Lok Sabha Elections: BJP's former ally Dushyant Chautala seeks floor test in Haryana

Lok Sabha MP and BJP candidate from Amravati, Navneet Rana's message to Rahul Gandhi. Rana said, "Everyone knows that Rahul Gandhi is receiving messages of love from Pakistan. As long as the Congress was in power, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress worked on the directions of Pakistan."

"I am honest towards the soil of India. Coming from the kingdom of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, when we enter the field, we do not need to think about how to take out the sword," Rana added. 

Rahul Gandhi addressed the public meeting in Telangana. He aid, "Now we are bringing a new scheme - 'First Job Pakki', meaning in one year we are going to give rights to all the unemployed youth of India in companies, public sector, private sector, government hospitals, offices. They will be given one year of job, excellent training and 1 lakh rupees in their bank account in one year." 

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addressed a public rally in Raebareli. She said, "Now, BJP leaders are saying that they will change the constitution if they come to power. They will weaken your rights because this constitution gave you voting rights, reservation rights, education rights, right to speak and protest, that is democracy."

"They want to weaken this democracy because they only want power. They only want their businessmen friends to move ahead. They have sold all the assets of India to these businessmen's friends," she added. 

"Election is slipping from the hands of Narendra Modi and he is not becoming the PM again. He has decided to divert your attention in the next 4-5 days. Unemployment is the biggest issue. PM Modi had said he will give jobs to 2 crore youths, but that did not happen. He brought demonetisation and implemented wrong GST. He only worked for people like Adani. We are bringing 'Bharti Bharosa Scheme'. INDIA alliance government is coming on June 4, the process to give jobs to 30 lakh youth will start by August 15," said Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said, "Stop beating around the bush Smriti Irani. Come have a debate with me...You don't hold a position where you can talk to our senior party leaders...The truth is you do not speak on women's issues & other important issues...This is an open challenge to have a debate with me..."

Delhi BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva along with party workers was detained by police for staging a protest against Congress over former Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda's controversial remarks.

NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar says, "The first three phases of elections have proved to be unsettling for Modi. This has changed the tone of his campaign. Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is likely to get 30 to 35 seats in Maharashtra. MVA candidates will be elected with a good margin."

Congress' Amethi candidate Kishori Lal Sharma on Thursday said the BJP's claim that his party had accepted defeat in this constituency smacks of "arrogance" and asserted that his win in the Lok Sabha polls would be a victory of the Gandhi family.

In an interview with PTI, Sharma cited the past instance of Congress leader Satish Sharma, who contested from Amethi in the 1990s, making way for Sonia Gandhi to contest from the constituency, and said he would do the same in favour of a Gandhi family member if such a situation arises in the future.

Sharma had won the Amethi seat in 1991 and 1996 but lost in 1998 and moved to Rae Bareli in 1999 with Sonia Gandhi contesting and winning Amethi.

Asked about the BJP's criticism that the Congress had accepted defeat in Amethi by fielding him instead of a Gandhi family member, Sharma said, "It is their arrogance that is speaking that the seat has been surrendered. The answer to this will be given by the people on May 20 and the result will be out on June 4." On the BJP's jibes that Rahul Gandhi "ran away" because he was scared of losing from Amethi, Sharma said those who were born after Independence do not know the history of the Gandhi family.

"Neither the Gandhis (Nehru-Gandhi family) ran away during the time of the Britishers nor have they run away now or will so so in the future. We will make others run away. Rahul Gandhi is touring the whole country and ensuring that the BJP runs away," he told PTI.

Targeting the US for interfering in India's internal affairs, Russia has said that Washington is trying to "complicate" the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, including by making "regular unfounded accusations" on threats to religious freedom in the country.

Reacting strongly to the recent report released by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Washington not only "groundlessly" accuses India but also many other states.

"Regular unfounded accusations by the United States against New Delhi - we see that they groundlessly accuse not only India, but also many other states - of violating religious freedoms are a reflection of the United States' misunderstanding of the national mentality, the historical context of the development of the Indian state and disrespect for India as a state," Zakharova said.

"I am sure that this also comes from the neocolonial mentality, the mentality of the colonial period, the period of the slave trade, and imperialism... This does not only apply to India. The reason is the desire to unbalance the internal political situation in India in order to complicate the general parliamentary elections taking place in the country. Of course, this is part of interference in India's internal affairs," added the Russian MFA spokesperson.

During the regular media briefing in Moscow, Zakharova was also asked about a report published in a US newspaper that accused an Indian official of a "foiled assassination" plot on foreign soil.

"According to the information we have, Washington has not yet provided any reliable evidence of the involvement of Indian citizens in the preparation of the murder of a certain G.S. Pannun. Speculation on this topic in the absence of evidence is unacceptable," stated Zakharova.

Days after he quit the Shiromani Akali Dal, which had fielded him from the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat, Hardeep Singh on Thursday joined the Aam Aadmi Party.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann welcomed him into the party fold.

Singh, a Chandigarh municipal councillor, said he was impressed by the development work carried out by the Mann government.

On May 6, Singh opted out of the electoral contest from the Chandigarh seat and quit the SAD. He ascribed his decision to the SAD's "indifferent" attitude towards Chandigarh.

After resigning from the primary membership of the party, Singh also returned the party ticket. It was the first time that the SAD had fielded a candidate from the Chandigarh parliamentary constituency.

Reacting to the report of the PM Economic Advisory Council on population, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekar said, "This is a very significant issue on which all Indian should seriously ask a few questions because if only the Muslim community has increased its population by such a significant number over the last several years... How much of this growth has been because of illegal immigration and conversion? How much of this growth of the muslim community alone, is crowding out the other minority communities like Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, Christians from the benefits that minorities get from GoI and state govts?"

He added, "Given this large increasing population of one minority religion, the Muslims, and on top of that, some political parties wanting to alter the Constitution and give religion based reservation to the muslim community, what will that deadly combination of growth in population and reservations, what will the effect of that be on other much more deprived communities like OBCs, SCs and STs?..."

BJP leader Navneet Rana, reacting to a provocative statement made by AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi 11 years ago, in which he said "if police are removed for 15 minutes...", said that "... it will take us only 15 seconds". 

"The younger brother said, 'Remove police for 15 minutes so we can show what we can do'. I want to tell him, 'It might take you 15 minutes... but it will only take us 15 seconds," Rana said.

Haryana's former Deputy Chief Minister and one-time ally of BJP Dushyant Chautala wrote to the Governor and demanded a floor test in the state assembly. 

The step was taken by Chautala amidst a political upheaval which led to the backing out of three independent MLAs and an increase in tensions within the ruling BJP coalition.

Speaking on the report of the PM Economic Advisory Council on population, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, "The census which was to be done in 2021-22 did not happen till 2024. They are only talking about misleading the people of the country and spreading hatred among the people. This is the agenda of PM Modi and the BJP, they want to cheat the people of the country again."

Congress candidate from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi Lok Sabha seat Vikramaditya Singh ahead of filing his nomination from the constituency said, "I will be filing my nomination today. I have a long association with people of Mandi and will take this relationship forward. We will talk about development only. We were standing in solidarity with the people here during the natural disaster. I promise that a smart city will be developed in Mandi." 

RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha at a press conference in Patna, Bihar said, "PM Modi is losing in these elections due to the downfall of his language. That's why he is making absurd statements. If a machine to detect his lies is set up in his rally, then that machine will stop working because of his lies." 

"I want to appeal the people that they (BJP) have put your chief minister Arvind Kejriwal behind bars and now you will have to respond with your votes," says AAP candidate from East Delhi Lok Sabha seat Kuldeep Kumar as he campaigns in the constituency.

BJP MP Navneet Rana on Tuesday (May 9) warned AIMIM leaders Asaduddin Owaisi and Akbaruddin Owaisi saying, "The younger brother (Akbaruddin Owaisi) says 'Police ko 15-minute hata do toh hum dikhayenge ki hum kya kar sakte hain'. I would like to tell him, it will take us just 15 seconds." 

News agency ANI quoting TMC said that the party lodged a complaint with Election Commission of India against BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari and others after leaders confess on camera that the Sandeshkhali rape accusations were concocted. 

Congress Spokesperson Surendra Rajput while speaking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing party leader Rahul Gandhi of receiving money from Gautam Adani.

"Rahul Gandhi has clearly said that if he received money in Tempo, then as PM Modi is in government, he should recover the Tempo and also send ED to Gautam Adani. It is a failure of BJP government that the PM is making accusation against industrialists when it is his government. Congress will come to power in Andhra Pradesh."

Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak said, "BJP national president JP Nadda is coming to Uttar Pradesh. All party workers are eager to welcome him. Wherever JP Nadda is holding public meetings in Uttar Pradesh, BJP is getting a huge majority."

On Sam Pitroda's resignation as Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said, "Congress took over the work of dividing the country from the British. First, they tried to divide Hindu-Muslims, then South-North and now they want to divide people on their skin colour."

"No one is going to tolerate such abuse...Congress is only doing the work of dividing. I want to ask Congress if the resignation of Sam Pitroda is going to erase the stain they have put on the image of the country. Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi should apologise to the people of the country..."