Electoral commitment reigns supreme in Indian politics but the desperation that politicians in Karnataka have shown for electoral benefits is as good as playing with fire. Now the Karnataka government has accepted the proposal of Justice Nagamohan Das Committee and decided to forward it to the Centre to make the final call on the issue, the outcome is anyone's guess.

The ramification will be felt nationally as the debate mutates from a sect's right to secede and acquire a separate identity to question of division of Hinduism into lesser denominations. On top of it, the larger Veer Shaiva community is opposed to this idea though Lingayats say that they are different from them.

After the unceremonious sacking of Karnataka CM Virendra Patil by the Congress government, the Lingayat community never voted for the Congress in-block since then. Today the community stands behind the BJP but with this move, political blocks in Karnataka will no doubt be rearranged. The decision might suit the BJP nationally but in the state it will have to redefine its position. 
&nbsp 
Lingayats have a substantial presence in Karnataka and can play a make-or-break role in assembly elections. Even former BJP chief minister Yeddyurappa belongs to the Lingayat community. The birth of religions has never been an easy process in any part of the world as it involves the process of differentiation and codification which is always marked with social upheaval and violence.

New religious ecosystems are always linked to an idea of God, society and salvation which stands in opposition to the existing practice.

But in Karnataka, the Lingayat churning has acquired an overt electoral colour. Caste reservations or linguistic reorganisation of states in the past too have been products of powerful agitations, but the demand for a separate religious status through a political agitation and mass rallies is a first in post-independent India.

Hinduism or as it is sometimes referred - Sanatan Dharma - is one of the five acknowledged religions in the Constitution of India. The Constitution provides freedom to practice and propagate religion in the country and this is enshrined as a fundamental right. In this context, the movement and protest in Karnataka is neither illegal nor outside the civilizational ethos of the subcontinent.

The difference this time is that politicians in Karnataka have decided to play with a social movement within Hinduism whose attempt was to establish an egalitarian society opposed to the prevalent caste structure and upper caste practices. 
&nbsp 
Hinduism over time has seen the rise and fall of various sects which are primarily described as sampradayas. In this context, Lingayats say that they have been different from 12th century AD and also want to be differentiated from Veershaivas, who they feel are using the word "Lingayats" far too loosely.

Broadly, reform movements through centuries have made an impact on Hinduism, but eventually become part of the larger Hindu family. The ability to absorb and live peacefully with differences is one of the strengths of Hinduism. 
&nbsp 
With political manoeuvring, it opens up a Pandora's box whose impact can be constitutional, civilizational and political. It will be constitutional because any addition will have to be legislated and the matter will undergo legal scrutiny. It is civilizational because after Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, Lingayats will become the fourth religion to be born in India out of a legal and political process and not through social negotiation with other religious cosmologies.

For example, the birth of Sikhism was bloody and led to sacrifices by the Gurus who led the faith and subsequently codified it. In the Lingayat’s context, the issue was examined a legal luminary and will be followed up by political luminaries at Centre.

The political impact of the Lingayat demand being accepted would be far more pervasive. It will reduce the demographic and numerical strength of Hinduism in Karnataka and secession will open the door to other sects to be recognised as a separate religion.

It can be argued that the strength of Hinduism has been its ability to absorb dissent by creating subspaces like sects which can be independent organizationally and socially, but still share common cultural codes of worship and life in general with Hinduism.

Though the context was different but the "Communal Award" announced by the British for a separate electorate touched the same nerve against which Mahatma Gandhi fasted. The time and subject is different but the context remains the same. The party which would pander to this may win Karnataka, but will lose India hands down for the polarisation it will create.

Politicians should remember that only the Goddess rides the tiger.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the authors and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Lingayats have a substantial presence in Karnataka and can play a make-or-break role in assembly elections.

Electoral commitment reigns supreme in Indian politics but the desperation that politicians in Karnataka have shown for electoral benefits is as good as playing with fire. Now the Karnataka government has accepted the proposal of Justice Nagamohan Das Committee and decided to forward it to the Centre to make the final call on the issue, the outcome is anyone's guess. The ramification will be felt nationally as the debate mutates from a sect's right to secede and acquire a separate identity to question of division of Hinduism into lesser denominations. On top of it, the larger Veer Shaiva community is opposed to this idea though Lingayats say that they are different from them. After the unceremonious sacking of Karnataka CM Virendra Patil by the Congress government, the Lingayat community never voted for the Congress in-block since then. Today the community stands behind the BJP but with this move, political blocks in Karnataka will no doubt be rearranged. The decision might suit the BJP nationally but in the state it will have to redefine its position. Lingayats have a substantial presence in Karnataka and can play a make-or-break role in assembly elections. Even former BJP chief minister Yeddyurappa belongs to the Lingayat community. The birth of religions has never been an easy process in any part of the world as it involves the process of differentiation and codification which is always marked with social upheaval and violence. New religious ecosystems are always linked to an idea of God, society and salvation which stands in opposition to the existing practice. But in Karnataka, the Lingayat churning has acquired an overt electoral colour. Caste reservations or linguistic reorganisation of states in the past too have been products of powerful agitations, but the demand for a separate religious status through a political agitation and mass rallies is a first in post-independent India. Hinduism or as it is sometimes referred - Sanatan Dharma - is one of the five acknowledged religions in the Constitution of India. The Constitution provides freedom to practice and propagate religion in the country and this is enshrined as a fundamental right. In this context, the movement and protest in Karnataka is neither illegal nor outside the civilizational ethos of the subcontinent. The difference this time is that politicians in Karnataka have decided to play with a social movement within Hinduism whose attempt was to establish an egalitarian society opposed to the prevalent caste structure and upper caste practices. Hinduism over time has seen the rise and fall of various sects which are primarily described as sampradayas. In this context, Lingayats say that they have been different from 12th century AD and also want to be differentiated from Veershaivas, who they feel are using the word "Lingayats" far too loosely. Broadly, reform movements through centuries have made an impact on Hinduism, but eventually become part of the larger Hindu family. The ability to absorb and live peacefully with differences is one of the strengths of Hinduism. With political manoeuvring, it opens up a Pandora's box whose impact can be constitutional, civilizational and political. It will be constitutional because any addition will have to be legislated and the matter will undergo legal scrutiny. It is civilizational because after Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, Lingayats will become the fourth religion to be born in India out of a legal and political process and not through social negotiation with other religious cosmologies. For example, the birth of Sikhism was bloody and led to sacrifices by the Gurus who led the faith and subsequently codified it. In the Lingayat’s context, the issue was examined a legal luminary and will be followed up by political luminaries at Centre. The political impact of the Lingayat demand being accepted would be far more pervasive. It will reduce the demographic and numerical strength of Hinduism in Karnataka and secession will open the door to other sects to be recognised as a separate religion. It can be argued that the strength of Hinduism has been its ability to absorb dissent by creating subspaces like sects which can be independent organizationally and socially, but still share common cultural codes of worship and life in general with Hinduism. Though the context was different but the "Communal Award" announced by the British for a separate electorate touched the same nerve against which Mahatma Gandhi fasted. The time and subject is different but the context remains the same. The party which would pander to this may win Karnataka, but will lose India hands down for the polarisation it will create. Politicians should remember that only the Goddess rides the tiger. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the authors and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Lingayat row - Only Goddess rides the Tiger

The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Monday refuted the charges made by Congress President Rahul Gandhi regarding the NaMo app and described the latter as "technologically illiterate".

"Congress President Rahul Gandhi is technologically illiterate," BJP spokesman Sambit Patra said.

Patra went on to add, "He (Rahul Gandhi) does not know that data analysis is not equivalent to spying or snooping. This new age is the age of information technology, which Rahul Ji will not understand".

"Through the NaMo app, Prime Minister Narendra Modi communicates with the ground level party workers. It is a smart app and like all smart apps, it will be called smart only if it facilitates two-way communication with ease," he added.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for misusing his app NaMo to build a personal database with data on millions of Indians.

"Modi misusing PM position to build personal database with data on millions of Indians via the NaMo App promoted by Govt. If as PM he wants to use tech to communicate with India, no problem. But use the official PMO APP for it. This data belongs to India, not Modi"

Earlier on Sunday, he tweeted, "Hi! My name is Narendra Modi. I am India's Prime Minister. When you sign up for my official App, I give all your data to my friends in American companies."

Rahul made the statement after media report quoted a French security researcher claiming that the Narendra Modi app sends all the device info and personal data including email IDs, photos, gender and names of the users without consent to a third-party domain belonging to an American company.

However, Government sources on Sunday clarified that the app does not ask for a blanket access to the users' personal data.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT cell head Amit Malviya also hit back at the former and accused him of sharing users' data from his party's official App with Singapore firm.

Taking to his Twitter handle, Malviya on Monday shared a picture of the disclaimer of the site and targeted the Congress party for being upfront to accept that they will share the data with a third party.

"Hi! My name is Rahul Gandhi. I am the President of India's oldest political party. When you sign up for our official App, I give all your data to my friends in Singapore," Malviya Tweeted.

"Full marks to @INCIndia for stating upfront that they'll give your data to **practically anyone** - undisclosed vendors, unknown volunteers, even 'groups with similar causes'. In the theft of all forms, Congress has never been discreet !," he added.&nbsp

The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Monday refuted the charges made by Congress President Rahul Gandhi regarding the NaMo app and described the latter as 'technologically illiterate'

The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Monday refuted the charges made by Congress President Rahul Gandhi regarding the NaMo app and described the latter as "technologically illiterate". "Congress President Rahul Gandhi is technologically illiterate," BJP spokesman Sambit Patra said. Patra went on to add, "He (Rahul Gandhi) does not know that data analysis is not equivalent to spying or snooping. This new age is the age of information technology, which Rahul Ji will not understand". "Through the NaMo app, Prime Minister Narendra Modi communicates with the ground level party workers. It is a smart app and like all smart apps, it will be called smart only if it facilitates two-way communication with ease," he added. Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for misusing his app NaMo to build a personal database with data on millions of Indians. "Modi misusing PM position to build personal database with data on millions of Indians via the NaMo App promoted by Govt. If as PM he wants to use tech to communicate with India, no problem. But use the official PMO APP for it. This data belongs to India, not Modi" Earlier on Sunday, he tweeted, "Hi! My name is Narendra Modi. I am India's Prime Minister. When you sign up for my official App, I give all your data to my friends in American companies." Rahul made the statement after media report quoted a French security researcher claiming that the Narendra Modi app sends all the device info and personal data including email IDs, photos, gender and names of the users without consent to a third-party domain belonging to an American company. However, Government sources on Sunday clarified that the app does not ask for a blanket access to the users' personal data. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT cell head Amit Malviya also hit back at the former and accused him of sharing users' data from his party's official App with Singapore firm. Taking to his Twitter handle, Malviya on Monday shared a picture of the disclaimer of the site and targeted the Congress party for being upfront to accept that they will share the data with a third party. "Hi! My name is Rahul Gandhi. I am the President of India's oldest political party. When you sign up for our official App, I give all your data to my friends in Singapore," Malviya Tweeted. "Full marks to @INCIndia for stating upfront that they'll give your data to **practically anyone** - undisclosed vendors, unknown volunteers, even 'groups with similar causes'. In the theft of all forms, Congress has never been discreet !," he added.

Rahul Gandhi is technologically illiterate: BJP

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee&nbsp;met with the&nbsp;Nationalist&nbsp;Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar and is also expected to meet UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi tomorrow.&nbsp;

She is in Delhi on a four-day&nbsp;visit to the national capital.

Mamata's visit is being seen as part of an attempt to cobble together opposition support against the BJP for the upcoming national elections polls in 2019.

Also read: Opposition parties are uniting: Sharad Yadav

Mamata's meet with the opposition leaders' closely follows the dinner gathering hosted by Sonia earlier this month.&nbsp;

Congress President Rahul Gandhi had met one-to-one with Pawar after the dinner, leading to the NCP saying the meet indicated Rahul was serious about forging a broad alliance.&nbsp;

A broad alliance against the BJP has been the talk of the season, especially now with it having been proved to work after the UP Lok Sabha bypolls which the BSP sat out, thus allowing the SP to win the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats.&nbsp;

The two seats&nbsp;had been vacated by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

Both the SP's Akhilesh and the BSP's Mayawati have since said that their "understanding" will continue, although Mayawati has added that their bypoll tie-up will not continue.&nbsp;

Mamata has so far said her meeting with Sonia will be a "personal visit", and that she has been concerned about Gandhi's health.&nbsp;It is not yet known whether she will also meet with Rahul.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

Mamata's visit is being seen as part of an attempt to cobble together opposition support against the BJP for the upcoming national elections polls in 2019

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met with the Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar and is also expected to meet UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi tomorrow. She is in Delhi on a four-day visit to the national capital. Mamata's visit is being seen as part of an attempt to cobble together opposition support against the BJP for the upcoming national elections polls in 2019. Also read: Opposition parties are uniting: Sharad Yadav Mamata's meet with the opposition leaders' closely follows the dinner gathering hosted by Sonia earlier this month. Congress President Rahul Gandhi had met one-to-one with Pawar after the dinner, leading to the NCP saying the meet indicated Rahul was serious about forging a broad alliance. A broad alliance against the BJP has been the talk of the season, especially now with it having been proved to work after the UP Lok Sabha bypolls which the BSP sat out, thus allowing the SP to win the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats. The two seats had been vacated by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. Both the SP's Akhilesh and the BSP's Mayawati have since said that their "understanding" will continue, although Mayawati has added that their bypoll tie-up will not continue. Mamata has so far said her meeting with Sonia will be a "personal visit", and that she has been concerned about Gandhi's health. It is not yet known whether she will also meet with Rahul.

Mamata in Delhi, meets Sharad Pawar, will also meet Sonia Gandhi

Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav has hinted on forming a big alliance for the upcoming elections in 2019.&nbsp

He said that the opposition was working towards uniting against the BJP.

Referring to the BJP led NDA government he said that the country was in danger and that the current government should be out of power in 2019.&nbsp

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Opposition parties in country are uniting & we are working towards it. Country is in danger & present govt should be out of power in 2019. Our effort for coming elections in 2019 is that a big alliance should be formed by uniting the opposition parties: Sharad Yadav in Kanpur <a href="https://t.co/1xyxj4NfKr">pic.twitter.com/1xyxj4NfKr</a>
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/977999062522892288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Earlier this month, former&nbsp<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sonia-gandhi-dinner-for-opposition-not-for-politics-but-friendship-says-congress-35700" target="_blank">Congress President Sonia Gandhi</a>&nbspalso hosted a dinner for leader of the major opposition parties.&nbsp

Those who were present on the occasion included Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party's Ramgopal Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party's Satish Mishra, Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav, Hindustani Awam Morcha's Jitan Ram Manjhi and National Conference's Omar Abdullah including&nbspSharad Yadav.

The dinner was seen as an attempt to set the tone for opposition unity in the run-up to the next general elections.

The JD(U) leader said the country was in danger and that the current government should be ousted in 2019

Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav has hinted on forming a big alliance for the upcoming elections in 2019. He said that the opposition was working towards uniting against the BJP. Referring to the BJP led NDA government he said that the country was in danger and that the current government should be out of power in 2019. Opposition parties in country are uniting & we are working towards it. Country is in danger & present govt should be out of power in 2019. Our effort for coming elections in 2019 is that a big alliance should be formed by uniting the opposition parties: Sharad Yadav in Kanpur pic.twitter.com/1xyxj4NfKr — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 25, 2018 × Earlier this month, former Congress President Sonia Gandhi&nbspalso hosted a dinner for leader of the major opposition parties. Those who were present on the occasion included Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party's Ramgopal Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party's Satish Mishra, Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav, Hindustani Awam Morcha's Jitan Ram Manjhi and National Conference's Omar Abdullah including&nbspSharad Yadav. The dinner was seen as an attempt to set the tone for opposition unity in the run-up to the next general elections.

Opposition parties are uniting: Sharad Yadav

Five police personnel were injured in the clashes that broke out during Ram Navami rally in West Bengal`s Purulia district on Sunday. Earlier a person was killed and four others were injured in the clashes. The ruling party Trinamool Congress and opposition Bharatiya Janata party took out rallies across the state on Sunday to celebrate Ram Navami festival fuelling communal tension. The BJP party has reportedly organised rallies across the state stating it is a step towards "uniting the Hindus" of the state. Countering this, the TMC also organised rallies in various parts of the state. Meanwhile, various right-wing groups were also seen brandishing swords in a procession in the state. Unidentified miscreants in Bardhman district of West Bengal also vandalised a Ram Navami pandal. BJP members who had set up the pandal had alleged that it was attacked by the members of TMC.

Earlier a person was killed and four others were injured in the clashes

Five police personnel were injured in the clashes that broke out during Ram Navami rally in West Bengal`s Purulia district on Sunday. Earlier a person was killed and four others were injured in the clashes. The ruling party Trinamool Congress and opposition Bharatiya Janata party took out rallies across the state on Sunday to celebrate Ram Navami festival fuelling communal tension. The BJP party has reportedly organised rallies across the state stating it is a step towards "uniting the Hindus" of the state. Countering this, the TMC also organised rallies in various parts of the state. Meanwhile, various right-wing groups were also seen brandishing swords in a procession in the state. Unidentified miscreants in Bardhman district of West Bengal also vandalised a Ram Navami pandal. BJP members who had set up the pandal had alleged that it was attacked by the members of TMC.

5 policemen injured during Ram Navami rally in West Bengal

While addressing a crowd in a college in Madhya Pradesh, a BJP MLA Pannalal Shakya&nbsp;suggested a way to curb violence against women - to not have boyfriends. He further said that boys should not make girlfriends either.

&quot;In our country, women are worshipped four times, therefore I am not ready to accept that they are tortured. The data can reveal anything. Western culture should be kept at bay. Neither girlfriend nor boyfriend should be allowed,&quot; said PL Shakya, who represents Guna assembly constituency.

He said, that it would considerably reduce chances of assaults. According to Shakya, women face violence as they have boyfriends. He also took a dig at the&nbsp;celebrations during International Women&#39;s Day. Deriding it as a western concept, Shakya told students that they shouldn&#39;t ape the West and try to follow Indian culture.&nbsp;

Shakya further advised the girls in the gathering to not misuse the phones provided to them.

Shakya also attracted controversy last year when he termed Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma unpatriotic for marrying in Italy.

BJP MLA Pannalal Shakya, while addressing a programme in a PG college urged ladies not to have boyfriends

While addressing a crowd in a college in Madhya Pradesh, a BJP MLA Pannalal Shakya suggested a way to curb violence against women - to not have boyfriends. He further said that boys should not make girlfriends either. "In our country, women are worshipped four times, therefore I am not ready to accept that they are tortured. The data can reveal anything. Western culture should be kept at bay. Neither girlfriend nor boyfriend should be allowed," said PL Shakya, who represents Guna assembly constituency. He said, that it would considerably reduce chances of assaults. According to Shakya, women face violence as they have boyfriends. He also took a dig at the celebrations during International Women's Day. Deriding it as a western concept, Shakya told students that they shouldn't ape the West and try to follow Indian culture. Shakya further advised the girls in the gathering to not misuse the phones provided to them. Shakya also attracted controversy last year when he termed Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma unpatriotic for marrying in Italy.

Not making boyfriends, girlfriends will reduce molestation cases: BJP MLA

After a<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/user-details-on-namo-app-sold-to-private-companies-french-security-researcher-36994"> French security researcher</a> accused PM Modi of passing on the data of people who sign up for his official NaMo app to American companies, the government has given clarification dismissing the allegations.&nbsp;

A statement released by the government stated that the &quot;Narendra Modi App is a unique App, which unlike most Apps, gives access to users in &lsquo;guest mode&rsquo; without even any permission or data. The permissions required are all contextual and cause-specific. For example, a selfie campaign requires access to the camera and/or photo gallery.&quot;

The statement further read: &quot;Contact access is required to connect with friends or fellow party workers on the New India connect module. If a person has entered his email address and date of birth, he receives a personalised birthday greeting from the PM. Each function asks for the specific permission when access is required. The app does not ask for blanket permissions when the app is started.&quot;

Narendra Modi App provides a platform for millions of his fans and party cadre to connect directly with the Prime Minister. It is a &quot;one of its kind&quot;&nbsp;app which enables unprecedented engagement and interactivity. It is way different from the standard &lsquo;one-way&rsquo; flow apps belonging to political leaders and parties possess. It has numerous features which comprise the best of features from social media networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc, the statement mentioned.

About the allegations against the BJP leader, the statement said, &quot;The data exposed by the French Twitter user is the data entered by the user on his own device. This is not a security breach. The person does not have access to any data apart from his own data.&quot;

&quot;Data is being used for analytics using third-party service, similar to Google Analytics. The data in no way is stored or used by the third party services.&nbsp;Analytics and processing of the user data are done for offering users the most contextual content. This ensures that a user gets the best possible experience by show content in his/her own language,&quot;&nbsp;the statement said.&nbsp;

&#39;It also enables a unique, personalized experience according to a person&rsquo;s interests. For example, a person who looks up content related to agriculture will get agriculture-related content prominently. A person from Tamil Nadu will get notifications in Tamil and get an update when the PM is in Tamil Nadu&#39; it added.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accusing the BJP leader of passing on the data of people who sign up for his official NaMo app to American companies.&nbsp;

Congress president Rahul Gandhi stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accusing the BJP leader of passing on the data of people who sign up for his official NaMo app to American companies

After a French security researcher accused PM Modi of passing on the data of people who sign up for his official NaMo app to American companies, the government has given clarification dismissing the allegations. A statement released by the government stated that the "Narendra Modi App is a unique App, which unlike most Apps, gives access to users in ‘guest mode’ without even any permission or data. The permissions required are all contextual and cause-specific. For example, a selfie campaign requires access to the camera and/or photo gallery." The statement further read: "Contact access is required to connect with friends or fellow party workers on the New India connect module. If a person has entered his email address and date of birth, he receives a personalised birthday greeting from the PM. Each function asks for the specific permission when access is required. The app does not ask for blanket permissions when the app is started." Narendra Modi App provides a platform for millions of his fans and party cadre to connect directly with the Prime Minister. It is a "one of its kind" app which enables unprecedented engagement and interactivity. It is way different from the standard ‘one-way’ flow apps belonging to political leaders and parties possess. It has numerous features which comprise the best of features from social media networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc, the statement mentioned. About the allegations against the BJP leader, the statement said, "The data exposed by the French Twitter user is the data entered by the user on his own device. This is not a security breach. The person does not have access to any data apart from his own data." "Data is being used for analytics using third-party service, similar to Google Analytics. The data in no way is stored or used by the third party services. Analytics and processing of the user data are done for offering users the most contextual content. This ensures that a user gets the best possible experience by show content in his/her own language," the statement said. 'It also enables a unique, personalized experience according to a person’s interests. For example, a person who looks up content related to agriculture will get agriculture-related content prominently. A person from Tamil Nadu will get notifications in Tamil and get an update when the PM is in Tamil Nadu' it added. Congress president Rahul Gandhi stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accusing the BJP leader of passing on the data of people who sign up for his official NaMo app to American companies.

The data in no way is stored or used by the third party services: Government on NaMo app

One villager has been killed in a clash between locals and police during a Ram Navami procession in Beldi village in Purulia, West Bengal.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
One villager killed, around four injured following a clash between locals &amp; police during a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RamNavami?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RamNavami</a> procession in Purulia&#39;s Beldi; police personnel also injured; visuals from hospital in Purulia <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WestBengal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WestBengal</a> <a href="https://t.co/vuaTUOehwN">pic.twitter.com/vuaTUOehwN</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/977875507701313536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Four people were also injured in the clash.&nbsp;

The ruling party Trinamool Congress and opposition Bharatiya Janata party took out rallies across the state on Sunday to celebrate Ram Navami festival fuelling communal tension.

The BJP party has reportedly organised rallies across the state stating it is a step towards &quot;uniting the Hindus&quot;&nbsp;of the state.

Countering this, the TMC also organised rallies in various parts of the state.&nbsp;

Police have also increased the security in the region following the clash.

Last week chief minister Mamata Banerjee had instructed police to not permit any organisation to hold processions displaying arms during Ram Navami.

Meanwhile, various right-wing groups were also seen brandishing swords in a procession in the state.

In a procession taken out by the Ram Navami Janmo Maha Utsab Committee, people were also seen riding bikes without helmets. Five people were also seen riding one bike.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
People seen riding bikes without helmets in a procession took out on the occasion of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RamNavami?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RamNavami</a> by Ram Navami Janmo Maha Utsab Committee in Siliguri; five people seen riding on one bike <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WestBengal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WestBengal</a> <a href="https://t.co/nxootUtEsC">pic.twitter.com/nxootUtEsC</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/977883461469048832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Party chief of BJP&#39;s Bengal unit, Dilip Ghosh was also seen brandishing swords during the rally in Kharagpur, West Bengal.

Ghosh called this a tradition to conduct procession with weapons.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Their is a tradition of holding <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RamNavami?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RamNavami</a> procession with weapons in Kharagpur.Ram iss desh ke purwaj hain. Hindu, musalmaan, isayi sabhi ke purwaj hain,Ram dharmik purush nahi the woh rajneetik purush aur raja the toh unke saath kya virodh hai?:Dilip Ghosh,West Bengal BJP chief <a href="https://t.co/OEeQJKFhx2">pic.twitter.com/OEeQJKFhx2</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/977884098655064064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

The ruling party Trinamool Congress and opposition Bharatiya Janata party took out rallies across the state on Sunday to celebrate Ram Navami festival fuelling communal tension

One villager has been killed in a clash between locals and police during a Ram Navami procession in Beldi village in Purulia, West Bengal. One villager killed, around four injured following a clash between locals & police during a #RamNavami procession in Purulia's Beldi; police personnel also injured; visuals from hospital in Purulia #WestBengal pic.twitter.com/vuaTUOehwN — ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2018 × Four people were also injured in the clash. The ruling party Trinamool Congress and opposition Bharatiya Janata party took out rallies across the state on Sunday to celebrate Ram Navami festival fuelling communal tension. The BJP party has reportedly organised rallies across the state stating it is a step towards "uniting the Hindus" of the state. Countering this, the TMC also organised rallies in various parts of the state. Police have also increased the security in the region following the clash. Last week chief minister Mamata Banerjee had instructed police to not permit any organisation to hold processions displaying arms during Ram Navami. Meanwhile, various right-wing groups were also seen brandishing swords in a procession in the state. In a procession taken out by the Ram Navami Janmo Maha Utsab Committee, people were also seen riding bikes without helmets. Five people were also seen riding one bike. People seen riding bikes without helmets in a procession took out on the occasion of #RamNavami by Ram Navami Janmo Maha Utsab Committee in Siliguri; five people seen riding on one bike #WestBengal pic.twitter.com/nxootUtEsC — ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2018 × Party chief of BJP's Bengal unit, Dilip Ghosh was also seen brandishing swords during the rally in Kharagpur, West Bengal. Ghosh called this a tradition to conduct procession with weapons. Their is a tradition of holding #RamNavami procession with weapons in Kharagpur.Ram iss desh ke purwaj hain. Hindu, musalmaan, isayi sabhi ke purwaj hain,Ram dharmik purush nahi the woh rajneetik purush aur raja the toh unke saath kya virodh hai?:Dilip Ghosh,West Bengal BJP chief pic.twitter.com/OEeQJKFhx2 — ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2018 ×

West Bengal: 1 dead in clash between locals, police on Ram Navami

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/after-ball-tampering-admission-smith-warner-step-down-as-captain-vice-captain-of-australian-cricket-team-37010">After ball-tampering admission, Smith, Warner step down as captain, vice-captain of Australian cricket team</a>

Steve Smith has stepped down as the captain of the Australian cricket team following the ball-tampering saga that took place during the third day of the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town on Saturday.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bjps-win-in-up-rajya-sabha-polls-has-bolstered-sp-bsp-unity-akhilesh-yadav-37024">BJP&#39;s win in UP Rajya Sabha polls has bolstered SP-BSP unity: Akhilesh Yadav</a>

The BJP may have wrested an extra seat in the recent Rajya Sabha polls but the victory will backfire on the saffron party as its &quot;anti-Dalit face stood exposed&quot; while the SP-BSP unity got strengthened, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav claimed today.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/up-10-persons-arrested-for-alleged-links-to-let-terror-funding-37016">UP: 10 persons arrested for alleged links to LeT, terror-funding</a>

The Uttar Pradesh Police&#39;s Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Sunday arrested 10 persons for alleged links to the terrroist outfit the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and allegedly involved in terror-funding activities at the behest of Pakistan.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/west-bengal-ram-navami-pandals-vandalised-bjp-accuses-tmc-37020">West Bengal: Ram Navami pandals vandalised, BJP accuses TMC</a>

A Ram Navami pandal was vandalised on Saturday evening by unidentified miscreants in Bardhman district of West Bengal.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/no-problem-getting-naked-before-the-white-man-but-there-is-revolution-when-govt-asks-for-address-minister-37008">No problem getting naked before white man but revolution when </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/no-problem-getting-naked-before-the-white-man-but-there-is-revolution-when-govt-asks-for-address-minister-37008">government</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/no-problem-getting-naked-before-the-white-man-but-there-is-revolution-when-govt-asks-for-address-minister-37008"> asks for name, address: Union Minister&nbsp;</a>

Union Minister of State for Tourism and IT K J Alphons on Saturday said that Indians absolutely have no problem giving fingerprints and getting body naked before the white man at all.

After ball-tampering admission, Smith, Warner step down as captain, vice-captain of Australian cricket team Steve Smith has stepped down as the captain of the Australian cricket team following the ball-tampering saga that took place during the third day of the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town on Saturday. BJP's win in UP Rajya Sabha polls has bolstered SP-BSP unity: Akhilesh Yadav The BJP may have wrested an extra seat in the recent Rajya Sabha polls but the victory will backfire on the saffron party as its "anti-Dalit face stood exposed" while the SP-BSP unity got strengthened, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav claimed today. UP: 10 persons arrested for alleged links to LeT, terror-funding The Uttar Pradesh Police's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Sunday arrested 10 persons for alleged links to the terrroist outfit the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and allegedly involved in terror-funding activities at the behest of Pakistan. West Bengal: Ram Navami pandals vandalised, BJP accuses TMC A Ram Navami pandal was vandalised on Saturday evening by unidentified miscreants in Bardhman district of West Bengal. No problem getting naked before white man but revolution when government asks for name, address: Union Minister Union Minister of State for Tourism and IT K J Alphons on Saturday said that Indians absolutely have no problem giving fingerprints and getting body naked before the white man at all.

WION evening news brief, March 25, 2018

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became the biggest gainer from the latest round of the biennial <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bjp-bags-11-rajya-sabha-seats-crushes-sp-bsp-bonhomie-in-up-36889">Rajya Sabha polls on Friday</a> and is likely to come within striking distance of being able to pass bills with the help of its allies and parties friendly to it.

BJP won 12 of the remaining 26 seats that were at stake in crucial Rajya Sabha biennial polls in seven states on Saturday amid high drama in Uttar Pradesh where it clinched an extra ninth seat overcoming the newfound bonhomie between former arch rivals SP and BSP.

BJP&#39;s winning spree in state Assembly polls has resulted in a steady rise in its numbers in the House, whose members are elected by assemblies, while the loss of power of the Congress in many states has led to a fall in its numerical strength.

In the elections held to 58 seats, the BJP won 29, the Congress nine, Trinamool four, TRS and BJD three each, JD-U, TDP and RJD two each and Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena, NCP and YSR Congress one each.

Voting for Rajya Sabha seats took place across six states: Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. The Rajya Sabha vacancies include 17 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and 12 from the Congress. The BJP has filed 18 candidates for the biennial polls.The Rajya Sabha has the strength of 245 members of which 233 are representatives of the states and Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry. The remaining 12 members are nominated by the President.

The number of vacancies in 2018 included - Uttar Pradesh: 10, Maharashtra: 6, Bihar: 6, West Bengal: 5, Madhya Pradesh: 5, Gujarat: 4, Karnataka: 4, Andhra Pradesh: 3, Telangana: 3, Rajasthan: 3, Odisha: 3, Jharkhand: 2, Chhattisgarh: 1, Haryana: 1, Himachal Pradesh: 1, Uttarakhand: 1, Kerala: 1

In the poll for 58 Rajya Sabha seats on Friday, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) gained its 9 seats but remains short of the halfway mark of 123 in the Upper House.&nbsp;

In August last year, the BJP overtook the Congress to become the single-largest party in the Upper House. Currently, BJP is the largest party in RS with 58 MPs -- four more than the Congress - is expected to better its tally as it rules 11 of the 16 states. Its allies contribute 17 MPs to the BJP-led NDA. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has six seats; Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal have three seats each; People&#39;s Democratic Party has two; Sikkim Democratic Front, Republican Party (A) and Bodoland People&#39;s Front have one MP each.

A calculation of tallies show that the BJP&#39;s strength in the 245-member House will go from the existing 58 to 69 and that of the Congress will fall from 54 to 50 when the new MPs take oath next week.&nbsp; 
 
However, a majority in the Council of States will continue to elude the BJP-led NDA.&nbsp;It recently suffered a setback when the Telugu Desam Party, its ally of four years, decided to break ties. The TDP has six members in the House.

BJP and its allies hold an upper hand in UP state with 324 members in the legislative assembly and won 9 seats this year. However, the election this year will not benefit BJP much this year.&nbsp;

UP is the main focus in the Rajya Sabha: it contributes 31 of the upper house&rsquo;s 245 seats, of which ten will have elections in 2018 and another ten in 2020. With a supermajority in the UP state assembly, the BJP is likely to win seven new seats from UP in each round (it already has three Rajya Sabha MPs in UP).

The government&rsquo;s minority status in the Rajya Sabha has slowed and even halted important elements of its legislative agenda. An upper house majority would greatly strengthen its ability to pass bills including Article 35A - empowers the Jammu and Kashmir state&#39;s legislature to define &ldquo;permanent residents&rdquo; of the state and provide special rights and privileges to those permanent residents.

The BJP has not reached the stage of having two-thirds majority in the Rajya Sabha. Even if it were to improve its numbers in the Rajya Sabha by 2020, it would still need to get requisite numbers in the next Lok Sabha elections and also convince its allies.

By 2020, the NDA would see a major improvement in the Rajya Sabha. If it continues its winning streak in the future assembly elections in Karnataka and Gujarat. If there is no change in the predictions, then the BJP by 2020 could end up with 81 seats alone. Its allies would contribute 31 seats thus taking the NDA&#39;s tally to 111. The Congress is likely to have just 28 seats in the Rajya Sabha. The UPA&#39;s tally would be at 56. The rest of the parties would have a tally of 78.&nbsp;

The NDA will be waiting for its turn in 2020 when nearly 73 Elders&rsquo; term comes to an end, but a lot would also be dependent then on the 2019 General election which Modi will be eying emphatically.

&nbsp;

BJP won 12 of the remaining 26 seats that were at stake in crucial Rajya Sabha biennial polls in seven states on Saturday amid high drama in Uttar Pradesh where it clinched an extra ninth seat overcoming the newfound bonhomie between former arch rivals SP and BSP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became the biggest gainer from the latest round of the biennial Rajya Sabha polls on Friday and is likely to come within striking distance of being able to pass bills with the help of its allies and parties friendly to it. BJP won 12 of the remaining 26 seats that were at stake in crucial Rajya Sabha biennial polls in seven states on Saturday amid high drama in Uttar Pradesh where it clinched an extra ninth seat overcoming the newfound bonhomie between former arch rivals SP and BSP. BJP's winning spree in state Assembly polls has resulted in a steady rise in its numbers in the House, whose members are elected by assemblies, while the loss of power of the Congress in many states has led to a fall in its numerical strength. In the elections held to 58 seats, the BJP won 29, the Congress nine, Trinamool four, TRS and BJD three each, JD-U, TDP and RJD two each and Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena, NCP and YSR Congress one each. Voting for Rajya Sabha seats took place across six states: Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. The Rajya Sabha vacancies include 17 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and 12 from the Congress. The BJP has filed 18 candidates for the biennial polls.The Rajya Sabha has the strength of 245 members of which 233 are representatives of the states and Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry. The remaining 12 members are nominated by the President. The number of vacancies in 2018 included - Uttar Pradesh: 10, Maharashtra: 6, Bihar: 6, West Bengal: 5, Madhya Pradesh: 5, Gujarat: 4, Karnataka: 4, Andhra Pradesh: 3, Telangana: 3, Rajasthan: 3, Odisha: 3, Jharkhand: 2, Chhattisgarh: 1, Haryana: 1, Himachal Pradesh: 1, Uttarakhand: 1, Kerala: 1 In the poll for 58 Rajya Sabha seats on Friday, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) gained its 9 seats but remains short of the halfway mark of 123 in the Upper House. In August last year, the BJP overtook the Congress to become the single-largest party in the Upper House. Currently, BJP is the largest party in RS with 58 MPs -- four more than the Congress - is expected to better its tally as it rules 11 of the 16 states. Its allies contribute 17 MPs to the BJP-led NDA. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has six seats; Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal have three seats each; People's Democratic Party has two; Sikkim Democratic Front, Republican Party (A) and Bodoland People's Front have one MP each. A calculation of tallies show that the BJP's strength in the 245-member House will go from the existing 58 to 69 and that of the Congress will fall from 54 to 50 when the new MPs take oath next week. However, a majority in the Council of States will continue to elude the BJP-led NDA. It recently suffered a setback when the Telugu Desam Party, its ally of four years, decided to break ties. The TDP has six members in the House. BJP and its allies hold an upper hand in UP state with 324 members in the legislative assembly and won 9 seats this year. However, the election this year will not benefit BJP much this year. UP is the main focus in the Rajya Sabha: it contributes 31 of the upper house’s 245 seats, of which ten will have elections in 2018 and another ten in 2020. With a supermajority in the UP state assembly, the BJP is likely to win seven new seats from UP in each round (it already has three Rajya Sabha MPs in UP). The government’s minority status in the Rajya Sabha has slowed and even halted important elements of its legislative agenda. An upper house majority would greatly strengthen its ability to pass bills including Article 35A - empowers the Jammu and Kashmir state's legislature to define “permanent residents” of the state and provide special rights and privileges to those permanent residents. The BJP has not reached the stage of having two-thirds majority in the Rajya Sabha. Even if it were to improve its numbers in the Rajya Sabha by 2020, it would still need to get requisite numbers in the next Lok Sabha elections and also convince its allies. By 2020, the NDA would see a major improvement in the Rajya Sabha. If it continues its winning streak in the future assembly elections in Karnataka and Gujarat. If there is no change in the predictions, then the BJP by 2020 could end up with 81 seats alone. Its allies would contribute 31 seats thus taking the NDA's tally to 111. The Congress is likely to have just 28 seats in the Rajya Sabha. The UPA's tally would be at 56. The rest of the parties would have a tally of 78. The NDA will be waiting for its turn in 2020 when nearly 73 Elders’ term comes to an end, but a lot would also be dependent then on the 2019 General election which Modi will be eying emphatically.

BJP makes gains in Rajya Sabha elections 2018

BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday challenged the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion in the parliament.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
We are ready to debate on all issues but it is the opposition which doesn&#39;t want the House to function: BJP President Amit Shah in Guwahati, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Assam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Assam</a> <a href="https://t.co/53cdw39Iiv">pic.twitter.com/53cdw39Iiv</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/977466802648338433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Addressing a public rally in Guwahati, he said &#39;&#39;I challenge the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion. The BJP govt is all prepared to face the Motion, we have the absolute majority with us.&#39;&#39;&nbsp;

Accusing the opposition of stalling the house, Shah said that the ruling party was ready to discuss all issues.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I challenge the opposition to bring the No-Confidence Motion. The BJP govt is all prepared to face the Motion, we have the absolute majority with us: BJP President Amit Shah in Guwahati <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Assam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Assam</a> <a href="https://t.co/HR4I92beAp">pic.twitter.com/HR4I92beAp</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/977466799276068865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&#39;&#39;We are ready to debate on all issues but it is the opposition which doesn&#39;t want the House to function,&#39;&#39; Shah said in the rally.&nbsp;

Accusing the opposition party of levelling baseless allegations against the BJP, he questioned the contribution of Rahul Gandhi towards the development of Assam.&nbsp;

&#39;&#39;BJP wants to ensure Assam&#39;s progress through development. Congress leaders including their party president had visited North East for rallies and had passed baseless allegations on us. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, what did he do for Assam&#39;s development in last 10 years?&#39;&#39; Amit Shah said.&nbsp;

Shah added that the party would win more than 21 seats out of the 25 seats of the northeast&nbsp;in the upcoming parliamentary elections. &nbsp;

The Congress on Friday gave a notice for&nbsp;moving a no-confidence motion against the NDA government and wanted it to be taken up in Lok Sabha on March 27. 
 
According to Congress sources, the party submitted the notice in the office of the Lok Sabha Secretary General. 
 
The party has also issued a three-line whip to all its members in Lok Sabha to ensure their presence on Tuesday when the House meets again. 
 
The motion will be moved by Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who is reaching out to other opposition parties to garner support for the motion, they said.

Addressing a public rally in Guwahati, he said ''I challenge the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion. The BJP govt is all prepared to face the Motion, we have the absolute majority with us.''

BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday challenged the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion in the parliament. We are ready to debate on all issues but it is the opposition which doesn't want the House to function: BJP President Amit Shah in Guwahati, #Assam pic.twitter.com/53cdw39Iiv — ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2018 × Addressing a public rally in Guwahati, he said ''I challenge the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion. The BJP govt is all prepared to face the Motion, we have the absolute majority with us.'' Accusing the opposition of stalling the house, Shah said that the ruling party was ready to discuss all issues. I challenge the opposition to bring the No-Confidence Motion. The BJP govt is all prepared to face the Motion, we have the absolute majority with us: BJP President Amit Shah in Guwahati #Assam pic.twitter.com/HR4I92beAp — ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2018 × ''We are ready to debate on all issues but it is the opposition which doesn't want the House to function,'' Shah said in the rally. Accusing the opposition party of levelling baseless allegations against the BJP, he questioned the contribution of Rahul Gandhi towards the development of Assam. ''BJP wants to ensure Assam's progress through development. Congress leaders including their party president had visited North East for rallies and had passed baseless allegations on us. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, what did he do for Assam's development in last 10 years?'' Amit Shah said. Shah added that the party would win more than 21 seats out of the 25 seats of the northeast in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The Congress on Friday gave a notice for moving a no-confidence motion against the NDA government and wanted it to be taken up in Lok Sabha on March 27. According to Congress sources, the party submitted the notice in the office of the Lok Sabha Secretary General. The party has also issued a three-line whip to all its members in Lok Sabha to ensure their presence on Tuesday when the House meets again. The motion will be moved by Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who is reaching out to other opposition parties to garner support for the motion, they said.

Amit Shah dares opposition to bring no-confidence motion

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bjp-wont-succeed-in-breaking-ties-between-sp-bsp-mayawati-36942">BJP won&#39;t succeed in breaking ties between SP, BSP: Mayawati</a>

Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday said that the BJP would not succeed in breaking the newly-minted alliance between her party and the Samajwadi Party (SP).

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/amit-shahs-letter-full-of-false-information-chandrababu-naidu-36935">Amit Shah&#39;s letter full of &#39;false information&#39;: Chandrababu Naidu</a>

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu alleged on Saturday that BJP President Amit Shah&#39;s letter to him was &quot;full of false information&quot;.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/fodder-scam-lalu-prasad-yadav-sentenced-to-7-years-imprisonment-in-dumka-treasury-case-36910">Fodder scam: Lalu Prasad Yadav sentenced to 7 years jail in Dumka treasury case</a>

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has been sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment in Dumka treasury case.

The verdict of seven years imprisonment has been delivered under IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act. The seven years of jail under the two verdict will run simultaneously.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/jnu-protest-row-journalists-agitate-outside-delhi-police-headquarters-36938">JNU protest row: Journalists agitate outside Delhi police headquarters</a>

Journalists have gathered outside Delhi Police headquarters to protest against the two separate incidents of molestation and manhandling alleged by woman journalists during the JNU protest.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sonam-kapoor-and-anand-ahuja-to-have-a-may-wedding-in-geneva-36940">Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja to have a May wedding in Geneva?</a>

It has been three months since the news of Sonam Kapoor&rsquo;s tying the knot with her businessman- boyfriend of over two years, Anand Ahuja first floated on social media and the rumours refuse to die down. The&nbsp;latest news suggests that the two have zeroed in on Geneva as their preferred destination for the D Day.

BJP won't succeed in breaking ties between SP, BSP: Mayawati Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday said that the BJP would not succeed in breaking the newly-minted alliance between her party and the Samajwadi Party (SP). Amit Shah's letter full of 'false information': Chandrababu Naidu Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu alleged on Saturday that BJP President Amit Shah's letter to him was "full of false information". Fodder scam: Lalu Prasad Yadav sentenced to 7 years jail in Dumka treasury case RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has been sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment in Dumka treasury case. The verdict of seven years imprisonment has been delivered under IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act. The seven years of jail under the two verdict will run simultaneously. JNU protest row: Journalists agitate outside Delhi police headquarters Journalists have gathered outside Delhi Police headquarters to protest against the two separate incidents of molestation and manhandling alleged by woman journalists during the JNU protest. Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja to have a May wedding in Geneva? It has been three months since the news of Sonam Kapoor’s tying the knot with her businessman- boyfriend of over two years, Anand Ahuja first floated on social media and the rumours refuse to die down. The latest news suggests that the two have zeroed in on Geneva as their preferred destination for the D Day.

WION evening news brief, March 24

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Saturday expressed confidence of winning 21 seats out of 25 parliamentary constituencies from the North East in the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

&quot;In the upcoming elections of 2019, the BJP will win more than 21 seats out of the 25 seats (of North East),&quot; Amit Shah said while addressing a rally in Guwahati.

BJP won 12 of the remaining 26 seats that were at stake in crucial <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bjp-makes-gains-in-rajya-sabha-elections-2018-36925">Rajya Sabha</a> biennial polls in seven states on Saturday amid high drama in Uttar Pradesh where it clinched an extra ninth seat overcoming the newfound bonhomie between former arch rivals SP and BSP.

Shah even attacked the Congress party and raised a question on the initiatives taken by them for the development of the Assam.

&quot;The BJP wants to ensure Assam`s progress through development. Congress leaders including their party president had visited North East for rallies and had put baseless allegations on us. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, what did he do for Assam&#39;s development in last 10 years?&quot; Shah asked.

BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday challenged the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion in the parliament.&quot;I challenge the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion. The BJP govt is all prepared to face the Motion, we have the absolute majority with us.&#39;&#39;&nbsp;

Accusing the opposition of stalling the house, Shah said that the ruling party was ready to discuss all issues.

Meanwhile, days after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/tdps-decision-to-quit-nda-unfortunate-unilateral-amit-shah-writes-to-cm-naidu-36911">Chandrababu Naidu</a>&#39;s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) exited the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the centre, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah has written an open letter to the state chief minister, saying his party&#39;s decision to break alliance is unfortunate and unilateral.

Shah, in the letter, explained BJP&#39;s position and has blamed TDP of quitting NDA due to political considerations.

&ldquo;(TDP) decision is both unfortunate as well as unilateral. It is a decision; I am afraid, will be construed as being guided wholly and solely by political considerations instead of development concerns,&quot; Shah wrote.

Shah even attacked the Congress party and raised a question on the initiatives taken by them for the development of the Assam

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Saturday expressed confidence of winning 21 seats out of 25 parliamentary constituencies from the North East in the Lok Sabha polls in 2019. "In the upcoming elections of 2019, the BJP will win more than 21 seats out of the 25 seats (of North East)," Amit Shah said while addressing a rally in Guwahati. BJP won 12 of the remaining 26 seats that were at stake in crucial Rajya Sabha biennial polls in seven states on Saturday amid high drama in Uttar Pradesh where it clinched an extra ninth seat overcoming the newfound bonhomie between former arch rivals SP and BSP. Shah even attacked the Congress party and raised a question on the initiatives taken by them for the development of the Assam. "The BJP wants to ensure Assam`s progress through development. Congress leaders including their party president had visited North East for rallies and had put baseless allegations on us. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, what did he do for Assam's development in last 10 years?" Shah asked. BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday challenged the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion in the parliament."I challenge the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion. The BJP govt is all prepared to face the Motion, we have the absolute majority with us.'' Accusing the opposition of stalling the house, Shah said that the ruling party was ready to discuss all issues. Meanwhile, days after Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) exited the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the centre, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah has written an open letter to the state chief minister, saying his party's decision to break alliance is unfortunate and unilateral. Shah, in the letter, explained BJP's position and has blamed TDP of quitting NDA due to political considerations. “(TDP) decision is both unfortunate as well as unilateral. It is a decision; I am afraid, will be construed as being guided wholly and solely by political considerations instead of development concerns," Shah wrote.

BJP will win majority of North East seats in 2019 elections: Amit Shah

Congress president Rahul Gandhi slammed the BJP government for &quot;attacking&quot;&nbsp;the constitution&nbsp;while he was addressing a rally in Karnataka on Saturday.

As part of the fourth leg of his campaign tour in Karnataka, the Gandhi scion visited Chamundheshwari temple in Mysuru.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-trolled-for-not-knowing-about-ncc-36915">Rahul Gandhi trolled for not knowing about NCC</a>

Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally after his temple visit during which he accused the BJP of snatching away people&#39;s money through note ban and GST, &nbsp;adding that &quot;there is new fashion now, they (BJP) are attacking the constitution.&quot; 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
The news agency, PTI further quoted Rahul Gandhi saying that &quot;we will not allow the BJP to change the Constitution. How much ever BJP forces its way to change the Constitution, we will make sure that the Congress will protect the work of Ambedkarji.&quot;

During the day Rahul Gandhi also held a roadshow and inaugurated the Indira Canteen in Kollegala of Chamarajnagar district.&nbsp;

Earlier he visited the northern, coastal and Malnad regions of the state. Rahul Gandhi is currently on a two-day visit to Mandya, Mysuru and Chamarajnagar district.

Ahead of the election in the 224-member assembly in Karnataka, the state has witnessed frequent visits by national leaders, from both the Congress and the BJP. While the ruling Congress is trying to retain power in Karnataka, the BJP is eyeing to seize the southern state from it.

(With inputs from ANI)

Congress president Rahul Gandhi slammed BJP government for 'attacking' the constitution while he was addressing a rally in Karnataka on Saturday

Congress president Rahul Gandhi slammed the BJP government for "attacking" the constitution while he was addressing a rally in Karnataka on Saturday. As part of the fourth leg of his campaign tour in Karnataka, the Gandhi scion visited Chamundheshwari temple in Mysuru. Also read: Rahul Gandhi trolled for not knowing about NCC Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally after his temple visit during which he accused the BJP of snatching away people's money through note ban and GST, adding that "there is new fashion now, they (BJP) are attacking the constitution." The news agency, PTI further quoted Rahul Gandhi saying that "we will not allow the BJP to change the Constitution. How much ever BJP forces its way to change the Constitution, we will make sure that the Congress will protect the work of Ambedkarji." During the day Rahul Gandhi also held a roadshow and inaugurated the Indira Canteen in Kollegala of Chamarajnagar district. Earlier he visited the northern, coastal and Malnad regions of the state. Rahul Gandhi is currently on a two-day visit to Mandya, Mysuru and Chamarajnagar district. Ahead of the election in the 224-member assembly in Karnataka, the state has witnessed frequent visits by national leaders, from both the Congress and the BJP. While the ruling Congress is trying to retain power in Karnataka, the BJP is eyeing to seize the southern state from it. (With inputs from ANI)

Karnataka: BJP 'attacking' the constitution says Rahul Gandhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday accused the opposition of spreading lies against his government due to its increasing &quot;frustration&quot; over electoral losses, and asked BJP MPs to use technology effectively to take the truth to the masses.

At the BJP Parliamentary Party meet, Modi and party chief Amit Shah asked their MPs to observe Social Justice Day on Dalit icon Bhim Rao Ambedkar&#39;s birth anniversary, Swachh Bharat Divas and other events between April 14 and May 5, party leaders Prakash Javadekar and Anil Baluni told reporters in Delhi.

&quot;Modi told the MPs that the party is in power so that we can take the country to new heights, and asked them to work on the ground,&quot; Javadekar said.

The prime minister told the MPs to use technology to present facts and reach out to people as the opposition was spreading lies against the government out of frustration.

Shah in his speech blamed the opposition for the impasse in Parliament and asked the MPs to hold pressers in the next three days in their parliamentary constituencies to highlight the matter, Baluni said.

With the party gearing up for Lok Sabha polls next year, Shah asked MPs to work to strengthen booth-level organisation in their constituencies, asserting that the organisation&#39;s work at the booth level, along with BJP&#39;s ideology and Modi&#39;s leadership, has been a key reason for its success.

Baluni said that the party will celebrate the period between April 14 and May 5 as &quot;Gram Swaraj Abhiyaan&quot;, and Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar gave a presentation on it.

April 14, the birth anniversary of Dalit icon Bhim Rao Ambedkar, will be celebrated as Social Justice Day.

It will be followed by Swachh Bharat Diwas on April 18, Ujjawala Diwas on April 20, Panchayati Raj Diwas on April 24 and Swasth Bharat Diwas on April 30.

Kisan Kalyan Diwas will be observed on May 2 and Aajevika Kuashal Diwas on May 5.

Baluni said that Jitendra Singh gave a presentation to the MPs on developing the 115 most backward districts in the country.

Singh said that the prime minister will visit the best performing district.

This was the first BJP Parliamentary Party meeting at its new headquarters at the Deendayal Upadhyay Marg here.

The prime minister told the MPs to use technology to present facts and reach out to people as the opposition was spreading lies against the government out of frustration

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday accused the opposition of spreading lies against his government due to its increasing "frustration" over electoral losses, and asked BJP MPs to use technology effectively to take the truth to the masses. At the BJP Parliamentary Party meet, Modi and party chief Amit Shah asked their MPs to observe Social Justice Day on Dalit icon Bhim Rao Ambedkar's birth anniversary, Swachh Bharat Divas and other events between April 14 and May 5, party leaders Prakash Javadekar and Anil Baluni told reporters in Delhi. "Modi told the MPs that the party is in power so that we can take the country to new heights, and asked them to work on the ground," Javadekar said. The prime minister told the MPs to use technology to present facts and reach out to people as the opposition was spreading lies against the government out of frustration. Shah in his speech blamed the opposition for the impasse in Parliament and asked the MPs to hold pressers in the next three days in their parliamentary constituencies to highlight the matter, Baluni said. With the party gearing up for Lok Sabha polls next year, Shah asked MPs to work to strengthen booth-level organisation in their constituencies, asserting that the organisation's work at the booth level, along with BJP's ideology and Modi's leadership, has been a key reason for its success. Baluni said that the party will celebrate the period between April 14 and May 5 as "Gram Swaraj Abhiyaan", and Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar gave a presentation on it. April 14, the birth anniversary of Dalit icon Bhim Rao Ambedkar, will be celebrated as Social Justice Day. It will be followed by Swachh Bharat Diwas on April 18, Ujjawala Diwas on April 20, Panchayati Raj Diwas on April 24 and Swasth Bharat Diwas on April 30. Kisan Kalyan Diwas will be observed on May 2 and Aajevika Kuashal Diwas on May 5. Baluni said that Jitendra Singh gave a presentation to the MPs on developing the 115 most backward districts in the country. Singh said that the prime minister will visit the best performing district. This was the first BJP Parliamentary Party meeting at its new headquarters at the Deendayal Upadhyay Marg here.

Frustrated Opposition spreading lies against government: Modi

An MLA from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Anil Singh went against his party to vote for the BJP in the Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh on Friday.

A day before the election, Singh&nbsp;met with the state chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

Singh said that he voted to the BJP on &quot; antaratma ki awaaz&quot;. He said, &quot;My inside asked me to vote for the BJP&quot;.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I have voted for BJP, I don&#39;t know about the rest: Anil Singh, BSP MLA <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RajyaSabhaElections?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RajyaSabhaElections</a> <a href="https://t.co/28R7njmfnP">pic.twitter.com/28R7njmfnP</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/977047651286908928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Anil Singh is the BSP MLA from Purwa in Unnao, UP.

Reports also said that another MLA, Nitin Agarwal, from the Samajwadi Party (SP) legislator from Hardoi, also voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates.&nbsp;

His father Naresh Agarwal had already joined the BJP earlier this month.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sp-leader-naresh-agrawal-joins-bjp-mocks-jaya-bachchan-35532" target="_blank">SP leader Naresh Agrawal joins BJP, mocks Jaya Bachchan</a>

An MLA from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Anil Singh went against his party to vote for the BJP in the Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh on Friday

An MLA from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Anil Singh went against his party to vote for the BJP in the Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh on Friday. A day before the election, Singh met with the state chief minister Yogi Adityanath. Singh said that he voted to the BJP on " antaratma ki awaaz". He said, "My inside asked me to vote for the BJP". I have voted for BJP, I don't know about the rest: Anil Singh, BSP MLA #RajyaSabhaElections pic.twitter.com/28R7njmfnP — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 23, 2018 × Anil Singh is the BSP MLA from Purwa in Unnao, UP. Reports also said that another MLA, Nitin Agarwal, from the Samajwadi Party (SP) legislator from Hardoi, also voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates. His father Naresh Agarwal had already joined the BJP earlier this month. Also read: SP leader Naresh Agrawal joins BJP, mocks Jaya Bachchan

Rajya Sabha polls: Setback to Mayawati, BSP MLA votes for BJP

Congress president Rahul Gandhi hit back at BJP yet again on Cambridge Analytica allegations.&nbsp;

A day after he said that the government &#39;&#39;invented story&#39;&#39; on Congress and &#39;&#39;data theft&#39;&#39; to divert attention from the 39 Indians who were slaughtered by the &nbsp;ISIS in Iraq&#39;s Mosul, the Gandhi scion fired yet another salvo at the BJP. &nbsp;This time he accused the BJP of paying Cambridge Analytica to &#39;&#39;infiltrate and sabotage&#39;&#39; the Congress in 2012.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
BJP lying factory at work: 
 
Journalist set to break big story on how Cambridge Analytica (CA) was paid to infiltrate and sabotage the Congress in 2012. 
 
BJP rushes Cabinet Minister to lie and spin fake news:Congress worked with CA! 
 
Real story vanishes.<a href="https://t.co/zMX7VJAAfa">https://t.co/zMX7VJAAfa</a>
&mdash; Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/977044463947149312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

BJP lying factory at work: Journalist set to break big story on how Cambridge Analytica (CA) was paid to infiltrate and sabotage the Congress in 2012. BJP rushes Cabinet Minister to lie and spin fake news:Congress worked with CA! Real story vanishes,&#39;&#39; he tweeted.

Rahul Gandhi quoted a story from a website which stated Alexander Nix, the disgraced CEO of the UK-based data gathering firm may have plotted to defeat the Congress party ahead of India&#39;s 2014 parliamentary elections.&nbsp;

Since the data scandal involving Cambridge Analytica came to light both Congress and BJP have been accusing each other of using the data mining service company&#39;s service to win elections.&nbsp;

Both Congress and BJP have been trading charges at each other since the data scandal involving Cambridge Analytica came to light. Both the parties&nbsp;accused each other of using the data mining company&#39;s service to win elections.&nbsp;

Rahul Gandhi quoted a story from a website which stated Alexander Nix, the disgraced CEO of the UK-based data gathering firm may have plotted to defeat the Congress party ahead of India's 2014 parliamentary elections.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi hit back at BJP yet again on Cambridge Analytica allegations. A day after he said that the government ''invented story'' on Congress and ''data theft'' to divert attention from the 39 Indians who were slaughtered by the ISIS in Iraq's Mosul, the Gandhi scion fired yet another salvo at the BJP. This time he accused the BJP of paying Cambridge Analytica to ''infiltrate and sabotage'' the Congress in 2012. BJP lying factory at work: Journalist set to break big story on how Cambridge Analytica (CA) was paid to infiltrate and sabotage the Congress in 2012. BJP rushes Cabinet Minister to lie and spin fake news:Congress worked with CA! Real story vanishes.https://t.co/zMX7VJAAfa — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 23, 2018 × BJP lying factory at work: Journalist set to break big story on how Cambridge Analytica (CA) was paid to infiltrate and sabotage the Congress in 2012. BJP rushes Cabinet Minister to lie and spin fake news:Congress worked with CA! Real story vanishes,'' he tweeted. Rahul Gandhi quoted a story from a website which stated Alexander Nix, the disgraced CEO of the UK-based data gathering firm may have plotted to defeat the Congress party ahead of India's 2014 parliamentary elections. Since the data scandal involving Cambridge Analytica came to light both Congress and BJP have been accusing each other of using the data mining service company's service to win elections. Both Congress and BJP have been trading charges at each other since the data scandal involving Cambridge Analytica came to light. Both the parties accused each other of using the data mining company's service to win elections.

'BJP lying factory at work to spin fake news': Rahul Gandhi hits out at BJP over CA allegations

The polls to the Rajya Sabha, which will have 58 vacancies in April, were held on Friday.

For the 58 Rajya Sabha seats to be filled, 33 candidates from 10 states have been unanimously elected.

The results of the anticipated&nbsp;election to 25 seats of the Rajya Sabha have started pouring in from across the country.&nbsp;

The counting for Rajya Sabha elections for 25 seats is currently underway across six states - Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. The polling began on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, after initially being put on hold, the counting has also started in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. It was put on hold in UP after SP-BSP filed a complaint against the two MLAs who cross-voted.&nbsp;

Counting began only after the Election Commission gave its clearance after some parties raised objections over <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/cross-voting-reported-in-rajya-sabha-elections-36867">cross-voting</a>. Though the ruling BJP is confident of shoring up its numbers in the Rajya Sabha, two seats - in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka - have emerged as prestige battles for the party.&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>BJP has won the prestige fight in Uttar Pradesh by winning 9 Rajya Sabha seats out of 10.</li>
	<li>The Trinamool Congress won four seats in West Bengal. All four TMC candidates - sitting Rajya Sabha member Nadimul Haque and first-time nominees Subhasish Chakraborty, Abir Biswas and Santanu Sen - emerged victorious.</li>
	<li>Congress&#39;s Abhishek Manu Singhvi won the Rajya Sabha election from West Bengal.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>MP Veerendra Kumar, the state president of the Janata Dal (U)&#39;s Sharad Yadav faction, was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Kerala.</li>
	<li>Candidates of Telangana&#39;s ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) - B Prakash, J Santosh Kumar and AB Lingaiah Yadav - bagged all three Rajya Sabha seats.</li>
	<li>TDP leader CM Ramesh was unanimously elected to the Rajya Sabha in Andhra Pradesh.</li>
	<li>Dr L Hanumanthaiah, Dr Syed Naseer Hussain and G C Chandrasekhar from Congress and the BJP&#39;s Rajeev Chandrashekar bagged the Rajya Sabha seats in Karnataka.</li>
	<li>BJP&#39;s Saroj Pandey won the Rajya Sabha election from Chhattisgarh by beating Congress&#39;s Lekhram Sahu.</li>
	<li>Samajwadi Party candidate Jaya Bachchan has bagged 38 votes to win another Rajya Sabha term.</li>
</ul>

The voting for Rajya Sabha elections for 25 seats is currently underway across six states - Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Telangana

The polls to the Rajya Sabha, which will have 58 vacancies in April, were held on Friday. For the 58 Rajya Sabha seats to be filled, 33 candidates from 10 states have been unanimously elected. The results of the anticipated election to 25 seats of the Rajya Sabha have started pouring in from across the country. The counting for Rajya Sabha elections for 25 seats is currently underway across six states - Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. The polling began on Friday morning. Meanwhile, after initially being put on hold, the counting has also started in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. It was put on hold in UP after SP-BSP filed a complaint against the two MLAs who cross-voted. Counting began only after the Election Commission gave its clearance after some parties raised objections over cross-voting. Though the ruling BJP is confident of shoring up its numbers in the Rajya Sabha, two seats - in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka - have emerged as prestige battles for the party. BJP has won the prestige fight in Uttar Pradesh by winning 9 Rajya Sabha seats out of 10. The Trinamool Congress won four seats in West Bengal. All four TMC candidates - sitting Rajya Sabha member Nadimul Haque and first-time nominees Subhasish Chakraborty, Abir Biswas and Santanu Sen - emerged victorious. Congress's Abhishek Manu Singhvi won the Rajya Sabha election from West Bengal. MP Veerendra Kumar, the state president of the Janata Dal (U)'s Sharad Yadav faction, was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Kerala. Candidates of Telangana's ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) - B Prakash, J Santosh Kumar and AB Lingaiah Yadav - bagged all three Rajya Sabha seats. TDP leader CM Ramesh was unanimously elected to the Rajya Sabha in Andhra Pradesh. Dr L Hanumanthaiah, Dr Syed Naseer Hussain and G C Chandrasekhar from Congress and the BJP's Rajeev Chandrashekar bagged the Rajya Sabha seats in Karnataka. BJP's Saroj Pandey won the Rajya Sabha election from Chhattisgarh by beating Congress's Lekhram Sahu. Samajwadi Party candidate Jaya Bachchan has bagged 38 votes to win another Rajya Sabha term.

Highlights from the 2018 Rajya Sabha election

The polls to Rajya Sabha, which will have 58 vacancies in April, will be held on Friday.

For the 58 Rajya Sabha seats to be filled, 33 candidates from 10 states have been unanimously elected.

Voting for the remaining 25 seats will be held in six states. They are Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Telangana.

The Rajya Sabha vacancies next month include 17 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and 12 from the Congress Party.

Three nominated members - actress Rekha, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, and social worker Anu Aga -- will retire in April.

The BJP has filed 18 candidates for the biennial polls. They include Anil Baluni, the national head of the BJP`s media wing, from Uttarakhand and Saroj Pandey, BJP general secretary, from Chhattisgarh.

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda has filed nomination papers as the BJP candidate from Himachal Pradesh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will contest from Uttar Pradesh and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Bihar.

The BJP has also fielded Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot from Madhya Pradesh for another Rajya Sabha term.Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Mansukh L. Mandaviya and Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Parshottam Rupala will contest from Gujarat.

In Congress, Naranbhai Rathwa and Amee Yajnik will contest from Gujarat and Dhiraj Prasad will contest from Jharkhand.Akhilesh Prasad Singh and Lekhram Sahu will contest from Bihar and Chhattisgarh respectively, while Rajmani Patel, Kumar Ketkar, Porika Bairam Naik and Abhishek Manu Singhvi are contesting from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and West Bengal, respectively.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier said the Trinamool Congress would back Singhvi.Mahendra Prasad Singh and Bashistha Narain Singh are the Janata Dal (United) candidates for the polls.

Counting of votes will begin from 5 pm onwards on Friday. Results are expected to will be announced the same evening.&nbsp;

Counting of votes will begin from 5 pm onwards on Friday. Results are expected to will be announced the same evening

The polls to Rajya Sabha, which will have 58 vacancies in April, will be held on Friday. For the 58 Rajya Sabha seats to be filled, 33 candidates from 10 states have been unanimously elected. Voting for the remaining 25 seats will be held in six states. They are Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Telangana. The Rajya Sabha vacancies next month include 17 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and 12 from the Congress Party. Three nominated members - actress Rekha, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, and social worker Anu Aga -- will retire in April. The BJP has filed 18 candidates for the biennial polls. They include Anil Baluni, the national head of the BJP`s media wing, from Uttarakhand and Saroj Pandey, BJP general secretary, from Chhattisgarh. Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda has filed nomination papers as the BJP candidate from Himachal Pradesh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will contest from Uttar Pradesh and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Bihar. The BJP has also fielded Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot from Madhya Pradesh for another Rajya Sabha term.Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Mansukh L. Mandaviya and Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Parshottam Rupala will contest from Gujarat. In Congress, Naranbhai Rathwa and Amee Yajnik will contest from Gujarat and Dhiraj Prasad will contest from Jharkhand.Akhilesh Prasad Singh and Lekhram Sahu will contest from Bihar and Chhattisgarh respectively, while Rajmani Patel, Kumar Ketkar, Porika Bairam Naik and Abhishek Manu Singhvi are contesting from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and West Bengal, respectively. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier said the Trinamool Congress would back Singhvi.Mahendra Prasad Singh and Bashistha Narain Singh are the Janata Dal (United) candidates for the polls. Counting of votes will begin from 5 pm onwards on Friday. Results are expected to will be announced the same evening.

Rajya Sabha polls: Electoral battle for 25 seats today

The Congress accused Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of withdrawing cases of heinous crimes such as rioting in Muzaffarnagar on religious lines.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/muzaffarnagar-riots-up-government-to-withdraw-131-cases-opposition-criticises-move-36711" target="_blank">Muzaffarnagar riots: UP government to withdraw 131 cases</a>

Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala alleged that Adityanath was emulating the British by ruling through the policy of &quot;divide and rule&quot;.

&quot;Can cases be withdrawn because I am a Muslim, I am a Sikh, I am a Buddhist, I am a Jain, I am a Hindu, I am a Parsi? Can cases be withdrawn based on which religion do you belong to?&quot; he asked.

&quot;Can cases under heinous offences, can cases of promoting enmity on communal ground, can cases of denigrating each others&#39; religion and consequent riots be withdrawn as political cases is an important question that CM needs to answer,&quot; he alleged.

BJP leaders met CM Adityanath on February 5, 2018 and demanded withdrawal of 179 of the 503 cases.

Surjewala said that if Adityanath wanted to review all the cases of riots based on truth, then why only 179 out of 503.

&quot;Why are you selectively picking up only those which are being stated or represented by BJP workers and leaders,&quot; he asked.

Surjewala asked if Adityanath was &quot;scared&quot; that after the Supreme Court ordered fast-tracking all criminal cases against political leaders.

&quot;Are they scared that if the cases are put in fast track court, then it will be adversarial for BJP leaders, MLAs and MPs and that is why a quick and hurried decision is being taken, although the CM has only moved and a final call is yet to be taken,&quot; he said.

The Congress leader urged Adityanath to learn from the defeat in the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypolls, saying he is no longer a BJP leader, but a defender and protector of the Constitution and the law.

&quot;We want to remind him that he has taken oath of India&#39;s Constitution that he will protect and uphold the Constitution and the law. Will he do so, is a question that he must answer,&quot; he said.

&quot;Divide and rule is the policy being followed by the BJP for they have emulated the British for far too long. Divide and rule and somehow come to power - divide on the basis of religion and retain or attain power, divide on the basis of caste and attain power and make everyone fight with each other,&quot; Surjewala said.

He claimed that in western Uttar Pradesh, there have been no riots since 1857 and even during the partition of the country.

There were no riots in this area as Hindus, Muslim, Sikhs, Buddhists and others all stood together in unison to remain in the Indian Union, he said.

They did not want to go with Pakistan, they did not subscribe to the theory of a religion-based country and they rejected it in toto, he said.

Surjewala said it was only in September 2013, that there were riots for the first time in this area after over 100 years in which 62 people died and 503 cases were registered.&nbsp;

Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala alleged that Adityanath was emulating the British by ruling through the policy of 'divide and rule'

The Congress accused Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of withdrawing cases of heinous crimes such as rioting in Muzaffarnagar on religious lines. Also read: Muzaffarnagar riots: UP government to withdraw 131 cases Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala alleged that Adityanath was emulating the British by ruling through the policy of "divide and rule". "Can cases be withdrawn because I am a Muslim, I am a Sikh, I am a Buddhist, I am a Jain, I am a Hindu, I am a Parsi? Can cases be withdrawn based on which religion do you belong to?" he asked. "Can cases under heinous offences, can cases of promoting enmity on communal ground, can cases of denigrating each others' religion and consequent riots be withdrawn as political cases is an important question that CM needs to answer," he alleged. BJP leaders met CM Adityanath on February 5, 2018 and demanded withdrawal of 179 of the 503 cases. Surjewala said that if Adityanath wanted to review all the cases of riots based on truth, then why only 179 out of 503. "Why are you selectively picking up only those which are being stated or represented by BJP workers and leaders," he asked. Surjewala asked if Adityanath was "scared" that after the Supreme Court ordered fast-tracking all criminal cases against political leaders. "Are they scared that if the cases are put in fast track court, then it will be adversarial for BJP leaders, MLAs and MPs and that is why a quick and hurried decision is being taken, although the CM has only moved and a final call is yet to be taken," he said. The Congress leader urged Adityanath to learn from the defeat in the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypolls, saying he is no longer a BJP leader, but a defender and protector of the Constitution and the law. "We want to remind him that he has taken oath of India's Constitution that he will protect and uphold the Constitution and the law. Will he do so, is a question that he must answer," he said. "Divide and rule is the policy being followed by the BJP for they have emulated the British for far too long. Divide and rule and somehow come to power - divide on the basis of religion and retain or attain power, divide on the basis of caste and attain power and make everyone fight with each other," Surjewala said. He claimed that in western Uttar Pradesh, there have been no riots since 1857 and even during the partition of the country. There were no riots in this area as Hindus, Muslim, Sikhs, Buddhists and others all stood together in unison to remain in the Indian Union, he said. They did not want to go with Pakistan, they did not subscribe to the theory of a religion-based country and they rejected it in toto, he said. Surjewala said it was only in September 2013, that there were riots for the first time in this area after over 100 years in which 62 people died and 503 cases were registered.

Yogi withdrawing Muzaffarnagar riots cases on basis of religion: Congress

As polling for Rajya Sabha continued on Friday afternoon, speculations on which lawmaker voted for which party started floating around with open declaration of few leaders of cross-voting many assumed, that Bharatiya Janata Party may end up with big gains, thanks to the cross-voting.

Counting of votes for Rajya Sabha elections begins after clearance from the Election Commission.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UttarPradesh?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UttarPradesh</a> Counting of votes for Rajya Sabha elections begins after clearance from the Election Commission.
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/977176394940764161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

Earlier, Election Commission had not given permission to begin the counting of votes for Rajya Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh due to some objections in ballot papers, reports ANI.&nbsp;

Counting will begin only after EC gives clearance. In a complaint to Election Commission, BSP and SP have expressed fear of rigging during the polling and also alleged that Ballot paper was torn by BJP leader.&nbsp;

BSP MLA Anil Singh indicated that he had cross-voted in favour of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha polls, saying &quot;I am with Maharaj-ji&quot;, referring to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

&ldquo;I have voted for BJP, I don&#39;t know about the rest,&rdquo; proclaimed Singh.&nbsp;

OP Rajbha, a minister in Yogi Adityanath&#39;s UP Cabinet, also confirmed the floating allegations of cross-voting. According to him, Nishad Party MLA Vijay Mishra and Singh were present in BJP&#39;s meeting with it&#39;s allies on Thursday.

Reports of cross-voting also emerged from Karnataka Rajya Sabha polls.

&ldquo;Two senior Congress leaders cross-voted in the first ballot paper. Returning officer allowed them to vote again in fresh ballot paper. Illegal voting is going on, requested EC Observer to counter mandate the process,&rdquo; said Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy.&nbsp;

Reports of Congress MLA Naresh Saini voting for a rival party has also emerged, though he thoroughly denied all allegations.

Samajwadi Party leader Rajendra Chaudhary, on the other hand, claimed that BJP MLAs are annoyed with their own high command.

After the Election Commission of India or ECI received a complaint by the All India Congress Committee over Jharkhand Vikas Morcha Prakash Ram, who cross- voted, the Commission said &quot;further view will be taken after receiving Returning Officer&#39;s report&quot;.&nbsp;

The Election Commission has not given permission to begin the counting of votes for Rajya Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh due to some objections in ballot papers

As polling for Rajya Sabha continued on Friday afternoon, speculations on which lawmaker voted for which party started floating around with open declaration of few leaders of cross-voting many assumed, that Bharatiya Janata Party may end up with big gains, thanks to the cross-voting. Counting of votes for Rajya Sabha elections begins after clearance from the Election Commission. #UttarPradesh Counting of votes for Rajya Sabha elections begins after clearance from the Election Commission. — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 23, 2018 × Earlier, Election Commission had not given permission to begin the counting of votes for Rajya Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh due to some objections in ballot papers, reports ANI. Counting will begin only after EC gives clearance. In a complaint to Election Commission, BSP and SP have expressed fear of rigging during the polling and also alleged that Ballot paper was torn by BJP leader. BSP MLA Anil Singh indicated that he had cross-voted in favour of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha polls, saying "I am with Maharaj-ji", referring to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. “I have voted for BJP, I don't know about the rest,” proclaimed Singh. OP Rajbha, a minister in Yogi Adityanath's UP Cabinet, also confirmed the floating allegations of cross-voting. According to him, Nishad Party MLA Vijay Mishra and Singh were present in BJP's meeting with it's allies on Thursday. Reports of cross-voting also emerged from Karnataka Rajya Sabha polls. “Two senior Congress leaders cross-voted in the first ballot paper. Returning officer allowed them to vote again in fresh ballot paper. Illegal voting is going on, requested EC Observer to counter mandate the process,” said Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy. Reports of Congress MLA Naresh Saini voting for a rival party has also emerged, though he thoroughly denied all allegations. Samajwadi Party leader Rajendra Chaudhary, on the other hand, claimed that BJP MLAs are annoyed with their own high command. After the Election Commission of India or ECI received a complaint by the All India Congress Committee over Jharkhand Vikas Morcha Prakash Ram, who cross- voted, the Commission said "further view will be taken after receiving Returning Officer's report".

Cross-voting reported in Rajya Sabha elections

There is state of political upheaval these days in the nation. Narendra Modi is standing tall and firm and he has sent ripples of insecurity among all political parties. Leaders are worried about their future. There is state of panic among parties opposed to BJP and everybody is willing to go to any extent to secure his political future.

Sworn enemies are coming close and burying the hatchet deep. Just now, eternal die-hard enemies the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party joined hands for Gorakhpur &amp; Phulpur by-elections.

Ideologies and official party lines have gone for a toss. Raj Thackeray and Sharad Pawar are exploring each other for a possible tie-up. More bizarre is the fact that Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called on Uddhav Thackeray when she visited Mumbai recently. This is ground-breaking as both parties have ideologies which are diametrically opposite to each other, literally.

Regional satraps have their own ambitions. Everybody is trying to become the anti-Modi crusader.

But it is very much visible that in all this jugglery Congress is going to be the biggest loser in days to come. It was so very well manifested in the recent Phulpur &amp; Gorakhpur bypolls. In Phulpur and Gorakhpur during general elections in 2014, Congress begged a six per cent and four per cent votes. Forty five months down the line, in the recent bypolls, when there was a mass shifting of votes from the BJP&#39;s share, Congress&#39;s vote share further plummeted to an unbelievable two and &amp; 2.6 per cent respectively.

So even if we consider a case where voters get alienated from BJP, they don&#39;t see Congress as an option.

The game of politics is simple. You need to keep some compelling reason alive for voters to vote for you. This compelling reason is of two types - either you generate a feeling among voters on macro-level i.e. on the broad national level, or you should have the grip on the votes due to regional reasons.

Take the case of BJP. BJP commands vote on both the accounts. People believe that BJP is a strong organisation with strong central leadership and thus it succeeds. Moreover, since BJP has strong regional presence and leadership (like UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Paradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh) and in most part of India BJP connects with voters well on regional issues/sentiments, it commands votes on this aspect too.

Regional parties like Shiv Sena, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Telugu Desam Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal will keep floating for the time to come as they somehow or other will keep a connection on the ground with their understanding of the regional issues and their strong cadre at the grassroot level.

Congress fails miserably on both the accounts. They at this point in time, are far from being a national alternative under the almost non-existence central leadership. Over the years, weak leadership at the top has also resulted in steep depletion of its cadre across the nation. Barring Punjab, Rajasthan and to an extent Karnataka, Congress has completely lost base on the ground. The loss has gone to an extent and to a point that it is now more or less irreversible.

In this scenario, a united front under the leadership of Congress (read Rahul Gandhi) is highly improbable. Regional parties know the political acumen and patronage of Rahul Gandhi and simply shy away from any association with them. Taking a cue from the SP-Congress tie-up last year in UP assembly poll, regional parties now realise that any association with Congress will only weaken their regional selling points among voters. The crux is that regional parties may be interested to shake hand with anybody, but Congress.

So the way politics is going on these days and the way regional parties are trying to keep themselves afloat amid the Modi wave, it is likely that Congress will be left alone in the race and votes will get polarised towards BJP and regional parties in days to come.

It is high time that Congress leadership smells the coffee before it gets too late. By answering the questions of gatherings in Singapore and Malaysia, the Congress president will not garner support back home. He needs to make his party relevant for those who really matter i.e. Indian voters.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Even if voters get alienated from BJP, they don't see Congress as an option.

There is state of political upheaval these days in the nation. Narendra Modi is standing tall and firm and he has sent ripples of insecurity among all political parties. Leaders are worried about their future. There is state of panic among parties opposed to BJP and everybody is willing to go to any extent to secure his political future. Sworn enemies are coming close and burying the hatchet deep. Just now, eternal die-hard enemies the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party joined hands for Gorakhpur & Phulpur by-elections. Ideologies and official party lines have gone for a toss. Raj Thackeray and Sharad Pawar are exploring each other for a possible tie-up. More bizarre is the fact that Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called on Uddhav Thackeray when she visited Mumbai recently. This is ground-breaking as both parties have ideologies which are diametrically opposite to each other, literally. Regional satraps have their own ambitions. Everybody is trying to become the anti-Modi crusader. But it is very much visible that in all this jugglery Congress is going to be the biggest loser in days to come. It was so very well manifested in the recent Phulpur & Gorakhpur bypolls. In Phulpur and Gorakhpur during general elections in 2014, Congress begged a six per cent and four per cent votes. Forty five months down the line, in the recent bypolls, when there was a mass shifting of votes from the BJP's share, Congress's vote share further plummeted to an unbelievable two and & 2.6 per cent respectively. So even if we consider a case where voters get alienated from BJP, they don't see Congress as an option. The game of politics is simple. You need to keep some compelling reason alive for voters to vote for you. This compelling reason is of two types - either you generate a feeling among voters on macro-level i.e. on the broad national level, or you should have the grip on the votes due to regional reasons. Take the case of BJP. BJP commands vote on both the accounts. People believe that BJP is a strong organisation with strong central leadership and thus it succeeds. Moreover, since BJP has strong regional presence and leadership (like UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Paradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh) and in most part of India BJP connects with voters well on regional issues/sentiments, it commands votes on this aspect too. Regional parties like Shiv Sena, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Telugu Desam Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal will keep floating for the time to come as they somehow or other will keep a connection on the ground with their understanding of the regional issues and their strong cadre at the grassroot level. Congress fails miserably on both the accounts. They at this point in time, are far from being a national alternative under the almost non-existence central leadership. Over the years, weak leadership at the top has also resulted in steep depletion of its cadre across the nation. Barring Punjab, Rajasthan and to an extent Karnataka, Congress has completely lost base on the ground. The loss has gone to an extent and to a point that it is now more or less irreversible. In this scenario, a united front under the leadership of Congress (read Rahul Gandhi) is highly improbable. Regional parties know the political acumen and patronage of Rahul Gandhi and simply shy away from any association with them. Taking a cue from the SP-Congress tie-up last year in UP assembly poll, regional parties now realise that any association with Congress will only weaken their regional selling points among voters. The crux is that regional parties may be interested to shake hand with anybody, but Congress. So the way politics is going on these days and the way regional parties are trying to keep themselves afloat amid the Modi wave, it is likely that Congress will be left alone in the race and votes will get polarised towards BJP and regional parties in days to come. It is high time that Congress leadership smells the coffee before it gets too late. By answering the questions of gatherings in Singapore and Malaysia, the Congress president will not garner support back home. He needs to make his party relevant for those who really matter i.e. Indian voters. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: In current anti-Modi rhetoric by regional parties, Congress tends to be the biggest loser

Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of &#39;&#39;inventing story&#39;&#39; on Congress and &#39;&#39;data theft&#39;&#39; to divert attention from the 39 Indians who were slaughtered by the &nbsp;ISIS in Iraq&#39;s Mosul.&nbsp;

Taking to his official Twitter handle, Rahul Gandhi tweeted &#39;&#39;Problem: 39 Indians dead; Govt on the mat, caught lying. Solution: Invent story on Congress &amp; Data Theft. Result: Media networks bite bait; 39 Indians vanish from radar. Problem solved.&#39;&#39;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Problem: 39 Indians dead; Govt on the mat, caught lying. 
 
Solution: Invent story on Congress &amp; Data Theft. 
 
Result: Media networks bite bait; 39 Indians vanish from radar. 
 
Problem solved.
&mdash; Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/976680979199819776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Since the data scandal involving Cambridge Analytica came to light both Congress and BJP have been accusing each other of using the data mining service company&#39;s service to win elections.&nbsp;

Responding to Rahul Gandhi&#39;s charges, BJP&#39;s &nbsp;Ravi Shankar Prasad at a press briefing in New Delhi on Thursday accused the Congress of maintaining conspicuous silence on their ties with Cambridge Analytica.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Rahul Gandhi&#39;s entire social media campaign has been managed with the help of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CambridgeAnalytica?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CambridgeAnalytica</a> &amp; they have had meetings also: Ravi Shankar Prasad at press briefing in Delhi.
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/976720885238390784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

He said Rahul Gandhi&#39;s entire social media campaign has been managed with the help of Cambridge Analytica.&nbsp;

&#39;&#39;Rahul Gandhi&#39;s entire social media campaign has been managed with the help of Cambridge Analytica and they have had meetings also,&#39;&#39; Prasad said without producing any proof to buttress his claims.&nbsp;

The BJP on Wednesday accused the Congress of hiring the services of Cambridge Analytica, a data mining firm accused of illegally harvesting Facebook users&#39; details to influence elections in several countries, and wondered if the party would now depend on &quot;data theft&quot; to woo voters.

The Congress, however, denied the charge and instead, accused the ruling party of using the services of the controversial firm. The BJP also rejected the allegation.

The BJP on Wednesday accused the Congress of hiring the services of Cambridge Analytica and wondered if the party would now depend on "data theft" to woo voters.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of ''inventing story'' on Congress and ''data theft'' to divert attention from the 39 Indians who were slaughtered by the ISIS in Iraq's Mosul. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Rahul Gandhi tweeted ''Problem: 39 Indians dead; Govt on the mat, caught lying. Solution: Invent story on Congress & Data Theft. Result: Media networks bite bait; 39 Indians vanish from radar. Problem solved.'' Problem: 39 Indians dead; Govt on the mat, caught lying. Solution: Invent story on Congress & Data Theft. Result: Media networks bite bait; 39 Indians vanish from radar. Problem solved. — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 22, 2018 × Since the data scandal involving Cambridge Analytica came to light both Congress and BJP have been accusing each other of using the data mining service company's service to win elections. Responding to Rahul Gandhi's charges, BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad at a press briefing in New Delhi on Thursday accused the Congress of maintaining conspicuous silence on their ties with Cambridge Analytica. Rahul Gandhi's entire social media campaign has been managed with the help of #CambridgeAnalytica & they have had meetings also: Ravi Shankar Prasad at press briefing in Delhi. — ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2018 × He said Rahul Gandhi's entire social media campaign has been managed with the help of Cambridge Analytica. ''Rahul Gandhi's entire social media campaign has been managed with the help of Cambridge Analytica and they have had meetings also,'' Prasad said without producing any proof to buttress his claims. The BJP on Wednesday accused the Congress of hiring the services of Cambridge Analytica, a data mining firm accused of illegally harvesting Facebook users' details to influence elections in several countries, and wondered if the party would now depend on "data theft" to woo voters. The Congress, however, denied the charge and instead, accused the ruling party of using the services of the controversial firm. The BJP also rejected the allegation.

Rahul Gandhi accuses BJP of 'inventing story' to divert attention from 39 Indians slaughtered in Iraq

Special fast track of Ramgarh declared life imprisonment for the accused of an Alimuddin murder case.

11 accused that has been imprisoned for life reportedly includes a local BJP leader.

Convicts have been identified as Santosh Singh, Deepak Mishra, Vicky Saw, Sikandar Ram, Uttam Ram, Vikram Prasad, Raju Kumar, Rohit Thakur, Chottu Verma, Kapil Thakur and local BJP leader Nityanand Mahto.&nbsp;

Each convict has also been asked to give fine of&nbsp;2,000 rupees.&nbsp;

The court is yet to take a decision on another accused who according to reports is a minor.

The court judgement was welcomed by the deceased&#39;s family. Media reports quoted his wife Mariam Khatun saying that the accused deserved nothing less.&nbsp;

In 2017 a Muslim trader name Alumuddin Ansari was lynched by the mob of over 100 people while transporting beef in his vehicle.

After the lynching, his cart was set on fire by the mob.

This is the first case of cow vigilantism in the country in which the accused were convicted and punished by the court.

11 accused that has been imprisoned for life reportedly includes a local BJP leader

Special fast track of Ramgarh declared life imprisonment for the accused of an Alimuddin murder case. 11 accused that has been imprisoned for life reportedly includes a local BJP leader. Convicts have been identified as Santosh Singh, Deepak Mishra, Vicky Saw, Sikandar Ram, Uttam Ram, Vikram Prasad, Raju Kumar, Rohit Thakur, Chottu Verma, Kapil Thakur and local BJP leader Nityanand Mahto. Each convict has also been asked to give fine of 2,000 rupees. The court is yet to take a decision on another accused who according to reports is a minor. The court judgement was welcomed by the deceased's family. Media reports quoted his wife Mariam Khatun saying that the accused deserved nothing less. In 2017 a Muslim trader name Alumuddin Ansari was lynched by the mob of over 100 people while transporting beef in his vehicle. After the lynching, his cart was set on fire by the mob. This is the first case of cow vigilantism in the country in which the accused were convicted and punished by the court.

Alimuddin murder case: 11 cow vigilantes gets life sentence

Amid allegations of Congress using services of Cambridge Analytica for 2019 elections, &nbsp;Congress leader Randeep Surjewala held a press conference to clarify the allegations on Wednesday.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wrR7kf5Cg3c" width="560"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Refusing all the accusations, Surjewala said, &quot;Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica,&quot;.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica. It is a fake agenda and white lie being dished out by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad: Randeep Surjewala, Congress <a href="https://t.co/rVb1LzkxpK">pic.twitter.com/rVb1LzkxpK</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/976405864633589760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Calling&nbsp;Ravi Shankar Prasad&#39;s earlier accusations a &#39;&#39;fake agenda&#39;&#39;, Surjewala also added that &quot;white lie being dished out by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad&quot;.

He also alleged that Rajnath Singh uses Cambridge Analytica in 2009 elections.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
Cambridge Analytica&#39;s linked website shows that in 2010 its services were used by BJP-JD(U). Firm&#39;s Indian partner Ovlene Business Intelligence (OBI) is being run by BJP ally&#39;s MP&#39;s son. OBI company&#39;s services were used by Rajnath Singh in 2009: Randeep Surjewala, Congress <a href="https://t.co/MU0ms3I61r">pic.twitter.com/MU0ms3I61r</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/976409531633762304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Randeep Surjewala further said in the conference that &quot;BJP&#39;s factory of fake news has produced one more fake product today. It appears fake statements, fake press conferences &amp; fake agendas have become everyday character of BJP and its &#39;Lawless&#39; Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad&quot;.

BJP and Congress have got involved in a fight as they accused each other of using UK-based data analysis firm Cambridge Analytica.

Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad also accused Congress Party of having ties with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

He also said that the Congress is planning to use the firm&#39;s services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost its president Rahul Gandhi&#39;s profile. He asked Rahul Gandhi to explain the company&#39;s role in his social media outreach.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
There were news reports about use of bots to artificially increase the social media following of Rahul Gandhi in recent time: <a href="https://twitter.com/rsprasad?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rsprasad</a>
&mdash; RSPrasad Office (@OfficeOfRSP) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRSP/status/976365846737178624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Cambridge Analytica has been accused of harvesting private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump&#39;s 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London&#39;s Observer reported on Saturday (March 18).

The reports have mentioned that the firm has worked for Indian clients as well.

Amid allegations of Congress using services of Cambridge Analytica for 2019 elections, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala held a press conference to clarify the allegations on Wednesday

Amid allegations of Congress using services of Cambridge Analytica for 2019 elections, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala held a press conference to clarify the allegations on Wednesday. × Refusing all the accusations, Surjewala said, "Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica,". Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica. It is a fake agenda and white lie being dished out by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad: Randeep Surjewala, Congress pic.twitter.com/rVb1LzkxpK — ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2018 × Calling Ravi Shankar Prasad's earlier accusations a ''fake agenda'', Surjewala also added that "white lie being dished out by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad". He also alleged that Rajnath Singh uses Cambridge Analytica in 2009 elections. Cambridge Analytica's linked website shows that in 2010 its services were used by BJP-JD(U). Firm's Indian partner Ovlene Business Intelligence (OBI) is being run by BJP ally's MP's son. OBI company's services were used by Rajnath Singh in 2009: Randeep Surjewala, Congress pic.twitter.com/MU0ms3I61r — ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2018 × Randeep Surjewala further said in the conference that "BJP's factory of fake news has produced one more fake product today. It appears fake statements, fake press conferences & fake agendas have become everyday character of BJP and its 'Lawless' Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad". BJP and Congress have got involved in a fight as they accused each other of using UK-based data analysis firm Cambridge Analytica. Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad also accused Congress Party of having ties with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica. He also said that the Congress is planning to use the firm's services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost its president Rahul Gandhi's profile. He asked Rahul Gandhi to explain the company's role in his social media outreach. There were news reports about use of bots to artificially increase the social media following of Rahul Gandhi in recent time: @rsprasad — RSPrasad Office (@OfficeOfRSP) March 21, 2018 × Cambridge Analytica has been accused of harvesting private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London's Observer reported on Saturday (March 18). The reports have mentioned that the firm has worked for Indian clients as well.

Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica: Congress

Aam Aadmi Party members met with the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday over the ongoing sealing drive issue in the capital city. A Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee was set up to find a solution to the sealing drive issue.

&quot;Representatives of all 3 parties along with Council of Ministers met SC Monitoring Committee. Urged them to stop sealing till SC judgement on this issue,&quot; Kejriwal tweeted.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Reps of all 3 parties alongwid Council of Min met SC Monitoring comm. Urged them to stop sealing till SC judgement on this issue. <a href="https://t.co/znMZ2TeAh0">https://t.co/znMZ2TeAh0</a>
&mdash; Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/976375172533047296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

After a meeting last week, the AAP and the Congress had agreed to hold an all-party meeting along with the Monitoring Committee to find a solution to the sealing drive.

A Supreme Court-appointed committee ordered various municipal corporations in the national capital region to carry out sealing drives. Hundreds of commercial established have borne the brunt of the drive that began in December last year.&nbsp;

The sealing drive has been carried out to keep a check on the violators who did not pay &#39;conversion charges&#39; or violated Delhi Master Plan.&nbsp;

After a meeting last week, the AAP and the Congress had agreed to hold an all-party meeting along with the Monitoring Committee to find a solution to the sealing drive

Aam Aadmi Party members met with the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday over the ongoing sealing drive issue in the capital city. A Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee was set up to find a solution to the sealing drive issue. "Representatives of all 3 parties along with Council of Ministers met SC Monitoring Committee. Urged them to stop sealing till SC judgement on this issue," Kejriwal tweeted. Reps of all 3 parties alongwid Council of Min met SC Monitoring comm. Urged them to stop sealing till SC judgement on this issue. https://t.co/znMZ2TeAh0 — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 21, 2018 × After a meeting last week, the AAP and the Congress had agreed to hold an all-party meeting along with the Monitoring Committee to find a solution to the sealing drive. A Supreme Court-appointed committee ordered various municipal corporations in the national capital region to carry out sealing drives. Hundreds of commercial established have borne the brunt of the drive that began in December last year. The sealing drive has been carried out to keep a check on the violators who did not pay 'conversion charges' or violated Delhi Master Plan.

Delhi sealing drive: AAP, Congress, BJP leaders meet Supreme Court-appointed committee

The official spokesperson of Bhartiya Janata Party, Sambit Patra addressed the allegations of BJP colluding with a data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica during the 2014 elections on Wednesday.

Sambit Patra said &quot;BJP has nothing to hide. Let me say that as far as 2014 BJP campaign is concerned 1,000 websites &amp; 10,000 individuals had sought credit for the same and we have seen the named company has downed its website after the allegations that it was carrying the name of BJP&quot;.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
BJP has nothing to hide. Let me say that as far as 2014 BJP campaign is concerned 1,000 websites &amp; 10,000 individuals had sought credit for the same&amp;we have seen the named company has downed its website after allegation that it was carrying the name of BJP: Sambit Patra, BJP <a href="https://t.co/vqU5HYdQv9">pic.twitter.com/vqU5HYdQv9</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/976437284877885441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Amid the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook data breach row, BJP and Congress have accused each other of using services of Cambridge Analytica to illegally mining private data of Facebook users.

Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Congress Party in a press conference, of having ties with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica whiles alleging that Congress is planning to use the firm&#39;s services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost Rahul Gandhi&#39;s profile.

He further asked Rahul Gandhi to explain the company&#39;s role in his social media outreach.

Meanwhile, Congress has denied all allegations.

Refusing accusations, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said, &quot;Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica,&quot;.

Cambridge Analytica has been accused of harvesting private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump&#39;s 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London&#39;s Observer reported on Saturday (March 18).

The reports have mentioned that the firm has worked for Indian clients as well.

The official spokesperson of Bhartiya Janata Party, Sambit Patra addressed the allegations of BJP colluding with a data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica during the 2014 elections on Wednesday

The official spokesperson of Bhartiya Janata Party, Sambit Patra addressed the allegations of BJP colluding with a data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica during the 2014 elections on Wednesday. Sambit Patra said "BJP has nothing to hide. Let me say that as far as 2014 BJP campaign is concerned 1,000 websites & 10,000 individuals had sought credit for the same and we have seen the named company has downed its website after the allegations that it was carrying the name of BJP". BJP has nothing to hide. Let me say that as far as 2014 BJP campaign is concerned 1,000 websites & 10,000 individuals had sought credit for the same&we have seen the named company has downed its website after allegation that it was carrying the name of BJP: Sambit Patra, BJP pic.twitter.com/vqU5HYdQv9 — ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2018 × Amid the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook data breach row, BJP and Congress have accused each other of using services of Cambridge Analytica to illegally mining private data of Facebook users. Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Congress Party in a press conference, of having ties with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica whiles alleging that Congress is planning to use the firm's services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost Rahul Gandhi's profile. He further asked Rahul Gandhi to explain the company's role in his social media outreach. Meanwhile, Congress has denied all allegations. Refusing accusations, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said, "Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica,". Cambridge Analytica has been accused of harvesting private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London's Observer reported on Saturday (March 18). The reports have mentioned that the firm has worked for Indian clients as well.

Cambridge Analytica-Facebook row: BJP has nothing to hide says Sambit Patra

Rajinikanth returned from his 15-day spiritual tour from the Himalayas on Tuesday and soon after denied any connection with the BJP and also condemned the attack on Periyar&#39;s statue.&nbsp;

While addressing the media on Tuesday, Rajinikanth said: &quot;There have been reports that BJP is behind, but I say God is behind me, after that people are behind me. No matter how many times you ask me this my answer will remain the same.&quot;

He further added that the Periya&#39;s statue incident was &quot;nothing but barbarism&quot; and that &quot;it shouldn&#39;t have happened.&quot;

A statue of social reformer and Dravidian movement icon E V Ramasamy, popularly known as &quot;Periyar&quot;, was found damaged in a village in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. Unidentified persons cut off the head of the statue using a chisel and placed it near the roundtana, police said.

The statue unveiled by Dravidar Kazhagam leader K Veeramani in 2013 is maintained by the district unit of the party. A large contingent of police has been deployed in the area to prevent any untoward incident.

Rajinikanth also addressed the controversy over Rama Rajya Rath Yatra and said: &quot;TN is a secular state, I have full confidence that Police will maintain communal harmony.&quot;

Vishwa Hindu Parishad&rsquo;s Ram Rajya Rath Yatra, which started from Uttar Pradesh&rsquo;s Ayodhya, has reached Tamil Nadu. Reports have said that around 1,500 police personnel were deployed to avoid any unfortunate incident.&nbsp;

However, VHP&rsquo;s move to enter Tamil Nadu with Rath Yatra has not gone down well with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The Yatra is first of its kind &lsquo;Rath Yatra&rsquo; in the last 28 years and is aimed at seeking public support for construction of &ldquo;grand&rdquo; Ram Temple in Ayodhya.&nbsp;

Since Tamil superstar, Rajinikanth announced his plan to enter politics and said he would float his own party, speculations have been floating around over that of his party name and flag. While there has been no official announcement on the same or the date it would be announced, word is that the party name and flag might be revealed on Tamil New year&#39;s day, the 14th of April. 
&nbsp;

Rajinikanth returned from his 15-day spiritual tour from the Himalayas on Tuesday

Rajinikanth returned from his 15-day spiritual tour from the Himalayas on Tuesday and soon after denied any connection with the BJP and also condemned the attack on Periyar's statue. While addressing the media on Tuesday, Rajinikanth said: "There have been reports that BJP is behind, but I say God is behind me, after that people are behind me. No matter how many times you ask me this my answer will remain the same." He further added that the Periya's statue incident was "nothing but barbarism" and that "it shouldn't have happened." A statue of social reformer and Dravidian movement icon E V Ramasamy, popularly known as "Periyar", was found damaged in a village in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. Unidentified persons cut off the head of the statue using a chisel and placed it near the roundtana, police said. The statue unveiled by Dravidar Kazhagam leader K Veeramani in 2013 is maintained by the district unit of the party. A large contingent of police has been deployed in the area to prevent any untoward incident. Rajinikanth also addressed the controversy over Rama Rajya Rath Yatra and said: "TN is a secular state, I have full confidence that Police will maintain communal harmony." Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Ram Rajya Rath Yatra, which started from Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya, has reached Tamil Nadu. Reports have said that around 1,500 police personnel were deployed to avoid any unfortunate incident. However, VHP’s move to enter Tamil Nadu with Rath Yatra has not gone down well with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The Yatra is first of its kind ‘Rath Yatra’ in the last 28 years and is aimed at seeking public support for construction of “grand” Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Since Tamil superstar, Rajinikanth announced his plan to enter politics and said he would float his own party, speculations have been floating around over that of his party name and flag. While there has been no official announcement on the same or the date it would be announced, word is that the party name and flag might be revealed on Tamil New year's day, the 14th of April.

Rajinikanth condemns attack on Periyar's statue, says 'nothing but barbarism'

The Lok Sabha was adjourned Tuesday almost as soon as it began.&nbsp;

As soon as proceedings began, chants of &quot;we want justice&quot; echoed through the house. The house has been adjourned till Wednesday morning.&nbsp;

PTI reported that the house was adjourned till noon following protests over different issues by several parties.&nbsp;

Stormy scenes had been expected.&nbsp;

The YSR Congress and the TDP have been trying since last week to table a motion for a no-trust vote against the government over the Andhra &quot;special status&quot; row.&nbsp;

They have so far been unsuccessful because of the adjournments.&nbsp;

More stormy scenes can be expected tomorrow:&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
YSRCP&#39;s YV Subba Reddy writes to Lok Sabha Secretary General, gives notice to include no-confidence motion in the list of business for tomorrow. <a href="https://t.co/ucxSyaE7Lq">pic.twitter.com/ucxSyaE7Lq</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975992667623567360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The Rajya Sabha meanwhile was able to conduct a little business. External Affairs Minister was able to inform the house that the 39 Indians missing in Iraq had been <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/39-indians-missing-in-iraq-dead-sushma-swaraj-36459" target="_blank">confirmed as </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/39-indians-missing-in-iraq-dead-sushma-swaraj-36459" target="_blank">dead</a>, before that house too was adjourned for the day.&nbsp;

The Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 12 noon. The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned for the day

The Lok Sabha was adjourned Tuesday almost as soon as it began. As soon as proceedings began, chants of "we want justice" echoed through the house. The house has been adjourned till Wednesday morning. PTI reported that the house was adjourned till noon following protests over different issues by several parties. Stormy scenes had been expected. The YSR Congress and the TDP have been trying since last week to table a motion for a no-trust vote against the government over the Andhra "special status" row. They have so far been unsuccessful because of the adjournments. More stormy scenes can be expected tomorrow: YSRCP's YV Subba Reddy writes to Lok Sabha Secretary General, gives notice to include no-confidence motion in the list of business for tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/ucxSyaE7Lq — ANI (@ANI) March 20, 2018 × The Rajya Sabha meanwhile was able to conduct a little business. External Affairs Minister was able to inform the house that the 39 Indians missing in Iraq had been confirmed as dead, before that house too was adjourned for the day.

No-confidence motion: Both houses of Parliament adjourned till Wednesday

Without naming its ally BJP, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said he will not compromise with politics that divides society.

The JD-U President told the media that his party will not compromise with the people who are trying to divide the society.

&quot;We will not side with divisive politics,&quot; he said.

&quot;Our policy is very clear in this regard. We cannot support those trying to divide the society, nor will we compromise with corruption. We firmly believe in social harmony and taking everyone together. My government works for development with justice,&quot; Nitish said.

He also strongly pitched for special category status for Bihar. A similar demand for Andhra Pradesh saw TDP pull out of the BJP-led government at the Centre last week.

The trigger for Nitish&#39;s outburst, highly placed sources said, was the Darbhanga incident in which a septuagenarian was hacked to death.The man&#39;s family members and a section of BJP leaders - including state president Nityanand Rai and Union minister Giriraj Singh - have alleged the murder was sparked by the elderly man&#39;s putting up a board at a chowk naming it after Prime Minister Narendra Modi.&nbsp;

However, police and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi say the murder was a fallout of an old dispute over land. &quot;Nitish was upset after seeing footage showing Giriraj inciting a crowd to raise slogans against the Darbhanga DSP,&quot; a JDU leader said under cover of anonymity.

Paswan's and Nitish's comments follow BJP's shock defeat last week in all three Lok Sabha by-elections — two in UP and one in Bihar

Without naming its ally BJP, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said he will not compromise with politics that divides society. The JD-U President told the media that his party will not compromise with the people who are trying to divide the society. "We will not side with divisive politics," he said. "Our policy is very clear in this regard. We cannot support those trying to divide the society, nor will we compromise with corruption. We firmly believe in social harmony and taking everyone together. My government works for development with justice," Nitish said. He also strongly pitched for special category status for Bihar. A similar demand for Andhra Pradesh saw TDP pull out of the BJP-led government at the Centre last week. The trigger for Nitish's outburst, highly placed sources said, was the Darbhanga incident in which a septuagenarian was hacked to death.The man's family members and a section of BJP leaders - including state president Nityanand Rai and Union minister Giriraj Singh - have alleged the murder was sparked by the elderly man's putting up a board at a chowk naming it after Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, police and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi say the murder was a fallout of an old dispute over land. "Nitish was upset after seeing footage showing Giriraj inciting a crowd to raise slogans against the Darbhanga DSP," a JDU leader said under cover of anonymity.

Will not side with divisive politics: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

The no-confidence motion against the government was again not taken up after both houses of Parliament were adjourned Monday morning.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
No confidence motion not introduced, Lok Sabha adjourned till tomorrow after continuous uproar. <a href="https://t.co/bdT3dbBWA8">pic.twitter.com/bdT3dbBWA8</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975622822293893120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The Lok Sabha had earlier been adjourned till 12 pm. But a little after the house sat down,&nbsp;it was adjourned after a continuous uproar.&nbsp;

The TDP&#39;s MPs would not allow Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to run the house.&nbsp; Each time the Lok Sabha would convene, they would run into the well of the house.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Rajya Sabha had earlier already been adjourned till Tuesday.&nbsp;

The YSR Congress and the TDP have asked for a trust vote against the government over the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh. The central government had refused to give the state the special status it was asking for, but had said it would give Andhra the monetary equivalent of special status.&nbsp;

Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had recently asked the two TDP ministers in the union cabinet &mdash; Ashok Gajapathi Raju and YS Chowdary &mdash; to put in their papers. He had then later he would take his next steps accordingly.&nbsp;

The YSR Congress and the TDP had asked for the trust vote &mdash; a minimum of 50 members have to accept the motion for the vote to be held &mdash; last week. The Left, the AIADMK, the Aam Aadmi Party, and the AIMIM will support the vote.&nbsp;

Should the motion be accepted, this will be the first no-trust vote against the central government.&nbsp;

That said, the Narendra-led Modi NDA government is at the moment in no danger of falling. It has a simple majority on its own, and enough independent MPs in the house it could approach, should the need ever arise, to sail through a no-trust vote.&nbsp;

The parties asking for the vote seem to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/want-no-trust-vote-debate-but-not-trying-to-make-government-fall-tdp-mp-36314" target="_blank">understand</a> that. The TDP MP RM Naidu said Monday morning:&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
We are going to go move no-confidence motion,gather support of all respective parties in Parliament. It&#39;s responsibility of all parties in Parliament to support us. Trying to gather as much support as possible so debate happens, not trying to make the govt fall: RM Naidu, TDP MP <a href="https://t.co/LbdfpLAQAd">pic.twitter.com/LbdfpLAQAd</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975587133309313024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The TDP however, commentators says, wishes to attack the government on the issue before assembly elections in Andhra next year &mdash; which is exactly what opposition parties in the state are doing to it. Taking on the central government also allows the TDP to ward off the YSR Congress&#39;s Jagan Mohan Reddy, who has been pushing for special status for Andhra for some four years now.&nbsp;

More fireworks can be expected on Tuesday when Parliament reconvenes; the YSR Congress&#39;s YV Subba Reddy has asked for the motion to be taken up tomorrow again.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
YSRCP MP YV Subba Reddy again writes to Secretary General Lok Sabha to include in list of business for tomorrow &#39;no confidence motion in the council of ministers&#39;. <a href="https://t.co/6fsIhkk10H">pic.twitter.com/6fsIhkk10H</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975639641847140352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

The YSR Congress and the TDP have been trying to push the motion over the 'special status' issue for Andhra Pradesh

The no-confidence motion against the government was again not taken up after both houses of Parliament were adjourned Monday morning. No confidence motion not introduced, Lok Sabha adjourned till tomorrow after continuous uproar. pic.twitter.com/bdT3dbBWA8 — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2018 × The Lok Sabha had earlier been adjourned till 12 pm. But a little after the house sat down, it was adjourned after a continuous uproar. The TDP's MPs would not allow Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to run the house. Each time the Lok Sabha would convene, they would run into the well of the house. The Rajya Sabha had earlier already been adjourned till Tuesday. The YSR Congress and the TDP have asked for a trust vote against the government over the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh. The central government had refused to give the state the special status it was asking for, but had said it would give Andhra the monetary equivalent of special status. Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had recently asked the two TDP ministers in the union cabinet — Ashok Gajapathi Raju and YS Chowdary — to put in their papers. He had then later he would take his next steps accordingly. The YSR Congress and the TDP had asked for the trust vote — a minimum of 50 members have to accept the motion for the vote to be held — last week. The Left, the AIADMK, the Aam Aadmi Party, and the AIMIM will support the vote. Should the motion be accepted, this will be the first no-trust vote against the central government. That said, the Narendra-led Modi NDA government is at the moment in no danger of falling. It has a simple majority on its own, and enough independent MPs in the house it could approach, should the need ever arise, to sail through a no-trust vote. The parties asking for the vote seem to understand that. The TDP MP RM Naidu said Monday morning: We are going to go move no-confidence motion,gather support of all respective parties in Parliament. It's responsibility of all parties in Parliament to support us. Trying to gather as much support as possible so debate happens, not trying to make the govt fall: RM Naidu, TDP MP pic.twitter.com/LbdfpLAQAd — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2018 × The TDP however, commentators says, wishes to attack the government on the issue before assembly elections in Andhra next year — which is exactly what opposition parties in the state are doing to it. Taking on the central government also allows the TDP to ward off the YSR Congress's Jagan Mohan Reddy, who has been pushing for special status for Andhra for some four years now. More fireworks can be expected on Tuesday when Parliament reconvenes; the YSR Congress's YV Subba Reddy has asked for the motion to be taken up tomorrow again. YSRCP MP YV Subba Reddy again writes to Secretary General Lok Sabha to include in list of business for tomorrow 'no confidence motion in the council of ministers'. pic.twitter.com/6fsIhkk10H — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2018 ×

No-confidence motion not taken up, both houses of Parliament adjourned till Tuesday

Bjp, News on Bjp, stories on Bjp, articles on Bjp, Bjp stories at Wion, Bjp news, Bjp latest news