Ahead of the Lok Sabha meeting&nbsp;when&nbsp;Andhra Pradesh&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ysr-congress-tdp-to-pitch-for-no-trust-vote-against-government-today-36300" target="_blank">YSR Congress and the Telugu Desam Party will pitch for no-confidence motion</a> on Monday, TDP MP has said that his party will gather support from all opposition party for an effective debate.

He added that they were not trying to make the government fall, instead, they want a debate on the issue.

He said &quot;We are going to 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&quot;.

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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>
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Meanwhile, YSRCP MP VS Reddy has called the state chief minister a &quot;chameleon&quot;.

He said that since 2016 the BJP, TDP had been assuring the state for its special status and suddenly Chandrababu Naidu colluded with BJP.

He added that Naidu was like a chameleon and he decided against the state.

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We for last 4 yrs after state was bifurcated have been fighting for special category status. Till 2016, BJP&amp;Chandrababu Naidu kept saying that special status will be given.Then suddenly,he colluded with BJP, he is like a chameleon, he decided against the state: VS Reddy,YSRCP MP <a href="https://t.co/xVyMVURMkI">pic.twitter.com/xVyMVURMkI</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975577378448723974?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Another member of the party said that they will continue to move the no-confidence motion and will protest in favour of special category&nbsp;grant to the state.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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We will continue to move no-confidence motion as long as the debate is taking place and facts are brought to the notice of the nation, and also to pressurize the Centre to grant special category status to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AndhraPradesh?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AndhraPradesh</a>: K Parthsarathi, YSRCP <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BudgetSession?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BudgetSession</a> <a href="https://t.co/12RIbWdaPB">pic.twitter.com/12RIbWdaPB</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975580491310141440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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CPI leader Duraisamy Raja has also assured his support for the motion. He said, &quot; People have started expressing their no confidence in Modi government, its time Parliament does it too&quot;.

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As far as the Left parties are concerned, we will be supporting the no confidence motion. People have started expressing their no confidence in Modi Govt, its time Parliament does it too- Duraisamy Raja,CPI <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/budgetsession?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#budgetsession</a> <a href="https://t.co/i5cpXk1PZS">pic.twitter.com/i5cpXk1PZS</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975597714917470208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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NDA ally Shiv Sena has said that they will neither support the government nor the opposition in the no-confidence motion.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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We will neither support the Government nor the Opposition, we will abstain: Arvind Sawant,Shiv Sena MP on no confidence motion <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/budgetsession?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#budgetsession</a> <a href="https://t.co/6MV6mqj7jX">pic.twitter.com/6MV6mqj7jX</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975606201651261440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Shiromani Akali Dal leader has said that though they are in favour of special category status to Andhra Pradesh, they would not support no-confidence motion against the government.

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We are in favour of special category status to Andhra Pradesh. We are not in favor of no-confidence against the Modi government, we will support the government: Prem Singh Chandumajra, Shiromani Akali Dal <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/budgetsession?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#budgetsession</a> <a href="https://t.co/WGyCwTOk2R">pic.twitter.com/WGyCwTOk2R</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975620531679563776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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I am in the opposition. Whatever the opposition does, I will do the same: Farooq Abdullah, National Conference on No-Confidence motion <a href="https://t.co/5LWrowPaPb">pic.twitter.com/5LWrowPaPb</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975624959493136384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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While Andhra Pradesh BJP chief, K Haribabu has said that the no-confidence motion will not harm BJP as it enjoys an absolute majority in Lok Sabha.&nbsp;

He said &quot;BJP has got absolute majority in Lok Sabha and we are ready to face any situation and discussion. All these parties coming together cannot harm Modi government, we are comfortably placed&quot;.

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BJP has got absolute majority in Lok Sabha and we are ready to face any situation and discussion. All these parties coming together cannot harm Modi Govt, we are comfortably placed:K Haribabu,Andhra Pradesh BJP chief on TDP and YSRCP no confidence motion <a href="https://t.co/1ThEcae1xb">pic.twitter.com/1ThEcae1xb</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975560142950469633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The no-confidence motion was issued&nbsp;by the TDP and YSR Congress last week&nbsp;after the Centre clarified that it would not grant Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh.

However, it could not be presented in the house after the Lok Sabha got adjourned&nbsp;due to disruptions from&nbsp;Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MPs.

A no-confidence motion notice has to be supported by at least 50 MPs to be taken up in the House.

TDP MP added that they were not trying to make the government fall, instead, they want a debate on the issue

Ahead of the Lok Sabha meeting when Andhra Pradesh's YSR Congress and the Telugu Desam Party will pitch for no-confidence motion on Monday, TDP MP has said that his party will gather support from all opposition party for an effective debate. He added that they were not trying to make the government fall, instead, they want a debate on the issue. He said "We are going to 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". 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 × Meanwhile, YSRCP MP VS Reddy has called the state chief minister a "chameleon". He said that since 2016 the BJP, TDP had been assuring the state for its special status and suddenly Chandrababu Naidu colluded with BJP. He added that Naidu was like a chameleon and he decided against the state. We for last 4 yrs after state was bifurcated have been fighting for special category status. Till 2016, BJP&Chandrababu Naidu kept saying that special status will be given.Then suddenly,he colluded with BJP, he is like a chameleon, he decided against the state: VS Reddy,YSRCP MP pic.twitter.com/xVyMVURMkI — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2018 × Another member of the party said that they will continue to move the no-confidence motion and will protest in favour of special category grant to the state. We will continue to move no-confidence motion as long as the debate is taking place and facts are brought to the notice of the nation, and also to pressurize the Centre to grant special category status to #AndhraPradesh: K Parthsarathi, YSRCP #BudgetSession pic.twitter.com/12RIbWdaPB — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2018 × CPI leader Duraisamy Raja has also assured his support for the motion. He said, " People have started expressing their no confidence in Modi government, its time Parliament does it too". As far as the Left parties are concerned, we will be supporting the no confidence motion. People have started expressing their no confidence in Modi Govt, its time Parliament does it too- Duraisamy Raja,CPI #budgetsession pic.twitter.com/i5cpXk1PZS — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2018 × NDA ally Shiv Sena has said that they will neither support the government nor the opposition in the no-confidence motion. We will neither support the Government nor the Opposition, we will abstain: Arvind Sawant,Shiv Sena MP on no confidence motion #budgetsession pic.twitter.com/6MV6mqj7jX — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2018 × Shiromani Akali Dal leader has said that though they are in favour of special category status to Andhra Pradesh, they would not support no-confidence motion against the government. We are in favour of special category status to Andhra Pradesh. We are not in favor of no-confidence against the Modi government, we will support the government: Prem Singh Chandumajra, Shiromani Akali Dal #budgetsession pic.twitter.com/WGyCwTOk2R — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2018 × I am in the opposition. Whatever the opposition does, I will do the same: Farooq Abdullah, National Conference on No-Confidence motion pic.twitter.com/5LWrowPaPb — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2018 × While Andhra Pradesh BJP chief, K Haribabu has said that the no-confidence motion will not harm BJP as it enjoys an absolute majority in Lok Sabha. He said "BJP has got absolute majority in Lok Sabha and we are ready to face any situation and discussion. All these parties coming together cannot harm Modi government, we are comfortably placed". BJP has got absolute majority in Lok Sabha and we are ready to face any situation and discussion. All these parties coming together cannot harm Modi Govt, we are comfortably placed:K Haribabu,Andhra Pradesh BJP chief on TDP and YSRCP no confidence motion pic.twitter.com/1ThEcae1xb — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2018 × The no-confidence motion was issued by the TDP and YSR Congress last week after the Centre clarified that it would not grant Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh. However, it could not be presented in the house after the Lok Sabha got adjourned due to disruptions from Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MPs. A no-confidence motion notice has to be supported by at least 50 MPs to be taken up in the House.

No-trust vote: 'Want debate, not trying to make government fall'

Addressing the TDP minority wing members, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu assured them&nbsp;that his party had always been working for their welfare.

He said that the minority was not happy when they (TDP) allied with NDA, but they(TDP) have always worked for their welfare.

He said &quot;You have always been supportive of TDP, but you were not happy that we allied with BJP. We have been working for welfare of Muslims&quot;.

He further said it was his party that had responded first against the criminalisation of Triple Talaq.&nbsp;

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It was TDP and not YSRCP who responded on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a>. I told BJP leadership that criminalization of triple talaq was not correct. I was the first to oppose it: AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu addressing TDP minority wing members <a href="https://t.co/OI6nkkTtpF">pic.twitter.com/OI6nkkTtpF</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975610495259594752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Speaking on the recent debates on the no-confidence motion against NDA, he said that his party was expecting justice from the state, but it was not delivered.&nbsp;

He said &quot;We thought as an NDA member, BJP will do justice to the state, but nothing happened. We waited for four years, but of no use. Even in the last budget justice was not done&quot;.

&nbsp;

Chandrababu Naidu said it was his party that had responded first against the criminalisation of Triple Talaq

Addressing the TDP minority wing members, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu assured them that his party had always been working for their welfare. He said that the minority was not happy when they (TDP) allied with NDA, but they(TDP) have always worked for their welfare. He said "You have always been supportive of TDP, but you were not happy that we allied with BJP. We have been working for welfare of Muslims". He further said it was his party that had responded first against the criminalisation of Triple Talaq. It was TDP and not YSRCP who responded on #TripleTalaqBill. I told BJP leadership that criminalization of triple talaq was not correct. I was the first to oppose it: AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu addressing TDP minority wing members pic.twitter.com/OI6nkkTtpF — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2018 × Speaking on the recent debates on the no-confidence motion against NDA, he said that his party was expecting justice from the state, but it was not delivered. He said "We thought as an NDA member, BJP will do justice to the state, but nothing happened. We waited for four years, but of no use. Even in the last budget justice was not done".

Told BJP criminalisation of Triple Talaq was not correct: Naidu to TDP minority wing

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.&nbsp;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&#39;s guess.

The ramification will be felt nationally as the debate mutates from a sect&#39;s right to secede and acquire a separate identity to question of division of Hinduism into lesser denominations.&nbsp;On top of it, the larger Veer Shaiva community is opposed to this idea though Lingayats say that they are different from them.&nbsp;

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.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;

New religious ecosystems are always linked to an idea of God, society and salvation which stands in opposition to the existing practice.&nbsp;

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.&nbsp;

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.&nbsp;

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 &quot;Lingayats&quot; far too loosely.&nbsp;

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&#39;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&nbsp;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.&nbsp;

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&rsquo;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 &quot;Communal Award&quot;&nbsp;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.&nbsp;

Politicians should remember that only the Goddess rides the tiger.

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.

Opinion: Lingayat row - Only Goddess rides the Tiger

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said that the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has &quot;not done anything significant&quot; so far, as he targeted the BJP, which will be completing its one year in power in the state today.

He said that deviating from the &quot;real issues&quot; was the character of the BJP and only the regional forces &quot;can stop its march&quot;, according to a statement issued by his party.

The former chief minister, who was attending a programme organised by a news channel, said, &quot;The government of Yogi Adityanath has spent its first year in office by removing the word &#39;Samajwadi&#39; from various schemes.&quot;

&quot;The BJP has divided the society in the name of religion and festivals. It has duped the people into making a number of promises in its election manifesto. Deviating from the real issues is the character of this party (BJP), and only the regional forces can stop its march,&quot; he said.

He claimed that farmers, traders, youth and women were facing difficulties in the BJP rule. &quot;The BJP government has zero sensitivity. This government has virtually destroyed helpline services like Dial-100, 1090 women powerline besides 108 and 102 ambulance service,&quot; he alleged.

&quot;The public is disenchanted with the BJP governments - both at the centre and in the state. This effect was seen in the outcome of the recently-held Lok Sabha byelections in Gorakhpur and Phulpur. The people have rejected the BJP and this will be visible in 2019,&quot; Mr Yadav said.

'The BJP has divided the society in the name of religion and festivals,' the SP chief said, adding that the Yogi Adityanath government has done no significant work so far

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said that the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has "not done anything significant" so far, as he targeted the BJP, which will be completing its one year in power in the state today. He said that deviating from the "real issues" was the character of the BJP and only the regional forces "can stop its march", according to a statement issued by his party. The former chief minister, who was attending a programme organised by a news channel, said, "The government of Yogi Adityanath has spent its first year in office by removing the word 'Samajwadi' from various schemes." "The BJP has divided the society in the name of religion and festivals. It has duped the people into making a number of promises in its election manifesto. Deviating from the real issues is the character of this party (BJP), and only the regional forces can stop its march," he said. He claimed that farmers, traders, youth and women were facing difficulties in the BJP rule. "The BJP government has zero sensitivity. This government has virtually destroyed helpline services like Dial-100, 1090 women powerline besides 108 and 102 ambulance service," he alleged. "The public is disenchanted with the BJP governments - both at the centre and in the state. This effect was seen in the outcome of the recently-held Lok Sabha byelections in Gorakhpur and Phulpur. The people have rejected the BJP and this will be visible in 2019," Mr Yadav said.

1 year of Yogi: BJP spent first year removing 'Samajwadi' word from schemes, says Akhilesh

Recalling the two warring sides of the epic Mahabharat, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the BJP, like the Kauravas, fought for power, while his party, on the lines of the Pandavas, battled for truth.

Centuries ago there was a huge battle on the field of Kurukshetra. The Kauravas were powerful and arrogant while the Pandavas were humble and fought for the truth. &#39;&#39;Like the Kauravas BJP and RSS are designed to fight for power, like the Pandavas, Congress is designed to fight for truth,&#39;&#39; he said.&nbsp;

Taking the ruling BJP on, Gandhi said the party sought to divert people&#39;s attention from issues such as unemployment and farm distress with &quot;fancy events&quot;.

&quot;Instead of acknowledging the challenges facing the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi diverts our attention from our problems. We are being told that our problems only exist in our imagination,&quot; he said.

The BJP-RSS&#39;s goal was power, Gandhi stressed in his closing remarks at his party&#39;s plenary meeting in New Delhi.&nbsp;

Gandhi held that his party spoke on behalf of the country.

&quot;The BJP is the voice of an organisation, Congress is the voice of a nation,&quot; he said.

The Congress leader added that the corrupt and powerful today &quot;control conversation&quot; in the country and the &quot;name Modi symbolises the collusion between crony capitalists and the prime minister&quot;.

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The name Modi symbolises the collusion between India&rsquo;s biggest businessmen and the Prime Minister. Modi gives Modi 30,000 crores of your Money and in turn, Modi gives Modi money for marketing Modi and fighting elections. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CongressPlenary?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CongressPlenary</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChangeIsNow?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChangeIsNow</a> <a href="https://t.co/T4ovQKrxnL">pic.twitter.com/T4ovQKrxnL</a>
&mdash; Congress (@INCIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCIndia/status/975325068485058560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ruling BJP government, Rahul Gandhi said the name &#39;&#39;Modi&#39;&#39; symbolises the collusion between India&#39;s biggest &#39;&#39;crony capitalists&#39;&#39; and the prime minister of India, he said.&nbsp;

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We paid 570 Cr per plane &amp; Modi paid 1670 Cr for the same plane. He paid 1100 Cr more per plane. Forget fighter planes you can&rsquo;t trust such a man to buy vegetables!!! Modi is not fighting corruption Modi is corruption. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CongressPlenary?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CongressPlenary</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChangeIsNow?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChangeIsNow</a> <a href="https://t.co/u7AhEmeJhh">pic.twitter.com/u7AhEmeJhh</a>
&mdash; Congress (@INCIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCIndia/status/975330308827459584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Admitting that the last Congress government did not live up to the expectations of the people, he said that the nation was let down by the last Congress government.&nbsp;

&#39;&#39;I don&#39;t say it with happiness but the last govt we formed did not stand up to the expectations of the people. The people of the country were let down by us,&#39;&#39; he said.&nbsp;

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Today the corrupt and the powerful completely control the conversation in our country. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CongressPlenary?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CongressPlenary</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChangeIsNow?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChangeIsNow</a>
&mdash; Congress (@INCIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCIndia/status/975325061497303041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&#39;&#39;Congress will take the country forward, but we are humans, we make mistakes. Modi ji thinks he is not human but an incarnation of God,&#39;&#39; he said and added that BJP is the voice of an organisation while the Congress is the voice of a nation, the Gandhi scion said.&nbsp;

Attacking PM Modi on not speaking on the critical issues plaguing the nation, he said PM diverts our attention and jumps from one event to another from &#39;&#39;Gabbar Singh tax to yoga in Parliament&#39;&#39; but never talks about the issues. But, the Congress cannot be stopped from seeking the truth and justice, he said.&nbsp;

Charging the BJP of dividing the nation on the basis of religion and language, he said that they tell Muslims of India who never went to Pakistan and supported this great nation that you don&#39;t belong here. They tell the Tamils to &#39;&#39;change your beautiful language&#39;&#39;, they tell people of north-east we don&#39;t like what you eat, tell women to dress properly, he said.&nbsp;

Without naming the BJP president Amit Shah, he said they will accept a man accused of murder as the President of the BJP, but they will never ever accept the same in the Congress Party because they hold Congress in the highest regard.&nbsp;

Raking up PNB bank fraud in which diamond czar Nirav Modi is accused of Rs 13,000 crore loot, he said &#39;&#39;You can steal Rs 33,000 crore from the banks and the BJP government will protect you. Finance Minister will go silent because he and his daughter work for crony capitalists,&#39;&#39; he said.&nbsp;

Accepting the organisational shortcomings in the Congress party, the Congress president tried to assuage the senior party leaders on the occasion and said &#39;&#39;We have to change Congress. There is a wall between our leaders and workers. My first task will be to break that wall. I will consult senior leaders to destroy that wall with love,&#39;&#39; he said.&nbsp;

&#39;&#39;BJP has spread fear. People from the press are scared, for the first time we saw four Supreme Court judges running to the public for justice.There is a difference between the RSS and the Congress. We respect the country&#39;s institutions whereas they want to finish them.They only want one institution, that is RSS,&#39;&#39; Gandhi said.&nbsp;

''You can steal Rs 33,000 crore from the banks and the BJP government will protect you. Finance Minister will go silent because he and his daughter work for crony capitalists,'' he said.

Recalling the two warring sides of the epic Mahabharat, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the BJP, like the Kauravas, fought for power, while his party, on the lines of the Pandavas, battled for truth. Centuries ago there was a huge battle on the field of Kurukshetra. The Kauravas were powerful and arrogant while the Pandavas were humble and fought for the truth. ''Like the Kauravas BJP and RSS are designed to fight for power, like the Pandavas, Congress is designed to fight for truth,'' he said. Taking the ruling BJP on, Gandhi said the party sought to divert people's attention from issues such as unemployment and farm distress with "fancy events". "Instead of acknowledging the challenges facing the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi diverts our attention from our problems. We are being told that our problems only exist in our imagination," he said. The BJP-RSS's goal was power, Gandhi stressed in his closing remarks at his party's plenary meeting in New Delhi. Gandhi held that his party spoke on behalf of the country. "The BJP is the voice of an organisation, Congress is the voice of a nation," he said. The Congress leader added that the corrupt and powerful today "control conversation" in the country and the "name Modi symbolises the collusion between crony capitalists and the prime minister". The name Modi symbolises the collusion between India’s biggest businessmen and the Prime Minister. Modi gives Modi 30,000 crores of your Money and in turn, Modi gives Modi money for marketing Modi and fighting elections. #CongressPlenary #ChangeIsNow pic.twitter.com/T4ovQKrxnL — Congress (@INCIndia) March 18, 2018 × Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ruling BJP government, Rahul Gandhi said the name ''Modi'' symbolises the collusion between India's biggest ''crony capitalists'' and the prime minister of India, he said. We paid 570 Cr per plane & Modi paid 1670 Cr for the same plane. He paid 1100 Cr more per plane. Forget fighter planes you can’t trust such a man to buy vegetables!!! Modi is not fighting corruption Modi is corruption. #CongressPlenary #ChangeIsNow pic.twitter.com/u7AhEmeJhh — Congress (@INCIndia) March 18, 2018 × Admitting that the last Congress government did not live up to the expectations of the people, he said that the nation was let down by the last Congress government. ''I don't say it with happiness but the last govt we formed did not stand up to the expectations of the people. The people of the country were let down by us,'' he said. Today the corrupt and the powerful completely control the conversation in our country. #CongressPlenary #ChangeIsNow — Congress (@INCIndia) March 18, 2018 × ''Congress will take the country forward, but we are humans, we make mistakes. Modi ji thinks he is not human but an incarnation of God,'' he said and added that BJP is the voice of an organisation while the Congress is the voice of a nation, the Gandhi scion said. Attacking PM Modi on not speaking on the critical issues plaguing the nation, he said PM diverts our attention and jumps from one event to another from ''Gabbar Singh tax to yoga in Parliament'' but never talks about the issues. But, the Congress cannot be stopped from seeking the truth and justice, he said. Charging the BJP of dividing the nation on the basis of religion and language, he said that they tell Muslims of India who never went to Pakistan and supported this great nation that you don't belong here. They tell the Tamils to ''change your beautiful language'', they tell people of north-east we don't like what you eat, tell women to dress properly, he said. Without naming the BJP president Amit Shah, he said they will accept a man accused of murder as the President of the BJP, but they will never ever accept the same in the Congress Party because they hold Congress in the highest regard. Raking up PNB bank fraud in which diamond czar Nirav Modi is accused of Rs 13,000 crore loot, he said ''You can steal Rs 33,000 crore from the banks and the BJP government will protect you. Finance Minister will go silent because he and his daughter work for crony capitalists,'' he said. Accepting the organisational shortcomings in the Congress party, the Congress president tried to assuage the senior party leaders on the occasion and said ''We have to change Congress. There is a wall between our leaders and workers. My first task will be to break that wall. I will consult senior leaders to destroy that wall with love,'' he said. ''BJP has spread fear. People from the press are scared, for the first time we saw four Supreme Court judges running to the public for justice.There is a difference between the RSS and the Congress. We respect the country's institutions whereas they want to finish them.They only want one institution, that is RSS,'' Gandhi said.

BJP like Kauravas, Congress like Pandavas: Rahul Gandhi

The Congress today accused the Modi government of &quot;destroying&quot;&nbsp;the economy and said growth can be achieved only if the country is rescued from &quot;incompetent economic managers&quot;.

The party, at its 84th plenary session here, adopted a resolution on the economy which said sustained economic growth was the path towards becoming a middle-income developed country.

This path, the Congress said, can lift the people out of poverty and create a large, vibrant and productive middle class.

It will also create wealth and generate government revenues that will enable the state to spend adequately to attain social and redistributive justice, the party said.

&quot;Such sustained economic growth can be achieved only if the country can be rescued from the hands of incompetent economic managers and entrusted to those who have for many years nurtured the economy and guided it on the path of all-round economic development,&quot; the resolution said.

&quot;We have heard the clamour for change. It is now time for a change,&quot;&nbsp;it said.

Moving the resolution, former Finance minister P Chidambaram said, &quot;We have done it before and we will do it again.&quot;

He accused the Modi government of squandering a golden opportunity to catapult India&#39;s growth after economic gains during the previous UPA government, through its mismanagement and flawed policies.

The country faces a crisis and will go into a deeper crisis in the last year of this government as this budget has provided no answers, Chidambaram claimed.

&quot;This budget is the handiwork of a government which is completely helpless, clueless and directionless. I am afraid, 12 months from today, whoever comes into the government, will face a major crisis,&quot; he said.

&quot;The one party which can bring this country out of the crisis is the Congress. Why do I say that? I say that not out of arrogance, not out of conceit, I say this because we have done it before and we can do it again beginning next year,&quot;&nbsp;the former Union minister said.

Promising the industry that there will be no tax &quot;terrorism&quot;, no veiled threats, no &quot;midnight knocks&quot; on doors, he said, &quot;We will lift fear and we will allow you to create wealth.&quot;

The resolution said that the tenure of the Narendra Modi-led government was replete with governance and management misadventures and mistakes.

&quot;The most colossal failure has been its mismanagement of the economy,&quot;&nbsp;it said.

The Modi government was presented with a golden opportunity to catapult India&#39;s economic growth to a new high through a near perfect alignment of stars, an upswing in the economy, macro-economic stability after the upheaval of the 2008 global financial crisis, the resolution said.

&quot;The Congress reiterates that the abysmal economic management of the Modi government has resulted in lack of jobs for millions of India&#39;s youth, stagnant real incomes for hundreds of millions of farmers, collapse of the manufacturing sector, destruction of micro, small and medium businesses, paralysis of India&#39;s banking sector,&quot; it said

These have severely dented business confidence and expectations of households, the resolution said.

&quot;The economy is in the hands of ignorant and incompetent policy-makers who have derailed economic growth through reckless and bizarre policies such as demonetisation and a hasty imposition of a flawed Goods and Services Tax regime,&quot;&nbsp;it said.

Citing the economic survey, Chidambaram said there were three main challenges which were not addressed in the last four years, education, health, agriculture and employment .

&quot;And then the most severe indictment in the last four years, real agricultural GDP and real agricultural income as have remained stagnant,&quot; he said.

&quot;I want to ask the BJP, I want to ask the prime minister, if in four years you did not address the challenge of education or health or agriculture or employment, if in four years the farm sector has become relatively poorer, if in four years the average farmer has become relatively poorer, what have you been doing in the last four years? This is a question the prime minister must answer,&quot;&nbsp;he said.

Chidambaram said that the note ban was a ?big lie, there cannot be a greater lie than demonetisation&quot;.

&quot;They said we will abolish black money, we will put an end to corruption. We will stop fake currency. Have they put an end to black money? Every rally, every public meeting of the prime minister is financed by any money other than black money,&quot; he said.

&quot;Have they put an end to corruption, fake currency?&quot;&nbsp;Chidambaram asked.&nbsp;

The party, at its 84th plenary session here, adopted a resolution on the economy which said sustained economic growth was the path towards becoming a middle-income developed country

The Congress today accused the Modi government of "destroying" the economy and said growth can be achieved only if the country is rescued from "incompetent economic managers". The party, at its 84th plenary session here, adopted a resolution on the economy which said sustained economic growth was the path towards becoming a middle-income developed country. This path, the Congress said, can lift the people out of poverty and create a large, vibrant and productive middle class. It will also create wealth and generate government revenues that will enable the state to spend adequately to attain social and redistributive justice, the party said. "Such sustained economic growth can be achieved only if the country can be rescued from the hands of incompetent economic managers and entrusted to those who have for many years nurtured the economy and guided it on the path of all-round economic development," the resolution said. "We have heard the clamour for change. It is now time for a change," it said. Moving the resolution, former Finance minister P Chidambaram said, "We have done it before and we will do it again." He accused the Modi government of squandering a golden opportunity to catapult India's growth after economic gains during the previous UPA government, through its mismanagement and flawed policies. The country faces a crisis and will go into a deeper crisis in the last year of this government as this budget has provided no answers, Chidambaram claimed. "This budget is the handiwork of a government which is completely helpless, clueless and directionless. I am afraid, 12 months from today, whoever comes into the government, will face a major crisis," he said. "The one party which can bring this country out of the crisis is the Congress. Why do I say that? I say that not out of arrogance, not out of conceit, I say this because we have done it before and we can do it again beginning next year," the former Union minister said. Promising the industry that there will be no tax "terrorism", no veiled threats, no "midnight knocks" on doors, he said, "We will lift fear and we will allow you to create wealth." The resolution said that the tenure of the Narendra Modi-led government was replete with governance and management misadventures and mistakes. "The most colossal failure has been its mismanagement of the economy," it said. The Modi government was presented with a golden opportunity to catapult India's economic growth to a new high through a near perfect alignment of stars, an upswing in the economy, macro-economic stability after the upheaval of the 2008 global financial crisis, the resolution said. "The Congress reiterates that the abysmal economic management of the Modi government has resulted in lack of jobs for millions of India's youth, stagnant real incomes for hundreds of millions of farmers, collapse of the manufacturing sector, destruction of micro, small and medium businesses, paralysis of India's banking sector," it said These have severely dented business confidence and expectations of households, the resolution said. "The economy is in the hands of ignorant and incompetent policy-makers who have derailed economic growth through reckless and bizarre policies such as demonetisation and a hasty imposition of a flawed Goods and Services Tax regime," it said. Citing the economic survey, Chidambaram said there were three main challenges which were not addressed in the last four years, education, health, agriculture and employment . "And then the most severe indictment in the last four years, real agricultural GDP and real agricultural income as have remained stagnant," he said. "I want to ask the BJP, I want to ask the prime minister, if in four years you did not address the challenge of education or health or agriculture or employment, if in four years the farm sector has become relatively poorer, if in four years the average farmer has become relatively poorer, what have you been doing in the last four years? This is a question the prime minister must answer," he said. Chidambaram said that the note ban was a ?big lie, there cannot be a greater lie than demonetisation". "They said we will abolish black money, we will put an end to corruption. We will stop fake currency. Have they put an end to black money? Every rally, every public meeting of the prime minister is financed by any money other than black money," he said. "Have they put an end to corruption, fake currency?" Chidambaram asked.

'Incompetent economic managers' have destroyed economy: Congress

Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu said on Sunday that injustice had been done by the central government over the issue of providing funds to the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Referring to his fall out with the BJP-led central government, the TDP chief said that he was not showing &quot;ego&quot; and was simply asked the government to review and provide funds to Andhra Pradesh.

I am a senior leader of the country, but I never showed ego. I am simply asking them to review and provide funds to the state. Injustice is being done by the Centre: Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu

The TDP recently pulled out of the NDA alliance at the centre over the issue of special status for the state of Andhra Pradesh. The party has also said it will move a no-confidence motion against the government at the centre.

The Andhra Pradesh chief minister said that injustice had been done by the central government over the issue of providing funds to the state of Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu said on Sunday that injustice had been done by the central government over the issue of providing funds to the state of Andhra Pradesh. Referring to his fall out with the BJP-led central government, the TDP chief said that he was not showing "ego" and was simply asked the government to review and provide funds to Andhra Pradesh. I am a senior leader of the country, but I never showed ego. I am simply asking them to review and provide funds to the state. Injustice is being done by the Centre: Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu The TDP recently pulled out of the NDA alliance at the centre over the issue of special status for the state of Andhra Pradesh. The party has also said it will move a no-confidence motion against the government at the centre.

I never showed ego: Chandrababu Naidu on fall-out with NDA

The gloves were off when Congress President Rahul Gandhi addressed the Congress Plenary at the end of the Session. Throughout his speech, he kept on attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS.

He likened BJP to Kauravas and Congress as Pandavas. Rahul Gandhi accused BJP as a party &#39;&#39;drunk on power&#39;&#39;. Launching a blistering attack on BJP president Amit Shah, he&nbsp;said that BJP has made a person charged with murder as president of its party. He said,&rdquo; When Gandhi was spending time in jail, Savarkar was busy writing mercy petitions.&rdquo; Savarkar is a BJP icon and Port Blair airport is named after Savarkar.

He also attacked RSS on a number of issues associated them. &ldquo;Ambedkar went thirsty because RSS supports such ideas. His sister had to cut her own hair because RSS supports such ideas,&rdquo; said Rahul Gandhi. His attack on RSS came from the position of lynching which took place last years against people in the name of cow protection where Dalits were at the receiving end. Rahul Gandhi basically tried to challenge the popular narrative around which BJP&rsquo;s campaign of cultural nationalism has functioned throughout 2016-17. In his speech, he tried to create an opposing binary between Dalit politics and RSS worldview.

His speech also addressed projects and promises associated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He even challenged PM&rsquo;s foreign policy initiatives in South Asia.

&ldquo;China is in Doklam, in our shops (as all fancy products are made by them) in the Maldives and Sri Lanka. China is everywhere,&rdquo; said Rahul Gandhi. He mentioned that as of now there exists US Vision and a China vision but he hopes there comes a time when there can be an Indian vision.

He even accused the government of maintaining silence on important issues. &ldquo; Government protects crony capitalism in the country,&rdquo; he said.

He also addressed internal issues plaguing Congress Party. He admitted that his party could not stand up to people&rsquo;s expectation in the last tenure of UPA which led to its complete wash out in the Lok Sabha elections. He requested party members to not to fight before Lok Sabha elections and reassured the senior leadership that they would be carried along in decision making.

He said that first he would break the wall between workers and leaders and then between youth and political parties. He has been harping on this theme since the beginning of his career. His experiment to do so failed in Youth Congress where he ended up introducing elections for the posts. The elections turned so expensive that poor candidates were unable to participate.

He also clarified his temple run in Gujarat and said that he had been visiting temple even before though the fact is that Congress monetized his temple run in Gujarat as an electoral strategy.

Throughout his speech, Rahul Gandhi kept attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS

The gloves were off when Congress President Rahul Gandhi addressed the Congress Plenary at the end of the Session. Throughout his speech, he kept on attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS. He likened BJP to Kauravas and Congress as Pandavas. Rahul Gandhi accused BJP as a party ''drunk on power''. Launching a blistering attack on BJP president Amit Shah, he said that BJP has made a person charged with murder as president of its party. He said,” When Gandhi was spending time in jail, Savarkar was busy writing mercy petitions.” Savarkar is a BJP icon and Port Blair airport is named after Savarkar. He also attacked RSS on a number of issues associated them. “Ambedkar went thirsty because RSS supports such ideas. His sister had to cut her own hair because RSS supports such ideas,” said Rahul Gandhi. His attack on RSS came from the position of lynching which took place last years against people in the name of cow protection where Dalits were at the receiving end. Rahul Gandhi basically tried to challenge the popular narrative around which BJP’s campaign of cultural nationalism has functioned throughout 2016-17. In his speech, he tried to create an opposing binary between Dalit politics and RSS worldview. His speech also addressed projects and promises associated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He even challenged PM’s foreign policy initiatives in South Asia. “China is in Doklam, in our shops (as all fancy products are made by them) in the Maldives and Sri Lanka. China is everywhere,” said Rahul Gandhi. He mentioned that as of now there exists US Vision and a China vision but he hopes there comes a time when there can be an Indian vision. He even accused the government of maintaining silence on important issues. “ Government protects crony capitalism in the country,” he said. He also addressed internal issues plaguing Congress Party. He admitted that his party could not stand up to people’s expectation in the last tenure of UPA which led to its complete wash out in the Lok Sabha elections. He requested party members to not to fight before Lok Sabha elections and reassured the senior leadership that they would be carried along in decision making. He said that first he would break the wall between workers and leaders and then between youth and political parties. He has been harping on this theme since the beginning of his career. His experiment to do so failed in Youth Congress where he ended up introducing elections for the posts. The elections turned so expensive that poor candidates were unable to participate. He also clarified his temple run in Gujarat and said that he had been visiting temple even before though the fact is that Congress monetized his temple run in Gujarat as an electoral strategy.

At Congress plenary Rahul takes gloves off, launches trenchant attack on BJP

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi launched a spirited defence of much beleaguered Congress Party and accused the Modi government of doing everything to destroy the Congress Party.

Sonia said that despite the onslaught, Congress is not going to back down. Sonia said that present dispensation tinkering with constitutional propriety and not following the Parliamentary traditions.

She also reminded her colleagues that Indira Gandhi&rsquo;s victory in Chikmanglur by election paved the way to success as she won the 1980 Lok Sabha elections with a solid majority.&nbsp;

Though she did not mention Gorakhpur and Phoolpur bye-elections, the message was not missed. Strong words like &quot;draamebazi&quot; were used by Sonia Gandhi to target the government. She even accused the government of the day to weaken projects started by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Congress Party&rsquo;s political resolution also echoed the similar sentiment. Out of 12 pages, one and a half were dedicated to RSS-BJP. The resolution accused the government of systematically attacking the foundational principles of the constitution.&nbsp;

The Political resolution also charged the government subverting educational, cultural and historical institutions facilitating their capture by BJP&rsquo;s ideological affiliates. The draft also accused the government of misusing the office Governors in the state.

The resolution also stated that Congress remains opposed to simultaneous elections as it goes against the grain of the Constitution.&nbsp;Surprisingly, even the media made way for the Political Resolution.

The plenary also devoted an hour to media which was discussed by Randeep Surjewala, Kumar Ketkar, Divya Spandana, Rajeev Gowda, Sushmita Sen and Mrinal Pande. The resolution said that government is muzzling the voice of the media whereas the panelist during plenary debated the issue of neutrality and media.

Sonia said that despite the onslaught, Congress is not going to back down. Sonia said that present dispensation tinkering with constitutional propriety and not following the Parliamentary traditions.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi launched a spirited defence of much beleaguered Congress Party and accused the Modi government of doing everything to destroy the Congress Party. Sonia said that despite the onslaught, Congress is not going to back down. Sonia said that present dispensation tinkering with constitutional propriety and not following the Parliamentary traditions. She also reminded her colleagues that Indira Gandhi’s victory in Chikmanglur by election paved the way to success as she won the 1980 Lok Sabha elections with a solid majority. Though she did not mention Gorakhpur and Phoolpur bye-elections, the message was not missed. Strong words like "draamebazi" were used by Sonia Gandhi to target the government. She even accused the government of the day to weaken projects started by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Congress Party’s political resolution also echoed the similar sentiment. Out of 12 pages, one and a half were dedicated to RSS-BJP. The resolution accused the government of systematically attacking the foundational principles of the constitution. The Political resolution also charged the government subverting educational, cultural and historical institutions facilitating their capture by BJP’s ideological affiliates. The draft also accused the government of misusing the office Governors in the state. The resolution also stated that Congress remains opposed to simultaneous elections as it goes against the grain of the Constitution. Surprisingly, even the media made way for the Political Resolution. The plenary also devoted an hour to media which was discussed by Randeep Surjewala, Kumar Ketkar, Divya Spandana, Rajeev Gowda, Sushmita Sen and Mrinal Pande. The resolution said that government is muzzling the voice of the media whereas the panelist during plenary debated the issue of neutrality and media.

Sonia accuses Modi government of 'tinkering with constitutional propriety'

Terming the BJP&#39;s loss in the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypoll a &quot;defeat of ego and arrogance&quot;, the Shiv Sena today launched a fresh salvo at its ally, saying the party&#39;s strength in the Lower House of Parliament will come down by at least 110 seats in the 2019 general elections.

The Sena also taunted its ally saying those who abandon their friends and &quot;tread the path of lies&quot; are destined to lose.

&quot;The BJP won the tiny state of Tripura. While the party was celebrating the victory, the results of two Lok Sabha bypolls in Uttar Pradesh took the shine off the win.

&quot;These results have created panic in the BJP camp. The party&#39;s two strongholds- Gorakhpur and Phulpur- were won by the SP,&quot; the Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece- &#39;Saamana&#39;.

It said that since the Modi government came to power, bypolls to 10 Lok Sabha seats were conducted, of which the BJP lost nine.

&quot;Initially, there were 282 BJP MPs in the Lok Sabha, but the figure has now come down to 272. Under the leadership of Modi and Amit Shah, the BJP has lost virtually every bypoll,&quot; the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.

The editorial referred to the BJP&#39;s stunning victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls last year as it attacked the party over its loss in the Gorakhpur byoll.

&quot;Last year, the BJP set a record by winning 325 seats in UP Assembly polls. Yogi Adityanath became the chief minister, while Keshav Maurya became his deputy. Since 1991, Adityanath had never lost the Gorakhpur seat. But now, despite being the CM, his party lost. If the BJP could topple the Left government in Tripura, why couldn&#39;t it win Gorakhpur?&quot; it asked.

In Bihar, the Araria Lok Sabha seat and the Jehanabad Assembly seat were won by the RJD, it said. &quot;All this shows that the BJP is losing ground,&quot; it said.

&quot;It is now clear that in 2019, the BJP will not get 280 seats. The number will come down by at least 100-110. Therefore, the BJP needs to remain grounded. Defeat is certain for those who abandon their friends and tread the path of lies. When the downfall starts, no Chanakya can stop it,&quot; it said.

&quot;(TMC chief) Mamata Banerjee says this is the beginning of BJP&#39;s downfall. We do not know if this is true, but what is certain is that the people who supported the party (in 2014), are now pushing it to the ground.&quot;

The party said that after the bypolls in Rajasthan, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that the Congress should only contest bypolls now. &quot;The BJP&#39;s loss in the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypoll is a defeat of ego and arrogance,&quot; the Sena added.&nbsp;

The Sena also taunted its ally saying those who abandon their friends and 'tread the path of lies' are destined to lose

Terming the BJP's loss in the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypoll a "defeat of ego and arrogance", the Shiv Sena today launched a fresh salvo at its ally, saying the party's strength in the Lower House of Parliament will come down by at least 110 seats in the 2019 general elections. The Sena also taunted its ally saying those who abandon their friends and "tread the path of lies" are destined to lose. "The BJP won the tiny state of Tripura. While the party was celebrating the victory, the results of two Lok Sabha bypolls in Uttar Pradesh took the shine off the win. "These results have created panic in the BJP camp. The party's two strongholds- Gorakhpur and Phulpur- were won by the SP," the Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece- 'Saamana'. It said that since the Modi government came to power, bypolls to 10 Lok Sabha seats were conducted, of which the BJP lost nine. "Initially, there were 282 BJP MPs in the Lok Sabha, but the figure has now come down to 272. Under the leadership of Modi and Amit Shah, the BJP has lost virtually every bypoll," the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said. The editorial referred to the BJP's stunning victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls last year as it attacked the party over its loss in the Gorakhpur byoll. "Last year, the BJP set a record by winning 325 seats in UP Assembly polls. Yogi Adityanath became the chief minister, while Keshav Maurya became his deputy. Since 1991, Adityanath had never lost the Gorakhpur seat. But now, despite being the CM, his party lost. If the BJP could topple the Left government in Tripura, why couldn't it win Gorakhpur?" it asked. In Bihar, the Araria Lok Sabha seat and the Jehanabad Assembly seat were won by the RJD, it said. "All this shows that the BJP is losing ground," it said. "It is now clear that in 2019, the BJP will not get 280 seats. The number will come down by at least 100-110. Therefore, the BJP needs to remain grounded. Defeat is certain for those who abandon their friends and tread the path of lies. When the downfall starts, no Chanakya can stop it," it said. "(TMC chief) Mamata Banerjee says this is the beginning of BJP's downfall. We do not know if this is true, but what is certain is that the people who supported the party (in 2014), are now pushing it to the ground." The party said that after the bypolls in Rajasthan, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that the Congress should only contest bypolls now. "The BJP's loss in the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypoll is a defeat of ego and arrogance," the Sena added.

BJP's Lok Sabha tally in 2019 will reduce by 110 seats, says Sena

Expressing hope that the &#39;rashtravadi&#39; (nationalist) and Hindutva forces will stay together, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis exuded confidence that Shiv Sena won&#39;t support the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/chandrababu-naidu-led-tdp-pulls-out-of-nda-35990" target="_blank">no-confidence motion</a> against the NDA government..

The statement came after the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) moved a no-confidence motion against the BJP-led government in the Lok Sabha today, following TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu&#39;s announcement that his party was exiting the National Democratic Alliance.

&quot;There have been no talks with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as yet. The seniors in our party (BJP&#39;s central leadership) will do that. However, I am confident that the &#39;rashtravadi&#39; and Hindutva forces will stay together,&quot; Fadnavis told reporters.

&quot;The Sena will remain with us.&quot;

&quot;Some Sena leaders met me this morning. They had come to seek (the BJP&#39;s) support in the Mumbai municipal corporation bypoll. We are supporting them,&quot; Fadnavis said.

However, he denied that he met the Sena leadership over the no-trust motion.

On the recent farmers&#39; long march here, Fadnavis said the manner in which the issue was highlighted made it seem that farmers were protesting over the disbursement of loan waiver amount.

&quot;There were barely a few farmers in the protest. Most of the participants were adivasis, against whom injustice has been meted out over the years,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

'There have been no talks with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as yet. However, I am confident that the 'rashtravadi' and Hindutva forces will stay together,' the Maharashtra Chief Minister said

Expressing hope that the 'rashtravadi' (nationalist) and Hindutva forces will stay together, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis exuded confidence that Shiv Sena won't support the no-confidence motion against the NDA government.. The statement came after the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) moved a no-confidence motion against the BJP-led government in the Lok Sabha today, following TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu's announcement that his party was exiting the National Democratic Alliance. "There have been no talks with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as yet. The seniors in our party (BJP's central leadership) will do that. However, I am confident that the 'rashtravadi' and Hindutva forces will stay together," Fadnavis told reporters. "The Sena will remain with us." "Some Sena leaders met me this morning. They had come to seek (the BJP's) support in the Mumbai municipal corporation bypoll. We are supporting them," Fadnavis said. However, he denied that he met the Sena leadership over the no-trust motion. On the recent farmers' long march here, Fadnavis said the manner in which the issue was highlighted made it seem that farmers were protesting over the disbursement of loan waiver amount. "There were barely a few farmers in the protest. Most of the participants were adivasis, against whom injustice has been meted out over the years," he said.

Confident that Shiv Sena won't support TDP's no-trust motion: Fadnavis

The Centre Friday informed the Supreme Court that in the &quot;interest of the nation&quot;, it will not damage the mythological Ram Sethu for its Sethusamudram Ship Channel project.

The Union Ministry of Shipping, in its affidavit, told a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra that the PIL filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy against the Sethusamudram project can now be disposed off by taking note of its stand.

&quot;That the government of India intends to explore an alternative to the earlier alignment of Sethusamudram Ship Channel project without affecting/damaging the Adam&#39;s Bridge/Ram Sethu in the interest of the nation,&quot; the affidavit filed by the ministry said.

Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, appearing for the Centre, said that the Centre has filed the response in pursuance of the earlier directions and the PIL can now be disposed off. Swamy had filed a PIL against the ship channel project and had sought direction to the Centre that the mythological Ram Sethu be not touched.

The Union Ministry of Shipping, in its affidavit, told a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra that the PIL filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy against the Sethusamudram project can now be disposed off by taking note of its stand

The Centre Friday informed the Supreme Court that in the "interest of the nation", it will not damage the mythological Ram Sethu for its Sethusamudram Ship Channel project. The Union Ministry of Shipping, in its affidavit, told a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra that the PIL filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy against the Sethusamudram project can now be disposed off by taking note of its stand. "That the government of India intends to explore an alternative to the earlier alignment of Sethusamudram Ship Channel project without affecting/damaging the Adam's Bridge/Ram Sethu in the interest of the nation," the affidavit filed by the ministry said. Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, appearing for the Centre, said that the Centre has filed the response in pursuance of the earlier directions and the PIL can now be disposed off. Swamy had filed a PIL against the ship channel project and had sought direction to the Centre that the mythological Ram Sethu be not touched.

Ram Sethu will not be damaged for shipping channel project: Centre tells Supreme Court

After weeks of wrangling<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/chandrababu-naidu-led-tdp-to-pull-out-of-nda-report-35985"> with the NDA over special status</a> to Andhra, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu&#39;s Telugu Desam Party(TDP) finally decided to pull out of the BJP-led NDA coalition at the Centre.

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The decision came after CM Chandrababu Naidu&#39;s tele-conference with party members on Friday morning.

The party has gone a step further and said it will support a no-confidence motion against the NDA in Lok Sabha along with other parties against the Centre today.

YSR Congress Party MP YV Subba Reddy in a letter has informed the Lok Sabha Secretary-General that his party would be moving a motion on &#39;No-Confidence in the Council of Ministers&#39; in the lower of Parliament today.

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Letter of YSR Congress Party MP YV Subba Reddy to Lok Sabha Secretary-General for moving motion on &#39;No-Confidence in the Council of Ministers&#39; in the house. <a href="https://t.co/FADQCKVOig">pic.twitter.com/FADQCKVOig</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/974492787566661632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The party politburo meeting was planned for Thursday evening, the decision to quit the ND was finally taken during Chandrababu&#39;s tele-conference with party leaders.

The TDP will write a letter to BJP president Amit Shah and also other constituents of the NDA informing its decision and the reasons for it.

TDP had already pulled out its ministers from the Union Cabinet - Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pasupati and MP YS Chowdary - after differences with the Centre over granting special status to the state, a move which would have given Andhra central funding a 90:10 ratio, with the centre paying the larger share.

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Our party will be moving no-confidence motion today (in Parliament). We have decided... we are out of the NDA: Thota Narsimhan, TDP MP <a href="https://t.co/73StNsOjtF">pic.twitter.com/73StNsOjtF</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/974499067605671936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

The decision came after Chandrababu Naidu's tele-conference with party members on Friday morning.

After weeks of wrangling with the NDA over special status to Andhra, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party(TDP) finally decided to pull out of the BJP-led NDA coalition at the Centre. × The decision came after CM Chandrababu Naidu's tele-conference with party members on Friday morning. The party has gone a step further and said it will support a no-confidence motion against the NDA in Lok Sabha along with other parties against the Centre today. YSR Congress Party MP YV Subba Reddy in a letter has informed the Lok Sabha Secretary-General that his party would be moving a motion on 'No-Confidence in the Council of Ministers' in the lower of Parliament today. Letter of YSR Congress Party MP YV Subba Reddy to Lok Sabha Secretary-General for moving motion on 'No-Confidence in the Council of Ministers' in the house. pic.twitter.com/FADQCKVOig — ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2018 × The party politburo meeting was planned for Thursday evening, the decision to quit the ND was finally taken during Chandrababu's tele-conference with party leaders. The TDP will write a letter to BJP president Amit Shah and also other constituents of the NDA informing its decision and the reasons for it. TDP had already pulled out its ministers from the Union Cabinet - Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pasupati and MP YS Chowdary - after differences with the Centre over granting special status to the state, a move which would have given Andhra central funding a 90:10 ratio, with the centre paying the larger share. Our party will be moving no-confidence motion today (in Parliament). We have decided... we are out of the NDA: Thota Narsimhan, TDP MP pic.twitter.com/73StNsOjtF — ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2018 ×

Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP pulls out of NDA, supports 'no-confidence' motion in Lok Sabha

Political obituaries are easy to write but political events are far more difficult to predict.&nbsp;

Political parties rebound from losses and state elections are not the key to understanding the prevalent mood in the country. The BJP misunderstood the verdict of the assembly elections and called early national elections, only to lose them to the UPA in 2004. Similarly,&nbsp; the AAP misunderstood its resurgence and failed terribly in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

But that does not mean that verdicts have no meaning at all.&nbsp;

Byelections indicate a trend and if capitalised on, can turn into tsunamis. Whether it was the re-election of Indira Gandhi from Medak in 1980 or of VP Singh from Allahabad in 1987, those byelections demonstrated the mood of the nation and the complacency of a party in a particular area.

In one case, it foretold the return of Indira and in the other, showcased the unity of the Opposition and the undoing of the Congress. The former ended Indira&rsquo;s political isolation while the latter led to Rajiv Gandhi&rsquo;s isolation the numbers being with him.

The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/uttar-pradesh-bypolls-up-shocker-sp-wins-both-yogi-bastion-of-gorakhpur-and-phulpur-seat-35824" target="_blank">Gorakhpur byelection</a> points in this direction.

The incumbent government is getting politically isolated. Political isolation is often a prelude to intense electoral Opposition directed against an individual.

The first time such phenomena was witnessed in India was while Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister.

Already rattled by the call of total revolution and an adverse court judgement, Indira imposed the Emergency. It united the Opposition and from Congress vs the rest, the battle turned into Indira vs the rest. Similarly, Rajiv Gandhi too faced an onslaught from his former colleagues on the charge of corruption and the entire Opposition fell in line, turning that tussle into Rajiv Gandhi vs the rest.&nbsp;

The same phenomenon is being witnessed today.

In both cases, before the loss at the hustings, Indira and Rajiv were politically isolated and bereft of any sympathy or support outside their own parties. Both times, senior leaders of the Congress jumped ship and joined the Opposition. Despite having the numbers and their achievements, those governments became lame-duck ones. And Indira and Rajiv became the target&nbsp;of ridicule and caustic campaigns which eroded their gravitas in public life. The results&nbsp;were mandates which ousted them from power.

The incumbent government also faces the spectre of political isolation from not only the Opposition but also its own allies.

The problem stems from its strength and not its weakness. Its allies are worried the BJP has not participated in the&nbsp;give-and-take that is part of a coalition government. For the Opposition meanwhile, it is matter of survival. And in all of this, Prime Minister Modi stands alone.

The general election is still a year away and the ideological contradictions of regional parties that band together may repel the electorate. The electorate may even stay with the BJP because of the lack of an Opposition prime ministerial candidate matching Modi&rsquo;s stature but that does not belie the fact that the BJP stands alone today.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The BJP stands alone today, isolated not only from the Opposition but also its own allies

Political obituaries are easy to write but political events are far more difficult to predict. Political parties rebound from losses and state elections are not the key to understanding the prevalent mood in the country. The BJP misunderstood the verdict of the assembly elections and called early national elections, only to lose them to the UPA in 2004. Similarly, the AAP misunderstood its resurgence and failed terribly in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. But that does not mean that verdicts have no meaning at all. Byelections indicate a trend and if capitalised on, can turn into tsunamis. Whether it was the re-election of Indira Gandhi from Medak in 1980 or of VP Singh from Allahabad in 1987, those byelections demonstrated the mood of the nation and the complacency of a party in a particular area. In one case, it foretold the return of Indira and in the other, showcased the unity of the Opposition and the undoing of the Congress. The former ended Indira’s political isolation while the latter led to Rajiv Gandhi’s isolation the numbers being with him. The Gorakhpur byelection points in this direction. The incumbent government is getting politically isolated. Political isolation is often a prelude to intense electoral Opposition directed against an individual. The first time such phenomena was witnessed in India was while Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister. Already rattled by the call of total revolution and an adverse court judgement, Indira imposed the Emergency. It united the Opposition and from Congress vs the rest, the battle turned into Indira vs the rest. Similarly, Rajiv Gandhi too faced an onslaught from his former colleagues on the charge of corruption and the entire Opposition fell in line, turning that tussle into Rajiv Gandhi vs the rest. The same phenomenon is being witnessed today. In both cases, before the loss at the hustings, Indira and Rajiv were politically isolated and bereft of any sympathy or support outside their own parties. Both times, senior leaders of the Congress jumped ship and joined the Opposition. Despite having the numbers and their achievements, those governments became lame-duck ones. And Indira and Rajiv became the target of ridicule and caustic campaigns which eroded their gravitas in public life. The results were mandates which ousted them from power. The incumbent government also faces the spectre of political isolation from not only the Opposition but also its own allies. The problem stems from its strength and not its weakness. Its allies are worried the BJP has not participated in the give-and-take that is part of a coalition government. For the Opposition meanwhile, it is matter of survival. And in all of this, Prime Minister Modi stands alone. The general election is still a year away and the ideological contradictions of regional parties that band together may repel the electorate. The electorate may even stay with the BJP because of the lack of an Opposition prime ministerial candidate matching Modi’s stature but that does not belie the fact that the BJP stands alone today.

Will Modi be able to beat what seems like impending political isolation?

Congress president Rahul Gandhi&#39;s meeting with NCP chief Sharad Pawar hours after the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Lok Sabha bypoll results were announced, shows that the Congress leadership is serious on forging a bigger alliance of opposition parties, the NCP said today.

In a major blow to the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the saffron party was trounced in the bypolls to three Lok Sabha seats, including the citadel of Yogi Adityanath&#39;s Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.

&quot;Rahul Gandhi has started meeting various party leaders and began this practice by meeting Pawar saheb. The Congress president is meeting party presidents who are senior to him,&quot; NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said.

&quot;Despite the Congress being the bigger party, Rahul Gandhi has started meeting leaders of other parties. This shows they (Congress) are serious on making a bigger alliance,&quot; Malik, a former Maharashtra minister, told PTI here.

The NCP leader said, &quot;Rahul Gandhi wants that Pawar saheb should bring in more people (parties) in the country under the UPA fold.&quot;

Adityanath, who termed the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samajwadi Party alliance as one of &quot;snake and mongoose&quot;, had said over-confidence and inability to understand the electoral understanding between the SP and the BSP led to the defeat in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats.

In Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal retained Araria Lok Sabha seat and Jehanabad Assembly constituency, while the BJP held on to Bhabua.

Rahul Gandhi had received some praise from Pawar last month, who said the Congress party chief was showing an inclination to &quot;learn and understand&quot; the issues facing the nation.

Asked if the Shiv Sena, the BJP&#39;s bickering alliance partner, will withdraw support to the Narendra Modi government, like the TDP did, Malik said, the &quot;Sena won&#39;t part ways with the BJP-led government.&quot;

&quot;They (Sena) are just bargaining. They don&#39;t have the courage to go solo,&quot; the NCP leader said.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) today ended its four-year-old alliance with the BJP and walked out of the NDA, eight days after two of its Union ministers resigned over the Centre&#39;s refusal to grant Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh.&nbsp;

'Rahul Gandhi has started meeting various party leaders and began this practice by meeting Pawar saheb. The Congress president is meeting party presidents who are senior to him,' NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said

Congress president Rahul Gandhi's meeting with NCP chief Sharad Pawar hours after the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Lok Sabha bypoll results were announced, shows that the Congress leadership is serious on forging a bigger alliance of opposition parties, the NCP said today. In a major blow to the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the saffron party was trounced in the bypolls to three Lok Sabha seats, including the citadel of Yogi Adityanath's Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. "Rahul Gandhi has started meeting various party leaders and began this practice by meeting Pawar saheb. The Congress president is meeting party presidents who are senior to him," NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said. "Despite the Congress being the bigger party, Rahul Gandhi has started meeting leaders of other parties. This shows they (Congress) are serious on making a bigger alliance," Malik, a former Maharashtra minister, told PTI here. The NCP leader said, "Rahul Gandhi wants that Pawar saheb should bring in more people (parties) in the country under the UPA fold." Adityanath, who termed the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samajwadi Party alliance as one of "snake and mongoose", had said over-confidence and inability to understand the electoral understanding between the SP and the BSP led to the defeat in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats. In Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal retained Araria Lok Sabha seat and Jehanabad Assembly constituency, while the BJP held on to Bhabua. Rahul Gandhi had received some praise from Pawar last month, who said the Congress party chief was showing an inclination to "learn and understand" the issues facing the nation. Asked if the Shiv Sena, the BJP's bickering alliance partner, will withdraw support to the Narendra Modi government, like the TDP did, Malik said, the "Sena won't part ways with the BJP-led government." "They (Sena) are just bargaining. They don't have the courage to go solo," the NCP leader said. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) today ended its four-year-old alliance with the BJP and walked out of the NDA, eight days after two of its Union ministers resigned over the Centre's refusal to grant Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh.

Rahul meeting Pawar shows Congress serious about forming bigger alliance: NCP

Just hours after Union Minister Giriraj Singh claimed that the RJD&rsquo;s win in the bypoll in Bihar&rsquo;s Araria will convert it into a &ldquo;terror hub&rdquo;, former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi slammed Giriraj Singh for his comments saying that the people of Araria and Bihar won&rsquo;t forgive him.&nbsp;

RJD candidate Sarfaraz Alam won the Araria Lok Sabha bypoll by 61,788 votes on Wednesday.

Reacting to Giriraj Singh&#39;s terror hub jibe, Rabri Devi said that the BJP is shocked by the result of the by-elections and that is the reason why its leaders are making such statements.

Wife of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav also advised Singh to control his language and termed the BJP leaders as terrorists.

She said, &quot;All the terrorists reside in the BJP office. The people have answered back that is why they have gone berserk. The people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are showing the way. Control your words and apologize to people of Araria. Otherwise, people will not forgive you in 2019.&quot;

Araria is a Muslim-dominated area with over 40 percent of the population belonging to the religion.

(With inputs from ANI)

Araria is a Muslim-dominated area with over 40 percent of the population belonging to the religion

Just hours after Union Minister Giriraj Singh claimed that the RJD’s win in the bypoll in Bihar’s Araria will convert it into a “terror hub”, former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi slammed Giriraj Singh for his comments saying that the people of Araria and Bihar won’t forgive him. RJD candidate Sarfaraz Alam won the Araria Lok Sabha bypoll by 61,788 votes on Wednesday. Reacting to Giriraj Singh's terror hub jibe, Rabri Devi said that the BJP is shocked by the result of the by-elections and that is the reason why its leaders are making such statements. Wife of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav also advised Singh to control his language and termed the BJP leaders as terrorists. She said, "All the terrorists reside in the BJP office. The people have answered back that is why they have gone berserk. The people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are showing the way. Control your words and apologize to people of Araria. Otherwise, people will not forgive you in 2019." Araria is a Muslim-dominated area with over 40 percent of the population belonging to the religion. (With inputs from ANI)

Apologise to people of Araria: Rabri Devi to BJP

The remarks made by Naresh Agrawal, who&nbsp;recently joined the BJP, against Jaya Bachchan brought out the worst our politics has to offer. But equally refreshing was the united front our women MPs put forward when it came to criticising Agrawal, a former Samajwadi Party leader.

Irrespective of differing political ideologies, the unity among women politicians&nbsp;showed how much they value women&#39;s dignity. While women had been fighting a tough battle for their political inclusion to bridge the gender disparities in the nation, some male political leaders are irked by the same.&nbsp;

Agrawal showed his resentment over being denied a chance to enter the Rajya Sabha. Samajwadi Party, which had only one Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh, chose actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan over Agrawal. This displeased him, to such an extent that he quit the party. But within a few hours of joining BJP, he openly projected his envious feeling against Jaya Bachchan at a press conference on Monday, making a misogynist comment that he was denied the Rajya Sabha ticket for somebody who &quot;used to dance in films&quot;.&nbsp;

The sexist comment rattled not only the targeted Mrs. Bachchan, but many other women politicians. Although political parties are always ready to demean other party&#39;s leaders, this time the dirty politics was beaten by a strong condemnation, in the form of an outcry not just from Agrawal&#39;s party but other fellow politicians as well.

BJP leader Smriti Irani, who is herself fighting a defamation case against Sanjay Nirupam&nbsp;for allegedly making a sexist remark about her political entry, was the most vocal of Agrawal&#39;s critics. She was amongst the first ones taking a bold stand in&nbsp;favour&nbsp;of Jaya Bachchan. She expressed her emotions on Twitter.&nbsp;

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My case is in the court of law for 5 years now. But let my battle not be an excuse to humiliate other women. In fact let it be a reminder for us that when a woman&rsquo;s honour is challenged we stand as one in our condemnation irrespective of our politics. <a href="https://t.co/beneLYVHnk">https://t.co/beneLYVHnk</a>
&mdash; Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) <a href="https://twitter.com/smritiirani/status/973200903175065600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Jaya Bachchan got support from other women political leaders too. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj rebuked Agrawal in a tweet, expressing her strong objection to his remark.&nbsp;

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Shri Naresh Agarwal has joined Bhartiya Janata Party. He is welcome. However, his comments regarding Jaya Bachhan ji are improper and unacceptable.
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/973183007526801408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The horde fighting for and supporting the dignity of women in politics further grew when BJP leader Roopa Ganguly, another actor-turned-politician, exhibited her dismay over Agrawal&#39;s comment.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JayaBachchan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JayaBachchan</a> very sad comment of Mr Naresh Agarwal. I Do not accept this.. this is not bjp leadership. I am proud of Jaya di&#39;s contribution to the film industry and also as a parliamentarian. <a href="https://twitter.com/BJP4India?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BJP4India</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AmitShah?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AmitShah</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BJP4Bengal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BJP4Bengal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jayabachhan445?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jayabachhan445</a> 
We respect you Jayadi
&mdash; Roopa Ganguly (@RoopaSpeaks) <a href="https://twitter.com/RoopaSpeaks/status/973225062361804800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Though Agrawal&#39;s remarks were disheartening for the entire female population, it united women politicians with harmony and mutual empathy. Each and every stand in&nbsp;favour&nbsp;of Jaya Bachchan showed that political failures cannot be used as an excuse to malign the dignity of a woman. Whether it is Smriti Irani or Jaya Bachchan,&nbsp;if the question is about women&#39;s dignity then no matter which political party a woman leader belongs to, her stature will always be above inter-party differences.

&nbsp;

 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

Although political parties are always ready to demean other party's leaders, this time the dirty politics was beaten up by a strong condemnation from women in Jaya Bachchan-Naresh Agrawal controversy.

The remarks made by Naresh Agrawal, who recently joined the BJP, against Jaya Bachchan brought out the worst our politics has to offer. But equally refreshing was the united front our women MPs put forward when it came to criticising Agrawal, a former Samajwadi Party leader. Irrespective of differing political ideologies, the unity among women politicians showed how much they value women's dignity. While women had been fighting a tough battle for their political inclusion to bridge the gender disparities in the nation, some male political leaders are irked by the same. Agrawal showed his resentment over being denied a chance to enter the Rajya Sabha. Samajwadi Party, which had only one Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh, chose actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan over Agrawal. This displeased him, to such an extent that he quit the party. But within a few hours of joining BJP, he openly projected his envious feeling against Jaya Bachchan at a press conference on Monday, making a misogynist comment that he was denied the Rajya Sabha ticket for somebody who "used to dance in films". The sexist comment rattled not only the targeted Mrs. Bachchan, but many other women politicians. Although political parties are always ready to demean other party's leaders, this time the dirty politics was beaten by a strong condemnation, in the form of an outcry not just from Agrawal's party but other fellow politicians as well. BJP leader Smriti Irani, who is herself fighting a defamation case against Sanjay Nirupam for allegedly making a sexist remark about her political entry, was the most vocal of Agrawal's critics. She was amongst the first ones taking a bold stand in favour of Jaya Bachchan. She expressed her emotions on Twitter. My case is in the court of law for 5 years now. But let my battle not be an excuse to humiliate other women. In fact let it be a reminder for us that when a woman’s honour is challenged we stand as one in our condemnation irrespective of our politics. https://t.co/beneLYVHnk — Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) March 12, 2018 × Jaya Bachchan got support from other women political leaders too. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj rebuked Agrawal in a tweet, expressing her strong objection to his remark. Shri Naresh Agarwal has joined Bhartiya Janata Party. He is welcome. However, his comments regarding Jaya Bachhan ji are improper and unacceptable. — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 12, 2018 × The horde fighting for and supporting the dignity of women in politics further grew when BJP leader Roopa Ganguly, another actor-turned-politician, exhibited her dismay over Agrawal's comment. #JayaBachchan very sad comment of Mr Naresh Agarwal. I Do not accept this.. this is not bjp leadership. I am proud of Jaya di's contribution to the film industry and also as a parliamentarian. @BJP4India @narendramodi @AmitShah @BJP4Bengal @jayabachhan445 We respect you Jayadi — Roopa Ganguly (@RoopaSpeaks) March 12, 2018 × Though Agrawal's remarks were disheartening for the entire female population, it united women politicians with harmony and mutual empathy. Each and every stand in favour of Jaya Bachchan showed that political failures cannot be used as an excuse to malign the dignity of a woman. Whether it is Smriti Irani or Jaya Bachchan, if the question is about women's dignity then no matter which political party a woman leader belongs to, her stature will always be above inter-party differences. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Heartening to see BJP women politicians uniting for Jaya Bachchan

Chaos prevailed in Gujarat Assembly as Congress and BJP came close to blows on Wednesday.&nbsp;

The trouble began when Congress lawmakers rushed to the well of the house as their MLA from Jamnagar Vikram Madam was not allowed to raise a &#39;&#39;point of order&#39;&#39;. Madam had been trying to raise a point of order since Wednesday morning but was not allowed to do so. Meanwhile, another Congress MLA from Danilimda Shailesh Parmar was asked to raise the point of order.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Vikram Madam tried to raise a question but was repeatedly shouted down. When he allegedly tried to pull out a mic, he was forced out by marshals.

A fierce argument broke out between another Congress lawmaker, Pratap Dudhat, and BJP legislator Jagdish Panchal.

Within minutes, Dudat uprooted a mic and hurled it at Panchal.

A large number of lawmakers gathered at the well of the house as rivals jostled each other before the Speaker adjourned the proceedings.

The Congress legislator Vikram Madam has been suspended for the entire session.

Earlier this week, two Congress members were expelled from the Telangana Assembly for disrupting the Governor&#39;s speech. One of them, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, flung a pair of headphones and hit an official in the eye.

The Congress legislator Vikram Madam has been suspended for the entire session.

Chaos prevailed in Gujarat Assembly as Congress and BJP came close to blows on Wednesday. The trouble began when Congress lawmakers rushed to the well of the house as their MLA from Jamnagar Vikram Madam was not allowed to raise a ''point of order''. Madam had been trying to raise a point of order since Wednesday morning but was not allowed to do so. Meanwhile, another Congress MLA from Danilimda Shailesh Parmar was asked to raise the point of order. Meanwhile, Vikram Madam tried to raise a question but was repeatedly shouted down. When he allegedly tried to pull out a mic, he was forced out by marshals. A fierce argument broke out between another Congress lawmaker, Pratap Dudhat, and BJP legislator Jagdish Panchal. Within minutes, Dudat uprooted a mic and hurled it at Panchal. A large number of lawmakers gathered at the well of the house as rivals jostled each other before the Speaker adjourned the proceedings. The Congress legislator Vikram Madam has been suspended for the entire session. Earlier this week, two Congress members were expelled from the Telangana Assembly for disrupting the Governor's speech. One of them, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, flung a pair of headphones and hit an official in the eye.

Chaos in Gujarat assembly as BJP, Congress lawmakers come to blows

Counting of votes for the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/uttar-pradesh-bypolls-gorakhpur-voter-turnout-reaches-43-phulpur-38-by-5-pm-35404">Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha </a>byelections began today amid tight security.&nbsp;

All eyes are on<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sp-bsp-to-collectively-fight-against-bjp-in-up-bypolls-34617"> </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sp-bsp-to-collectively-fight-against-bjp-in-up-bypolls-34617">Gorkahpur</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sp-bsp-to-collectively-fight-against-bjp-in-up-bypolls-34617"> as it is the home constituency</a> of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath from where&nbsp;he had won five times as an MP. It is also a test for the SP-BSP tie-up which has come into existence to take on the BJP, the result could point towards a nationwide third front thrust in the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

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Counting for Gorakhpur by-polls to start at 8 am today; security deployed at Gorakhpur university where counting will be held <a href="https://t.co/dpcGXELpDd">pic.twitter.com/dpcGXELpDd</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/973730224130215937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The BJP has fielded Upendra Dutt Shukla from Gorakhpur while the SP has put Pravin Nishad in the fray, the Congress had nominated Sureetha Kareem for Gorakhpur.

The bypolls took place after CM Yogi Adityanath and Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya vacated their seats after being elected to the state assembly.

Phulpur which was once the constituency of Jawaharlal Nehru is also locked in battle between the SP, Congress and the BJP.

In a three-cornered battle, Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel is fighting on a BJP ticket from Phulpur while the Manish Mishra is fighting for the Congress and Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel has taken on the poll fight for the SP.

The bypolls took place after CM Yogi Adityanath and Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya vacated their seats after being elected to the state assembly.

Counting of votes for the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha byelections began today amid tight security. All eyes are on Gorkahpur as it is the home constituency of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath from where he had won five times as an MP. It is also a test for the SP-BSP tie-up which has come into existence to take on the BJP, the result could point towards a nationwide third front thrust in the Lok Sabha polls in 2019. Counting for Gorakhpur by-polls to start at 8 am today; security deployed at Gorakhpur university where counting will be held pic.twitter.com/dpcGXELpDd — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 14, 2018 × The BJP has fielded Upendra Dutt Shukla from Gorakhpur while the SP has put Pravin Nishad in the fray, the Congress had nominated Sureetha Kareem for Gorakhpur. The bypolls took place after CM Yogi Adityanath and Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya vacated their seats after being elected to the state assembly. Phulpur which was once the constituency of Jawaharlal Nehru is also locked in battle between the SP, Congress and the BJP. In a three-cornered battle, Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel is fighting on a BJP ticket from Phulpur while the Manish Mishra is fighting for the Congress and Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel has taken on the poll fight for the SP.

Gorakhpur, Phulpur Bypoll results: Counting underway amid heavy security

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on&nbsp; Wednesday won the Jehanabad assembly seat bypoll.&nbsp;

The seat had fallen vacant after death of RJD MLA Mundrika Singh Yadav.&nbsp;

RJD had fielded his son Uday Yadav is the seat who beat the JD(U) candidate by over 35,000 votes.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, BJP&#39;s Rinky Rani Pandey has won the Bhabhua Assembly seat in Bihar.&nbsp;

The result of the Araria Lok Sabha constituency is also out, RJD&#39;s Sarfaraz Alam has won the Araria Lok Sabha seat.

In Bihar, the ruling JD(U)-BJP combine and the opposition RJD-Congress alliance was locked in a battle in Araria Lok seat and the two Assembly constituencies.

According to election office sources, a total of 28 rounds of counting took place for results of Araria Lok Sabha seat bypoll necessitated due to the demise of RJD MP Mohammad Taslimuddin.&nbsp;

Alam, who crossed over from JD(U) to Lalu Prasad&#39;s party RJD to contest the bypoll, is son of Taslimuddin.&nbsp;

While Araria recorded 57 per cent voter turnout, Bhabua and Jehanabad Assembly constituencies recorded 54.03 per cent and 50.06 per cent voting in March 11 elections.&nbsp;

Bypoll in Araria Lok Sabha constituency is was a test for the ruling Janata Dal-United-BJP combine in Bihar as well as the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal-Congress alliance.

There were reports of police resorting to the mild use of force outside the counting centre in Jehanabad as young RJD supporters indulged in boisterous jubilations over the news of their candidate Suday Yadav establishing an unassailable lead over former MLA and JD(U) nominee Abhiram Sharma.

In Bihar, the ruling JD(U)-BJP combine and the opposition RJD-Congress alliance were locked in a battle in Araria Lok seat and the two Assembly constituencies

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Wednesday won the Jehanabad assembly seat bypoll. The seat had fallen vacant after death of RJD MLA Mundrika Singh Yadav. RJD had fielded his son Uday Yadav is the seat who beat the JD(U) candidate by over 35,000 votes. Meanwhile, BJP's Rinky Rani Pandey has won the Bhabhua Assembly seat in Bihar. The result of the Araria Lok Sabha constituency is also out, RJD's Sarfaraz Alam has won the Araria Lok Sabha seat. In Bihar, the ruling JD(U)-BJP combine and the opposition RJD-Congress alliance was locked in a battle in Araria Lok seat and the two Assembly constituencies. According to election office sources, a total of 28 rounds of counting took place for results of Araria Lok Sabha seat bypoll necessitated due to the demise of RJD MP Mohammad Taslimuddin. Alam, who crossed over from JD(U) to Lalu Prasad's party RJD to contest the bypoll, is son of Taslimuddin. While Araria recorded 57 per cent voter turnout, Bhabua and Jehanabad Assembly constituencies recorded 54.03 per cent and 50.06 per cent voting in March 11 elections. Bypoll in Araria Lok Sabha constituency is was a test for the ruling Janata Dal-United-BJP combine in Bihar as well as the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal-Congress alliance. There were reports of police resorting to the mild use of force outside the counting centre in Jehanabad as young RJD supporters indulged in boisterous jubilations over the news of their candidate Suday Yadav establishing an unassailable lead over former MLA and JD(U) nominee Abhiram Sharma.

Bihar bypolls: RJD wins Araria, Jehanabad; BJP retains Bhabua

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will host a dinner tomorrow which is likely to be attended by leaders of 17 opposition parties, amid talk of forging a broader front against the BJP-led NDA ahead of the 2019 general elections.

According to Congress sources, leaders of Andhra Pradesh&#39;s ruling Telugu Desam Party, which recently pulled out its ministers in the Modi government but continues to be a constituent of the NDA, BJD, and the TRS have not been invited. The BJD and TRS rule Odisha and Telangana respectively.

They said former chief ministers of Jharkhand Babulal Marandi of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha and Hemant Soren (JMM) will attend the dinner, along with former Bihar chief minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, who recently quit the NDA and joined forces with Lalu Prasad&#39;s RJD, which is an ally of the Congress.

Lalu&#39;s son and Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav is also likely to attend, but there was no immediate confirmation.

Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, DMK&#39;s Kanimozhi and Ram Gopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party are likely to be present, and so would be leaders of left parties - CPI-M&#39;s Sitaram Yechury and CPI&#39;s D Raja. Leaders of other parties like JD-S and Kerala Congress, Indian Union Muslim League, Revolutionary Socialist Party and RLD are also likely to attend.

Sources said while BSP has been invited, its leader Mayawati may not send a representative as her party has aligned with JD-S for the Karnataka polls likely in April/March this year.

The dinner being hosted at the 10, Janpath residence of Sonia Gandhi, is expected to set the tone for opposition unity in the run up to the next general elections.

Sonia Gandhi has called for opposition unity and said parties should set aside their minor differences to get together in the larger interest of keeping the BJP out of power in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.&nbsp;

Congress sources said former CMs of Jharkhand Babulal Marandi of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha and Hemant Soren (JMM) will attend the dinner, along with former Bihar chief minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha chief Jitan Ram Manjhi

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will host a dinner tomorrow which is likely to be attended by leaders of 17 opposition parties, amid talk of forging a broader front against the BJP-led NDA ahead of the 2019 general elections. According to Congress sources, leaders of Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party, which recently pulled out its ministers in the Modi government but continues to be a constituent of the NDA, BJD, and the TRS have not been invited. The BJD and TRS rule Odisha and Telangana respectively. They said former chief ministers of Jharkhand Babulal Marandi of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha and Hemant Soren (JMM) will attend the dinner, along with former Bihar chief minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, who recently quit the NDA and joined forces with Lalu Prasad's RJD, which is an ally of the Congress. Lalu's son and Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav is also likely to attend, but there was no immediate confirmation. Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, DMK's Kanimozhi and Ram Gopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party are likely to be present, and so would be leaders of left parties - CPI-M's Sitaram Yechury and CPI's D Raja. Leaders of other parties like JD-S and Kerala Congress, Indian Union Muslim League, Revolutionary Socialist Party and RLD are also likely to attend. Sources said while BSP has been invited, its leader Mayawati may not send a representative as her party has aligned with JD-S for the Karnataka polls likely in April/March this year. The dinner being hosted at the 10, Janpath residence of Sonia Gandhi, is expected to set the tone for opposition unity in the run up to the next general elections. Sonia Gandhi has called for opposition unity and said parties should set aside their minor differences to get together in the larger interest of keeping the BJP out of power in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

17 opposition leaders to attend Sonia's dinner amid talk of broad front against BJP in 2019

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Monday claimed that the act of Congress Party President Rahul Gandhi forgiving the killers of his father, Rajiv Gandhi, raised suspicion of &quot;supari killing&quot; or a plotted murder for financial gains.

Speaking to the media, Swamy urged that a probe be conducted into the death of the former Prime Minister.

&quot;The reason given by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the assassination was that the Indian Army was sent to Sri Lanka to fight them. However, he (Rajiv Gandhi) was only acting upon a motion passed in Parliament stating that Sri Lanka had asked for assistance to fight the LTTE, as they could not do so alone,&quot; he said.

The Congress President in an earlier interaction with Indian Institute of Management (IIM) alumni in Singapore had reportedly stated that he and his sister, Priyanka Gandhi, have &quot;completely forgiven&quot; his father&#39;s killers, as they found it difficult to hate people, although the assassination had deeply angered and hurt them for several years.

In this regard, Swamy, while launching a scathing attack at Rahul Gandhi, alleged that the leniency given to the killers of Rajiv Gandhi gave rise to suspicions about the latter&#39;s assassination, and added that the Congress President&#39;s statement on forgiving the accused lacked patriotism.

&quot;He (Rajiv) was a true nationalist, and those responsible for killing him in the prime of his life should be shown no leniency. Initially, Nalini, one of the killers, was awarded a death sentence, but this was reduced to life imprisonment. I fail to understand why we should be lenient towards someone who collaborated with foreigners to kill our former Prime Minister. Rahul&#39;s statement lacks patriotism; he should understand that the punishment was awarded to the killers of the former Prime Minister, not his father,&quot; he said.

The senior BJP leader further alleged that there was some &quot;understanding&quot; with the LTTE, and therefore, urged a probe into the matter.

&quot;Why did Priyanka (Gandhi) visit the convicts in jail; only the relatives of convicts are allowed to visit them, which she is not. Furthermore, Sonia (Gandhi) took care of Nalini&#39;s daughter&#39;s education in England. Nalini was also awarded a scholarship to study computer science at the Indira Gandhi University. I don&#39;t understand why they are showing such sympathy. I suspect there is something wrong,&quot; he added.

For the unversed, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suspected LTTE suicide bomber, during an election rally in Tamil Nadu&#39;s Sriperumbudur in May 1991.

Speaking to the media, Swamy urged that a probe be conducted into the death of the former Prime Minister

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Monday claimed that the act of Congress Party President Rahul Gandhi forgiving the killers of his father, Rajiv Gandhi, raised suspicion of "supari killing" or a plotted murder for financial gains. Speaking to the media, Swamy urged that a probe be conducted into the death of the former Prime Minister. "The reason given by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the assassination was that the Indian Army was sent to Sri Lanka to fight them. However, he (Rajiv Gandhi) was only acting upon a motion passed in Parliament stating that Sri Lanka had asked for assistance to fight the LTTE, as they could not do so alone," he said. The Congress President in an earlier interaction with Indian Institute of Management (IIM) alumni in Singapore had reportedly stated that he and his sister, Priyanka Gandhi, have "completely forgiven" his father's killers, as they found it difficult to hate people, although the assassination had deeply angered and hurt them for several years. In this regard, Swamy, while launching a scathing attack at Rahul Gandhi, alleged that the leniency given to the killers of Rajiv Gandhi gave rise to suspicions about the latter's assassination, and added that the Congress President's statement on forgiving the accused lacked patriotism. "He (Rajiv) was a true nationalist, and those responsible for killing him in the prime of his life should be shown no leniency. Initially, Nalini, one of the killers, was awarded a death sentence, but this was reduced to life imprisonment. I fail to understand why we should be lenient towards someone who collaborated with foreigners to kill our former Prime Minister. Rahul's statement lacks patriotism; he should understand that the punishment was awarded to the killers of the former Prime Minister, not his father," he said. The senior BJP leader further alleged that there was some "understanding" with the LTTE, and therefore, urged a probe into the matter. "Why did Priyanka (Gandhi) visit the convicts in jail; only the relatives of convicts are allowed to visit them, which she is not. Furthermore, Sonia (Gandhi) took care of Nalini's daughter's education in England. Nalini was also awarded a scholarship to study computer science at the Indira Gandhi University. I don't understand why they are showing such sympathy. I suspect there is something wrong," he added. For the unversed, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suspected LTTE suicide bomber, during an election rally in Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur in May 1991.

Rajiv Gandhi assassination: Subramanian Swamy suspects 'supari killing', demands probe

Stressing the need to &quot;rise above politics&quot;, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today called for an all-party meeting at his residence on Tuesday to find solutions to problems being faced by traders because of an ongoing sealing drive in the national capital.

Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken thanked Kejriwal for the move, while the BJP said it would decide on its participation after consulting state unit chief Manoj Tiwari, who is currently abroad.

&quot;We should rise above politics and come together to find a solution to the problems that have risen due to sealing,&quot; the chief minister said in letters sent today to Tiwari and Maken.

Maken, who had written a letter to Kejriwal on Saturday, offering to share with the chief minister what he felt could be a solution to the drive, thanked him for accepting his request.

Praising Kejriwal for inviting the BJP, which rules the three Delhi municipal corporations carrying out the drive, the Congress leader expressed the hope the saffron party would participate in the meet.

The situation demands &quot;positive politics&quot;, he said.

The Delhi BJP said Tiwari was abroad as part of a delegation accompanying President Ram Nath Kovind and would be back by March 15.

An office-bearer of the party said a decision on Kejriwal&#39;s invitation would be taken after a consultation with Tiwari.

Kejriwal also suggested that not more than three people from each party be present at the meeting for its smooth functioning.

In January, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta had alleged that Aad Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and workers had &quot;misbehaved&quot; with members of a BJP delegation at Kejriwal&#39;s residence when they had gone there to discuss relief to traders hit by the sealing drive.

A case was registered in the matter and some AAP MLAs were booked.

The Delhi chief minister had yesterday written letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi seeking appointments with them to discuss the sealing issue and stressed the need to bring a Bill in Parliament to stop the drive.

The sealing is being undertaken by the municipal corporations on the directions of a Supreme Court-appointed committee. Hundreds of commercial establishments have been closed so far for non-payment of conversion charges and violation of the Delhi Master Plan.

Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken thanked Kejriwal for the move, while the BJP said it would decide on its participation after consulting state unit chief Manoj Tiwari

Stressing the need to "rise above politics", Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today called for an all-party meeting at his residence on Tuesday to find solutions to problems being faced by traders because of an ongoing sealing drive in the national capital. Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken thanked Kejriwal for the move, while the BJP said it would decide on its participation after consulting state unit chief Manoj Tiwari, who is currently abroad. "We should rise above politics and come together to find a solution to the problems that have risen due to sealing," the chief minister said in letters sent today to Tiwari and Maken. Maken, who had written a letter to Kejriwal on Saturday, offering to share with the chief minister what he felt could be a solution to the drive, thanked him for accepting his request. Praising Kejriwal for inviting the BJP, which rules the three Delhi municipal corporations carrying out the drive, the Congress leader expressed the hope the saffron party would participate in the meet. The situation demands "positive politics", he said. The Delhi BJP said Tiwari was abroad as part of a delegation accompanying President Ram Nath Kovind and would be back by March 15. An office-bearer of the party said a decision on Kejriwal's invitation would be taken after a consultation with Tiwari. Kejriwal also suggested that not more than three people from each party be present at the meeting for its smooth functioning. In January, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta had alleged that Aad Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and workers had "misbehaved" with members of a BJP delegation at Kejriwal's residence when they had gone there to discuss relief to traders hit by the sealing drive. A case was registered in the matter and some AAP MLAs were booked. The Delhi chief minister had yesterday written letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi seeking appointments with them to discuss the sealing issue and stressed the need to bring a Bill in Parliament to stop the drive. The sealing is being undertaken by the municipal corporations on the directions of a Supreme Court-appointed committee. Hundreds of commercial establishments have been closed so far for non-payment of conversion charges and violation of the Delhi Master Plan.

Arvind Kejriwal's all-party meet invite: Congress says thanks, BJP to RSVP

Over 30 members of the right-wing organisation Sri Ram Sene were on Monday acquitted by a Mangalore court in the January 2009 Mangalore pub attack case.&nbsp;

The attack had been caught on video. Members of the sene had entered a pub in Mangalore on Valentine&#39;s Day and begun attacking couples. Video footage had shown them dragging out girls by the hair, and slapping and manhandling them.&nbsp;

News reports said 27 people had testified as witnesses in the case but the accused were let off because of a lack of evidence.&nbsp;

The reports quoted Muthalik, who was in court on Monday, as saying the verdict was a &quot;victory for truth&quot;.&nbsp;

The case had catapulted the sene and Muthalik into the national limelight. The sene has since become infamous for its moral policing.&nbsp;

The attack however had turned the tide against the BJP &mdash; making it lose young voters unhappy with the moral policing &mdash; which was at the time in power in Karnataka.&nbsp;

In March 2014, Muthalik joined the Karnataka BJP but his membership was revoked inside of five hours after an astonished central BJP leadership asked its state unit it was thinking.&nbsp;

The Mangalore pub attack had also led to the &quot;Pink Chaddi&quot; campaign in which women from across the country mailed pink underwear &mdash; meant to be a symbol of girl power &mdash; to the Sri Ram Sene.&nbsp;

Muthalik had ostensibly tempered his opinion after the attack and its fallout. He called the attack a &quot;big mistake&quot;, saying it should never have taken place.&nbsp;

The members were let off because of a lack of evidence, despite 27 witnesses testifying in the case. The attack on couples in the pub was also caught on camera

Over 30 members of the right-wing organisation Sri Ram Sene were on Monday acquitted by a Mangalore court in the January 2009 Mangalore pub attack case. The attack had been caught on video. Members of the sene had entered a pub in Mangalore on Valentine's Day and begun attacking couples. Video footage had shown them dragging out girls by the hair, and slapping and manhandling them. News reports said 27 people had testified as witnesses in the case but the accused were let off because of a lack of evidence. The reports quoted Muthalik, who was in court on Monday, as saying the verdict was a "victory for truth". The case had catapulted the sene and Muthalik into the national limelight. The sene has since become infamous for its moral policing. The attack however had turned the tide against the BJP — making it lose young voters unhappy with the moral policing — which was at the time in power in Karnataka. In March 2014, Muthalik joined the Karnataka BJP but his membership was revoked inside of five hours after an astonished central BJP leadership asked its state unit it was thinking. The Mangalore pub attack had also led to the "Pink Chaddi" campaign in which women from across the country mailed pink underwear — meant to be a symbol of girl power — to the Sri Ram Sene. Muthalik had ostensibly tempered his opinion after the attack and its fallout. He called the attack a "big mistake", saying it should never have taken place.

Over 30 Sri Ram Sene members acquitted in infamous 2009 Mangalore pub attack case

Over 30,000 farmers protesting against the BJP government in Maharashtra demanding a complete farm loan waiver, will reach&nbsp;Mumbai on Sunday.

The farmers, who started their march&nbsp;from Nashik,&nbsp;reached the doorstep of Mumbai, Thane on Saturday evening. The farmers will reach Mumbai on Sunday.

The 180-km-long march is led by All India Kisan Sabha National President Ashok Davle, local MLA J P Gavit and other leaders.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/maharashtra-farmers-protest-demanding-loan-waiver-reaches-thane-35177">30,000 farmers head towards Mumbai to demand complete loan waiver</a>

The farmers are planning to gherao the Vidhan Bhawan on Monday to demand complete loan waiver, remunerative prices for agricultural produce and implementation of Swaminathan commission recommendations which addresses issues of providing minimum support prices (MSP) and safeguarding interests of small farmers.

The Devendra Fadnavis government has been under immense pressure after continuous protests by farmers who alleged that he did not honour assurances given to farmers for a farm loan waiver of Rs. 34,000 crore in June last year.

Ashok Davle has accused the BJP government of having betrayed farmers. He said that promises made have remained unfulfilled.

He is also demanding transfer of forest land to those who have been tilling it for years and an increase in the compensation for peasants whose crops were damaged in the recent hailstorms and pink bollworm infestation.

Farmers and farm labourers in large number from various districts of the state gathered in Nashik city before setting off on &nbsp;&lsquo;long march&rsquo; to Mumbai on Tuesday afternoon.

The budget session is also underway at the state legislature.

 
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The protesting farmers reached the doorstep of Mumbai, Thane on Saturday evening

Over 30,000 farmers protesting against the BJP government in Maharashtra demanding a complete farm loan waiver, will reach Mumbai on Sunday. The farmers, who started their march from Nashik, reached the doorstep of Mumbai, Thane on Saturday evening. The farmers will reach Mumbai on Sunday. The 180-km-long march is led by All India Kisan Sabha National President Ashok Davle, local MLA J P Gavit and other leaders. Also read: 30,000 farmers head towards Mumbai to demand complete loan waiver The farmers are planning to gherao the Vidhan Bhawan on Monday to demand complete loan waiver, remunerative prices for agricultural produce and implementation of Swaminathan commission recommendations which addresses issues of providing minimum support prices (MSP) and safeguarding interests of small farmers. The Devendra Fadnavis government has been under immense pressure after continuous protests by farmers who alleged that he did not honour assurances given to farmers for a farm loan waiver of Rs. 34,000 crore in June last year. Ashok Davle has accused the BJP government of having betrayed farmers. He said that promises made have remained unfulfilled. He is also demanding transfer of forest land to those who have been tilling it for years and an increase in the compensation for peasants whose crops were damaged in the recent hailstorms and pink bollworm infestation. Farmers and farm labourers in large number from various districts of the state gathered in Nashik city before setting off on ‘long march’ to Mumbai on Tuesday afternoon. The budget session is also underway at the state legislature.

Over 30,000 farmers marching from Nashik demanding farm loan waiver to reach Mumbai today

The CPI(M) in Tripura on Saturday withdrew from the election to the Charilam Assembly seat alleging post-poll violence.

Charilam is slated to go to polls on March 12.

CPI(M) state secretary Bijan Dhar alleged that the BJP and the Indigenous People&#39;s Front of Tripura (IPFT) had resorted to &quot;post-poll violence in the constituency&quot;. He said that the CPI(M) &nbsp;candidate was compelled to stay outside the constituency and was qas not able to move in the constituency even with a security cover.&nbsp;

&quot;The CPI(M) candidate was compelled to stay outside the constituency despite being a permanent resident of the place. He is not in a position to move in the constituency even with security cover. Any election held in such a situation would be nothing but a one-sided exercise,&quot; Dhar said.

The CPI(M), which had earlier requested the Election Commission to postpone the Charilam poll till &quot;normalcy gets restored&quot; in the area, said since its &quot;appeal for postponement&quot; had not been considered it had decided to withdraw from the election.

&quot;Since our appeal for postponement has not been considered, we have unanimously decided to withdraw from the election,&quot; Dhar said.

The BJP state in-charge Sunil Deodhar reacted to the CPI (M) by saying that the Left party was making baseless allegations.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Debashish Modak said the last date for withdrawal of candidature from the Charilam election was February 26.

&quot;The electronic voting machines will have a symbol for them (CPI(M)) and the election process will continue as scheduled,&quot; he said.

Polling to the Charilam seat was postponed a week before the February 18 elections following the death of CPI(M) candidate Ramendra Narayan Debbarma.&nbsp;

The party had later fielded Palash Debbarma from the seat.

Palash Debbarma was pitted against BJP leader and newly appointed Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Debbarman, who is not a member of the 60-member Tripura Assembly. The Congress has nominated Arjun Debbarma from the seat.

State BJP leader Biplab Kumar Deb yesterday became the chief minister of the first BJP government in Tripura, ending the 25-year rule of the Left Front. Jishnu Deb Burman was sworn in as the deputy chief minister along with seven other ministers.

The BJP-IPFT alliance had won the polls with a two-thirds majority in the Assembly. The BJP had bagged 35 seats, while the IPFT won eight of the 59 seats that went to polls.

(With inputs from PTI)

Charilam is slated to go to polls on March 12

The CPI(M) in Tripura on Saturday withdrew from the election to the Charilam Assembly seat alleging post-poll violence. Charilam is slated to go to polls on March 12. CPI(M) state secretary Bijan Dhar alleged that the BJP and the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) had resorted to "post-poll violence in the constituency". He said that the CPI(M) candidate was compelled to stay outside the constituency and was qas not able to move in the constituency even with a security cover. "The CPI(M) candidate was compelled to stay outside the constituency despite being a permanent resident of the place. He is not in a position to move in the constituency even with security cover. Any election held in such a situation would be nothing but a one-sided exercise," Dhar said. The CPI(M), which had earlier requested the Election Commission to postpone the Charilam poll till "normalcy gets restored" in the area, said since its "appeal for postponement" had not been considered it had decided to withdraw from the election. "Since our appeal for postponement has not been considered, we have unanimously decided to withdraw from the election," Dhar said. The BJP state in-charge Sunil Deodhar reacted to the CPI (M) by saying that the Left party was making baseless allegations. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Debashish Modak said the last date for withdrawal of candidature from the Charilam election was February 26. "The electronic voting machines will have a symbol for them (CPI(M)) and the election process will continue as scheduled," he said. Polling to the Charilam seat was postponed a week before the February 18 elections following the death of CPI(M) candidate Ramendra Narayan Debbarma. The party had later fielded Palash Debbarma from the seat. Palash Debbarma was pitted against BJP leader and newly appointed Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Debbarman, who is not a member of the 60-member Tripura Assembly. The Congress has nominated Arjun Debbarma from the seat. State BJP leader Biplab Kumar Deb yesterday became the chief minister of the first BJP government in Tripura, ending the 25-year rule of the Left Front. Jishnu Deb Burman was sworn in as the deputy chief minister along with seven other ministers. The BJP-IPFT alliance had won the polls with a two-thirds majority in the Assembly. The BJP had bagged 35 seats, while the IPFT won eight of the 59 seats that went to polls. (With inputs from PTI)

Citing post-poll violence, CPI(M) withdraws from Charilam election in Tripura

The former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Narayan Rane has accepted the offer to fight in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from the&nbsp;BJP ticket.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Rane will file the nomination papers from the party&nbsp;quota for the biennial Rajya Sabha seat on March 12.

The elections&nbsp;to the 58 seats of the&nbsp;upper house of the Parliament are scheduled for March 23.

Rane was part of&nbsp;Congress for over a decade. He had joined the party in 2005 after&nbsp;quitting from Shiv Sena.

He ended his longtime association with Congress in September 2017 accusing&nbsp;the party that it was not fulfilling its promise of appointing&nbsp;him as the chief minister of Maharashtra.&nbsp;

After quitting Congress, Rane formed his own party called the Maharashtra Swabhiman Party and allied with BJP led NDA.

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Maharashtra Swabhiman Party (MSP) chief Narayan Rane accepts BJP&#39;s offer of Rajya Sabha seat, to file nomination papers on 12 March. He will meet Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis later today. <a href="https://t.co/YjhCVmJrF5">pic.twitter.com/YjhCVmJrF5</a>
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Rane will file the nomination papers from the party quota for the biennial Rajya Sabha seat on March 12

The former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Narayan Rane has accepted the offer to fight in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from the BJP ticket. Rane will file the nomination papers from the party quota for the biennial Rajya Sabha seat on March 12. The elections to the 58 seats of the upper house of the Parliament are scheduled for March 23. Rane was part of Congress for over a decade. He had joined the party in 2005 after quitting from Shiv Sena. He ended his longtime association with Congress in September 2017 accusing the party that it was not fulfilling its promise of appointing him as the chief minister of Maharashtra. After quitting Congress, Rane formed his own party called the Maharashtra Swabhiman Party and allied with BJP led NDA. Maharashtra Swabhiman Party (MSP) chief Narayan Rane accepts BJP's offer of Rajya Sabha seat, to file nomination papers on 12 March. He will meet Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis later today. pic.twitter.com/YjhCVmJrF5 — ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2018 ×

Narayan Rane to contest Rajya Sabha polls in Maharashtra from BJP ticket

Launching a scathing attack on Modi and BJP, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday said that Aadhaar is being turned into an intrusive instrument of control while the judiciary is in turmoil.&nbsp;

Speaking at an event in Mumbai, Sonia said RTI was brought to bring transparency, but today that law is in &#39;&#39;cold storage&#39;&#39;. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Sonia noted that Congress was out-marketed and added that the party has to develop a new style of connecting with people.

&#39;&#39;We were out-marketed. We have to really develop a new style of connecting with people. We have to look how we project our programs and policies,&#39;&#39; said the Congress leader.&nbsp;

&quot;Was India really a giant black hole before May 16, 2014?&quot; a combative Sonia Gandhi asked, adding, &quot;Is this claim not an insult to the intelligence of our people?&quot;

That claim refers to Modi&#39;s - and the BJP&#39;s - frequent attacks on the Congress, blaming the party for doing nothing in the past 60-70 years that it has been in power.

She also alleged that BJP has managed to persuade people that Congress is a Muslim party.&nbsp;

&#39;&#39;We have always been to temples. When I travelled with Rajiv Gandhi, wherever we used to go, there was always a major temple that we used to visit. But we never made a show of it,&#39;&#39; she noted.&nbsp;

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Sonia noted that Congress was out-marketed and added that the party has to develop a new style of connecting with people.

Launching a scathing attack on Modi and BJP, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday said that Aadhaar is being turned into an intrusive instrument of control while the judiciary is in turmoil. Speaking at an event in Mumbai, Sonia said RTI was brought to bring transparency, but today that law is in ''cold storage''. Sonia noted that Congress was out-marketed and added that the party has to develop a new style of connecting with people. ''We were out-marketed. We have to really develop a new style of connecting with people. We have to look how we project our programs and policies,'' said the Congress leader. "Was India really a giant black hole before May 16, 2014?" a combative Sonia Gandhi asked, adding, "Is this claim not an insult to the intelligence of our people?" That claim refers to Modi's - and the BJP's - frequent attacks on the Congress, blaming the party for doing nothing in the past 60-70 years that it has been in power. She also alleged that BJP has managed to persuade people that Congress is a Muslim party. ''We have always been to temples. When I travelled with Rajiv Gandhi, wherever we used to go, there was always a major temple that we used to visit. But we never made a show of it,'' she noted.

Sonia tears into Modi, says Aadhaar being 'turned into intrusive instrument of control'

Biplab Kumar Deb will be sworn in as the chief minister of Tripura on Friday, officially ushering the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the Left bastion.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all the chief ministers of the BJP-ruled states have been invited.

&quot;The swearing-in ceremony will be on March 9 at 10.30 am. We have sent an invitation to the Prime Minister and all the chief ministers of the BJP government. I hope Prime Minister accepts the invitation,&quot; said Deb, while addressing the media on Thursday.

Former chief minister Manik Sarkar was personally invited by Deb and BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav.

Yesterday, Union minister Nitin Gadkari announced Deb as the chief minister while Jishnu Kumar Deb was named as deputy chief minister.

The announcement was made at the state guesthouse in Agartala.

Earlier in the month, the BJP and its ally Indigenous People&#39;s Front of Tripura (IPFT) scripted history in the assembly election by ending the 25-year reign of the Left Front-led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), with a two-thirds majority in the Tripura legislative assembly elections.

The BJP won 35 of the 59 seats that went to polls in Tripura, ousting the CPI(M) which won only in 17 assembly constituencies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all the chief ministers of the BJP-ruled states have been invited

Biplab Kumar Deb will be sworn in as the chief minister of Tripura on Friday, officially ushering the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the Left bastion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all the chief ministers of the BJP-ruled states have been invited. "The swearing-in ceremony will be on March 9 at 10.30 am. We have sent an invitation to the Prime Minister and all the chief ministers of the BJP government. I hope Prime Minister accepts the invitation," said Deb, while addressing the media on Thursday. Former chief minister Manik Sarkar was personally invited by Deb and BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav. Yesterday, Union minister Nitin Gadkari announced Deb as the chief minister while Jishnu Kumar Deb was named as deputy chief minister. The announcement was made at the state guesthouse in Agartala. Earlier in the month, the BJP and its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) scripted history in the assembly election by ending the 25-year reign of the Left Front-led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), with a two-thirds majority in the Tripura legislative assembly elections. The BJP won 35 of the 59 seats that went to polls in Tripura, ousting the CPI(M) which won only in 17 assembly constituencies.

Biplab Deb to be sworn in as Tripura chief minister on Friday

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, currently a Rajya Sabha member of parliament (MP) from Gujarat, will be contesting from Uttar Pradesh, according to Bhartiya Janta Party&#39;s&nbsp;list of eight candidates announced ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections to be held in six different states.

Other than Arun Jaitley, Human Resources and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar was shifted to his home state Maharashtra. He was elected from Madhya Pradesh in 2014.

The announcement was made on Wednesday by BJP&#39;s central election committee.

Five other union ministers and one general secretary were also announced who will be contesting from the same states they have been elected from earlier.

According to the statement, Social Justice Minister Thawarchand Gehlot will contest from Madhya Pradesh, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Bihar and J P Nadda from Himachal Pradesh.

Parshottam Rupala and Manusukh Mandaviya will contest from Gujarat. Bhupender Yadav, the party&#39;s general secretary, will again contest from Rajasthan.

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has also been shifted to Madhya Pradesh from Bihar.

(With inputs from PTI)

Other than Arun Jaitley, Human Resources and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar was shifted to his home state Maharashtra

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, currently a Rajya Sabha member of parliament (MP) from Gujarat, will be contesting from Uttar Pradesh, according to Bhartiya Janta Party's list of eight candidates announced ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections to be held in six different states. Other than Arun Jaitley, Human Resources and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar was shifted to his home state Maharashtra. He was elected from Madhya Pradesh in 2014. The announcement was made on Wednesday by BJP's central election committee. Five other union ministers and one general secretary were also announced who will be contesting from the same states they have been elected from earlier. According to the statement, Social Justice Minister Thawarchand Gehlot will contest from Madhya Pradesh, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Bihar and J P Nadda from Himachal Pradesh. Parshottam Rupala and Manusukh Mandaviya will contest from Gujarat. Bhupender Yadav, the party's general secretary, will again contest from Rajasthan. Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has also been shifted to Madhya Pradesh from Bihar. (With inputs from PTI)

Arun Jaitley to contest for Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh

The two TDP ministers who resigned Thursday from Prime Minister Modi&#39;s cabinet said today that they would continue to be part of the NDA but that they would not take up any ministerial positions. &nbsp;

The two ministers &mdash; Ashok Gajapathi Raju who was civil aviation minister, and YS Chowdary who was minister of state for science and technology &mdash; addressed a press conference after meeting with the prime minister. The two had been ordered yesterday by TDP chief and Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu to resign from the union cabinet.&nbsp;

&quot;I don&#39;t think it&#39;s fair on our part to expect PM to deal with these issues. It&#39;s for the concerned ministries to take up, already considerable amount of time has lapsed,&quot; said Chowdary.&nbsp;

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I don&#39;t think it&#39;s fair on our part to expect PM to deal with these issues. It&#39;s for the concerned ministries to take up, already considerable amount of time has lapsed: YS Choudhary,TDP <a href="https://t.co/tAt0Tu4iBs">pic.twitter.com/tAt0Tu4iBs</a>
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Chowdary was also asked whether the BJP might now tie up with the YSR Congress Party.&nbsp;

&quot;That is between those two parties, we have nothing to say on that, you can ask them,&quot; said Chowdary.&nbsp;

The two union ministers were Ashok Gajapathi Raju who was civil aviation minister, and YS Chowdary who was minister of state for science and technology

The two TDP ministers who resigned Thursday from Prime Minister Modi's cabinet said today that they would continue to be part of the NDA but that they would not take up any ministerial positions. The two ministers — Ashok Gajapathi Raju who was civil aviation minister, and YS Chowdary who was minister of state for science and technology — addressed a press conference after meeting with the prime minister. The two had been ordered yesterday by TDP chief and Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu to resign from the union cabinet. "I don't think it's fair on our part to expect PM to deal with these issues. It's for the concerned ministries to take up, already considerable amount of time has lapsed," said Chowdary. I don't think it's fair on our part to expect PM to deal with these issues. It's for the concerned ministries to take up, already considerable amount of time has lapsed: YS Choudhary,TDP pic.twitter.com/tAt0Tu4iBs — ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2018 × Chowdary was also asked whether the BJP might now tie up with the YSR Congress Party. "That is between those two parties, we have nothing to say on that, you can ask them," said Chowdary.

Not fair to expect PM to deal with these issues: TDP ministers who resigned from Modi's cabinet

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