Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Supreme Court advocate Ajay Agrawal on Wednesday wrote to the National Investigative Agency (NIA) requesting them to register an FIR against the Congress leaders and others who attended a meeting with the Pakistani officials.

Agrawal, in his letter, has stated it appeared the meeting was held to destabilise the ruling government and affect the ongoing Gujarat Assembly elections as the very next day Congress leaders and the host of the meeting Mani Shankar Aiyar levelled &#39;Neech Aadmi&#39; remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The BJP leader had earlier claimed that a meeting took place on December 6 at Aiyar&#39;s residence where former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former vice president Hamid Ansari, High Commissioner of Pakistan to India Sohail Mahmood, Khurshid Kasoori, Indian bureaucrats and other officials were present.

&quot;The act is exciting hatred towards the elected government and the person doing it and the persons involved in the conspiracy should be booked under Section 124 (A) (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),&quot; Agrawal stated, in his letter to the NIA.

He further said the former prime minister and former vice president are duty bound not to share the content of the information with anyone and added they did not too any prior permission before participating in the meeting.

&quot;No subsequent discussion in the meeting no note of the same was conveyed to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) by the ex-prime Minister and ex-Vice president, which they should have done as per the existing protocol,&quot; he said.

&quot;When the Government of India has taken a stand of the No talk with Pakistan until they stopped exporting terror to India then who authorised the above personalities to do the meeting?&quot; he added.

He even added that the meeting took place in a secretive manner with a secret agenda, which is purely &#39;anti-national&#39; in its original character and hence, raises the suspicion.

Earlier on December 11, Manmohan Singh quashed the accusation about the former&#39;s clandestine meeting with Pakistani officials, and expressed &#39;anguish&#39; at &#39;the canards being spread&#39;.

&quot;I am deeply pained and anguished by the falsehood and canards being spread to score political points in a lost cause by none less than Prime Minister, Sh. Narender Modi. Fearing imminent defeat in Gujarat, the desperation of Prime Minister to hurl every abuse and latch on to every straw is palpable,&quot; Singh, said in an official statement.

Terming it a lie, Singh issued a clarification as follows, &quot;I reject the innuendos and falsehoods as I did not discuss Gujarat elections with anyone else at the dinner hosted by Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar as alleged by Shri Modi. Nor was the Gujarat issue raised by anyone else present at the dinner.&quot;&nbsp;

The BJP leader had earlier claimed that a meeting took place on December 6 at Aiyar's residence

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Supreme Court advocate Ajay Agrawal on Wednesday wrote to the National Investigative Agency (NIA) requesting them to register an FIR against the Congress leaders and others who attended a meeting with the Pakistani officials. Agrawal, in his letter, has stated it appeared the meeting was held to destabilise the ruling government and affect the ongoing Gujarat Assembly elections as the very next day Congress leaders and the host of the meeting Mani Shankar Aiyar levelled 'Neech Aadmi' remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP leader had earlier claimed that a meeting took place on December 6 at Aiyar's residence where former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former vice president Hamid Ansari, High Commissioner of Pakistan to India Sohail Mahmood, Khurshid Kasoori, Indian bureaucrats and other officials were present. "The act is exciting hatred towards the elected government and the person doing it and the persons involved in the conspiracy should be booked under Section 124 (A) (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," Agrawal stated, in his letter to the NIA. He further said the former prime minister and former vice president are duty bound not to share the content of the information with anyone and added they did not too any prior permission before participating in the meeting. "No subsequent discussion in the meeting no note of the same was conveyed to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) by the ex-prime Minister and ex-Vice president, which they should have done as per the existing protocol," he said. "When the Government of India has taken a stand of the No talk with Pakistan until they stopped exporting terror to India then who authorised the above personalities to do the meeting?" he added. He even added that the meeting took place in a secretive manner with a secret agenda, which is purely 'anti-national' in its original character and hence, raises the suspicion. Earlier on December 11, Manmohan Singh quashed the accusation about the former's clandestine meeting with Pakistani officials, and expressed 'anguish' at 'the canards being spread'. "I am deeply pained and anguished by the falsehood and canards being spread to score political points in a lost cause by none less than Prime Minister, Sh. Narender Modi. Fearing imminent defeat in Gujarat, the desperation of Prime Minister to hurl every abuse and latch on to every straw is palpable," Singh, said in an official statement. Terming it a lie, Singh issued a clarification as follows, "I reject the innuendos and falsehoods as I did not discuss Gujarat elections with anyone else at the dinner hosted by Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar as alleged by Shri Modi. Nor was the Gujarat issue raised by anyone else present at the dinner."

BJP leader requests NIA to register FIR against Congress leaders who met Pak envoy

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati said on Sunday threatened that she would quit Hinduism and convert to Buddhism, along with her thousands of followers, if the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party did not stop their &lsquo;atrocities&rsquo; on Dalits and backward castes and end the exploitation of these communities.

Addressing a BSP conclave, the BSP chief said, &ldquo;Dr. Ambedkar had made an announcement in 1935 that he was born a Hindu but he won&rsquo;t die a Hindu. He gave 21 years to Hindu religious leaders to reform. But when there was no change in their attitude, he converted to Buddhism in 1956 in Nagpur. We thought the contractors and custodians of the Hindu religion would change after his conversion and give respect to the Dalit and backward caste communities. But they continue to exploit the backward communities and the Dalits. Today, I want to warn the BJP and the RSS that if they don&rsquo;t change their disrespectful, casteist and communal behaviour towards the Dalits and backward caste people and their leaders, I will also convert to Buddhism with my crores of followers.&rdquo;

Ms. Mayawati said she wanted to give a chance to RSS-BJP to change their casteist and communal mindset towards Dalits, Adivasis, Backwards and also those who have changed their religion and then take a call on conversion to Buddhism &ldquo;at an appropriate time like Ambedkar.&rdquo;

She also told the BSP workers to be alert on the possibility of an early Lok Sabha election and asked them to start preparing for it.

&ldquo;There is a possibility that the BJP can start the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya just before Lok Sabha elections.

&ldquo;They can even sponsor some dramatic events in the name of patriotism to save their government and hide their failures. Be aware of such conspiracies.

&ldquo;The Electronic Voting Machines were tampered with in every election since 2014 to defeat the BSP,&rdquo; she alleged and dared the BJP to contest all upcoming elections on ballot paper.

The BSP supremo also claimed that the Mandal Commission report was implemented because of her party&rsquo;s efforts.

&ldquo;The backward communities got the reservation&nbsp;and other benefits only because of Ambedkar&rsquo;s efforts and not because of the Congress, Nehru or BJP and company.

She also told the BSP workers to be alert on the possibility of an early Lok Sabha election and asked them to start preparing for it.

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati said on Sunday threatened that she would quit Hinduism and convert to Buddhism, along with her thousands of followers, if the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party did not stop their ‘atrocities’ on Dalits and backward castes and end the exploitation of these communities. Addressing a BSP conclave, the BSP chief said, “Dr. Ambedkar had made an announcement in 1935 that he was born a Hindu but he won’t die a Hindu. He gave 21 years to Hindu religious leaders to reform. But when there was no change in their attitude, he converted to Buddhism in 1956 in Nagpur. We thought the contractors and custodians of the Hindu religion would change after his conversion and give respect to the Dalit and backward caste communities. But they continue to exploit the backward communities and the Dalits. Today, I want to warn the BJP and the RSS that if they don’t change their disrespectful, casteist and communal behaviour towards the Dalits and backward caste people and their leaders, I will also convert to Buddhism with my crores of followers.” Ms. Mayawati said she wanted to give a chance to RSS-BJP to change their casteist and communal mindset towards Dalits, Adivasis, Backwards and also those who have changed their religion and then take a call on conversion to Buddhism “at an appropriate time like Ambedkar.” She also told the BSP workers to be alert on the possibility of an early Lok Sabha election and asked them to start preparing for it. “There is a possibility that the BJP can start the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya just before Lok Sabha elections. “They can even sponsor some dramatic events in the name of patriotism to save their government and hide their failures. Be aware of such conspiracies. “The Electronic Voting Machines were tampered with in every election since 2014 to defeat the BSP,” she alleged and dared the BJP to contest all upcoming elections on ballot paper. The BSP supremo also claimed that the Mandal Commission report was implemented because of her party’s efforts. “The backward communities got the reservation and other benefits only because of Ambedkar’s efforts and not because of the Congress, Nehru or BJP and company.

I'll convert to Buddhism along with followers, Mayawati warns BJP, RSS

The first phase of voting in 89 assembly constituencies of Gujarat has begun today.

In 2012, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 63 of the 89 constituencies while the Congress got only 22 seats. Others won four seats.

Here is all you need to know about the first phase of elections for 182-member Gujarat Assembly.

Voters Breakup

Total Registered Voters: 2,12,31,652

Men: 1,11,05,933

Women: 1,01,25,472

Apart from it, there are seven constituencies with electors numbering more than 1.5 lakh but less than 2 lakh. Rest 82 constituencies have more than 2 lakh registered voters in each of them.

Largest Constituency

Abdasa Assembly seat in Kachchh district is the largest constituency, which is spread over 6,278 sq km.

Smallest Constituency

Karanj Assembly seat in Surat district is smallest constituency, which is spread over only 4 sq km

Total Candidates

A total of 977 candidates are in the fray, out of which 57 are women candidates.

Constituency with Highest Number of candidates

Jamnagar Rural in Saurashtra region has the highest number of contenders. Here 27 candidates are trying their luck.

Constituency with Lowest Number of candidates

Jhagadia (ST) in Bharuch district and Gandevi (ST) in Navsari district have only 3 contestants in fray.

Districts having maximum and minimum number of constituencies

While Surat district has maximum (16) number of stories, Dangs district has only one constituency.

District wise Constituency Breakup

Kachchh district: Abdasa, Mandvi , Bhuj, Anjar, Gandhidham (SC), and Rapar.

Surendranagar district: Dasada (SC) , Limbdi, Wadhwan, Chotila, and Dhrangadhra.

Morbi district: Morbi, Tankara, and Wankaner.

Rajkot district: Rajkot East, Rajkot West, Rajkot South, Rajkot Rural (SC), Jasdan, Gondal, Jetpur, and Dhoraji.

Jamnagar district: Kalavad (SC), Jamnagar Rural, Jamnagar North, Jamnagar South, and Jamjodhpur.

Devbhumi Dwarka district: Khambhalia, and Dwarka.

Porbandar district: Porbandar and Kutiyana.

Junagadh district: Manavadar, Junagadh, Visavadar, Keshod, and Mangrol.

Gir Somnath district: Somnath, Talala, Kodinar (SC), and Una.

Amreli district: Dhari, Amreli, Lathi, Savarkundla, and Rajula.

Bhavnagar district: Mahuva, Talaja, Gariadhar, Palitana, Bhavnagar Rural, Bhavnagar East, Bhavnagar West.

Botad district: Botad and Gadhada (SC).

Narmada district: Nandod (ST) and Dediapada (ST).

Bharuch district: Jambusar, Vagra, Jhagadia (ST), Bharuch, and Ankleshwar.

Surat district: Olpad, Mangrol (ST), Mandvi (ST), Kamrej, Surat East, Surat North, Varachha Road, Karanj, Limbayat, Udhna, Majura, Katargam, Surat West, Choryasi, Bardoli (SC), Mahuva (ST).

Tapi district: Vyara (ST) and Nizar (ST).

Dangs district: Dangs (ST).

Navsari district: Jalalpore, Navsari, Gandevi (ST), and Bansda (ST).

Valsad district: Dharampur (ST), Valsad, Pardi, Kaprada (ST), and Umbergaon (ST). (ANI)

In 2012, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 63 of the 89 constituencies while the Congress got only 22 seats. Others won four seats

The first phase of voting in 89 assembly constituencies of Gujarat has begun today. In 2012, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 63 of the 89 constituencies while the Congress got only 22 seats. Others won four seats. Here is all you need to know about the first phase of elections for 182-member Gujarat Assembly. Voters Breakup Total Registered Voters: 2,12,31,652 Men: 1,11,05,933 Women: 1,01,25,472 Apart from it, there are seven constituencies with electors numbering more than 1.5 lakh but less than 2 lakh. Rest 82 constituencies have more than 2 lakh registered voters in each of them. Largest Constituency Abdasa Assembly seat in Kachchh district is the largest constituency, which is spread over 6,278 sq km. Smallest Constituency Karanj Assembly seat in Surat district is smallest constituency, which is spread over only 4 sq km Total Candidates A total of 977 candidates are in the fray, out of which 57 are women candidates. Constituency with Highest Number of candidates Jamnagar Rural in Saurashtra region has the highest number of contenders. Here 27 candidates are trying their luck. Constituency with Lowest Number of candidates Jhagadia (ST) in Bharuch district and Gandevi (ST) in Navsari district have only 3 contestants in fray. Districts having maximum and minimum number of constituencies While Surat district has maximum (16) number of stories, Dangs district has only one constituency. District wise Constituency Breakup Kachchh district: Abdasa, Mandvi , Bhuj, Anjar, Gandhidham (SC), and Rapar. Surendranagar district: Dasada (SC) , Limbdi, Wadhwan, Chotila, and Dhrangadhra. Morbi district: Morbi, Tankara, and Wankaner. Rajkot district: Rajkot East, Rajkot West, Rajkot South, Rajkot Rural (SC), Jasdan, Gondal, Jetpur, and Dhoraji. Jamnagar district: Kalavad (SC), Jamnagar Rural, Jamnagar North, Jamnagar South, and Jamjodhpur. Devbhumi Dwarka district: Khambhalia, and Dwarka. Porbandar district: Porbandar and Kutiyana. Junagadh district: Manavadar, Junagadh, Visavadar, Keshod, and Mangrol. Gir Somnath district: Somnath, Talala, Kodinar (SC), and Una. Amreli district: Dhari, Amreli, Lathi, Savarkundla, and Rajula. Bhavnagar district: Mahuva, Talaja, Gariadhar, Palitana, Bhavnagar Rural, Bhavnagar East, Bhavnagar West. Botad district: Botad and Gadhada (SC). Narmada district: Nandod (ST) and Dediapada (ST). Bharuch district: Jambusar, Vagra, Jhagadia (ST), Bharuch, and Ankleshwar. Surat district: Olpad, Mangrol (ST), Mandvi (ST), Kamrej, Surat East, Surat North, Varachha Road, Karanj, Limbayat, Udhna, Majura, Katargam, Surat West, Choryasi, Bardoli (SC), Mahuva (ST). Tapi district: Vyara (ST) and Nizar (ST). Dangs district: Dangs (ST). Navsari district: Jalalpore, Navsari, Gandevi (ST), and Bansda (ST). Valsad district: Dharampur (ST), Valsad, Pardi, Kaprada (ST), and Umbergaon (ST). (ANI)

All you need to know about 1st phase of Gujarat Assembly elections

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using objectionable language indiscriminately and asked them to improve their conduct.

The statement comes after BJP leader Amit Shah said Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar&#39;s &#39;low-born&#39; remark against Prime Minister Modi had resonated the culture of the Congress Party.

Claiming that the prime minister had crossed all limits, Surjewala told ANI, &quot;The BJP and Prime Minister Modi have been using intemperate and objectionable language and sometimes downright filthy language for the Congress leadership and the Congress Party. Prime Minister Modi had crossed all limits when he tried to belittle, humiliate and berate.&quot;

Shah had tweeted, &quot;Neither shocked nor surprised by Mani Shankar Aiyar&#39;s referring to PM as &#39;Neech.&#39; This is the culture of the Congress Party. People of Gujarat will punish anti-poor, anti-Dalit, anti-Tribal and anti-OBC Congress.&quot;

Meanwhile, the Congress Party has suspended Mani Shankar Aiyar from the primary membership of the party, in the wake of his &#39;neech&#39; remark sparking a controversy.

Surjewala, on Thursday, took to Twitter to apprise of the development.

To this end, he told ANI that Congress had a Gandhian culture and heritage, which is why party vice president Rahul Gandhi publically reprimanded and directed Aiyar to apologise to the prime minister for using unacceptable and unparliamentary language.

&quot;We may oppose each other on policies and issues. But the balance of language, the gravitas of politics and the balance of culture, respect for opponent should never be lost,&quot; he said.

Asking the BJP and Prime Minister Modi to keep a check on their language, Surjewala added, &quot;We hope Prime Minister Modi will now show the courage or conviction to take an action against his own party members and also looking within to improve his language and conduct.&quot;

Earlier in the day, Aiyar had told ANI that it was Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who turned Dr Ambedkar&#39;s wish into reality and it was not correct to badmouth the Nehru-Gandhi family.

&quot;This person [PM Modi] is a &#39;neech aadmi&#39; (low-minded). He is not civilised and in a situation like this, there is no need to practice such dirty politics,&quot; Aiyar had said.

He later &#39;apologised&#39; for calling Prime Minister Modi &#39;neech???????&#39;, saying he implied a different meaning for the word and denied calling the prime minister a &#39;Chaiwala&#39;.&nbsp;

The statement comes after BJP leader Amit Shah said Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'low-born' remark against Prime Minister Modi had resonated the culture of the Congress Party.

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using objectionable language indiscriminately and asked them to improve their conduct. The statement comes after BJP leader Amit Shah said Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'low-born' remark against Prime Minister Modi had resonated the culture of the Congress Party. Claiming that the prime minister had crossed all limits, Surjewala told ANI, "The BJP and Prime Minister Modi have been using intemperate and objectionable language and sometimes downright filthy language for the Congress leadership and the Congress Party. Prime Minister Modi had crossed all limits when he tried to belittle, humiliate and berate." Shah had tweeted, "Neither shocked nor surprised by Mani Shankar Aiyar's referring to PM as 'Neech.' This is the culture of the Congress Party. People of Gujarat will punish anti-poor, anti-Dalit, anti-Tribal and anti-OBC Congress." Meanwhile, the Congress Party has suspended Mani Shankar Aiyar from the primary membership of the party, in the wake of his 'neech' remark sparking a controversy. Surjewala, on Thursday, took to Twitter to apprise of the development. To this end, he told ANI that Congress had a Gandhian culture and heritage, which is why party vice president Rahul Gandhi publically reprimanded and directed Aiyar to apologise to the prime minister for using unacceptable and unparliamentary language. "We may oppose each other on policies and issues. But the balance of language, the gravitas of politics and the balance of culture, respect for opponent should never be lost," he said. Asking the BJP and Prime Minister Modi to keep a check on their language, Surjewala added, "We hope Prime Minister Modi will now show the courage or conviction to take an action against his own party members and also looking within to improve his language and conduct." Earlier in the day, Aiyar had told ANI that it was Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who turned Dr Ambedkar's wish into reality and it was not correct to badmouth the Nehru-Gandhi family. "This person [PM Modi] is a 'neech aadmi' (low-minded). He is not civilised and in a situation like this, there is no need to practice such dirty politics," Aiyar had said. He later 'apologised' for calling Prime Minister Modi 'neech???????', saying he implied a different meaning for the word and denied calling the prime minister a 'Chaiwala'.

'Neech' remark row: BJP should improve their language, says Surjewala

Counting of votes of all 652 Urban Local Bodies will be held on Friday at 334 centers in Uttar Pradesh.

Counting will start at 8 am and results are expected by evening.

Polling was held in three phases on November 22, 26 and 29.&nbsp;

A total of 79,113 candidates are in fray today.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made at counting centers.

Central Para Military Forces have been deployed in and around the centers.

CCTV cameras have been set up for close monitoring and arrangements made for web casting of the counting process.

No procession is allowed during the counting and following the announcement of results.

After 100 years, Lucknow will get its first woman mayor as this time, the Lucknow mayoral seat has been reserved for women.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) left no stone unturned to ensure victory in all 652 urban local bodies across the state.

The election is being seen as the first test for Yogi Adityanath&#39;s government in UP after coming to power with a massive mandate in the state this year.&nbsp;

After 100 years, Lucknow will get its first woman mayor as this time, the Lucknow mayoral seat has been reserved for women

Counting of votes of all 652 Urban Local Bodies will be held on Friday at 334 centers in Uttar Pradesh. Counting will start at 8 am and results are expected by evening. Polling was held in three phases on November 22, 26 and 29. A total of 79,113 candidates are in fray today. Elaborate security arrangements have been made at counting centers. Central Para Military Forces have been deployed in and around the centers. CCTV cameras have been set up for close monitoring and arrangements made for web casting of the counting process. No procession is allowed during the counting and following the announcement of results. After 100 years, Lucknow will get its first woman mayor as this time, the Lucknow mayoral seat has been reserved for women. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) left no stone unturned to ensure victory in all 652 urban local bodies across the state. The election is being seen as the first test for Yogi Adityanath's government in UP after coming to power with a massive mandate in the state this year.

UP Civic polls: Counting of votes begins

An Ahmedabad-based journalist quipped that the Congress had taken to HAJ this Assembly election in Gujarat. His reference was to the Hardik (Patel)-Alpesh (Thakore)-Jignesh (Mevani) trio which has cast its lot with the party and on whose traction the Congress is seeking to return to power after more than two decades in the State.&nbsp;

Hardik and Jignesh have their own reasons for opposing the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Patidar leader wants reservations for his community which the BJP is unwilling to commit to. He is also upset with the state action against the pro-quota demonstrations over the last couple of years.&nbsp;

Jignesh is a Scheduled Castes leader and is fuming over the Una incident in which a cow vigilante group had publicly flogged members of the caste in July last year, with the State authorities allegedly doing little to punish the culprits and certain members of the Union Government terming the matter as a &ldquo;small incident&rdquo;.

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<h5>There is no indication that the other intermediate castes which are part of the OBCs are necessarily backing Alpesh Thakore, though he claims to be the leader of the larger OBC formulation.</h5>
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But why is Alpesh Thakore a member of this bandwagon? The community he represents is part of the Other Backward Class (OBC) which enjoys the reservation benefit. His grievance, therefore, is not in common with that of Hardik Patel&rsquo;s. There have been no serious reported cases of violence or discrimination against the OBCs in Gujarat during the BJP rule, and, thus, he has no cause to fret like Jignesh Mevani. It is this lack of a definable purpose that makes Alpesh the odd man out. And yet, he has had his share of glory under the sun when he was recently inducted into the Congress at a high-profile function in the presence of no less a figure than Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

The OBCs comprise around 40 per cent of the State&rsquo;s population and they are spread across Gujarat, which makes them all the more critical in terms of seats. It is generally believed that the OBCs can influence results in more than 70 of the Assembly 182 seats &mdash; higher than any other single group can. But the Thakore community is only one of the many OBCs. In itself, it cannot make any major difference to electoral results. There is also no indication that the other intermediate castes which are part of the OBCs are necessarily backing Alpesh Thakore, though he claims to be the leader of the larger OBC formulation.

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<h5>My taxi driver in Ahmedabad, a Thakore, put it bluntly that he was both OBC and Kshatriya, depending on the situation!</h5>
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Besides, there is a caste confusion which makes the situation more complex. The Thakore community sees itself as part of the larger Kshatriya grouping &mdash; something which the latter resents. Other members of the OBC also view this tactic as a Thakore ploy to have the best of both worlds. My taxi driver in Ahmedabad, a Thakore, put it bluntly that he was both OBC and Kshatriya, depending on the situation! The Thakores may not be as well off as the Patidars but they are also not so marginalised as to be seen as credible victims of State apathy.

The Thakore community has, generally, voted for the Congress in previous elections, and so Alpesh Thakore&rsquo;s decision to align with the party this time should not surprise anyone. This is the only explanation which is on offer, but it does not still explain what Alpesh has against the BJP or what the issues are which he plans to raise before the voters in favour of the Congress or against the BJP. Up until now, he has been merely harping on generalities: Voters want a change after two decades of BJP rule; the ruling party has ignored the marginalised; the Congress has traditionally been a well-wisher of the weaker sections of society, etc.

Alpesh Thakore faces another problem, which is personal. He is seen as a rank opportunist, and even his supporters this columnist spoke to in Mehsana, and a few who hailed from Rajkot, admit that the youth leader had been less than transparent in his political stance. Months before he joined the Congress, Alpesh had reportedly confabulated with senior BJP leaders, including Amit Shah. The talks were to work out a deal for providing Assembly tickets to OBC &mdash; and especially Thakore community &mdash; leaders.&nbsp;

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<h5>The failure to strike an arrangement with the BJP led Alpesh Thakore to the Congress, which was all too happy to snap him up.</h5>
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Nothing came out of Alpesh&#39;s discussion with the BJP, probably for two reasons. The first is that Alpesh Thakore may have demanded more than what the party could offer to his outfit, the OBC, SC and ST (OSS) Ekta Manch. The second is that the BJP believed its own pro-OBC credentials were strong enough &mdash; Prime Minister Narendra Modi belongs to the OBC &mdash; and that it need not have to give in to the demands of a newcomer. The failure to strike an arrangement with the BJP led Alpesh Thakore to the Congress, which was all too happy to snap him up.

People also snigger than Alpesh Thakore is a BJP creation who was programmed to blunt the Hardik Patel factor but has now turned hostile. There may be an element of truth in this. But this raises another question. With the Patidars and the OBCs to which the Thakores belong, working at cross-purposes at the grassroots level for years, how will the convergence of votes between them happen? Alpesh Thakore rose to prominence alongside Hardik Patel when he opposed the Patidar agitation for reservations, but along the way he suddenly got himself added to the camp which housed the Patidar leader. The non-Thakore communities are not amused.

Alpesh Thakore&rsquo;s credibility (or lack of it, according to his detractors) is what will determine the success of his alignment with the Congress. Indeed, the demonstration of credibility is his strongest challenge. Until months ago, he had claimed to be equidistant from both the Congress and the BJP, and fully committed to the cause of OBC welfare. He wanted a Ram temple in Gujarat and a ban on cow slaughter. He blamed both the Congress and the BJP for a host of social problems, and wanted the prohibition policy to be more stringently implemented in Gujarat.

But that is all in the past, and Alpesh Thakore is now one of the star campaigners of the Congress in the State. It is possible that some of his star attraction may rub off on a few of the other OBCs, besides his own community. Will it be good enough for the Congress, remains to be seen? Meanwhile, the OBC leader can continue with his vague promises on equally vague issues. As the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev said, &ldquo;Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build bridges even when there are no rivers.&rdquo;

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity)

Alpesh wanted a Ram temple in Gujarat and a ban on cow slaughter. He blamed both the Congress and the BJP for a host of social problems, and wanted the prohibition policy to be more stringently implemented in Gujarat.

An Ahmedabad-based journalist quipped that the Congress had taken to HAJ this Assembly election in Gujarat. His reference was to the Hardik (Patel)-Alpesh (Thakore)-Jignesh (Mevani) trio which has cast its lot with the party and on whose traction the Congress is seeking to return to power after more than two decades in the State. Hardik and Jignesh have their own reasons for opposing the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Patidar leader wants reservations for his community which the BJP is unwilling to commit to. He is also upset with the state action against the pro-quota demonstrations over the last couple of years. Jignesh is a Scheduled Castes leader and is fuming over the Una incident in which a cow vigilante group had publicly flogged members of the caste in July last year, with the State authorities allegedly doing little to punish the culprits and certain members of the Union Government terming the matter as a “small incident”. There is no indication that the other intermediate castes which are part of the OBCs are necessarily backing Alpesh Thakore, though he claims to be the leader of the larger OBC formulation. × But why is Alpesh Thakore a member of this bandwagon? The community he represents is part of the Other Backward Class (OBC) which enjoys the reservation benefit. His grievance, therefore, is not in common with that of Hardik Patel’s. There have been no serious reported cases of violence or discrimination against the OBCs in Gujarat during the BJP rule, and, thus, he has no cause to fret like Jignesh Mevani. It is this lack of a definable purpose that makes Alpesh the odd man out. And yet, he has had his share of glory under the sun when he was recently inducted into the Congress at a high-profile function in the presence of no less a figure than Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. The OBCs comprise around 40 per cent of the State’s population and they are spread across Gujarat, which makes them all the more critical in terms of seats. It is generally believed that the OBCs can influence results in more than 70 of the Assembly 182 seats — higher than any other single group can. But the Thakore community is only one of the many OBCs. In itself, it cannot make any major difference to electoral results. There is also no indication that the other intermediate castes which are part of the OBCs are necessarily backing Alpesh Thakore, though he claims to be the leader of the larger OBC formulation. My taxi driver in Ahmedabad, a Thakore, put it bluntly that he was both OBC and Kshatriya, depending on the situation! × Besides, there is a caste confusion which makes the situation more complex. The Thakore community sees itself as part of the larger Kshatriya grouping — something which the latter resents. Other members of the OBC also view this tactic as a Thakore ploy to have the best of both worlds. My taxi driver in Ahmedabad, a Thakore, put it bluntly that he was both OBC and Kshatriya, depending on the situation! The Thakores may not be as well off as the Patidars but they are also not so marginalised as to be seen as credible victims of State apathy. The Thakore community has, generally, voted for the Congress in previous elections, and so Alpesh Thakore’s decision to align with the party this time should not surprise anyone. This is the only explanation which is on offer, but it does not still explain what Alpesh has against the BJP or what the issues are which he plans to raise before the voters in favour of the Congress or against the BJP. Up until now, he has been merely harping on generalities: Voters want a change after two decades of BJP rule; the ruling party has ignored the marginalised; the Congress has traditionally been a well-wisher of the weaker sections of society, etc. Alpesh Thakore faces another problem, which is personal. He is seen as a rank opportunist, and even his supporters this columnist spoke to in Mehsana, and a few who hailed from Rajkot, admit that the youth leader had been less than transparent in his political stance. Months before he joined the Congress, Alpesh had reportedly confabulated with senior BJP leaders, including Amit Shah. The talks were to work out a deal for providing Assembly tickets to OBC — and especially Thakore community — leaders. The failure to strike an arrangement with the BJP led Alpesh Thakore to the Congress, which was all too happy to snap him up. × Nothing came out of Alpesh's discussion with the BJP, probably for two reasons. The first is that Alpesh Thakore may have demanded more than what the party could offer to his outfit, the OBC, SC and ST (OSS) Ekta Manch. The second is that the BJP believed its own pro-OBC credentials were strong enough — Prime Minister Narendra Modi belongs to the OBC — and that it need not have to give in to the demands of a newcomer. The failure to strike an arrangement with the BJP led Alpesh Thakore to the Congress, which was all too happy to snap him up. People also snigger than Alpesh Thakore is a BJP creation who was programmed to blunt the Hardik Patel factor but has now turned hostile. There may be an element of truth in this. But this raises another question. With the Patidars and the OBCs to which the Thakores belong, working at cross-purposes at the grassroots level for years, how will the convergence of votes between them happen? Alpesh Thakore rose to prominence alongside Hardik Patel when he opposed the Patidar agitation for reservations, but along the way he suddenly got himself added to the camp which housed the Patidar leader. The non-Thakore communities are not amused. Alpesh Thakore’s credibility (or lack of it, according to his detractors) is what will determine the success of his alignment with the Congress. Indeed, the demonstration of credibility is his strongest challenge. Until months ago, he had claimed to be equidistant from both the Congress and the BJP, and fully committed to the cause of OBC welfare. He wanted a Ram temple in Gujarat and a ban on cow slaughter. He blamed both the Congress and the BJP for a host of social problems, and wanted the prohibition policy to be more stringently implemented in Gujarat. But that is all in the past, and Alpesh Thakore is now one of the star campaigners of the Congress in the State. It is possible that some of his star attraction may rub off on a few of the other OBCs, besides his own community. Will it be good enough for the Congress, remains to be seen? Meanwhile, the OBC leader can continue with his vague promises on equally vague issues. As the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev said, “Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build bridges even when there are no rivers.” (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity)

Opinion: Alpesh Thakore's main drawback is lack of credibility

Taking a jibe with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Sunday said people from Amethi have been coming to Gujarat for jobs.

Rahul Gandhi represents Amethi in Lok Sabha and Amit Shah&#39;s remark comes in the wake of continued criticism of the &quot;Gujarat Model&quot; of development by the former at election rallies in the poll-bound state.

&quot;Rahul Gandhi asks for accountability. For last many decades, Gandhi scions have been representing Amethi, but even the foundation stone of collectorate office was laid by the BJP government. People from Amethi come to Gujarat for jobs,&quot; BJP&#39;s national president said while addressing a rally in Gujarat&#39;s Bharuch.

The BJP president recalled the 10 years of governance of Congress at the Centre to target Gandhi and claimed that his party did not work for the welfare of the people of Gujarat.

&quot;Rahul Gandhi asks where is &#39;vikas&#39; (development) in Gujarat? I want to ask him while you were in power for 10 years what you did for the people of Gujarat. People in Gujarat were not getting electricity while the Congress was in power. There were only caste-based politics in Gujarat,&quot; Shah said at the election rally.

&quot;We have given electricity, roads and water to the state,&quot; he added.

In the run-up to the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections, Gandhi has continually cornered Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP government in the state over the development achieved in the last 15 years.

He has often reiterated his assertion that &quot;Vikas pagal ho gaya,&quot; wherein he likened the development of Gujarat to a person and said it has gone berserk.

Claiming the Congress&#39; offensive in Gujarat&#39;s election campaign to be lacking a firm ground, Shah said, &quot;What is the base for Congress&#39; fight in these polls? They say Congress would be promoting Rahul Gandhi to the top post of Congress and this we have been listening from 2010. They have been losing every election, so how they will promote him to the top post?&quot;

Rahul Gandhi is likely to succeed Sonia Gandhi as the president of the grand-old-party in the next election for Congress&#39; top post.

The polling for the two-phase elections in Gujarat will take place on 9 and 14 December and votes will be counted on 18 December

Rahul Gandhi represents Amethi in Lok Sabha and Amit Shah's remark comes in the wake of continued criticism of 'Gujarat Model' of development by the former at election rallies in the poll-bound state

Taking a jibe with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Sunday said people from Amethi have been coming to Gujarat for jobs. Rahul Gandhi represents Amethi in Lok Sabha and Amit Shah's remark comes in the wake of continued criticism of the "Gujarat Model" of development by the former at election rallies in the poll-bound state. "Rahul Gandhi asks for accountability. For last many decades, Gandhi scions have been representing Amethi, but even the foundation stone of collectorate office was laid by the BJP government. People from Amethi come to Gujarat for jobs," BJP's national president said while addressing a rally in Gujarat's Bharuch. The BJP president recalled the 10 years of governance of Congress at the Centre to target Gandhi and claimed that his party did not work for the welfare of the people of Gujarat. "Rahul Gandhi asks where is 'vikas' (development) in Gujarat? I want to ask him while you were in power for 10 years what you did for the people of Gujarat. People in Gujarat were not getting electricity while the Congress was in power. There were only caste-based politics in Gujarat," Shah said at the election rally. "We have given electricity, roads and water to the state," he added. In the run-up to the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections, Gandhi has continually cornered Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP government in the state over the development achieved in the last 15 years. He has often reiterated his assertion that "Vikas pagal ho gaya," wherein he likened the development of Gujarat to a person and said it has gone berserk. Claiming the Congress' offensive in Gujarat's election campaign to be lacking a firm ground, Shah said, "What is the base for Congress' fight in these polls? They say Congress would be promoting Rahul Gandhi to the top post of Congress and this we have been listening from 2010. They have been losing every election, so how they will promote him to the top post?" Rahul Gandhi is likely to succeed Sonia Gandhi as the president of the grand-old-party in the next election for Congress' top post. The polling for the two-phase elections in Gujarat will take place on 9 and 14 December and votes will be counted on 18 December

People from Amethi come to Gujarat for jobs: Amit Shah

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released the third list of 28 candidates for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections.

The second list released on Saturday comprised 36 candidates while the first 70 candidates&nbsp;

Chief minister Vijay Rupani will contest the election from Rajkot (West), and his deputy, Nitin Patel, from Mehsana.

Elections in the state will be held in two phases, with 89 Assembly constituencies going to vote on December 9, and 93 on December 14.

Counting of votes will take place on December 18 for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly

The second list released on Saturday comprised 36 candidates while the first 70 candidates

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released the third list of 28 candidates for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections. The second list released on Saturday comprised 36 candidates while the first 70 candidates Chief minister Vijay Rupani will contest the election from Rajkot (West), and his deputy, Nitin Patel, from Mehsana. Elections in the state will be held in two phases, with 89 Assembly constituencies going to vote on December 9, and 93 on December 14. Counting of votes will take place on December 18 for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly

Gujarat election: BJP releases third list of candidates

Stating that structural changes are needed in the Goods and Services Tax, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said he will reduce GST rate to just one slab of 18 per cent in 2019.

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India does not need a Gabbar Singh Tax. We want a true GST. Congress, along with the people of India, fought for and ensured reduction in items in 28% bracket. Next we will fight for one rate, with a cap at 18%. If BJP doesn&rsquo;t do it, Congress will.
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/929311443605864448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Speaking at a rally in Gandhinagar, Raul Gandhi said, &quot;It`s a good thing that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has slashed the tax rate from 28 percent to 18 percent for many products due to the pressure made by the Congress party and the people of India.&nbsp;

&quot;We are still not happy and won`t stop here. India doesn`t want five different types of taxes, we want one. There`s a need to make structural changes in the Goods and Services Tax (GST). In 2019, we will reduce GST rate to just one slab of 18 per cent,&#39;&#39; Gandhi said.

Earlier on Wednesday, while interacting with traders in Gujarat`s Surat, Congress vice-president said they (Congress) will reassess and restructure the Goods and Service Tax (GST), if they come to power at the Centre in the 2019 general elections.

&quot;We were against the implementation of GST because the Government`s version was not right. Eventually when Modi ji realised it was a mistake, he said Congress was also a part of it,&quot; Rahul said.

He further said that ruling government`s version of GST is not the actual one and accused the Centre of making the uniform tax reform &quot;complex&quot;.

&quot;GST is one tax reform not five tax. The Centre does not know the meaning of GST. They made the GST complex. We asked them for a simple version,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Rahul further asserted that the Congress Party had cautioned the government about the drawbacks of implementation of the GST in the &quot;wrong way&quot;.&nbsp;

"It`s a good thing that the BJP government has slashed the tax rate from 28 percent to 18 percent for many products due to the pressure made by the Congress party and the people of India.

Stating that structural changes are needed in the Goods and Services Tax, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said he will reduce GST rate to just one slab of 18 per cent in 2019. India does not need a Gabbar Singh Tax. We want a true GST. Congress, along with the people of India, fought for and ensured reduction in items in 28% bracket. Next we will fight for one rate, with a cap at 18%. If BJP doesn’t do it, Congress will. — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) November 11, 2017 × Speaking at a rally in Gandhinagar, Raul Gandhi said, "It`s a good thing that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has slashed the tax rate from 28 percent to 18 percent for many products due to the pressure made by the Congress party and the people of India. "We are still not happy and won`t stop here. India doesn`t want five different types of taxes, we want one. There`s a need to make structural changes in the Goods and Services Tax (GST). In 2019, we will reduce GST rate to just one slab of 18 per cent,'' Gandhi said. Earlier on Wednesday, while interacting with traders in Gujarat`s Surat, Congress vice-president said they (Congress) will reassess and restructure the Goods and Service Tax (GST), if they come to power at the Centre in the 2019 general elections. "We were against the implementation of GST because the Government`s version was not right. Eventually when Modi ji realised it was a mistake, he said Congress was also a part of it," Rahul said. He further said that ruling government`s version of GST is not the actual one and accused the Centre of making the uniform tax reform "complex". "GST is one tax reform not five tax. The Centre does not know the meaning of GST. They made the GST complex. We asked them for a simple version," he said. Rahul further asserted that the Congress Party had cautioned the government about the drawbacks of implementation of the GST in the "wrong way".

Next fight is for one rate, with cap at 18 per cent: Rahul on GST

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Telangana, Raja Singh, on Tuesday, threatened Sanjay Leela Bhansali that he would have to pay if the history was distorted in his upcoming movie &#39;Padmavati&#39;.

Singh said, &quot;If Padmavati has distorted history, Sanjay Leela Bhansali will have to pay the price. We won&#39;t allow its release in Telangana.&quot;

&quot;In an attempt to earn money, the history is being misrepresented. Bhansali has made an attempt to bring a change in the history by portraying that Alauddin Khilji was in love with Queen Padmini,&quot; added the BJP MLA.

He even challenged Bhansali to make movies on Mughals, Taimur or Prophet Mohammad, adding, &quot;I will invest for it.&quot;

&quot;How dare you make movies on rulers who have exploited our country? He should not hurt the sentiments of Hindus,&quot; said Singh.

Earlier on Sunday, Union Minister Giriraj Singh dared &#39;Padmavati&#39; director Sanjay Leela Bhansali to make films on other religions.

The period drama starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor has been facing protests from various communal groups, including the Shree Rajput Karni Sena, for tampering historical facts.

Earlier on Sunday, Union Minister Giriraj Singh dared 'Padmavati' director Sanjay Leela Bhansali to make films on other religions.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Telangana, Raja Singh, on Tuesday, threatened Sanjay Leela Bhansali that he would have to pay if the history was distorted in his upcoming movie 'Padmavati'. Singh said, "If Padmavati has distorted history, Sanjay Leela Bhansali will have to pay the price. We won't allow its release in Telangana." "In an attempt to earn money, the history is being misrepresented. Bhansali has made an attempt to bring a change in the history by portraying that Alauddin Khilji was in love with Queen Padmini," added the BJP MLA. He even challenged Bhansali to make movies on Mughals, Taimur or Prophet Mohammad, adding, "I will invest for it." "How dare you make movies on rulers who have exploited our country? He should not hurt the sentiments of Hindus," said Singh. Earlier on Sunday, Union Minister Giriraj Singh dared 'Padmavati' director Sanjay Leela Bhansali to make films on other religions. The period drama starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor has been facing protests from various communal groups, including the Shree Rajput Karni Sena, for tampering historical facts.

BJP MLA dares Bhansali to make movies on Mughals, Prophet Mohammad

A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) named Prem Kumar Dhumal as its Chief Ministerial candidate for the upcoming Himachal Pradesh elections, the Congress said that the party took the decision in compulsion.

Congress leader Anand Sharma said that the decision will not make any difference as their party is already strong in Himachal.

&quot;I don&#39;t think this is going to make any difference. This is a political compulsion. They realised that it is a very difficult contest for BJP and Congress party is strong on the ground. There is internal conflict within the BJP which prevented them from declaring Dhumal as their CM face. Now they have done it because of the compulsion after Dhumal expressed his unhappiness in public. Dhumal has been a chief minister in the past and has been a miserable failure. He has failed to deliver,&quot; he said.

The BJP on Tuesday named Dhumal as its Chief Ministerial candidate for the upcoming Himachal Pradesh elections.

While addressing a rally here, the BJP president Amit Shah said, &quot;The BJP will fight Himachal Pradesh assembly elections under the leadership of Prem Kumar Dhumal. I want to tell you Virbhadra Singh ji (Himachal CM) that former CM and current leader of Opposition Dhumal ji will become chief minister of Himachal Pradesh after December 18.&quot;

The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election is scheduled to be held on November 9, 2017, and the results will be declared on December 18.

Dhumal has twice been the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh from March 1998 to March 2003 and again from 1 January 2008 to 25 December 2012.

Presently, he holds the designation of Leader of Opposition in the state assembly.&nbsp;

The BJP on Tuesday named Dhumal as its Chief Ministerial candidate for the upcoming Himachal Pradesh elections.

A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) named Prem Kumar Dhumal as its Chief Ministerial candidate for the upcoming Himachal Pradesh elections, the Congress said that the party took the decision in compulsion. Congress leader Anand Sharma said that the decision will not make any difference as their party is already strong in Himachal. "I don't think this is going to make any difference. This is a political compulsion. They realised that it is a very difficult contest for BJP and Congress party is strong on the ground. There is internal conflict within the BJP which prevented them from declaring Dhumal as their CM face. Now they have done it because of the compulsion after Dhumal expressed his unhappiness in public. Dhumal has been a chief minister in the past and has been a miserable failure. He has failed to deliver," he said. The BJP on Tuesday named Dhumal as its Chief Ministerial candidate for the upcoming Himachal Pradesh elections. While addressing a rally here, the BJP president Amit Shah said, "The BJP will fight Himachal Pradesh assembly elections under the leadership of Prem Kumar Dhumal. I want to tell you Virbhadra Singh ji (Himachal CM) that former CM and current leader of Opposition Dhumal ji will become chief minister of Himachal Pradesh after December 18." The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election is scheduled to be held on November 9, 2017, and the results will be declared on December 18. Dhumal has twice been the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh from March 1998 to March 2003 and again from 1 January 2008 to 25 December 2012. Presently, he holds the designation of Leader of Opposition in the state assembly.

Congress says BJP named Dhumal its CM face out of compulsion

Bharatiya Janata Party national general secretary Ram Madhav said Sunday that the BJP would work to bring peace and development to the state -- but that there would be no forgiveness of terrorism or of support for it.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/yes-i-can-talk-to-the-hurriyat-i-will-talk-to-everyone-dineshwar-sharma-23077" target="_blank">Also read --&nbsp;Yes, I can talk to the Hurriyat. I will talk to everyone: Govt&#39;s new interlocutor for Kashmir</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/former-ib-director-dineshwar-sharma-will-be-governments-representative-in-jk-rajnath-singh-22764" target="_blank">Also read --&nbsp;Former IB director will be government&#39;s representative in J&amp;K: Rajnath Singh</a>

He added that the people of Kashmir were rich in culture and heritage, but that some were being misled by elements with vested interests.&nbsp;

And that most people in the region wanted peace, prosperity, and development.&nbsp;

&quot;People supporting terrorism will not be forgiven; they will be dealt according to law. But most of the people in this region want peace, prosperity, and development&quot;, Madhav said.

&quot;Our government will work to provide peace and development in the state&quot;, he added.

Madhav was in Srinagar to attend the working committee meeting of the BJP&#39;s state unit.

&nbsp;

Madhav added that the people of Kashmir were rich in culture and heritage, but that some were being misled by elements with vested interests

Bharatiya Janata Party national general secretary Ram Madhav said Sunday that the BJP would work to bring peace and development to the state -- but that there would be no forgiveness of terrorism or of support for it. Also read -- Yes, I can talk to the Hurriyat. I will talk to everyone: Govt's new interlocutor for Kashmir Also read -- Former IB director will be government's representative in J&K: Rajnath Singh He added that the people of Kashmir were rich in culture and heritage, but that some were being misled by elements with vested interests. And that most people in the region wanted peace, prosperity, and development. "People supporting terrorism will not be forgiven; they will be dealt according to law. But most of the people in this region want peace, prosperity, and development", Madhav said. "Our government will work to provide peace and development in the state", he added. Madhav was in Srinagar to attend the working committee meeting of the BJP's state unit.

There'll be no forgiveness for terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir: Ram Madhav

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ugc-panel-says-to-remove-m-from-amu-and-h-from-bhu-21142" target="_blank">In the wake of the University Grants Commission (UGC) panel recommending that the words &#39;Hindu&#39; and &#39;Muslim&#39; be dropped from the names of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)</a>, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday reiterated Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar&#39;s clarification that the government had no intention of changing the names.

&quot;It&#39;s a mere recommendation and HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar has already clarified that the government has no intention of changing the names. There should be no further argument on this issue as the government has itself asked to not pass it,&quot; BJP leader Zafar Islam told ANI.

He added that the UGC panel had discussed various programmes to improve the curriculum and it was amid these discussions that this was suggested.

Meanwhile, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that no religion is against secularism in the nation.

&quot;This nation will remain secular only when different religions and cultural heritage come together and show their support towards unity and prosperity,&quot; Naqvi added.

The UGC panel&#39;s recommendation was stated in the audit report of the panel formed to probe irregularities in 10 central universities.

On Monday, the BHU and the AMU objected to the recent recommendation of the UGC panel to drop the words &quot;Hindu&quot; and &quot;Muslim&quot; from their names respectively and contradicted the panel&#39;s opinion that these words did not reflect&nbsp;the universities&#39; secular character.

&quot;&#39;Hindu&#39; is the beauty of the Banaras Hindu University and likewise &#39;Muslim&#39; is the beauty of the Aligarh Muslim University,&quot; Professor Rajendra Singh of BHU told ANI, adding that it was not the case that Muslim and Hindu students were not enrolled in the BHU and the AMU, respectively.&nbsp;

BJP leader Zafar Islam said the UGC had given a 'mere recommendation' and HRD minister Prakash Javedkar has already clarified that the government has no intention of changing the names

In the wake of the University Grants Commission (UGC) panel recommending that the words 'Hindu' and 'Muslim' be dropped from the names of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday reiterated Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar's clarification that the government had no intention of changing the names. "It's a mere recommendation and HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar has already clarified that the government has no intention of changing the names. There should be no further argument on this issue as the government has itself asked to not pass it," BJP leader Zafar Islam told ANI. He added that the UGC panel had discussed various programmes to improve the curriculum and it was amid these discussions that this was suggested. Meanwhile, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that no religion is against secularism in the nation. "This nation will remain secular only when different religions and cultural heritage come together and show their support towards unity and prosperity," Naqvi added. The UGC panel's recommendation was stated in the audit report of the panel formed to probe irregularities in 10 central universities. On Monday, the BHU and the AMU objected to the recent recommendation of the UGC panel to drop the words "Hindu" and "Muslim" from their names respectively and contradicted the panel's opinion that these words did not reflect the universities' secular character. "'Hindu' is the beauty of the Banaras Hindu University and likewise 'Muslim' is the beauty of the Aligarh Muslim University," Professor Rajendra Singh of BHU told ANI, adding that it was not the case that Muslim and Hindu students were not enrolled in the BHU and the AMU, respectively.

BHU, AMU 'secularism' row: Government won't change names, reiterates BJP

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/facebook-bars-developers-from-using-data-for-surveillance-13345" target="_blank">Facebook&nbsp;Inc said on Thursday it was temporarily disabling the ability of advertisers</a> to target based on people&#39;s self-reported education and job information after a report that those&nbsp;features allowed targeting based on anti-semitic topics.

ProPublica, a non-profit news organization based in New York, reported hours earlier that Facebook&#39;s self-service ad-buying platform had allowed marketers to target&nbsp;ads&nbsp;at people who, on their&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;profile, had listed phrases such as &quot;Jew hater&quot; as their field of study or work.

Some 2,300 people had expressed interest in the topics &quot;Jew hater,&quot; &quot;how to burn Jews&quot; and &quot;History of &#39;why Jews ruin the world&#39;,&rdquo; according to ProPublica&#39;s investigation.

Facebook, the world&#39;s largest social network, confirmed the ProPublica investigation.

Once people put those phrases on their&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;profiles, the anti-Semitic topics automatically migrated onto the company&#39;s advertising platform, as if they were education or job data that would be useful to marketers,&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;said.

&quot;We are removing these self-reported targeting fields until we have the right processes in place to help prevent this issue,&quot;&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;said in a statement late on Thursday.

&quot;We want&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;to be a safe place for people and businesses, and we&#39;ll continue to do everything we can to keep hate off&nbsp;Facebook,&quot; it said.

Facebook&nbsp;initially responded to the ProPublica report by removing the topics in question from its ad system. However other news reports, including from Slate magazine, then discovered that hateful topics were more widespread in the ad system&#39;s targeting capabilities.

As&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;has given advertisers greater power to micro-target their messages using a self-service platform, the company has at times failed to ensure they comply with its terms and conditions.

Last year, ProPublica reported that&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;allowed advertisers to exclude users by race when running housing or other&nbsp;ads, despite a prohibition on such&nbsp;ads&nbsp;under the US&nbsp;Fair Housing Act 1969.

Facebook&nbsp;said last week an operation likely based in Russia spent $100,000 on thousands of U.S.&nbsp;ads&nbsp;promoting social and political messages over a two-year period through May, fueling concerns about foreign meddling in US&nbsp;elections.

The company said it shut down 470 &quot;inauthentic&quot; accounts as part of an internal investigation into those&nbsp;ads.

Facebook&nbsp;and rival Google, owned by Alphabet Inc, dominate the fast-growing market for online advertising, in part because they&nbsp;let&nbsp;marketers target their&nbsp;ads&nbsp;based on huge volumes of data.

Facebook&nbsp;reported $27.6 billion in 2016 revenue, the vast majority from advertising.

Ad campaigns that used the anti-Semitic categories on&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;were not widespread, the company said.

&quot;Given that the number of people in these segments was incredibly low, an extremely small number of people were targeted in these campaigns,&quot;&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;said.

One change&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;said it was considering was adding more thorough reviews of targeting categories before they show up in the self-service platform.

Ashok Chavan in his letter to Union Home minister asked for the safety of senior television journalists

Facebook Inc said on Thursday it was temporarily disabling the ability of advertisers to target based on people's self-reported education and job information after a report that those features allowed targeting based on anti-semitic topics. ProPublica, a non-profit news organization based in New York, reported hours earlier that Facebook's self-service ad-buying platform had allowed marketers to target ads at people who, on their Facebook profile, had listed phrases such as "Jew hater" as their field of study or work. Some 2,300 people had expressed interest in the topics "Jew hater," "how to burn Jews" and "History of 'why Jews ruin the world',” according to ProPublica's investigation. Facebook, the world's largest social network, confirmed the ProPublica investigation. Once people put those phrases on their Facebook profiles, the anti-Semitic topics automatically migrated onto the company's advertising platform, as if they were education or job data that would be useful to marketers, Facebook said. "We are removing these self-reported targeting fields until we have the right processes in place to help prevent this issue," Facebook said in a statement late on Thursday. "We want Facebook to be a safe place for people and businesses, and we'll continue to do everything we can to keep hate off Facebook," it said. Facebook initially responded to the ProPublica report by removing the topics in question from its ad system. However other news reports, including from Slate magazine, then discovered that hateful topics were more widespread in the ad system's targeting capabilities. As Facebook has given advertisers greater power to micro-target their messages using a self-service platform, the company has at times failed to ensure they comply with its terms and conditions. Last year, ProPublica reported that Facebook allowed advertisers to exclude users by race when running housing or other ads, despite a prohibition on such ads under the US Fair Housing Act 1969. Facebook said last week an operation likely based in Russia spent $100,000 on thousands of U.S. ads promoting social and political messages over a two-year period through May, fueling concerns about foreign meddling in US elections. The company said it shut down 470 "inauthentic" accounts as part of an internal investigation into those ads. Facebook and rival Google, owned by Alphabet Inc, dominate the fast-growing market for online advertising, in part because they let marketers target their ads based on huge volumes of data. Facebook reported $27.6 billion in 2016 revenue, the vast majority from advertising. Ad campaigns that used the anti-Semitic categories on Facebook were not widespread, the company said. "Given that the number of people in these segments was incredibly low, an extremely small number of people were targeted in these campaigns," Facebook said. One change Facebook said it was considering was adding more thorough reviews of targeting categories before they show up in the self-service platform.

Maharastra former chief minister sents letter to Rajnath Singh, asks to save fourth pillar of democracy

The biggest questions asked about India outside India today are what happened to tolerance, what happened to harmony, said Rahul Gandhi.&nbsp;

He was speaking to non-resident Indians in New York.&nbsp;

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Biggest questions raised outside India now are what happened to tolerance that used to prevail? What happened to the harmony?: Rahul Gandhi
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/910664587640311809">September 21, 2017</a></blockquote>
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There are forces in our country that are dividing India &amp; its is very dangerous, it ruins our reputation abroad: Rahul Gandhi in NY <a href="https://t.co/S3s5W98Slo">pic.twitter.com/S3s5W98Slo</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/910688595928690688">September 21, 2017</a></blockquote>
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For thousands of years, India has had a reputation of peace &amp; harmony, this is being challenged: Rahul Gandhi in New York <a href="https://t.co/wvHQinkPdm">pic.twitter.com/wvHQinkPdm</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/910688177051992064">September 21, 2017</a></blockquote>
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India simply can&#39;t give its youngsters a vision if it is unable to give them a job. Congress has vision to solve this problem-RG in New York <a href="https://t.co/Miw3Rc14L4">pic.twitter.com/Miw3Rc14L4</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/910686800921772032">September 21, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&quot;India has people of many religions, languages living happily together,&quot; said Gandhi.&nbsp;

&quot;Reason they have been able to do so are the ideas of Congress,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

Gandhi repeated what he had said a day earlier at Princeton University -- that the central question facing India is how it will create jobs for the millions of young people entering the job market every year.&nbsp;

&quot;Every day 30,000 new people enter the job market in India but only 450 are getting employed,&quot; said Gandhi.&nbsp;

&quot;Everywhere you look there is an Indian working for US &amp; India, building both countries. You are our backbone,&quot; Gandhi also said to his NRI audience.&nbsp;

The biggest questions asked about India outside India today are what happened to tolerance, what happened to harmony, said Rahul Gandhi. He was speaking to non-resident Indians in New York. Biggest questions raised outside India now are what happened to tolerance that used to prevail? What happened to the harmony?: Rahul Gandhi — ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2017 × There are forces in our country that are dividing India & its is very dangerous, it ruins our reputation abroad: Rahul Gandhi in NY pic.twitter.com/S3s5W98Slo — ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2017 × For thousands of years, India has had a reputation of peace & harmony, this is being challenged: Rahul Gandhi in New York pic.twitter.com/wvHQinkPdm — ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2017 × India simply can't give its youngsters a vision if it is unable to give them a job. Congress has vision to solve this problem-RG in New York pic.twitter.com/Miw3Rc14L4 — ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2017 × "India has people of many religions, languages living happily together," said Gandhi. "Reason they have been able to do so are the ideas of Congress," he added. Gandhi repeated what he had said a day earlier at Princeton University -- that the central question facing India is how it will create jobs for the millions of young people entering the job market every year. "Every day 30,000 new people enter the job market in India but only 450 are getting employed," said Gandhi. "Everywhere you look there is an Indian working for US & India, building both countries. You are our backbone," Gandhi also said to his NRI audience.

What happened to tolerance, harmony in India? Rahul Gandhi in US

The historian Ramachandra Guha has been served a legal notice by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the BJP&#39;s youth wing, the Economic Times reported.&nbsp;

The ET reported that the notice was served on Guha for referring to the &quot;Sangh Parivar&quot; while condemning the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh.&nbsp;

Guha had said to Scroll.in -- a day after Gauri Lankesh&#39;s murder -- that &quot;&ldquo;It is very likely that her murderers came from the same Sangh Parivar from which the murderers of Dabholkar, Pansare and Kalburgi came.&rdquo;&nbsp;

The five-page legal notice, the ET reported, was issued on behalf of Karnataka BJP Yuva Morcha secretary Karunakar Khasale.&nbsp;

The notice says &quot;defamatory, baseless and false allegations&quot; were made by Guha.&nbsp;

The ET reported that the notice calls on Guha to apologise categorically and publicly, and to communicate the apology directly to Khasale and the BJP Yuva Morcha within three days, or civil and criminal defamation cases will be filed against him.&nbsp;

The ET report said Guha could not be contacted since he was overseas but that a little later, he tweeted:&nbsp;

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Atal Bihari Vajpayee said the answer to a book or article can only be another book or article. But we no longer live in Vajpayee&#39;s India
&mdash; Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ram_Guha/status/907231613150531584">September 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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In India today, independent writers and journalists are harassed, persecuted, and even killed. But we shall not be silenced.
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&nbsp;

Guha was served the notice because he referred to the 'Sangh Parivar' while condemning the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh

The historian Ramachandra Guha has been served a legal notice by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the BJP's youth wing, the Economic Times reported. The ET reported that the notice was served on Guha for referring to the "Sangh Parivar" while condemning the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh. Guha had said to Scroll.in -- a day after Gauri Lankesh's murder -- that "“It is very likely that her murderers came from the same Sangh Parivar from which the murderers of Dabholkar, Pansare and Kalburgi came.” The five-page legal notice, the ET reported, was issued on behalf of Karnataka BJP Yuva Morcha secretary Karunakar Khasale. The notice says "defamatory, baseless and false allegations" were made by Guha. The ET reported that the notice calls on Guha to apologise categorically and publicly, and to communicate the apology directly to Khasale and the BJP Yuva Morcha within three days, or civil and criminal defamation cases will be filed against him. The ET report said Guha could not be contacted since he was overseas but that a little later, he tweeted: Atal Bihari Vajpayee said the answer to a book or article can only be another book or article. But we no longer live in Vajpayee's India — Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) September 11, 2017 × In India today, independent writers and journalists are harassed, persecuted, and even killed. But we shall not be silenced. — Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) September 11, 2017 ×

Historian Ramachandra Guha served legal notice by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha

In what may&nbsp;spark a fresh controversy, Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) MLA Vikram Saini has said that he would break limbs of those disrespecting and killing cows, ANI reports.

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Will break limbs of anyone disrespecting, killing cows: UP BJP MLA Vikram Saini 
 
Read <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news">@ANI_news</a> story <a href="https://t.co/iIYReJnW6d">https://t.co/iIYReJnW6d</a> <a href="https://t.co/GHab4sEOI5">pic.twitter.com/GHab4sEOI5</a>
&mdash; ANI Digital (@ani_digital) <a href="https://twitter.com/ani_digital/status/845847770036604928">March 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&quot;I had promised that I would break the hand and legs of the people who disrespect and kill cows,&quot; Saini said at a gathering.

The statement was made by the MLA from Khatauli constituency while speaking at an event on Saturday.

This is not the first time when the MLA triggered stir for his controversial remark. Saini&nbsp;has been accused of making inflammatory speech during the Muzaffarnagar riot and was also sent behind the bars for it.

The remark came at a time when the newly minted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, considered a Hindu hardliner for his incendiary remarks and for multiple political stances, has directed to put a complete ban on cow smuggling.

Adityanath has already <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/yogi-effect-illegal-slaughterhouses-meat-shops-sealed-in-uttar-pradesh-capital-13662" target="_blank">directed </a>police officials to prepare an action plan for the closure of slaughterhouses across the state, in keeping with the BJP&#39;s poll promise

(WION with inputs from ANI)

The remark by Vikram Saini comes at a time when Hindu hardliner CM Yogi Adityanath has promised UP a total ban on cow smuggling

In what may spark a fresh controversy, Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) MLA Vikram Saini has said that he would break limbs of those disrespecting and killing cows, ANI reports. Will break limbs of anyone disrespecting, killing cows: UP BJP MLA Vikram Saini Read @ANI_news story https://t.co/iIYReJnW6d pic.twitter.com/GHab4sEOI5 — ANI Digital (@ani_digital) March 26, 2017 × "I had promised that I would break the hand and legs of the people who disrespect and kill cows," Saini said at a gathering. The statement was made by the MLA from Khatauli constituency while speaking at an event on Saturday. This is not the first time when the MLA triggered stir for his controversial remark. Saini has been accused of making inflammatory speech during the Muzaffarnagar riot and was also sent behind the bars for it. The remark came at a time when the newly minted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, considered a Hindu hardliner for his incendiary remarks and for multiple political stances, has directed to put a complete ban on cow smuggling. Adityanath has already directed police officials to prepare an action plan for the closure of slaughterhouses across the state, in keeping with the BJP's poll promise (WION with inputs from ANI)

BJP MLA threatens to break hand, legs of people who disrespect cows

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the BJP Parliamentary Party meet directed all the MPs, ministers and workers to spend 72 hours in an area assigned to them by the party. BJP leaders and workers would connect with all the educational institutions around that area as part of the drive thereby connecting the party with &#39;new&#39;&nbsp;India. Sources in the BJP said that this drive will be completed before the government formation day -- May 26.

Sources also said that BJP all members including ministers have been advised by the Prime Minister to give suggestions to improve the functioning of the party and government before May 26.

Modi in his speech also made it clear that that next month would be dedicated to Dr BR Ambedkar. Prime Minister in his speech said that between 6th and 14th of April, BJP would organise social functions in memory of&nbsp;BR Ambedkar. April 6 is the party foundation day of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and April 14 is the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar. In order to connect with the social constituency, every BJP MP would participate in sanitation drive and it would be organised around a polling station connecting the social constituency with the electoral grid.

It is not without significance that after Vemulla controversy, BJP has been extremely careful when it comes to any policy response either on the Dalit issue or the legacy of Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

Modi also urged that party workers should campaign to popularise Diji Dhan and Bhim app which PM described as a new currency. He said that the use of Bhim app would save small enterprises from money lenders and would act as a catalyst for social transformation at the lowest level.

BJP has also decided to organise massive rallies across the country on Ambedkar&#39;s birthday with his photographs. Sources said that every part of the organisation would be exercised to make these rallies successful. 
Sources said that Prime Minister said in the meeting that the perception about the government in the country is changing. PM said, &quot; Earlier the people felt that the government is doing something but now they say that it is a performing government.&quot;

BJP President Amit Shah also addressed the BJP Parliamentary party. He said that the recent elections have released the democracy from the shackles of appeasement, nepotism and casteism. He said that the result of 2017 should not make BJP complacent and they should start preparing for 2019.

BJP also passed a resolution thanking people for giving them a good mandate. The resolution also took a dig at the Opposition as the resolution stated that Opposition should understand the real message of the verdict and will be constructive in the approach. The Parliamentary party resolution also thanked Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for the leadership.

The resolution also stated that though numbers are required to form a government but it is actually run through consensus and BJP is committed to that principle. PM was also thanked for initiatives like surgical strike and demonetisation.&nbsp;

(WION)

Indian PM Modi also hopes for Bhim app to act as a catalyst for social transformation at the lowest level

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the BJP Parliamentary Party meet directed all the MPs, ministers and workers to spend 72 hours in an area assigned to them by the party. BJP leaders and workers would connect with all the educational institutions around that area as part of the drive thereby connecting the party with 'new' India. Sources in the BJP said that this drive will be completed before the government formation day -- May 26. Sources also said that BJP all members including ministers have been advised by the Prime Minister to give suggestions to improve the functioning of the party and government before May 26. Modi in his speech also made it clear that that next month would be dedicated to Dr BR Ambedkar. Prime Minister in his speech said that between 6th and 14th of April, BJP would organise social functions in memory of BR Ambedkar. April 6 is the party foundation day of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and April 14 is the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar. In order to connect with the social constituency, every BJP MP would participate in sanitation drive and it would be organised around a polling station connecting the social constituency with the electoral grid. It is not without significance that after Vemulla controversy, BJP has been extremely careful when it comes to any policy response either on the Dalit issue or the legacy of Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Modi also urged that party workers should campaign to popularise Diji Dhan and Bhim app which PM described as a new currency. He said that the use of Bhim app would save small enterprises from money lenders and would act as a catalyst for social transformation at the lowest level. BJP has also decided to organise massive rallies across the country on Ambedkar's birthday with his photographs. Sources said that every part of the organisation would be exercised to make these rallies successful. Sources said that Prime Minister said in the meeting that the perception about the government in the country is changing. PM said, " Earlier the people felt that the government is doing something but now they say that it is a performing government." BJP President Amit Shah also addressed the BJP Parliamentary party. He said that the recent elections have released the democracy from the shackles of appeasement, nepotism and casteism. He said that the result of 2017 should not make BJP complacent and they should start preparing for 2019. BJP also passed a resolution thanking people for giving them a good mandate. The resolution also took a dig at the Opposition as the resolution stated that Opposition should understand the real message of the verdict and will be constructive in the approach. The Parliamentary party resolution also thanked Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for the leadership. The resolution also stated that though numbers are required to form a government but it is actually run through consensus and BJP is committed to that principle. PM was also thanked for initiatives like surgical strike and demonetisation. (WION)

India: BJP eyes Dalit outreach through Ambedkar birth anniversary events

An 11-year-old Pakistani girl wrote a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulating him on his party&#39;s victory in Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and said he should now focus on peace.

The two-page handwritten letter, dated March 13, by Aqeedat Naveed says both countries will benefit by maintaining good relations with each other.

&quot;Once my father told me that winning of hearts is a marvellous job. Perhaps you have won the hearts of Indian people, therefore you won the election in UP. But I must tell you if you want to win more Indian and Pakistani hearts, you should take steps towards friendship and peace,&quot; the letter reads.

&quot;Both countries need good relation. Let&#39;s make a peace bridge between India and Pakistan. Let&#39;s decide that we will not buy bullets, will buy books. We will not buy the guns, will buy the medicine for the poor people.&quot;

She finishes the letter by congratulating the prime minister for BJP&#39;s UP win.

The fifth grader, who hails from Lahore, had earlier written a letter to Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj as well on the matter of peace and has also received several responses from officials in New Delhi.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from ANI)

Aqeedat Naveed also congratulated the Indian prime minister on his party's win in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections

An 11-year-old Pakistani girl wrote a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulating him on his party's victory in Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and said he should now focus on peace. The two-page handwritten letter, dated March 13, by Aqeedat Naveed says both countries will benefit by maintaining good relations with each other. "Once my father told me that winning of hearts is a marvellous job. Perhaps you have won the hearts of Indian people, therefore you won the election in UP. But I must tell you if you want to win more Indian and Pakistani hearts, you should take steps towards friendship and peace," the letter reads. "Both countries need good relation. Let's make a peace bridge between India and Pakistan. Let's decide that we will not buy bullets, will buy books. We will not buy the guns, will buy the medicine for the poor people." She finishes the letter by congratulating the prime minister for BJP's UP win. The fifth grader, who hails from Lahore, had earlier written a letter to Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj as well on the matter of peace and has also received several responses from officials in New Delhi. (WION with inputs from ANI)

11-yr-old Pak girl writes to PM Modi, says focus on peace now

The BJP&#39;s Parliamentary Board has authorised party president&nbsp;Amit Shah to take the final call about who will be the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Uttarakhand.

The party&#39;s Parliamentary Board Secretary JP Nadda said Amit Shah has been authorised to take the final decision after the observers appointed by the party submitted their reports.

Venkaiah Naidu and Bhupendra Yadav will be observers for Uttar Pradesh while Narendra Tomar and Saroj Pandey will be the observers for Uttarakhand, the Parliamentary Board Secretary said.&nbsp;

Piyush Goyal and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe are observers for Manipur, the Union Minister added.

Amit Shah had said yesterday that the&nbsp;chief ministers would be chosen on the basis of merit and capability. 
 
The party has performed well in the assembly polls of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

The BJP had not announced a chief ministerial candidate for both Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

In Uttar Pradesh, there are four leaders who are in the reckoning to be the next chief minister.&nbsp;

State party chief Keshav Maurya, right-wing lawmaker Yogi Adityanath and Union minister Manoj Sinha are some of the those in fray. India&#39;s interior minister Rajnath Singh&#39;s name has been mentioned as well but people close to him say he is not keen on helming the state.

In Uttarakhand, Satpal Maharaj, Devendra Rawat and Prakash Pant are the frontrunners to become the chief minister.

While these leaders are touted to be the top contenders for the CM&rsquo;s post in UP, the suspense can be put to an end only by an announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has a penchant to spring surprises.

Earlier Sunday,&nbsp;Prime Minister Modi delivered his victory speech to party workers emphasising that the massive&nbsp;mandate is&nbsp;to serve the people and laying the foundation for a new India. He also said that the government will not discriminate and work for all irresepective of whether they voted for the BJP or not.

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Naye Hindustan ke nayi neev ke roop mein dekh raha hoon, in paanch rajyon ke chunaav ko: PM Modi at BJP HQ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionResults?src=hash">#ElectionResults</a> <a href="https://t.co/ds8aW1A5cQ">pic.twitter.com/ds8aW1A5cQ</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/840916433756348418">March 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Vote diya na diya wo chunaav nateejon tak theek hai, sarkaar sabki hoti hai, sabke liye hoti hai, sath chalne ke liye hoti hai: PM Modi <a href="https://t.co/P6uJQN4u8H">pic.twitter.com/P6uJQN4u8H</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/840922874349203456">March 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Prime Minister said that he recognises the potential of the poor and he understands their power. He also invoked the memory of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, whose idea of Antyodaya (uplifting the weaker sections of society), the Prime Minsiter said, should be the guiding light for the new government. &nbsp;

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Gareeb mein saamarth mai dekh paata hoon, unki shakti ko pehchaan paata hoon: PM Modi at BJP HQ in Delhi <a href="https://t.co/pvwv6SHZB1">pic.twitter.com/pvwv6SHZB1</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/840918157690785796">March 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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These elections are an emotional issue for us. They come when we mark the centenary celebrations of Pandit Deen Dayal Ji: PM Modi <a href="https://t.co/GWDlVFJNOt">pic.twitter.com/GWDlVFJNOt</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/840918568699023360">March 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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He also said that the burden on the middle class should be&nbsp;reduced so that they can shine.&nbsp;

Terming the victory as historic, Modi added that with every election,&nbsp;support for the BJP is increasing .

Earlier, the Prime Minister arrived at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in New Delhi on Sunday evening following a &quot;victory walk&quot; to celebrate the party&#39;s landslide win in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand polls.&nbsp;

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at BJP HQ in Delhi amid loud &#39;Modi Modi&#39; chants <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionResults?src=hash">#ElectionResults</a> <a href="https://t.co/PguigLCp3l">pic.twitter.com/PguigLCp3l</a>
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(WION with inputs from ANI)

BJP president Amit Shah will decide the names of the chief ministers in states where the party has won

The BJP's Parliamentary Board has authorised party president Amit Shah to take the final call about who will be the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Uttarakhand. The party's Parliamentary Board Secretary JP Nadda said Amit Shah has been authorised to take the final decision after the observers appointed by the party submitted their reports. Venkaiah Naidu and Bhupendra Yadav will be observers for Uttar Pradesh while Narendra Tomar and Saroj Pandey will be the observers for Uttarakhand, the Parliamentary Board Secretary said. Piyush Goyal and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe are observers for Manipur, the Union Minister added. Amit Shah had said yesterday that the chief ministers would be chosen on the basis of merit and capability. The party has performed well in the assembly polls of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. The BJP had not announced a chief ministerial candidate for both Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. In Uttar Pradesh, there are four leaders who are in the reckoning to be the next chief minister. State party chief Keshav Maurya, right-wing lawmaker Yogi Adityanath and Union minister Manoj Sinha are some of the those in fray. India's interior minister Rajnath Singh's name has been mentioned as well but people close to him say he is not keen on helming the state. In Uttarakhand, Satpal Maharaj, Devendra Rawat and Prakash Pant are the frontrunners to become the chief minister. While these leaders are touted to be the top contenders for the CM’s post in UP, the suspense can be put to an end only by an announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has a penchant to spring surprises. Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Modi delivered his victory speech to party workers emphasising that the massive mandate is to serve the people and laying the foundation for a new India. He also said that the government will not discriminate and work for all irresepective of whether they voted for the BJP or not. Naye Hindustan ke nayi neev ke roop mein dekh raha hoon, in paanch rajyon ke chunaav ko: PM Modi at BJP HQ #ElectionResults pic.twitter.com/ds8aW1A5cQ — ANI (@ANI_news) March 12, 2017 × Vote diya na diya wo chunaav nateejon tak theek hai, sarkaar sabki hoti hai, sabke liye hoti hai, sath chalne ke liye hoti hai: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/P6uJQN4u8H — ANI (@ANI_news) March 12, 2017 × The Prime Minister said that he recognises the potential of the poor and he understands their power. He also invoked the memory of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, whose idea of Antyodaya (uplifting the weaker sections of society), the Prime Minsiter said, should be the guiding light for the new government. Gareeb mein saamarth mai dekh paata hoon, unki shakti ko pehchaan paata hoon: PM Modi at BJP HQ in Delhi pic.twitter.com/pvwv6SHZB1 — ANI (@ANI_news) March 12, 2017 × These elections are an emotional issue for us. They come when we mark the centenary celebrations of Pandit Deen Dayal Ji: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/GWDlVFJNOt — ANI (@ANI_news) March 12, 2017 × He also said that the burden on the middle class should be reduced so that they can shine. Terming the victory as historic, Modi added that with every election, support for the BJP is increasing . Earlier, the Prime Minister arrived at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in New Delhi on Sunday evening following a "victory walk" to celebrate the party's landslide win in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at BJP HQ in Delhi amid loud 'Modi Modi' chants #ElectionResults pic.twitter.com/PguigLCp3l — ANI (@ANI_news) March 12, 2017 × (WION with inputs from ANI)

BJP's Parliamentary Board authorises Amit Shah to decide chief ministers of UP, Uttarakhand, Manipur

The Bharatiya Janata P&nbsp;chances of forming the next government in Manipur brightened today as the National People&#39;s Party and the LJP formally extended their support.

Flanked by NPP and LJP leaders and their winning candidates, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav told a press conference, &quot;We have been able to come to an understanding with the NPP and the Lok Janshakti Party in our bid to form the government in Manipur.&quot;

The NPP and the LJP, both NDA constituents at the Centre, have won four seats and one seat, respectively, which will add up to 26 with BJP&#39;s 21, five short of the magic figure of 31 to form the government.

Madhav said that as per an &quot;understanding&quot; with another NDA partner Naga People&#39;s Front, which has won four seats, the number would go up to 30 and the support of one more MLA would be &quot;secured&quot;.

He said that yesterday the NPF had issued a press statement wherein it said it was willing to form a non-Congress government in Manipur.

The NPP&#39;s Conrad Sangma said that the popular verdict was for a change in Manipur.

Asked who would be the chief minister in the event of the BJP forming a coalition government, Madhav said that the party leadership would decide soon.

(PTI)

The NPP and the LJP have won four seats and one seat, respectively, which will add up to 26 with BJP's 21

The Bharatiya Janata P chances of forming the next government in Manipur brightened today as the National People's Party and the LJP formally extended their support. Flanked by NPP and LJP leaders and their winning candidates, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav told a press conference, "We have been able to come to an understanding with the NPP and the Lok Janshakti Party in our bid to form the government in Manipur." The NPP and the LJP, both NDA constituents at the Centre, have won four seats and one seat, respectively, which will add up to 26 with BJP's 21, five short of the magic figure of 31 to form the government. Madhav said that as per an "understanding" with another NDA partner Naga People's Front, which has won four seats, the number would go up to 30 and the support of one more MLA would be "secured". He said that yesterday the NPF had issued a press statement wherein it said it was willing to form a non-Congress government in Manipur. The NPP's Conrad Sangma said that the popular verdict was for a change in Manipur. Asked who would be the chief minister in the event of the BJP forming a coalition government, Madhav said that the party leadership would decide soon. (PTI)

India: NPP, LJP extend support to BJP in Manipur

Sensing his party&#39;s drive for votes in India&#39;s most politically prized state had stalled, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared his schedule and thrust himself into the heart of the battle.

&quot;Our election campaign has hit a roadblock,&quot; Modi told campaign managers and two federal ministers in Delhi last month, a week before the sixth of seven phases of voting was to begin in Uttar Pradesh.

&quot;I don&#39;t want to feel that I could have pushed myself a little more,&quot; Modi was quoted as saying by a close aide who attended the meeting.

For three full days the leader of the world&#39;s largest democracy camped out in the holy city of Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, walking the ancient streets and stopping at Hindu temples to seek blessings, despite warnings from aides about his security and the risk to his reputation had his party come up short.

On Saturday the gamble paid off: Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) scored a thumping victory in Uttar Pradesh, home to one in six Indians, winning the biggest majority in the state for any party since 1977.

The triumph vindicates Modi&#39;s decision to turn the campaign into a referendum on his own performance after his shock decision last November to abolish high-denomination banknotes, a move he framed as a fight for the poor against the corrupt rich.

&quot;We were always nervous that overexposing the prime minister in the final stages of the election could make us look desperate,&quot; said Keshav Prasad Maurya, the BJP&#39;s state leader in Uttar Pradesh.

As it turned out, Modi&#39;s victory confounded even the most bullish voter surveys. The BJP won 312 of the 403 seats in the state assembly and, with 39.7 per cent of the vote, almost matched its showing in Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 general election, when it claimed the biggest parliamentary majority in three decades.

&quot;Modi&#39;s magic has destroyed the opposition and silenced sceptics in the party,&quot; Maurya told Reuters on Saturday, as the scale of the victory became clear.

Two-term Modi

The win clears a path to victory for Modi at a 2019 general election, and gives him a free hand to consolidate his grip over a state that sends the highest number of federal lawmakers to parliament.

That has raised hopes among investors that the BJP will embark on a round of new reforms to boost growth in Asia&#39;s third-largest economy, and try to tackle the corruption and red tape that has long undermined India&#39;s potential.

Economists now expect Modi to launch initiatives aimed at flushing out ill-gotten gains from real estate, gold and campaign finance.

But they caution that his biggest task remains transforming India&#39;s economy into one that creates enough jobs for an emerging generation that is desperate to give up life on the farm for a more prosperous future.

&quot;Jobs is the biggest risk,&quot; said Rajiv Kumar, an economist at the Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research. &quot;That&#39;s where he has to focus very hard and it could mean reforms as radical as demonetisation.&quot;

Modi&#39;s BJP now heads the government in states where more than half of Indians live, while the Congress party, which has ruled India for most of the 70 years since independence, leads in regions covering less than 8 percent of the population.

Success will increase the pressure on Modi to provide for an increasingly aspirational nation of 1.3 billion people, half of whom are aged 25 or under.

&quot;He has to do a very delicate tightrope walk between being reformist and populist,&quot; said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a journalist and biographer of Modi. &quot;The problem in India is that people think reforms are pro-rich.&quot;

Communal tone

Modi relied on his own charisma to clinch crucial votes in poor and agrarian Uttar Pradesh, but his campaign manager Amit Shah also takes credit for fielding the right candidates in a region where many people vote along caste and religious lines.

Critics accuse Shah and Modi of &quot;social engineering&quot; and of switching to a more communally divisive tone to fire up their Hindu base as voting, staggered over the course of a month, progressed.

Shah vowed to construct a Hindu temple on a razed mosque site and ban the slaughter of cows, worshipped by millions of Hindus.

On the campaign trail, too, Modi played up religious divisions by asking why the state government ensured there were no power cuts in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan but not during the Hindu festival of Diwali.

Still, the BJP likely collected minority votes, including Muslim women whom he courted by questioning an Islamic practice that allows men to divorce their wives with three simple words.

&quot;The results prove that Muslims and backward caste groups voted for the BJP,&quot; said RK&nbsp;Mishra, a political analyst in Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh.

(Reuters)

The BJP won 312 of the 403 seats in the state assembly and, with 39.7% votes, almost matched its showing in UP in the 2014 general elections

Sensing his party's drive for votes in India's most politically prized state had stalled, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared his schedule and thrust himself into the heart of the battle. "Our election campaign has hit a roadblock," Modi told campaign managers and two federal ministers in Delhi last month, a week before the sixth of seven phases of voting was to begin in Uttar Pradesh. "I don't want to feel that I could have pushed myself a little more," Modi was quoted as saying by a close aide who attended the meeting. For three full days the leader of the world's largest democracy camped out in the holy city of Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, walking the ancient streets and stopping at Hindu temples to seek blessings, despite warnings from aides about his security and the risk to his reputation had his party come up short. On Saturday the gamble paid off: Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) scored a thumping victory in Uttar Pradesh, home to one in six Indians, winning the biggest majority in the state for any party since 1977. The triumph vindicates Modi's decision to turn the campaign into a referendum on his own performance after his shock decision last November to abolish high-denomination banknotes, a move he framed as a fight for the poor against the corrupt rich. "We were always nervous that overexposing the prime minister in the final stages of the election could make us look desperate," said Keshav Prasad Maurya, the BJP's state leader in Uttar Pradesh. As it turned out, Modi's victory confounded even the most bullish voter surveys. The BJP won 312 of the 403 seats in the state assembly and, with 39.7 per cent of the vote, almost matched its showing in Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 general election, when it claimed the biggest parliamentary majority in three decades. "Modi's magic has destroyed the opposition and silenced sceptics in the party," Maurya told Reuters on Saturday, as the scale of the victory became clear. Two-term Modi The win clears a path to victory for Modi at a 2019 general election, and gives him a free hand to consolidate his grip over a state that sends the highest number of federal lawmakers to parliament. That has raised hopes among investors that the BJP will embark on a round of new reforms to boost growth in Asia's third-largest economy, and try to tackle the corruption and red tape that has long undermined India's potential. Economists now expect Modi to launch initiatives aimed at flushing out ill-gotten gains from real estate, gold and campaign finance. But they caution that his biggest task remains transforming India's economy into one that creates enough jobs for an emerging generation that is desperate to give up life on the farm for a more prosperous future. "Jobs is the biggest risk," said Rajiv Kumar, an economist at the Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research. "That's where he has to focus very hard and it could mean reforms as radical as demonetisation." Modi's BJP now heads the government in states where more than half of Indians live, while the Congress party, which has ruled India for most of the 70 years since independence, leads in regions covering less than 8 percent of the population. Success will increase the pressure on Modi to provide for an increasingly aspirational nation of 1.3 billion people, half of whom are aged 25 or under. "He has to do a very delicate tightrope walk between being reformist and populist," said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a journalist and biographer of Modi. "The problem in India is that people think reforms are pro-rich." Communal tone Modi relied on his own charisma to clinch crucial votes in poor and agrarian Uttar Pradesh, but his campaign manager Amit Shah also takes credit for fielding the right candidates in a region where many people vote along caste and religious lines. Critics accuse Shah and Modi of "social engineering" and of switching to a more communally divisive tone to fire up their Hindu base as voting, staggered over the course of a month, progressed. Shah vowed to construct a Hindu temple on a razed mosque site and ban the slaughter of cows, worshipped by millions of Hindus. On the campaign trail, too, Modi played up religious divisions by asking why the state government ensured there were no power cuts in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan but not during the Hindu festival of Diwali. Still, the BJP likely collected minority votes, including Muslim women whom he courted by questioning an Islamic practice that allows men to divorce their wives with three simple words. "The results prove that Muslims and backward caste groups voted for the BJP," said RK Mishra, a political analyst in Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh. (Reuters)

India Assembly Elections: Modi's one-man show triumphs again in Uttar Pradesh

With crude bombs being hurled at two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) offices Friday morning in Kerala, the party has come heavily down on the state government over the repeated attacks, questioning the kind of environment being created in the state.

&quot;Bombs are being hurled, murders are taking place and other such attacks are happening only because these people are associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and BJP. What kind of environment is being created in Kerala? It is the responsibility of the state government to take actions,&quot; BJP leader Nalin Kohli told ANI.

He added that terrorism is being spread all across the country and if no immediate actions are taken into consideration, then this kind of message will show that these culprits are getting support from within the government.

Two BJP offices in Naravanur and Mattanur in Kerala on Friday. The offices were severely damaged after the attack.

There have been many attacks reported on the BJP and RSS workers in Kerala in the past. A 30-year-old BJP worker was stabbed to death allegedly by CPI(M) cadres in the politically sensitive Kannur district on January 18.

In another incident in the district, a country-made bomb was hurled at the RSS Karyalaya at Thaliparamba on January 19, said police, adding no one was injured in the incident.

(ANI)

There were no casualties but the offices in Naravanur and Mattanur were left severely damaged

With crude bombs being hurled at two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) offices Friday morning in Kerala, the party has come heavily down on the state government over the repeated attacks, questioning the kind of environment being created in the state. "Bombs are being hurled, murders are taking place and other such attacks are happening only because these people are associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and BJP. What kind of environment is being created in Kerala? It is the responsibility of the state government to take actions," BJP leader Nalin Kohli told ANI. He added that terrorism is being spread all across the country and if no immediate actions are taken into consideration, then this kind of message will show that these culprits are getting support from within the government. Two BJP offices in Naravanur and Mattanur in Kerala on Friday. The offices were severely damaged after the attack. There have been many attacks reported on the BJP and RSS workers in Kerala in the past. A 30-year-old BJP worker was stabbed to death allegedly by CPI(M) cadres in the politically sensitive Kannur district on January 18. In another incident in the district, a country-made bomb was hurled at the RSS Karyalaya at Thaliparamba on January 19, said police, adding no one was injured in the incident. (ANI)

India: Two BJP offices attacked with crude bombs in Kerala

&nbsp;

Coming close on the heels of the TMC attack on the state party headquarters of the BJP in Kolkata yesterday, West Bengal BJP general secretary Krishna Bhattacharya&#39;s house was attacked with bombs in Hooghly district last night.

Three men, with their faces covered, came on a motorcycle to her house in Konnanagar Jorapukur Ghat at 9 PM yesterday and started hurling bombs.

They barged into the house, smashed a windowpane, damaged furniture, and abused and assaulted her, Bhattacharya said in her police complaint.

The BJP leader said in her complaint that it was the handiwork of &quot;anti-socials harboured by the TMC&quot;.

She has been admitted to Uttarpara State General Hospital where her condition has been described as stable, hospital sources said.

The police said they rushed to her house after getting the information, adding that investigation was on.

District TMC leader Tapan Dasgupta said no party supporter was involved in the incident.

Several BJP workers were injured yesterday when activists of the students wing of Trinamool Congress had attacked the state party headquarters here with stones to protest the arrest of the TMC MP

Sudip Bandyopadhyay in the Rose Valley chit fund scam case.

(PTI)&nbsp;

Three men came on a motorcycle to BJP general secretary Krishna Bhattacharya's home and started hurling bombs

Coming close on the heels of the TMC attack on the state party headquarters of the BJP in Kolkata yesterday, West Bengal BJP general secretary Krishna Bhattacharya's house was attacked with bombs in Hooghly district last night. Three men, with their faces covered, came on a motorcycle to her house in Konnanagar Jorapukur Ghat at 9 PM yesterday and started hurling bombs. They barged into the house, smashed a windowpane, damaged furniture, and abused and assaulted her, Bhattacharya said in her police complaint. The BJP leader said in her complaint that it was the handiwork of "anti-socials harboured by the TMC". She has been admitted to Uttarpara State General Hospital where her condition has been described as stable, hospital sources said. The police said they rushed to her house after getting the information, adding that investigation was on. District TMC leader Tapan Dasgupta said no party supporter was involved in the incident. Several BJP workers were injured yesterday when activists of the students wing of Trinamool Congress had attacked the state party headquarters here with stones to protest the arrest of the TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay in the Rose Valley chit fund scam case. (PTI)

India: West Bengal BJP leader's home attacked

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked all BJP lawmakers -- both MPs and MLAs -- to furnish all details of their bank transactions between November 8 and December 31 to party president Amit Shah.&nbsp;

The prime minister had on November 8, unexpectedly, announced that the country&#39;s 500- and 1,000-rupee notes would cease to be legal tender from midnight that day.&nbsp;

The move, he said, would unearth the black or illegal money floating in the Indian economy, and would also curtail terror funding.&nbsp;

While the announcement caught the entire country by surprise -- and led to a fair amount of panic -- the Opposition has since accused the BJP of having tipped off industrialists and thier own partymen about the move. They point to media reports about the BJP buying large tracts of land in the state of Bihar just before the announcement as proof.&nbsp;

ANI, citing sources, said the bank details will have to be furnised by January 1.&nbsp;

It is still unclear what will be done with the details once they are furnished, whether for example they will be made public.&nbsp;

The demonetisation of the two notes took 86 per cent&nbsp;of the cash in circulation then out of the economy.&nbsp;

It also led to tremendous hardship, considering 90 per cent&nbsp;of all transaction in India are conducted with cash.&nbsp;

(WION)

The details have to be given to party president Amit Shah by January 1

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked all BJP lawmakers -- both MPs and MLAs -- to furnish all details of their bank transactions between November 8 and December 31 to party president Amit Shah. The prime minister had on November 8, unexpectedly, announced that the country's 500- and 1,000-rupee notes would cease to be legal tender from midnight that day. The move, he said, would unearth the black or illegal money floating in the Indian economy, and would also curtail terror funding. While the announcement caught the entire country by surprise -- and led to a fair amount of panic -- the Opposition has since accused the BJP of having tipped off industrialists and thier own partymen about the move. They point to media reports about the BJP buying large tracts of land in the state of Bihar just before the announcement as proof. ANI, citing sources, said the bank details will have to be furnised by January 1. It is still unclear what will be done with the details once they are furnished, whether for example they will be made public. The demonetisation of the two notes took 86 per cent of the cash in circulation then out of the economy. It also led to tremendous hardship, considering 90 per cent of all transaction in India are conducted with cash. (WION)

Demonetisation: PM tells party MPs, MLAs to furnish all bank details from Nov 8 to Dec 31

The Kashmir talks between the Indian government and various stake-holders from the northern state were bound to fail as it became an internal exercise for the representatives of political parties who were in capital Srinagar for the proposed dialogue. 
 
Instead of an engagement with groups associated with the protests that have kept Kashmir on boil for almost two months, the all-party meet at Sher-e-Kashmir centre morphed into a briefing session by Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. 
 
Although the current view within the Indian establishment is that the agitation is funded and instigated by Pakistan, but closely observed, it is clear that the seeds of discord were sown by the competitive politics of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Kashmir&#39;s People&#39;s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. 
 
There is no denying that Pakistan has funded terrorists and aided and directed attacks on the Indian side. It would, however, be foolish to overlook the fact that the fierce Kashmiri pride, if denied its own political, cultural and social space, often erupts in violent street protests. 
 
The PDP, on one hand, kept alive the rhetoric of &#39;a political solution&#39; to the problem of Kashmir&#39;s demand for azaadi (freedom) alive, but was quick to establish a close working relationship with the BJP that has always opposed any demand for self-determination for the state. 
 
The BJP-PDP combine in was expected to bring Jammu and the Valley together, but competitive politics for retaining core votes only created a bigger chasm. 
&nbsp; 
A common minimum programme was devised by the state government to ensure a smooth tenure, but it only ended up alientating the PDP&rsquo;s cadre that felt that the core issue on which they voted was compromised. 
 
A host of issues contributed to it. Whether it was the mulling of Union Territory status for Ladakh (a part of the state that has a sizeable Buddhist population, as opposed to Kashmir that is predominantly Muslim),&nbsp;or the consideration of the idea of &#39;a neglected Jammu,&#39; it only fostered distrust. The narrative of media also changed. 
 
The above debates polarised the views on the identity of Kashmir. Whether it was the skirmish between non-Kashmiri students and local ones over India&#39;s defeat in a cricket match that turned violent at Srinagar&#39;s National Institute of Technology or the&nbsp;move to establish enclaves for Indian Army ex-servicemen called &#39;Sainik Colony&#39; in Srinagar and Budgam that has been opposed by civil society and the separatist groups, Delhi appeared aloof. 
 
Suddenly everyday politics became coded gesture of a more muscular India intent on dealing with the Kashmir issue as if the state had to compensate for Pakistan&rsquo;s intransigent stand on various issues. 
 
The belief that successfully organising elections in the state affirm India&#39;s commitment towards the ideals of its Constitution has failed in Kashmir. This approach has also failed in other parts of India where tribal areas still witness armed insurgencies -- proving the point that elections are only the starting point in a democracy not the end. 
 
It becomes especially true in the state of Kashmir where Article 370 as an instrument of accession creates a different political situation on the ground. 
&nbsp; 
In this case the PDP cadre not only merged into the angry mobs, but also vented anger against senior party leaders when their houses came under attack. 
 
This brings us back to the question of a&nbsp;solution. First, it becomes imperative for the current government to look into the suggestions made by three-member committee of interlocutors appointed by the previous government and announce certain concrete steps. 
 
Second, PDP leaders must show enough courage to engage the locals by organising meetings in rural areas so that the ground situation can be stabilised. 
 
Third, Balochistan as an issue can only be a diplomatic pressure point, but not as a solution to the local problem. 
 
And last, since it has recognised that the agitation is headless, it becomes imperative that small groups of professionals must be encouraged for talks and the reconciliation process so that the agitation doesn&rsquo;t become hostage to entities like Hurriyat that have a fixed agenda. 
 
The strength of any democracy lies in absorbing dissent and not ignoring it. The challenge before the Centre is not to treat Kashmir as a logistical issue, but as a political challenge where creative solutions within the ambit of constitutional norm should be made available to common Kashmiris. 
 
(WION)

Politicians talking among themselves cannot be a solution to the Kashmir unrest; need to engage young professionals in talks

The Kashmir talks between the Indian government and various stake-holders from the northern state were bound to fail as it became an internal exercise for the representatives of political parties who were in capital Srinagar for the proposed dialogue. Instead of an engagement with groups associated with the protests that have kept Kashmir on boil for almost two months, the all-party meet at Sher-e-Kashmir centre morphed into a briefing session by Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. Although the current view within the Indian establishment is that the agitation is funded and instigated by Pakistan, but closely observed, it is clear that the seeds of discord were sown by the competitive politics of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Kashmir's People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. There is no denying that Pakistan has funded terrorists and aided and directed attacks on the Indian side. It would, however, be foolish to overlook the fact that the fierce Kashmiri pride, if denied its own political, cultural and social space, often erupts in violent street protests. The PDP, on one hand, kept alive the rhetoric of 'a political solution' to the problem of Kashmir's demand for azaadi (freedom) alive, but was quick to establish a close working relationship with the BJP that has always opposed any demand for self-determination for the state. The BJP-PDP combine in was expected to bring Jammu and the Valley together, but competitive politics for retaining core votes only created a bigger chasm. A common minimum programme was devised by the state government to ensure a smooth tenure, but it only ended up alientating the PDP’s cadre that felt that the core issue on which they voted was compromised. A host of issues contributed to it. Whether it was the mulling of Union Territory status for Ladakh (a part of the state that has a sizeable Buddhist population, as opposed to Kashmir that is predominantly Muslim), or the consideration of the idea of 'a neglected Jammu,' it only fostered distrust. The narrative of media also changed. The above debates polarised the views on the identity of Kashmir. Whether it was the skirmish between non-Kashmiri students and local ones over India's defeat in a cricket match that turned violent at Srinagar's National Institute of Technology or the move to establish enclaves for Indian Army ex-servicemen called 'Sainik Colony' in Srinagar and Budgam that has been opposed by civil society and the separatist groups, Delhi appeared aloof. Suddenly everyday politics became coded gesture of a more muscular India intent on dealing with the Kashmir issue as if the state had to compensate for Pakistan’s intransigent stand on various issues. The belief that successfully organising elections in the state affirm India's commitment towards the ideals of its Constitution has failed in Kashmir. This approach has also failed in other parts of India where tribal areas still witness armed insurgencies -- proving the point that elections are only the starting point in a democracy not the end. It becomes especially true in the state of Kashmir where Article 370 as an instrument of accession creates a different political situation on the ground. In this case the PDP cadre not only merged into the angry mobs, but also vented anger against senior party leaders when their houses came under attack. This brings us back to the question of a solution. First, it becomes imperative for the current government to look into the suggestions made by three-member committee of interlocutors appointed by the previous government and announce certain concrete steps. Second, PDP leaders must show enough courage to engage the locals by organising meetings in rural areas so that the ground situation can be stabilised. Third, Balochistan as an issue can only be a diplomatic pressure point, but not as a solution to the local problem. And last, since it has recognised that the agitation is headless, it becomes imperative that small groups of professionals must be encouraged for talks and the reconciliation process so that the agitation doesn’t become hostage to entities like Hurriyat that have a fixed agenda. The strength of any democracy lies in absorbing dissent and not ignoring it. The challenge before the Centre is not to treat Kashmir as a logistical issue, but as a political challenge where creative solutions within the ambit of constitutional norm should be made available to common Kashmiris. (WION)

Why Kashmir talk was a non-starter

Keeping up his attack on cow vigilantes, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked people to beware of &quot;fake cow protectors&quot; as they were trying to create tension in the society. 
 
He also asked the state governments to take stringent action against them. 
 
PM Modi, while addressing a public meeting after inaugurating a host of development projects here, accused the cow vigilantes of trying to create tension in the society, and said they should be &#39;exposed&#39; and punished. 
 
&quot;I want to tell everybody beware of these fake cow protectors. These handful of vigilantes have nothing to do with cow protection, but want to create &#39;tanaav&#39; (tension) in the society,&quot; Modi said. 
 
&quot;In the name of cow protection, these fake cow protectors are trying to disturb the peace and harmony of the nation. I want the real cow protectors to expose them (fake ones) and the state governments should take stringent action against them,&quot; he added. 
 
&#39;Cow should be linked to country&#39;s development&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Describing cattle as India&#39;s wealth and not burden, the Prime Minister made a mention of a campaign run by governor of northern Himachal Pradesh of protecting abandoned cows and handing them over to farmers to use them for agricultural activity. 
 
&quot;Cow will never become a burden. Cow urine and dung are used in agriculture,&quot; he said, adding that cow should be linked to the country&#39;s economic development. 
 
India is a land of diversity, he said, adding &quot;protecting our country&#39;s unity and integrity is our primary responsibility. To fulfil it all countrymen should protect and serve cows (gau raksha and gau seva karein). Such service enhances national wealth.... It does not create problem for the nation&quot;. 
 
&quot;But fake (cow protectors) destroy society and country. We need to beware of these people. There is a need to punish these people. Then alone can we take the nation to great heights,&quot; the Prime Minister said after inaugurating a host of development projects. 
 
Modi&#39;s comments come at a time when his government and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are facing criticism over incidents of violence against Dalits, considered the lowest caste in India, and Muslims by cow vigilantes in various states including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. 
 
Earlier, Modi launched Phase-1 of Mission Bhagiratha, a flagship project of Telangana government aimed at providing piped drinking water to every household in the state. 
 
Modi unveiled a plaque in Medak district&#39;s Komatibanda village in Gajwel constituency, represented in the Assembly by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, and formally turned on a water tap on the premises to mark the occasion. 
 
This is Prime Minister&#39;s maiden visit to Telangana after formation of the state in June 2014. 
 
(PTI)&nbsp; 
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused 'fake' cow vigilantes of trying to divide the nation

Keeping up his attack on cow vigilantes, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked people to beware of "fake cow protectors" as they were trying to create tension in the society. He also asked the state governments to take stringent action against them. PM Modi, while addressing a public meeting after inaugurating a host of development projects here, accused the cow vigilantes of trying to create tension in the society, and said they should be 'exposed' and punished. "I want to tell everybody beware of these fake cow protectors. These handful of vigilantes have nothing to do with cow protection, but want to create 'tanaav' (tension) in the society," Modi said. "In the name of cow protection, these fake cow protectors are trying to disturb the peace and harmony of the nation. I want the real cow protectors to expose them (fake ones) and the state governments should take stringent action against them," he added. 'Cow should be linked to country's development' Describing cattle as India's wealth and not burden, the Prime Minister made a mention of a campaign run by governor of northern Himachal Pradesh of protecting abandoned cows and handing them over to farmers to use them for agricultural activity. "Cow will never become a burden. Cow urine and dung are used in agriculture," he said, adding that cow should be linked to the country's economic development. India is a land of diversity, he said, adding "protecting our country's unity and integrity is our primary responsibility. To fulfil it all countrymen should protect and serve cows (gau raksha and gau seva karein). Such service enhances national wealth.... It does not create problem for the nation". "But fake (cow protectors) destroy society and country. We need to beware of these people. There is a need to punish these people. Then alone can we take the nation to great heights," the Prime Minister said after inaugurating a host of development projects. Modi's comments come at a time when his government and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are facing criticism over incidents of violence against Dalits, considered the lowest caste in India, and Muslims by cow vigilantes in various states including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Earlier, Modi launched Phase-1 of Mission Bhagiratha, a flagship project of Telangana government aimed at providing piped drinking water to every household in the state. Modi unveiled a plaque in Medak district's Komatibanda village in Gajwel constituency, represented in the Assembly by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, and formally turned on a water tap on the premises to mark the occasion. This is Prime Minister's maiden visit to Telangana after formation of the state in June 2014. (PTI)

Indian PM Narendra Modi wants 'fake cow protectors' exposed

Amid speculations that the chief of India&#39;s ruling party, Amit Shah may be asked to take over the reins in India&#39;s western Gujarat state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) central leadership today made it clear that a member of legislative assembly (MLA) would be assigned job, adding two observers are being sent to the state to hold talks with the legislators. 
 
The BJP central leadership during a parliamentary party meeting decided to send senior leaders - Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey - as observers to the state. 
 
Talking to the media after the meeting, union minister M Venkaiah Naidu said a meeting of the Gujarat legislators would be called in which a decision regarding the new chief ministerial candidate would be taken. 
 
&quot;Central leadership Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey will attend the meeting. They will hold talks with the MLAs and others there and together they will decide the chief minister,&quot; he said. 
 
Naidu also made it clear that there was no question of appointing the BJP president as the Gujarat chief minister. 
 
&quot;Amit Shah will be part of the meeting and will consult everyone about selecting the (next) leader.&nbsp;There is no question of Amit Shah, he is the national president,&quot; he said. 
 
The union minister praised Anandiben Patel for her decision to step down as the Gujarat chief minister citing age. 
 
Stating this decision would send a good message to the party workers, Naidu also informed that Anandiben would today submit her resignation to the governor of the state.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The parliamentary board has accepted her wish after discussion. The parliamentary board has praised her for her leadership over all these years in different posts,&quot; he said. 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

A meeting of legislators would be called in western state of Gujarat to identify Anandiben's successor, said union minister M Venkaih Naidu

Amid speculations that the chief of India's ruling party, Amit Shah may be asked to take over the reins in India's western Gujarat state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) central leadership today made it clear that a member of legislative assembly (MLA) would be assigned job, adding two observers are being sent to the state to hold talks with the legislators. The BJP central leadership during a parliamentary party meeting decided to send senior leaders - Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey - as observers to the state. Talking to the media after the meeting, union minister M Venkaiah Naidu said a meeting of the Gujarat legislators would be called in which a decision regarding the new chief ministerial candidate would be taken. "Central leadership Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey will attend the meeting. They will hold talks with the MLAs and others there and together they will decide the chief minister," he said. Naidu also made it clear that there was no question of appointing the BJP president as the Gujarat chief minister. "Amit Shah will be part of the meeting and will consult everyone about selecting the (next) leader. There is no question of Amit Shah, he is the national president," he said. The union minister praised Anandiben Patel for her decision to step down as the Gujarat chief minister citing age. Stating this decision would send a good message to the party workers, Naidu also informed that Anandiben would today submit her resignation to the governor of the state. "The parliamentary board has accepted her wish after discussion. The parliamentary board has praised her for her leadership over all these years in different posts," he said. (ANI)

'National president' Amit Shah not in Gujarat CM race, clarifies India's ruling party