First day, first controversy... over J&K and Article 370
28 may, 2014
MO says Article 370 repeal process on
Hours after BJP-led NDA government took over the reins of the Union government in New Delhi, junior minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Jitendra Singh sparked a controversy on the vexed issue of special status to Jammu and Kashmir by saying that it has done "more harm than good".
"Article 370 has done more harm than good. The youth of Kashmir has to be convinced about this. That's why the honourable PM has called for a debate. Having a debate doesn't mean we have deviated from what we promised. It just means convincing those who are not convinced," Jitendra Singh said while taking charge at his new office in the PMO.
Article 370 grants special status to Jammu & Kashmir residents to live under different laws compared to other Indian residents. It specifies that except for defence, foreign affairs, communications and anciliary matters (matters specified in the instrument of accession), the Indian Parliament needs the state government's concurrence for applying all other laws. As such, laws related to ownership of property, citizenship and fundamental rights are different in the state. J&K is the only state which has a separate constitution, flag and penal code.
In its election manifesto, BJP had said that it was opposed to a special status for Jammu and Kashmir. Incidentally, Singh is the party's J&K spokesperson, and defeated former Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad from Udhampur Parliamentary constituency.
"The process of repealing Article 370 has started. We are speaking to the stakeholders," Singh said. "The BJP has won more than half of the seats from Jammu and Kashmir. So we will interpret this as an endorsement of the BJP's stand. Article 370 is more like a psychological barrier."
Singh's words drew ire in the northern state. Cutting across party lines, ruling National Conference and main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) slammed Singh for making "irresponsible remarks".
"So the new MOS PMO says process/discussions to revoke Article 370 have started. Wow, that was a quick beginning. Not sure who is talking", tweeted state chief minister Omar Abdullah. "Mark my words & save this tweet - long after Modi government is a distant memory, either J&K won't be part of India or Art 370 will still exist…. Article 370 is the ONLY constitutional link between J&K & rest of India. Talk of revocation of not just ill informed it's irresponsible".
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leadership to rein in the newly appointed minister before his utterances caused serious damage. "The irresponsible utterances on Article 370 should stop immediately as these can have serious repercussions in J&K besides having the potential of spoiling the atmosphere of inclusiveness and peace", she said.

PM Narendra Modi announces portfolios; to meet Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif
27 may, 2014
Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins his first day in office with an announcement of the cabinet portfolios and a series of bilateral meetings with South Asian leaders who witnessed his swearing-in on Monday.
He is expected to hold landmark talks with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif
The new cabinet portfolios were announced as he assumed his first day at work. Here's a list:
PM Narendra Modi: Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, All important policy issues and all other portfolios not allocated to any Minister

Here is what team Modi looks like:

• Rajnath Singh - Home Minister


• Arun Jaitley - Finance, Corporate Affairs and Defence


• Sushma Swaraj - Ministry of External Affairs


• Venkaiah Naidu - Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Parliamentary Affairs


• Nitin Jairam Gadkari - Road Transport and Highways, Shipping


• DV Sadananda Gowda - Railways


• Uma Bharti - Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation


• Najma A. Heptulla - Minority Affairs


• Gopinathrao Munde - Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation


• Ramvilas Paswan - Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution


• Kalraj Mishra - Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises


• Maneka Sanjay Gandhi - Women and Child Development


• Ananthkumar - Chemicals and Fertilizers


• Ravi Shankar Prasad - Communications and Information Technology, Law and Justice


• Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati - Civil Aviation


• Shri Anant Geete - Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises


• Harsimrat Kaur Badal - Food Processing Industries


• Narendra Singh Tomar - Mines, Steel, Labour and Employment


• Jual Oram - Tribal Affairs


• Radha Mohan Singh - Agriculture


• Thaawar Chand Gehlot - Social Justice and Empowerment


• Smriti Zubin Irani - Human Resource Development


• Harsh Vardhan - Health and Family Welfare



Ministers of State

• Gen VK Singh - Development of North Eastern Region (Independent Charge), External Affairs, Overseas Indian Affairs


• Inderjit Singh Rao - Planning (Independent Charge), Statistics and Programme Implementation (Independent Charge), Defence


• Santosh Kumar Gangwar - Textiles (Independent Charge), Parliamentary Affairs, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation


• Shripad Yesso Naik - Culture (Independent Charge), Tourism (Independent Charge)


• Dharmendra Pradhan - Petroleum and Natural Gas (Independent Charge)


• Sarbananda Sonowal - Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge)


• Prakash Javadekar - Information and Broadcasting (Independent Charge), Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Independent Charge), Parliamentary Affairs


• Piyush Goyal - Power (Independent Charge), Coal (Independent Charge), New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge)


• Jitendra Singh - Science and Technology (Independent Charge), Earth Sciences (Independent Charge), Prime Minister Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space


• Nirmala Sitharaman - Commerce and Industry (Independent Charge), Finance, Corporate Affairs


• GM Siddeshwara - Civil Aviation


• Manoj Sinha - Railways


• Nihal Chand - Chemicals and Fertilizers


• Upendra Kushwaha - Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation


• Radhakrishnan P - Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
  
• Kiren Rijiju - Home Affairs


• Krishan Pal - Road Transport and Highways, Shipping


• Sanjeev Kumar Balyan - Agriculture, Food Processing Industries


• Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava - Tribal Affairs


• Raosaheb Dadarao Danve - Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution


• Vishnu Deo Sai - Mines, Steel, Labour and Employment


• Sudarshan Bhagat - Social Justice and Empowerment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes charge at PMO
27 may, 2014
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached South Block and has taken charge at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). The prime minister has a packed schedule on Tuesday, where he will be meeting all the eight South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Heads of Government.
A Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) release on its site on Monday gave a detailed list of the timings of the scheduled meetings between Modi and the heads of state.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai will make a courtesy call to Modi on Tuesday in the morning at 9.30 am while his Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom is likely to meet Modi at 10.05 am. Following him will be the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa who will pay a courtesy call to Modi at 10.30 am. Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay is scheduled to meet Modi at 10.55 am, while his Mauritian counterpart Navinchandra Ramgoolam will hold parleys with Modi at 11.20 am. Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala is set to meet Modi at 11.45 am. All eyes would be on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who will hold meeting with Modi at 12.10 in the afternoon. Bangladesh Parliament Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury will meet Modi at 12.45 pm.
Narendra Modi was administered oath of office and secrecy by President Pranab Mukherjee as India's 15th Prime Minister along with his 44-member Cabinet on Monday evening. The ministers who were sworn in included Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Smriti Irani, Nitin Gadkari, Venkaiah Naidu, Gopinath Munde, Ravi Shankar Prasad, VKSingh, Ram Vilas Paswan among others.
The swearing in ceremony was attended by several world leaders including Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai. Heads of Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives and Mauritius were also present at the swearing-in ceremony.
The swearing in ceremony was also attended by a host of Bollywood celebrities including Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Vivek Oberoi, and Dharmendra.
Outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice president Rahul Gandhi, besides leaders of various other parties and chief ministers of a number of states, were also present at the swearing in ceremony.

Sushma Swaraj, First Woman Foreign Minister Makes Early Start
27 may, 2014
New Delhi: Sushma Swaraj, India's first woman Foreign Minister, made an early start in her new role as she accompanied Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a series of bilateral meetings with South Asian leaders, including Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Ms Swaraj, 62, was the third minister to be sworn in on Monday after Mr Modi.
She has many firsts to her credit; she was the youngest cabinet minister in the Haryana government at 25, she was also the first woman Chief Minister of Delhi.
Ms Swaraj has also been given the charge of Overseas Indian Affairs.
She takes charge at a time India's growing international influence has given it a prominent voice in global affairs even as issues in the region keep the largest democracy busy.
Ties with Pakistan and China are some of the perennial challenges for Indian foreign policy practitioners.
The foreign ministry also has a woman Foreign Secretary, Sujatha Singh.
Ms Swaraj, a law graduate who practised in the Supreme Court, has been elected seven times as a Member of Parliament and three times as a Member of the Legislative Assembly.
She began her political career with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad or ABVP, the student wing of the BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
She was Cabinet Minister for Information and Broadcasting in the 13-day Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government in 1996.
She resigned from the Cabinet in the next Vajpayee regime to take over as Delhi Chief Minister in October 1998.

New finance minister Arun Jaitley promises to contain inflation, promote growth
27 may, 2014
New Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Arun Jaitley pledged on Tuesday to contain price rise, restore confidence of investors in the economy and promote growth while keeping the fiscal deficit under check.
Stating that the country's economy was passing through difficult times, he said, "The challenges are very obvious. We have to restore the pace of growth, contain inflation, and obviously concentrate on fiscal consolidation itself."
Veteran lawyer and senior BJP leader Jaitley was talking to reporters soon after taking charge of the Finance Ministry. He also said that he would be looking after the Defence portfolio as additional charge only. "For a transient phase, I will be looking after Ministry of Defence also, but that's only an additional charge till there's an expansion in cabinet itself," he added.
Referring to his priorities as Finance Minister, Jaitley said, "I am conscious of the fact that I am taking over at a very challenging time particularly when there is a need to rebuild the confidence of the Indian economy... The mandate with which our government has received has an inbuilt hope in it...the political change itself sends a strong signal to the global community as also the domestic investors. I think over the next two months by expediting decision making processes we will be able to build on that."
Jaitley further said the entire policy of the new government would be spelled out in the next few days. "You will have to wait for a few days before we spell out the entire policy of the new government," he said.
On whether he would focus on inflation at cost of growth, Jaitley said a "the balancing act" will have to done.
India had registered over 9% growth for a few years before the global financial meltdown of 2008 pulled it down. The economic growth rate slipped to decade's low of 4.5% in 2012-13. It inched up to 4.9% in 2013-14. In the current fiscal the growth rate is expected to rise further to 5.5%.

Narendra Modi sworn-in as India's 15th PM by President Pranab Mukherjee
26 may, 2014
New Delhi: Narendra Modi has been sworn in as India's 15th Prime Minister at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, home of President Pranab Mukherjee, who administered the oath.
Among the almost 4000 guests gathered in the forecourt of the presidential palace, are leaders of eight neighbouring countries, including Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is seated next to Mr Modi's predecessor, Manmohan Singh. On Dr Singh's other side is Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan.
Mr Modi's 95-year-old mother Hiraben could not make it to Delhi and watched her son being sworn in as Prime Minister on television at her home in Gandhinagar.
Forty four ministers are being sworn in along with Mr Modi; BJP president Rajnath Singh will be his number 2 in government as Home Minister. Among the top ministers is Arun Jaitley who will be Finance Minister and will also have the additional charge of Defence.
Sushma Swaraj, senior BJP leader, will be Minister for External Affairs. Twenty three Cabinet rank ministers, 10 Ministers of State with Independent charge and 11 Ministers of State will take oath today.
Last night, Mr Modi promised that he would head a lean Cabinet with a focus on "minimum government and maximum governance". He is expected to merge and restructure several ministries.

Modi to have 23 Cabinet ministers, Jaitley likely to be Defence & Finance minister
26 may, 2014
New Delhi: It is the D day, Narendra Modi is all set to take oath as the 15th Prime Minister of India. With a hectic schedule ahead today, Modi began his day by paying tribute to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.
LIVE UPDATE:

3.30 pm: Narendra Modi's cabinet: Piyush Goel- power & coal, Smriti Irani-HRD, Arun Jaitley-defence, finance
2.50 pm: From Amitabh Bachchan to Rajinikanth: Bollywood stalwarts invited to Narendra Modi’s swearing-in.
2.45 pm: Anupam Kher, Javed Akhtar to attend Modi's swearing in ceremony
2.30 pm: "Have come to extend greetings to him (Modi), everyone is hopeful he'll do good work", says Pratibha Patil, Former President of India
2.25 pm: Salim Khan and Sohail Khan arrive at Hotel Taj Mansingh ahead of Modi's swearing-in ceremony. Click here to see pic
2.20 pm: Sources reveal Arun Jaitley likely to hold both Defence and Finance Ministry
2.15 pm: PM-designate Narendra Modi offers condolence to families of those killed in Gorakhdham Express tragedy. Prays for the injured. PTI
2.10 pm: Nawaz Sharif's son Sharif Hussein also expects a lot from the Modi government. Here's a video link of him speaking to reporters in Delhi.
2.05 pm: Maldives President Abdulla Yameen arrives in Delhi to attend PM-designate Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony
2.00 pm: Venkaiah Naidu likely to get the Agriculture Ministry: sources
1.30 pm: Unprecedented security cover for Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony. Click here to read full report
1.15 pm: Ajit Doval to be named as National Security Advisor
1.00 pm: Traffic snarls being reported from various parts in capital. Police Check-posts installed at numerous roads leading to huge rush on roads. Here's Delhi Traffic Police advisory:

The following roads shall be closed for movement of general traffic on 26th May, 2014 between 2.00 PM to 8.00 PM:
1. Rajpath (from Vijay Chowk to Rashtrapati Bhawan).
2. Vijay Chowk and its North and South Fountain area.
3. South Avenue Marg.
4. North Avenue Marg.
5. Dalhousie Road.
6. Church Road.
In addition, necessary traffic diversions shall be given on the following roads/locations, situated in the surrounding vicinity of Rashtrapati Bhawan, to facilitate the movement of VVIPs/VIPs:
1. Panchsheel Marg.
2. R/A Samrat Hotel.
3. Kautilya Marg.
4. Talkatora Road.
5. Park Street.
6. Battle Honours Mess Marg.
7. Abai Marg.
8. Raisina Road (beyond R/A Rail Bhawan towards Parliament House).
9. Pandit Pant Marg (beyond R/A Talkatora towards Parliament House)
10. K. Kamraj Marg (beyond R/A Kamraj Marg towards R.P. Bhawan).
11. Moti Lal Nehru Marg (beyond R/A Udyog Bhawan towards R.P. Bhawan).
12. E-Block, Security Lines Road.
13. Mother Teresa Crescent.
14. Sardar Patel Marg.
15. Vinay Marg.
16. Shanker Road.
17. R/A RML Hospital
Motorists and general public are requested to avoid using the above roads during the ceremony between 2.00 PM to 8.00 PM on 26th May, 2014. Adequate signages and boards have been provided for the information of invitees and other road users. All motorists are also requested to adhere to the directions of the traffic policemen on duty.

12.00 pm: Sources reveal Modi’s team to include 23 Cabinet ministers, 21 MoS. A few ministries to be merged as well.

Merged Minstries may look like this:
- Law ministry to include Company affairs
- Energy ministry to include coal and renewable energy other than power
- Transport ministry likely to include aviation, roads and railways
- External Affairs minstry to include Overseas Indian affairs other than Ministry of External Affairs
- Agriculture Ministry could include food processing, consumer affairs and Chemical & fertilizers
- Industry ministry could include both heavy industry and small scale industry portfolio
11.05 am: Pakistan's Prime Minister arrives in New Delhi
10.45 am: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif leaves for India to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony.
10.30 am: Rajnikanth will not attend Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony.
10.00 am : Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa lands in Delhi. He is here to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony.
9.45 am: Mauritius PM Ramgoolam arrives in India for Modi's swearing-in ceremony
9.40 am: 34 ministers to take oath today with Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi. List of Cabinet ministers sent to President.
9:00 am: Modi reaches Gujarat Bhawan
8.19 am: Modi reaches Vajpayee's residence.
8.10 am: Modi leaves to meet Atal Bihari Vajpayee and seek his blessings ahead of his swearing in.
8.00 am:PM-designate Narendra Modi pays homage at Rajghat
7.55 am: PM-designate Narendra Modi reaches Rajghat
7.40 am: Modi leaves for Rajghat.
6.45 am: Delhi MP Mahesh Giri, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Manoj Tewari and other BJP leaders including, Arti Mehra, Prabhat Jha, Vijay Goel, Vijendra Gupta reach Rajghat.
6.30 am: BJP leaders start gathering at Rajghat.
6.00 am: Elaborate security arrangements at Rajghat.

Narendra Modi to be sworn-in as india' 15th PM-Historic events to be witnessed by seven heads of the SAARC states
26 may, 2014
It's not just a man with his roots in the RSS, it's a man with his roots in Bharat who's becoming PM. It's a happy day for all Indians, not just for us Our two senior leaders, Suresh Soni and Dattatreya will be at the swearing-in He has the blessings of the country, not just of the RSS and Mohan Bhagwat
All this talk about the RSS interfering in government decisions or cabinet formation is baseless If you look at the cabinet, you can tell these are Modi's picks, it is entirely his decision
We are sure Modi has thought everything through and picked the right candidates
We don't need to advise Modi. Why should we? He knows what he's doing, he knows what's best for the country. We only want that the high expectations of the people should be fulfilled
The meetings between RSS and BJP leaders had nothing to do with cabinet formation
Modi's invite to Nawaz Sharif is a goodwill gesture. We think it is a good thing. There are no talks taking place as such. It's just a celebration. Other SAARC leaders are also there. They too wanted to participate
Modi has made a goodwill gesture. We hope Pakistan will reciprocate

Modi v/s Morarji India's First PM of Gujarati origin Morarji Desai and PM Narendra Modi both are strong leaders within their party
26 may, 2014
GANDHINAGAR: There is much in common between Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi and Morarji Desai, India's first prime minister of Gujarati origin.
For both of them, Godhra became an inseparable part of their personal history and for similar reasons. If Modi came under international glare due to the 2002 anti-Muslim riots that took place in Godhra on his watch as Gujarat chief minister, Desai had to quit his administrative job as the deputy collector of Godhra after being found guilty of going soft on Hindus during the riot that took place in 1927-28.
Modi's former associate turned rival Shankarsinh Vaghela made it a point to remind him of the similarity while bidding him farewell from the state. But there is more to the similarities between Modi and India's fourth prime minister, who passed away in 1995 at the age of 99.
Political culture unites the two, said academic and writer Achyut Yagnik, adding that much like Desai, Modi is authoritarian and proud of his image as a strong leader. Desai was referred to as "Sarvochcha" (supreme) in his party as well as in the vernacular press. The authoritarian streak, which according to Gujarati political historians was rather subtle in Mahatma Gandhi and found stronger expression in Desai, was perpetuated in the subsequent political leadership in Gujarat.
"Even Chimanbhai Patel, when he became the chief minister for the first time in early 1970s before the nav-nirman movement used to be referred as Chhote Sardar, a title that enamoured Modi so much later," Yagink said. "It is this quest of strong leadership that makes Gujarat polity different than other provinces," he added.
Modi also shares Desai's approach to economic management, said Vidyut Joshi, noted sociologist and former vice chancellor of Bhavnagar University. "When Morarjibhai took over from socialist Indira, the economic crisis went down and the Sensex went up, just the way it is happening now," Joshi recalled.
"While market-friendly Morarji had given relaxation on gold by issuing gold bonds etc, we are already seeing gold prices going down after election results though Modi is yet to take a call on gold policy." Desai was the supreme power centre in Gujarat Congress, Veteran Gujarati journalist and writer Indukumar Jani said, drawing a parallel with Modi's position in his party.
"They not only called him Sarvochcha but the buck actually stopped with him. It was his writ that ran the party much like the way Modi ran BJP in Gujarat," Jani said.
However, he added, pointing out one difference between the two leaders separated by time. "The only difference that I see between the two is that Morarji was a man who used to speak his mind, something that I can't say about Modi.
His actions only speak for him." However, political correctness cannot be counted as the best virtue of either of the two leaders. Otherwise a staunch Gandhian, Desai gave the order to open fire on a mob agitating for a separate state of Gujarat that killed more than a hundred people and added fuel to the fire.
"He had started his career as an ICS officer and never lost touch with the bureaucrat in him," recalled a senior journalist, who had covered Desai in Gujarat. For Modi, however, it is the bureaucrats who run the show.
"Modi has built his image as one who is strong and decisive," said Harinesh Pandya, an Ahmedabad-based political analyst and activist. "His latest invite to Nawaz Sharif and Mahinda Rajapaksa bears testimony to the fact that he is not someone who would give in to arm-twisting," he added.
That also perhaps explains why Modi, in spite of being branded as the Hindu Hriday SamratBSE -5.17 % (lord of Hindu hearts), had no qualms in ordering demolition of hundreds of temples in Gandhinagar in 2009 as illegal construction. For Desai, it was not easy to negotiate the warps and wefts of various ideologies that stitched the Janata Party together.
But Modi will not have to deal with any such ideological issues. For, if Desai was India's first non-Congress prime minister with absolute majority, Modi is set to be the second.

Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Sonia, Rahul Gandhi among opposition leaders attending Narendra Modi swearing in ceremony
26 may, 2014
Narendra Modi is set to be sworn in as India's 15th prime minister at the Rashtrapati Bhavan forecourt this evening.
An unprecedented 4,000 guests, including heads of the government of eight countries (of which seven are from SAARC), all 777 MPs of both Houses, the outgoing PM and his council of ministers, all governors, CMs, ambassadors and other constitutional authorities like the chief justice of India will attend the event.
LIVE UPDATES:
* Sharad Pawar confirms that he will attend Narendra Modi's swearing in ceremony
* Tamil superstar Rajnikanth, who had been invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime minister-elect Narendra Modi in New Delhi, will not attend the function, sources close to the actor said.
* 23 Cabinet Ministers, 10 Ministers of State to be sworn in today.
* Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam arrived here today with a delegation to attend prime minister-designate Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony.
* Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh will attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister designate Narendra Modi, an official said.
* Congress president Sonia Gandhi, party vice president Rahul Gandhi and outgoing PM Manmohan Singh have been invited for dinner with the heads of states, who are coming to attend Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony.
* The benchmark BSE Sensex regained the 25,000 mark by soaring 344 points in opening trade today on increased buying by foreign funds and retail investors ahead of swearing in of Narendra Modi as the 15th Prime Minister of India.
* Madhya Pradesh's entire cabinet to attend Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony.
* BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Sushma Swaraj reached Gujarat Bhavan on Monday to meet Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi before his swearing-in.
* Srilankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa arrives in Delhi to attend Modi's swearing in ceremony. His invitation to the ceremony came under heavy criticism amongst Tamil Nadu politicians. NDA's ally AIADMK and the MDMK leaders have spoken against the Narendra Modi government's decision to invite the Sri Lankan president.
MDMK chief Vaiko met even with Modi to try to change his mind about the invitation while the Congress leaders were one with the MDMK and the AIADMK opposing the invitation. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa may not attend the swearing in ceremony of Narendra Modi on Monday, as per reports.
* Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will boycott the Prime Minister elect Narendra Modi's swearing in ceremony on Monday.
* Prime Minister of Mauritius Navinchandra Ramgoolam arrives in Delhi to attend Narendra Modi's swearing in ceremony.
* Ahead of Cabinet formation, BJP leaders Uma Bharti, Gopinath Munde, Ananth Kumar, Nitin Gadkari, Prakash Javadekar, Harsh Vardhan, Piyush Goel and Venkaiah Naidu meet Modi at Gujarat Bhawan. LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan also meets the PM-designate. Reports suggest that General VK Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman and Dharmendra Pardhan may get Cabinet berths.

Superstar Rajnikanth will not be attending Narendra Modi's swearing in
26 may, 2014
Tamil superstar Rajnikanth, who had been invited to attend the swearing in ceremony of Prime minister-elect Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday, will not attend the function, sources close to the actor said.
They said the actor was not in town and, therefore, would not attend the ceremony, which will see Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, among other dignitaries, grace the occasion. The sources did not divulge any further information.
The actor's move comes in the wake of a fringe student outfit staging a protest near his house last night, asking him to stay away from the ceremony in the light of Rajapaksa's participation. All political parties in Tamil Nadu, including the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), have opposed the invitation extended to Rajapaksa.
Earlier, during his election campaign in Chennai, Modi had taken time off and met Rajnikanth at his residence. He had extended an invitation to Rajnikanth for the swearing in ceremony on Monday.

Here's the day's schedule for Narendra Modi's swearing in ceremony
26 may, 2014
Narendra Modi led the BJP towards a swooping victory of 285 seats, leading to the historic victory at the centre. On Monday morning he is all set to be sworn in as the 15th Prime Minister of India. His swearing -in has taken the lime light, which will see Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, among other dignitaries, grace the occasion.

Here is what Narendra Modi's big day will look like:
7:30 am: Narendra Modi will be at Rajghat
9:25 am: will be the arrival of the Prime Minister of Mauritius- Navin Ramgoolam
10:00 am: Is the expected landing of Sri Lanka's President, Mahinda Rajapaksa
10:45 am: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharaif will arrive
11:00 am: Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala will be flying in
11:30 am: Expected arrival of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai
2:00 pm: Maldives President Abdulla Yammeen's arrival
5:00 pm: Roads to Rashtrapati Bhavan scheduled to be closed
6:00 pm: The historic swearing-in of Narendra Modi as the 15th Prime Minister of India
8:30 pm: President Pranab Mukherjee to hold a 'private dinner' for SAARC leaders

Narendra Modi's cabinet: 7 leaders from Maharashtra get cabinet positions; 6 from BJP and 1 from Shiv Sena, informs Gopinath Munde
26 may, 2014
Following days of speculation, some details of Narendra Modi's cabinet has been revealed.
According to Rediff.com, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj head the Ministry of External Affairs, while Arun Jaitley is all set to take over the Finance portfolio.
It also confirmed that Modi's close aide, Rajnath Singh, will be next Minister of Home Affairs, and Ravi Shankar Prasad will take responsibility of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Nripendra Mishra, it informed will be the Principal Secretary in Prime Minister's Office.
All probable ministers met for tea with Narendra Modi, informs Chirag Paswan. "Our national president Ramvilas Paswan was also present," he added.
There are seven leaders from Maharashtra to have gotten a cabinet position, informs Gopinath Munde. "6 from the BJP and 1 from Shiv Sena," he said
Narendra Modi is set to be sworn in as India's 15th prime minister at the Rashtrapati Bhavan forecourt this evening.

Narendra Modi visits Rajghat
26 may, 2014
Ahead of being sworn in as India’s 15th Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on Monday visited Rajghat and paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi.
Mr. Modi spent around 10 minutes at Rajghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.
A number of Delhi BJP leaders including Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Mr. Vijay Goel and Mr. Vijender Gupta were present at Rajghat.
Mr. Modi, who led BJP to an astounding victory in the Lok Sabha polls, will be sworn in as the Prime Minister on Monday evening in the forecourt of the majestic Rashtrapati Bhawan at a grand function to be attended by foreign dignitaries including SAARC leaders.
President Pranab Mukherjee will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Modi and his Council of Ministers in the presence of a host of leaders, including outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, besides leaders of various other parties and Chief Ministers of a number of states.
Modi meets Vajpayee
After his visit to Rajghat, Mr. Modi tweeted, “On my way to Atalji’s residence to seek his blessings.”
Mr. Modi met former Prime Minister A.B, Vajpayee at his residence in New Delhi and sought his blessings.
Mr. Vajpayee is ailing for quite some time.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif confirms his attendance at Narendra Modi's swearing in ceremony
24 may, 2014
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has confirmed his attendance at Narendra Modi's swearing in ceremony to be held on May 26. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz is also expected to accompany Sharif to the event.
In a bold step to embark on a policy of regional engagement, Prime Minister designate Narendra Modi had invited the leaders from the neighbouring SAARC nations, including Pakistan and Bangladesh to his oath taking ceremon as the country's new head of state. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) processed invites to leaders from the eight-member SAARC.
Sharif's confirmation comes after days of consideration and has been the subject of much speculations and discussions among the Indian political leaders.
Commenting on this JD(U) leader KC Tyagi said, "We welcome Nawaz Sharif to India, and also welcome Modi's changed policies, even though during whole poll campaign he spoke against Pakistan."

Kejriwal’s judicial custody extended till June 6
24 may, 2014
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief The former Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, was on Friday sent back to the Tihar jail for 14 days by a Delhi court as he staunchly refused to furnish a bail bond in the defamation case initiated by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nitin Gadkari.
Metropolitan Magistrate Gomati Manocha extended Mr. Kejriwal’s judicial custody till June 6 as he refused to furnish a bail bond despite being told about the legal provisions by the court.
The court directed Mr. Gadkari to appear in court on June 6. “For two days Mr. Gadkari has not appeared in the court. At the next hearing, I want him here. I am calling for his presence at the next hearing,” the court told his counsel Pinky Anand and Ajay Digpaul.
The magistrate explained the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code governing bail bond and release on bail, while Mr. Kejriwal and his counsel, former Union Law Minister Shanti Bhushan, took the stand that he should be released on oral undertaking.
“Main ye samajhna chahta hoon ki mera kasoor kya hai. (I want to know what my crime is). Why didn’t the court accept my under-taking?” Mr. Kejriwal said.
“I understand the legal illiteracy in this country,” the court said. “People, even the educated, don’t understand the difference between personal bond and bail bond. You were not being asked to deposit Rs.10,000 straightaway. You were asked to sign a bond,” the court said. “You were called as an accused to face trial to decide whether what you said against Nitin Gadkari was defamatory or not. So you cannot say that since I am not guilty, I will not furnish any bail bond. A bond is a contract of appearance,” the court said.

Fourth P-8I maritime patrol aircraft delivered to India
24 may, 2014
Boeing has delivered the fourth P-8I maritime patrol aircraft to India, which the aviation company described as a milestone.In all India has placed orders for eight P-8I maritime aircraft.
The latest state-of-the-art maritime patrol aircraft departed from Boeing Field in Seattle and arrived May 21 at Naval Air Station Rajali.
“This marks an important milestone — the halfway-point for P-8I deliveries to India,” Dennis Swanson, BDS vice president in India, on Saturday said.
“The programme’s success in the past year is really a testament to the great work between Boeing, the Indian Navy and industry,” he said in a release.
Based on the company’s Next-Generation 737 commercial airplane, the P-8I is the Indian Navy variant of the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing has developed for the US Navy.
“The Indian Navy is putting the first three P-8Is through their paces operationally, and the P-8I delivered today will begin flight trials in the coming months,” Leland Wight, Boeing P-8I programme manager, said.
The P-8I incorporates not only India-unique design features, but also India-built subsystems that are tailored to the country’s maritime patrol requirements, Boeing said.
In order to efficiently design and build the P-8I and the P-8A, the Boeing-led team is using a first-in-industry, in-line production process that draws on its Next-Generation 737 production system, the statement said.

Lone ranger Kejriwal spends time meditating in Tihar jail
24 may, 2014
Apart from a glass of sugar-free tea, editions of popular English and some Hindi dailies were among the few things that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal requested the authorities at west Delhi’s Tihar Jail on Thursday.
Described as a ‘morning person’ by prison authorities, Kejriwal rose pretty early after spending a night in jail and went for a prolonged walk. He then participated in a meditation session with other inmates.
“The ward in which he is lodged, the Meditation Ward, has a lot of empty space,” said a senior jail official.
“He got up around 6:30 am and after a morning walk for an hour, sat down next to other inmates to meditate,” the official added.
When asked whether he had any followers or pro-AAP inmates walking up to him to ask him how he was, prison sources said Kejriwal seemed to have failed to get their attention.
“It might have happened solely because no one is allowed to talk in the (meditation) ward, but even when he was walking in the courtyard, no one else seemed to be interested in his presence,” said another official.
After meditating, the AAP chief sat down with a bunch of newspapers and carefully went through each one as he sipped sugar-free tea before returning to his cell.
In all, jail authorities insisted that Kejriwal had settled for ‘routine’ jail life on the eve of his release from prison.
According to Tihar jail authorities, the last time the AAP convener was among them had been during the peak of the Anna Hazare movement in mid-2011.

Narendra Modi should have asked Nawaz Sharif to bring Dawood along: JP Agarwal
23 may, 2014
Congress leader JP Agarwal on Saturday said that Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi should have asked Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to get Dawood Ibrahim along with him in his oath taking ceremony.
"Modi should have asked Nawaz Sharif to get Dawood Ibrahim along, as well as the Pakistani soldiers who beheaded our soldiers. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was making a lot of noise about the Congress having soft policies regarding Pakistan during their campaign," said Agarwal.
"Now, Modi is wavering from his own stands. He had held completely different views before getting elected. How come there is a sudden change of policies?" he asked.
India has invited leaders of all South Asian countries, including Nawaz Sharif to Modi's oath-taking ceremony scheduled for May 26. The swearing-in ceremony, to be held at the forecourt of the historic Rashtrapati Bhavan, is likely to be attended by as many as 3,000 guests, the report added.

JD(U) to seek trust vote today, Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD extends support
23 may, 2014
The new Janata Dal United JD(U) government headed by Jitan Ram Manjhi will seek the trust vote today. The floor test comes after, Nitish Kumar resigned as Bihar chief minister after taking moral responsibility for the ruling party's debacle in the Lok Sabha elections.
Meanwhile in a major development yesterday, one of the opposition parties, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) as announced unconditional support to the new Bihar government. The RJD legislature party leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui said that, the party has decided to support the government as a Mahadalit became the Chief Minister of Bihar.
The JD(U) government has an absolute majority in the state. It has 117 legislators and also enjoys the support of one CPI member and two independent legislators. Two days ago the Congress had already announced their support to the JD(U) government.
In the 243 member Bihar Assembly, BJP has 88 MLAs and RJD has 21 MLAs. The effective strength of the Assembly is 237 after the resignation of two BJP MLAs and three JD(U) MLAs, and one vacancy.
The government will require 119 MLAs to prove majority in the floor test.

Tarun Gogoi 'resigns', Congress high command rejects offer, gets another chance
23 may, 2014
Tarun Gogoi appeared to have got some relief on Friday after Congress president Sonia Gandhi rejected accepting his resignation as Assam's chief minister.
Gogoi, who has been the state's chief minister since 2001, led the party to its worst ever drubbing in the state in the 2014 general election. The Congress won just three of the 14 Parliamentary constituencies even as the BJP won seven. The chief minister had announced last week that he would resign. He blamed "arrogance and complacency" for the poll debacle but said he would not leave politics and would continue to work for the party's recovery.
"The Congress President outrightly rejected the chief minister's offer of resignation," Assam agriculture minister Nilomani Sen Deka said after a meeting with Gogoi.
However, state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is leading the anti-Gogoi campaign, claimed that Sonia neither accepted nor rejected Gogoi's resignation. "CP Joshi (general secretary in-charge of Assam) told me over the phone that the chief minister's resignation letter was neither accepted nor rejected," Sarma told journalists in Guwahati.
He said that the Congress leadership would soon send observers to the state to hold deliberations with party legislators. There were also reports that rebel Congress legislators will meet governor JB Patnaik on Friday and bring a no-confidence motion against Gogoi.
In Delhi, Gogoi met Sonia and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. He also met Congress treasurer Motilal Vohra and CP Joshi. Gogoi did not speak to the media, but senior MLA Anjan Dutta said the Congress President had authorised Gogoi to revamp the party organisation in the state, and that as a first step, Gogoi will reshuffle his ministry after June 1 when he completes three years in office in his third term. Dutta said that Rahul too put complete faith in Gogoi's leadership in Assam.
Former union minister BK Handique, who lost in the Lok Sabha polls in Jorhat, said Gogoi would continue as chief minister and lead the party in the state.

Black money: SC gives a week's time to Centre to constitute SIT
23 may, 2014
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday gave a week's time to the Centre to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the black money case. The apex court directed that all documents relating to black money be kept in the safe custody of a secretary-level officer of the revenue department.
In a last ditch effort to stall setting up of the SIT, the UPA government last week had sought a review of the SC judgements constituting the panel under its former judge MB Shah.
The UPA government pleaded before a bench headed by Justice BS Chauhan to give an urgent hearing on its review plea. The bench, also comprising Justice AK Sikri, however, refused to hear the case, saying that it cannot sit over a judgement delivered by another bench.
The bench asked Additional Solicitor General Siddharth Luthra to approach Supreme Court Registrar who can consult with the judges who had passed the order and if the judges agree then matter could be listed.
"How can we sit over the judgement of the other bench. The judges are available during the vacation so you talk to the Registrar. Proper procedure is to talk with Registrar and then matter could be listed," the bench said.
Advocate Sandeep Kapoor, appearing for Ram Jethmalani who is the petitioner in the case, opposed Centre's plea. The apex court on May 1 directed the Centre to handover within three days all documents and information collected by it in its probe in the cases of alleged stashing of black money in LST bank in Liechtenstein, Germany, to Jethmalani and others who raised the issue before it. It had also appointed its retired judges M B Shah as the Chairman and Arijit Pasayat as the Vice Chairman of the Special Investigating Team (SIT) for providing guidance and direction in the investigation of all cases of black money in the country and abroad.
Justice Shah, who was earlier appointed as Vice Chairman by July 4, 2011 order will take place of former apex court judge B P Jeevan Reddy who expressed his inability to continue as Chairman due to personal reasons.
The bench directed the Centre to issue notification regarding their appointment within three weeks.

Aojo Gujarat: Narendra modi moves to Delhi to take charge as the PM of India on 26th may.
22 may, 2014
An emotional Narendra Modi moved a step closer to becoming India’s 14th prime minister after President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday accepted his formal claim to form the next government and invited him for swearing-in on 26 May.
The Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) victory in the general elections was widely anticipated, although the magnitude wasn’t, and investor and business confidence had run-up ahead of counting day, Friday, 16 May.
BSE’s benchmark Sensex gained 3.79% between Monday’s opening and Thursday’s close last week, and a business confidence index, released on Tuesday but conducted in April, showed significant improvement in business confidence. After the results, global rating agencies were quick to point out that a stable government would improve the business environment.
On Tuesday, Modi’s meeting with the president took place after a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which formally named the former Gujarat chief minister as prime minister designate; this was subsequently endorsed by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The BJP has 282 members in the 16th Lok Sabha, which gives it a simple majority in the 545-member house. The NDA has 336.
Attention now has shifted to the government formation and initiatives to heal the economy, which has only recently bottomed out after witnessing a sharp deceleration in growth in the last two years. The expectation is that Modi will be sworn in with a small cabinet that will include Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari. The buzz is that Jaitley will be the country’s next finance minister.
The overwhelming mandate managed by the BJP and the smooth transition from the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has reduced the political uncertainty among nervous foreign investors and improved sentiments in the economy. It has also stoked expectations of a fresh wave of reforms and policy measures including those that will unlock big ticket infrastructure projects. Rating agencies have already begun re-rating India’s prospects.
“Clearing the bottlenecks of infrastructure projects is likely to be an early priority. However, sustaining the investment cycle over the long run will require a broader improvement in the business environment. Structural reforms related to governance, and the reduction of red tape, are essential to re-accelerating economic activity,” Fitch Ratings Inc. said in a statement on Tuesday. Similarly on Monday, rating agency Moody’s said the landslide victory of the NDA in the 16th general election is “credit-positive” for India. “Moody’s believes that the new government’s strong mandate increases the possibility of a stable central government that will pursue a shared economic agenda to address India’s macroeconomic challenges,” the agency said in a report titled India’s decisive election outcome is credit positive.
On Friday, immediately after poll results were announced, another rating agency Standard and Poor’s (S&P) said in a note: “What the next government says and does in the coming months is crucial to boosting confidence in the policy settings and the economy.” Authored by credit analyst Takahira Ogawa, the note added: “If confidence rises, investment and consumption in India could strengthen, after being held back by the uncertainty surrounding the election.”
Currently, all three rating agencies have assigned the lowest investment grade to India. Except Moody’s, which has a positive outlook, both Fitch Ratings and S&P have assigned negative credit outlook for India.
On Tuesday, the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) reported a pick up in its business confidence index; the survey was conducted in April 2014. “Out of the four components of BCI only investment climate indicator declined in April whereas the other three indicators reflecting expectations of overall economic growth, financial position of the firms and capacity utilization improved,” an NCAER release said.

Arvind Kejriwal spends night in Tihar Jail, AAP to escalate protests
22 may, 2014
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal spent the night in Delhi's Tihar jail after being arrested in a defamation case. Scores of his party men who protested outside the prison last night were also detained. The protesters including senior party leaders Yogendra Yadav, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Rakhi Birla held a demonstration opposing the court order and wanted to court arrest.
Police imposed Section 144 restricting mass gathering outside Tihar jail as AAP supporters started gathering there after Kejriwal's was taken to prison following a court's order. When protestors clashed with police, they were evicted by the security personnel.
Slamming the police action to evict AAP workers, AAP leader Yogendra Yadav said, they were not doing anything illegal. "This is dictatorship and we can see it. This is a clear dictatorship if in this country it's a crime to call a corrupt man a corrupt then we all are doing that crime. Send us to jail or hang us, they can do whatever they want," added AAP leader Sanjay Singh.
Kejriwal was arrested yesterday after he refused to furnish a bail bond in connection with a criminal defamation complaint filed by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari. The court had on February 28 summoned Kejriwal as an accused in the criminal defamation complaint observing that statements allegedly made by the AAP leader have the effect of "harming the reputation" of the complainant.
The summons was issued against Kejriwal on a complaint in which BJP leader Nitin Gadkari had alleged that he was defamed by Kejriwal, who had included his name in the party's list of "India's most corrupt".

Anandiben Patel to be sworn in as Gujarat's first woman CM today
22 may, 2014
Gujarat revenue minister Anandiben Patel will take over as chief minister of the state on Thursday.
According to media reports, the swearing in will take place at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. Some members of her council of ministers will also take oath on Thursday. She will succeed Narendra Modi who resigned as chief minister to become the prime minister of the country. He will be sworn in on Monday.
Anandiben Patel was elected leader of the Gujarat BJP Legislature Party in Gandhinagar on Wednesday. Patel was looking after revenue, urban development and education in the present government.

Ramakant Yadav of the BJP to contest by polls from Mainpuri
22 may, 2014
Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav contested from two seats this Lok Sabha election—Azamgarh and Mainpuri.In Azamgarh, he defeated former BJP MP Ramakant Yadav by a margin of 63204 votes.
While in Mainpuri, he defeated BJP's SS Chauhan by a whooping margin of 364666 votes. Ramakant Yadav the former sitting MP from Azamgarh had won this seat twice in the past in 1996 and 1999 on a Samajwadi Party ticket while in 2004 he fought on a Bahujan Samajwadi Party ticket.
Ramakant Yadav is confident of winning the bypolls in Mainpuri and recently told the Indian Express, "I will surely win from Mainpuri, as locals are now against Mulayam. Caste equations and negative reaction of the locals on Mulayam’s plan to vacate the seat will work in my favour.”

US lauds Narendra Modi's invitation to SAARC leaders From Lalit K Jha
22 may, 2014
The US today welcomed Indian government's initiative to invite SAARC leaders to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi and said increased engagement between India and Pakistan is a "positive step".
"Broadly speaking, we welcome increased engagement between India and Pakistan and their leaders and other leaders in the region and India's engagement with its neighbours leading up to the inauguration," State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters.
However, she refrained from answering a question on whether the US would encourage the Pakistani leadership to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony on May 26. "I don't think we're going to get into that level of engagement, but certainly the invitation has been issued. We support increased dialogue and this is representative of that," Psaki said. "We believe increased engagement between India and Pakistan is a positive step, so we'll see what happens," she said, adding that the United States does not have any plans to send anyone for the swearing-in ceremony on May 26.
"We don't have any plans to send a representative from the United States. It's standard for events and inaugurations in India, so it should come as no surprise," Psaki said, referring to the fact that the US has never sent any delegation for Indian prime ministerial swearing-in ceremony.
For the first time, SAARC Heads of State and Government including Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina have been invited to the swearing-in ceremony. "Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh has written to SAARC counterparts inviting their leaders to attend swearing-in ceremony on 26th May," the Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry said today.
Apart from Sharif, Rajapaksa and Hasina, other SAARC leaders are -Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom. This is for the first time these foreign leaders are invited to a Prime Minister's swearing-in ceremony.

Narendra Modi to resign as Gujarat chief minister today; Anandi Patel likely frontrunner for post
21 may, 2014
Narendra Modi arrives in Gujarat assembly, for a special assembly session on his farewell.
Anandi Patel, Gujarat's Revenue Minister and a close aide of Narendra Modi, is likely to be chosen his successor when the BJP legislature party meets here today to elect a new leader. "Most probably, Anandiben Patel will be the next chief minister of Gujarat," a source in BJP said.
Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi will step down as the Gujarat chief minister after heading the state for over 12 years. He will also be resigning as member of the Gujarat legislative Assembly. Modi was appointed the Prime Minister yesterday, after he met President Pranab Mukherjee to officially stake claim to form the next government at the Centre. He also handed over a formal letter asking him to name the ministers who would be part of his cabinet.
Modi, the longest-serving chief minister of the state, who led BJP to a spectacular victory in the Lok Sabha elections, is scheduled to resign today after he was appointed as Prime Minister today by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Another BJP leader said it is "95% final" that Patel will be the new chief minister of Gujarat. However, speaking on condition of anonymity, another leader said nothing can be said for sure till the time the legislature party decides on Modi's successor.
Apart from 73-year-old Patel, others in the race for chief ministership are BJP general secretary Amit Shah, who is being credited for the party's resurgence and resounding victory in Uttar Pradesh, senior ministers Nitin Patel and Saurabh Patel, besides state party general secretary Bhikubhai Dalsania. Modi will be present at the legislature party meeting at Gandhinagar town hall along with party's central observer Thavar Chand Gehlot and state in-charge Om Mathur.
If Patel is selected for the top post, she will be the first woman chief minister of Gujarat.
Patel, considered to be very close to Modi, is minister of Revenue and Urban Development in the Modi government. She was also a minister in the government of Modi's predecessor Keshubhai Patel.
A school teacher by profession, she had left her job to join politics.

In 'temple of democracy', Narendra Modi chokes with emotion
21 may, 2014
Voice cracked, he sipped water and bowed his head briefly before regaining his composure as he got emotional over senior BJP leader LK Advani's words.
"Advaniji said Narendra Bhai has done us a favour. Please don't use the word kripa (favour). A son doesn't do a favour to his mother. A son works with dedication. Just as India is my mother, so is the BJP. The party has done me a favour by giving me an opportunity to serve," the Prime Minister designate said while addressing his party MPs, chief ministers and other leaders in the Parliament's historic Central Hall.
There was silence in the emotional moment.
Tuesday's visit was the 63-year-old Modi's first one to the magnificent Central Hall and, with modesty, Modi recalled his humble beginnings. Modi prostrated, as he would while entering a temple, at the entrance to the Parliament. "We are here in the temple of democracy. We will work with all purity... not for the designation, but for the people of the country. Work and responsibility are the biggest things," he told the gathering later.
Modi, who was unanimously elected as leader of the BJP parliamentary party amid thundering applause, pledged his government's commitment to the poor. "At the end of it, who is the government for... The government should think of the poor, hear the poor and live for them." he said.
Modi, who began by saying that if Atal Bihari Vajpayee was present it would have been the "icing on the cake" ended by saying that he would strive to fulfill the responsibility and faith reposed in him.
He promised to fulfill dreams, keep his word of "sab ka saath sab ka vikas (with all, and development for all)" and spoke of optimism.
Modi's speech was mostly an echo of the ones he made during his eight-month long election campaign. But his audience was different this time — from nine-time MPs to first-timers, which includes Modi himself.
"It was said I was here (in Parliament) for the first time, this keeps happening to me. I saw the (Gujarat) Vidhan Sabha after I became the chief minister," said Modi.
With a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi just behind him in the Central Hall, Modi sat to the right of BJP chief Rajnath Singh, on whose left side was Advani. "We did not have the good fortune of fighting for India's independence — we could not die for the country but we have been given an opportunity to live for this country," he said.
It was Advani who proposed Modi's name, which was then backed by several leaders, including Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu and Nitin Gadkari, sending a message that there are no fissures in the party. Modi and BJP also let in leaders of 29 allies to be a part of what was essentially a BJP affair, making it clear that in the moment of victory, it respected its allies and would like to run an inclusive government.
So, there was Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Akali Dal leader and Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal and Telugu Desam Party leader N. Chandrababu Naidu who spoke on the occasion. Modi, who is to take oath on May 26, later met President Pranab Mukherjee minutes after his party staked to form government.
Advani said Modi was a "popular" and "famous" leader and he was happy to propose his name and mentioned the fact that the historic Central Hall was the venue of the Constituent Assembly, which debated and framed the Constitution. He also drove home the point for the BJP that there was the picture of Mahatma Gandhi at one and that Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the Hindutva ideologue at the other end. "I think Modi has a sense of occasion, time and place.... The way he thanked had institutional and personal touch," said sociologist Shiv Vishwanathan.

Jammu and Kashmir: Omar Abdullah revokes ban on prepaid SMS to win over people
21 may, 2014
Rattled by the drubbing in the parliamentary polls, Omar Abdullah government on Tuesday lifted the four year ban on the Short Message Service (SMS) on prepaid cell phones in a bid to woo the people ahead of the assembly polls stated later this year.
"The subscribers of pre-paid cell phones had made requests to the chief minister Omar Abdullah in this regard. He issued instructions to the agencies concerned to lift the restriction," said an official spokesman.
SMS services were banned in Kashmir at the peak of 'pro-azadi' agitation in June owing to the fears that these are being used to pent up emotions by spreading rumors. However, the government lifted the ban on post paid SMS' six months later owing to the improvement in the situation.
"The ban has been lifted from today (Tuesday). There was no relevance of ban since there are other ways like whatsap services available," Suresh Kumar, J&K home secretary told dna.
The lifting of ban will benefit millions of prepaid subscribers in the restive Jammu and Kashmir. Seventy per cent of the total mobile subscribers are using prepaid services in Jammu and Kashmir.
The decision to revoke ban comes days after Omar Abdullah sought people's suggestions on email as a part of the process to win over electorate before the assembly polls.
"1700+ emails still to be read. I've read and acknowledged 100's. Bear with me, I'll read and acknowledge all," Omar tweeted.
As a part of the new initiative, Omar is scrapping the three year old job policy in a bid to woo the youth back to the party fold. However, the scrapping of the policy has huge financial implications as it will cost the state government hundreds of crores of rupees.
Under the job policy, the new appointees in Class-III and Class-IV categories in government sector is entitled to a fixed monthly salary equivalent to 50 per cent of the basic pay for two years and 75 percent of the basic pay during another three years. An employee would get full salary after five years and will not be eligible for pension also "I am bringing a proposal to the J&K cabinet on Wednesday and I'm proposing scrapping the 'New Recruitment Policy' with immediate effect," Omar tweeted.

Kejriwal mulls over forming government again
21 may, 2014
Meets Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung, seeks a week’s time to explore possibilities of government formation. In an ironic twist, the Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday met Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung and submitted a letter seeking a week’s time to explore possibilities of government formation.
The letter signed by Mr. Kejriwal requested Mr. Jung not to dissolve the Assembly if he was planning to do so. The move comes as a surprise as AAP had been demanding dissolution of the Assembly ever since it resigned from the government in mid-February and had approached the Supreme Court to seek the dissolution.
In the letter, a copy of which is in the possession of The Hindu, Mr. Kejriwal proposed that the AAP would be taking people’s opinion by conducting meetings on government formation.
“In next few days the AAP is going to organise public meetings in order to take public opinion. You are requested not to dissolve the Assembly for at least for a week if at all you are planning to,” said the letter.
Interestingly, AAP was tight-lipped about Mr. Kejriwal’s meeting with the Lieutenant-Governor. Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia described it a “courtesy call”.
But sources in the party said the issue of government formation indeed figured in Mr. Kejriwal’s talks with the L-G. The meeting comes after a section of the AAP MLAs demanded that the party leadership explore the possibility of government formation in Delhi with the support of the Congress.

US hopes partnership with India will grow under Narendra Modi
20 may, 2014
Calling India a "very important strategic partner", the US hopes that its "enduring partnership" with India will only grow under the new government led by Narendra Modi despite the flap over his visa.
"Obviously, we have a long, enduring partnership with India. That will continue and hopefully only grow in the future," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday referring President Barack Obama's invitation to the prime minister elect.
But despite the direct invitation from Obama ending the over decade-long US boycott of the Bharatiya Janata Party leader, whose US visa was revoked in 2005 for his alleged role during the 2002 Gujarat riots, the State department continued to play word games over the issue.
"I'm not going to get into the tick-tock, but heads of government and heads of state are eligible for an A-1 visa and must travel to the United States on an A-1 visa regardless of the purpose of the trip," Psaki said when asked if the US visa ban on Modi had ended.
"As prime minister of India, obviously Modi would be a head of state, and you saw the announcement from the White House this weekend, after the President's call, that they have invited him and would welcome him to the United States," Psaki said
But Modi have to apply for the visa to come to the US? "Again, I'm not going to get into the tick-tock of the logistics, but obviously heads of state come to the United States on A-1 visas," she repeated declining to say if the US had talked to Modi's team on the issue.
Asked if she read anything in Modi not tweeting his thanks to President Obama's congratulations, Psaki said: "I don't have any Twitter analysis today to share. We look forward to welcoming him to the United States when that visit is scheduled."
"I think our relationship between the United States and India is so strong and enduring we won't worry about the Twitter rank order," she added.
Asked who would be the new US point person for dealing with the new Modi government once the US ambassador Nancy Powell leaves later this month, Psaki noted that the US has "an extensive team on the ground, a very large presence in India, given the importance of our relationship."
"There will be a range of officials on the ground who will be in touch with the new government and be working with them" she said. "That just as is true with many, many governments where they have a very important strategic relationship." she added.

17 killed, 34 injured after bus falls into gorge in Jammu
20 may, 2014
Seventeen people were killed and 34 others injured when a passenger bus rolled down into a 400-feet deep gorge on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district in the wee hours of Tuesday.
The bus, which was on its way to Srinagar from Jammu, skidded off the road and rolled down into the gorge in Digdol area around 2.30 am due to the alleged negligence of the driver, police said. 17 people, including six women and a child were killed, and 34 others injured, 17 of them seriously in the mishap, they said.
Soon after the accident, army, police, quick response teams (QRTs), and CRPF led by Deputy Superintendent of Police S Bali launched rescue and search operation and recovered the bodies from the gorge, he said. The injured are being shifted to District Hospital Ramban, they said.
Authorities pressed into service chopper and airlifted 17 critically injured passengers to GMC Hospital in Jammu for specialised treatment, he said.
The bus was carrying some tourists, a group of students from Poonch going to the Kashmir Valley for taking part in a recruitment drive and some labourers including those from Gujarat and Punjab.
Some of the injured passengers told police that the driver was asked to break the journey and rest for some time but be decided to go ahead. The accident took place due to the "negligence of the driver", a police officer said. Most of the bodies recovered were badly mutilated, he said.
Newly-elected BJP MP of Udhampur Constituency Jitendra Singh expressed grief over the accident and loss of lives.He expressed sympathies with the family members of deceased. Singh, who is Delhi to attend the BJP Parliamentary Board meeting, urged authorities to provide medicare facilities to the injured and compensation to families of the deceased.

Post poll violence escalates in Odisha, one dead
20 may, 2014
A BJD worker was hacked to death by the supporters of rival Congress party in Odisha's Kendrapada district as post poll violence escalated in the area, police said on Tuesday.
Ranjit Nayak, 40, was killed Monday evening near Patrapur village, about 150 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, by two Congress supporters, Superintendent of Police Rabi Narayan Behera told IANS. The deceased and the attackers belonged to the same area. An investigation was on to find out if more people were involved in the crime. No arrest has been made so far, he said.
Nayak, a Biju Janata Dal worker, had allegedly attacked some Congress workers Saturday for bursting fire crackers near his house to mark the victory of their candidate in the assembly election.
In an act of revenge, the Congress supporters attacked Nayak with sharp weapons when he was alone at the outskirts of the village. He was rushed to a hospital but the doctors declared him dead. The region had earlier witnessed clashes between Congress and BJD workers a day after voting for Lok Sabha and assembly polls April 17.
A BJD supporter had died and several were injured in the clashes.

India's youngest MP has big plans for Hisar
20 may, 2014
When the 26-year-old Dushyant Chautala, a bachelor of business administration from California University, decided to plunge into politics, it was not simply to take forward the dynastic rule in Haryana. It was rather a challenge as the Chautala family scion had to restore the family honour that had suffered a jolt after his grandfather and former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala was convicted in the JBT teacher scam in 2012.
Whether Dushyant, born on April 3, 1988, will be able to help his family regain some of its lost glory is yet to be seen but by winning Hisar constituency, he has indeed become the youngest member of parliament in the history of Indian democracy. "Redemption of our lost prestige was the only thing in my mind. Victory against Kuldeep Bishnoi, one of biggest leaders in Haryana, indeed cemented our legacy as one of the most influential political clans in the state. My grandfather told me to contest from Hisar because he wanted me to defeat a big leader.
He told me that Kuldeep Bishnoi is the only big leader in this election who has a political legacy as good as ours. Defeating him will certainly make us regain our lost ground," said Dushyant, who defeated Bishnoi by a margin of 28,000 votes. Bishnoi is the son of late Bhajan Lal, the former chief minister and head of another political family.
"This is not the first time, any member of our family defeated a big leader," said Dushyant. "My great grandfather Chaudhary Devi Lal had defeated union minister, Balram Jakhar, whereas my grandfather defeated Chaudhary Birender Singh, the grandson of Chaudhary Chhotu Ram, one of founders of Haryana. My father had defeated Surender Singh, the son of Bansi Lal," said Dushayant while announcing himself as the political heir of Chautala clan.
Unlike his family members, including his father and brothers, Dushyant speaks fluent English.
Given his global exposure and educational background, Dushyant has big plans for his constituency. He wants Hisar to be developed on the lines of Jaipur, another city apart from Hisar and Ambala, designated as counter magnetic city (CMC) by the Centre.
"Hisar was declared CMC along with Jaipur and Ambala in 2010. But till now Hisar hasn't seen any development while Jaipur has been given many projects such as Metro rail along with many industrial corridors. My first priority would be to make Hisar a CMC beneficiary," said the Chautala junior.
Apart from CMC, Dushayant talks about welfare of farmers and sports facilities for youth. "Water and fertiliser have become dearer and beyond the reach of farmers, and I want to ensure that they have an easy access to these items. Haryana has made its mark in sports, and as an MP, I would try to get sports infrastructure for people of my constituency," said Dushyant.
Asked about the possibility of his party, Indian National Lok Dal, aligning with the BJP in the forthcoming assembly elections in the state, Dushyant declined any possibility of an alliance.
"Today, we met Rajnath Singhji and congratulated him for his party's superb victory. We will give an unconditional support to BJP at the Centre but as far as alliance for the assembly elections is concerned, we won't form any alliance and will contest all 90 seats," said Dushyant.

BJP and Narendra Modi storm the Lok Sabha: What can we expect from the Modi government?
19 may, 2014
As Narendra Modi registers win with huge margin from Vadodara and Varanasi in the General Elections of 2014, it is quite clear as to who will India have as the Prime Minister. But that's not enough. There are a few things that Indians can expect out of the new government and Prime Minister in the coming days:
1. Business friendly enviornment: Known for his ruthless decisiveness in granting super-fast industrial approvals, superfast industrial growth can be expected after Modi swears in as the prime Minister of India. Modi has always had a zealous pro-business agenda. History shows huge tax write-offs in Modi's "Gujarat model" which has helped corporates like Ambani's and Adani group to reach the position they are on currently.
2. Development agenda: 'Minimum government, maximum governence' was the quote Narendra Modi gave when he was campaigning for Lok Sabha elections. He assured boost in the infrastructure sector, improvement in the processes of governance, making bureaucracy more accountable and also redefining Centre-state relations. His ideas are expected to bring in more centralised form of functioning where everyone will be responsible and accountable for the tasks they are assigned.
3. Border security and foreign policy: Described as strident, Narendra Modi's government can be expected to bring in a huge change in India's foreign policy. More assertive response might be seen regarding cross-border terrorism, greater attention to long term policy planning and a greater military role in reforming India's national security.
4. Women issues: Modi, as he mentioned in his speeches, will bring about empowerment of women in both economic and social sphere in the country. He believes that women must be treated equally and with respect. His ideology does not have even a small part of discrimination against women. For women's security, Modi-led government will have the 'niyat' to change the present situation.
5. Section 377: As the Modi government takes charge, it will be an another retrogade time for the LGBT community of the country. RSS and BJP will stand by what they had said earlier, "homosexual acts are wrong". Only BJP leader Arun Jaitley has an entirely different stand on the issue, as he's mentioned before.

Congress to take stock of poll debacle in CWC meet today
19 may, 2014
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) will meet in New Delhi, on Monday; in the wake of the party's worst-ever performance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls.
The meeting of the party's apex decision making body, which will be chaired by party president Sonia Gandhi, is expected to delve on finding out reasons behind its defeat and chalking out on its future strategy.
Accepting responsibility for the poll debacle, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had said that the mandate in the Lok Sabha polls was clearly against the Congress and said there was a lot for the party to think about.

DMK workers attack journalists outside MK Stalin's house
19 may, 2014
Chennai: The party workers of DMK attacked reporters and other media persons outside party leader MK Stalin's home on Sunday.The journalists had gathered outside Stalin's house to know about the status of his resignation as party's treasurer.
Stalin had offered to resign from party posts on Sunday over poor performance of party in Lok Sabha Elections.
The DMK has condemned the incident and expressed regred over it.
The DMK organising secretary TKS Elangovan said "the party workers could have probably misunderstood the comments of media persons. Thus, they attacked them."
The reporters were waiting outside DMK leader's house in order to collect news about his purported resignaion.
Joint secretary of Chennai Press Club also criticised the incident of attack on reporters while they were in pursuit of their professional duties.
The Madras Reporters Guild demanded the arrest of DMK workers who attacked journalists immediately. Guild president R Rangaraj said "Police should ensure that press people are allowed to discharge their duties in a free and frank manner."

Narendra Modi Holds More Crucial Meetings in Delhi Over New Cabinet
19 may, 2014
New Delhi: Gujarat Bhawan - a kilometre away from the Prime Minister's residence at 7 Race Course Road where Narendra Modi will soon live - is the hub of intense political activity. Mr Modi is holding multiple meetings here as he finalises names for his cabinet.
There has been fierce speculation on who will get top posts in his government, but Mr Modi and his core team have played their cards close and are expected to continue doing so until a meeting tomorrow of the BJP's lawmakers. At that meeting the party's 282 new Lok Sabha MPs will elect Mr Modi as their leader and he will then stake claim to form government.
The date of Mr Modi's swearing in ceremony is yet to be announced and it is not clear yet if he will be sworn in alone or along with some ministers.
Yesterday, Mr Modi met many BJP leaders from different states at the Gujarat Bhawan where he is staying in Delhi. He stepped out to visit veteran leader LK Advani, with whom he talked for about 40 minutes and then later, Murli Manohar Joshi.
Mr Modi has to finalise what roles these leaders and Sushma Swaraj, all of them not seen as close to him, will play in his government. Mr Advani is reportedly keen on the Lok Sabha Speaker's post as that position does not report to the PM, sources said. Ms Swaraj is said to be in line for an important Cabinet berth.
Other meetings were simultaneously held in different parts of the capital all through Sunday. Top leaders visited the Delhi office of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS, the party's ideological mentor and met the Sangh's second-in-command Bhaiyyaji Joshi.
The RSS, known to influence key decisions in the BJP, has issued an emphatic statement that it will play no role in deciding on Mr Modi's cabinet. "Sangh didn't give guideline to anyone. BJP set an agenda which nation accepted, they will decide how to take nation forward. Sangh isn't a remote control nor is it a political organization," said RSS Spokesperson Ram Madhav.
"It is a routine meeting... don't know why there is so much of talk about it," said Mr Naidu.

Narendra Modi lands in Delhi, leads victory procession
17 may, 2014
"Modi will leave Ahmedabad at 8am on Saturday and his flight is expected to reach here by 10am. BJP has made extensive arrangements for a victory procession of Modi from the airport to the party headquarter on Ashoka Road. The procession will stop at eight places on the way to party headquarters where cadres will felicitate him," said a source associated with the arrangements.
Modi is expected to reach party headquarters in central Delhi in two hours and will participate in the meeting of the parliamentary board scheduled at 12.30pm.
He will then fly to Varanasi in the afternoon where he is expected to participate in Ganga arti and a public meeting. He is expected to be back in the capital by night.
The prime ministerial guarding force, the Special Protection Group (SPG) is already involved in the security arrangements for Modi's victory procession in the national capital but the force will formally take over his security when will take oath.
"Modi is expected to take oath by 22 May. But nothing is finalised as of now," said the source.
Modi wrested the top job in the country on Friday as a saffron wave swept most of India, lifting the BJP to its highest-ever tally and leaving the Congress in tatters.
The triumph capped an amazing run for the 63-year-old chief minister of Gujarat, who ran a high-voltage campaign that rewrote the political rule book and knocked his rivals off balance.
The result is the biggest landslide in 30 years, and the first time since 1984 that a single party has a majority in the Lok Sabha.
The mandate gives Modi the chance to shape the new government as he wishes, without the pulls and pressures that have hobbled past coalitions.
Expectations are growing that he will slash red tape, revamp tax laws and unveil measures to kick start growth.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh bids adieu, says his tenure is open book
17 may, 2014
Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh on Saturday said he had tried to do his best in serving the country and his tenure of 10 years was an "open book".
Making his farewell televised address to the nation, he said the judgement delivered by the people in the elections should be respected by all and wished the incoming government every success.
Looking back at his tenure, he said India saw many successes and achievements "that we should be proud of" and the country has become far stronger in last one decade. But it still has vast latent development potential.
"I address you today for the last time as Prime Minister of India. Ten years ago, when I was entrusted with this responsibility, I entered upon it with diligence as my tool, truth as my beacon and a prayer that I might always do the right thing," Singh said in his brief address.
"Today, as I prepare to lay down office, I am aware that well before the final judgment that we all await from the Almighty, there is judgment in the court of public opinion that all elected officials and governments are required to submit themselves to.
"Fellow citizens, each one of us should respect the judgement that you have delivered. The just concluded elections have deepened the foundations of our democratic polity," he said.

Full text of outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's last address to the nation
17 may, 2014
My Fellow Citizens,
I address you today for the last time as Prime Minister of India. Ten years ago, when I was entrusted with this responsibility, I entered upon it with diligence as my tool, truth as my beacon and a prayer that I might always do the right thing.
Today, as I prepare to lay down office, I am aware that well before the final judgment that we all await from the Almighty, there is judgment in the court of public opinion that all elected officials and governments are required to submit themselves to.
Fellow citizens, each one of us should respect the judgement that you have delivered. The just concluded elections have deepened the foundations of our democratic polity.
As I have said on many occasions, my life and tenure in public office are an open book. I have always tried to do my best in serving this great nation of ours.
In the last ten years, we as a country have seen many successes and achievements that we should be proud of. Today, India is a far stronger country in every respect than it was a decade ago. I give credit for these successes to all of you. However, there is still vast latent development potential in our country and we must collectively work hard to realize it.
As I leave office, my abiding memory will be the love and kindness that I have always received from you. I owe everything to this country, this great land of ours where I, an underprivileged child of Partition, was empowered enough to rise and occupy high office. It is both a debt that I will never be able to repay and a decoration that I will always wear with pride.
Friends, I am confident about the future of India. I firmly believe that the emergence of India as a major powerhouse of the evolving global economy is an idea whose time has come. Blending tradition with modernity and unity with diversity, this nation of ours can show the way forward to the world. Serving this nation has been my privilege. There is nothing more that I could ask for.
I wish the incoming government every success as it embarks on its task and pray for even greater successes for our nation.
Thank you. Jai Hind.

Security tightened for Narendra Modi's roadshow
17 may, 2014
With Narendra Modi set to hold a roadshow in the national capital today after scripting a historic win in the Lok Sabha polls, a multi-layer security cover has been put in place in the city with hundreds of policemen and NSG commandos deployed.
Policemen will be manning the security arrangements en route the road show and security personnel will be stationed on high-rise buildings on the route to spot any suspicious activities.
Snipers have been deployed and anti-sabotage checks have been carried out on the route, which has been sanitised. Police and NSG commandos sanitised the 11, Ashoka road BJP headquarters and a multi-layered security apparatus has been put in place around it. "Elaborate police arrangements have been made everywhere on the route and at the place of the function where public is gathering especially at the BJP headquarters. "We have blocked the traffic at both the sides of the road at the headquarters and the persons who are coming are being frisked and checked. We have also put in place elaborate patrolling and traffic arrangements. All the security agencies are working in coordination with the Delhi Police," said Joint Commissioner M K Meena here.
Asked if there was any security threat to Modi, the JC said, "I can only tell you that we are ready for everything".

BJP'S first press conference amit shah present with bjp president Rajnath Singh
16 may, 2014
Rajnath Singh said, "I am very happy about the BJP'S kandslide victory. This is victory with responsibility. We have crossed the barriers of Regionalism and casteism.We have achieved majority after 1984.Victory in the result of Narendra Modi's dynamic leadership.Now it is the right time to re-write India Success Story. BJP is now party of all sections of the society. Abusing words should not be used against any person. We have recieved the mandate for change. I congratulate all winners."

JANTA KA FAISLA- PEOPLE'S VERDICT 2014
16 may, 2014
Loksabha Election Highlights-
-Narendra Modi win from Vadodara
-Sachin Pilot loses from Ajmer
- Google Celebrate India's General Election with doodle.
-Arun Jaitly loses to Amrinder Singh.
-I take responsibility for congress defeat. I congratulate the new government- Rajiv Gandhi & Sonia Gandhi.

Election results: Congress leads in lone Mizoram seat
16 may, 2014
The ruling Congress candidate and incumbent Lok Sabha member CL Ruala was Friday leading by 10,000 votes over Robert Romawia Royte of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the lone Lok Sabha constituency of Mizoram, officials said.
M. Lalmanzuala of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was in the third position as vote count continued in eight districts of the state, bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh.
The main opposition UDF is an alliance of eight parties led by the Mizo National Front, which ruled the state for two terms (1998-2003 and 2003-2008).
Counting of votes for the by-election from the Hrangturzo assembly constituency was also continuing.
The by-poll was necessitated after Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, who won from two seats in the assembly polls held Nov 25 last year, vacated the seat.

Elections 2014 results: Narendra Modi wins from Vadodara, defeats Congress' Madhusudan Mistry
16 may, 2014
Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi has won from Vadodara in Gujarat by a record three lakh votes over his nearest rival, Congress leader Madhusudan Mistry.
Latest results aired on television channels show the opposition National Democratic Alliance leading in 294 seats (+ 158), UPA leading in 77 seats (-146) and others leading in 143 (-11) The leads are available for 515 out of the 543 seats that are up for grabs. Counting of votes to elect representatives to the 16th Lok Sabha and four State Assemblies – Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim – began at 8 am this morning amid tight security.
The exit polls have projected that the BJP and its allies would touch the half-way mark in the 543-member Lok Sabha. Most polls show the incumbent UPA regime getting between 101 and 148 seats.
Rajnath Singh congratulates Modi, says BJP's performance superb. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh on Friday congratulated party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi over the party's performance in Lok Sabha elections. "Congratulated Shri @narendramodi over the phone on BJP's superb performance in the Lok Sabha elections. Trends indicate it is a landslide," Singh tweeted.
Of the 542 seats for which leads are available, the BJP is ahead in 271 to 320 seats (+ 182), while the Congress is leading in 51 to 67 seats (-155 to -167).

Arun Jaitley stares at huge loss in Amritsar, AAP finds new ground in Punjab
16 may, 2014
Arun Jaitley is set to lose in his Punjab constituency by 40490 votes, according to news reports. The incumbent Shiromani Akali Dal's Captain Amarinder Singh is leading in Amritsar over Bharatiya janata Party (BJP). Reports say Singh is leading by 45120 votes.
According to the Election Commission report, the Shiromani Akali Dal ia leading in four seats in Punjab.

Aam Aadmi party has found new grounds in Punjab and is leading in four seats, with the Congress leading in three seats. The BJP is leading in two seats.
Congress' Manpreet Singh Badal and Ambika Soni are doing poorly in their Bathinda and Anandpur Sahib seats respectively.

Early trends show setback for Congress in Maharashtra
16 may, 2014
In a setback to Congress, Union Minister of State for Telecom and Shipping Milind Deora and Priya Dutt are trailing in their respective constituencies of Mumbai South and North North Central. In Mumbai South, Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant has established a comfortable lead, polling 26,260 votes followed by 8,807 of Deora. AAP's Meera Sanyal has polled 1,670 while MNS' Bala Nandgaonkar had bagged 6,526 votes, as per initial trends.
In Mumbai North Central, Poonam Mahajan of BJP is leading over Priya Dutt by a margin of 7,895 votes. Poonam has polled 13,744 votes while Priya has got 5,849 votes. In Mumbai South Central, Shiv Sena's Rahul Shewale has established a lead of 12,961 votes over his Congress rival Eknath Gaikwad who has polled 6,488 votes. In Mumbai North East, BJP's Kirit Somaiya has established a comfortable lead over his NCP rival Sanjay Dina Patil. In neighbouring Thane district's Bhiwandi seat, Shiv Sena-BJP is continuing its good performance with Kapil Patil of BJP establishing a lead of 10,535 votes over his rival Vishwanath Patil.In Thane, Rajan Vichare of Shiv Sena has polled 19,438 votes as against NCP's sitting MP Sanjiv Naik who has got 15,057 votes. In Kalyan, Shrikant Shinde of Shiv Sena is leading over his MNS rival Pramod Patil by 3,354 votes leaving sitting MP Anand Paranjpye in the third place. In 2004 and 2009, Mumbai had backed Congress giving it and ally NCP 7 of 10 seats in Mumbai and Thane belt.
BJP-Sena combine leading in 42 of 48 seats in Maharashtra Mumbai, May 16 (PTI) The BJP-Shiv Sena led alliance looks set for its best ever performance in Maharashtra leading in 42 of the total 48 seats, according to trends till 11 am. BJP candidates are leading in 23 and Sena nominees in 19 seats. Congress, which contested 27 seats, is ahead in one seat while NCP, which contested 21 seats, is leading in three seats.
The notable BJP candidates leading included former party president Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur and the party's deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde, who is attempting to retain his Beed seat in Marathwada. Prominent among those trailing are Union minister Sushilkumar Shinde from Solapur, Chhagan Bhujbal from Nashik and Congress minister Narayan Rane's son Nilesh Rane, who is trying to retain the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat in coastal Konkan.
Late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan's daughter Poonam Mahajan is leading from Mumbai North Central over Congress candidate Priya Dutt, who is sitting MP from that seat. In Baramati, after initial setback, NCP's Supriya Sule established a lead by 15,000 votes. In North Maharashtra, BJP is leading by 3,854 votes in Dhule and by 25,000 votes in Dindori. In Amravati, Shiv Sena is ahead by 5,831 votes. In Maval, Laxman Jagtap of PWP is leading. Kirit Somaiya of BJP is leading by 29,007 votes over Sanjay Dina Patil who has polled 16,155 votes. AAP's Medha Patkar is in the third position with 6,460 votes. In Pune, Anil Shirole (BJP) is leading by over 25,000 votes.
State Congress minister Shivajirao Moghe is leading in Yavatmal constituency while saffron party nominees have surged ahead in the Congress bastion of Vidarbha as per the trends available.
Moghe has secured 16,170 votes while sitting Shiv Sena MP Bhavana Gawali got 15,358 votes at the end of first round in Yavatmal. In Amravati, sitting Shiv Sena MP Anandrao Adsul is leading against his rival and NCP nominee Navneet Rana at the end of first round. BJP MP from Akola Sanjay Dhotre has secured 17,505 votes while Prakash Ambedkar of Bhartiya Bahujan Mahasangh got 12,080 votes at the end of the first round.
In Buldana seat, Prataprao Jadhav of Shiv Sena polled 23,667 votes while Krishnarao Ingle of Congress got 15,385 votes at the end of first round.

Coming up for Narendra Modi, roadshows, rallies and Ganga aarti at Varanasi
15 may, 2014
New Delhi: Narendra Modi, the man widely expected to be India's next prime minister, will divide his time over the next few days between Delhi and the two constituencies from where he is running for parliament - Vadodara in Gujarat and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
NDTV's exit poll shows Mr Modi's BJP and its allies getting a majority with 279 seats.
When results for the elections are announced on Friday, Mr Modi, 64, will be in Gujarat. Sources in the BJP say they are planning a rally for him at 5 pm in Vadodara, 134 kms from the state capital of Gandhinagar. Another rally will then be Ahmedabad.
On Saturday May 17, Mr Modi will fly to Delhi, where his party is planning to use his journey from the airport to the BJP headquarters as a victory procession.
Mr Modi will attend a meeting of the BJP's top leaders- its parliamentary board -where the discussion is likely to focus on government formation.
He will then fly to Varanasi, from where he ran for parliament against Arvind Kejriwal, chief of the Aam Aadmi Party. Sources say Mr Modi will, that evening, perform a special prayer on the banks of the Ganga.
From Varanasi, he will return to either Delhi or Gujarat.
If Mr Modi wins both the elections he contested, he is expected to choose Varanasi as the constituency he will represent in parliament.

AIADMK, BJD bend towards NDA; TMC sticks to anti-Modi stand
15 may, 2014
New Delhi: Regional parties, which had once aspired to form a government at the Centre on their own, now seem to be swept away by the 'Modi wave', as they warm up to the BJP-led NDA ahead of poll results.
Even as the exit-polls predict a clean sweep for the NDA, regional parties are bound to play a crucial role in the formation of government at the Centre.
While Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal and Jayalalithaa's AIADMK have already indicated that they might rejoin the NDA camp post poll results, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress remains adamant on its anti-Modi, anti-BJP stand.
The BJD has demanded special status for Odisha in return for its support. Speaking to CNN-IBN, party leader Jay Panda said, "We are certainly not reaching out to them. I will acknowledge that couple of our members both in the Assembly and the Parliament have mooted the idea that if a government at Delhi were to address some of the historical injustices that have affected Odisha.. now this is a wide spread view in Odisha.. this is a long held view in Odisha that there have been historical injustices, so a couple of my colleagues have mooted the idea that perhaps we ought to consider that, I acknowledge that, I don't want to dismiss any of my colleagues suggestions without at least hearing them out."
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa too who had prime ministerial aspirations might just end up joining the NDA. AIADMK leader K Malaisamy said on Wednesday that Jayalalithaa and Narendra Modi were great friends and the former would like to keep close ties with the BJP if the Gujarat CM was appointed as the next Prime Minister.
The TMC, meanwhile, does not plan to do any business with a Modi-led government, as party leader Derek O'Brien said, "You asked me about a Modi-led government, the answer is no, if you go and ask me a supplementary what about the NDA if the NDA are 20-25 short, we have done a straight forward campaign, you know what the narrative of our campaign has been, the answer to that is also no."
As the political parties go into a huddle discussing their future course of action, Nationalist Congress Party leader Praful Patel had also picked up a row recently when he said that the BJP will emerge as the single largest party. He however, later clarified that the NCP had no plans to jump the UPA ship and join the NDA. Party leader Jitendra Awhad rallied behind Patel as he said that the chances of NCP reaching out to Modi was "no", "never". "We are having our state elections, we are partners with Congress within the state, why should be commit suicide?," he added.

Communal clash: Curfew continues in trouble-hit areas
15 may, 2014
Indefinite curfew remained in force for the second day today under Rajendranagar Police Station limits of Cyberabad Police Commissisonerate here in the wake of communal clashes and death of three persons in police firing in Kishanbagh area of Old City.
"The curfew is continuing...situation is peaceful and under control...no untoward incidents have been reported," Cyberabad Joint Commissioner of Police Y Gangadhar told PTI.
Three persons were killed yesterday in police firing following communal clashes sparked by alleged burning of a religious flag by some persons in Kishanbagh area of the Old City.
Police clamped indefinite curfew under section 144 of CrPC in Rajendranagar Police Station limits after the clashes, which left 17 people, including ten police personnel, injured in heavy stone pelting.
Large number of police personnel, including RAF and Central Para Military Forces, were deployed in the area to maintain law and order.
Depending on the situation today, police may take a decision on relaxation in the curfew period.
Some trouble-makers were taken into custody and were being questioned about their alleged role in the incident, police sources said.

BJP parliamentary board to meet in Delhi on May 17
15 may, 2014
Bharatiya Janata Party's parliamentary board will meet in Delhi on 17 May, a day after Lok Sabha poll results are declared. "I have told Narendra Modi to come to Delhi on 17. I will convene the Parliamentary Board meeting on that date to decide the earliest date to hold BJP parliamentary party meet to formally elect Narendrabhai as our leader," BJP chief Rajnath Singh told reporters here last night after a three-hour meeting the party's core group leaders at Modi's residence.
Singh said that they have discussed their plan with Narendra Modi for a parliamentary board meeting after the poll results and asked all the National Democratic Alliance parties to show their complete support for him.
"I have requested that after the result of 16th, on 17th Modi should come to Delhi and we will call for a parliamentary meeting and he could be officially chosen as the leader and as many NDA allies are there, I request them to show their support for Modi. I would also like that in the presence of all the NDA allies, Modi is elected as the NDA leader," said Singh.
Singh also added that they would welcome support from any other political party.
Earlier, speaking to media soon after their arrival at Ahmedabad Airport, Rajnath Singh said: "We (BJP or NDA) are absolutely confident of achieving a clear majority in the 2014 elections. Till the results are out, I can't and won't say more. There is no doubt that Narendra Modi is our (BJP's) prime ministerial candidate and nominee. We (Modi and other BJP leaders) have been talking on phone. I have been talking to him on phone, and I have made the suggestion that everything can't be discussed over the phone, and that we need to come over (to Gandhinagar or New Delhi) to sit together and discuss all issues in a calm manner."
When he was asked what roles the expected Modi-led BJP or NDA Government at the Centre had planned for veteran leaders like L.K.Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Murli Manohar Joshi, Singh said this would be spelt out in due course, and added that all leaders of the BJP would be kept in the loop, and would present a united face, when it came to announcing the decisions taken.
Senior BJP leaders have been holding a series of meetings in New Delhi and discussions are said to have focused on the possibility of the party forming the next government at the Centre and changes in the organisation ahead of counting of votes on May 16.
BJP leaders also discussed the possibility of seeking the support of some allies, including the BJD, the AIADMK and the NCP.

Irom Sharmila allowed to appear before Delhi court
14 may, 2014
The court of the chief judicial magistrate, Imphal East, has given permission to Irom Chanu Sharmila to appear before a Delhi court on May 27, 2014. She faces charges of attempt to commit suicide.
She has been on a fast since November 4, 2000 demanding repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958. She is booked under section 309 IPC. The law permits the authority to detain her for one year at one go. At the end of each year she is released.
But then she is invariably rearrested since she continues the fast in front of her supporters.
In 2006, she slipped through the airport to land at Jantar Mantar to continue her fast. Police and intelligence agencies were caught napping since her presence in Delhi was brought to their notice only when some news channels telecast her fasting there.
Talking to reporters at the court premises on Tuesday Ms. Sharmila denied that she is trying to commit suicide. She said that she was using fast as a weapon to achieve her objective. If she wanted to commit suicide nobody could have prevented her from doing so, she said.
Her lawyer Mani Khaidem said that the repeated prosecution of Ms. Sharmila is unconstitutional. He is demanding unconditional release of Ms. Sharmila. The Delhi court had ordered her appearance in connection with her protest at Jantar Mantar.

Narendra Modi's dream Cabinet - Finance for Jaitley; Sushma may get Foreign Ministry
14 may, 2014
New Delhi: With exit polls predicting a landslide victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, talks have begun in the main opposition party over future role of its top leaders in the central Cabinet led by Narendra Modi.
Sources suggest that BJP president Rajnath Singh, who successfully stitched pre-poll alliance with other political parties and also pacified senior party leaders on contentious issues like appointment of Modi as BJP's PM nominee, is expected to get the crucial Defence Ministry. Importantly, the Defence Ministry is generally given to the person who is considered to be the second-in-command after the Prime Minister.
Modi's close confidante and Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley, who contested the Lok Sabha polls from Amritsar constituency, may be awarded with the Finance Ministry. During the 2012 Gujarat Assembly elections, Jaitley had relentlessly worked in the western state to ensure a victory for Modi. Another senior party leader Sushma Swaraj, who had vehemently opposed Modi's appointment as BJP's PM candidate for 2014 General Elections, is expected to get the charge of Foreign Ministry. Sushma is most suited for the Foreign Ministry portfolio given her vast experience in the Parliament in handling critical issues.
At a time when the country is facing a severe threat from the terrorists and Naxals, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who had openly supported Modi as PM, may be bestowed with the Home Ministry portfolio. Parrikar is well known for his clean image and is considered to be an able administrator.
Other senior party leaders like Murli Manohar Joshi may be appointed as the Speaker, Nitin Gadkari may be given Surface Transport Ministry, Venkaiah Naidu is expected to get the important Agricultural Ministry and Ananth Kumar may become the Parliamenraty Affairs Minister.
Other than these, Ravi Shankar Prasad, who at present is a member of the Rajya Sabha is likely to be announced as the Law Minister, Rajiv Pratap Rudy may get he Civil Aviation Ministry and Shahnawaz Hussain, a prominent Muslim face of the party will be the Minority Affairs Minister. Yashwant Sinha, who was the Finance Minister in the NDA government-led by Atal Behari Vajpayee, may be appointed the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission.
The BJP-led NDA coalition is set to return to power in India led by its prime ministerial aspirant Narendra Modi, ending a decade of Congress-led rule, exit polls said on Monday after the country's most bitterly fought general election ended peacefully.
Three of the four exit polls Monday night estimated that the BJP-led NDA would get 272 to 289 seats in the 545-member Lok Sabha, leaving the Congress bruised and battered.

Sonia Gandhi to host farewell dinner for PM Manmohan Singh today
14 may, 2014
New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi will host a farewell dinner on Wednesday for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who demits his office on May 17. Sonia has asked Congress leaders to defend the Prime Minister.
In a meeting with the party leaders, Sonia said even if the results were poor, they should not put the blame on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The remarks came in the backdrop of the post-poll surveys projecting worst ever performance by the Congress and best ever performance by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Meanwhile, sources also say that the Congress will try to deflect all blame from party Vice President Rahul Gandhi as well. But the PM's former media advisor Sanjaya Baru has said that elections 2014 were fought between Rahul and Modi and the responsibility for any failure should lie with the Congress Vice President and not the Prime Minister.
The Congress also underlined that Singh had led the country through difficult times and hailed his "able stewardship". "Singh's experienced and seasoned stewardship, his personal integrity and ability to lead the country through difficult times is noteworthy and India is proud to have earned so many laurels and respect during the ten years", party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said. He said that the party deeply appreciated the "able stewardship" of Singh during UPA-I and UPA-II "when we have carved out a trajectory and a path of clear inclusive growth, stability and social harmony in the country".
Expressing gratitude and heartfelt thanks to the Prime Minister and his team, he wished him good health and happiness. The AICC's praise of the Prime Minister came on the eve of a farewell dinner for him hosted by Sonia Gandhi, just three days before the announcement of results of Lok Sabha elections.
Singh had earlier this year announced his retirement. Congress leaders had always spoken of the relationship between the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi as an ideal division of labour, which saw perfect harmonisation between the government and the party. The AICC has always maintained that there cannot be any better relationship between a party president and a Prime Minister and had often dismissed as "rumours and disinformation" reports of differences between the two.

Shazia Ilmi takes on Narendra Modi, calls him agent of industrialists in Ahmedabad
14 may, 2014
AAP leader Shazia Ilmi today accused Narendra Modi of being an agent of industrialists and said there was no 'Modi wave'. "There is no Modi wave (lehr), there is a poison (jehr). This wave is a bought one."
"You (Narendra Modi) called Arvind Kejriwal AK 49, an agent of Pakistan, whose agent are you? You are an agent of big industrialists while Arvind Kejriwal is an agent of Aam Aadmi," Ilmi said, addressing a public gathering at Vatva area here." She was canvassing for AAP candidate from Ahmedabad East Dinesh Waghela. Taking a jibe at Modi's personal life, the AAP leader said, "We hear that a child is born in a family. But in last few days we have heard and watched the news that a wife has been born."
She said that Modi was suffering from amnesia that is why he has forgotten senior party leaders, "he forgot his wife too and he will forget people also... if lotus (BJP symbol) blooms, you people would wither away." Police, meanwhile, asked her to stop her speech midway as campaigning hours were over.
Later, talking to media, Ilmi said her controversial appeal to Muslims to be "communal" had been made on a sarcastic note. "I have made a sarcastic comment and I just told that Muslims should think about their community, they should think of providing better healthcare and better education to their kids," Ilmi said.

As surveys predict Modi as the PM, new Gujarat CM likely by May 20
13 may, 2014
New Delhi: Most exit polls have predicted that the National Democratic Alliance is likely to form the next government at the Centre with Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister. Following these predictions, Modi will meet BJP MLAs in Gandhinagar on Tuesday evening and the issue of his successor as the Gujarat Chief Minister will be discussed.
Sources say that the new Gujarat Chief Minister is likely to be sworn in before May 20. Hectic parleys have begun to appoint Modi's successor in Gujarat.
Although BJP leaders say that the Central Parliamentary Committee will appoint the next Chief Minister, it appears that senior minister Anandi Patel is tipped to take over.
Sources say Modi has discussed this issue with the RSS and the BJP leadership and Patel's name has been finalised. Patel had in April told CNN-IBN that she would accept if the BJP decided to make her Gujarat Chief Minister.
Anandiben Patel, the Gujarat Minister for Roads and Buildings and Urban Development, is considered to be a close aide of Modi. She is the de-facto second in command in the Gujarat government. She is one of the longest serving women MLAs in the Gujarat government.
Earlier, senior state minister Nitin Patel had also said that he is ready to take up the job if the party extends him an opportunity.
"I am ready to be Chief Minister if party asks me to take up the job," Patel said. "If you ask this question to any MLA that are you ready to be the Chief Minister he will reply in positive. If you ask Virat Kohli that would he like to be captain of India obviously he would not say no," Patel had said.

Over 110 Staff give farewell to prime minister Singh
13 may, 2014 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was given a standing ovation by his staff at South Block on Tuesday during a farewell they hosted for him. It also saw some moist eyes.
Around 110 staff of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) gathered at South Block to give a farewell to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who steps down on May 17 after a decade at the helm of the country.

I am very thankful to you all for you service to the nation. May God bless You

"The staff gave the prime minister a standing ovation," a PMO official said, adding that the staff presented him with a bouquet.
Manmohan Singh told the PMO staff: "I am very thankful to you all for your service. May god bless you."
Some of the staff who have interacted with the prime minister during the 10 years of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule were seen wiping away their tears, the official added.
Present along with Manmohan Singh were National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, Principal Secretary Pulok Chatterjee, Prime Minister's Advisor T.K.A. Nair and his Media Advisor Pankaj Pachauri.
The farewell was hosted in the specious corridor of the PMO.
It was held Tuesday as May 14 is a holiday on account of buddha Purnima, said a source.
The prime minister will hold his last cabinet meeting may 17 morning, before handing over to hte president the regignation of his government to allow formation of a new regime.
Some TV cameras and news photographers were present on the occasion.The 10-phase Lok Sabha elections, which were held in 28 states and seven union territories, began April 7 and ended Monday. The millions of votes will be counted Friday.

5,000 Hindus migrating from Pakistan to India every year due to religious harassment
13 may, 2014
Nearly 5,000 Hindus are migrating from Pakistan to India every year, a senior Pakistani official has said.
The revelation was made by a member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani in the National Assembly while commenting on law and order situation in Pakistan.
The PML-N MNA said that six incidents of religious desecration occurred within the last two months in Sindh.
He added that majority of the incidents were related to the burning of religious books of Hindu minority in the province.
According to Dawn News, Vankwani said that it was the constitutional rights of the people, belonging to different minorities, to practice their religion freely in Pakistan.
He said that influential people were forcefully converting religion of Hindu girls in interior Sindh.
He also urged the Nawaz government to take steps to counter such attempts from Muslim majority, suggesting that the government should set up a parliamentary committee to discuss the issues related to minorities.
He also said that it was the teaching of all the religions to respect other faiths but the minorities had failed to get equal rights in Pakistan, the report added.

Narendra Modi a mix of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, Pramod Mahajan: Amar Singh
13 may, 2014
As the exit polls give a mandate to the BJP-led NDA coalition, Rashtriya Lok Dal candidate Amar Singh on Tuesday said that he will accept the verdict given by people.
Commenting on the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Singh said one could see a glimpse of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, party patriarch LK Advani, and slain BJP leader Pramod Mahajan in Narendra Modi.
"One could see mix of Atal ji, Advani ji and late Pramod Mahajan ji in Modi, will accept the verdict of people," he added.
According to Times Now ORG exit poll, the BJP-led NDA will get around 249 seats whereas the Congress-led UPA government might score around 148 seats. The poll also shows that regional parties will get 146 seats combined.
The C-Voter exit poll suggests that the NDA might get around 289 seats while the UPA will get only 101 seats.
The CNN-IBN CSDS-Lokniti exit poll suggests that NDA will get a lion's share of around 270-282 seats while the UPA will get around 92-102 seats only.
The Headlines Today exit poll suggests the NDA will get 272 plus seats, while the UPA will be struck at 115 seats.
The ABP NEWS - NIELSEN exit poll too suggests that the NDA will get more than 281 seats whereas the UPA will get only 97 seats.
All the polls have shown huge gains for the NDA in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra. In Southern states, the regional parties will be getting the lion share of seats.
In 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the UPA was able to get 262 seats while the NDA got only 159 seats.

Court to Hear Cancellation Plea on Gopal Kanda's Bail
12 may, 2014
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court will today hear the cancellation of bail of former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, who is accused of abetting the suicide of an air hostess employed with his aviation company in 2012.
The High Court had granted bail to the 48-year-old Mr Kanda on March 4, while observing that he was in judicial custody since August 2012.
Geetika Sharma, working with Mr Kanda's MDLR Airlines, was found dead on August 5, 2012 at her Ashok Vihar residence in northwest Delhi. In her suicide note, the 23-year-old had said she was ending her life due to "harassment" by Mr Kanda and his close aide, Aruna Chadha.
Ms Chadha was arrested on August 8, 2012. Mr Kanda surrendered before the police ten days later. The High Court granted bail to Ms Chadha in February.
Mr Kanda and Ms Chadha have been charged with abetment of suicide, criminal conspiracy, forgery and offences under the IT Act for hacking computers and sending offensive or false messages. Both the accused have denied the allegations.
Earlier this month, the former Haryana minister launched his own political party, Haryana Lokhit Party, saying the outfit would work to end "dynasty rule, casteism and regionalism in politics."

Lok Sabha polls: Bihar records 18% polling till 10am
12 may, 2014
Patna: About 18% polling was recorded till 10am in six constituencies in the last of the six-phase Lok Sabha elections in Bihar.
While Valmikinagar, West Champaran and Siwan recorded 16% polling, East Champaran recorded 15%, Vaishali 23% and Gopalganj 20%, an Election Commission statement said.
There was no report of any untoward incident. Complaints of problems in EVMs were reported from some booths in Gopalganj, East Champaran and elsewhere, the statement said.
Filmmaker Prakash Jha and former Union minister Raghubansh Prasad Singh are among the 90 candidates in the fray from the six seats of Bihar witnessing voting on Monday.
While Jha is trying his luck on a Janata Dal (United) ticket from Paschim Champaran, more popularly known as Bettiah, Singh, who won praise for piloting MGNREGA, is fighting from his traditional Vaishali seat on a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) ticket.
Elaborate security arrangement was in place with 58,000 security personnel on duty. The Election Commission reduced the duration of polling by two hours in five assembly segments in view of perceived Maoist threat.

Manmohan Singh to hold last Cabinet meet on May 17: Report
12 may, 2014
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will on May 17 hold his last Cabinet meet before demitting office after 10 years as the head of a UPA coalition government, a report said on Monday.
The Prime Minister would be demitting office on May 17, a day after the Lok Sabha elections results are announced. He had earlier this year announced his retirement, after a decade at the helm of two successive United Progressive Alliance (UPA) governments.
On January 03, 2014, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressed his final press conference, and only his third one in 10 years. He announced his retirement from politics at the press conference.
Known as a workaholic who has never taken a holiday, Manmohan Singh has not even now drawn up any holiday plans after retirement, say people close to him.
The Prime Minister will address the nation before demitting office.
Manmohan Singh, India's 13th prime minister and the first technocrat to rule the country, will still be visible in public life - as a Rajya Sabha member. He was re-elected for a six-year term last year, his fifth successive since 1991.
The 81-year-old Prime Minister had announced earlier this year that he would not seek a third term in case the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) comes back to power.
The Oxford and Cambridge-educated Manmohan Singh has been prime minister since May 2004 when Sonia Gandhi hand-picked him for the job.

Modi's Gujarat Meet Tomorrow Triggers Talk of Search for Successor
12 may, 2014
Gandhinagar: Narendra Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, has called a meeting tomorrow evening of all his party's state legislators in Gandhinagar, triggering speculation that efforts have begun to find his replacement as the head of the Gujarat government.
Sources in the BJP, however, said that the meeting is routine - they say Mr Modi meets state law-makers on alternate Tuesdays.
Mr Modi is serving his fourth term as Gujarat Chief Minister; he is contesting his first national election from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, which votes today, and Vadodara In Gujarat, which has already voted in the mammoth nine-phase election. If he is elected from both, he is likely, sources say, to surrender the Vadodara constituency.
Opinion polls show Mr Modi will lead the BJP to the maximum seats in the national election, but they differ on whether the party will get a clear majority. That will determine whether new allies will be needed to allow the BJP to form the government.
Mr Modi's possible successors within Gujarat include Anandiben Patel, currently the Revenue Minister, Saurabh Patel, who is Industries Minister, and Bikhu Dalsania, an organisational secretary of the BJP in Gujarat.

Two militants killed as Army foils infiltration bid in Poonch
10 may, 2014
Two militants were killed when Army foiled an infiltration bid along Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, the second this month.
A jawan was also injured in the exchange of fire late last night. A group of four militants were seen moving inside Indian territory along LoC in forward belt Kalsia in Poonch district, a Army officer told PTI today.
Army troops challenged them and the militants opened fire on the troops, who retaliated. In the ensuing encounter, two militants were killed and a soldier suffered injuries. He has been been hospitalised, the officer said, adding bodies have been recovered and a search operation is going on.
On May 3, troops foiled an infiltration bid along LoC in Sawjian belt of Poonch district. There were inputs that militants were trying to infiltrate into India and the firing from Pakistani side was "probably a ploy", the Army officer said. "They resort to ceasefire violation by resorting to firing on Indian posts to give cover to infiltrating militants and divert attention of the troops," the officer said.
There has been four ceasefire violations in past fortnight along LoC. On May 5, Pakistani troops violated ceasefire by resorting to firing from automatic weapons on Indian posts along the LoC in Bhimber Gali area of Rajouri district.
On May 3, Pakistani troops indulged in firing from small arms and automatic weapons on Indian posts along the LoC in Mendhar in Poonch district from 2330 hours but there was no loss of life or injury.
On April 28, Pakistani troops resorted to firing from small arms and automatic weapons on Indian posts along the LoC in Bhimber Gali in Rajouri district.
On April 25, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by firing with small arms and mortars on Indian posts in Doda battalion areas along the LoC in Poonch district.

Varanasi: Gul Panag, VJ Raghu chased away by students in BHU
10 may, 2014
Actor-turned-politician and AAP candidate from Chandigarh Gul Panag and VJ Raghu Ram of MTV Roadies were Friday allegedly manhandled inside the Banaras Hindu University campus after a scuffle broke out between Aam Aadmi Party supporters and a group of students allegedly belonging to the ABVP.
Panag and Raghu were safe, but were reportedly chased away by a group of students when they went to campaign inside the BHU campus, party leaders said.
“They have attempted to attack her, but could not succeed. A group of BHU students chased them away. Panag is fine,” an AAP spokesperson said, adding that those who attacked were probably BJP supporters.
Soon after the incident, Raghu tweeted, “Oh well I just got attacked by two guys with lathis inside the BHU. They were outsiders, BHU boys chased them away”.
“Have things come to this in Varanasi that visitors are unwelcome. I refuse to believe it,” he said in another tweet.
Panag and Raghu were scheduled to join AAP leader and Varanasi candidate Arvind Kejriwal for his roadshow later today at the BHU gate. Varanasi goes to polls on May 12. The campaign ends here Saturday.

MNS Objects to Gujarati Newspaper Advertisement on BEST Buses
10 may, 2014
Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has backed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's bid to become Prime Minister, but his party has objected to a Gujarati newspaper's advertisement on BEST buses, saying that it has "ignored" the contribution of Marathi people towards Mumbai's development.
Alleging that the advertisement issued by the Gujarati newspaper by the name of 'Sandesh', highlighted only efforts made by the Gujaratis, MNS corporator Sandeep Deshpande demanded removal of the advertisement.
"The Gujarati newspaper advertisement speaks only about the contribution made by Gujaratis towards Mumbai's development but ignores similar efforts made by the Marathi people. Is it true that Gujaratis alone contributed towards Mumbai's growth? Aren't Marathi speakers involved in the development of the city? Why has the contribution made by the Marathi people not been mentioned (in the advertisement)," Mr Deshpande asked.
However, Congress corporator Pravin Chheda promptly rejected the MNS claim, saying that the advertisement had no such content.
Reacting to the issue, Shiv Sena member and BEST committee chairman Arun Dudhwadkar said, "We will examine the advertisement and if anything objectionable is found, we will remove it. We have to remove such advertisements if they create tensions between the two communities," he said.
The development comes after a recent editorial in the Shiv Sena's Marathi daily newspaper 'Saamna', criticised Gujaratis, and had prompted Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray to issue a clarification, as well as his son Aaditya Thackeray to say, that the Shiv Sena did not share the thoughts expressed in the editorial published by its mouthpiece.

Narendra Modi Aide Amit Shah Summoned to Mumbai Court on May 23
10 may, 2014
Mumbai: A special CBI court yesterday issued summons to Amit Shah, the close aide of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, and other accused in the Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter case.
Today, on the first day of hearing, special judge J T Utpat here issued summons to the accused, seeking their presence on May 23. Earlier, the case was transferred from Gujarat to Mumbai court.
The CBI filed a chargesheet in the case last September against Mr Shah, the former home minister of state, and 18 others, including several police officers.
According to CBI, gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kauser Bi were abducted by Gujarat's Anti-Terrorism Squad from Hyderabad and killed in a fake encounter near Gandhinagar in November 2005.
Following which, Tulsiram Prajapati, a key eye-witness to the encounter, was killed by police at Chapri village in Banaskantha district of Gujarat in December 2006, it says.
According to CBI, Mr Shah, as Minister of State, was involved in the conspiracy which led to the fake encounters.

Former AP Chief Minister Janardhana Reddy passes away
09 may, 2014
Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy passed away on Friday morning at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS). He was 80.
He is survived by his wife and four sons.
Reddy was suffering from liver ailment and was admitted to the NIMS. His body has been shifted to his house in Somajiguda.
Born in Vakadu of Nellore, Reddy was the Chief Minister between 1990 and 1992 and was known for his political acumen. It was during his rule, the erstwhile CPI-ML People's War was proscribed. Another decision he took was to allow privatisation of professional education by permitting many medical and engineering colleges in private sector.
He was elected to the Lok Sabha thrice from Bapatla, Narsaraopet and Visakhapatnam.
He was the President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC). His wife, Rajyalaxmi, too was a Minister.

Day after polling, panch shot dead in J&K
09 may, 2014
A day after the final phase of polling for the Lok Sabha election in Jammu and Kashmir, a suspected militant on Thursday shot dead a panchayat member of the ruling National Conference even as the votaries of the poll boycott in the Sopore area unleashed terror on commuters from segments in Kupwara and Baramulla districts, which recorded a high voter turnout.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police in South Kashmir Vijay Kumar told The Hindu that the 73-year-old panch, Gulam Mohammad Khan of Wanpoh Kulgam, died of injuries on the way to hospital after he was attacked at his hardware shop at Wanpoh Chowk on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway. He was a relative of the NC’s MLC Abdul Majid Larnoo.
“Eyewitnesses said a motorcycle stopped at Wanpoh Chowk. The pillion rider, wearing a burkha and looking like a woman, accosted Mr. Khan and fired a pistol straight into his chest. The duo escaped on the motorcycle firing in the air. Three local militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen, including Altaf Kachru and Tauseef, are the prime suspects. We have launched an operation,” the DIG said.

Shutdown
Sources said unruly groups took to the streets in Sopore and enforced a shutdown while throwing stones at shops and moving vehicles. There was no call for a shutdown. The crowds occupied the strategic Srinagar-Sopore-Kupwara road and began selectively targeting Kupwara-registered vehicles.
“Over 30 minibuses and private cars were damaged. Passengers and drivers were forced to come out and their fingers were checked for the indelible ink mark. Even women commuters were not spared. Men were thrashed and humiliated,” Ghulam Hassan, a shopkeeper, told The Hindu.

BSP Chief Mayawati to address rally in Varanasi today
09 may, 2014
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati will address an election rally in Varanasi today.
Mayawati had earlier alleged that the BJP in connivance with the ruling Samajwadi Party was trying to influence elections for the remaining seats in Uttar Pradesh.
She has claimed that the Samajwadi Party used the district administration of Varanasi to benefit BJP and vitiate atmosphere of free and fair election.
"The SP and BJP are playing out this drama together. They are hand-in-glove. This is being done to influence Muslim voters in the Purvanchal region. The SP wants to show that only it can stand against the BJP," said Mayawati.
"There has been a conspiracy and drama in Varanasi since yesterday to polarize Hindus and Muslims, and they want to take advantage of this polarization. It's an attempt to communalise taking the support of the administration," she added.
She also said that Modi's poisonous comments did not succeed in Amethi, so now they (the BJP) are trying to spread poison in Varanasi.

CBI to probe Saradha scam: Supreme Court
09 may, 2014
In a setback to West Bengal government, the Supreme court Friday handed over investigation into Saradha chit fund scam to the CBI.
The court also asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate ponzi scheme scams in Odisha.
The apex court bench headed by Justice T.S. Thakur said that the investigating agency will also look into any other ponzi scheme involved in chit fund scam in West Bengal, besides Saradha.
Handing over the investigation to the CBI, the court said that the investigation by the West Bengal Police did not make any headway in inter-state ramification of the scam.
The court also asked CBI to look into the money laundering dimension in the chit fund scam.
The court said that the state police has not been able to make any headway in the conspiracy angle, money trail and the seizure of the properties related to the scam.
The West Bengal government, all through the hearing of the matter, had strongly resisted the plea for handing over the investigation to the CBI.

Varanasi LIVE: Hundreds of BJP workers arrive for 'satyagraha' against EC
08 may, 2014

• District administration has imposed Section 144 in Varanasi. Roads leading to Lanka Gate area are being blocked by police even as a huge contingent of RAF is on standby at the protest site.


• Hundreds of BJP workers have converged outside Lanka Gate of Banaras Hindu University to take part in 'satyagraha' dharna against the Election Commission for denying permission to Narendra Modi to hold a rally in the city on Thursday.


• Arun Jaitley, Ananth Kumar, Amit Shah and other senior BJP leaders are also set to arrive at the protest site.


• Renewing his attack on the Election Commission, Arun Jaitely accused the poll panel of using the 'security card' to deny Modi the right to campaign his constituency.

“If you (EC) can't ensure safety, then don’t hold polls,” Jaitley said.

• Ahead of his arrival in the holy city to steer his poll campaign, Modi tweeted his strong objection to what he called lack of concern in EC to maintain the institution's neutrality.


• Responding to the allegations of bias, the EC said it was "disappointed" over BJP's decision to hold protests after it denied permission to its prime ministerial aspirant Narendra Modi.


• The Election Commission said: "The Commission is surprised and disappointed that your party has chosen to hold protests over the aforesaid matter, which was being sought to be resolved in accordance with law and the ground situation. As you may be aware, permissions for two out of the three programmes have since been issued by the District Magistrate. As regards the holding of a rally, the same was under discussion because of security and related concerns. In this whole matter, the commission decided not to go by the version conveyed by District Magistrate alone, but also consulted the state chief Secretary and Director General of Police, who endorsed the security and suitability aspects."


• Modi will arrive at the helipad at the Banaras Hindu University and lead a roadshow of sorts to the BJP central election office at Sigra. The roadshow plan was devised after the district administration, yesterday, denied the BJP permission to hold a rally in Beniyabagh in the city. Modi was also denied permission to perform 'Ganga Pujan' and meet 150 prominent citizens.


• The district administration later allowed the 'Ganga Pujan' and the interaction event but the BJP remained unimpressed and accused the district magistrate of bias against the BJP.


• However, BJP's UP in-charge Amit Shah said that the permission came too late and Modi's 'pujan' and rally plan remained cancelled as the party could not make preparations.


• Modi would reach the BHU after addressing a rally at Rohaniya, a rural assembly segment of Varanasi. BJP's alliance partner Apna Dal holds considerable sway in Rohaniya.

Congress sees hope in Modi’s ‘desperation’
08 may, 2014
New Delhi : Lashing out at the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi for giving a deliberate casteist twist to Priyanka Gandhi’s remarks about ‘low-level’ politics, the Congress has discerned a ray of hope for itself in these remarks.
Briefing mediapersons, Union minister Shashi Tharoor said: “We see a certain desperation setting in into certain peoples’ attitude and statements. Having built up so much of hype of on the inevitability of its victory, the BJP suddenly seems to realise that inevitable victory is not happening and there is a great deal of extraordinary attempts being made to create ex-post-facto rationalisations for the inevitable bad news coming on the 16th of May.”
He said that the attempt to challenge the Election Commission –whose conduct of the elections has won universal praise as an example of this desperation. Recently, Modi had challenged the Election Commission to lodge another FIR against him, after he charged that the polls in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal had not been free and fair.
“Nowhere does a person who expects himself to become the prime minister after the election use such language during campaign. These are clear signs that the BJP and its leader have realised that the results are not likely to go their way,” added Tharoor.
On the issue of Priyanka Gandhi’s remarks about low level of politics, Tharoor charged Modi with playing opportunistic politics. “There was nothing in her statement that had any bearing on the origins or the identity of Mr. Modi or anybody else.
She was referring simply to the rather the base level of political discourse that we have been seeing from the BJP in recent weeks and in particular to the speech in Amethi,” observed the Congress spokesperson.
The union minister added that in the context of caste the Congress has never used the expression “neech” in its discourse, and whenever there has been a reference to the castes it is the term-“pichri”- or backward that has been used by the party. He also said that whereas the Congress is fighting the election on the idea of India, the BJP seems to be focusing on an India without ideas.

'Is Narendra Modi a Donkey?' Asks Mamata Banerjee
08 may, 2014
Kolkata: In the last lap of the general elections, Mamata Banerjee's charges against Narendra Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, are getting more graphic. She has now compared him to Hanuman with his tail on fire and in another speech asked, "Is he a donkey?"
"He has put on a tail, he's flying around burning Lankas everywhere," Ms Banerjee, who is the chief minister of West Bengal, said at a rally yesterday. The reference was to the epic Ramayana, in which the monkey god Hanuman set antagonist Ravan's kingdom on fire with his tail.
Ms Banerjee has earlier accused Mr Modi of inciting violence in Assam and demanded his arrest alleging that he has attempted to instigate community-based violence in West Bengal.
A day ago she said Mr Modi "should be put in jail with a rope tied around him."
Modi bashing has dominated Mamata rallies ever since the BJP leader earned her ire a few weeks ago for insinuating that a dubious businessman had bought her painting for 1.8 crores. She has since also called him a "paper tiger" and yesterday, while attacking him for "dubbing all who came from Bangladesh as infiltrators," asked, "Is he a donkey?"
Last week Mr Modi further angered her by saying that all illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, bordering West Bengal, will be sent back if his BJP comes to power at the Centre.
Her ire was yesterday amped up by several degrees no doubt by Mr Modi's presence in West Bengal, where he mocked "Didi" at rally after rally for being "angry with me."
In Kolkata, he reminded Ms Banerjee, "You have raised the issue of Bangladeshi infiltrators in Parliament in 2005. What you have raised in 2005, your brother is saying today. But you are talking about sending me to jail...We did not expect this change. To save your chair, will you put Bengal's future in the dark?"
He also offered to "go to jail and first learn Bengali," much to the delight of cheering crowds. To chants of "Modi, Modi" he accused Ms Banerjee of not wanting the good of Bengal.

UP shame : Two minor girls gangraped in Saharanpur district
08 may, 2014
A 15-year-old girl was allegedly gangraped by four persons, including two policemen, in Kotwali rural area in adjoining Saharanpur district.
The four people abducted the the girl from Gangoh area on Wednesday and took her to a nearby jungle where she was gangraped by them.
DIG, Saharanpur range, Raghuvir Lal said on Thursday that two police constables Shubhash and Vivaik and the third accused Zishan have been arrested while the fourth accused Nadeem is absconding.
Proceedings have been initiated to dismiss the two accused policemen.
In another incident, a 16-year-old girl was gangraped by two youths at pistol point at Tateda village in the district on Wednesday evening.
Police said a case has been registered against the two youths Alinawaz and Khushnaseeb and a hunt is on to nab them. According to the FIR lodged in Kakroli Police Station, the accused entered the victim’s house when she was alone and raped her.

Historical judgment of supreme court
07 may, 2014
In a historical judgment Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that there can be no protection to corrupt public servants. The apex court held Section 6A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act providing for prior sanction for the CBI to prosecute senior bureaucrats in corruption cases as invalid and unconstitutional.
A five-judge Constitution Bench comprising Justices R.M. Lodha, A.K. Patnaik, S.K. Mukhopadhaya, Dipak Misra and Ibrahim Kalifulla held that Section 6A of the Act, which granted protection to joint secretary and above level officers from facing any CBI inquiry in corruption cases was a violation of Article14 of the Constitution.
Chief Justice Lodha, who wrote the judgment, said “This provision on the face of it is not valid. It grants absolute protection to corrupt officers from prosecution. They don’t need a shield like this merely because they are likely to be harassed.”
The Bench said corruption was an enemy of the nation and cracking down corruption was the responsibility of the CBI. To prevent CBI from even conducting a preliminary enquiry against corrupt public servants would lead to serious consequences, the bench said.
It said crime-doers could not be distinguished on the basis of senior-level or junior-level officers. The Bench allowed a batch of petitions filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and Centre for Public Interest Litigation challenging the validity of Section 6A of the DSPE Act.
The Bench pointed out that while joint secretary-level and above officers working in the central government were granted protection from prosecution, the same level of officers working in the States were not granted such protection. Such discrimination was not permissible.
Corrupt persons irrespective of the status should be treated equally and no discrimination whatsoever was permissible, when the mandate of the Prevention of Corruption Act was to eliminate corruption.

Eighth phase LS polls: Modi urges voters to vote in large numbers
07 may, 2014
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi today urged the voters to vote in large numbers. Modi tweeted, "Polling for 64 seats across 7 states is underway. I hope people will vote in large numbers & youngsters will show the way in doing so."
"I also call upon those voting in Assembly polls in AP & those voting in Assembly by-polls in Bihar, HP, UP & WB to vote in record numbers," he further tweeted. Sixty-four Lok Sabha constituencies spread over seven states and 175 assembly constituencies in the Seemandhra region went to polls early in the morning amid tight security.
Today is the eighth and penultimate phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The Lok Sabha constituencies going to polls are 25 in Andhra Pradesh, 15 in Uttar Pradesh, seven in Bihar, six in West Bengal, five in Uttarakhand, four in Himachal Pradesh and two in Jammu and Kashmir. Prominent candidates in the fray are Congress Party vice president Rahul Gandhi, Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma, Union HRD Minister M.M. Pallam Raju, ex-Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif and television actress Smriti Irani.
Varun Gandhi, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Anurag Thakur, Ram Vilas Paswan, Rabri Devi and Kumar Vishwas are the other prominent leaders whose political future will be decided today.

Supreme Court strikes down Kerala Act that restricts dam height
07 may, 2014
In a jolt to the Kerala government, the Supreme Court Wednesday struck down an Act that has sought to restrict the water level in Mullaperiyar dam at 136 feet.
The apex court constitution bench headed by Chief Justice R.M. Lodha, while striking down the Kerala Irrigation Water Conservation Act, said that the water level in the dam could be increased to 142 feet. Holding that there was no threat to the safety of the 120-year old dam, the court Wednesday set up a three-member committee under whose supervision the water level will be increased from 136 feet to 142 feet.
To allay the apprehension of Kerala, court said that the three-member committee comprising a representative of the Central Water Commission and a representative each from Kerala and Tamil Nadu will carry out regular inspections. The committee will be headed by the representative of the Central Water Commission.
The apex court's verdict is a setback to Kerala's efforts to pull down the dam on the grounds of it being unsafe and then build a new dam.

Three injured as stage collapses during Modi's rally
07 may, 2014
Three persons were on Tuesday injured when a stage set up for folk singers during Narendra Modi's rally collapsed in Sikandarpur. The BJP prime ministerial candidate was addressing a public meeting in favour of party candidate from Salempur constituency, Ravedra Kushwaha.

When Modi reached the dias, a large number of crowd rose to the nearby stage set up for folk singers, leading to its collapse. Three persons - Kamlesh (18), Lakshmi (13) and Ashutosh (20) - were injured in the incident and rushed to a local hospital, where condition of Laksmi is stated to be serious.

Superintended of Police KC Goswami said organisers would be served notice for not preparing the stage as per norms.

Election Commission Steps Up Security Arrangement for Jangalmahal in West Bengal
07 may, 2014
Kolkata: As Jangalmahal, once the hotbed of the Maoists, goes to the poll tomorrow in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha election, the Election Commission (EC) has stepped up security arrangement by deploying adequate central forces in all the polling stations in this West Bengal district.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sunil Gupta said on Tuesday that Standard Operating Procedure of the Ministry of Home Affairs would be followed strictly for the entire fourth phase giving special priority to the LWE (Left Wing Extremist) areas.
"Area domination, route march and flag marches have already begun in the entire region, while security net have been thrown around the assembly segments of Jhargram, Binpur, Bandwan, Balarampur, Baghmundi and Jaypur with special deployment of Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, and eight anti-landmine vehicles," Mr Gupta said.
Three helicopters, two from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the rest from CRPF, have already been deployed for air-surveillance over three LWE affected districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia.
Simultaneously, medical support teams have been kept ready for emergency movement in which helicopters could be used as air-ambulances.
The helicopters could also be used for emergency evacuation purpose or for the movement of security personnel, Mr Gupta said.
To improve communication in Jangalmahal's shadow zones, ten digital satellite towers and 20 satellite phones had been installed, he said.
Facing strong criticism over alleged laxity in the third phase, the poll panel changed the deployment pattern of central forces for today's election and also changed guidelines for the movement of polling agents, presiding officers, observers and micro-observers.
"At the district level deployment of forces will be finalised following discussion with DM, SP, General Observer, Police Observer and the candidates of the constituencies," EC sources said.

Narendra Modi uses backward caste sentiment while replying to Priyanka Gandhi
06 may, 2014
Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, on Tuesday tweeted by claiming that he was targeted as he belonged to a backward class.
In reply to Congress president, Sonia Gandhi's daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's barb aimed at him for practicing 'low-level' of politics yesterday, Modi has tweeted stating that he was targeted as he belonged to a backward caste, "I belong to lower caste of society, that is why they think my politics is 'low-level' politics."
While campaigning for BJP candidate Smriti Irani in Amethi on Monday, Modi accused the Congress party of being arrogant, and criticised former prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi, for being arrogant, reminding the public as to how he publicly humiliated former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, T.Anjaiah at airport when Rajiv Gandhi was a General Secretary of the party.
Hitting back at Modi, Priyanka had said, "They have insulted my martyred father on the soil of Amethi. People of Amethi will never forgive them for this act. Workers in Amethi will reply to their low-level politics. There will be reply from each of the booths."

Kumar Vishvas says his family told to leave Amethi in 'midnight raid'
06 may, 2014
Kumar Vishvas, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate contesting against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from Amethi, has alleged that his family had been asked to leave the constituency or face eviction.
"The 'Midnight Raid'... Administration asked my family to leave Amethi with immediate effect at midnight!" Vishvas tweeted on Tuesday morning.
"They said my wife is not a voter so must leave Amethi. I challenged them to say same to Priyanka-ji [Gandhi Vadra] if UP government has the courage," Vishvas was quoted as telling ANI.
According to sources, district police officials on Monday night reached the rented accommodation of the AAP leader and asked his wife and other relatives along with the children to leave the constituency, reported IANS.
A police official said that this was in line with norms that mandate all non-registered voters, campaigners and supporters of a candidate to leave the constituency after the campaigning has come to an end and ahead of balloting.
Senior Election Commission (EC) officials were apprised of the matter on Monday night after which Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Umesh Sinha is said to have taken a "view on the matter".
Poll panel sources said the district administration was within its rights to take such action but have been asked to be polite, "keeping sensitivities in mind".
However, Vishvas accused the Congress of "openly distributing cash and envelopes" and said "no action is being taken."
He also aid police has been picking up AAP workers and detaining them all night for the last four days. "Rahul's boat is sinking," he said.
Amethi is witnessing a triangular battle between Rahul Gandhi, BJP's Smriti Irani and Vishvas.
Amethi goes to polls on Wednesday.

Security to be stepped up in BTAD areas: Tarun Gogoi
06 may, 2014
Guwahati: Security will be stepped up in the vulnerable areas of violence-hit Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) of Assam and the state police chief has been asked to prepare a comprehensive action plan in this regard. The assurance was given by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to a delegation of Sanmilita Janagosthi Aikya Mancha here. Gogoi also said that the state government would provide the necessary Funds required for the purpose, an official release said. An 18-member delegation of Aikya Mancha led by its president Hiteswar Barman and general secretary Motiur Rahman met Gogoi and urged him to take effective steps to augment security in the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) to prevent recurrence of violence there.
The Mancha, a conglomeration of 21 non-Bodo organisations, also urged the Chief Minister to strengthen security by setting up permanent police pickets and outposts in vulnerable areas to protect the lives and property of the people.
The Chief Minister said that the Government would first and foremost provide security in the violence hit areas and once the situation limps back to normalcy then rehabilitation of the displaced people would be carried out. Gogoi further said that he had requested the Central Government not to withdraw the paramilitary forces from the state and to station them for a longer period to instill confidence among the panic-stricken people and to bring back peace and normalcy in the trouble-torn areas.
Further, he assured the delegation that the state government would take immediate steps for seizure of illegal weapons to contain violence, the release said.
The process of reconciliation between the Bodos and non-Bodos would have to be started in due course of time by taking the help of saner elements to remove the misunderstandings between the communities living in the BTAD areas, Gogoi pointed out.

Low level politics will help India come out of misrule: Narendra Modi
06 may, 2014
BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Tuesday said his "politics will come across as being low level", while reacting to Congress campaigner Priyanka Gandhi's remark that his party was doing "petty politics" over her "martyred" father.
"Socially, I belong to the lower section, hence my politics too will come across as being low level to them," the Bharatiya Janata Party leader wrote on his Twitter handle without naming anyone.
Modi, who is also the Gujarat chief minister, said many people might not see the sacrifices of those belonging to the backward section, which played an important role in helping the country's progress.
"It is this 'low level politics' that will help India come out of 60 years of misrule and the politics of vote bank...and wipe the tears of many," he added.
He stated it was this 'low level politics' which has the power to help transform India into a prosperous and powerful nation.
Priyanka Gandhi Monday attacked Modi for his speech in Amethi, saying the BJP leader had insulted her "martyred" father Rajiv Gandhi and people of the constituency would not forgive him for this.
"They have insulted my martyred father on the soil of Amethi. People of Amethi will never forgive them for this wrong act. My workers at booths will reply to this petty politics. Each and every booth of Amethi will give a reply," Priyanka Gandhi said.
In his speech, Modi attacked the Gandhis and accused the Congress of "arrogance".

2G case: Delhi Court records statements of A Raja, Kanimozhi and other accused
05 may, 2014
A Delhi court today recorded the statement of former Telecom Minister A Raja, a key accused in the 2G spectrum allocation case.
Special CBI Judge OP Saini started the recording of the statement of the accused by saying that it was a "direct conversation" between the accused and the judge. "Now the statement of accused will be recorded. It is a direct conversation between the accused and the judge...you (accused) may chose to reply or not reply," the judge said. The stage for the recording of evidence of Raja and 16 other accused, including DMK MP Kanimozhi, was set earlier when the court had supplied a draft questionnaire containing 1,718 questions running into 824 pages to the accused.
Meanwhile, the special court which was also scheduled to record the statements of promoters of Essar Group and Loop Telecom, who are facing trial in a case arising out of the probe into the 2G spectrum scam, deferred their deposition before it to May 19. "I think there will be no time for you today. The matter is adjourned for recording of statement of accused to May 19," the judge said.
Essar Group promoters Ravi Ruia and Anshuman Ruia, Loop Telecom promoters Kiran Khaitan, her husband I P Khaitan and Essar Group Director (Strategy and Planning) Vikash Saraf are facing trial in the case along with three firms -- Loop Telecom Ltd, Loop Mobile India Ltd and Essar Tele Holding Ltd.
All of them have denied the charges levelled by CBI in the case, arising out of the probe into the 2G spectrum scam.
In the case involving Raja and 16 others, the court had on November 27 last year concluded recording of prosecution evidence after deposition of CBI's Superintendent of Police Vivek Priyadarshi, the chief investigating officer, got over. The court had recorded statements of 153 CBI witnesses, including Reliance ADAG chairman Anil Ambani, his wife Tina Ambani, former corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and Attorney General G E Vahanvati, running into over 4,400 pages.
Besides Raja and Kanimozhi, former Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura, Raja's erstwhile private secretary R K Chandolia, Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Unitech Ltd MD Sanjay Chandra, Reliance ADAG executives -- Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara and Hari Nair -- are facing trial in the case.
Directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal, Kalaignar TV Director Sharad Kumar and Bollywood producer Karim Morani are also accused in the case. Besides these 14 accused, three telecom firms Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd, Reliance Telecom Ltd and Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Ltd are also facing trial in the case. They have been arraigned as accused in the first two CBI charge sheets filed on April 2 and 25, 2011 respectively.
The court had on October 22, 2011 framed charges against the accused under provisions of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act dealing with offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, faking documents, abusing official position, criminal misconduct by public servant and taking bribe. The offences entail punishment ranging from six months in jail to life imprisonment.
In the case involving promoters of Essar Group and Loop Telecom, the court had framed charges against them for the offences under section 120 B (criminal conspiracy) read with section 420 (cheating) of the IPC, while substantial charge of cheating was made out against Essar Group Director (Strategy and Planning) Saraf only.
During the recording of evidence in the case, which had commenced on July 26, 2012, the court had recorded statements of 95 CBI witnesses, running into 1,056 pages.

Narendra Modi to campaign in Rahul Gandhi's bastion Amethi today
05 may, 2014
BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is set to address a rally in Amethi, the bastion of the Gandhis, on Monday. The Gujarat chief minister will address a rally in Gauriganj in favour of BJP candidate Smriti Irani.
Amethi is among the 64 constituencies that will go to polls on May 7 in the eight phase of Lok Sabha polls 2014. Today is the last day of campaigning for the phase. Congress Vice President Rahul is seeking re-election for the third time from Amethi, where the party has won 10 out of 12 elections. He is campaigning hard across the constituency since May 3.
Gandhi on Sunday staged an impressive roadshow and addressed poll rallies in Amethi, launching a scathing attack on the BJP alleging its intentions on the development issue were not clean. The Gandhi scion further alleged that Narendra Modi's development model was limited to one or two industrialists, of which one was Adani.
Meanwhile, taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi, Modi on Sunday said that it is the annual festival of Rahul to visit a poor man's house and take photo of his poverty. "Rahul's annual festival is to visit poor person's house and take their photos," said Modi while addressing a rally in Bhadohi. "Someone who has never witnessed poverty feels like watching it. They go to houses to watch the poor people. This is because they don't know about poor people," he added.
He also said that the Congress will be punished for making fun of the poor and backward people on May 16. "They have so much arrogance in them and I wonder the kind of language they are using these days. Is it a crime that I was born in a poor family? Is selling tea at railway station a crime? Have I sold the country?" he asked. "Now, the poor will not be made fun of in this country," he further added.

Supreme Court allows EC to inquire into complaint of paid news against poll candidate
05 may, 2014
Dismissing Ashok Chavan's plea, the Supreme Court, today, stated that the Election Commission has the power to disqualify poll candidates for wrong declaration of election expenses.
In a landmark judgement, the apex court, has now directed Election Commission to complete its probe against Chavan within 45 days in related poll expense case. A bench of Justice Surinder Singh Nijjar and Justice Fakkir Mohamed Ibrahim Kalifulla said this while dismissing a plea by former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan.
Having held that EC can inquire into the allegation, the court dismissed the plea by Chavan who had challenged the Delhi High Court order, holding that the commission can inquire into the allegations of paid news if same was not disclosed by the candidate in his election expanses returns.
The case pertains to a complaint filed by BJP leaders Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Madhavrao Kinhalkar, Kirti Somaiya and four others regarding publication of advertisements in various newspapers during the election campaign period for the Maharashtra Assembly held in September-October 2009, in the garb of news eulogising him and his achievements as chief minister.
The complaint alleged that Chavan had showed just Rs5,379 as the expenses on newspaper advertisements in his accounts filed before the commission. In the complaint filed on November 2009, it was specifically prayed to investigate the account of election expenses of Chavan under Section 10 A of the Peoples' Representation Act 1951.

Local bodies' officials, mayors, MPs, MLAs can't be counting agents: Election Commission
05 may, 2014
The Election Commission has clarified that apart from Central as well as state ministers, members of Parliament, MLAs, Mayors of municipal corporations, chairpersons/presidents of Nagar Palikas, Zila Parishad, Panchayat, Union etc also cannot be appointed as counting agents whether they are given security cover or not.
Objective of the Commission is to ensure free, fair and peaceful electoral process and save it from undue influences.
The Commission has given this directive in response to the clarification sought by Puducherry's Chief Electoral Officer from the Commission as to whether any MLA or Rajya Sabha member without security cover can be appointed as election agent, polling agent or counting agent.
According to an earlier decision of the Commission, any person including Central or state ministers having armed security cover will not be able to become a counting agent in the elections since this may lead to some unwanted incident resulting in seriously influencing electoral process.
MPs, MLAs and other public representatives cannot be appointed agent due to the reasons that Commission desires to provide equal opportunities to all the candidates in the elections.
In its later directives, the Commission had also directed not to appoint Mayors of municipal corporations, chairpersons/presidents of Nagar Palikas, Zila Parishad, Panchayat, union etc as agents.
The reason behind this directive is that large number of employees connected with their institutions are deployed in election duty and they might get influenced.

M Venkaiah Naidu calls Prasar Bharti a "Prachar Bharti" of Congress
03 may, 2014
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday called public broadcaster Prasar Bharti a "Prachar Bharti" of the Congress for perpetually projecting the latter for past ten years and completely wiping out BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi from its coverage.
"Prasar Bharti is Congress' "Prachar Bharti." I have been seeing that for the past seven to ten years this has been happening. They have completely blacked out Modi. They only projecting Rahul Gandhi (Congress vice president) and rejecting Modi," said Naidu. "We want to know how much coverage it gave to which party 100 days before the elections. This will make everything clear. They are showing immense bias towards the Congress. The government is misusing Prasar Bharti," he added.
In a letter to the board, Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar claimed the "shadow of government" on Doordarshan's credibility and said that Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari had been ignoring his requests for more autonomy. It was reported on Thursday that Modi during an interview to Doordarshan, had said that Priyanka is 'like his daughter'. The interview had sparked controversy after it was reported that Doordarshan edited out the portion where Modi made this statement.
Sircar said that the controversial deletions of portions of the interview had been left to the discretion of the public broadcaster's news editorial team. The DG News of Doordarshan, in response to the controversy, said: There was no deliberate editing or omission of any portion of the interview. Wherever editing was done, it was for technical reasons and during post production. There was no interference or control from any authority in the entire process. Important portions of the interviews were used in all the important bulletins of Doordarshan News also.' Doordarshan also indicated that the 56 minute interview was edited to fit into a 34 minute slot initially.
The DG News added: "There was no attempt to downplay the interview, rather it was given wide pre-telecast publicity and also repeated the next day, on the 28th April.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh keeping close watch on Assam violence
03 may, 2014
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is keeping a close watch on the Assam situation in the wake of violence in two communally-sensitive districts of the state that has claimed at least 32 lives.

National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon briefed Singh this morning on the situation, PMO sources said. Singh then talked to Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth and told him that all help should be extended to the state government to ensure peace.
Expressing deep anguish and sorrow over the killings, Congress President Sonia Gandhi had yesterday decried the role of sectarian and militant groups. At least 32 people, including children and women, were killed by heavily armed NDFB(S) militants in Kokrajhar and Baksa districts of Assam.
Shoot-at-sight orders have been issued and indefinite curfew imposed in the two districts falling under Bodoland Territorial Administration Districts (BTAD) area.

Election Commission to consider Army chief appointment issue
03 may, 2014
The Election Commission today said it will consider the issue of the appointment of the next Army chief at a meeting of its top brass next week.
"We have received a reference from the Defence Ministry and the issue is under examination. But no decision has been taken so far. The matter has so far not been placed on the agenda of the 'full commission' (the Chief Election Commissioner and the two Election Commissioners)," a senior EC official told PTI here. "The meeting could take place on Monday or Tuesday where the matter would be considered," the official said.
The poll panel will consider the matter in the light of its March 27 order that appointments, promotions, tenders and procurements of defence forces are not covered under the Model Code of Conduct in the ongoing elections as well as any other election in the future as well as complaints from BJP that the government was rushing with the appointment of the next Chief of Army Staff.
Amid strong opposition by the BJP to the appointment of the next Army chief, the Government had referred the matter to the Election Commission saying any decision will be taken only after getting its nod. "The matter is before the Election Commission. We want to strictly follow all the procedures before taking any final decision on the issue," Defence Minister AK Antony had said yesterday when asked about the status of appointing the next Army chief.
The matter was sent to the EC by the Defence Ministry earlier this week though the poll panel has already said that appointments, promotions, tenders and procurements are not covered under the Model Code of Conduct in the ongoing elections as well as any other election in the future. On why the Ministry has sent the matter to the Election Commission despite its March 27 order, highly-placed Defence Ministry sources said such matters are important and it was felt that nod of all authorities concerned should be taken before proceeding.
The BJP has been opposing the appointment of the next Army chief by the UPA Government, arguing that there was no hurry to do so and the matter should be left to the next government. Army Vice Chief Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag is the front-runner for appointment to the top post which will fall vacant on July 31 after the retirement of present Army chief Gen Bikram Singh. The EC official also said the panel has not received any reference from the government on the snoopgate commission of inquiry.

Doordarshan Struggling to Maintain Freedom, Tweets Narendra Modi
03 may, 2014
Gandhinagar: The BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has taken a swipe at the government over the issue of his edited interview that was telecast on national broadcaster Doordarshan.
"I feel very sad to see our National TV channel struggling to maintain its professional freedom," Mr Modi tweeted on Saturday, using the occasion of Word Press Freedom Day to make his point.
He also posted, "We have witnessed the horrors of Emergency when freedom of press & freedom of expression were suppressed. It is a blot on our democracy".
His comments come as his party has alleged that his interview which aired a week ago was heavily edited on the orders of the government.
Mr Modi's office has released the unedited interview.
Fuelling the controversy, the top man at Prasar Bharti, which runs Doordarshan, has said in a letter that the broadcaster must get more autonomy, and referred to the "shadow of government" leading to lack of credibility for the national broadcaster.
The government has denied influencing the edit.
Prasar Bharti is meant to be completely autonomous -- an act of Parliament trounced it from government control in the 1990s.
Among the content omitted from Mr Modi's interview were his claims of a one-time friendship with Ahmed Patel, the political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, and his remarks on Mrs Gandhi's daughter, Priyanka.
Mr Modi had said he understands her strong defense in the election campaign of her mother and brother, Rahul, who is fronting the party's bid for a third successive term.
Mr Modi is expected to lead the BJP to its strongest performance ever. The Congress is hurtling towards a wipe-out, according to opinion polls.

Chennai bomb blasts: City gets back to work, netizens pitch for peace
02 may, 2014
CHENNAI: Traffic ebbed and flowed, horns blared and pedestrians hurried along. At 8.30am on Poonmallee High Road on Thursday, there was little to show that a two low intensity bombs had gone off inside Chennai Central station about an hour earlier.
Inside the station though, there was calm — a far cry from the usual chaos and confusion. Mumbai is often feted for its resilience to bomb blasts, shootouts and riots, but Chennai too was quick to keep calm and carry on though Thursday's attack was a first of its kind. Barely five hours after the blast, train 12509 Guwahati Express chugged out of platform 9.
Railway authorities, police and security agencies stepped up their presence to infuse confidence among passengers. "I was too shaken to think of getting back on the same train but I saw police swarm into the station. They checked the entire train with dogs and equipment twice. Two new coaches were brought in. Everyone bag was checked. They did it amidst all the chaos," said L Rufina travelling from Bangalore to Siliguri. She was in one of the coaches where a bomb went off and saw a boy collapse with bleeding legs.
Most of the passengers were labourers from Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal crammed into unreserved coaches. They had no choice but to carry on.
The station was a sea of khaki — with officials from Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police and Chennai police. Tamil Nadu director general of police K Ramanujam and Chennai police commissioner JK Tripathy were on the spot.
Even while the police were beginning their investigation, rumour mills on the internet began working overtime. While several messages about serial blasts began circulating, other netizens took it upon themselves to calm people.
Siddart Gunasekaran, tweeted "Just a minor blast, Need not panic". "Stay safe everyone. Be calm and be brave," tweeted Nikhil Garg. "Pls stop forwarding messages about terrorists and bomb blasts. It is causing chaos," said a tweet. MP TKS Elangovan tweeted, "Request all my people not to panic. It's our unity that has paved us through everything."

10 killed in Assam violence in 24 hours
02 may, 2014
Seven people, including two children and four women, were killed by suspected NDFB (Songbijit) militants in a village of Kokrajhar district of Assam late on Thursday night. This village is under the Bodoland Territorial Administrative District (BTAD).

This is the second incident of civilians being killed in the state in less than 24 hours. Another incident of firing happened the same night in Assam's Baksa district, where a group of extremists entered a house and gunned down the three members of a family which consisted of two women and an infant as well. The assailants fled after the incident.

A joint combing operation by the police and paramilitary forces has been launched in the area to track down the assailants, official sources said.

CBI questions ex-coal secretary PC Parakh
02 may, 2014
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday questioned former coal secretary PC Parakh, 69, for almost eight hours in connection with the coal blocks allocation case. The questioning will continue on Friday.
Parakh appeared for questioning at the CBI headquarters in CGO Complex on Lodi Road in the Capital at around 10:30am and left the premises late in the evening. According to CBI officials, a team of investigators led by an SP level official questioned Parakh. The CBI joint director monitored the process.
"Before being formally questioned he was given access to all available records on the case, so that there is no partial or selective amnesia during interrogation," said a senior CBI official, adding: "He was asked to come again on Friday."
In 2013, the CBI had registered a case against Parakh, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and "unknown" officials of Hindalco and the coal ministry. Parakh was named for allegedly misusing his official position in granting a coal block in Odisha to Hindalco, a company of the Aditya Birla Group.
Earlier on Thursday, as he was entering the CBI headquarters, Parakh told reporters, that he has already said what he had to say on the case. "Let me see what they want to ask," he said.
Last month, in his memoir titled 'Crusader or Conspirator? Coalgate and Other Truths', Parakh had reiterated that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as coal minister in 2004, had been unable to prevent his junior ministers from blocking a move towards a more transparent system of bidding for coal blocks, and that the CBI should have named the PM in the FIR.
The former coal secretary also questioned the competence of CBI director Ranjit Sinha as well as his subordinates, saying that the latter were incapable of even knowing the difference between a coal block and coalmine. He wrote that Sinha should have done his homework before naming him and Birla in the FIR. Sinha was not amused, hinting that Sinha will have to answer to many unanswered questions.

Tamil Nadu rejects NIA probe, takes NSG help
02 may, 2014
The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday rejected the Centre’s offer to order a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the twin blasts in the Bangalore-Guwahati Express at the Chennai Central station, making the Centre “stand-down” a team of detectives preparing to leave for Chennai, the Home Affairs Ministry said.
Director-General of Police (in charge of Elections), Tamil Nadu, Anoop Jaiswal said there was no Centre-State confrontation on the issue, wondering how two agencies could investigate one case. The CB-CID was confident of achieving a breakthrough soon.
Ministry sources expressed the apprehension that the decision could make other State governments also resist Central intervention in terrorism-related cases, opening the way for a damaging Centre-State row.
Mr. Jaiswal said National Security Guard (NSG) experts would assist the Tamil Nadu Police. An NSG team from New Delhi would arrive in Chennai on Friday.

T.N. ‘no’ to NIA help may derail anti-terror efforts
Union Home Ministry sources said here on Thursday that acts such as Tamil Nadu’s refusal to allow a National Investigation Agency probe into the train blasts at the Chennai Central railway station could lead to a confrontation between the Centre and the States.
Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, meanwhile, said: “It is an uncoordinated action of State governments which is creating gaps in the fight against terrorism.” The setting up of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, blocked by State governments, could have plugged key “loopholes in intelligence.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said no efforts should be spared to bring the perpetrators of the train blasts to justice, and added that the Centre would provide the Tamil Nadu government all assistance. Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told presspersons that the Centre had offered Tamil Nadu full assistance.
Mr. Jaiswal, said: “It is not a clueless case ... we are following some leads. We will be able to crack the case on our own.” Investigators would develop computer-aided portraits of the accused based on the account of eyewitnesses and CCTV footage, he said.
In 2012, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa opposed the creation of the NIA, saying it was “clearly a case of the Centre usurping the powers of the States.” She wanted the agency, set up after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, wound up, saying it would lead to “an autocracy consisting of a government of the Centre, by the Centre, for the Centre.”
Intelligence Bureau sources told The Hindu that no intelligence advice was there on a possible attack, but noted that Tamil Nadu had seen increased activity by Islamist groups in recent years. Earlier this week, the Chennai Police arrested an alleged Inter Service Intelligence operative, Mohammad Sakir Hussain, on charges of plotting to attack diplomatic missions in the region.
Top Indian Mujahideen commander Muhammad Ahmad Zarar Siddibapa is reported to have stayed in Chennai as a fugitive, and two men linked to the group were arrested from the city in 2011.

Inside Amit Shah's 'high-tech war room', poll activities are monitored
01 may, 2014
Welcome to the ‘social media war room’ of BJP on the first floor of the party’s state unit headquarters in Lucknow’s Lalbagh. From this place, apart from monitoring Twitter, Facebook and a constant flow of news, a team tracks the smallest of households the BJP has touched, ground challenges, profile and leanings of each voter, resources needed to win in a booth or constituency, and much more. It is an unprecedented deployment of smart youngsters and technology to control every inch of BJP’s crucial battlefields, UP and cyberspace.
Monitoring even call drops during the conversation, Shah fires up the BJP workers spread far and wide across the state, telling them that the party will fight every election from panchayat to Parliament in UP; that resurrection of party during 2014 polls was in their longterm political interest.
Even late at night, the war room behind access-control doors and no- entry signs hums with activity. Apart from 45-year-old Sunil Bansal, full-time Sangh pracharak and UP election manager attached to Shah, HT finds 50-odd volunteers (all aged under 35) working on 30 computer consoles with equal number of headsets.
Rishi Raj Singh, a chemical engineer who graduated from IIT-Kanpur in 2011, is monitoring through GPS the movements of 350 Narendra Modi raths or ‘chhota haathis’ promoting BJP’s PM candidate.
Some of these are in the remotest parts of east UP, where the three remaining phases of the election battle will be fought. Attached to Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG), an NGO, Singh says party volunteers have reached all 92,000 villages in the state through hired 400 Tata Ace mini-trucks to canvass for Modi.
“We use X-lite software in the ‘war room’ for monitoring election activity at a micro level. Since my IIT days, I have been interested in development and governance. I left my job as an investment banker two years ago to promote development, which is synonymous with Modi. This is the first time that the party is using technology to scientifically monitor elections,” he said.
Even Parita Parekh, who studied South Asian studies from Brown University, US, in 2012, was attracted to Modi’s governance model and wanted to join the campaign to help him become PM. Before moving to the ‘war room’ in Lucknow, Parekh had worked for the BJP in Maharashtra.
There are more than 80 such volunteers handling eight subsidiary war rooms in UP and generating election data to push party candidates to victory.
While Shah engages the volunteers in a review meeting and feedback from other centres, Bansal informs that the war room was set-up with Rs. 35 lakh and hired LCD TVs, computers and dedicated servers on February 15.
“For the past three months, we have kept our workers on toes with voter assessment, reach and response. We have 50 engineering students in the ‘war room’ and 12 volunteers continously monitoring the feedback call centre.
Three party workers coordinate with the feedback centre and communicate any change in strategy to local action teams in each parliamentary constituency,” said Bansal.
A routine booth in-charge report reveals the extent to which this unit is managing the nuts and bolts of the election.
“From the call centre, our volunteers contact voters and prospective volunteers who made missed calls to a Narendra Modi toll-free number or the party website. They develop voter profiles. The feedback centre tracks whether the BJP booth incharge is in control of a situation and whether extra effort needs to be made in identified sensitive booths,” said Shah.
Such a young, educated army and technology-driven ‘war room’ is unprecedented, at least in UP elections. It is to be seen if it brings unprecedented results on May 16

Chennai: One killed in twin blasts on Guwahati-Bangalore Exp; cops detain one suspect
01 may, 2014
A woman passenger was killed and at least 9 others were injured, two of them seriously, in two blasts that ripped through two coaches of the Guwahati-Bangalore Express at the Chennai Central railway station on Thursday, officials said.
Southern Railway general manager Rakesh Misra told reporters that the blasts took place at around 7:45am in S4 and S5 sleeper coaches of the train after it arrived at platform number 9.
Police have detained a suspect in connection the blasts, according to reports. "The incident consists of minor-intensity blasts in two coaches," said Mishra.
The woman passenger killed in the blasts, who was travelling from Bangalore to Vijayawada, was identified as 22-year-old Swati.
Mishra said the grievous injuries of the two persons are not life threatening adding seven persons received minor injuries in the explosions.
The injured have been taken to the government-run Rajiv Gandhi general hospital near the station.
Mishra said the police is investigating the nature of the blasts and those who could be behind it. Bomb disposal squad and dog squad have been pressed into action.
According to reports, the police have detained a suspect in connection with the twin blasts on the Guwahati-Bangalore Express.
Railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 1 lakh to the family of thedead woman, Rs. 25,000 for grievously injured and Rs. 5,000 for those with minor injuries, Mishra said.
He added the whole train was being searched and it may be allowed to carry on with its onward journey.
Mishra said the train had a brief 10-minute halt at the railway station ahead of its onward journey.
Soon after the explosion, security personnel cordoned off platform number 9 but the movement of other trains from and to Chennai Central has not been affected.
Police have mounted a massive search operation in all the trains following the incident.
Police said they are probing the cause of explosion and device used for it.
For inquiries, Railways has set up the following helpline numbers:
Chennai: 044-25357398, 044-64502416
Bangalore: 080-22876288

'Yeh dil mange' 300 lotuses, says Narendra Modi in Himachal Pradesh
29 April, 2014
BJP leader Narendra Modi Tuesday made a passionate appeal to voters here to extend support to him by ensuring victory on 300 Lok Sabha seats. Modi, at his first election rally in this town of Kangra district, said: "The Congress is a party that betrays people. It is a 'dhokhe baaz' (betrayal) party."
He described the Congress manifesto as a fraudulent document. "Yeh Congress ka ghoshna patra nahin, dhokha patra hain (This is not Congress manifesto but a fraudulent document)," he said. Donning a Himachali cap, Modi appealed to the voters to "give us 300 lotuses and we will give India a strong government". He played an emotion card with the people of Himachal Pradesh by narrating Kargil martyr Capt Vikram Batra's slogan "Yeh Dil Mange More" thrice in his half-hour-long speech.
Capt Batra, who died in the Tiger Hill in the Kaksar sector of Jammu and Kashmir in the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan, belonged to this town and his mother Kamal Kanta Batra is the Aam Aadmi Party candidate from the Hamirpur constituency. "See how the Congress has misled the servicemen over 'one rank, one pension'. They have been doing it for the past so many elections," he said. "When we take the name of Major Somnath Sharma (the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, the highest Indian gallantry award, awarded posthumously for his bravery in the November 1947 Kashmir operations) and Vikram Batra, we feel proud. Our mind says: 'Yeh Dil Mange More'."
Appealing to voters in the age of 18 to 28, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate promised: "We will fulfil your dreams ... broken in the last decade." "You have given 60 years to the rulers in the country, you give just 60 months to this worker. Yeh dil mange 60 months." "The PM (prime minister) says money does not grow on trees, but in the orchard of one man not apples but money grew. We need to free nation from corruption," he said without referring to Congress leader and state Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.
Going down memory lane, Modi said: "I have spent years here (in Himachal Pradesh) and spent time with leaders such as Shanta Kumarji. They have taught me a lot," he said. Two-time chief minister Shanta Kumar is the BJP candidate from the Kangra seat. "When the new government is made, once again people of Himachal Pradesh will say this government is ours. When Atalji became PM (prime minister), then Himachal Pradesh would proudly say that Atalji is from our state, his second home is here," Modi said.
A total of 38 candidates are in the fray for the four Lok Sabha seats from the state that will go to polls May 7.

Stakes high for SAD-BJP combine, Cong as Punjab goes to polls
29 April, 2014
Chandigarh: The single-phase polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab would be held on Wednesday where the spotlight is firmly on the encounter in Amritsar between Congress' Amarinder Singh and BJP's Arun Jaitley.
The polling tomorrow will see 1.95 crore voters sealing the fate of 253 contestants, including 19 women.
Unlike many other states, Congress cadre in Punjab is optimistic about the party prospects after the top leadership rolled up its sleeves and is fighting the battle from the front even as ruling SAD-BJP is banking on development works in the state and the Modi factor.
The spotlight is firmly on the encounter in Amritsar where it is a clash of titans as Amarinder Singh and Arun Jaitley are locked in a fierce battle.
Bathinda also grabbed eyeballs as Congress candidate Manpreet Singh Badal is facing Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's daughter-in-law and sitting MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
Since 2012 when Manpreet deserted SAD to float Peoples Party of Punjab (PPP), the outfit's performance in Assembly and panchayat bodies polls has been dismal as it failed to open its account and Manpreet, four times MLA too lost from Maur and Gidderbaha Assembly seats.
Jaitley is fighting his maiden Lok Sabha polls and a victory is likely to propel him to a position of power if the NDA forms the government, while Amarinder's win will revive his political fortunes and he will again emerge as the key Congress leader in the state.
The pitch for Jaitley to contest from Amritsar was raised by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at the cost of three times BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was left out as he did not enjoy good equations with Badals duirng his stint as MP from the holy city.
Besides, Punjab Congress head Partap Singh Bajwa is locking horns with actor-turned-politician and BJP's Vinod Khanna, former union minister Ambika Soni is fighting her maiden Lok Sabha battle from Anandpur Sahib and Sunil Kumar Jakhar, son of Balram Jakhar and leader of opposition in the Assembly is Congress man in Ferozepur.

Priyanka has lowered political discourse: Jaitley
28 April, 2014
Attacking Priyanka Gandhi for her remarks comparing the BJP leaders to “panic-stricken rats”, Arun Jaitley on Monday said she has “lowered the political discourse” with her language and the Vadra family needs to be “scared of the law”.
“She has compared the BJP to ‘panic-stricken rats’... Mrs Vadra has lowered the quality of political discourse by her comments...If any of my family members started referring to my opponents as rats and reptiles I surely will be a worried man,” the BJP leader wrote on his blog.
Ms. Priyanka had on Sunday said that the BJP was “baffled and running around like rats. I knew that they will repeat their bunch of lies. There is nothing new in it but let them say whatever they want to. I am not afraid of anyone and will continue to speak against their negative, destructive and shameful politics.”
On her remarks that she was not afraid of anyone, Mr. Jaitley said, “The Vadras are right that they need not be scared of anyone. They should only be scared of the law. Be the Vadras be ever so high, the law is above them. Law spares none, be it the rich, the famous or the related.”
The war of words between the BJP leaders and Ms. Priyanka Gandhi started on Sunday when she referred to the opposition party as “panic-stricken rats” after it released a video showing alleged wrongdoings in land deals involving her husband Robert Vadra.
Mr. Jaitley said the family members of candidates are entitled to help in elections when they are preoccupied with many engagements.
“The family fills up the vacuum either in the election office or in the campaign where the candidate cannot reach. The family members are always instructed to be extra courteous and never be overbearing on political workers. They are advised not make any undignified references to political rivals,” he said.

Modi targets Mamata over her paintings, TMC warns of defamation suit against him
28 April, 2014
The electoral battle in West Bengal took a personal turn on Sunday with BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi accusing West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee of helping people associated with the Saradha chit-fund scam and questioning the cost at which her paintings were sold.
“Earlier, your paintings used to sell for eight, ten lakh rupees. How, then, did your painting sell for Rs. 1.8 crores? Who bought it? I respect you personally but this has tarnished your image,” said Modi at a public rally in Sreerampur. During his longest speech in the state this poll season, Modi promised strong action against the Saradha culprits, alleging that Banerjee was more worried about her ‘kursi’ (chair) than development.
“You perceive people from other state as aliens but your face brightens up when it comes to Bangladeshis (infiltrators). After May 16, these Bangladeshis should pack their belongings and be ready. I will not allow you to destroy or divide India for the sake of your chair,” said Modi.
The Trinamool Congress was quick to hit back. Calling Modi “The butcher of Gujarat”, party spokesperson Derek O’Brien asked how a man who couldn’t take care of his own wife would take care of the nation.
“Having no answers to Bengal’s development model, the butcher of Gujarat says Didi pocketed Rs. 1.8 crore by selling one painting of hers. He should prove it or face defamation,” Brien said.
Claiming that the money from the sale of paintings was used for ‘good’ causes and election expenditure, Brien said, “Fight politically, not personally. Otherwise we too can ask personal questions.”
Earlier in the day, Modi accused Banerjee of using the police to stymie opponents. “You (Banerjee) were a dedicated leader but now have gone on a wrong way. You have done more damage to Bengal in 35 months than the Left could in 35 years,” Modi said. Addressing his third rally in the state, Modi accused Chidambaram and Banerjee of shielding the Saradha scam offenders. “You have brought in Mamataji here and you will have to tolerate this. But send Lotus (BJP candidates) to Delhi and we will try and solve your problems,” Modi told the crowd.
The attack underlined a shift in Modi’s electoral strategy in West Bengal where he has attacked the ruling Trinamool Congress in his last two rallies after giving a veiled invitation for an alliance in his first speech.

To Farooq Abdullah's 'jump into the sea', Jaitley says, 'take a dip in Dal lake'
28 April, 2014
New Delhi: Union minister Farooq Abdullah said those who vote for Narendra Modi should jump in the sea. Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley has said that the senior Kashmir politician should "take a dip in the Dal Lake".
Mr Jaitley today said the single greatest failure of secularism in India was within Farooq Abdullah's own state. He was hitting back at the National Conference chief for saying that a BJP regime would turn India communal and Kashmir would not be a part of such an India.
"I don't see any reason why he should have gone to such an extreme sense and make such a statement. He is a senior politician...to say that India will turn communal, what will Kashmir do? I think he must seriously introspect," Mr Jaitley said.
"The largest single failure of secularism in India is when one community is asked to leave a state. And that's what has happened in (Farooq Abdullah's) state. So it would be better if he put all his energies and intention back in getting the Kashmiri pandits back to the valley rather than preach secularism to the rest of India."
The senior BJP leader, who is contesting his first election from Amritsar in Punjab, said in a blog post today, "If India witnessed ethnic cleansing, it is only in Kashmir. Farooq & his party as a gesture of repentance should at least take a dip in Dal lake."
On Sunday, Farooq Abdullah targeted Mr Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, saying, "A party member of his says those who don't vote for Modi shld go to Pak, those who vote for Modi shld jump in the sea."
This comes days after his son Omar Abdullah, who is the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said he would continue criticizing Mr Modi even if he had to go to Pakistan.

Punjab minister inserts Jaitley's name in a hymn, sparks a row
28 April, 2014
Amritsar: A row has erupted over Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia inserting BJP Amritsar candidate Arun Jaitley's name in a hymn. The Akal Takht is now considering Majithia's apology for the move.

Majithia was reported to have changed a word in the concluding part of Guru Gobind Singh's hymn and had tailored it to wish Jaitley victory in the polls. The move sparked massive protests from Sikh bodies.

The Congress has demanded that Majithia be banned from campaigning in the state.

Priyanka attacks Modi over Gujarat model, says people know he gave land to 'friends' at cheap rates
25 April, 2014
RAE BARELI : Priyanka Gandhi on Friday tore into the Gujarat model of development in which "thousands of acres" of land has been given to "friends" of chief minister Narendra Modi at "throwaway prices" and accused him of treating the country as a "classroom".
Campaigning for her mother Congress president Sonia Gandhi, she also took a dig at him for his 'ABCD' and 'RSVP' jibes and said he should instead tell people what he planned to do for them.
Priyanka said that people possess an unmatched understanding and they knew about Modi's Gujarat model of development "where you (Modi) gave thousands of acres of land to your friends."
Modi should tell people what is the situation of farmers and workers under his model or what had he done for women, she said.
Addressing the people, she said that they must have seen the huge campaigns on TV.
"Kabhi ABCD, kabhi RSVP. Aur kabhi da se desh aur ka se kouva. Ba se band bhi to kariye. (Sometimes ABCD, sometimes RSVP. Other time d for desh (country) and c for crow. Now please stop it).
"You are not addressing a primary school but people of the country," she said, apparently referring to the jibes that Modi had directed at the UPA and Gandhi family in the past.
Modi had recently described UPA's governance as "RSVP model" in which a person was able to multiply his earnings from Rs one lakh to Rs 400 crore in five years.
Giving his own meaning to RSVP, he said it stood for "Rahul, Sonia, Vadra and Priyanka".
He had also attacked Congress saying 'ABCD' has become a symbol of corruption by Congress party with 'A' referring to Aadarsh scam and 'B' denoting Bofors.
Priyanka said any leader whether from her own party or from any other should speak about what they would do for the people.
She said Congress ideology had always respected the country's unity and tradition of generosity.

Jayalalithaa can't release Rajiv assassins, SC refers case to larger constitution bench
25 April, 2014
The Supreme Court on Friday referred the matter on remission of life imprisonment of seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case to a larger constitution bench and said its interim order staying the Tamil Nadu government's decision to free them will continue.
A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam said that the petition filed by the Centre, challenging the Tamil Nadu government's decision to remit the sentences, will be decided by the Constitution Bench and framed seven questions to be decided by it.
It was Sathasivam's last working day as the CJI.
The SC said that the Constitution Bench, which will take up the matter within three months, will also decide whether the sentence of a prisoner, whose death penalty has been commuted to life, can be remitted by the government.
On February 18 this year, the apex court had commuted the death sentence of Murugan, Santhan (both Sri Lankan Tamils) and AG Perarivalan on the ground of 11 years delay in deciding their mercy pleas by the Centre.
Besides the three, Nalini, Robert Pious, Jayakumar and Ravichandran were the other four convicts whose release was decided by the Tamil Nadu government.
On February 19, Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa, announced their immediate release from prison prematurely by invoking provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Assailing the decision, the Centre rushed to the Supreme Court, which stayed their release on February 20.
It had also rejected the Centre's submission that there was no unreasonable delay in deciding their mercy plea and the condemned prisoners did not go through agonising experience as they were enjoying life behind the bars.
Gandhi's assassins were convicted by a TADA court in January 1998 and were awarded death sentence, which was confirmed by the apex court May 11, 1999.
Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan are currently lodged in the Central Prison, Vellore, in Tamil Nadu and they are in incarceration since 1991.
Nalini, Robert Pious, Jayakumar and Ravichandran, are undergoing life sentence for their role in the assassination of Gandhi on May 21, 1991 in Sriperumbudur.

No Modi wave in country, says PM Manmohan Singh
24 April, 2014
I don't think there is any Modi wave. It is the creation of the media. The country has not been swept by any Modi wave," Singh told reporters after voting at a polling booth in the Dispur Government Higher Secondary School along with his wife Gursharan Kaur.
To a question, Singh said, "I don't think Congress is losing ground. Wait for the results on May 16. We will win a majority."
He also urged all citizens to participate in the democratic process and cast their vote.
Earlier, the Prime Minister arrived at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here in a special IAF aircraft from Delhi and then flew in an IAF helicopter to Khanapara where he was received by chief minister Tarun Gogoi and APCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita.
Singh and his wife drove to the voting centre where they cast their votes and left for the airport to return to Delhi.
The Prime Minister has been representing Assam in the Rajya Sabha since 1991, and his local address is a rented apartment in the house owned by former chief minister Hiteswar Saikia's widow Hemoprava Saikia in Sarumotoria area of the city.

Arvind Kejriwal questions Narendra Modi for attack on Somnath Bharti
24 April, 2014
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday questioned Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for the attack on his party leader Somnath Bharti.
"Banaras had never seen this kind of violence till today. What kind of culture is the BJP introducing? This is very scary. Does this show that if Narendra Modi comes to power, then Varanasi will have this kind of culture? Is this the development model of Gujarat? It is often said that those in Gujarat who oppose him (Modi) are either threatened or bought or finished, is this kind of model to be implemented by Modi in Varanasi now?" Kejriwal said while interacting with mediapersons. "This shows how threatened the BJP feels, because BJP had assumed that there is Modi wave rampant here and they will win here. But the BJP is scared of the huge support shown by the people of Benaras to the honest politics of the Aam Aadmi Party," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal also claimed that the police failed to take appropriate action against the culprits. He alleged that when approached, the police asked for a written account of the attack rather than providing him with security. He added that AAP leader, Prashant Bhushan, will have a meeting with the Central Election Commission to look into the realm of the situation and ensure free and fare elections in the constituency. Somnath Bharti and some other party workers were attacked in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday night, but police said Bharti was not injured.
Bharti was reportedly attacked during a TV show in Varanasi's Assi Ghat area, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Bhelupur police station. Police said trouble started when AAP workers present at the show raised some slogans against the BJP, prompting activists of that party to launch an attack on AAP workers. Bharti is said to have tried to save his party workers, but was targeted by the attackers. When he tried to leave the venue and rushed towards his car, a stone was pelted on him and his car was vandalised. No case has been filed and party convenor Arvind Kejriwal has said that the AAP has forgiven the attackers.

Twin attacks in J&K ahead of polls, sarpanch, two others killed
22 April, 2014
Tral/Pulwama: Just two days before polls in Jammu and Kashmir, unidentified gunmen shot dead a sarpanch, his son and a nambardar in two separate attacks in the Tral area of Pulwama district on Monday.
Suspected terrorists barged into the house of a Congress affiliated sarpanch, Ghulam Nabi Mir and killed him and his son. According to sources, 8 LeT and Hizbul militants are believed to be behind these attacks.

This is the second attack on a sarpanch in the past week and the fifth in the recent times. A PDP sarpanch was killed last week. In a separate incident, a nambardar Mohd Anwar, was reportedly shot at point blank range.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has condemned the attacks but hit out at the call to boycott elections. he said that a decision that should be based on conviction, not fear.

Togadia’s 'hate speech' video under EC scanner
22 April, 2014
Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Praveen Togadia created a controversy when he was caught on camera exhorting supporters in Bhavnagar not to allow Muslims buy property in Hindu localities, prompting the Election Commission to seek a copy of the recording on Monday.
The Congress moved the Commission, while several other parties, including the BJP’s ally Akali Dal, condemned Mr. Togadia’s remarks. The BJP distanced itself from him, stating that he was not a member of the party.
The party also had to contend with a defiant Bihar leader Giriraj Singh, who reiterated his statement that critics of the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, should go to Pakistan.
Bhavnagar Collector Pravin Solanki said the police would take cognisance of Mr. Togadia’s remarks, made on Saturday, and register a case. Responding to a query, Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath said the matter was under police investigation.
In footage aired by a TV channel, Mr. Togadia is heard saying: “In many places in India, there is a conspiracy by Muslims to first buy one house at a high price and then buy Hindu houses at half the price. There are two ways to stop this. One is to pressure the government to implement the Disturbed Areas Act, which is operational in Ahmedabad and other cities. The Act was brought in by the earlier Congress government. When the Act is in operation, Muslims cannot buy property in Hindu-majority areas. The other way is to encroach and put up a board of the Bajrang Dal and leave the legal fight for later.”
Mr. Togadia termed the media reports about his controversial remarks “false, mala fide and mischievous.” He said legal notices had been issued by his lawyer to media houses in Delhi and Gujarat.
RSS, the BJP’s ideological mentor, denied that Mr. Togadia made the hate speech.

Lok Sabha polls: Saradha scam emerges as major issue in West Bengal
22 April, 2014
The multi-crore Saradha ponzi scam has emerged as a major poll plank in the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal with major political parties like the Congress, BJP and CPM training their guns against the ruling Trinamool Congress.
With the CPM demanding a CBI probe into the scam that defrauded lakhs of small investors, the party's politburo member and former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee accused the Mamata Banerjee-run government of becoming a "symbol" of the Saradha Group which defrauded lakhs in the state.
"It is a scam of thousands of crores of rupees. Where has the money gone and to whom? Everything will come out. It (TMC) talks about being truthful, but it is a government of lies," he alleged.
"Going by what I see every day in the media, this government can be seen as a symbol of Saradha and not of honesty ... the day is not far when it will fall," he said.
The BJP also had no kind words. The state BJP unit president Rahul Sinha blamed the Trinamool Congress for the mushrooming of money laundering companies and joined the chorus with Congress and CPM for a CBI probe.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been vociferously maintaining that the seed of the scourge was planted during the erstwhile Left Front regime which saw the proliferation of such companies raising money from people promising unrealistic returns. The issue became more murkier of late with both Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee trading charges against each other with the former pitching for a CBI probe into the matter much to the dislike of the chief minister.
Rajya Sabha MP and Trinamool spokesperson Derek O'Brien said, "They had raised the same issue also before the panchayat, municipal and by-polls. What happened, Trinamool won. People of Bengal are smarter, they know what to do."
With the sole central agency Enforcement Directorate probing the matter, state Finance minister Amit Mitra alleged that it was a political move to nail the TMC.
A professor of political science of a city college, Udayan Banerjee, however, said, "There is no doubt that the Saradha episode is a major issue in the state as hard-earned money of the people has been siphoned off by the scamsters and major opponents are flagging the issue at this moment."
Banerjee said although Saradha was born in the state, its roots spread to neighbouring states. However, the impact was the maximum in Kolkata, he said. "Now with parties like CPI(M), Congress and the BJP raising the issue this time, it will find few takers and possibly have no impact in the minds of voters. People will repose more faith in the Shyamal Sen Commission," he said.
Professor of economics at Jadavpur University Ajitabha Roy Chowdhury said, "It is not right to blame the political parties only. Yes, they are to blame for not being able to create employment opportunities in the state. So they found that this was easiest way to provide jobs."
He said that regulators like the SEBI and RBI and other law enforcing agencies should have been more proactive in dealing with the menace. "Law enforcement agencies buckled under political pressure and failed to act on time," he said.
"These are not chit fund companies which are duly regulated. But these firms raised monies in various forms by violating norms and regulations just under the nose of political party satraps and others," he said.

No irresponsible statements please, says Narendra Modi after Togadia controversy
22 April, 2014
Ahmedabad: Narendra Modi today said he disapproved of any irresponsible statement by "those claiming to be BJP's well-wishers," without naming Pravin Togadia and Giriraj Singh, whose controversial remarks have embarrassed the BJP in the middle of the national election.
In tweets this morning, Mr Modi said, "I disapprove any such irresponsible statement & appeal to those making them to kindly refrain from doing so. Petty statements by those claiming to be BJP's well-wishers are deviating the campaign from the issues of development & good governance (sic)."
Mr Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, took no names but this was his first response to a massive controversy over alleged hate remarks by Pravin Togadia, a leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad or VHP, which is a part of the Sangh Parivar, an umbrella of Hindu nationalist organisations that includes the BJP.
In Gujarat's Bhavnagar, Mr Togadia was seen on camera telling a gathering how to prevent Muslims from buying property in areas where Hindus are in the majority. "We should have it in us to take the law in our own hands in an area where we are a majority and scare them," he was heard saying.
The Gujarat police have filed a case against Mr Togadia.
Mr Modi, who has ruled Gujarat since 2001, is seen to share a fractious relationship with Mr Togadia, his one-time comrade in arms. The two leaders, who rode together to meetings in the 1980s, reportedly fell out after Mr Modi's second term as chief minister, when he started distancing himself from a radical Hindu agenda.
The VHP leader's remarks have left the BJP wincing after its candidate from Nawada in Bihar, Giriraj Singh, said at a rally on Saturday that those opposed to Mr Modi "will only have a place in Pakistan".
After Mr Modi's tweets, Giriraj Singh said, "I will reply only in court, although everything is in the public domain."
Scoffing at Mr Modi's tweets, Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, "What about all the statements that he has made since 2002 against the leadership of Congress party and against all other people? The man absolutely has a forked tongue and he speaks with a double voice."

2G case: A. Raja, 16 others to record statements on May 5
21 April, 2014
The Delhi High Court on Monday fixed May 5 for recording of statements of former Telecom Minister A Raja and 16 other accused facing trial in the 2G spectrum allocation case.
Earlier during the last week of November 2013, two years after the commencement of trial in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, a special court concluded the recording of statement of CBI witnesses in the case involving former Telecom Minister A. Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and some top corporate executives.

The stage for the trial in the case involving Raja and 16 others, which had started on November 11, 2011, was set after the court had framed charges against the 17, including three telecom firms, named in the first two charge sheets saying there was sufficient prima facie evidence against them.
The proceedings in the case, conducted by the special CBI court set up exclusively to deal with the 2G spectrum case, is also being monitored by the Supreme Court.

CMuslim clerics slam Giriraj Singh, say country belongs to all Indians
21 April, 2014
New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party's Giriraj Singh came under attack on Monday from Muslim clerics who took strong offence to the Bihar leader questioning loyalty of certain sections of the society and taunting them to 'support Narendra Modi or leave for Pakistan'.
Talking to reporters, Maulana Mehmood Madani of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, said, “ Giriraj Singh ji jaise log aur unki soch ke log Pakistan mein bohot hain, unhe hi vahan bhej dena chahiye There are plenty of people in Pakistan who think like Giriraj Singh, perhaps he should be sent there.”
Talking to reporters, Mukarram said, “This is not Giriraj Singh's India, it belongs to all of us. We will live and die here.”
And not just Giriraj, Mukarram took the attack to other saffron outfits involved in 'fanning communal fire', and said, “Action should be taken against Praveen Togadia and people who fan communal sentiments should be put behind bars.
Earlier on Sunday an FIR was filed against Giriraj Singh, former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari and some other party leaders over the controversial remark by Singh that the Centre gave subsidy to those who exported beef and taxed those who reared cows.
The FIR was lodged under the Bihar Representation of Improvement of Animal Act, 1952, under the Representation of People's Act 1951, and for violation of the Model Code of Conduct, police said.
Deoghar Superintendent of Police Rakesh Bansal confirmed that an FIR has been filed against the leaders with the Mohanpur police.
On the direction of sub-divisional magistrate-cum-deputy Returning Officer Jay Jyoti Samanta, the FIR was filed against Singh, Gadkari, BJP's Godda candidate Nishikant Dubey and those who were on the stage during the meeting at Mohanpur, Bansal said.
Singh had also said in his poll speech that those who opposed the party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi would have to shift base to Pakistan after the outcome of election results.

Modi to campaign in UP for party candidates
21 April, 2014
Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will campaign for party candidates on Monday. In his extensive single-day programme, Modi will be addressing rallies in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi, Etah, Firozabad and Mathura.
BJP leaders said, Modi will be campaigning for Bollywood actress and party candidate from Mathura Hema Malini, among others. Modi will be seeking support for the yesteryear "dream girl" at two places in Mathura.
He will also address a rally for Rajveer Singh, son of former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh at Etah.
Firozabad is a high stakes seat for the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) as Akshay Pratap Singh, son of senior party leader Ram Gopal Yadav is the party candidate from there.
Akshsay is the cousin of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and nephew of SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. The ruling party has pulled all stops to ensure his victory.

After decimating Advani and Jaswant, Modi would have ousted Vajpayee too: Rahul
21 April, 2014
MANAWAR, DHAR: In his sharpest attack on BJP's PM pick Narendra Modi over his repeated calls to make him a chowkidar (watch-man), Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the chowkidar of Gujarat had plundered his own party. "After decimating leaders like L K Advani and Jaswant Singh, Modi would have ousted even Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had the former PM continued to be in public life," said Rahul.
"Modi wants to become the nation's chowkidar, while we want to make the nation's population their own chowkidar. But remember, sometimes even the chowkidar turns a thief," Rahul said mockingly, while addressing a rally in support of party candidate from Dhar, Umang Singar.
Terming Modi's much-touted Gujarat model a creation of select industrialists, the Congress leader said "in Gujarat, Advani is out and Adani is in. Adani has been given land equivalent to the size of Gwalior at a price of one rupee per metre. Land equivalent to Mumbai's coastline has been doled out to the same industrialist at a throwaway price of Rs 30 crore."
He said while BJP addresses interests of the rich and industrialists within minutes, leaders of his party stalled the passage of pro-farmer land acquisition bill in Parliament for two years in the name of all-party consensus.
The Gujarat model of development aims at making the rich richer and poor poorer. He also questioned the absence of Lokayukta and RTI commissioner in Gujarat, he said. "A person who earns Rs 11 daily or less is impoverished in Gujarat, while those earning more are rich. Also, 40% Gujarat population has no access to safe drinking water, while one of every two children is starving."
Stopping short of a personal attack on Modi over his estranged wife Jashodaben, Gandhi said women not only need empowerment, but also deserve respect, which is not there in Gujarat, where phones of women are tapped and police tails one woman. "Even in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, 30,000 girls and women are missing, while in Karnataka, BJP leaders thrash women," said Rahul.
In his 40-minute speech, Rahul also blasted MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the multi-crore MP Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) scam, his failure to distribute the Rs 500-central package among hailstorm-hit farmers and non-delivery of promise to waive Rs 50,000 loans of farmers.
He also accused BJP of stealing the Congress' election manifesto and putting the saffron party symbol lotus on it.

CBI suffered credibility gap in the past decade: Arun Jaitley
19 April, 2014
AMRITSAR: BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Friday said that the CBI has suffered a credibility gap over the last decade as the agency's directors are "controlled" by the ruling party to "victimize" political opponents.
"The agency has suffered a credibility gap in the past ten years. The CBI as an organization is substantially controlled by its directors. The directors were chosen by the government and not by any balanced collegiums," he said.
These directors were controlled not only by the government, but even by key functionaries of the ruling party, he added.
"There were several cases in which persons close to the government had to be helped", Jaitley opined.
"Similarly, there were cases where persons opposed to the government had to be victimized. Some of the chargesheets filed against the BJP in Rajasthan and Gujarat are unsustainable," he added.
Delhi is full of rumours these days about the disclosures made by a prominent businessman who acted as a front for many politicians and officials, he said adding that these were further likely to erode the credibility of CBI since prominent names connected with the CBI are also mentioned in this regard.
"A full public disclosure of this information is now necessary. Everybody must be honest. Certainly the CBI officials must be more honest than the others," he said.
He complimented former West Bengal governor for his comments on the investigative agency.
"Gopal Gandhi was invited to deliver the D P Kohli Memorial lecture which is annually organized by the CBI. After analyzing the statutory scheme of functioning of the CBI, Gandhi linked the CBI to the dirty tricks department of the Government. This should shake the conscious of the officials of the CBI", Jaitley said.
Talking about Narendra Modi's campaign, he said, "Modi was declared as BJP's prime ministerial candidate on September 13, 2013. Since then, he has singularly addressed 380 rallies in the country. Most of these rallies have been attended by several lakhs of people.
I had initially thought that fatigue would set in after an initial enthusiasm. That does not seem to be happening. Additionally, there have been at least 300 rallies in the 3D format which he has already addressed. Another 300 are likely to be addressed by him. I do not remember if any single individual has undertaken personal campaign of this magnitude in the recent history," he said.

BJP statement on Syed Ali Shah Geelani's claims
19 April, 2014
The Bharatiya Janata Party has denied claims that its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had sent emissaries to meet separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani seeking his help in solving the Kashmir issue. Rejecting the claims by Geelani as "mischievous" and without any basis, the party said in a statement that no emissary has either try to meet or had met Geelani to discuss the Kashmir issue. Following is the full the statement of the BJP on Geelani's claims:
It is being reported in certain sections of the media that the NDA's Prime Ministerial candidate Shri Narendra Modi sent emissaries to meet Mr. Syed Ali Shah Geelani. These reports are based on certain statements by Mr. Geelani himself.
The BJP categorically rejects these reports. They are mischievous, without basis and are aimed at creating confusion among people. Mr. Geelani's statements are nothing but a bunch of lies with malicious intent.
Rejecting the claims by Geelani as "mischievous" and without any basis, the BJP said no emissaries were sent to meet him.
No emissary has either tried to meet or met Mr. Geelani to discuss the Kashmir issue. On the Kashmir issue, the BJP's stand is very clear- that Kashmir is an integral part of India and there cannot be any room for deliberations on this. The BJP has also time and again condemned the negative role played by leaders such as Mr. Syed Geelani, whose politics is a threat to the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. If Mr. Geelani has made these claims, the onus lies on him to present the complete picture and name who were these individuals who met him on behalf of Shri Modi. If he fails to do so, which we are sure he will, he should apologize to the people of India.
The BJP also condemns the manner in which elected representatives and those who hold important offices, most notably from Kashmir are encouraging such lies only to serve their political interests as they fear a crushing defeat in the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections.

BJP has full RSS heft for poll push
19 April, 2014
Finally, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, which claims to be a cultural organisation and the BJP’s intellectual mentor, is adding teeth to the Parivar’s push for Mandate 2014.
This is, however, not for the first time that the organisation is taking up a direct political role. In 1977, it came out of its headquarters in Nagpur to bring about the Janata government.
“Then RSS chief Balasaheb Deoras asked swayamsevaks (volunteers) to work for the Janata Party,” senior RSS leader Virag Pachpore said.
This time, more than 100,000 RSS group leaders and 600,000 swayamsevaks across some 42,000 sakhas – its local units – have been working overtime to drum up support for the BJP and its PM candidate Narendra Modi.
The Sangh’s strategy is to focus on 278 seats the BJP had won once or more and another 70-75 seats where it stood second in the past elections.
“RSS members are working on these seats since October last year and campaigning door-to-door to mobilise Hindu voters,” a senior RSS leader said. The cadres are using Facebook, Twitter and other social media networks too.
In UP, the RSS has pushed its cadres to fan out in the Congress bastions of Amethi, Sultanpur and Rae Bareli as well as SP strongholds.
The Sangh feedback played a role in BJP’s selection of candidates too. What’s more, there has been a huge concentration of RSS pracharaks in Varanasi to influence Hindu voters to back Modi, instead of letting the votes get divided.
In states like Madhya Pradesh, RSS cadres have been distributing pamphlets outlining the necessity to throw the Congress out. Their chant: ‘Booth jito, chunav jito (win the booth and win elections)’ for ensuring maximum voting.
Besides, the RSS leaders are settling BJP’s internal disputes. They convinced, for instance, MP minister Gopal Bhargava to resume campaigning for Abhishek, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s son, contesting the Sagar Lok Sabha seat. Bhargava had sought the seat for Laxminarayan Yadav, a turncoat.
The plan of action had been chalked out on July 16 last year when Modi met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Nagpur. It was decided that Modi would be fielded from Varanasi and Sangh leader Indresh Kumar would be his campaign coordinator.
An RSS insider said senior Sangh leader Suresh Soni and two others were chosen to coordinate with the BJP after the meeting. Soni played a major role in Modi’s anointment as the PM candidate last year despite stiff opposition from the LK Advani camp and within the Sangh.
“Bhagwat made the RSS’s intentions clear in his customary Vijayadashami speech on October 15 last year. He appealed to the people, especially young voters, to bring about a desired change,” veteran RSS analyst, Dilip Deodhar said.
The Vijayadashami speech is an RSS chief’s most important public event to give a glimpse into his world view and current priorities.
Though the RSS is not the only factor behind a perceived BJP wave, the Sangh’s role has come under sharp scrutiny.
Opponents have panned Bhagwat for throwing his weight behind the BJP. But that did not deter it from drawing up strategies in Hyderabad in January.

Prefer to lose than seek votes on religion, Modi says
19 April, 2014
NEW DELHI: BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has said he would prefer to lose rather than seek votes on the basis of religion and has ruled out being part of any divisive politics.
In an interview to a television channel, Modi said India needs to march ahead as a nation and should not be divided on the basis of religion.
"I won't be a part of such divisive politics. I am willing to lose this election if need be. Those who want to work on this plank can continue to do so but I will work on my own plank," Modi told the channel.
He said Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's meeting with shahi imam of Jama Masjid ,which is being interpreted as an attempt to influence the community in the polls, violated the Election Commission's model code of conduct.
"I would want Sonia Gandhi to meet all communities. It is part of her responsibilities. But what message are you trying to give? That is worrying," Modi was quoted as saying in the interview.
Stating that he was a team player, Modi said he would focus on development and work for lifting people out of poverty. The Gujarat chief minister also spoke about the economic agenda that the party would work for if elected. He identified pushing through the ambitious Goods & Services Tax and also the need for upgrading the railways network.
"Until we strengthen the information network, GST is impossible. The Centre will have to treat states as equals. It has to take them on board for all decisions. We agree on the need for GST but there should be advance work done," Modi said.
The BJP's prime ministerial candidate backed the idea of single window clearances as well as privatization of state-run companies on a case by case basis. He said PSUs should be given an opportunity of turning around based on professional advice.
Modi said governance is a serious business and decisions should be taken thoughtfully.

TDP-BJP stalemate continues; Javadekar-Naidu meet likely
18 April, 2014
The stalemate over electoral alliance between TDP and BJP in Andhra Pradesh continued even as the former reportedly offered one Lok Sabha seat in lieu of six Assembly seats to the latter.
The BJP is said to have agreed to part with two Assembly seats, out of the 14 allotted to it as part of the alliance, and also agreed to change its candidates in two places.
TDP and BJP leaders will hold another round of talks on Friday to end the stalemate as the deadline for filing nominations for the May 7 elections ends on Saturday.
It may be recalled that TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed serious displeasure over the choice of candidates by the BJP in certain Assembly constituencies allotted to it.
“If they put up such weak candidates, it will only benefit the rival parties and weaken the alliance. It will also impact our prospects in the Lok Sabha elections,” Mr. Naidu said in election meetings in Vizianagaram district last night.
He rushed back to Hyderabad late last night to sort out the issue even as BJP national spokesperson Prakash Javadekar too reached here and discussed the issue with TDP MP Y. Satyanarayana Chowdary.
The TDP reportedly offered Rajahmundry Lok Sabha seat to the BJP, in addition to the four already given, in lieu of Ichchapuram, Rajahmundry Urban, Narsaraopet, Guntakal, Santanutalapadu and Tadepalligudem Assembly segments.
It asked the national party to change candidates in some other seats where it was weak.
The BJP is said to have agreed to part with only two Assembly seats, besides changing nominees in two other places.
Mr. Javadekar is expected to have a round of talks with Mr. Naidu before the latter leaves for Krishna district for campaigning.
Meanwhile, the TDP released its fourth list of candidates for 23 Assembly seats for the May 7 elections.
It dropped four of its sitting MLAs.
In Proddatur in Kadapa district, sitting MLA M Linga Reddy was dropped and the seat given to former MLA Varadarajulu Reddy, who defected from the Congress recently.
Controversial Kovvuru (SC) legislator T Rama Rao was also denied ticket this time while two others — Durga Prasad and Hemalatha — also did not figure in the latest list.

Aam Aadmi Party's Kumar Vishwas alleges 'death threat' in Amethi
18 April, 2014
Amethi: Aam Aadmi Party's Kumar Vishwas, who is contesting against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, says he fears a "threat to his life" after a Congress worker was seen in a video talking to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra about killing him.
Mr Vishwas will file a police complaint against Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders, his supporters have said.
In the video, Vinod Mishra, a Congress worker from Amethi, is seen stopping Priyanka Gandhi on the road and complaining about Kumar Vishwas and AAP workers harassing his party men. He is heard saying that he would "shoot" Mr Vishwas if nothing was done about it.
Priyanka Gandhi says "no, no don't talk like that. Come and meet me at the Munshiganj guest house." The video was reportedly taken on Tuesday, when Priyanka toured Amethi to campaign for her brother Rahul.
Kumar Vishwas says the video is proof of a conspiracy being planned against him.
"Instead of stopping that man or turning him in, Priyanka Gandhi invited him to talk. I am afraid that my workers and I may be attacked. They can go to any length," he said.
In a tweet, he described the Congress worker as a "Rahul-Priyanka close aide".
The Congress accused Mr Vishwas of twisting the episode to run a false campaign against the Gandhis. "It is obvious that Priyanka called the man to talk some sense into him. Kumar Vishwas is interested only in cheap publicity," said the party's Meem Afzal. "I am sure he will even harm his own party one day."

Don't talk of money when mics are on: Ramdev to BJP candidate
18 April, 2014
Alwar: Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev was left red-faced yesterday when a TV camera caught him warning Mahant Chandnath, the BJP candidate from Alwar in Rajasthan, not to talk about money when the mics were on.
But the mics recorded the alleged conversation, and replayed later, much to the embarrassment of Ramdev, who is busy touring various parts of the country, mobilizing popular support for Narendra Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial nominee.
The Yoga Guru was responding to the BJP candidate's plea that he was running short of funds, and needed more money to continue with his campaigning. Alwar goes to polls on April 24, alongwith four other parliamentary constituencies in Rajasthan.
Mr Chandnath is engaged in a tough contest in Alwar with union minister Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, who won the seat comfortably in 2009.
The alleged conversation took place minutes before the commencement of a press conference which was to be addressed by them. Stop talking here, are you a fool ?'' replies Ramdev to the BJP nominee's lament, as he looks around rather sheepishly. Mr Chandnath probably gets the point, and is seen smiling.
When contacted, Mr Chandnath denied that he had spoken about his fund-crunch Ramdev. But the opposition Congress pounced on the footage, and asked the Election Commission to arrest the Yoga Guru and the BJP's Alwar nominee for allegedly distributing money to voters.
In a letter to the Election Commission, K C Mittal, AICC legal department secretary, demanded that FIR be registered against the leaders involved in the malpractice, and sought the BJP nominee's disqualification.

Chidambaram does not have courage to contest elections: BJP
18 April, 2014
Reacting to Finance Minister P Chidambaram's 'Encounter Chief Minister' jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, BJP leader Smiti Irani on Friday said the former does not have the courage to contest the Lok Sabha elections as he knows that he is answerable to the people.
"If Chidambaram had the courage to go to the people and ask for their support, then he would have been contesting the elections," said Irani.
"He knows that he do not possess the courage to contest elections because he was the Finance Minister of the most corrupt government in the history of India. If he goes to the people then he is answerable to the people. So this is the reason he is not contesting elections this time," she added.
On Thursday Chidambaram criticized Modi, who referred to him as 'recounting minister' in his speeches, and said that he is an 'Encounter Chief Minister'.
"If he is calling me that (recounting minister), then I can call him an 'Encounter Chief Minister', Chidambaram had said.
"Modi is a compulsive liar. He is been told that there was no recount in that constituency. The election tradition demands a recount. Yet he continues to make this false statement. This is one among many false statements he has made," Chidambaram added.
Modi in past have referred Chidambaram as 'recounting minister' in his rallies while raking up the issue of counting of votes during 2009 Lok Sabha polls. Chidambaram, who fought from from Sivaganga constituency in Tamil Nadu, had defeated his closest rival by just 3500 votes.

Thought public would praise us for quitting: Arvind Kejriwal
16 April, 2014
Varanasi: As Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal arrived in Varanasi to camp for the next three weeks in his battle against BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, posters have sprung up in the city, describing him as someone who ran away from Delhi.
In an exclusive interview to NDTV on the banks of Varanasi's famous Tulsi Ghat, Mr Kejriwal admitted that his abrupt decision to resign as chief minister of Delhi was a mistake.
"The decision on resignation, I think, was one mistake that we made. Resigning on principles was right, we had do it, but before forming the government in Delhi we had meetings with the public and we sought their views. In the same way, we should have consulted the public before resigning," he said.
He accepted that they had a "communication problem" but that they acted in haste because the BJP and the Congress "got together and did not allow the AAP government to work".
"I could have also stuck to the Chief Minister's position as others do but my soul didn't agree. I decided to resign. We thought that we had done a big sacrifice, and the public would praise us, but the public couldn't understand the logic," the 45-year-old said.
He said that the posters in Varanasi describing him as a "bhagoda" (someone who flees) had been put up by the BJP, but he accepted that those questions are following him everywhere.
"I agree," he said, "in many places, public is asking why I quit."
At the same time, he denied it was an irresponsible act. The AAP chief said that he has not run away anywhere and that, if given a chance, his party is ready to fight elections and form the government in Delhi again.

Passenger train derails in Assam, over 50 injured
16 April, 2014
BG Express derailed at Ajuri station near Morigaon in central Assam early on Wednesday and over 50 passengers were injured, police said.
The three coaches of the Dimapur-Kamakhya train jumped the tracks but toppled down near Jagiroad in Morigaon district at 02:05am, they said.

Seventeen passengers were seriously injured and shifted to Gauhati Medical College Hospital, police said.
Rest of the passengers were reported to have received minor injuries and were released after receiving first aid in Morigaon Civil Hospital, Northeast Frontier Railway sources said.

Senior railway officials have rushed to the site and rescue operations are on.”

ND Tiwari to not contest from Nainital
16 April, 2014
Senior Congress leader Narayan Dutt Tiwari will not contest from Uttarakhand's Nainital Lok Sabha constituency seat, his close aides said Wednesday.
Sources said the former chief minister of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh wanted to contest one last time and had also pleaded with the party leadership to field his son Rohit Shekhar but his pleas were not yielded to.
He told his close associates and supporters in Lucknow late Tuesday that he has left it to the voters of Nainital to elect their representatives and ruled himself out of the race.
"People of Uttarakhand will decide whether or not I have been cheated and let down by a party I served all my life," he said.
The 88-year-old leader who has served in many capacities in public life, including union minister, chief minister and governor, also said that it was only Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav who has shown respect for him.
He also accused the state Congress leaders in Uttarakhand of misinforming the party leadership of the ground realities in Uttarakhand.

Congress must account for its sins first: Narendra Modi on Gujarat riots apology
16 April, 2014
New Delhi: BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has once again sidestepped the issue of him apologising for the 2002 Gujarat riots.In an interview to a news channel, Modi said the Congress must account for its sins first before seeking accountability from others.
“There is no Modi wave it's BJP's wave this time,” Modi said when he was asked to express his views on Murli Manohar Joshi's comments saying that there was no Modi wave in the country but only a BJP wave.
Speaking to TV9, the BJP leader said that he doesn't dream of becoming 'Bharat Bhagya Vidhaata', but only thinks of the welfare of the 1.25 billion people of the country.
When confronted with the question that the Gandhi 'parivaar' is rejecting the presence of a Modi wave, Modi said the Congress doesn't has nothing else to say.
“During elections it is the ruling party which sets the agenda, however, this is for the first time in the history that it is not so the case and the agenda has been set by the electorate this time,” he said.
The Gujarat Chief Minister rejected the claims that he has become bigger than the BJP and said, “This can never happen and I cannot dream of such thing.”
When asked about senior BJP leaders like LK Advani being annoyed with him, the BJP's PM candidate asserted, “Whatever I am is because of the senior leaders of the BJP.”
Clearing his stand on the slogan 'Ab ki barr Modi Sarkaar', the BJP strongman said, “Modi is just a name chosen by the BJP and he is just a small part of the party,” adding that the upcoming General elections are not Modi-centric.
Commenting on the issue of BJP workers chanting 'Har Har Modi' slogan, the Gujarat CM said that he was opposed to personality base politics. “During elections there are both good as well as bad slogans, whenever we find something objectionable I ask them to stop it.”

Sonia Gandhi makes three-minute television appeal to nation, asks voters to defeat 'divisive' forces
15 April, 2014
Congress president Sonia Gandhi launched her sharpest attack yet on the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday, making a rare television appearance to urge voters to reject "divisive and autocratic" forces that would ruin the country's "Bharatiyata" and "Hindustaniyat".
Sonia's United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is fighting a battle for survival in the face of a high-voltage challenge from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which opinion polls predict will emerge as the single largest party in the ongoing general elections due to end on May 12.
Without taking the BJP’s name, Sonia, speaking in Hindi, said that her party was fighting this election to protect the “very heart and soul” of India from those who sought to change it and divide the people of the country.
“We want unity. They want to impose uniformity. They say, ‘Just believe in Me’… Their vision, clouded with hatred and falsehood, their ideology, divisive and autocratic, will drive us to the ruination of our Bharatiyata, our Hindustaniyat,” she said. Her address was aired on all Hindi channels starting at 8.57 pm and lasted nearly three minutes.
The BJP reacted angrily, with spokesperson Prakash Javdekar terming Sonia's speech a show of desperation. "We have been seeking votes on Bharatiyata. The Congress has been asking for votes for the dynasty," he said, a reference to the Gandhi family.
The Congress has pitched the elections as a battle between communal and secular ideologies. It had come under attack from its allies, particularly Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, for not campaigning aggressively enough. But it has raised the temperature over the past few days, with Sonia's son Rahul, the party's vice-president, taking on the BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi for not acknowledging his wife's existence in the past.
Sonia praised Indians for upholding certain core beliefs and values that have united diverse people into one nation. “Today I want to share with you what is in my heart, what makes me proud to be Indian, as each of you is a proud Indian. Our India is founded on certain core beliefs and values. It is these basic beliefs that have united all of us, diverse people, into one nation. I learnt these from you, as you made me one of your own,” said the Italian-born widow of late PM Rajiv Gandhi.
“We are fighting in this election for a future where power is not the preserve of a select few, but exercised by the many,” she said. “I ask each of you to think from your heart and decide what direction, what path you want our country to take.”

Supreme Court recognizes transgenders as 'third gender'
15 April, 2014
NEW DELHI: In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court on Tuesday created the "third gender" status for hijras or transgenders. Earlier, they were forced to write male or female against their gender.
The SC asked the Centre to treat transgender as socially and economically backward.
The apex court said that transgenders will be allowed admission in educational institutions and given employment on the basis that they belonged to the third gender category.
The SC said absence of law recognizing hijras as third gender could not be continued as a ground to discriminate them in availing equal opportunities in education and employment.
This is for the first time that the third gender has got a formal recognition. The third gender people will be considered as OBCs, the SC said.
The SC said they will be given educational and employment reservation as OBCs.
The apex court also said states and the Centre will devise social welfare schemes for third gender community and run a public awareness campaign to erase social stigma.
The SC said the states must construct special public toilets and departments to look into their special medical issues.
The SC also added that if a person surgically changes his/her sex, then he or she is entitled to her changed sex and can not be discriminated.

Jaitley's jibe at Sonia: Congress's new campaign is 'main nahin mom'
15 April, 2014
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party has taken another jibe at the Congress over Sonia Gandhi's television advertisement calling the BJP divisive. Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley has said that the Congress's new slogan is 'Main nahin mom' (not me, but mom).
"The Congress Party changed track yesterday. Rahul Gandhi led campaign and the accompanying advertisements were given a backseat. The Congress President Sonia Gandhi herself decided to lead from the front. She addressed the country by booking television time on all channels," Jaitley wrote.
He has said Sonia's video shows the desperation of the Congress. "The desperation was clear. Speeches, interviews and press conferences of political leaders are always covered by the media. The Congress President does not have to buy television time in order to have her speech conveyed to the people. The idea was to change the principle communicator of the party from the son to the mother," Jaitley has written.
Congress Party's New Slogan : "Mein Nahin Mom"
A leading news channel yesterday gave the results of their tracker opinion poll. This poll gave to the BJP 226 seats in parliament and to the NDA an absolute majority of 275 seats. This is the first opinion poll to have given an absolute majority to the NDA. I believe that this poll has captured the emerging trend. As polling date approaches closer in every phase, the groundswell becomes clearer. There are two clear trends in the groundswell, its anger against the Congress and the hope in Narendra Modi. My own view is that the actual poll always results in the front runner getting more than what is projected.
As the Congress shrinks further, its campaign has resulted in a naught. The campaign is too abstract and confused. The message is not clear. The Congress Party changed track yesterday. Rahul Gandhi led campaign and the accompanying advertisements were given a backseat. The Congress President Sonia Gandhi herself decided to lead from the front. She addressed the country by booking television time on all channels.
The desperation was clear. Speeches, interviews and press conferences of political leaders are always covered by the media. The Congress President does not have to buy television time in order to have her speech conveyed to the people. The idea was to change the principle communicator of the party from the son to the mother. This was an expression of lack of confidence in Rahul Gandhi, in as much as his speeches to the people were not working. Messages on paid television time cannot last minute change the electoral agenda. Price rise, mismanagement of the economy, corruption, dilution of the office of Prime Minister cannot be a part of either 'Bhartiyata' or 'Hindustaniat'. This message will not click. The only message yesterday's speech of Sonia Gandhi telecasted on paid television time is that Congress party's new slogan now is "Mein Nahin Mom".

Manmohan Singh's daughter slams book on PM, says it's a betrayal
15 April, 2014
New Delhi: The family of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has come out in his defence after two recent books sought to question his authority as the head of the government.
Dr Manmohan Singh's eldest daughter Upinder Singh slammed Sanjaya Baru, the former advisor to the PM during 2004-09, saying his book 'The Accidental Prime Minister - The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh' was nothing but a “stab in the back…a huge betrayal of trust...(and a) mischievous, unethical exercise”.
Upinder told a leading English daily that Baru's book betrays the trust of the PM as well as the access to Dr Singh that he enjoyed. She also questioned the timing as well as the contents of the book.
“While I am not speaking on behalf of the Prime Minister, we are extremely angry at the exaggerated level of access the author has ascribed to himself. It is an audacious account with so-called quotes, of even the Prime Minister, which have been recorded as facts. Reported speech has been used as direct speech. Is this ethical?’’ she told the daily.
With the book being released in the middle of the General Elections 2014, Upinder said the same could not be described as an “unbiased or objective book”.
“It is absurd to say there is no political motive (behind the release of the book),” she further told the daily.
While stating Baru had told her recently that the book would be released after the elections, the PM's daughter said the author had penned “gossip and unverified quotes”.
As a matter of fact, Upinder said, Baru was not part of the decision-making process in the Prime Minister's Office.
The author has said that the timing of the book's release was preponed by the publishers as they believed no one would be interested in the work after Manmohan Singh demits office post elections.
Dr Singh has stated that he was not in race for third term as PM if Congress/UPA returns to power after the Lok Sabha elections. Baru, in his book, claimed that Dr Singh was not the final authority in decision-making and that he had been "defanged" by the Congress in his second term with Congress president Sonia Gandhi deciding on key appointments to the Cabinet and to the PMO.
The PM, Baru says, seemed to "surrender" to her and to the UPA constituents.
In another book released on Monday, former coal secretary PC Parakh said Manmohan Singh headed a government in which he had “little” political authority.
“By continuing to head a government in which he had little political authority, his image has been seriously dented by 2G scam and Coalgate although he has had a spotless record of personal integrity,” Parakh observed in his book 'Crusader or Conspirator? Coalgate and Other Truths'.

Priyanka Gandhi was very keen to fight Narendra Modi in Varanasi, but Cong leadership said no
14 April, 2014
NEW DELHI: Imagine a Narendra Modi vs Priyanka Gandhi contest for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. It would have been the mother of all election battles, and would have put everything and everyone else in the shade. It would have electrified the nation and riveted the attention of the world.
Priyanka Gandhi is reliably learned to have been very keen to be the Congress candidate in the holy city. But the party leadership finally decided against fielding her.
Priyanka, who has so far limited her political responsibilities to managing her brother and mother's Lok Sabha campaigns in Rae Bareli and Amethi, is believed to have made a strong pitch to contest because she felt Modi was "bad for the country" and needed to be "stopped".
Apart from perhaps tying up Modi in Varanasi and forcing him to curtail his national campaign, Priyanka's entry would have charged up the rank and file of the Congress at a time when a number of ministers and leaders were reluctant to fight elections of fear of losing (one senior Cabinet member is reported to have feared a rout). The fact that she was willing to place 'a higher principle' above a real risk of defeat would have sent out a strong and defiant message to the demoralized troops, and hopefully, the entire electorate, Congress insiders said.
"Even if she'd lost, the results would have been only known after the elections. But it would have come as a huge booster before. It was very courageous of her. That's something senior Congressmen who've run away from contesting didn't understand," said a party manager.
Senior partymen said the decision to not field Priyanka was driven by the logic of preferring a 'local' to take on Modi the 'outsider'. But there may have been other reasons too:
* The estimate that Priyanka's presence in Varanasi would have accorded Modi "too much importance";
* The fear that defeat of one of the three Gandhis might have dimmed the 'halo' around them;
* It would almost certainly have exposed Priyanka to attacks from Modi and the BJP on account of her husband Robert Vadra's alleged ties with real estate giant DLF and brought some of his other reported land deals under the microscope;
* Most of all, it would have diverted attention from Rahul and his campaign, and raised questions as to whether Priyanka's entry was an implicit acknowledgement of her brother's lacklustre leadership. There might have been some apprehension that Priyanka, by the force of her personality, would have greater gravitational pull than Rahul. She has been variously described by those who know her as "charming, charismatic and connected"; her political instincts are also said to be sharp, and she can work a crowd. The 41-year-old Priyanka's entry could have undermined Rahul's authority not long after he'd been officially anointed future leader.

Non-BJP, non-Congress third front only alternative: Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee
14 April, 2014
Calling upon people to vote for Left parties, former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today said the third front comprising non-BJP, non-Congress political forces is the only alternative to lead the nation in the right direction."Congress knows well they are not returning to power. On the other hand, Narendra Modi is an RSS man and his misdeeds are yet to be judged. So defeat Congress and prevent BJP from coming to power," Bhattacharjee said campaigning for Suhashini Ali, CPI(M) candidate from Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency.
"There is no difference between the economic policies of Congress and BJP. We don't want to choose any one leader, we believe in a principle which will benefit everyone," he said.
Criticising the Mamata Banerjee government, the CPI(M) Politburo member said, "No political party will form an alliance with Trinamool Congress. It is Mamata Banerjee who paved way for BJP in Bengal and is yet to spell out her future plans on aligning with the party after the elections." "The way Modi wants to lead the country is very dangerous," Bhattacharjee cautioned the people.
Reminding the electorate that the election this time would not be an easy one, the veteran Marxist leader said if all non-Congress and non-BJP political forces unite, they would comprise over 50 per cent vote share.
Accusing the TMC in the state of total anarchy, he said, "Attacks on women are increasing very fast in the state, while there is no law and order left with ruling party leaders asking their workers to hurl bombs on police personnel if their purpose is not served."
Strongly criticising Mamata Banerjee's bid to shield her party leader Anubrata Mandal and even sharing dais with him during campaign, he said, "If I was the chief minister, Anubrata (rpt) Anubrata would have been sent to prison." Taking a dig at Mamata Banerjee and her comments, he said, "She does not know what she has to do. With her inept handling of the state administration, people have turned worst sufferers. We hope people will rise again through their votes."
The CPI(M) leader said his party was in favour of universal Public Distribution System (PDS), medical facilities and employment for all, minimum wages for workers and pension for all senior citizens.

India, China strategic talks today; focus on continuity
14 April, 2014
India and China will on Monday afternoon hold the sixth round of their strategic dialogue, with the talks expected to lay the groundwork for a series of high-level engagements between the two countries set to take place in coming months following the Lok Sabha elections.
The message from officials of both countries is that the dialogue here will stress continuity in ties at a functional level even as political engagements remain on hold on account of the elections.
Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh will meet with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin on Monday afternoon at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse here.
Besides bilateral engagements, the dialogue will look at the entire breadth of the relationship as well as common regional concerns such as the situation in Afghanistan. India and China have expressed willingness to do more to coordinate their efforts there, including on joint projects.
Following the dialogue with Mr. Liu, Ms. Singh will, later on Monday evening, call on Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The talks will also firm up what officials described as "a packed calendar" of bilateral visits in the coming year, which is being marked as "a year of friendly exchanges".
A highlight could be the first visit by Chinese President and Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping to India. Mr. Xi has expressed his desire to visit India later this year on what would be his first trip to the country after taking over as President in March 2013, as The Hindu first reported last month.
The proposed visit is being seen as reflecting the new Chinese leadership's intent to take ties forward with the new government in New Delhi that will be in place after the Lok Sabha elections.
Monday's strategic dialogue will be followed by a high-level military-level dialogue in New Delhi next week, when a People's Liberation Army (PLA) delegation led by the Deputy Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Qi Jianguo, travels to India for DGMO-level talks on the boundary issue, to be held on April 22.
The talks will also firm up plans for annual defence exercises, which will be held in India later this year. Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan is also expected to visit India later this year.
Next week, the two Navies are also slated to have talks with a delegation from India set to visit Qingdao, the northeastern headquarters of the PLA Navy's North Sea fleet, where the PLA is hosting an international fleet review to mark its 65th anniversary.
The stealth frigate INS Shivalik will participate in the review.
China had invited India's Navy chief to Qingdao, but following the resignation of Navy Chief D.K. Joshi a month ago and a successor yet to be appointed, the Navy will send a "fairly high-ranking" officer to lead the delegation, officials said.

Two terrorists holed up in house near Srinagar, heavy firing on
14 April, 2014
Srinagar: Heavy firing is being exchanged between two Lashkar-e-Taiba militants and security forces in Ahmadnagar on the outskirts of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.
The two militants are holed up inside a house in the congested residential area.
The entire area has been cordoned off and heavy security is present.
"Exchange of firing between militants and security forces has started after the militants turned down the offer to surrender," a senior police officer said.
Security forces had asked the militants, who took refuge in a residential house belonging to Abdul Majid Ranrez last evening, to surrender but they refused the offer, the officer said.
The police first evacuated the house owner and his wife who were trapped inside the house where the militants are holed up. The police say their first priority was to rescue all civilians before launching the final assault.
The police say they received a tip off about the two suspected militants last evening, who then entered the house.

Amit Shah to seek review of Election Commission's ban on his rallies in UP
12 April, 2014
New Delhi: BJP leader Amit Shah has said he would request the Election Commission (EC) to review its order that bans him from addressing rallies in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly making "highly inflammatory speeches" while campaigning.
"The EC has asked me to reply by today evening. I will give my explanation in the reply and will request for a review of the decision," he told reporters today.
Along with Mr Shah, the Election Commission has also banned Samajwadi Party's senior minister Azam Khan from addressing rallies in the state. Both parties have sought a review of the decision.
In a letter to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary, the Election Commission has also ordered that First Information Reports or FIRs be registered against the two politicians.
In its letter, the poll panel criticised the Akhilesh Yadav government for "soft pedalling" on action against its minister Azam Khan for what it has described as his "undesirable activities". (Unfortunate that people like Amit Shah are in politics: Mulayam Singh)
Mr Khan has alleged that he is facing a ban and criminal charges as the Election Commission "had to strike a balance as they were anyway proceeding against Amit Shah." His party's spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman also added that the Election Commission "has carried out a communal balancing act."
The UP government has filed FIRs against Amit Shah, a close aide of the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, for talking about "revenge" for the communal violence that tore through Muzaffarnagar last year. Mr Shah delivered the controversial speeches in Bijnor and Shamli, in the riot-scarred western UP region.
Azam Khan too has made several provocative speeches recently, including one in Ghaziabad on Tuesday when he said that the Kargil war was won by Muslim soldiers. The panel said despite a notice sent to him, he is "still making derogatory and inflammatory statements and using intemperate language as well."

Modi to campaign in Chennai on Sunday
12 April, 2014
CHENNAI: Close on heels of controversy breaking out over his marital status, BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will address a public meeting for NDA alliance candidates in Chennai on Sunday.
Modi would address a meeting in South Chennai for the party's candidate L Ganesan who is contesting for the second time from the constituency, party sources said. Confirming this, Ganesan who is a national executive member of the party, said "I am inviting all alliance candidates from Chennai for the public meeting".
Modi's campaign in Chennai is significant as it will be a test of responsiveness to a perceived wave in his favour in Tamil Nadu.
Modi had addressed his first election meeting in Chennai on February 8 before the rainbow alliance with various Tamil regional parties including the DMDK, MDMK and PMK was formally launched. BJP president Rajnath Singh had unveiled the grand non-DMK non-AIADMK alliance at a hotel in Chennai on March 20.
DMDK led by actor Vijayakanth, Vaiko's MDMK, PMK, Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK), and Konganadu Desiya Makkal Katchi (KNDK) besides New Justice Party are part of the BJP-led alliance in Tamil Nadu which goes to polls on April 24.

CONG USES ATAL WEAPON TO POUR SCORN ON MODI
12 April, 2014
Launching a fresh offensive against Narendra Modi, the Congress has picked up former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s oft-quoted comment expressing dismay over Modi not following “rajdharma (ruler’s duty)” in controlling the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat.
Putting up Vajpayee’s quotation prominently on its official website along with his photograph, the ruling party claimed that Modi not following his “rajdharma (A ruler’s duty),” was the fundamental cause of the former prime minister’s pain. The website also said in its advertisement “Just think! Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vapayee did not think this man deserved to be chief minister, can you put the country’s future in his hands?”
Rubbishing Congress charges, BJP said the ruling party was showing its “utter desperation” by heaping praise on Vajpayee to attack Modi and said this attempt was aimed at downplaying its “imminent” defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.
Stating this, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said “one notices with curiosity that Congress party is describing Vajpayee as a great leader on its website when it is one of the worst critics of his performance as the Prime Minister of India and consciously downplays his exemplary performance of governance.”
The Congress website says “no leader in the BJP can match the stature of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He was clear what was the reason for the defeat. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s failure to control the communal pogrom in his state in 2002. He believed that the party will lose its credibility unless it took action against Modi. (sic)”
The party went on to quote former Union minister and expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh, who was close to Vajpayee, as saying that Vajpayee had threatened to resign unless the BJP took action against Modi.
Accusing the main opposition party of distancing itself from the Vajpayee legacy, the Congress website said, “there is nobody to remind BJP of its “raj dharma”. How can a person whom the tallest leader of the BJP wanted removed as chief minister, be the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate?”
Congress said “having found a new icon in Modi, the BJP is working hard to distance itself from the Vajpayee legacy,” and asked whether a chief minister “who failed to protect his citizens, who discriminated between people on the basis of religion, who made a mockery of people’s suffering, ever make a good Prime Minister? How can a person who failed in his Rajdharma as chief minister ever ensure a peaceful and prosperous future for the people of India?.”

ANY RELIEF NOW WILL OPEN PANDORA’S BOX: SC
12 April, 2014
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to grant any interim relief to 11,000 odd registered NRI voters who demanded right to vote in the Lok Sabha polls through postal ballot or any other means from their place of work.
The court, which found the demand by the NRIs “genuine”, found the request too late in the day to be entertained, particularly when three phases of elections was over. “After polling is over in Delhi and Kerala (having maximum NRIs) is it possible to have postal ballots for NRIs on remaining seats.
Will it not open a Pandora Box,” said a Bench of Justices KS Radhakrishnan and Vikramajit Sen.
But holding out hope for the NRI community to participate in future elections, the Bench asked Election Commission to submit a report of its committee examining feasibility of allowing NRIs to vote through internet. The matter is expected to be taken by in August next.
The Bench said, “Your claim is very genuine. Nobody is contesting the claim that as citizens you have a right to vote. But can we do it when elections are on.” The issue was raised by UAE-based NRI VP Shamsheer, who owns a chain of hospitals in the Middle East. Shamsheer challenged the validity of Section 20A of Representation of People Act 1950 that required NRIs to be physically present in the polling booth to cast their vote.
With majority Indians employed as labourers abroad, the bench realized the practical difficulty faced by NRI community to get leave and travel to India to cast vote. The Election Commission, which was asked to examine the petition and suggest remedy, filed an affidavit that said, “It is not practically possible to notify the overseas electors from various constituencies in the country settled in various parts of the world as a notified class of voters for the purpose of voting by postal ballot only.” Such a facility was available to people “forced to migrate temporarily from their native places under special circumstances”, the affidavit added, justifying the facility of postal ballots being provided to armed forces personnel and those staying in migrant camps, such as Kashmiri Pandits and Brus/Reangs of Mizoram, etc.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who argued the petition, demanded that for the interim, the Government could consider issuing a notification for extending postal ballot facility to about 11,800 NRI voters as they did for defence personnel stationed at peace stations. By that same rule, the court reasoned why similar benefit should not be extended to persons employed in private sector abroad.
The EC committee is expected to begin work after conclusion of polls. The Court directed the poll panel to compile its report in three months and submit to court by August.

No country for women in Tamil Nadu
11 April, 2014
Nadu have given sufficient representation to the fairer sex in the April 24 Lok Sabha polls in the state despite having claimed to espouse the cause of women in Parliament.
While ruling party AIADMK, which is captained by one of the popular woman leaders of the country — J Jayalalithaa has alloted only four of the 39 seats across the state to women, DMK president M Karunanidhi, a strong advocate of the Women’s Reservation Bill, has named only two candidates.
When reporters pointed this out to him recently, the 90-year-old patriarch sought to downplay it saying the state has had enough even with just one woman, indirectly referring to his arch rival, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa who takes a dig at him at every available opportunity.
Congress-led by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi named only three candidates across the state. Even women leaders like Union Minister Jayanthi Natarajan from the state are seemed to have been overlooked. The All India General Secretary of Indian Youth Congress, Jothimani, is one of the three women candidates of Congress who has been isolated in the state for this Lok Sabha election.
The mega alliance of six parties led by BJP is no better. While the BJP, DMDK, MDMK, IJK and KMDK have not even named a single woman as their candidate, PMK was unexpectedly left with a woman candidate in V Sudha in Chidambaram (SC) constituency, after her husband’s nomination was rejected for procedural lapses.
Even the traditional supporter of the Women’s Reservation Bill — Left parties of CPI and CPI(M), have named only one and two women candidates respectively.

Mizoram: Voting on for lone LS seat, assembly by-poll
11 April, 2014
Voting for the lone Lok Sabha constituency and an Assembly by-poll in Mizoram began on Friday, for which additional eight companies of central para-military forces have been deployed.
The by-poll is being held to the Hrangturzo Assembly constituency.
The Mizoram Lok Sabha seat is witnessing a three-cornered contest between the ruling Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and the United Democratic Front which is an alliance of eight opposition parties.
Congress has fielded its sitting MP C L Ruala, while UDF has nominated Robert Romawia Royte. AAP has put up Michael Lalmanzuala as its candidate for the seat.
An electorate of 7,02,189, of whom 3,55,954 are women are eligible to cast votes in 1,126 polling stations.
In 385 polling stations, mainly in urban areas, the VVPAT system, under which a paper trail would show the voters their choice of candidates, has been installed.
Eight companies of central paramilitary forces apart from six state armed battalions as well as unarmed policemen are looking after the security. International borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh and inter-state borders have been sealed, official sources said.
The election, scheduled for April 9, was shifted to April 11 after a clutch of civil society bodies called a 72-hour bandh from April 7 to protest against the EC's permission to Bru refugees, camped in Tripura, to vote in that state instead of Mizoram which the strikers had demanded.

Must not elect leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav, say parents of Delhi gang-rape victim
11 April, 2014
The parents of a 23-year-old woman who was gang raped and killed on the outskirts of Delhi on December 16, 2012, have strongly criticised Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav for his statement that rapists should not be hanged, but treated more leniently by the courts.
"We do not agree with what Mulayam Singh has said. Such things cannot be accepted when they happen every day. When such people who are in positions of power make such comments, it is totally wrong, I would appeal to the people and to the women at large that they should not elect such leaders who make such comments. With such comments, he is only inviting criminals to repeat such acts," the Delhi gang rape victim's mother said.
"If such a big leader like Mulayam Singh makes such comments, then how can one imagine that this country will remain safe. Today, whatever atrocities are being done against women, nobody is talking about their safety. Instead, there is a design to keep women trampled forever. My request to the citizens of this country is that they should not elect such leaders who make such irresponsible comments," the victim's father said.
Mulayam Singh Yadav, on Thursday said it was wrong to give capital punishment to rapists involved in the gang rape of two persons in Mumbai in August and September of last year, adding that boys make mistakes at times.
Speaking at a rally here, Yadav questioned the need for a court of the land to hand down capital punishment to the three men involved in the two crimes.
"We will bring changes in the law when we come to power," Yadav said.

Lok Sabha 2014: Mixed experience for disabled voters
11 April, 2014
NEW DELHI: Gokul Chand voted without his wife's help for the first time. "It's a secret ballot. I always wished I could do it on my own," said the music teacher who is blind. On entering the model polling booth near Hanuman Mandir, he was handed detailed directions in Braille to use the electronic voting machine (EVM). Gokul, who voted for the "common man's party", said his vote is for checking inflation and providing better opportunities to the blind.
However, not all disabled voters had such a comfortable experience. Several polling booths, especially those in schools, had no ramps but only steep stairs. At the Delhi College of Art, ITO, Alwin Massy struggled up the stairs. His legs are partially paralysed from a stroke that he suffered a few years ago. "I am not complaining because this happens to us every day. There was a man helping people, but a ramp could have made things much smoother," he said.
Most booths had wheelchairs as well as an officer to assist disabled voters. However, at places the wheelchairs were kept a long way off from the polling station entrance. At some booths, for instance in Salwan Public School, Rajinder Nagar, the ramp was so steep that many couldn't use it at all.
Greater Kailash-II resident Manish Gupta, who is disabled but not a wheelchair user, said the new government should make the city accessible. "I can't go to restaurants and shops, and on my birthday I stay at home while others are out partying. Simply because there are no ramps or lifts in most places," he said.
"For the December election, I had to walk into the centre. Having wheelchairs this time has helped a lot," said Kalavati, 80, on her way out of a polling station in Mangolpuri. She seemed to be enjoying the care and waved at passing policemen and other voters. "I'll go home in this (wheelchair)," she told Sanjay Kumar who was assisting the disabled. She got a warm send-off in a rickshaw from Kumar, a few voters and the entire contingent of policemen posted at the gate. The wheelchairs were much in demand. Kuldeep, who was assisting the disabled people at a centre in Bawana, said he had helped out about a dozen voters. "Two of them were blind."
At Mangolpuri Q-Block, Loveleen Chauhan had wheeled in three voters by 11am. But some disabled voters chose not to use wheelchairs. "If I use it now, what will I do tomorrow?" said Ramprasad, 68, as he lumbered along in a walker in Sultanpur Majra. Disability rights activist Javed Abidi welcomed the change. "I was in a car. When the cops saw I am a wheelchair user, they allowed us to drive in till the booth. One of our staff members whose polling booth was in a community banquet hall said the place has a permanent ramp."
"Every election, I was forced to leave my wheelchair and walk up to the booth on crutches. The election commission made excellent arrangements this time," said Mohammed Riyaz Khan, a resident of Jawahar Mohalla.
Dr Satendra Singh, who highlighted the lack of accessible polling booths earlier, said that he is satisfied with the arrangements this time. He credited the election office and NGOs for the improvement.

Sonia, Rahul, Kejriwal vote in Delhi
10 April, 2014
Congress president Sonia Gandhi voted in New Delhi on Thursday in the Lok Sabha election.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal also voted in separate polling centres.
Sonia Gandhi was accompanied by Congress leaders Ajay Maken, Arvinder Singh Lovely and Haroon Yusuf when she reached the Nirman Bhawan polling booth in the heart of the capital.
After voting, a smiling Gandhi flashed her inked finger to the media.
Kejriwal told journalists after casting his vote that he was confident that the AAP would win all seven seats in Delhi.
Earlier, Ajay Maken made a similar claim for the Congress, saying voters would reward the Congress-led UPA with another five-year term.

TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao declares assets worth Rs. 17 crore
10 April, 2014
Sangareddy, Andhra Pradesh: TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), who filed his nomination for Medak Lok Sabha today, has declared his total assets at Rs. 16,94,82,464 but neither he nor his family owns any vehicle.
Of the total movable and immovable assets, KCR has Rs. 9,90,000 cash in hand and pegged his income in the financial year 2012-13 at Rs. 6,59,684.
As per the affidavit filed along with the nomination papers, the TRS chief, who has declared business and agriculture as his profession, has liabilities of Rs. 7 crore, including a loan.
The affidavit said KCR has 60 grams jewellery worth Rs. 1,80,000. KCR's wife Shobha has Rs. 1,50,000 cash in hand and 650 grams jewellery worth Rs. 19,50,000.
The KCR or his family members do not own any car or vehicle.
The affidavit says KCR has two pending cases against him wherein charges are framed by respective courts under offences punishable with imprisonment of up to two years.
The Congress nominee from Medak seat P Shravan Kumar Reddy has declared his total assets - movable and immovable - at Rs. 5.80 crore including Rs. 4 lakh cash in hand.
Reddy's wife P Vineela Reddy has cash of Rs. 3.50 lakh in hand and total assets of Rs. 2.64 crore.

Violence hits Bihar on poll day
10 April, 2014
PATNA : Polling for six Lok Sabha seats in Bihar today started under the shadow of violence as Maoists killed two CRPF jawans and injured seven others when they were on their way to polling stations of Jamui constituency in Munger district.
Deputy Superintendent of Police, Khargpur, Ranjan Kumar told PTI that the security personnel belonging to 131 CRPF battalion were travelling in two jeeps to Tarapur in the Maoist-affected district for poll duty in the early hours when the attack took place.
The Maoists first detonated an improvised explosive device and then ambushed the CRPF personnel near Sawa Lakh Baba Mandir at the entrance of Bhimbandh jungle at around 5.30 AM. The security personnel returned the ultras’ fire.
The dead CRPF personnel have been identified as head constable Ravindra Rai and constable Sone Gora, Kumar said, adding their bodies have been kept at Kharagpur Police Station.
The seven injured have been rushed to Bhagalpur hospital, he said.
Maoists had earlier given a call for a poll boycott.Lok Janashakti Party President Ram Vilas Paswan’s son Chirag is in the fray from the Jamui parliamentary constituency against Bihar Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary of JD (U) and Sudhanshu Shekhar Bhaskar of RJD.
In another incident, Gaya Police seized six can bombs weighing 30 kg each from Banke Bazar area under Imamganj Assembly segment, which is part of Aurangabad Lok Sabha seat, where too polls are underway.
The bombs were defused, Gaya senior superintendent of police Nishant Tiwari said.
Brisk voting is on in the six constituencies where polling is on in the state.
Election office sources said above seven per cent votes were cast in the first two hours of polling in Sasaram(SC), Aurangabad, Karakat, Gaya (SC), Jamui (SC) and Nawada.

British envoy visits Nagpur to 'experience' Indian elections
10 April, 2014
Nagpur: British High Commissioner Sir James David Bevan today visited Nagpur to witness the polling process in Naxal-hit Vidarbha region during the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra.
"I am here to observe the wonderful experience of polling in the world's largest democracy and enjoying it," the senior diplomat told PTI, adding Britain is also keenly following Indian elections.
On why he chose to come to Nagpur when he lived in Delhi, where seven LS seats went to polls today, James said he wanted to visit other places in the country to keenly watch the democratic process.
James arrived in Nagpur this morning from Delhi and drove straight to the residence of former BJP national president Nitin Gadkari who is contesting his first Lok Sabha election this time from Nagpur.
He spent nearly half-an-hour with the 56-year-old stalwart at 'Gadkariwada' in Mahal.
Later, James visited some of the polling booths.
Mr Gadkari, accompanied by his wife Kanchan and the family, cast his vote in Town Hall polling centre amid media glare.
Sitting MP Vilas Muttemwar too, accompanied by his wife Chhaya and other family members, exercised his franchise in a West Nagpur booth.
James was expected to call on Mr Muttemwar also. He had sought time, Mr Muttemwar said.
Ten Lok Sabha constituencies in Vidarbha where polling is underway since 7 am are Nagpur, Ramtek, Bhandara-Gondia, Gadchiroli, Chandrapur,Akola, Amravati, Buldana, Wardha and Yavatmal-Washim.

Azam Khan says ‘Muslim soldiers’ won Kargil war, comes under EC scanner
09 April, 2014
The Election Commission has sought details on the speech of Samajwadi Party leader and UP minister Azam Khan over his ‘Kargil’ remarks. The Congress has already complained to the poll panel against Khan over his controversial remarks.
Khan courted controversy yet again as he dragged the Kargil conflict into the ongoing high voltage Lok Sabha campaign, saying it was “Muslim soldiers” who fought for India’s victory in the 1999 Kargil war against Pakistan.
“Those who fought for victory in Kargil were not Hindu soldiers, in fact the ones who fought for our victory were Muslim soldiers,” he said in a speech laced with communal overtones during an election rally in Ghaziabad on Tuesday night.
Khan also went on to say that no one can guard the country’s borders better than those from the Muslim community. “Recruit us in the Indian Army. No one can guard the borders of our nation better than us,” he said.
Khan’s remarks come two days after he called BJP general secretary Amit Shah a ‘goonda’ (thug) and ‘qatil’ (killer),
Former Army Chief and BJP’s candidate in Ghaziabad Gen V K Singh condemned Khan’s remarks, saying the Kargil war was “won by Indians”. Singh is looking to capitalise on the significant population of ex-servicemen in the area.
Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala said action should be taken against Khan for “intemperate” remarks that could lead to division of communities based on regligion or caste.

Narendra Modi files nomination in Vadodara after grand roadshow
09 April, 2014
Vadodara: A tea vendor and a member of the city's erstwhile royal family are among the five people who proposed Narendra Modi's name as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate filed his nomination papers today as the party's candidate from Vadodara in Gujarat.
Mr Modi turned his drive down the four km route from Kirti Stambh to the district collector's office into a massive road show. Thousands of supporters in saffron Gandhi caps and Modi masks and holding big cut-outs of the BJP's lotus symbol and many party flags, lined the stretch and crowded Mr Modi's open jeep.
Mr Modi, in a flame red jacket, stood in the jeep waving to the crowds. Thousands of police personnel have been deployed in the city today.
At the collectorate, Kiran Mahida, a tea seller proposed Mr Modi's candidacy. As did Shubhanginidevi Raje-Gaekwad, an erstwhile royal. The BJP says that demonstrates the wide swathe of Mr Modi's appeal. A big portion of the Gujarat chief minister's election campaign for the country's top post has been built around his modest beginnings as a young boy who sold tea on trains.
After filing his papers, Mr Modi said, "I hope that all voters in Vadodara will celebrate democracy with enthusiasm and on April 30 vote in large numbers for the BJP."
The Congress has fielded Madhusudan Mistry, a close aide of party number 2 Rahul Gandhi in Vadodara. (Candidate details) | (Schedule)
Even in a state that Mr Modi has comprehensively won over the last 12 years, Vadodara stands out as a BJP stronghold; the party had won the seat by almost 1.5 lakh votes in 2009. Six of the seven assembly segments in Vadodara are held by the BJP. The seventh was won by an Independent, who soon joined the BJP fold.
Mr Modi is also contesting a second seat, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

Second round of voting begins in India
09 April, 2014
Hundreds of thousands of people have started voting in the second phase of India's national election in the country's remote northeast amid tight security.
The election to choose members to the 543-seat Lok Sabha, or House of the People, will be spread over five weeks and run until May 12.
The multi-phase voting kicked off in two small northeastern states of Assam and Tripura on Monday and spread to the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Nagaland on Wednesday.
The main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has promised surges in economic growth if it wins the majority, appears to be leading the race to wrest power from the ruling Congress party.
Voters queued outside the polling booths in Itanagar, the capital of the northeastern Arunachal Pradesh state, on Wednesday morning.
A first time voter, Noori, said that she was hoping the elections would result in the formation of a stable government, which would place the nation on a path of development.
"It should be a changed nation, not a changing one, that's why I have come to vote. I have lot of expectations from them, a developed nation. So, that's the reason I am voting for BJP. I am voting for the first time," she said.
Security forces have stepped up safety measures to ensure a safe and fearless environment for voters.
In the past, the strife-torn northeastern region of the country has experienced poll boycotts from fighter groups and there have also been threats against candidates from the outlawed United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA).

AAP's Ashutosh accuses Sibal of bribing voters
09 April, 2014
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Ashutosh on Wednesday alleged that his rival and Congress candidate Kapil Sibal is bribing voters in Delhi's Chandni Chowk constituency and asked the Election Commission of India to debar him from contesting the elections. Ashutosh's allegation comes a day before the national capital goes to polls.
"Kapil Sibbal has started distributing money in Chandni Chowk to buy votes," the AAP leader tweeted.He said Indian democracy has earned a bad name because of "men like Sibbal" who think "money can buy vote and seat" and asked the EC to debar him from contesting.
"I request EC to immediately intervene in Chandni Chowk and arrest those who are distributing money and cancel Sibbal's nomination."
He said on Twitter that his wife had seen 'Sibal's men' distributing money in Chandni Chowk om Tuesday."She told me this morning. How money was distributed in packets by Sibbal men. They were menacing goons."
He also urged Congress president Sonia Gandhi to expel Sibal.
"I appeal to Sonia Gandhi to expel man like Sibbal who thinks money can win election. Men like Sibbal are curse of Indian democracy."
Union law minister Sibal reacted to Ashutosh's charge saying the AAP leader should file an FIR and provide evidence to prove his claims.
"When you lose support then you make such baseless allegations. I will get him prosecuted again," the Union minister told ANI.
"He is a novice in politics, he needs to learn a lot. All I can say is that I pity him," Sibal added.
Bharatiya Janata Party's Harsh Vardhan is the third key candidate from the constituency.

Last-ditch fighters in Gujarat
08 April, 2014
The BJP juggernaut is rolling, crushing all opposition in Gujarat to realise PM candidate Narendra Modi’s dream of sweeping away all the 26 seats in the state.
But a handful of Congress men — Bharat Solanki from Anand, Shankersinh Vaghela from Sabarkantha and Prabha Taviyad from the reserved tribal seat of Dahod are prominent among them — are still making last-ditch efforts to stop the Modi onslaught on their turfs.
The BJP state general secretary Vijay Rupani said, “Our focus is to win all the 26 seats in Gujarat. So, we have concentrated our energy on defeating Congress leaders, such as Solanki, Vaghela and Union ministers Tushar Chaudhary and Dinsha Patel, who have been winning consecutively.”
Union minister Solanki, a two-time MP, is son of former chief minister Madhavsinh Solanki. His parliamentary seat Anand in central Gujarat is considered to be a pocket borough of the Solankis — his maternal grandfather, Ishwarsinh Chavda, represented it in Parliament for five times.
The BJP, which has managed to win from Anand only once in 1999, has fielded assembly member Dilip Patel, a powerful local politician who was earlier a minister in the Keshubhai government.Dominated by the OBCs and Kshatriyas, Anand is considered to be the “safest” seat for the Congress in Gujarat.
Another Congress leader, who has so far managed to resist the Modi onslaught, is former BJP leader Shankersinh Vaghela, now leader of the opposition in the assembly. He is contesting from north Gujarat’s Sabarkantha constituency.
Vaghela is hoping to survive this battle too, considering that it was in Sabarkantha that the Congress recorded its best performance in the last assembly polls. It won six of the seven assembly seats in the parliamentary constituency.
A local BJP leader said on condition of anonymity: “Sabarkantha will be tough with Vaghela in the fray. He is popular among the Kshatriya and OBC communities, while a sizeable chunk of Muslim votes will go his way.” He said the BJP candidate, Deepsinh Rathod, didn’t have the stature to face former CM and Union minister Vaghela in Sabarkantha.
Another seat that may disappoint Modi this time is Dahod, reserved for scheduled tribes. The BJP will find the going tough against sitting MP Prabha Taviyad. For, Dahod has been a Congress bastion for decades.
The BJP had won Dahod only once in 2004, but its then MP, Babulal Katara, was caught in a human trafficking case at Delhi airport, damaging the clout the saffron party had built in the region. In the last Lok Sabha polls, the Congress easily regained Dahod. This time, the BJP is making a determined attempt to wrest the seat from the Congress, fielding Jaswantsinh Bhabhor. But BJP leaders are yet not sure of victory in Dahod.
A BJP leader working in Dahod said, “We are putting in our best efforts, but the Congress has a strong clout in the tribal and Muslim pockets in the area.”

Polls in West Bengal could be cancelled if EC orders on officials' transfer not followed
08 April, 2014
The Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal could be cancelled if Election Commission's orders for transferring officials isn't followed, sources in the EC in Delhi told HT on Tuesday.Sources said that disciplinary action could be taken against the West Bengal's chief secretary.
The EC's warning came after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said she would not "remove a single officer". On Monday, Banerjee lashed out at the Election Commission of India (ECI), describing it as an agent of all her rivals — the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Her outburst came after the poll body ordered the transfer of five superintendents of police, one district magistrate and two additional district magistrates earlier in the day.
The ECI has the authority to transfer or suspend administrative officials after the poll dates are announced.
But Banerjee said, "I am not going to transfer any of the officials. ECI is acting as an agent of Congress, BJP and CPI(M). It is a conspiracy of the ECI, the Centre, Congress and the BJP."
She also challenged the poll body, saying it can do anything it wanted. "I don't care. Not a single transfer will take place as long as I am the chief minister. Either accept my resignation, or the transfer won't happen."
The ECI's transfer order came a day after the visit of the chief election commissioner to Bengal. There were allegations that the officials were acting in a biased manner and helping the ruling Trinamool Congress.
Banerjee's remark drew a sharp response from the opposition parties.Former state Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya said the Constitution of India gave the ECI the powers to suspend an official.
"Those who are opposing it (the transfer order) should think again so that they don't create a constitutional crisis."
Suryakanta Mishra, CPI(M) leader and the leader of Opposition in Bengal assembly, said the chief minister's ignorance about the constitution prompted her to challenge the ECI.

Congress likely to field Ajay Rai from Varanasi against Narendra Modi
08 April, 2014
The VARANASI: The Congress party seems to have come out of its confusion of whether fielding a joint consensus candidate against Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat, and is understood to have decided in favour of fielding Ajai Rai as its nominee from the constituency, said party sources in Varanasi.
For some weeks, Rai's name has been among front runners from the Congress probable, even though the party had delayed the announcement in the wake of possibility for a joint consensus candidate by 'secular parties' against the BJP prime ministerial candidate.
Rai, a bhumihar, has been a five-time MLA and has switched parties twice. A former BJP man, Rai quit the party after he was denied a ticket for the 2009 polls. Rai then contested them on a SP ticket and finished third behind BJP MP Murli Manohar Joshi and BSP's Mukhtar Ansari. This year, Ansari has announced its candidature from his own party, Quami Ektata Dal.
As reported in ET earlier, Rai holds sway over a sizeable chunk of the Bhumihar-Brahmin voters, which Modi will have to wean away to seal his victory from Varanasi. Considered a strongman in eastern UP, Rai was close to several national leaders of the BJP at one time and was hoping to win the party's candidature in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

Lok Sabha elections: AIADMK and DMK trade 'betrayal' barbs
08 April, 2014
Chennai: With about 15 days left for polling in Tamil Nadu, arch rivals DMK and AIADMK are trading barbs of 'betrayal' against each other on crucial issues like power and water, further intensifying the already high decibel campaigning. Rhetoric resonate the air as star campaigners on either side, AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa and DMK scion MK Stalin, list the betrayals of the other, asking the electorate if their votes should help their rivals win and add to their woes.
The undercurrent of Jayalalithaa's high voltage addresses is indeed DMK bashing and the 65-year-old leader packs a punch when she accuses DMK of betraying Tamil Nadu on emotive issues including inter-state Cauvery river water sharing and Mullaperiyar stand-off and the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.
Jayalalithaa repeats at every public rally that DMK government failed to mount pressure on the Centre to notify the 2007 final award of the Cauvery Tribunal, pointing it out to be the 'biggest gratitude' by DMK to people who had voted for it, asking if there could be a bigger betrayal than this. The AIADMK general secretary rounds off her criticism asking if the DMK, for all its 'betrayals', including supporting the Congress-led UPA on key issues like FDI in retail and power generation, deserves MPs in Parliament, and exhorts the voters to deal a 'fatal blow' to her main rival.
DMK, albeit delayed in its poll campaigning behind AIADMK, is equally up to the task, listing Jayalalithaa's 'betrayal,' mainly in the area of electricity, that has come to haunt the three year AIADMK rule as it romped back to power on the promise of addressing the acute shortage. Taking a cue from Jayalalithaa, Stalin reminds her of her promises of making the state a power surplus one in three months of taking over as Chief Minister and dubs it as "Agmark betrayal."
"AIADMK came to power promising to solve the power shortage within three months of assuming office. But, even after the government has completed three years, the situation has gone from bad to worse. Is it not a betrayal by AIADMK? Stalin asks the gathering, which responds "yes".
The DMK leader and his junior colleagues too, have been training their guns on Jayalalithaa for going back on her party's earlier promise of implementing the Rs 2000-odd crore Sethusamudram project, calling it another big betrayal. The list of betrayals listed out by either parties is long and with about a fortnight left for polling, there is no let up in trading of such charges.

LIVE | BJP manifesto: economy focus, Ram Mandir according to constitution
07 April, 2014
The Election Commission has blocked the release of the BJP's manifesto in Assam and Tripura as the first phase of polling is underway in these two northeastern states.
Senior leader LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj, party president Rajnath Singh, prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and others were present during the release of the document at its headquarters in New Delhi.
Senior party leader Murli Manohar Joshi, who headed the BJP Manifesto Committee, told reporters that the focus is on five Ts in the party's manifesto - talent, tourism, trade, tradition and technology."Our country has moved backwards in the last 10 years. The BJP manifesto focusses on things that will help the country bounce back," Joshi said.
He added it also focuses on education, jobs, women empowerment and infrastructure saying it has been prepared after discussions with various stakeholders.
The BJP brought its focus back on the Ram Temple in Ayodhya with its "commitment to explore all possibilities to facilitate its construction".
"We will construct the Ram temple within the Constitutional framework," Joshi said.
It also called for a discussion on Article 370 with all stakeholders and said it will ensure return of Kashmiri Pandits with full dignity in the state.
He said except for multi-brand retail sector, FDI will be allowed in sectors wherever needed for job and asset creation.
"We need to create India as a brand because if India innovates, India leads," Joshi said.The BJP manifesto promised to put in place strict measures and special courts to stop hoarding and black marketing, said Joshi.
It also promised a national health insurance mission for accessible, affordable and effective health care for all in its poll document.
In the field of foreign policy, the BJP promised to pursue friendly relations with neighbours but said "won't hesitate from taking strong stand and steps when required".
It said the nuclear doctrine will be studied in detail and will be revised and updated to make it relevant to challenges of current times, Joshi said.
Joshi said BJP in its manifesto promises a uniform civil code for gender equality in the country.The BJP, in its manifesto, also assured effective implementation of UPA's pet projects - food security scheme and right to education.

Mulayam defends govt. on riots on first visit to Muzaffarnagar
07 April, 2014
Visiting Muzaffarnagar for the first time since the deadly communal riots seven months ago, ruling Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday reached out to Muslims and claimed Rs. 115-crore assistance was given to victims unlike in Gujarat where “not a single rupee” was spent by Narendra Modi for 2002 riots affected.
Addressing a rally in the western Uttar Pradesh district that will go to polls on April 10, he said that no party would gain majority in the elections.
The Third Front will form government and Samajwadi Party will emerge as the largest party, he said.
With SP government under attack for handling of communal riots that left over 60 people dead and thousands of others homeless, Mr. Mulayam claimed the administration had successfully controlled the violence in two days.
“SP government provided an assistance of Rs. 115 crore to riot victims.Such a big amount was never distributed as relief to riot victims in the country.
“Gujarat government led by Mr. Modi had not given a single rupee to the riot victims but Uttar Pradesh government has distributed relief amount to riot victims without any discrimination,” the former UP chief minister said.
Referring to the Sachchar committee report, he said that Muslims are economically backward and the state government has planned various welfare schemes for them.
He claimed that Samajwadi party would win more than 50 per cent of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh
SP leader said that Muslims and farmers have been ignored in the country and they need a helping hand to improve their condition.
He appealed to the people to vote for SP candidate Virender Singh.

Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh, CRPF official injured/font>
07 April, 2014
A CRPF official was on Monday injured when Naxals attacked a camp of paramilitary forces in insurgency-hit Sukma district in southern Chhattisgarh.
The incident took place at the camp of 150 battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force in the premises of Chintagufa police station early this morning, Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police Neeraj Chandrakar told PTI over phone.
Armed rebels opened indiscriminate fire at the camp leaving sub inspector rank official Mahendra Singh Meena seriously injured, he said.
However, rebels fled the spot after security forces launched retaliatory attack on them, he said adding a rescue team is being sent to retrieve the injured official out of the jungle.

Chhattisgarh Naxal attack: CM, HM to visit site; combing operation launched
12 March, 2014
Raipur: A day after the Naxal attack in Chhatisgarh killed 15 security personnel and 1 civilian, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde will be visiting Jagdalpur on Wednesday. The Centre has also sent additional forces into the Naxal areas launching a massive combing operation.
Earlier in the day, the state government paid tribute to the security personnel who lost their lives in the attack in Jagdalpur. The martyrs have been laid to rest.
While condemning the attack, the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister said that the Congress should not politicise the attack. His statement comes after Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi had blamed the state government for the attack saying that it was the government's responsibility to avert Naxal attacks.
"Congress should not politicise a naxal attack. This is not the time to say such things," Singh said.
The attack on Tuesday comes less than a month before Chhattisgarh goes to vote in the general election. The incident took place close to the area where Naxals had killed top Congress leaders in 2013.
Meanwhile, sources in the Home Ministry have said that the security forces were at fault since they were following standard procedures which could have been observed by the Naxals.
The names of the CRPF personnel who have been killed in the attack are:
Inspector Subhash Chanda, Jind Haryana
ASI Manmohan Singh, Satna, MP
Head constable Pradeep Kumar, Ranchi
Constable Md. Faizul Haque, Nagaon, Assam
Constable Manoj Kumar Brethe Janjgir, Chhattisgarh
Constable Nahar Singh, Morena, UP
Constable Neeraj Kumar
Constable Somnath Rathore, Annupur MP
Constable Kaushal Kishore, Jalaun, UP
Inspector Tilak Raj Singh, Naushera, Punjab
Head Constable Lakhbir Singh, Kangra, HP

Sahara moves SC, calls detention of Subrata Roy, other directors illegal
12 March, 2014
New Delhi: Sahara on Wednesday moved a petition before the Supreme Court saying its chief Subrata Roy and two directors had been illegally detained by the court.
"They have been put behind bars for contempt, but they were never a party before the Supreme Court," the plea said.
Subrata Roy and two Sahara directors are in jail for contempt after they failed to appear before the apex court despite repeated summons in connection with a refunds case.
According to market regulator SEBI, Sahara owes Rs 24,000 crore to more than three crore investors. SEBI said that Sahara had raised this amount illegally and in violation of rules.
Sahara, however, said that SEBI was making "baseless allegations" against it. It challenged SEBI before the Securities Appellate Tribunal and later, the Supreme Court, both of which upheld the SEBI's orders to Sahara refund the money to investors.
SEBI acted after it had received two complaints from investors who said that Sahara was using illegal means to raise money through the issuance of bonds called OFCDs (Optionally Fully Convertible Debentures) which require permission from SEBI.
Despite repeated summons from the top court, Subrata Roy failed to turn up. He was finally arrested on February 28 by Lucknow Police and jailed in Delhi's Tihar for contempt of court.

2G trial on, but confident of doing well in elections, says A Raja
11 March, 2014
Chennai: 2G scam accused A Raja, who has has been given a Lok Sabha ticket by the DMK, remains defiant. A Raja said that there is no evidence against him and that he is confident of doing well in the elections.
"Yes, it is true that the 2g trial is still going on. Have you come out with any concrete evidence against me? It has been admitted by the CBI that Raja did not have any disproportionate assets," A Raja said.
"The finance secretary came, deposed before court saying there was this much exchequer loss. The trial is going on and I have full faith for the elections," Raja added.
The DMK has decided to field former telecom minister and 2G scam accused A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran in Lok Sabha elections. Raja will contest from his current constituency Nilgiris, a reserved seat for the Scheduled Castes (SCs), while Maran will contest from Central Chennai.
Karunanidhi exuded confidence in his leaders and rubbish allegations of corruption against them. "Already the case is shaky. There is no concrete evidence against Raja and others," he said.

Sheila Dikshit to be sworn in as Kerala Governor today
11 March, 2014
Thiruvananthapuram: Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will be sworn in as Kerala Governor on Tuesday.
She was accorded a reception on her arrival at the airport on Monday. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, his wife Mariyamma Oommen, Speaker G Karthikeyan, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and senior government officials welcomed her.
She succeeds Nikhil Kumar, who resigned to contest Lok Sabha polls in his home state Bihar.

SP releases list of candidates in MP, Assam, Andhra
10 March, 2014
The Samajwadi Party (SP) has released a list of candidates who would contest the Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Andhra Pradesh, a party leader said on Monday.
Mr. Ram Gopal Yadav, general secretary, said in a statement that the party has fielded candidates for Tirupati, Machalipattnam, Warangal, Aarakku and Narsapuram Lok Sabha constituencies in Andhra Pradesh.
The party has also decided to field candidates for the assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh for nine seats including Trivur, Kurnool, Warangal (East) and Vardhanapet.
The party, which has 22 MPs from Uttar Pradesh, would also be testing waters in Madhya Pradesh and has decided to field six candidates for the Lok Sabha seats.
The candidates include Anita Chowdhary (Bhind), Rajmani Patel (Rewa), Yogesh Kumar (Shahdaul), Manoj Kumar Yadav (Vidisha), Shiva Malik (Bhopal), Siddhartha Kushwaha (Khajuraho).
The SP will also be contesting the Karimganj, Silchar, Dhubri, Barpeta, Jorhat and Mangaldoi constituencies in Assam.
A senior party leader signalled that in coming days more candidates would be announced from other parts of the country.

BJP attempts united front amid talk of Lucknow seat for Rajnath Singh
10 March, 2014
Even as the BJP's leaders deny reports of deep differences in the run up to the national elections, the party appears to be confronting more problems over allocating constituencies in Uttar Pradesh to its top men.
Sources say Lalji Tandon, who represents Lucknow in the Lok Sabha, has made it clear that he may vacate his seat for the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, but will not offer the same favour to party president Rajnath Singh.
This morning, Mr Tandon, who is 78, told NDTV he will not seek another constituency if he is displaced, but said nobody from his party has approached him so far for this.
Mr Tandon was elected as the parliamentarian from Lucknow in 2009. The constituency is prestigious because Lucknow is the capital of India's most populous state, and because for many years, it was represented by the BJP's gold standard for leadership, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Yesterday, Murli Manohar Joshi, who represents Varanasi in Parliament, said that if he is asked to, he will, like a "disciplined soldier" accept the BJP's decision to field Mr Modi from his constituency.
Mr Joshi, 78, also refuted reports that he has privately indicated his deep resentment of this prospect to the party's top rung.
Meanwhile, senior leader LK Advani denied reports that he has criticized the BJP for resembling a "one-man show" for being too centred on Mr Modi in its campaign.

Dead officer's family attacks Defence Ministry over naval accidents
8 March, 2014
Mumbai: The family Lieutenant Commander Kapish Muwal, who died in the INS Sindhuratna mishap, has launched a scathing attack on the Defence Secretary after another officer died in the INS Kolkata tragedy on Friday.
Lieutenant Commander Muwal's brother criticised the Indian Navy saying that there were more civilian contractors than defence personnel and dedicated permanent technical civilian staff operating in the naval dockyards.
He said, "And unfortunately, the only ones who can do something about this are some babus who sadly are more concerned for their personal images than the image of the country."
He also lashed out at the Defence Ministry saying that the armed forces were extremely ill-equipped. "Some facts cannot be denied. INS Sindhuratna along with every other submarine (and a lot of other ships) in the Indian Navy are living on borrowed time," he said.
This comes after a Naval officer was killed in a gas leak on board India's most advanced destroyer, the INS Kolkata in Mumbai on Friday. The Defence Ministry has ordered a probe into the accident.
Lieutenant Commander Muwal's family had refused to accept compensation offered by the government following his death.

Arvind Kejriwal visits Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat
8 March, 2014
Ahmedabad: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, who is on a four-day visit to Gujarat to check the development claims of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, on Saturday visited the Sabarmati Ashram.
Later today, Kejriwal will address a rally in Modi's homeland.
The rally comes a day after the former Delhi chief minister Friday created a drama by suddenly demanding a meeting with Modi to discuss the issue of gas price and development in Gujarat but failed to get an appointment.
Kejriwal who toured Gujarat for almost three days said that Modi's development claims are not true and there is a lot of corruption in the state.
"You claim to have have eradicated corruption. But when I met people here in villages and towns, I came to know there is a lot of corruption in your government departments," the AAP leader said, referring to Modi.
The politician-turned activist also took pot shots at the BJP strongman alleging that Saurabh Patel has been made a minister by Modi. “By giving Patel like gas, petroleum, energy and minerals, in a way you allocated Gujarat's natural resources to Ambanis," Kejriwal alleged.
He also said that there is an acute problem of unemployment in Gujarat.
He also raised questions on the issue of corrupt ministers being included in the Modi government. Naming Babu Bokhiria and Purshottam Solanki, the AAP leader questioned Modi on giving Cabinet berths to minister, who have been convicted in mining scam and fisheries scam respectively.

Narendra Modi's dilemma in countering Arvind Kejriwal threat
7 March, 2014
For a man known for his combative characteristics, Narendra Modi has exuded strange restraint and refused to be drawn into a tangle with Arvind Kejriwal. He erred on Wednesday by not giving specific instructions to people who manage Gujarat in his absence. They should have been told that the AAP chief must be ensured unfettered voyage through the state.
In the absence of this command, people fell into Kejriwal's trap and created situations that led to flashing of news regarding his detention. The issue didn't immediately result in a setback for Modi because of immaturity on part of upstart second-rank AAP leaders.
But, have we seen the first chink in Modi's armoury - that subtly underscored his inability to evolve a reasoned strategy against Kejriwal?
Modi's trouble is that he has being batting on this pitch for fairly long - since June last to be precise. Till the time he was playing with the Congress party and its public face, Rahul Gandhi, as his principal adversary, the campaign had sting. But since the dramatic performance of AAP in Delhi, he has been unsure about how to target the new challenger. Modi's supporter will definitely argue that it is best to ignore the nouveauBSE -6.17 % politician because he poses no threat.
But that would be politically myopic: BJP should remindBSE -3.72 % itself at every step that had it not been for Kejriwal and his tactics, it would have been in power in Delhi and Harsh Vardhan, the chief minister. So far, it appears that whatever impact AAP will have would be restricted to urban dominated constituencies.
This is the same bunch that would have been for the taking for the BJP because of the huge erosion of UPA's support in the middle class. In effect it means that every seat that the AAP registers would chip away one number from the BJP's tally. Whether Modi become Prime Minister or fails would depend significantly on the extent to which AAP is able to sustain its performance in Delhi and take it beyond.
Over the past twelve years, whenever anyone challenged Modi, he hit back with alacrity. Why has be chosen to remain silent at barbs made by Kejriwal? Why has Modi so far not declared where he will contest from? Could Modi not have nipped Kejriwal's challenge in the bud by challenging the former Delhi chief minister in his own home: Ghaziabad? Is it because Modi is unsure, a shade jittery? It may appear fashionable to argue that the AAP bandwagon came unstuck on Ashoka Road. But Modi always said there were never any full stops in politics. There can't be one for Kejriwal, as yet.
The battle for the people's minds will not be fought with police cases and forcible removal of anyone from the electoral arena. The issue is what people perceive: In Gujarat, anyone who is in his 20s has not seen any political party but seen just Modi as an omnipotent leader. They don't like any criticism of Modi because this is construed as a personal affront to them - to the Gujarati Asmita or against its Gaurav.
The reaction to what happened in Gujarat could be the reverse outside the state. Voters in urban centres in other states may think that if Modi's supporters are getting jittery, then probably Kejriwal's claims are true. Suddenly, when it appeared that only the final coating had to be applied, some of the Teflon has a chance of beginning to peel and fall off.

Poll Tracker: NDA makes huge gains, set to win around 230 seats
7 March, 2014
With the battle dates for the Lok Sabha polls finally announced, the country is increasingly anxious to know who will form the next government.
Politics being a game of last minute surprises is especially true of India, so no one really knows what the final answer is. However there are a few factors we can see now, that could really shape the formation of the Lok Sabha: BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
AP At one level there is the Modi factor, in another there is the resurgence of Rahul Gandhi, and then again there is a new federal front with leaders like Mamata Banerjee and Jayalalithaa, and last but not least, the 10-party 'Third Front' team which comprises veterans like Mulayam Singh Yadav. However, in this labyrinthian architecture of Indian polity, the one party that has risen above the rest for now is the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Lokniti-IBN Tracker Survey that was conducted across six key states—Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Delhi—found that the BJP had made considerable progress in the last two months. The sample size of the survey was 8,741 in January and 9,104 in February.
"We are happy that we are making progress. But we are not satisfied with the 220-230 mark for NDA. Our mission is very clear which is Mission 272+," BJP spokesperson Smriti Irani told CNN-IBN during a panel discussion.

Shiv Sena fires fresh salvo at Nitin Gadkari over talks with Raj Thackeray
5 March, 2014
Mumbai: Taking strong exception to Nitin Gadkari's meeting with MNS chief Raj Thackeray, Shiv Sena in its mouthpiece 'Saamna' termed the BJP leader as an apt businessman, who is expert in setting deals.
An editorial in Sena's mouthpiece lambastes Gadkari saying that the ex-BJP president's business skills should be credited for his deal with Raj Thackeray.
Sena's latest attack comes a day after the BJP's oldest ally yesterday said its "grand alliance" with the party could collapse if the BJP continued to hobnob with the NCP or Raj Thackeray's MNS.
Speaking to reporters, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, “All doors are now closed for the MNS, there is no need for any negotiation with Raj Thackeray's party, we do not require them in the NDA.”
The former BJP chief on Monday met Raj here, triggering speculation that the saffron party is trying to win over the MNS chief into NDA for upcoming elections even as he said there is no reason for Shiv Sena to be annoyed by his meeting with Raj.
At their meeting Monday, Gadkari reportedly urged the MNS not to put up candidates in the Lok Sabha election and instead support BJP candidates to oust the Congress-NCP combine.
Asked if Sharad Pawar-led NCP will come over to NDA after the elections, Gadkari said anything can happen in cricket and politics. "We are confident of getting a clear majority on our own," the BJP leader added. When contacted, Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said "we have nothing to say on the meeting".

Lok Sabha polls 2014: EC announces 9 phase schedule, counting on May 16
5 March, 2014
New Delhi: The Election Commission on Wednesday announced the schedule for Lok Sabha polls 2014. Polling will be held in nine phases, starting April 07 and the counting of votes will be held on May 16.
New Delhi: The Election Commission on Wednesday announced the schedule for Lok Sabha polls 2014. Polling will be held in nine phases from April 07 to May 12 and the counting of votes will be held on May 16.
General Elections phase-wise schedule:
Phase 1: April 7 in two states, Phase 2: April 9 – five states, Phase 3: April 10 – 14 states, Phase 4: April 12 – three states, Phase 5: pril 17 – 13 states, Phase 6: April 24 – 12 states, Phase 7: April 30 – nine states, Phase 8: May 7 – seven states and May 12 – 3 states.
The EC also announced schedule for assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, including the regions comprising Telangana, and Odisha and Sikkim.
The schedule was announced by Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath along with Election Commissioners H S Brahma and Dr Nasim Zaidi at a press conference held at Vigyan Bhavan in the national capital.
The elections would see more than 81.4 crore voters exercise their ballot; the number of voters is 10 crore more than the last general election held in 2009. The term of the current Lok Sabha expires on June 1 and the new House has to be constituted by May 31.
Sampath said that the EC had taken into consideration factors like examination schedules and weather conditions.
The EC said that electoral roll have already been updated till January 1, 2014 and final rolls have been published in all states.
However, the EC has offered one more opportunity to enroll in the electoral rolls. Camps would be set up on March 9 at all polling booths – around 9,30,000 - across the country to allow people to enroll themselves, the EC said.
The Model Code of Conduct for governments and political parties will come into force with immediate effect.
On the security measures being implemented by the EC, Sampath said, “To ensure free and fair elections we have taken particular care to ensure that people living in vulnerable areas and vulnerable voters are in continuous touch with the election machinery to ensure that they are able to vote uninterpreted by anyone.”
“Adequate number of observers in different categories will be deployed during the forthcoming elections,” he added.
On the neutrality of officials engaged in conduct of elections, Sampath said the EC expects them to discharge their duty without fear or favour.
“Strict action will be taken against officials who are found wanting in any aspect,” the CEC said.
With regards to the steps being taken to curb use of money power in the elections, he said, “The Election Commission has mounted a series of measures for monitoring expenditure; special emphasis is given to check flow of money during elections.”
“Besides expenditure observers, sufficient number of flying squads will be employed to check use of money power,” he added.
An important feature of the polls would be the introduction of paper trail system for electronic voting in some constituencies on a trial basis.
Also, the EC has issued guidelines to political parties asking them to explain the rationale of financing the promises they make in their election manifestos. The guidelines that followed Supreme Court directions in this regard have now been made part of the Model Code.
Another first in the Lok Sabha elections will be the introduction of "None of the Above" (NOTA) option in voting, which came into vogue in the assembly elections a few months ago.
From the coming elections, candidates in a parliamentary constituency in bigger states can spend up to Rs 70 lakh on their campaign, up from Rs 40 lakh in 2011. In the 2009 elections, it was Rs 25 lakh.

Modi couldn't stop storms of revenge in 2002: Nitish
4 March, 2014
As BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi left after a volley of attacks on the chief minister and the state after his rally in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, Nitish Kumar responded in a Facebook post on Monday.
"Those who could not stop storms of revenge from blowing in Gujarat are claiming to drive winds of Change !! Can one ever imagine what would have happened had such people ruled Delhi in 1992 or 2002? This nation would not have survived. Even the strongest body and mind cannot overcome heart attack. Secularism is the heart of unity of our Nation," read Kumar's post. (sic)
Continuing further, he recalled his satyagraha just a day earlier in support of his demand for special status to Bihar on Sunday, attaching a video footage of the closing moments when the atmosphere reverberated with people humming "Vaishnav jan te tene kahiye..."
Responding to Modi's comments during his address that Bihar had become a safe haven for terrorists, Kumar said, "Look at the difference in his words and action. He talks of providing special status to the state and propagate that Bihar is the hub of terrorism. Bihar youth are hard working, honest and patriotic. But these people are labelling them as terrorists. These are seculars! They are making loud noise over it," the post read.
Modi had cited the serial blasts at his 'Hunkar' rally in October, in Patna.
In his post, Kumar mentions how the BJP dished out lies to people through its Rail Roko stir on February 28.
"It ensured that Seemandhra got the special status, but did not try for Bihar. The struggle for special status is the struggle of Bihar youth for their future. Efforts are constantly on to take Bihar forward to make the future of the youth better, but here they say Bihar cannot progress," it read.
Kumar's post includes a poem that re-iterates how honest people were being fooled with "hunkar".

Shiv Sena upset with BJP's attempt to win over MNS
4 March, 2014
Mumbai: Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena is reportedly upset with former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari's meeting with MNS chief Raj Thackeray yesterday and the party has hit back, saying the main opposition party faces a big communication problem.
Reacting to the Gadkari-Raj Thackeray meeting, the Shiv Sena chief wrote in party's mouthpiece "Saamana", “There is a big communication gap within the BJP created by those praising Congress and NCP leaders.”
The Shiv Sena chief also expressed his displeasure to BJP chief Rajnath Singh over phone and summoned the state BJP chief over the matter.
The reaction from the Shiv Sena came a day after ex-BJP chief Nitin Gadkari met Raj, triggering speculation that the saffron party is trying to win over the MNS chief into NDA for upcoming elections even as he said there is no reason for Shiv Sena to be annoyed by his meeting with Raj.
RPI (A) led by Ramdas Athawale, also an important constituent of the 'Mahayuti' (grand alliance) led by BJP and Shiv Sena, said he would "welcome" Raj into the NDA-fold.
Gadkari, who is said to enjoy a good rapport with Raj Thackeray, met him at a suburban hotel in Mumbai, during which he reportedly asked the latter not to contest the Lok Sabha polls as it would divide votes of both Shiv Sena and the BJP.

Rahul Gandhi to hold road shows in UP
1 March, 2014
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will hold road shows in various parts of Uttar Pradesh in order to woo voters for his party in view of the upcoming general elections in the nation due in May.
According to the President, District Congress Committee, Praja Nath Sharma, after landing at the helipad near the police line, Gandhi will visit neighbouring cities where he will address public rallies and thereafter will go to end the Sadhbhavna rally started by the Youth Congress along with members of the Congress committee.
Gandhi, then, will talk to rickshaw pullers in Benaras city from where he will head back to Delhi.
Superintendent of police, Varanasi, Rahul Raj, said that they have taken all possible measures regarding security for Gandhi's visit.
"He is going to speak to rickshaw pullers here. We have secured that entire area. Barricading is done. Proper security will be taken care of. The temple area is already a secured zone. Our force will be there and he will be secured wherever he goes," said he.
Earlier, at an interactive session with women in Lucknow on Friday he met women activists, and shared their view that states where women are suppressed can never progress.
Rickshaw puller, Mangluram, said that he expected a lot from Gandhi's visit and hoped that this time their demands would be fulfilled before the elections.
"We expect a lot. We will see if Rahul Gandhi fulfils our demand. We are facing a lot of problems. I am a rickshaw puller, everyone promises that they will do things for our betterment before the elections, but after the elections, no one does anything, "he said.
Since the commencement of Congress campaign for the elections due in May this year, Gandhi has been focusing primarily on bringing the fairer sex to the forefront.
Gandhi is trying to get Women's Reservation Bill passed in the Parliament. The Bill - if passed by parliament - will reserve one-third of seats for women at the national and state assemblies.
Rahul GandhiCongressUttar Pradesh

Arvind Kejriwal begins road show
1 March, 2014
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal kicked off his road show Saturday from the party's office here and is slated to reach Kanpur Sunday.
He was accompanied by fellow party members Manish Shishodia and Sanjay Singh.
The road show -- "Jhadu chalao beimaan bhagao yatra" -- which began from Kaushambi, near the national capital, would end in Kanpur. It will pass through Pilkhuwa, Babugarh, Garh Mukteswar, Gajraula, Moradabad, Shahbad, Hardoi, and Unnao.
The AAP leaders would stay in Shahpur for the night.

Misconceptions being created by parties with vested interests: Sahara
Feb 28, 2014
New Delhi: Even as the Supreme Court issued a non bailable warrant against Sahara group chief Subrata Roy, his son Samantha Roy in a press conference on Friday said that his father had willfully surrendered to the Lucknow Police.
In the press meet that had the presence of the Delhi Police officials too, Roy alleged that misconceptions against the Sahara chief were being created due to vested interests.
He refrained from giving the details of the case stating that the matter was sub-judice.
Roy also stated that his father is a law abiding citizen and he failed to appear in the court as his mother was seriously unwell. "Subrata Roy wanted to spent time with his mother. So he decided to go back to Lucknow immediately. Any son would do that. The condition of his mother continues to remain fragile," he said adding that the medical reports have been given to the court.
Enumerating the contributions of the Sahara group in the past, Roy said that they had helped the Kargil martyrs, victims of earthquakes, victims of Mumbai attack among others. "It pains me to see Sahara chief's name tarnished in this manner," he said.
Subrata roy's arrest comes as the request of his lawyer to hear the matter on Friday had been declined by the court earlier in day. The court informed the lawyer that he will be in custody till March 3 and the case will be taken up on March 4.
Earlier on Friday Roy issued a statement where he said that he was not absconding arrest and was indeed in Lucknow. He also requested the Supreme Court to put him under house arrest with his ailing mother in Lucknow.
In the media statement issued on Friday morning, Roy said, "I am not absconding. I am in Lucknow. With folded hands and all humility I ask the honourable judges to leave me under house arrest with my ailing mother."
Roy on Thursday moved the Supreme Court asking for the recall of the non-bailable warrant. He also tendered an unconditional apology to the court admitting that not turning up at court was an error in judgement.
Besides seeking recall of Wednesday's order and the NBW, Roy's application sought a stay of the operation of the order during the pendency of this application. He appealed to the "humane side" of the court to consider sympathetically the wishes of his mother and permit him to be with her in her last moments. Roy also said that he believed that the court will in all its magnanimity pardon the "error of judgement" on his part and condone his non-appearance since it was "neither intentional nor deliberate".
He submitted that the non-recall of the NBW order shall cause "grave prejudice" to him and he shall suffer "irreparable loss and injury because without your lordships' merciful favour applicant cannot be with his mother in peace". Roy submitted that he was emotionally and mentally very attached to his mother who has been guiding light in his life since he lost his father 37 years ago.
The court had issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against him on Wednesday when he failed to appear in court in connection with Sahara's failure to refund Rs 20,000 crore to investors.

Sahara chief Subrata Roy taken into police custody after he surrenders in Lucknow
Feb 28, 2014
As Sahara group chief Subrata Roy was arrested on Friday morning amid high drama, son Seemanto said his father "wilfully submitted" before the Lucknow police and was cooperating with the authorities.
He said that Subrata Roy was hoping for a short relief from the Supreme Court, but he decided to wilfully submit before the police this morning after the "agony" he suffered from reports about him being absconding.
Earlier in the morning, there were speculations that Subrata Roy himself could be present at the press conference and these talks gained further ground after a Delhi police team reached the venue.
Minutes before the press conference started, Sahara group lawyers informed the Supreme Court that Subrata Roy has been taken into custody by the Lucknow police. The court also rejected a petition for recall of non-bailable warrant issued for arrest of Roy.
Addressing the conference, Seemanto Roy said he wanted to clear various misconceptions about the whole episode and put forward "certain facts for benefit of everyone, including employees, all stakeholders and public at large".
Seemanto said that Sahara chief had come to Delhi on February 24 to appear before the Supreme Court on February 26. "He is very attached to his mother and had to go back to Lucknow due to her illness. He had only sought exemption only for a day from personal appearance before the Supreme Court.
But he was not granted a short relief," Seemanto said.
"The condition of mother continues to remain fragile and he was hoping for a relief from Supreme Court," he said while trying to explain the delay in his submission before police.
Earlier in the morning before his arrest, Subrata Roy himself issued a signed statement from Lucknow, claiming he was not absconding and was ready to obey any Supreme Court direction "unconditionally". He had, however, appealed the court to allow him to live with his "ailing mother" in house arrest till March 3.
The court has asked the police to present him before it on March 4.

Salman Khurshid calls Narendra Modi ‘impotent’, BJP says Congress ‘frustrated’
Feb 26, 2014
FARRUKHABAD: Union minister Salman Khurshid described Narendra Modi as "impotent", a remark that invited a sharp condemnation from the BJP.
The external affairs minister's fresh salvo against the BJP prime ministerial candidate at a rally came as he raised questions on the Gujarat chief minister's handling of the post-Godhra riots in 2002. Khurshid had once compared Modi to the proverbial frog just out of the well.
Without taking the name of Modi, Khurshid, who is a sitting MP from Farrukhabad, asked why a man who aspires to be the prime minister of the country could not do anything during the 2002 riots.
"Some people came, attacked and went, and you couldn't protect. Are you not a strong man?," the senior Congress leader asked.
"We don't accuse you (Modi) of killing people... Hamara aarop hai ki tum 'napunsak' (impotent) ho. (Our accusation is that you are impotent). You couldn't stop the killers," he added. 'napunsak' is a term used for impotent men in Hindi.
Modi's close aide and Gujarat minister Jay Narayan Vyas said Khurshid's "absolutely indecent comment" reflected the "frustration" of the Congress leaders ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
"They are so frustrated that they have lost control over their mind and tongue," Vyas, who is spokesman for the Gujarat government said, and recalled Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's tea seller jibe at Modi.
BJP leader Sudhanshu Mittal said he was saddened at the kind of language coming from somebody who claims himself to be educated and observed it is "debasement of politics" of the worst kind.

Lalu Prasad claims he rode cycle-rickshaw to sustain studies
Feb 26, 2014
PATNA: In a bid to score over rival Narendra Modi, RJD President Lalu Prasad today claimed that besides selling tea he paddled a cycle-rickshaw during school days.
"Do you know why I rode a cycle-rickshaw to Raj Bhawan today? Because I paddled a cycle-rickshaw while studying in Miller school," Prasad told reporters here.
With a large number of party workers and leaders walking behind him, the RJD chief paddled a cycle-rickshaw for two kilometre to Raj Bhawan from the Assembly to petition Governor D Y Patil against the Speaker recognising 13 RJD MLAs as a separate group.
Prasad had recently claimed he sold tea from his elder brother's shop in the Veterinary college area during childhood to eke out a living and keep up his studies.
He had raised questions on the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate selling tea during his childhood and claimed himself as the 'real' tea seller.
RJD workers have started 'Lalu chai dukaan' (Lalu Tea shop) in Muzaffarpur to provide free tea and biscuits to people to make them aware of the 'true colour' of Prasad and Narendra Modi.

Lalu rushes to Patna, calls high-level meeting
Feb 25, 2014
A day after crisis gripped the Rashtriya Janata Dal which saw several of its MLAs defecting, party chief Lalu Prasad rushed back to Patna from Delhi on Tuesday.
He will chair a high-level meeting of party leaders and MLAs at his residence.
On his arrival Mr. Prasad blamed chief minister Nitish Kumar for plotting the rebellion in the party.
"We have not removed anyone. There was no issue in the party. What does the law say on defections? We have to examine it. How can there be an approval for a separate group?" he told reporters.
Mr. Prasad said he will clear the air on the defection drama after the meeting. "This is the conpiracy of Mr. Kumar. We will give you all the details," he said.
On the likely tie-up between the Lok Janshakti Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party, Mr. Prasad said he still hoped for Mr. Paswan's support.
"All we can do is hope," he said in response to questions on the possible BJP-LJP alliance.
Meanwhile, the LJP's parliamentary board is slated to meet in Delhi on Tuesday.
Keywords: Rashtriya Janata Dal, RJD chief Lalu Prasad, RJD MLAs, RJD MLA resignation

Sushilkumar Shinde clarifies his remarks on 'crushing media', says it was for social media
Feb 25, 2014
Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Tuesday clarified his remarks on crushing the elements of media for spreading false propaganda against the Congress.
"My comments were on social media. It was with regards to the issue related to the Northeast students who were being targeted in Hyderabad and Karnataka. It was not on journalists," Shinde
Shinde on Monday said: "Certain elements in the media orchestrate 'nasty designs'. Since I'm also in charge of the intelligence wing, I know where this is coming from."
"We have been working silently to place checks on them, but there was a campaign from them over the past four months. We are now going to crush these elements in the electronic media spreading false propaganda," Shinde said at a Youth Congress event in Maharashtra's Solapur.
Sushilkumar ShindeMediasocial media

SC to hear Centre's plea to stop release of four Rajiv Gandhi assassins on Feb 27
Feb 24, 2014
New Delhi: The Central government on Monday moved the Supreme Court in a bid to stop the release of seven convicts involved in the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear the petition and has fixed the next date of hearing on February 27.
The apex court had last week stayed the decision of the Tamil Nadu government to release the three convicts in the case after Centre's plea last week and asked it to maintain status quo.
However, the Centre wants stay on the release of the four remaining convicts as well, as per news reports.
The decision to release the seven convicts was taken by the Tamil Nadu government soon after the Supreme Court commuted the death sentences of three to life imprisonment on the ground of delay in deciding mercy petition.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had even given a deadline of three days to the Centre to respond to the decision else she would go ahead and free the prisoners.
The move on the part of TN government is being seen as politically motivated as the Lok Sabha elections are fast approaching.
Out of the seven convicts, three are Indians while the rest are from Sri Lanka. They have been in prison since Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in a rally near Chennai in 1991.

Unhappy with UPA, Ram Vilas Paswan's party set to tie up with BJP
Feb 24, 2014
Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) led by Ram Vilas Paswan on Sunday signalled readiness to tie up with the NDA ahead of the 2014 general elections, giving the BJP a possible prominent Dalit leader as a poll ally.
Lok Janshakti Party president Ram Vilas Paswan releasing the party manifesto for UP assembly elections in Lucknow. PTI Photo.
The party’s desire to join the NDA comes after his demand of 10 seats in Bihar’s RJD-Congress-LJP alliance evoked a lukewarm response from RJD chief Lalu Prasad. LJP leaders also believe a tie up with BJP could reap richer electoral harvest.
“We have decided to tie up with BJP... every thing has been finalized,” said LJP leader Surajbhan. Paswan’s son Chirag Paswan, however, said nothing was final.
After a poor show in the 2009 polls and in the 2010 assembly elections, this could be a do-or-die battle for Paswan. “He faces a difficult election and wants to be on the right side,” said a BJP leader.
Meanwhile, Dalit leader and former IRS officer Udit Raj is all set to join the BJP in Uttar Pradesh on Monday. BJP thinks there is a scope of making inroads into Mayawati’s vote -bank with a know n Dalit face, said a party leader.

Rahul Gandhi launches ‘Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan’
Feb 22, 2014
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi threw his weight behind keeping politicians out of sports bodies in the country and said sportspersons themselves should be at the helm of affairs.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi interacts with sports personalities after the launch of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan (RGKA) and National Youth Policy, 2014 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Friday. (PTI)
"When you are talking about sports and how to make it accessible, then more and more powers should go the sports people when deciding things about sports in the country," Gandhi said at the launch of 'National Youth Policy 2014' and 'Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan'.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi with sports personalities Vijender Singh, Ronjan Sodhi and Ashish Kumar at the launch of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan (RGKA) and National Youth Policy, 2014 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. (PTI)
I think that's the crux of it. Keep the politicians out of sports if you want to put it directly." Rahul said it is similar to empowering common man to help change politics in the country. Rahul Gandhi addresses as Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs & Sports, Jitendra Singh and sports personalities look on at the launch of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan (RGKA) and National Youth Policy, 2014 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. (PTI)
"The same applies to politics. If you want to change the politics in the country, give more and more power to young people, give more power to the common man and you change the politics," Gandhi added. Rahul Gandhi interacts with boxer Mary Kom at the launch of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan (RGKA) and National Youth Policy, 2014 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. (PTI)

Kejriwal asks Modi to come clean on gas pricing
Feb 22, 2014
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Friday asked the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi to state his position on gas pricing involving industrialist Mukesh Ambani, alleging that the matter was already costing the exchequer an annual loss of Rs 54,000 crore.
Kejriwal wanted to know if Modi would reduce natural gas prices, which were allowed to be doubled to Rs 8 per unit, and said he was accordingly sending an open letter to him. He held a press conference in New Delhi on the matter.
"You are a Prime Ministerial candidate, but why are you still quiet over the issue? The common man wants to know: If your party forms the government and you become the Prime Minister, will you bring down the gas price from $8 per unit to $4?" Kejriwal asked. The Aam Aadmi Party leader also said that if the gas prices double from April 1, as permitted by the central government, it will not only fuel inflation across the country but, being a feedstock, it will also raise the prices of electricity steeply.
"The AAP government's anti-corruption wing has already filed a first information report against Mukesh Ambani. Allegations are some ministers of the UPA government gave their consent to hike gas prices to reward Mukesh Ambani in an improper manner," he said.
In 2000, he said, Reliance Industries was allowed to sell gas at $2.3 per unit for 17 years. But from time-to-time the prices were raised in a questionable manner to more than $4 per unit, even as it is alleged that the cost was just $1 per unit.
Kejriwal said as opposed to the Delhi government's annual budget of Rs 40,000 crore, the alleged ill-gotten gains for the company was Rs 54,000 per annum. "All this money will go from our pockets. Why?"
He said he intended to write a similar letter to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi as well. "Why are you and Rahul Gandhi silent on this?"
Kejriwal's said that after the report was filed by the state's anti-corruption wing, when his party was in power in Delhi, the leaders of both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress criticised it.
"Do they have such a strong bonding with Mukesh Ambani?"
Kejriwal said since the matter pertained to the common man, he was making his letter public, adding that Modi may choose not to reply. But if he makes his views on these matters public, it will remove people's doubts on the matter.

Kejriwal takes on Modi on gas pricing issue
Feb 21, 2014
Training his guns on BJP’s prime ministerial candidate again over the Reliance gas issue, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday asked Narendra Modi whether he will bring down the gas price if he comes to power.
In a letter written to Mr. Modi by former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the party has asked him to make the election expenses of the BJP public and also the people who fund the party’s election campaign.
“You are a prime ministerial candidate, but why are you still quiet over the issue. A common man wants to know whether if your party forms government and you become the Prime Minister, would you bring down the gas price from 8 dollar per unit to 4 dollar?” said the letter, which Mr. Kejriwal read out to the media in a press conference.
He also questioned the silence of the BJP and the Congress over the issue and wondered whether they were quiet because of their close relations with Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman Mukesh Ambani.
“Parimal Nathvani, the group president of the Mukesh Ambani companies, was recently elected to Rajya Sabha with your help.
“This creates suspicion over your relations with Mukesh Amabani. What is your relation with Mukesh Ambani?” the letter added.
Mr. Kejriwal alleged that the UPA government is being run by Mukesh Ambani and if Mr. Modi comes to power, would his government be also run by the Reliance Industries Chairman?, he asked.
“You in your speeches talk about bringing back the money from Swiss banks, but the Ambani brothers have money in these banks. If you have good relations with the Ambanis and if they fund you, then would you bring back the black money,” he said.
The former Delhi Chief Minister questioned the election funding of the BJP and the Congress.
“Helicopters and private jets are being used whenever you and Rahul Gandhi travel within the country and abroad. As per the news reports, the aircraft services you and Rahul Gandhi use are free of cost. Spending in your election rallies are worth crores of rupees. Some people say Mukesh Ambani funds you. Is that true?” he said.
The Aam Aadmi party led Delhi government had asked the Anti-Corruption Branch to register an FIR against Reliance led Mukesh Ambani and Union Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily among others for alleged irregularities in gas pricing.
The party, in a press conference, had alleged that the UPA government had agreed to raise the gas price of the Krishna-Godavari basin from Rs. 4 to Rs. 8 from April 1. This would mean loss of government’s revenue of over Rs. 54,000 crore.
Mr. Kejriwal said that the party would write a similar letter to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
“To Rahul, we would say the decision (of increasing the gas price) was taken by the government which is known to run by his family. We want him to speak on the issue,” he said.
He added that the party would not take a single penny from Mr. Mukesh Ambani as election fund.

IT, pharma sectors likely to be backbone of Telangana
Feb 21, 2014
Post bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the information technology and pharmaceuticals manufacturing sectors may become backbone of Telangana economy, leaving power production, ports and oil and natural gas to play a pivotal role in driving prosperity in the residuary state.
With nearly 1,000 km-long coast line, the coastal Andhra has major private ports such as Krishnapatnam, Kakinada and Gangavaram, besides state-owned Vizag Port and can continue to reap rich harvest by way of export and import of commodities such as iron ore and coal.
Lok Satta Party national president and MLA Jayaprakash Narayan, however, cautions that Rayalaseema region, part of residual Andhra Pradesh (the other part being coastal region), will be badly impacted in terms of revenue after the division.
"While Hyderabad city (which would be joint capital of the two states for 10 years before being exclusively of Telangana) had Rs 13,000 crore revenue surplus, Rayalaseema had Rs 7,000 crore deficit (four districts, 15 million population) during 2012-13. The proposed pay revision this year would take Rayalaseema's deficit to Rs 9,000 crore. The region will not have enough revenue to pay even staff salaries," Narayan said.
As much as 20,000 mw additional power capacity is targeted during the 12th five-year plan and beyond in Seemandhra region, including 6,000 mw nuclear power plant to be set by the Nuclear Power Corporation at Kovvada in Srikakulam District.
Telangana being land-locked will have to depend mostly on road and rail for transportation.
However, as the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad has necessary infrastructure for storage of drugs and pharma exports from Telangana may not face any hurdles.
Hyderabad almost accounts for nearly 20 per cent of pharma exports from India.
Y Harish Chandra Prasad, past chairman of CII Andhra Pradesh and chief coordinator of CoastaRayala Development, said, "Telangana has the advantage of having ready made capital with all necessary infrastructure and eco system.
Andhra will have to search for one and build."

Uproar continues, Shinde moves Telangana bill in Rajya Sabha
Feb 20, 2014
Amid complete chaos in Rajya Sabha, Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Thursday introduced the Telangana bill for consideration even as the House faced repeated adjournments and with just a day to go for the Parliament session to end the UPA government is desperate to see it through.
Deputy chairman PJ Kurien tried to restore order in the House but had to adjourn it for another fifteen minutes as members continued to hold up banners that read "Illegal Bill from Lok Sabha".
It was the third adjournment since Shinde moved the bill.
Earlier, as soon as the Upper House resumed after a 10-minute adjournment, uproar continued over Telangana despite the chairman's appeals.
Hamid Ansari then called for another adjournment and asked for an all-party meeting in his chamber.
Congress members formed a ring around Shinde as Telugu Desam Party and Trinamool Congress MPs tried to prevent him from tabling the Telangana bill.
Jaitley, who was not allowed by Seemandha MPs to address Parliament, and others opposed the bill on grounds of constitutional invalidity, according to PTI.
Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the third time in the day at 2pm and then when it resumed at 3pm uproar continued over Telangana with members trooping into the Well with placards.
The chair was forced to adjourn it again till 3pm and as the same scene prevailed there were two more adjournments.
Earlier, reports had said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday will intervene in the contentious Telangana issue to assure the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) on their concerns over the financial package to be given to the Seemandhra region after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
After the Opposition and the government worked out an agreement over the passage of the Telangana bill in Rajya Sabha, BJP is likely to make amendments in the bill, according to reports.
Jaitley and senior leader Venkaiah Naidu may speak in Rajya Sabha.

Rajiv Gandhi assassination: 'Political considerations behind Tamil Nadu govt move'
Feb 20, 2014
New Delhi: With the Supreme Court staying the release of three convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, Union minister Rajiv Shukla on Thursday said the Tamil Nadu government stood "exposed" as it was acting out of "political considerations" on the issue.
"It is good that the Supreme Court has stayed the release. The Tamil Nadu government, which was hell-bent on release the assassins of the late Prime Minister, has been thoroughly exposed. It shows their political motives are not right," said Shukla, who is the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs.
He criticised the Jayalalithaa government, saying it was acting out of political considerations.
Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said that commuting of death sentence does not mean a declaration of innocence. The brutal assassination of Rajiv Gandhi cannot be forgotten, he said.
To a question about the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's decision, Sharma said she has to give an explanation on what was her position on the issues of terrorism and LTTE in the past and what she is doing now.
"It is very distressing, we cannot drag partisan politics to that level," Sharma said.
He said other people from Tamil Nadu were also killed in the attack on Rajiv Gandhi. "It is, therefore, better left to the Supreme Court to take an appropriate view," he added.
The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the release of three convicts--Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan--in the assassination case, saying there have been procedural lapses on the part of the state.

Rajya Sabha Secretary General manhandled by MPs over Telangana
Feb 19, 2014
New Delhi: 5:02 pm: Introduction of Telangana Bill gets postponed in Rajya Sabha as House stands adjourned to meet on Thursday.
4.28 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned, to meet again at 5 pm.
ALSO SEE Kiran Kumar Reddy quits as Andhra Pradesh CM, MLA, Congress member
4.23 pm: Tabling of Telangana Bill delayed in Rajya Sabha. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with other Congress leaders like Sushil Kumar Shinde, Jairam Ramesh and Ahmed Patel meet Opposition leaders Arun Jaitley and Venkaiah Naidu.
4.17 pm: Prime Minister seeks support of Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley on the Telangana Bill, speaks to BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu. Sources say negotiations are underway to ensure that the Bill is passed today.
4.09 pm: Street Vendors Bill passed in Rajya Sabha.
4.03 pm: Rajya Sabha debates Street Vendors Bill, Telangana to come up shortly.
3:25 pm: RS Deputy Chairman: North East issue is a national issue, all of us are concerned about it.
3:20 pm: Congress leader Rajiv Shukla : We want a proper debate on Telangana bill before it is passed.
3:18 pm: Ravi Shankar Prasad: We need a reply on the AugustaWestland scam, it is a huge scam and need a response. The fisherman issue is also a serious matter, PM should respond in the House.
3:14 pm: Sitaram Yechuri: There are four bills that needs to be passed in the house. I appeal the house to be in order to pass the 4 crucial Bills.
3:12 pm: Disruptions over Telangana continue in Rajya Sabha. MPs hold banners to show their protest.
3:10: In Rajya Sabha, CPI leader D Raja brings up the issue of the death of the North-Eastern boy.
3:09 pm: MPs discuss the Street Vendors Bill and fishermen issue in Rajya Sabha.
3:00 pm: After being adjourned three times during the day, proceedings of the Rajya Sabha resume.
2:22 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned till 3pm.
2:22 pm:Amidst uproar, Rajya Sabha Chairperson says that there will be amendments in Telangana Bill and there will be a discussion. The Chairperson urges the house to be allowed to run for discussion.
2:19 pm:TR Baalu raises the TN state government demand that the seven Rajiv Gandhi assassins should be be released.
2:17 pm: Speaker interrupts BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi in Lok Sabha, asks him to lay his speech on the table as with the uproar, a discussion is not possible. Joshi voices his objection.
2:16 pm: Rajya Sabha speaker: Lok Sabha members who are ministers should withdraw from the house right away. It is unbecoming of you to stand here and protest.
2:15 pm: Venkaiah Naidu: Bring any bill for discussion only when the House is in order.
2:10 pm: Arun Jaitley addresses the Rajya Sabha: There is a specific provision in the Constitution that an MP in Lok Sabha can participate as a minister in the Rajya Sabha. He can address the proceedings without disturbing the proceedings.
2:10 pm: Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar accepts resignation of Seemandhra MP L Rajagopal, who splashed pepper spray last week.
2:05 pm: TDP MP CM Ramesh apologises in Rajya Sabha for misbehaving with the Secretary General. The House has dropped action proceedings against Ramesh.
2:05 pm: There is discussion in Lok Sabha and vote on demands for grants on accounts amidst uproar.
1:20 pm: Telangana Bill is set to be brought in Rajya Sabha at 4 pm. It is likely that the Bill will not be passed without a discussion. The sittings of the House could also be extended if needed for discussion.
12:05 pm: Rajya Sabha secretary general manhandled by MPs. Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm. TDP MP CM Ramesh misbehaved with the Secretary General Rajya Sabha inside the house.
12:01 pm: Uproar in Rajya Sabha on Telangana, MPs protest over the blackout of Lok Sabha telecast. Papers being laid on table in the House amidst ruckus.
12:00 pm: Both Houses of Parliament resume.
11:38 am: AP CM Kiran Kumar Reddy reaches Raj Bhawan. The Governor may ask him to continue as caretaker CM.
11:30 am: AP CM ends his press meet. Leave for Raj Bhawan to submit his resignation letter.
11:30 am: This is for the Telugu people. It is not a selfish act. People will lose in this deal. Farmers, students, and medical services will be hit.
11:28 am: "I am resigning to show protest. I will tell the governor clearly, that they should make alternative arrangements," Reddy said.
11:27 am: AP CM says he is resigning with a heavy heart. He is not a party to the decision on Telangana.
11:25 am "If I would have quit earlier, Telangana would have been created 4 months back. So me and my colleagues decided to stay in power and put up a fight for the cause of the Telugu people," Reddy said.
11:21 am: I'm resigning for failing at my duties
11:20 am: Kiran Kumar Reddy resigns as Chief Minister, MLA and Congress party member over Telangana.
11:19 "I am grateful to Congress for giving me this opportunity to be CM," Reddy said.
11:13 am: "Suspending members of the Parliament who are part of the region that was being discussed and disconnecting the telecast of the proceedings. What was the need to do this," reddy questions.
11:11 am: "The Bill they sent us, is a draft Bill. I want people to evaluate the decision to discuss the draft bill," Reddy said.
11:10 am: "The Cabinet should be careful while taking such a big step. The setting up of the GOM, the functioning of the GOM and the introduction of the Bill has been problematic since the start," Reddy said.
11:09 am: "People of AP will lose out on Drinking water, electricity, medical facilities, education opportunities. The future of Farmers, students, govt employees has been pushed into darkness," Reddy said.
11:05 am: Andhra CM Kiran Kumar Reddy too, condemned the move to blackout the proceedings of the House. "Since the decision was taken to bifurcate the state, there was no order in what was done. This is shameful. If this is for the people, then people are losing in this deal," Kiran Kumar Reddy said.
11:03 am: Within minutes of the proceeding being started, both houses of Parliament have been adjourned.
10:50 am: "We condemn the Lok Sabha blackout. It was a planned blackout, and not a technical problem. There should not be any blackout on the Rajya Sabha proceedings," BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
10:45 am: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will voice out its opposition against the blackout of the Lok Sabha TV proceedings during the voice vote on the Telangana Bill in Parliament on Tuesday. While Sushma Swaraj will raise the issue in Lok Sabha, Arun Jaitley will raise the issue in Rajya Sabha.
A day after the Telangana Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha amidst a blackout, it is not clear as to whether it will be brought in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Government sources say they will bring the Bill in the Upper House if the President returns it on time.
The contentious Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2013 (Telangana Bill) was on Tuesday bulldozed through the Lok Sabha amidst dramatic scenes with Congress and BJP joining hands to ensure its passage. However, in an unprecedented move, fearing protest from Seemandhra MPs, the government blacked out the proceedings of the Lok Sabha TV. The move was seen by many MPs as "murder of democracy". The Lok Sabha TV, however, issued a statement saying that the blackout was a result of technical glitch.
Staunch opponent of Telangana, YSR Congress chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy called it a black day in the history of the country and appealed for bandh in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday.
"It's a black day for Indian democracy," said Reddy after Lok Sabha cleared the Bill by a voice vote.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, who has been opposing his party and this Bill, is set to resign on Wednesday.

Tamil Nadu to free Rajiv's killers, Rahul Gandhi opposes decision
Feb 19, 2014
A day after the Supreme Court commuted the death sentence of three assassins of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi to life imprisonment, the Tamil Nadu government decided to release all seven convicts – including AG Perarivalan and Nalini – in the case. A combo picture of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination. (Agencies photo)
The decision, which was taken at an emergent cabinet meeting, was announced in the state assembly by chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
The cabinet decision will be forwarded to the Centre and it will wait for three days for it respond to the decision. If a response does not come within three days, the state will exercise its powers and release them. The Congress opposed the state's decision. "The Prime Minister (Rajiv Gandhi) of the country was killed. I am sad the killers are being released--what should the common man expect when a PM's killers are being freed?" said Rajiv Gandhi's son and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi.
At present all convicts - Santhan, Murugan, Perarivalan, Nalini, Robert Pious, Jayakumar and Ravichandran - are serving time in a Tamil Nadu jail.
Nalini's death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2000 after Congress president Sonia Gandhi recommended her case on humanitarian grounds.
Co-convict Murugan is her husband and is also serving his sentence in the same prison.
Perarivalan topped a diploma examination and earned a gold medal in March 2013 in Desk Top Publishing Operator course, a vocational training programme, offered by the prison department in collaboration with the Mahatma Gandhi Community College and Tamil Nadu Open University.
All of them were members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Sri Lankan-based separatist movement, which was wiped out by Sri Lankan forces in 2009.
They had denied knowing anything about the plot to kill Gandhi as he was campaigning in May 1991 for a return to the prime ministerial office.
He was killed along with 17 others, including the female suicide assassin, as she greeted him with a garland of sandalwood beads and a bomb strapped to her chest during a rally in Sriperumbedur in Tamil Nadu.
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) leader Vaiko extended his "heartiest congratulations and gratitude to the Tamil Nadu government".
The apex court had on Tuesday rejected Centre's contention that delay in deciding mercy plea of convicts V Sriharan alias Murugan, AG Perarivlan alias Arivu and T Suthendraraja alias Santhan did not result in agony.
The SC had cited the 11-year delay on the part of the Centre in deciding their mercy plea.
The three assassins have sought the commutation of their death sentence to life imprisonment on account of the inordinate delay of nearly 11 years in deciding their mercy petitions.
The verdict on their plea was reserved on Feb 4.
The Central government had opposed the plea saying that apex court's Jan 21 verdict, holding inordinate, unreasonable and unexplained delay in deciding the mercy petitions by president was a ground for seeking commutation of death sentence into life imprisonment was not applicable in their case.
Attorney General GE Vahanvati had told the court that all through these 11 years, the three assassins were living a full life by holding music shows, art exhibitions and other recreational activities in the jail.
The government had said that during 11 years of their incarceration when their mercy petition was pending with the president, the three assassins suffered no agony, torture or dehumanising situation.
Senior counsel Yug Chaudhary who had appeared for the three assassins had argued that delay, per se, was torture.
Gandhi's assassins were convicted by a TADA court in January 1998 and were awarded death sentence, which was confirmed by the apex court May 11, 1999.
In August 2012, their mercy petitions were rejected but as the date of their execution was fixed, the Madras high court intervened and the execution of the death sentenced was stayed.
Subsequently on a plea by Vaiko, the matter before the Madras high court was transferred to the Supreme Court.

Rajiv Gandhi assassination: Supreme Court reduces killers’ death sentence to life terms
Feb 18, 2014
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday commuted death sentences for three killers of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi to life imprisonment, citing delays in the case 23 years after he was assassinated by a Tamil suicide bomber.
The top court headed by Chief Justice P. Sathasivam handed the three life in prison on the grounds that successive Indian presidents had taken 11 years to decide their pleas for mercy against execution.
“We implore the government to render advice in a reasonable amount of time for taking a decision on mercy pleas,” Sathasivam told the court in announcing the judgement. A lawyer for the three men—Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, all known by single names—hailed the judgement as “humane,” adding that they were now living in hope of one day being released from prison.
“There is hope that the convicts will walk out of jail. The remission will be decided by the state government of Tamil Nadu,” Yug Chaudhary told NDTV outside the court.
“It is time that the death penalty is abolished in this country,” he added.
The decision comes after the Supreme Court issued a landmark judgement last month that places new restrictions on executing prisoners in the world’s biggest democracy.
The top court then commuted the death sentences of 15 convicts, ruling that “inordinate and inexplicable” delays in carrying out a death sentence were grounds for commuting a sentence.
The three at the centre of Tuesday’s ruling were members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Sri Lankan-based separatist movement, which was wiped out by Sri Lankan forces in 2009.
The men were convicted of plotting the 21 May 1991 murder of Gandhi by a female suicide bomber, but their appeal to the president in 2000 to spare them the hangman’s noose was only finally rejected in 2011.
The lengthy delay contrasts sharply with the execution of Kashmiri Muslim separatist Mohammed Afzal Guru last year over a deadly raid on the Indian parliament in 2001 that left 10 people dead.
Successive governments in the world’s largest democracy have long been wary of upsetting the large Tamil population in the south where the trio’s case has become a cause celebre.
India had an eight-year unofficial moratorium on carrying out the death penalty from 2004 to 2012, with only three people executed in the last decade. The delays have led to a build up of more than 400 prisoners on death row.
Murder seen as retaliation
Gandhi had become India’s youngest ever prime minister after his mother, former premier Indira Gandhi, was assassinated in October 1984. He ruled until losing an election five years later.
His widow Sonia Gandhi is the president of the ruling Congress party and his son Rahul Gandhi is the frontman for the party’s campaign in elections due by May.
The shredded clothes and the shoes that Rajiv was wearing when he was killed while on an election tour in the south of the country remain on display in a museum in the Indian capital.
Gandhi’s killing was seen as retaliation for a 1987 Indian government pact with the Sri Lankan government to disarm the guerrillas, who had been trained and armed by New Delhi in the early 1980s.
After that pact, the LTTE fought Indian troops deployed to Sri Lanka by Rajiv Gandhi’s government to supervise the accord. India withdrew its troops after 32 months in which it lost 1,200 soldiers at the hands of the rebels.
Amnesty International said Tuesday’s decision piles pressure on the government to abolish the death penalty altogether.
“India must now do away with the death penalty—a cruel, inconsistent and irreversible form of punishment that has no proven deterrent effect on crime,” senior researcher Divya Iyer said in a statement. AFP

Telangana bill cleared; Jagan says 'it's a black day in democracy'; calls for Andhra bandh
Feb 18, 2014
An amendment to make Hyderabad the sole capital of Telangana was defeated, paving way for the city to become the joint capital of Telangana and Seemandhra for the next 10 years. “An unhealthy precedent has been created,” Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said after his amendment was rejected.
While several lawmakers including K Chandasekhar Rao and Ghulam Nabi Azad were seen celebrating, YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy called for a shutdown in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday. “It is a black day in the history of India. We saw democracy being killed in broad daylight. The issue was taken up undemocratically against the will of the people of Andhra,” Reddy, who was earlier suspended for protests over the bifurcation of Andhra, said.
Seemandhra will get a special financial package, Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said.
The Telanganan bill will now go through the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
A Cabinet minister and three legislators of the ruling Congress party in Andhra Pradesh resigned to protest the state's bifurcation.
Infrastructure minister G Srinivasa Rao resigned both from the cabinet and the party. He faxed his resignation letter to governor ESL Narasimhan, his aides said.
Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) chairman M Kodandaram congratulated the people of Telangana after the Lok Sabha passed the bill to accord separate statehood to the region. He dedicated the “victory to those who laid down their lives for Telangana state”.
Kodandaram said Andhra Pradesh was being divided into two states but the good relations with the people of Seemandhra would continue. Celebrations also began in Hyderabad after the move amid heavy deployment of security forces.
Chaos was the order of the day as MPs suspended for earlier fierce protests over the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh attempted to enter the House while the bill was being discussed.
Marshals were called in to stop the lawmakers from disrupting proceedings inside Parliament, while Speaker Meria Kumar asked for the telecast of the session to be stopped. Unfazed by vociferous protests, the Central government on Tuesday moved the controversial Telangana bill for consideration and passage in Lok Sabha.
Shinde moved the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2014 for consideration even though ministers and MPs from Seemandhra region trooped into the Well of the House opposing bifurcation of the state.
"I already moved the bill... it is to be taken into consideration and passing," said Shinde.
News channels reported that after last week's unprecedented scenes in Lok Sabha when expelled Seemandhra Congress MP L Rajagopal used pepper spray on the floor of the House, marshals, ambulances and fire brigade vehicles have been kept on a standby.
Vehicles approaching the Parliament building are being checked and barricades have been put all around the complex with riot police also deployed.

Mr. Ajai Agrawal ,takes charge as president-National Executive of Public Relations Council of India(PRCI)
Feb 17, 2014
Mr. Ajai Agrawal , Head-Marketing, Central Bank of India, Hyderabad took-over the change as the president of the Public Relations Council of India(PRCI) a prestigious body of the PR, Media, Advertising, Marketing and Communication Professional of India with 23 nationwide chapters. Mr. RT Kumar handed over the charge to Mr. Agrawal at the recently had conclave at Hotel orchid, Mumbai. Chairman Emeritus Mr. MB Jayaram, Mr. ND Rajpal, Mr. RT Kumar, Mr. Rakesh Gulati, and Mr. S.H.Suhalka, Editor in Chief, Metromirror wished him a very successful tenure and many more milestones for the PRCT.

8th PRCI Global Conclave- Responsible Communication , Mumbai, 2014 Conclndes
Feb 17, 2014
- Public Relation Council of India (PRCI) has now emerged on the most respected professional body of PR, Media, Advertising, Branding & Communication Professional of India- Jayaram Ramesh
- PRCI chanakya Awards 2014 presented-Mr. Rajdeep Sardesi Presented Media Personality of the year Award while Dr. Dinkar Raikwar,Group Editor, Lokmat Group, Mumbai also presented media personality of the year Award various promisent presonalities from different disciplines were also awarded with chanakya Awards and the Hall of fame Awards

Indian media: Is AAP ready to rule the country?
Feb 17, 2014
India's media are asking whether the new Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has the potential to head a national government after its leader Arvind Kejriwal resigned last week as Chief Minister of Delhi after only 49 days in power.
He stepped down when his attempts to introduce a new anti-corruption bill were blocked in the city's legislative assembly.
The AAP made a surprisingly strong showing at state elections in Delhi last December by promising to fight corruption, and now has ambitions to repeat its success against major political parties at a coming general election.
Many commentators, however, feel that Mr Kejriwal has not yet proven that he is capable to lead a central government.
An editorial in The Hindu accuses him of simply using Delhi as "a stage for his theatrics, a campaign platform". "The thrust was on politically exposing the Congress and the BJP, and not on solving the small, everyday problems of Delhi," writes the paper.
The Times of India agrees, saying that Arvind Kejriwal's resignation was aimed at making him "a martyr in the anti-corruption cause" and "spring boarding AAP" to success in the general elections. The paper, however, warns that the party's "49 turbulent days" in power will hardly impress voters. AAP "hasn't addressed any of the systemic roots of corruption, not to mention other areas of governance it needs to tackle…. the Kejriwal theatre won't play to packed houses across India," the daily concludes.
In the Hindustan Times, columnist Vir Sanghvi writes that Mr Kejriwal, in his last days as chief minister, had been a populist, "a cross between a revolutionary Che Guevara-like figure and a generous Santa Claus who forgave his supporters' unpaid electricity bills".
"Voters want a Union government which can heal the economy as well. It is probably too late for Kejriwal to persuade voters that he has a route map towards more food on the table," says MJ Akbar in the Deccan Herald.
It seems like The Tribune is one of the few that praises Mr Kejriwal and his party. "AAP's rise has changed the way politics is played in this country," the daily argues, adding that among the party's achievements were "the ban on VIP culture", the setting up of an anti-corruption helpline and a power and water subsidy for the needy.
'Pepper spray' MP
Staying with politics, Meira Kumar, the speaker of the lower house of India's federal parliament, has complained to a disciplinary panel after a lawmaker attacked his colleagues with a pepper spray during a ruckus in the house on Thursday, The Indian Express reports.
The panel can recommend measures "including imprisonment and expulsion from the house", the paper explains.
The Times of India welcomes Ms Kumar's move, and says that it "must be followed up with an immediate change in the parliament's security protocols" to prevent legislators from bringing dangerous objects into the building.
"Should an MP decide to smuggle in a Molotov cocktail tomorrow, India could experience its own Guy Fawkes moment," the paper says.
Penguin India row Meanwhile, The Times of India reports that two authors have asked publisher Penguin India to withdraw and destroy their books.
Jyotirmaya Sharma and Siddharth Varadarajan are unhappy that Penguin India has given in to demands from a protest group to recall and destroy American scholar Wendy Doniger's book "The Hindus: An Alternative History".
"I no longer have the confidence that Penguin will stand by my book, 'Gujarat: The Making of a Tragedy'," the report quotes Mr Varadarajan as saying.
And finally, there is rising concern in the US about the quality of cheap medicines imported from India, according to The Indian Express.
India, the second-largest exporter of over-the-counter and prescription drugs to the US, "is coming under increased scrutiny by American regulators for safety lapses, falsified drug test results and selling fake medicines," the daily says.

DMK allies trash poll tracker surveys
Feb 17, 2014
‘Only the DMK-led secular formation can ensure stability at the Centre’ Leaders of allies of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in one voice said that the DMK-led front was strong to take on its opponents in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The DMK-led front has the support of minorities, dalits, backward and most backward classes, they said at the concluding day of the 10th State conference of the DMK here on Sunday.
The conference which attracted DMK party cadre from throughout the State was proof of its solid strength and support base, they said.
Puthiya Tamizhagam leader K. Krishnaswamy said there was need to feel worried over some other parties not joining the DMK-led front.
Having support of all sections of society, the DMK-led front was a mighty one which could bag all the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, he said and added that there was no need to wait for others to join.
Hailing DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, Dr. Krishnasamy said only he (referring to Mr. Karunanidhi) could bring about a stable government at the Centre.
Echoing the same view, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi leader and MLA M.H. Jawahirullah said the DMK-led front was a secular formation which had the support of dalits, minorities, backward and most backward classes. The huge turnout of party cadre for the DMK State conference was proof of the wave in support of the DMK-led front for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, he said.
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader and MP Thol. Tirumavalavan said the Lok Sabha polls was a crucial one as it concerned protection of secularism and social justice. The country could face threat to social justice and secularism if Narendra Modi was to become the Prime Minister.
Claiming that the DMK-led front would bag all the 40 seats, he exhorted the cadre of alliance partners not to get bogged down by poll surveys and work steadfastly in ensuring a massive victory for the front.
Indian Union Muslim League president K.M. Khader Mohideen said the DMK-led combine was a victorious front claiming that the Tiruchi conference would turn the tide in favour of the DMK-led alliance.
Dravida Iyyaka Tamizhar Peravai general secretary Suba. Veerapandian, Dravida Kazhagam president K. Veeramani, All India Forward Bloc president L. Santhanam, and Perunthalaivar Makkal Katchi organiser N.R. Dhanapalan spoke.
Keywords: DMK conference Tiruchi, DMK's 10th state conference, Karunanidhi, DMK allies

Not chief minister anymore, but will try and do what I can: Arvind Kejriwal to ...
Feb 15, 2014
New Delhi: The morning after Arvind Kejriwal resigned as Delhi Chief Minister, some of his supporters gathered outside his residence to meet him. As he came out to greet them, the Aam Aadmi Party chief smiled and said, "I am not the Chief Minister anymore, but I will try and do what I can."
The 45-year-old resigned on Friday evening, less than two months after he took oath as Delhi's Chief Minister. He quit after his push for the anti-corruption Jan Lokpal Bill was blocked in the state legislature by law-makers from the Congress and the BJP.
Mr Kejriwal has said the Jan Lokpal bill is the heart of his party's agenda and is essential to cleansethe polity of deep-rooted graft. The legislators from the Congress and BJP who voted to prevent him from tabling the Jan Lokpal Bill yesterday say they support the proposal, but cannot ignore the fact that it has been vetoed by Delhi's constitutional head, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung. Mr Kejriwal had firmly rejected the opinion that before it is presented for review in the legislature, the bill must be vetted by the Lieutenant Governor as a representative of the Centre.
After much chaos at Delhi assembly, Mr Kejriwal headed to his party's office where he addressed supporters and announced his resignation. "They know that if this law is brought in, their leaders will end up in jail," he said. Earlier, in the Delhi Assembly, he had declared, "I will give up the chief minister's office not once but 1000 times to fight against corruption."
From his party office, he went to meet the Lieutenant Governor to hand over the resignation of his cabinet and recommended that the assembly be dissolved and fresh polls be held.

Idea of secular India under threat: Sonia Gandhi in Kerala
Feb 15, 2014
Kochi: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Saturday kicked off the party's Lok Sabha poll campaign in Kerala, saying the upcoming elections are crucial to defend national ideals like unity and secularism.
At a special convention held here, Gandhi tried to infuse energy into party functionaries as well as the rank and file for the crucial upcoming electoral battle and urged them to fight to protect “our constitutional ethoes of secularism”.
Gandhi said the “idea of secular India is under threat by those who don't just seek to rule but to change India's very heart and soul”.
“We want unity, thy want uniformity. Our idea joins India together, their divides...The choice is between India of all or India of some serving the interest of few,” she added. “You have a choice to build India of 21st century, or an India that is a prisoner to an ideology.”
Talking about the upcoming General Elections, Gandhi said: “2014 elections isn't about achievements. 2014 is the most important elections because it's about what kind of India you want.”
Gandhi further attacked Left, questioning what action it took against corruption in West Bengal and Kerala. Commenting on Congress' “principle opponent in Kerala” - CPI(M), Gandhi said the party solves differences only through violence, brutal acts and murders and killing.
On different support groups within Congress in Kerala, Gandhi said: “To me there is only Congress and that's how we will face this election. The only group is - Congress group and no other group.”
“I sincerely hope that Kerala will rise to the occassion and protect the basic tenants of Constitution,” she added.
The convention assumes significance since it is the first major event after VM Sudheeran took over as the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president, replacing Ramesh Chennithala who joined the Oommen Chandy Cabinet as Home Minister last month.
Though Sudheeran was handpicked by the High Command, overlooking suggestions of Chandy and Chennithala, his elevation has been welcomed largely by the rank and file cutting across factional lines.
It is evident from the reaction that the rank and file looked at Sudheeran as capable of galvanising the party ahead of the elections as a leader with a clean track record and firm determination.
Later, Gandhi will address the national meet of INTUC at Kollam in south Kerala, reports PTI.
In 2009, the Congress contested 17 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in the state and won 13. Its allies Indian Union Muslim League bagged two seats and the Kerala Congress (Mani) one, taking the UDF tally to 16.
The remaining four seats were bagged by the CPI(M) while its partner CPI drew a blank.
Congress is keen to contest all 17 seats this time also.

But the UDF constituent Socialist Janata Democratic, which broke away from LDF on the eve of last Lok Sabha polls, has staked claim for one seat this time-- Kozhikode or Wayanad, both held by the Congress.
Similarly, the Kerala Congress (M) is eyeing an additional seat, preferably Idukki, also won by Congress last time.
Soon after the convention, the Congress would be bilaterally and collectively holding discussions with the partners to settle these issues, sources said.
Though the BJP is not a force to reckon with in Kerala's bipolar scenario, its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was in the state last week.
Addressing a big rally here, he blamed the UDF and LDF that have alternated in power as responsible for the problems of the state and said "God's own country" was badly in need of a third alternative led by his party.

Despite protests, Centre to push Telangana Bill in Parliament
Feb 14, 2014
New Delhi: On a day when Indian democracy touched a new low when an MP from Andhra Pradesh opposed to Telangana used pepper spray in the Lok Sabha, triggering unprecedented clashes and suspension of 16 MPs for creating chaos in Parliament, the Centre on Thursday warned that the bill to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh will be introduced under all circumstances.
The announcement was made by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath who said that the Telangana Bill will be introduced in the Lok Sabha under all circumstances despite protests and uproar over bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
The bill is facing much resistance not only from the opposition parties, but even within the Congress, which proposed the bill.
A leader of Congress party, Satyavrat Chaturvedi, said that people were creating a commotion just to obstruct the proceedings and not for any definitive purpose.
"Now we have to see those people who creating obstructions. They say something else and do something else. It will be clear from that which leader or party has what role in the house," said Chaturvedi.
The reactions from the Parliamentary Affairs Minister and Congress party came hours after Lagadapati Rajagopal, one of six MPs expelled from the Congress this week, was assaulted by fellow parliamentarians and taken out of the house by marshals after he sprayed the pungent pepper at startled parliamentarians to vent his anger over the decision to carve out Telangana state.
Also Read: Pandemonium in Lok Sabha over Telangana, Speaker calls it 'blot'
In what turned out to be another tumultuous day in Parliament over Telangana, MPs came to blows, a mike was ripped out, glass shattered and a computer was smashed.
Both Speaker Meira Kumar and leaders of political parties described the turmoil as a blot on Indian democracy. Janata Dal-United’s Sharad Yadav branded Rajagopal’s conduct as sedition.
"This is an attack on our democracy and it is nothing short of sedition," said Yadav, who was in the Lok Sabha when Rajagopal did the unthinkable. "If the strongest action is not taken, it will be difficult for Parliament to run."
Rajagopal's frenzy sent scores of MPs and Lok Sabha officials - and journalists in the media gallery - running for cover, coughing violently and with a burning sensation in their eyes.
A pungent odour enveloped the house, adding to the chaos caused by the unending sloganeering and disruptions since morning.
Amid the commotion, the UPA government managed to introduce a bill that would pave the way to carve out a Telangana state out of Andhra Pradesh -- precisely the issue over which Rajagopal was protesting. But the BJP and some others contested this claim.
TDP member M. Venugopala, who too is against Andhra Pradesh’s break up, wrenched the speaker's microphone. He refused to apologize for the behaviour.
“No, I didn’t do anything wrong,” the agitated MP said. “I was protesting. How dare they break up Andhra Pradesh?”
Sixteen Lok Sabha MPs were late suspended for five days. They included five of the Congress, four of the TDP, two of the YSR Congress including its leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy as well as five expelled by the Congress this week.
The Lok Sabha did meet again but there was no normalcy. Andhra Pradesh MPs again walked towards the speaker shouting slogans, joined by Tamil Nadu members equally angry over the attacks on their fishermen by the Sri Lanka Navy.
Amid the renewed chaos, an Andhra MP collapsed and was rushed to hospital.
If all this wasn’t enough, supporters and opponents of Telangana fought with one another outside the house, leaving an unspecified number injured.
The Rajya Sabha, which too witnessed noisy disturbances, was adjourned for the day. And so was the Lok Sabha.
In the upper house, Congress member K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao and TDP's Y.S. Chowdhary and C.M. Ramesh stood in front of the chairman's podium holding placards that demanded a “United Andhra Pradesh!”
TDP's Gundu Sudha Rani and some Congress leaders in turn flashed a placard seeking Telangana. The Lok Sabha developments drew widespread condemnation.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said Thursday's ruckus "is a big blot on our parliamentary democracy... It is a very shameful act".
LS Speaker Meira Kumar said, "Our democracy is admired throughout the world. What has happened today is a blot.”
Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde promised “strict action” against the MPs.
Rajagopal and other MPs from the Seemandhra region are bitterly opposed to the division of Andhra Pradesh. They have been staging noisy protests in the Lok Sabha right from the day it convened Feb 5, leaving both houses crippled day after day.
The BJP and the CPI-M blamed the Congress for the chaos, saying it was not unable to rein in its own ministers and MPs.
BJP leader L.K. Advani, one of India’s most experienced parliamentarians, described the events as “disgraceful”.
There will be no Parliament session Friday on account of a holiday.
The Union Cabinet recently cleared the bill for bifurcating Andhra Pradesh to create a separate Telangana state, with 10 districts.
The proposal was received with mixed emotions across the state, with various politicians starkly opposing the bifurcation.
With Agency inputs