Congress rolls out offensive in Rajasthan as BJP makes Kanhaiya Lal killing a poll issue
AS THE BJP consistently raises the murder of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur last year, linked to his support for remarks by BJP leader Nupur Sharma on Prophet Mohammed, the Congress has started hitting back, with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot hinting “many mysteries” to the case.
At an election rally in Barwani in Madhya Pradesh on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to the Congress government in Rajasthan, saying: “What all didn’t happen there in the last five years? Could we have even imagined that we will hear slogans like ‘sar tan se juda (take someone’s head off)’ in Bharat?… This happened in Congress misrule in Rajasthan before a camera.”
EC reminds parties to furnish poll bond details by Nov 15 in sealed cover
The Election Commission on Tuesday sent a reminder to all political parties to submit details of donations received through electoral bonds by 5 pm tomorrow.
This direction comes after the Supreme Court ordered the election body to produce updated data on contributions received by the parties through the electoral bond scheme till September 30, 2023, and submit the details under sealed cover.
A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court, in an interim order on November 3, had given the poll body two weeks to produce updated data, while hearing the constitutional challenge to the electoral bond scheme. The bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud reserved its verdict after a three-day hearing.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday apologised for the loss of lives during the Telangana statehood agitation. Speaking to the media, the former Union minister also said creating a state or dividing a state is not child's play and it can't be done “just like that” and it is in response to people's movement.
"A suicide is an unfortunate incident. If in the people's movement some people lost their lives in the agitation...we are sorry for that. But you can't hold the (then) central government responsible for that," Chidambaram told reporters, responding to accusation of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao that previous UPA government had delayed the formation of Telangana resulting in loss of lives. He further said Telangana was formed in response to people's movement. (PTI)
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With less than three weeks to go for polling in Telangana, there seems to be a shift in the campaign tone of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), raising speculations of the ruling party being cautious about the Congress gaining momentum.
Over the past week, there has been a visible shift in the addresses by the BRS top brass, including Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), and ministers KT Ramarao (KTR) and T Harish Rao – from talking about the government’s achievements to repeatedly talking of “if the Congress comes to power”. Read More
The BJP will stop welfare schemes being run by the Congress government in Rajasthan if they come to power and they will help billionaires, Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday. “If a BJP government is formed then it will stop schemes being run by the Congress be it the (old) pension scheme, health (insurance scheme), subsidised cylinders or Rs 10,000 annual assistance for women and it will again help the billionaires,” Gandhi said.
Instead, if the Congress is voted back to power in the state, he said, the poor, farmers and small traders will benefit. "Farmers' loans will be waived off. They will be helped, small traders will benefit. This is for you to decide. Do you want Adani's government or do you want the government of farmers, labourers, youth?" Gandhi said.
With just about a fortnight to go for voting on November 25, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi landed in Rajasthan to take the lead on Congress campaign in the last leg. Addressing a rally in Taranagar of Churu district, the senior Rahul took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the promises that his party makes are ones that are in the interest of industrialist Gautam Adani whereas those by Congress are meant for the economically downtrodden, farmers and youth of the state.
Police seized cash worth Rs 11.50 lakh allegedly from the vehicle of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate in a village in Korba district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday, a day before the second phase of the state assembly elections, an official said.
Former MLA Ram Dayal Uikey, the BJP nominee from Pali-Tanakhar seat in Korba district, was present in the vehicle when the cash was seized from there, the police official said.
"Some local villagers intercepted Uikey's vehicle (a SUV) near Jhunkidi village under Pasan police station area (Pali-Tanakhar constituency) and informed the police at around 1 am," Korba Superintendent of Police Jitendra Shukla said.
Later, the police recovered Rs 11.50 lakh cash during a search of the vehicle, Shukla said, adding that the money and the vehicle were seized after Uikey failed to produce documents in support of the cash.
Further action is being taken as per the law, he added. PTI
The BJP released its manifesto for the Rajasthan assembly polls, promising:
Rajasthan goes to polls on November 25 and the results will be declared on December 3
Cong in Rajasthan known for being number one in corruption, atrocities on poor, paper leaks, says JP Nadda before detailing out the BJP's manifesto ahead of the upcoming Rajasthan Assembly polls.
BJP promises:
BJP national president JP Nadda says, "...I would like to say that for other parties, the manifesto is just a formality. But for the BJP, it's a roadmap for development. So this 'Sankalp Patra' is not just words written on the page, but we are committed to fulfilling these sentences... Our history is the proof that we did whatever we said..."
Congress leaders in Rajasthan are together and the party will win the November 25 assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday.
In a brief interaction with reporters at the airport here, the former Congress president said, "We are together and will remain together. The Congress party will sweep the elections here (in Rajasthan)".
The party's leaders are together and will remain united, he asserted before leaving for Tara Nagar in Churu to address a poll rally.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee chief Govind Singh Dotasra and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot were accompanying Gandhi.
Gandhi will also address public rallies in Nohar (Hanumangarh) and Sadulshahar (Sriganganagar). PTI
With just about a fortnight to go for voting on November 25, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi landed in Rajasthan to take the lead on Congress campaign in the last leg. He was welcomed in Jaipur by CM Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot. “We are not only seen together but we are also united,” Rahul Gandhi told mediapersons. The five-year tussle between CM Ashok Gehlot and former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot was officially considered over in the run-up to the Assembly Elections in view of the party’s chances in the eastern Rajasthan region. Rahul Gandhi will be addressing public rallies in Tara Nagar and Sadulshahar today.
On Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia's tweet - "Priyanka Gandhi ji is a part-time leader", former Madhya Pradesh CM and state Congress president Kamal Nath says, "What Jyotiraditya Scindia used to say for Shivraj Singh and PM when he was in Congress, is not erased. Now, he is saying for Congress what he used to say for them."
The Assam units of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have demanded that state Governor Gulab Chand Kataria be sacked for allegedly campaigning for a BJP candidate contesting in the Rajasthan assembly elections.
No immediate comments could be obtained from either Kataria or Assam Governor's Office on the issue.
Issuing separate statements, the two parties have sought the intervention of the President and the Election Commission of India for taking action against the governor, who relinquished all political posts before joining the constitutional post.
"Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria is busy campaigning for the BJP in Udaipur, Rajasthan. This is a challenge to democracy, the Election Commission of India should take action against him," Assam TMC President Ripun Bora said in a post on X.
As the 25 constituencies in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur division go to polls on Friday, the Congress and the BJP would be slugging it out in this belt which sends nearly a third of MLAs to the 90-member state assembly.
Among the five administrative divisions of the state, the Bilaspur division, located in the central region, has the highest number of 25 assembly constituencies which will play a crucial role in deciding the winner this time.
Notably, this was the only division which the Congress did not sweep in 2018, while the BJP, which faced a rout elsewhere, won nearly half of its statewide tally in this region. PTI
Rahul Gandhi says, "We are not only seen together but we are also united. We will be together and Congress will sweep the elections here and win."
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 15th instalment of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, amounting to Rs 18,000 crore, for more than eight crore farmers across the country.
The announcement came during events for the ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas (tribal pride day)’ in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, where the PM announced other programmes, including the Rs 24,000-crore development mission for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
But this disbursement for the PM-KISAN scheme, under which eligible small and marginal farmers receive a minimum income support of Rs 6,000 a year in three instalments, has drawn criticism from the Opposition for its timing during the Assembly elections in five states and two days before voting in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh on November 17.
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Madhya Pradesh's central region, spread around capital Bhopal and other surrounding areas, has emerged as a BJP stronghold over the past three decades even as a combative Congress eyes a comeback there in the state polls scheduled on Friday.
While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) says it has worked according to the socio-political equations and gained further in its citadel, the opposition Congress says it has rectified its mistakes and claims the results will be different in the region this time.
A political observer claimed the BJP's dominance is likely to continue in the region this time also.
The state's central region, also called "central India" by some people, consists of Bhopal and Narmadapuram revenue divisions. It has 36 assembly seats spread across eight districts - Bhopal (7), Vidisha (5), Rajgarh (5), Sehore (4), Raisen (4), Narmadapuram (4), Harda (2) and Betul (5).
The BJP had 30 seats in this region in 2013.
After the 2018 assembly polls, it has 24 MLAs in the region while the Congress' tally stands at 12. PTI
BJP national president J P Nadda will release the party’s election manifesto for Rajasthan in Jaipur. The state is going to the polls on November 25.
The Congress is yet to release its manifesto for the elections to the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly. The party has however declared its seven poll “guarantees” so far, which include Rs 10,000 per annum honorarium for women heads of families, subsidised gas cylinders at Rs 500 for over 1 crore households, free laptops or tablets for first-year students studying in government colleges, free English medium school education, purchase of dung from cattle owners at Rs 2 per kg, Rs 15 lakh calamity insurance for Chiranjeevi families, and a pledge to back the old pension scheme (OPS) for government employees with a law.
Addressing a poll rally in Madhya Pradesh on the last day of campaigning for the November 17 elections, Congress secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that he “keeps crying” and a movie ‘Mere Naam’, akin to Salman Khan’s ‘Tere Naam’, should be made on him.
“Modi is the first PM who stays engrossed in his troubles. He took a long list of abusive language used against him to Karnataka, then he gave a list of grievances here too. Have you watched Salman Khan’s Tere Naam? Salman cries from the beginning to the end in the film. Similarly, a film titled ‘Mere Naam’ should be made on Modi,” she said at a rally in Datia constituency.
Priyanka further said that she feels bad for the workers of BJP and RSS as Modi has inducted all the “world’s traitors and cowards” into the party. Read More
Towards the close of the Madhya Pradesh campaign, which wrapped up on Wednesday evening, the ruling BJP threw up one word constantly at the Congress – “Bantadhar (or ruinous)”. It was a reference to the pejorative the BJP uses for Digvijaya Singh and his 10-year rule as chief minister of the state in 1993-2003, as well as an acknowledgment of the central role the polarising Congress leader has played in keeping the BJP on its toes in MP.
At a recently held public meeting in Gwalior, Digvijaya barely held back in criticising Congress workers who were not to be seen in the campaign after being denied tickets. “I am not seeing the faces of those who were asking for tickets. Where are they? Is this your loyalty towards the Congress? You should be ashamed… Those who were asking for tickets and are now sitting at home, my doors will always be closed for them,” he said.
Digvijaya could argue that he has earned the right to deliver this censure. The man who declared that he would not contest elections for 10 years after the 2003 loss has spent the better part of the past five years walking the length and breadth of MP, literally. Digvijaya may have tripped here and there, and often trod indelicately onto Hindutva territory that the Congress approached tentatively, but as far as the BJP goes, he has been the face of the Congress offensive in the state. Read More
In the run-up to the assembly elections in five states, the income tax department has seized more unexplained cash as compared to elections held in those states earlier, CBDT chairman Nitin Gupta said on Wednesday.
Gupta said that prior to both state assembly and Lok Sabha elections, the enforcement agencies, including the I-T department, increased surveillance and also got information about unexplained cash and jewellery on toll-free numbers created for the purpose. "The states where we are right now in elections we have seized more cash than what was seized in the corresponding time in the state assembly elections or Lok Sabha 2019," Gupta told reporters.
He said pre-election monitoring of unexplained cash and surveillance is very intense and the entire activity is coordinated at the level of the Election Commission and state election authority. (PTI)
The Election Commission has asked Madhya Pradesh CEO to stop Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s planned “interaction” with the public from 5.30 pm, as the 'silence period' starts from 6 pm.
The ‘silence period’ allows a voter to make up his or her mind on whom to vote without being influenced by political campaigning.
Targeting the Congress, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday alleged that the party only used Muslims as vote bank and asked under whose watch the demolition of Babri Masjid happened, PTI reported.
Rao, who addressed an election rally at Nizamabad, made a veiled reference to Rahul Gandhi's 'mohabbat ki dukan' comments. If one is secular, it should be reflected in one's work, said Rao, also known as KCR.
"We (BRS) treat everyone equally irrespective of religion and community. Congress had used you (Muslims) only as a vote bank. Even today, the Congress does drama. They say we will close the 'dukaan' (shop) of hate. I am asking under whose watch Babri Masjid's martyrdom happened? Who got it done? It needs to be understood," he said.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday attacked Union minister and her former party colleague Jyotiraditya Scindia, calling him a traitor. Priyanka was addressing a rally to canvass for the Congress candidate in the Datia assembly seat of Madhya Pradesh, which will go to polls on November 17.
She said that inflation has shattered the dreams of the people in the state. “Do you know Scindia ji? We worked together in Uttar Pradesh... We the people of UP express our complaints or anger... We vent out everything... We don't have a habit of addressing (him) Maharaj,” Priyanka said.
She said that workers used to tell her that they had to call Scindia “Maharaj” to get their work done and it was not their (workers) habit. (PTI)
Reiterating his party's demand for a caste census, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the day the Other Backward Classes, Dalits and tribals learn about their actual population, the "country will change forever." Speaking at a rally in Chhattisgarh's Bemetara district ahead of the second phase of assembly elections on November 17, he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not taking a clear stand on the issue.
“Modi ji flies in an aircraft worth Rs 12,000 crore and wears new clothes every day. He was elected using the word OBC (on the promise of acting in their interest), and when the time comes to give rights to the OBCs, he says there is no OBC and the poor are the only caste in India. We will find out how many OBCs are there. Whether Narendra Modi carries out a caste census or not, the day the Congress comes to power again in Chhattisgarh, a caste survey will start here....the day our government comes to power in Delhi, the first signature will be on the (order directing) caste census,” he said.
“The day the OBCs, Dalits and tribals of this country come to know about their actual population and true strength, this country will change forever. This will be the biggest revolutionary decision after Independence," he added.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday credited vision and policies of governments headed by his party over decades for big dams, ushering in green and white revolutions, setting up premier engineering and medical institutions in the country.
He was responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's repeated statements asking what the Congress had done for the country during its long rule after independence, while addressing an election rally in the Berasia constituency in Bhopal district ahead of the November 17 assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh.
“The Constitution was saved and democracy preserved in the country only because of the Congress and he asks what the Congress has done for the nation? Green revolution for making the country self-reliant in foodgrains, white revolution for boosting milk production... dams like Bhakra Nangal and premier medical and engineering institutions are all existing in the country because of the Congress's policies and vision,” Kharge asserted.
The AICC president asked who had created Amul, the largest dairy cooperative brand operating in the country, while listing the achievements of successive Congress governments. (PTI)
Senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot has said his party will form government in at least four states in the upcoming assembly polls and that would be a clear indication as to which way the wind is blowing for the 2024 general elections. He also brushed aside talk of cracks in the INDIA bloc over disagreements on seat sharing for the assembly polls, saying that while it could have been handled "slightly more differently", but "such hiccups" will not come in the way of sharing Lok Sabha seats among alliance partners.
In an interview with PTI on board a helicopter, while on the campaign trail in Madhya Pradesh, Pilot said all members of the INDIA bloc are committed to working together to defeat the BJP in 2024 and who "will take what position will be decided after the polls".
Asked about the Congress' performance in the upcoming polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram, Pilot said the party is well placed to win at least four states and form governments.
"I am saying this with all the feedback that has been received, the response in our meetings and the lack of faith people have displayed in the BJP. So, in at least four states out of five, the Congress will form government and that will be a clear indication as to which way the wind is blowing," the Congress leader told PTI.
The Congress’ candidate from Rajasthan’s Karanpur assembly constituency, Gurmeet Singh Koonar, died during treatment at the AIIMS-Delhi, party leaders here said on Wednesday. He was 75.
Koonar, who was the sitting MLA from Karanpur, was admitted to the Geriatric Medicine Ward of the All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi on November 12. Kooner died of sepsis with septic shock and renal disease, according to the death certificate issued by the hospital. He was also suffering from hypertension.
Condoling the death, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on X, “I am deeply saddened by the news of the demise of Karanpur MLA and former minister Gurmeet Singh Koonar.” Read More
Priyanka Gandhi addressed a rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, where she said: "BJP leaders have made thousands of hollow announcements in Madhya Pradesh, which even they do not remember now. The BJP government of Madhya Pradesh has given employment to only 21 people in the last 3 years, whereas Chhattisgarh has the lowest unemployment."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday unveiled projects worth around Rs 7,200 crore for Jharkhand including rail, road, education, coal, petroleum and natural gas here.
The projects inaugurated include the new campus of IIM-Ranchi, a new hostel of IIT-ISM Dhanbad, Petroleum Oil and Lubricants (POL) depot in Bokaro, doubling of railway tracks in the Hatia-Pakra, Talgaria-Bokaro and Jarangdih-Patratu sections.
The projects for which foundations will be laid include the four-laning of the 52-km stretch of the Mahagama-Hansdiha section of NH-133, four-laning of the 45-km stretch of Basukinath-Deoghar section of NH-114 A, KDH-Purnadih Coal Handling Plant and a new academic and administrative building of IIIT-Ranchi. (PTI)
Days ahead of voting on November 17 for the Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, two states with considerable tribal populations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Rs 24,000-crore Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) Mission in Jharkhand, and released Rs 18,000 crore as the 15th installment of PM-Kisan scheme to 8 crore beneficiaries from Khunti.
“A lot of bayanbaazi (declarations) happen on social justice, secularism. However, true secularism comes only when there is no discrimination. True social justice comes when all get benefits of government schemes,” the PM said after flagging of the schemes.
"Today 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ has been flagged off, on the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda. This yatra will continue till 26 January 2024. During this yatra, several schemes will reach all the eligible," PM Modi said in Khunti.
PM Modi said in Khunti, "There were more than 110 districts in our country which were backward in every field of development. The earlier government would simply identify them and leave them. Education and health facilities in these districts were in a pathetic condition for decades. Coincidentally, most of the tribal families in the country lived in these districts."
He added, "India could never have developed by leaving these districts on their own. Therefore, following the principle of giving preference to the underprivileged, our government declared these districts as aspirational districts. In these districts, we are reaching new heights of success by starting work from scratch on many subjects like education, health and roads."
"There are four pillars of Viksit Bharat: Women power; farmers and allied businesses; Youth; Neo Middle class and poors. In the previous two terms we have worked for empowering them," PM Modi said in Jharkhand, as he flagged off schemes for tribal groups.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched the Rs 24,000-crore Pradhan Mantri Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PM PVTG) Mission for the holistic development of around 28 lakh PVTGs in the country.
Under the mission, basic facilities such as road and telecom connectivity, electricity, safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition and sustainable livelihood opportunities will be provided to PVTG habitations, which are mostly remote, scattered and inaccessible, an official statement said.
Modi also released Rs 18,000 crore as the 15th installment of PM Kisan scheme to more than eight crore beneficiary farmers across the country. Celebrating the third Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, the prime minister transferred the amount digitally by clicking a button here. The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is one of the world's largest Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes, which aims to support farmers in meeting their agricultural and other incidental needs.
Under the scheme, a financial assistance of Rs 6,000 per year is transferred into the bank accounts of beneficiary farmers through DBT in three equal installments. (PTI)
"It is unfortunate that after freedom, justice was not meted out to the brave tribal fighters," PM Modi said in Jharkhand.
"The story of Lord Birsa Munda, a symbol of tribal pride and struggle, fills every countryman with inspiration. Every corner of Jharkhand is associated with such great personalities, their courage and tireless efforts," PM Modi said while launching the tribal scheme.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's poll rally at Amla in Betul district on Wednesday got cancelled as the helicopter that was supposed to carry him developed some technical snag, a party leader said. Kharge was scheduled to address the meeting at 11.20 am but the meeting stands cancelled as the helicopter developed some technical snag, the Congress leader said.
The Congress president will address two other meetings in Berasia and Bhopal city as scheduled, he said. Wednesday is the last day for campaigning for the November 17 assembly elections in the state. Votes will be counted on December 3. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released the 15th instalment amount of about Rs. 18,000 crores under PM-KISAN.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ and Pradhan Mantri Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups Development Mission.
PM Modi is attending the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas progamme in Khunti, Jharkhand.
The Congress on Wednesday questioned the release of the 15th instalment of the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi just two days ahead of assembly elections in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh and wondered if it was "intentional".
While polling in Madhya Pradesh will be held in a single-phase on November 17, in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, voting for the second-phase will be conducted. The first phase was held on November 7.
The sixth instalment of the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi was released on August 1, 2020, while the ninth instalment on August 9, 2021, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X in Hindi.
The 12th instalment was released on October 17 last year, said Ramesh, whose party aims to retain power in Chhattisgarh and defeat the BJP in Madhya Pradesh.
Amin Pathan, former BJP state president of the Rajasthan Minority Morcha and Rajasthan Haj Committee, joins Congress in the presence of CM Ashok Gehlot and Congress in-charge for Rajasthan Sukjinder Singh Randhawa.
On Prime Minister Modi's 'Murkho ke sardar' statement, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot says, "It is very unfortunate. The Prime Minister's post holds dignity...The more it is criticised, the less it is. If a man holds a position of dignity but says things like this, what can you expect from him?"
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid floral tributes to tribal icon Birsa Munda in Ranchi on his birth anniversary.
Days ahead of voting on November 17 for the Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, two states with considerable tribal populations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to launch the Rs 24,000-crore Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) Mission in Jharkhand today.