 - Politics
PM promised to reopen salt mines but did nothing: HP Cong
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised before the last Lok Sabha polls to reopen the only salt mines of north India in Himachal Pradesh but he did nothing about it in the last five years, state Congress president Kuldeep Singh Rathore said Thursday. "Modi should tell the electorate of this hill state during his Mandi rally (on Friday) why the closed salt mines in Drang of Mandi district did not become operational as promised by him during his poll rallies in Himachal Pradesh in 2014," he told reporters here. None of the salt mines in the state were reopened in the last five years of the Modi government, he alleged. The natural rock salt mines at Drang and Gumma were closed due to certain lapses by the Hindustan Salts Limited (HSL), a central government enterprise. "Modi should also tell the residents of Himachal Pradesh why he could not hike the import duty on apples as promised by him during his poll rally in Solan in 2014," Rathore said. The Congress's state unit claimed that ...
Modi's Gujarat vapsi is certain: Kamal Nath
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's allegations against Rajiv Gandhi are "atrocious" and the way he now talks reflects that he is highly enraged and has started feeling that time has come for him to return to Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath said Thursday. "It is a painful thing that Modi has forgot his status. The way he is levelling allegations is atrocious. He is not talking about youths, about farmers, about traders but trying to divert people's attention. He is misleading people," Nath told PTI in an interview. Modi had said in Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh district on Saturday that Rajiv Gandhi had died a corrupt person. "Your (Rahul Gandhi's) father was termed 'Mr Clean' by his courtiers, but his life ended as 'Bhrashtachari No. 1' (corrupt no. 1)." Modi was apparently referring to the Bofors scam, in which Rajiv Gandhi was implicated. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991 in Sriperumbudur near Chennai. When asked about the fate of Modi, Nath said, "One thing is ...
Fifth accused in Alwar gangrape case arrested from Mathura, oppn parties protest
The fifth accused in the Alwar gangrape case has been arrested from Mathura, police said Thursday, even as opposition parties held protests against the Rajasthan government for allegedly covering up the matter due to the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. A judicial magistrate recorded the victim's statement on Thursday under CrPc section 164, DSP (Alwar Rural) Jagmohan Sharma said. The accused, Hansraj Gurjar, was arrested Wednesday night, while search for the prime accused, Chhote Lal Gurjar, is still on, the DSP said. Four other accused --Indra Raj Gurjar, Ashok Gurjar, Mahesh Gurjar and Mukesh Gurjar -- have been arrested so far, the police officer said. The gangrape evoked sharp criticism from all sections of the society, with political parties protests holding protests in various parts of the state, including Ajmer, Alwar, Swai Madhopur and Churu. They cornered the Rajasthan government for allegedly covering up the matter due to Lok Sabha elections in the state. BJP leaders said went to ..
Modi can't speak on govt performance so harping on past: Rahul
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unable to speak on his government's performance and hence keeps talking about what happened in the past, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said Thursday. Addressing a poll rally here, Gandhi also said that time had come for bidding good bye to ruling the BJP. The Congress chief did not refer to any specific remark made by the prime minister, but his comments come in the wake of Modi's constant criticism of the Gandhis during the ongoing Lok Sabha poll campaign. "He (Modi) cannot talk about (the promises made about) employment, farmers, Rs 15 lakh (to be deposited in bank account of each Indian) and achche din (good days). He can only talk about the past," Gandhi said. "Modi ji, India chose you as prime minister five years ago. India does not want to understand from you what others did. India wants to understand what you did and will do," Gandhi said. He reiterated that Modi ensured industrialist Anil Ambani got contract worth Rs 30,000 crore in .
Invective grows on Twitter as LS polls enter final stage
"Pappu" and "feku" are passe. The string of abuses and invective are not only pouring in on social media but have also grown vicious, especially after Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the cat among the pigeons by calling Rajiv Gandhi "Bhrashtachari No 1 (Corrupt Number 1)".
BJP in Bengal demands central forces at all booths
A BJP delegation approached the Election Commission (EC) on Thursday seeking 100 per cent coverage by central forces of polling booths in West Bengal's constituencies which are set to vote in the sixth phase on Sunday.
Factors like "votes cast by agents," led to repolls in TN: CEO
Votes of elderly people getting cast by party agents and mock poll data not being cleared before commencement of election were among the factors for ordering repoll in 13 polling stations in Tamil Nadu on May 19, Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo said Thursday. In as many as eight booths falling under the Dharmapuri Lok Sabha constituency, it was proved beyond doubt that the polling agents entered inside the voting compartment along with the voters on many occasions, he told reporters here, quoting the Dharmapuri district election officer. "In some cases, the votes of elderly people were cast either by political party agents or the person who accompanied them. Since the voters have not cast their vote in a free and fair manner, the returning officers for Dharmapuri Lok Sabha and Pappireddipatti assembly constituencies recommended repoll in all the eight polling stations," Sahoo said. In a polling station falling under Tiruvallur (SC) Lok Sabha seat, polling ...
Viraat row: Cong alleges Modi 'demeaning' office of PM, spreading 'lies' as he faces imminent defeat
A day after he accused Rajiv Gandhi of using warship INS Viraat as a "personal taxi" for a family holiday, the Congress alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is spreading canards and lies during elections and said it proves his "imminent defeat". Modi is a "Master of Dis-Information" and his party is "Bahut Jhooth Party" (BJP), Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters on Thursday, adding to the long list of name calling by parties against each other in the ongoing Lok Sabha election. Singhvi alleged that PM Modi was spreading disinformation and lies about former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi taking his family on INS Viraat when he was in office and quoted former Navy chief Admiral (Retd.) L Ramdas and other Naval officers of the time that Gandhi was on an official visit then. "Lies, propaganda and canards can never succeed beyond a very short shelf-life. Truth has to triumph. Howsoever much the 'Bahut Jhooth Party' will try to spread disinformation, the people of India .
On campaign trail, Shivraj says MP missing its 'mama'; speaks of farmers 'curse' to Congress
The narrow loss in Madhya Pradesh assembly polls is still fresh in the mind of former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who, everytime he holds the election mike, says people long for their "mama" and farmers' "curse" will ruin the Congress. Criss-crossing the nook and cranny of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in the central Indian state, the three-time chief minister from BJP has rhetorical points against the Kamal Nath government, which, he claims, is "fooling" people on farm loan waiver, electricity supply, good administration and security. At Kolaras village in Guna constituency, Chouhan tells people about a visit of Congress leaders to his home in Bhopal where they showed him voluminous data to prove that loans of 21 lakh farmers, up to Rs 2 lakh, were waived. But, he adds, those documents did not support their claim. "You would have seen photographs in the media... I courteously offered them water and a place to sit. What they had brought was not a bank list but a record of the ...
North Korea fires missiles as US envoy visits Seoul
North Korea welcomed a US envoy's visit to Seoul by firing two missiles Thursday, the South's military said, in Pyongyang's second launch in less than a week as it seeks to up the ante in deadlocked nuclear negotiations with Washington. It came after North Korea carried out a military drill and fired multiple projectiles on Saturday, when at least one was believed to be a short-range missile. The North had not previously fired a missile since November 2017, shortly before a rapid diplomatic thaw eased high tensions on the peninsula and paved the way for a historic first meeting between its leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump. But their second summit in Vietnam in February broke up without an agreement rolling back Pyongyang's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief or even a joint statement, leaving the North frustrated by the stalemate. Thursday's launch came hours after the US Special Representative on North Korea, Stephen Biegun, arrived in Seoul late ...
Won't let Modi, BJP destroy India's unity: Punjab CM
Calling for a vote against the Akalis who he said resorted to sacrilege to polarise communities, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday made an emotional appeal to not let Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP destroy the country's biggest strength -- its unity.
Priyanka calls Modi a 'coward and weak PM'
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday mounted a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi when she said that he was a coward and weak Prime Minister.
Aam Aadmi Party a 'sinking ship', says BJP's Vijender Gupta
The Aam Aadmi Party is a "sinking ship" as Delhiites and even its legislators have lost trust in party's leadership, senior Delhi BJP leader Vijender Gupta said. Gupta, the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, claimed there is currently a fight between the AAP and the Congress for number 2 in the May 12 Lok Sabha elections. He alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal dispensation was not allowing implementation of the Modi government's various schemes, including Ayushman Bharat Yojana, depriving people of welfare programmes. "Their (AAP) MLAs are feeling suffocated in the party because they are not getting due respects. Their (AAP leadership) actions do not match with their words that is the reason AAP MLAs have started leaving party. "The people of Delhi and AAP MLAs have lost trust in them. AAP is a sinking ship," Gupta told PTI in an interview. Earlier this month, AAP MLAs Devinder Singh Sehrawat and Anil Bajpai quit the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. Slamming ...
Karnataka is in utter chaos, alleges BJP
The BJP on Thursday alleged that the incumbent coalition government in Karnataka has turned a deaf ear towards the woes of farmers.BJP leader S Dattari alleged that while Congress leader Siddaramaiah is only concerned about the chief ministerial post, the state chief is busy visiting temples to pray for his son's victory in the Lok Sabha Polls.Dattari told ANI, "There is utter chaos in Karnataka. There is no governance as Siddaramaiah wants to become the chief minister of the state. Two Congress leaders have also supported him in this. On the other hand, chief minister HD Kumaraswamy is on a temple run praying for his son's electoral victory""Nobody is concerned about the farmers and the people of the state," he added.Dattari further urged the governor of Karnataka, Vajubhai Vala to intervene and take stock of the situation."I urge the Governor of Karnataka to interfere and direct the government to take immediate action on drought conditions in the state," he said.
I have never seen a PM coward and weak like PM Modi: Priyanka
"I have never seen a prime minister more coward and weak than PM Modi," Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Thursday.Addressing an election rally here in support of Congress candidate Ratna Singh, she slammed PM Modi and said, "I have never seen a prime minister more coward and weak than PM Modi. Political power neither comes from campaigning nor does it come from boasting on the television."Amidst chants of "chowkidar chor hai", she asserted that job creation for youths, farmers' progress and safety of women are among the key challenges India is facing today."He (Modi) promised to put 15 lakhs into your account, employment will be given to 2 crore youth, income will be double, but so far nothing has been done. You are slipping into debt while the debts of the big lobbyist are being waived off. They never show any sympathy for you."In tune with the party's promise in the election manifesto, she said: "Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) has been ..
Atishi breaks down over derogatory pamphlet, Gambhir denies charge
AAP East Delhi candidate Atishi on Thursday broke down at a press conference where she and her party accused her BJP rival Gautam Gambhir of circulating derogatory pamphlets about her. The former cricketer denied the charge.
Tagore takes centre stage in Bengal poll campaigns
The name and lines of Rabindranath Tagore took centre stage in battleground Bengal on Thursday as politicians like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee vied with each other during the Lok Sabha poll campaign in invoking the bard on his 158th birth anniversary.
Past govt's were soft on terrorism: Adityanath
The Modi government has shown zero-tolerance towards terrorism, unlike past dispensations which were "soft" on it, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Thursday. He also said the BJP will get good results in the country's eastern states, including West Bengal and Odisha, and in Kerala as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "extremely popular". "In the past five years, no terrorist attack took place in Uttar Pradesh this is possible only because of PM Modi," Adityanath said at a convention here "Earlier, whenever any terrorist incident took place in the country, people were killed and brave soldiers were martyred. The governments were soft towards terrorism. But, now, there is zero-tolerance policy against these activities," he said. Highlighting the developmental works carried out in the temple town of Kashi, the chief minister said it is due to the good governance of the prime minister, that the city has "evolved", and now, everyone is witnessing PM Modi's "new ...
'Slaps' and 'squats' in West Bengal's free-for-all
TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's "slap" remark against Narendra Modi resonated in battleground West Bengal Thursday, while she shot another barb at the prime minister, saying he will have to do a "100 squats holding his ears" if he failed to prove that her candidates were coal mafia. The West Bengal chief minister bristled with anger at Modi's allegation at an election rally where he said TMC leaders were involved in illegal coal mining. She said she will withdraw party nominees from all the 42 Lok Sabha seats if even one was found involved in such activity. "And if you (Modi) have lied, you will have to do 100 squats holding your ears," she told a rally in Bankura, a couple of hours after the prime minister addressed an election meeting in the same Lok Sabha constituency. She was responding to Modi's allegation that TMC leaders are making money from illegal open cast coal mines, while labourers are not getting their wages. At his rally, the prime minister raked up the ...
Pawar again raises concern over use of EVMs
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday raised concerns over the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in polls, claiming he himself had once seen during a presentation that a vote cast for his party went in the BJP's favour. Pawar, however, said he did not claim that all EVMs function in such a way. "I am also concerned about the machine. In Hyderabad and Gujarat, some people kept an EVM before me and asked me to press a button. "I pressed the button against 'watch' (the NCP's symbol) and the vote got cast in favour of 'lotus' (the BJP's symbol). I saw it happening myself," Pawar told reporters here. The former Union minister and other opposition leaders have been voicing concerns over the use of EVMs, claiming the machines were prone to manipulation. The NCP and other 20 opposition parties also recently approached the Supreme Court seeking a review of its April 8 order directing the Election Commission to increase random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling