<p>On the day miscreants protesting the release of &#39;Padmaavat&#39;&nbsp;targeted a school&nbsp;bus in Gurugram, Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to express his anguish and blamed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for the ongoing violence. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Congress president stated that violence and hatred are the weapons of the weak. The BJP&#39;s use of hatred and violence is setting our entire country on fire, he tweeted.</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;There will never be a cause big enough to justify violence against children. Violence and hatred are the weapons of the weak. The BJP&#39;s use of hatred and violence is setting our entire country on fire,&#39;&#39; Rahul Gandhi said in the tweet.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">There will never be a cause big enough to justify violence against children. Violence and hatred are the weapons of the weak. The BJP&#39;s use of hatred and violence is setting our entire country on fire.</p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/956216093940461570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Around 20-25 students of a leading Gurugram school had a narrow escape when a frenzied mob attacked their bus.</p>

<p>The G D Goenka World School students were on their way home when a group of around 60 protesters attacked the bus with bamboo sticks asking the driver to stop the vehicle.</p>

<p>When the driver did not comply, the miscreants pelted the vehicle with stones.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The school bus staffer asked the kids to take cover under seats and directed the driver to not stop it, Ravinder Kumar, PRO, Gurugram Police said.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Some of the bus windowpanes were broken and terrified kids cried for help. Fortunately, none of the children was hurt in the attack,&rdquo; Kumar said.</p>

<p>The attackers also torched a bus in Sohna. They also pelted stones on a fire tender and forced it back when it came to douse the fire, officials said.</p>

<p>Despite prohibitory orders in Gurugram, hundreds of Shree Rajput Karni Sena supporters also protested at Kherki Daula toll plaza on the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway.</p>


Around 20-25 students of a leading Gurugram school had a narrow escape when a frenzied anti-Padmaavat mob attacked their bus

On the day miscreants protesting the release of 'Padmaavat' targeted a school bus in Gurugram, Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to express his anguish and blamed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for the ongoing violence. The Congress president stated that violence and hatred are the weapons of the weak. The BJP's use of hatred and violence is setting our entire country on fire, he tweeted. ''There will never be a cause big enough to justify violence against children. Violence and hatred are the weapons of the weak. The BJP's use of hatred and violence is setting our entire country on fire,'' Rahul Gandhi said in the tweet. There will never be a cause big enough to justify violence against children. Violence and hatred are the weapons of the weak. The BJP's use of hatred and violence is setting our entire country on fire. — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) January 24, 2018 × Around 20-25 students of a leading Gurugram school had a narrow escape when a frenzied mob attacked their bus. The G D Goenka World School students were on their way home when a group of around 60 protesters attacked the bus with bamboo sticks asking the driver to stop the vehicle. When the driver did not comply, the miscreants pelted the vehicle with stones. The school bus staffer asked the kids to take cover under seats and directed the driver to not stop it, Ravinder Kumar, PRO, Gurugram Police said. “Some of the bus windowpanes were broken and terrified kids cried for help. Fortunately, none of the children was hurt in the attack,” Kumar said. The attackers also torched a bus in Sohna. They also pelted stones on a fire tender and forced it back when it came to douse the fire, officials said. Despite prohibitory orders in Gurugram, hundreds of Shree Rajput Karni Sena supporters also protested at Kherki Daula toll plaza on the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway.

No 'cause big enough to justify violence against children', says Rahul after attack on Gurgaon school bus

<p>All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday said that the BJP is playing pakoda politics.</p>

<p>The comment comes following the ongoing protests over the controversial movie Padmaavat.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;This is nothing but &#39;pakoda&#39; politics being practised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Prime Minister and his party have laid a red carpet for these people (Padmaavat protesters) who are indulging in violence against children, burning down properties, have become a law into themselves. All this is happening because of tactical support of the BJP. The Prime Minister and his party have meekly surrendered before these people who are protesting.&quot;</p>

<p>He further accused PM Modi of double standards and said: &quot;Prime Minister Modi&#39;s 56-inch chest is only for Muslims. Look at the biasness of their approach that without even consulting any Muslim member from his own Cabinet, without even putting it in the public domain, without even consulting any Muslim organisation, the government is bulldozing triple talaq bill.&quot;</p>

<p>He added, &quot;But, when it comes to this film the name has been changed, the scenes have been cut. And, to satisfy the sentiments of some people the midriff of the heroine has been covered. What kind of politics is this?&quot; Owaisi lamented.</p>

<p>Modi has been the centre of criticism since his comment over employment, in a recent interview, saying that a person earning Rs 200 a day by selling &quot;pakodas&quot; is also employed.</p>

<p>&quot;If someone opened a small shop outside Zee studios, and they earn Rs 200 at the end of the day, isn&#39;t that part of employment generation? These small businesses are not part of the data, but there is growth in the number of such businesses,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The AIMIM leader alleged that it shows that the Constitution and rule of law are not important for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government.</p>

<p>Earlier, Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/only-a-chaiwala-can-tell-unemployed-youth-to-sell-snacks-hardik-patel-attacks-pm-modi-30382"> Hardik Patel</a> had also lashed out at PM Modi, saying that &quot;Only a tea seller can tell unemployed youth to sell snacks. An economist would never say something like this.&quot;</p>

<p>The Sanjay Leela Bhansali magnum opus &#39;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padmaavat-releases-protesters-brandish-swords-owners-say-movie-halls-full-30721">Padmaavat</a>&#39;, which released on Thursday, has been<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padmaavat-releases-today-protests-continue-lucknow-man-tries-to-immolate-himself-30690"> embroiled </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padmaavat-releases-today-protests-continue-lucknow-man-tries-to-immolate-himself-30690">into</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padmaavat-releases-today-protests-continue-lucknow-man-tries-to-immolate-himself-30690"> controversy</a> since its inception.</p>

<p>The movie, however, was a<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padmaavat-not-to-release-in-4-states-says-multiplex-association-of-india-30677"> no-show in four states.</a> Cinema hall owners in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Goa have refused to screen the movie saying they fear violence.&nbsp;</p>


The AIMIM leader alleged that it shows that the Constitution and rule of law is not important for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government

All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday said that the BJP is playing pakoda politics. The comment comes following the ongoing protests over the controversial movie Padmaavat. "This is nothing but 'pakoda' politics being practised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Prime Minister and his party have laid a red carpet for these people (Padmaavat protesters) who are indulging in violence against children, burning down properties, have become a law into themselves. All this is happening because of tactical support of the BJP. The Prime Minister and his party have meekly surrendered before these people who are protesting." He further accused PM Modi of double standards and said: "Prime Minister Modi's 56-inch chest is only for Muslims. Look at the biasness of their approach that without even consulting any Muslim member from his own Cabinet, without even putting it in the public domain, without even consulting any Muslim organisation, the government is bulldozing triple talaq bill." He added, "But, when it comes to this film the name has been changed, the scenes have been cut. And, to satisfy the sentiments of some people the midriff of the heroine has been covered. What kind of politics is this?" Owaisi lamented. Modi has been the centre of criticism since his comment over employment, in a recent interview, saying that a person earning Rs 200 a day by selling "pakodas" is also employed. "If someone opened a small shop outside Zee studios, and they earn Rs 200 at the end of the day, isn't that part of employment generation? These small businesses are not part of the data, but there is growth in the number of such businesses," he said. The AIMIM leader alleged that it shows that the Constitution and rule of law are not important for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government. Earlier, Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel had also lashed out at PM Modi, saying that "Only a tea seller can tell unemployed youth to sell snacks. An economist would never say something like this." The Sanjay Leela Bhansali magnum opus 'Padmaavat', which released on Thursday, has been embroiled into controversy since its inception. The movie, however, was a no-show in four states. Cinema hall owners in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Goa have refused to screen the movie saying they fear violence.

This is nothing but 'pakoda' politics by BJP: Owaisi lashes out following Padmaavat protest

<p>The Congress on Saturday announced the list of selected candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Tripura and Meghalaya.</p>

<p>Out of the total 113 candidates announced so far, 56 of them have been selected as candidates in the Tripura elections, while another 57 candidates were selected in the Meghalaya elections.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">INC COMMUNIQUE<br />
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Announcement of the list of Congress candidates for the ensuing elections to the Legislative Assembly of Tripura. <a href="https://t.co/f7XgP0Khn7">pic.twitter.com/f7XgP0Khn7</a></p>
&mdash; INC Sandesh (@INCSandesh) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCSandesh/status/957214756770738176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Announcement of the list of Congress candidates for the ensuing elections to the Legislative Assembly of Meghalaya. <a href="https://t.co/oUgcft3Eaa">pic.twitter.com/oUgcft3Eaa</a></p>
&mdash; INC Sandesh (@INCSandesh) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCSandesh/status/957214497881509888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Congress has not yet announced the list of candidates for the Nagaland assembly elections.</p>

<p>Polling in Tripura will take place on February 18 and Meghalaya and Nagaland on February 27 respectively.</p>

<p>The counting for all three states will be held on March 3.The terms of the Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura legislative assemblies will end on March 6, March 13 and March 14 respectively.</p>


Out of the total 113 candidates announced so far, 56 of them have been selected as candidates in the Tripura elections

The Congress on Saturday announced the list of selected candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Tripura and Meghalaya. Out of the total 113 candidates announced so far, 56 of them have been selected as candidates in the Tripura elections, while another 57 candidates were selected in the Meghalaya elections. INC COMMUNIQUE Announcement of the list of Congress candidates for the ensuing elections to the Legislative Assembly of Tripura. pic.twitter.com/f7XgP0Khn7 — INC Sandesh (@INCSandesh) January 27, 2018 × INC COMMUNIQUE Announcement of the list of Congress candidates for the ensuing elections to the Legislative Assembly of Meghalaya. pic.twitter.com/oUgcft3Eaa — INC Sandesh (@INCSandesh) January 27, 2018 × The Congress has not yet announced the list of candidates for the Nagaland assembly elections. Polling in Tripura will take place on February 18 and Meghalaya and Nagaland on February 27 respectively. The counting for all three states will be held on March 3.The terms of the Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura legislative assemblies will end on March 6, March 13 and March 14 respectively.

Congress announces candidate list for Tripura, Meghalaya

<p>Jammu and Kashmir Legislative assembly was adjourned for fifteen minutes after BJP MLA&#39;s raised anti-Pakistan slogans over early&nbsp;morning<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/terrorist-attack-sunjwan-army-camp-in-jammu-and-kashmir-2-injured-32376"> terrorist attack in Sunjwan army camp</a> in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">BJP MLAs raised anti-Pakistan slogans in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JammuAndKashmir?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JammuAndKashmir</a> Assembly, following which house was adjourned for 15 minutes and the proceedings resumed later. <a href="https://t.co/GOEedSXgWM">pic.twitter.com/GOEedSXgWM</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/962195001701625856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The proceedings restarted after some time.</p>

<p>A team of heavily armed three terrorists attacked an Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir&#39;s Sunjwan area on Saturday leaving two people - an Army constable and his daughter - injured following the attack.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/four-injured-as-jaish-militants-attack-army-camp-32387">One Army man also died.</a></p>

<p>Security forces and police have cordoned off the area around the Sunjwan Army camp</p>

<p>Schools in the entire area around the camp have been closed by authorities as a precautionary measure.</p>

<p>Security also heightened in Udhampur following the terrorist attack, Indian Air Force para commandos also airlifted to Jammu from Udhampur; Another aircraft is airborne to airlift para commandos from Sarsawa.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JammuAndKashmir?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JammuAndKashmir</a> : Security heightened in Udhampur after the terrorist attack on Sunjwan Army camp in Jammu. <a href="https://t.co/srHDLePTpZ">pic.twitter.com/srHDLePTpZ</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/962204523807891456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Mehbooba Mufti condemned the attack on Twitter. &#39;deeply disturbed by the terrorist attack in Sunjwan today&#39;, she tweeted.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Deeply disturbed by the terrorist attack in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sunjwan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sunjwan</a> today. My heart goes out to the injured &amp; their families, tweets J&amp;K CM Mehbooba Mufti.</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/962205419732021250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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A team of heavily armed three terrorists attacked an Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Sunjwan area on Saturday leaving two people - an Army constable and his daughter - injured following the attack.

Jammu and Kashmir Legislative assembly was adjourned for fifteen minutes after BJP MLA's raised anti-Pakistan slogans over early morning terrorist attack in Sunjwan army camp in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. BJP MLAs raised anti-Pakistan slogans in the #JammuAndKashmir Assembly, following which house was adjourned for 15 minutes and the proceedings resumed later. pic.twitter.com/GOEedSXgWM — ANI (@ANI) February 10, 2018 × The proceedings restarted after some time. A team of heavily armed three terrorists attacked an Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Sunjwan area on Saturday leaving two people - an Army constable and his daughter - injured following the attack. One Army man also died. Security forces and police have cordoned off the area around the Sunjwan Army camp Schools in the entire area around the camp have been closed by authorities as a precautionary measure. Security also heightened in Udhampur following the terrorist attack, Indian Air Force para commandos also airlifted to Jammu from Udhampur; Another aircraft is airborne to airlift para commandos from Sarsawa. #JammuAndKashmir : Security heightened in Udhampur after the terrorist attack on Sunjwan Army camp in Jammu. pic.twitter.com/srHDLePTpZ — ANI (@ANI) February 10, 2018 × Mehbooba Mufti condemned the attack on Twitter. 'deeply disturbed by the terrorist attack in Sunjwan today', she tweeted. Deeply disturbed by the terrorist attack in #Sunjwan today. My heart goes out to the injured & their families, tweets J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti. — ANI (@ANI) February 10, 2018 ×

Sunjwan attack: Mehbooba Mufti 'deeply disturbed' as BJP MLA raise anti-Pakistan slogans

<p>Rahul Gandhi is back with yet another file of facts and is pushing Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for answers on Rafale jet deal.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Congress president, on Friday, called out Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Twitter and said: &quot;You said the UPA never released prices of Defence purchases? To nail your lie, here are 3 Parliamentary replies by the UPA with full transparency on pricing. Now do ask our Raksha Mantri to tell India how much each RAFALE jet cost.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>With that, he attached screenshots of documents - one dated 9 August 2010 titled &quot;Aircraft Carrier Admiral Gorshkov&quot; and another 4 March 2013 titled &quot;Upgradation of Aircraft&quot; - by the Ministry of Defence.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The documents mention several &lsquo;parliamentary replies&rsquo; on the prices of several defence purchases made during the UPA government.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dear Mr Jaitlie,<br />
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You said the UPA never released prices of Defence purchases?<br />
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To nail your lie, here are 3 Parliamentary replies by the UPA with full transparency on pricing.<br />
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Now do ask our Raksha Mantri to tell India how much each RAFALE jet cost.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DealMeinKuchKalaHai?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DealMeinKuchKalaHai</a> <a href="https://t.co/txb2Cc1BHh">pic.twitter.com/txb2Cc1BHh</a></p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/961930076668473344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Earlier, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, defending the government&#39;s decision against making the break-up of the nearly Rs 58,000 crore deal public, said when UPA was in power, then defence ministers Pranab Mukherjee and A K Antony had on 15 occasions told Parliament that giving out such details would be against the interest of national security.</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/allegations-against-rafale-deal-shameful-disservice-to-armed-forces-nirmala-sitharaman-24474">Allegations against Rafale deal &#39;shameful&#39;, &#39;disservice&#39; to armed forces: Nirmala Sitharaman</a></p>

<p>He hit back at the Congress over the Rafale deal, accusing it of &quot;seriously compromising&quot; country&#39;s security by seeking details of armaments purchased along with the aircraft.</p>

<p>He also advised Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to &quot;learn&quot; from former defense minister Pranab Mukherjee &quot;lessons on national security.&quot;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-tweaked-rafale-deal-to-benefit-one-businessman-rahul-gandhi-24356">Rahul has </a>been targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the 2016 deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets. &quot;What is the price that the Prime Minister has spent on Rafale,&quot; Gandhi had asked on Tuesday.</p>

<p>Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/indian-cabinet-approves-purchase-of-36-rafale-fighter-jets-source-6629">&nbsp;Indian cabinet approves purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets: Source</a></p>

<p>Gandhi, raising the pitch on the Rafale jet deal, has asked for a discussion in parliament under a rule that makes it a must for the government to answer.</p>

<p>The Congress president alleges that there is &quot;something fishy&quot; about the deal to buy 126 fighter jets and that is the reason Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman are <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/your-boss-silencing-you-rahul-gandhi-asks-nirmala-sitharaman-24541">silent on it.</a></p>


Gandhi, raising the pitch on the Rafale jet deal, has asked for a discussion in parliament under a rule that makes it a must for the government to answer

Rahul Gandhi is back with yet another file of facts and is pushing Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for answers on Rafale jet deal. The Congress president, on Friday, called out Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Twitter and said: "You said the UPA never released prices of Defence purchases? To nail your lie, here are 3 Parliamentary replies by the UPA with full transparency on pricing. Now do ask our Raksha Mantri to tell India how much each RAFALE jet cost." With that, he attached screenshots of documents - one dated 9 August 2010 titled "Aircraft Carrier Admiral Gorshkov" and another 4 March 2013 titled "Upgradation of Aircraft" - by the Ministry of Defence. The documents mention several ‘parliamentary replies’ on the prices of several defence purchases made during the UPA government. Dear Mr Jaitlie, You said the UPA never released prices of Defence purchases? To nail your lie, here are 3 Parliamentary replies by the UPA with full transparency on pricing. Now do ask our Raksha Mantri to tell India how much each RAFALE jet cost.#DealMeinKuchKalaHai pic.twitter.com/txb2Cc1BHh — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 9, 2018 × Earlier, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, defending the government's decision against making the break-up of the nearly Rs 58,000 crore deal public, said when UPA was in power, then defence ministers Pranab Mukherjee and A K Antony had on 15 occasions told Parliament that giving out such details would be against the interest of national security. Also read: Allegations against Rafale deal 'shameful', 'disservice' to armed forces: Nirmala Sitharaman He hit back at the Congress over the Rafale deal, accusing it of "seriously compromising" country's security by seeking details of armaments purchased along with the aircraft. He also advised Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to "learn" from former defense minister Pranab Mukherjee "lessons on national security." Rahul has been targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the 2016 deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets. "What is the price that the Prime Minister has spent on Rafale," Gandhi had asked on Tuesday. Also read: Indian cabinet approves purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets: Source Gandhi, raising the pitch on the Rafale jet deal, has asked for a discussion in parliament under a rule that makes it a must for the government to answer. The Congress president alleges that there is "something fishy" about the deal to buy 126 fighter jets and that is the reason Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman are silent on it.

Rafale deal: Rahul fires fresh salvo at Arun Jaitley, Nirmala Sitharaman

<p>It&rsquo;s election season for the three North Eastern states of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya. While voting in Tripura is scheduled for February 18, Nagaland and Meghalaya will go to the polls on February 27. In Tripura, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has had an uninterrupted rule of 25 years. Its chief minister Manik Sarkar is dubbed as the poorest of the chief ministers in the region. The CPI (M) draws its strength from its cadres who fan out into the districts and rural outback of Tripura. This is also the only state in the region where people have ideological leanings towards the Left Parties. So much so that the Congress has all but withered here! Even the Trinamool Congress has an insignificant presence in Tripura. &nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Perhaps, the only reason why the Congress continues to have some presence in Tripura is that the ruling scion of the Tripura royal family, Pradyot Debbarma has patronised the Party and is its Working President, although for reasons that are unclear Debbarma has never taken the electoral plunge. This time too, he has let the election pass him by. Sources say he is waiting for a Rajya Sabha nomination from the Congress Party, now that its fortunes are on the upswing. Pradyot Debbarma is a tribal and commands respect amongst the tribes of Tripura.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is the BJP&rsquo;s advent in Tripura and its ability to mobilise voters at the booth level &ndash; its inherent strength - that appears to be giving the CPI(M) a headache this time. That the BJP has been able to contest from 51 out of 60 seats is quite a feat. The BJP has struck a deal with the Indigenous People&rsquo;s Front of Tripura (IPFT) which is contesting from 9 seats, mainly reserved for scheduled tribes. The Congress is contesting from 59 seats, the CPI (M) from 57 seats leaving the other three seats for its Left Front partners the CPI, Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party, while the Trinamool is has set up 24 candidates.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Prime Minister Modi who was in Tripura on Thursday has promised to deliver it from a regime that has kept people at subsistence level &ndash;a socialist trademark. He has committed three T&rsquo;s, Trade, Training and Tourism, for jump-starting development in Tripura. Twenty-five years is a long time for any government and change seems imminent what with the BJP putting its best foot forward in the state. This time it may no longer be a cakewalk for Manik Sarkar in his bastion of a quarter century.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the tribal states of Nagaland and Meghalaya elections are not won by political parties but by personalities. He who has the money wins the votes. People jump in and out of parties without any qualms. A person who is denied a ticket from the BJP will coolly jump to the Congress camp the next day and be given a ticket to contest the election. But this also means that there are few takers for the Congress ticket this time especially in Meghalaya where the Party is fighting anti-incumbency. Money plays a big role in the elections in both states but more so in Nagaland where the stakes are high and voters openly demand a price for their votes. No amount of vigilance from the Election Commission can reduce election spending in both states.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In Meghalaya, the BJP is contesting from 47 constituencies while the Congress has set up candidates in all 60 seats. The National People&rsquo;s Party (NPP) founded by the former Speaker of the Lok Sabha, PA Sangma has fielded 53 candidates. In all probability, the NPP will emerge as the single largest party but whether it will get a majority is doubtful.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The NPP is known to keep its options open for a tie-up with the BJP and perhaps a few Independents and some from the regional parties too. But whether that sort of hybrid government will bring stability to Meghalaya is a conundrum that will face the people of Meghalaya. This state has witnessed political instability since its inception. Governments and chief ministers come and go, sometimes thrice in a tenure of five years. One thing that the outgoing Mukul Sangma government has given to Meghalaya is political stability in the last five years and a period of relative peace.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In Nagaland, things are in a state of great flux and people are confused what with a new party being set up by former Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio &ndash; the Nagaland Democratic People&rsquo;s Party (NDPP) a breakaway faction from the Naga People&rsquo;s Front led by octogenarian Shurhozelie. The BJP is a big player now in Nagaland with central ministers landing there in hordes to capture the political space.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>For the voters, political parties are all the same. Cynicism clouds the political landscape even as voters realise nothing will change in the next five years except the faces that will run the government. So they have learned to make capital out of the election season.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>


BJP is set to give a headache to Manik Sarkar in Tripura, emerge as a big player in Nagaland, and in Meghalaya, the Party may tie up with the largest regional party the NPP.

It’s election season for the three North Eastern states of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya. While voting in Tripura is scheduled for February 18, Nagaland and Meghalaya will go to the polls on February 27. In Tripura, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has had an uninterrupted rule of 25 years. Its chief minister Manik Sarkar is dubbed as the poorest of the chief ministers in the region. The CPI (M) draws its strength from its cadres who fan out into the districts and rural outback of Tripura. This is also the only state in the region where people have ideological leanings towards the Left Parties. So much so that the Congress has all but withered here! Even the Trinamool Congress has an insignificant presence in Tripura. Perhaps, the only reason why the Congress continues to have some presence in Tripura is that the ruling scion of the Tripura royal family, Pradyot Debbarma has patronised the Party and is its Working President, although for reasons that are unclear Debbarma has never taken the electoral plunge. This time too, he has let the election pass him by. Sources say he is waiting for a Rajya Sabha nomination from the Congress Party, now that its fortunes are on the upswing. Pradyot Debbarma is a tribal and commands respect amongst the tribes of Tripura. It is the BJP’s advent in Tripura and its ability to mobilise voters at the booth level – its inherent strength - that appears to be giving the CPI(M) a headache this time. That the BJP has been able to contest from 51 out of 60 seats is quite a feat. The BJP has struck a deal with the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) which is contesting from 9 seats, mainly reserved for scheduled tribes. The Congress is contesting from 59 seats, the CPI (M) from 57 seats leaving the other three seats for its Left Front partners the CPI, Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party, while the Trinamool is has set up 24 candidates. Prime Minister Modi who was in Tripura on Thursday has promised to deliver it from a regime that has kept people at subsistence level –a socialist trademark. He has committed three T’s, Trade, Training and Tourism, for jump-starting development in Tripura. Twenty-five years is a long time for any government and change seems imminent what with the BJP putting its best foot forward in the state. This time it may no longer be a cakewalk for Manik Sarkar in his bastion of a quarter century. In the tribal states of Nagaland and Meghalaya elections are not won by political parties but by personalities. He who has the money wins the votes. People jump in and out of parties without any qualms. A person who is denied a ticket from the BJP will coolly jump to the Congress camp the next day and be given a ticket to contest the election. But this also means that there are few takers for the Congress ticket this time especially in Meghalaya where the Party is fighting anti-incumbency. Money plays a big role in the elections in both states but more so in Nagaland where the stakes are high and voters openly demand a price for their votes. No amount of vigilance from the Election Commission can reduce election spending in both states. In Meghalaya, the BJP is contesting from 47 constituencies while the Congress has set up candidates in all 60 seats. The National People’s Party (NPP) founded by the former Speaker of the Lok Sabha, PA Sangma has fielded 53 candidates. In all probability, the NPP will emerge as the single largest party but whether it will get a majority is doubtful. The NPP is known to keep its options open for a tie-up with the BJP and perhaps a few Independents and some from the regional parties too. But whether that sort of hybrid government will bring stability to Meghalaya is a conundrum that will face the people of Meghalaya. This state has witnessed political instability since its inception. Governments and chief ministers come and go, sometimes thrice in a tenure of five years. One thing that the outgoing Mukul Sangma government has given to Meghalaya is political stability in the last five years and a period of relative peace. In Nagaland, things are in a state of great flux and people are confused what with a new party being set up by former Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio – the Nagaland Democratic People’s Party (NDPP) a breakaway faction from the Naga People’s Front led by octogenarian Shurhozelie. The BJP is a big player now in Nagaland with central ministers landing there in hordes to capture the political space. For the voters, political parties are all the same. Cynicism clouds the political landscape even as voters realise nothing will change in the next five years except the faces that will run the government. So they have learned to make capital out of the election season. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: In elections 2018, BJP set to gain grounds in Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland

<p>The crucial BJP Parliamentary meet has begun at Parliament&rsquo;s Library Building on Friday morning.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">PM Narendra Modi arrives for BJP Parliamentary Party meeting (earlier visuals) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BudgetSession?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BudgetSession</a> <a href="https://t.co/HHOTVcdxdH">pic.twitter.com/HHOTVcdxdH</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/961817077320376320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the meet shortly. The party&#39;s parliamentary meet days after BJP lost the byelections in Rajasthan and West Bengal. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Apart from PM Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP chief Amit Shah are also attending the meet.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Apart from PM Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP chief Amit Shah are also attending the meet

The crucial BJP Parliamentary meet has begun at Parliament’s Library Building on Friday morning. PM Narendra Modi arrives for BJP Parliamentary Party meeting (earlier visuals) #BudgetSession pic.twitter.com/HHOTVcdxdH — ANI (@ANI) February 9, 2018 × Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the meet shortly. The party's parliamentary meet days after BJP lost the byelections in Rajasthan and West Bengal. Apart from PM Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP chief Amit Shah are also attending the meet.

BJP Parliamentary Party meet gets underway in Delhi

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked BJP MPs to take welfare schemes announced in the budget to the masses, saying that popularising them would lead to the party winning in the polls, according to leaders present at the meeting.</p>

<p>The MPs&#39; success is linked to the party&#39;s performance, the prime minister told the BJP parliamentary meeting, the leaders said.</p>

<p>Party president Amit Shah also spoke at the meeting and blamed Congress chief Rahul Gandhi&#39;s &quot;undemocratic&quot; politics for his party members heckling the prime minister during his speech in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.</p>

<p>PM Modi dwelt at length on the Union budget, calling it especially positive for farmers and the poor while citing the announcement of a health insurance scheme for 10 crore families, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told reporters.</p>

<p>PM Modi asked MPs to inform the masses about various pro-people features of the budget.</p>

<p>The prime minister also asked the gathering to hold meetings at booths to take various welfare schemes announced in the budget to people and run intensive campaigns to propagate them, Kumar said.</p>

<p>Some leaders present at the meeting later said the prime minister underlined the importance of popularising these schemes for winning polls and told them that their win was linked to the party&#39;s victory.</p>

<p>He asked them to hold mock parliaments in various places to discuss the budget and praised Finance Minister Arun Jaitley&#39;s reply in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on it.</p>

<p>PM Modi also heaped praise on Shah for his maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha.</p>

<p>The&nbsp;prime minister made a reference to his rally in Tripura, which goes to the polls on February 18, yesterday and said a huge crowd had arrived despite attempts of the state&#39;s Left government to prevent people from attending it.</p>

<p>Shah hit out at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in his address, Kumar said.</p>

<p>Never before in the parliamentary history was a prime minister&#39;s reply to the president&#39;s address disrupted by the Oppositon, Shah said, referring to Congress protests in the well of the Lok Sabha during PM Modi&#39;s over 90-minute speech on Wednesday.</p>

<p>Gandhi&#39;s mindset is &quot;undemocratic&quot; and that is why the prime minister had to speak amid disruptions, he said.</p>

<p>When Manmohan Singh was prime minister for over 10 years, such a situation never occurred, he said.</p>

<p>Shah also touched on the Congress&#39; attack on the government over the Rafale aircraft deal, saying Jaitley in his speech had touched on its various aspects.</p>

<p>&quot;The broader details of the deal have been shared in Parliament. But every detail, including those about its weapons and their cost, cannot be made public,&quot; Kumar quoted Shah as saying.</p>


Party president Amit Shah also spoke at the meeting and blamed Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's 'undemocratic' politics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked BJP MPs to take welfare schemes announced in the budget to the masses, saying that popularising them would lead to the party winning in the polls, according to leaders present at the meeting. The MPs' success is linked to the party's performance, the prime minister told the BJP parliamentary meeting, the leaders said. Party president Amit Shah also spoke at the meeting and blamed Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's "undemocratic" politics for his party members heckling the prime minister during his speech in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. PM Modi dwelt at length on the Union budget, calling it especially positive for farmers and the poor while citing the announcement of a health insurance scheme for 10 crore families, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told reporters. PM Modi asked MPs to inform the masses about various pro-people features of the budget. The prime minister also asked the gathering to hold meetings at booths to take various welfare schemes announced in the budget to people and run intensive campaigns to propagate them, Kumar said. Some leaders present at the meeting later said the prime minister underlined the importance of popularising these schemes for winning polls and told them that their win was linked to the party's victory. He asked them to hold mock parliaments in various places to discuss the budget and praised Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's reply in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on it. PM Modi also heaped praise on Shah for his maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha. The prime minister made a reference to his rally in Tripura, which goes to the polls on February 18, yesterday and said a huge crowd had arrived despite attempts of the state's Left government to prevent people from attending it. Shah hit out at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in his address, Kumar said. Never before in the parliamentary history was a prime minister's reply to the president's address disrupted by the Oppositon, Shah said, referring to Congress protests in the well of the Lok Sabha during PM Modi's over 90-minute speech on Wednesday. Gandhi's mindset is "undemocratic" and that is why the prime minister had to speak amid disruptions, he said. When Manmohan Singh was prime minister for over 10 years, such a situation never occurred, he said. Shah also touched on the Congress' attack on the government over the Rafale aircraft deal, saying Jaitley in his speech had touched on its various aspects. "The broader details of the deal have been shared in Parliament. But every detail, including those about its weapons and their cost, cannot be made public," Kumar quoted Shah as saying.

Taking welfare schemes to masses will lead to poll win: PM Modi

<p>The backlash between <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/modi-continues-attack-on-opposition-says-congress-mukt-bharat-was-gandhis-idea-32115">PM Modi</a> and Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury continues after PM Modi&#39;s remarks at the Rajya Sabha.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Chowdhury has since addressed the issue and said: &quot;This is highly objectionable, and I am going to file for privilege.&quot; The Congress also criticised Modi&#39;s remark calling him &nbsp;&quot;anti-women.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This is highly objectionable, and I am going to file for privilege: Renuka Chowdhury, Congress on Kiren Rijiju posting a video of PM Modi&#39;s remarks on Renuka Chowdhury in Rajya Sabha yesterday. <a href="https://t.co/9d7gEL0IqC">pic.twitter.com/9d7gEL0IqC</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/961491270526033920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>PM Modi, on Wednesday, called<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/renuka-chowdhury-interrupts-modi-in-rajya-sabha-spat-follows-32123"> Chowdhury out for laughing</a> during his remarks on Aadhaar in Parliament.</p>

<p>&quot;SabhapatiJi meri aapse vinti hai Renuka Ji ko kuch mat kahiye. Ramayan serial ke baad aisi hansi sunne ka saubhagya aaj jaake mila hai. (Chairman sir, I request you to not say anything to Renukaji. After Ramayan serial, we have got the privilege of hearing this kind of laughter today),&quot; the PM had said.</p>

<p>&quot;We condemn PM Modi&#39;s derogatory remark in the Parliament against former Union Minister and RS MP Renuka Chowdhury. We also urge the RS Speaker Shri Venkaiah Naidu to not act in a partisan manner and accord due respect to a fellow member of the house. #ModiAntiWomen,&quot; the party&#39;s official handle tweeted.</p>

<p>Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu chided the members for their &quot;unbecoming&quot; behaviour and asked them to resume their places.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;I have no option other than to adjourn the House,&quot; he said, suspending the proceedings till 1200 hrs.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till noon after the Congress members created an uproar over Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s remarks against party MP Renuka Chowdhury.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


PM Modi had yesterday in Parliament called Chowdhury out for laughing during his remarks on Aadhaar.

The backlash between PM Modi and Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury continues after PM Modi's remarks at the Rajya Sabha. Chowdhury has since addressed the issue and said: "This is highly objectionable, and I am going to file for privilege." The Congress also criticised Modi's remark calling him "anti-women." This is highly objectionable, and I am going to file for privilege: Renuka Chowdhury, Congress on Kiren Rijiju posting a video of PM Modi's remarks on Renuka Chowdhury in Rajya Sabha yesterday. pic.twitter.com/9d7gEL0IqC — ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2018 × PM Modi, on Wednesday, called Chowdhury out for laughing during his remarks on Aadhaar in Parliament. "SabhapatiJi meri aapse vinti hai Renuka Ji ko kuch mat kahiye. Ramayan serial ke baad aisi hansi sunne ka saubhagya aaj jaake mila hai. (Chairman sir, I request you to not say anything to Renukaji. After Ramayan serial, we have got the privilege of hearing this kind of laughter today)," the PM had said. "We condemn PM Modi's derogatory remark in the Parliament against former Union Minister and RS MP Renuka Chowdhury. We also urge the RS Speaker Shri Venkaiah Naidu to not act in a partisan manner and accord due respect to a fellow member of the house. #ModiAntiWomen," the party's official handle tweeted. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu chided the members for their "unbecoming" behaviour and asked them to resume their places. "I have no option other than to adjourn the House," he said, suspending the proceedings till 1200 hrs. Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till noon after the Congress members created an uproar over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks against party MP Renuka Chowdhury.

'I am going to file for privilege', says Renuka Chowdhury after Modi's remarks

<p>Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday terming the&nbsp;alleged blacking out of the first few minutes of Trinamool Congress leader Derek O&#39;Brien&#39;s speech by the Rajya Sabha Television,&nbsp;a &quot;very serious issue&quot;, asked the&nbsp;BJP not to convert the channel into &quot;BJP TV&quot;.</p>

<p>He said the television channel should give equal coverage to all political parties, whether it is a live telecast or news.</p>

<p>Azad said at least 98 per cent of the news bulletin of the channel the day before related to BJP President Amit Shah&#39;s maiden speech in the Upper House during the debate on the motion of thanks for the President&#39;s address.</p>

<p>&quot;Don&#39;t convert Rajya Sabha TV to BJP TV. This is Rajya Sabha Television. There should be an enquiry regarding this and the day before yesterday (news bulletin/coverage) by representatives of all parties,&quot; Azad said.</p>

<p>The Opposition sought an inquiry into the&nbsp;incident</p>

<p>O&#39;Brien raised the issue in the Upper House, saying &quot;I seek your protection.. I spoke today in Rajya Sabha. The first 4-6 minutes of my speech was&nbsp;not shown on Rajya Sabha TV. I am a member of the Opposition. You protect us&quot;.</p>

<p>BJP leader Satyanarayan Jatiya, who was in the Chair, said &quot;we will enquire about this and let you know what happened&quot;.</p>

<p>Jatiya asked him to raise the issue with Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu.</p>

<p>Addressing the treasury benches, Azad said &quot;You have media, your own party (BJP) media, but don&#39;t make Rajya Sabha/Lok Sabha TV your own media.&quot;</p>

<p>The Deputy Chairman said the issue can be discussed with the Chairman and resolved.</p>

<p>Later addressing reporters outside the House, O&#39;Brien accused the government of imposing &quot;super emergency&quot; in the parliament by trying to mute the opposition voice.</p>

<p>Reiterating his charge that part of his speech was &quot;deliberately blacked out to silence the opposition voice&quot;, the TMC leader said &quot;it is a super emergency situation in Parliament. ... Though it started its telecast later, but the first 5</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


O'Brien raised the issue in the Upper House, saying "I seek your protection.. I spoke today in Rajya Sabha. The first 4-6 minutes of my speech was not shown on Rajya Sabha TV. I am a member of the Opposition. You protect us".

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday terming the alleged blacking out of the first few minutes of Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien's speech by the Rajya Sabha Television, a "very serious issue", asked the BJP not to convert the channel into "BJP TV". He said the television channel should give equal coverage to all political parties, whether it is a live telecast or news. Azad said at least 98 per cent of the news bulletin of the channel the day before related to BJP President Amit Shah's maiden speech in the Upper House during the debate on the motion of thanks for the President's address. "Don't convert Rajya Sabha TV to BJP TV. This is Rajya Sabha Television. There should be an enquiry regarding this and the day before yesterday (news bulletin/coverage) by representatives of all parties," Azad said. The Opposition sought an inquiry into the incident O'Brien raised the issue in the Upper House, saying "I seek your protection.. I spoke today in Rajya Sabha. The first 4-6 minutes of my speech was not shown on Rajya Sabha TV. I am a member of the Opposition. You protect us". BJP leader Satyanarayan Jatiya, who was in the Chair, said "we will enquire about this and let you know what happened". Jatiya asked him to raise the issue with Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu. Addressing the treasury benches, Azad said "You have media, your own party (BJP) media, but don't make Rajya Sabha/Lok Sabha TV your own media." The Deputy Chairman said the issue can be discussed with the Chairman and resolved. Later addressing reporters outside the House, O'Brien accused the government of imposing "super emergency" in the parliament by trying to mute the opposition voice. Reiterating his charge that part of his speech was "deliberately blacked out to silence the opposition voice", the TMC leader said "it is a super emergency situation in Parliament. ... Though it started its telecast later, but the first 5

'Don't convert Rajya Sabha TV into BJP TV'

<p>The Government of India on Wednesday gave detailed clarification on the Rafale deal controversy and said the opposition is misleading the country.</p>

<p>On Tuesday, the Congress posed eight questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the deal.</p>

<p>Congress President Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Prime Minister personally went to Paris and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-alleges-scam-in-rafale-deal-32007" target="_blank">changed the deal</a>.</p>

<p>The Centre said it was issuing clarification over the 2016 Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) to procure 36 Rafale aircraft in fly-away condition from France because the opposition was misleading nation on a serious matter of national security.</p>

<p>&quot;In another effort to twist facts, the Government is asked why it did not conduct negotiations with a particular company representing a competing fighter aircraft. It seems to have been conveniently forgotten that the then Government itself had rejected that company&#39;s unsolicited offer made days after closure of the bid process, declared Rafale (DA) as the L1 bidder and had commenced negotiations with it in February 2012,&quot; the Centre said in a statement.</p>

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<h5>In another effort to twist facts, the Government is asked why it did not conduct negotiations with a particular company representing a competing fighter aircraft. It seems to have been conveniently forgotten that the then Government itself had rejected that company&#39;s unsolicited offer made days after closure of the bid process, declared Rafale (DA) as the L1 bidder and had commenced negotiations with it in February 2012,&#39; the Centre said in a statement</h5>
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<p>The Government of India further termed the demand to disclose details and value of the Rafale aircraft as &quot;unrealistic&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;The demand that the Government disclose the details and value of the contract for the Rafale aircraft contracted in 2016 is unrealistic. [In keeping with confidentiality requirements, the UPA Government had also expressed its inability to disclose the price of various defence procurements, including in its responses to Parliament Questions],&quot; the statement said.</p>

<p>The Centre also said the Opposition&#39;s demand to disclose exact item-wise cost and other information will impact military preparedness and compromise national security.</p>

<p>&quot;The approximate acquisition cost of the Rafale aircraft has already been provided to the Parliament. Provision of exact item-wise cost and other information will reveal, inter alia, details regarding the various customizations and weapons systems specially designed to augment the effectiveness and lethality of the assets, impact our military preparedness and compromise our national security,&quot; said the Union Government.</p>

<p>It added that &quot;such details would also come under the ambit of the security agreement signed in 2008. Thus, in not revealing the item-wise details of the contract, the Government is merely following in letter and spirit the confidentiality provisions of a bilateral India-France Agreement of 2008 signed by the previous Government&quot;.</p>

<p>The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government also said its deal is much better than that of previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.</p>

<p>&quot;The deal secured by the Government is better in terms of capability, price, equipment, delivery, maintenance, training, etc., than that notionally negotiated by the then Government in a process it could not conclude in ten years. Moreover, the present Government completed these negotiations in just about one year,&quot; said the NDA government.</p>

<p>The government also stressed that 36 Rafale aircrafts were procured to meet the urgent need of the Indian Air Force strictly in accordance with the Defence Procurement Procedure.</p>

<p>&quot;The procurement of 36 Rafale aircraft to meet the urgent need of the IAF is strictly in accordance with the Defence Procurement Procedure in all aspects including mandating, conducting and monitoring of negotiations and seeking all necessary approvals, including that of the Cabinet Committee on Security, before entering into the IGA. The aircraft had already been evaluated successfully by IAF during 2009-10,&quot; said the statement.</p>

<p>On the issue of transfer of technology, the government said, &quot;It may also be noted that contrary to the impression sought, to be created by the Opposition, in the earlier proposal to procure Rafale, which ended in a stalemate, there was no provision for transfer of technology but only to manufacture under licence. The Government was unable to agree on the terms for even that in its negotiations with the vendor, resulting in the long-drawn exercise under the earlier Government ultimately turning futile.&quot;</p>

<p>Reacting to the Congress allegation on why an Indian private company with zero experience in aviation was chosen as an offset partner to manufacture Rafale jets, the MoD said no offset partners has been selected so far.</p>

<p>&quot;Further, no Indian Offset Partner for the 2016 deal for 36 Rafale Aircraft has been so far selected by the vendor (DA) because as per the applicable guidelines, DA is free to select the Indian Offset Partners and provide their details at the time of seeking offset credits, or one year prior to discharge of offset obligation,&quot; it said. (ANI)</p>


Congress President Rahul Gandhi had on Tuesday alleged a 'scam' in the deal

The Government of India on Wednesday gave detailed clarification on the Rafale deal controversy and said the opposition is misleading the country. On Tuesday, the Congress posed eight questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the deal. Congress President Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Prime Minister personally went to Paris and changed the deal. The Centre said it was issuing clarification over the 2016 Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) to procure 36 Rafale aircraft in fly-away condition from France because the opposition was misleading nation on a serious matter of national security. "In another effort to twist facts, the Government is asked why it did not conduct negotiations with a particular company representing a competing fighter aircraft. It seems to have been conveniently forgotten that the then Government itself had rejected that company's unsolicited offer made days after closure of the bid process, declared Rafale (DA) as the L1 bidder and had commenced negotiations with it in February 2012," the Centre said in a statement. In another effort to twist facts, the Government is asked why it did not conduct negotiations with a particular company representing a competing fighter aircraft. It seems to have been conveniently forgotten that the then Government itself had rejected that company's unsolicited offer made days after closure of the bid process, declared Rafale (DA) as the L1 bidder and had commenced negotiations with it in February 2012,' the Centre said in a statement × The Government of India further termed the demand to disclose details and value of the Rafale aircraft as "unrealistic". "The demand that the Government disclose the details and value of the contract for the Rafale aircraft contracted in 2016 is unrealistic. [In keeping with confidentiality requirements, the UPA Government had also expressed its inability to disclose the price of various defence procurements, including in its responses to Parliament Questions]," the statement said. The Centre also said the Opposition's demand to disclose exact item-wise cost and other information will impact military preparedness and compromise national security. "The approximate acquisition cost of the Rafale aircraft has already been provided to the Parliament. Provision of exact item-wise cost and other information will reveal, inter alia, details regarding the various customizations and weapons systems specially designed to augment the effectiveness and lethality of the assets, impact our military preparedness and compromise our national security," said the Union Government. It added that "such details would also come under the ambit of the security agreement signed in 2008. Thus, in not revealing the item-wise details of the contract, the Government is merely following in letter and spirit the confidentiality provisions of a bilateral India-France Agreement of 2008 signed by the previous Government". The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government also said its deal is much better than that of previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. "The deal secured by the Government is better in terms of capability, price, equipment, delivery, maintenance, training, etc., than that notionally negotiated by the then Government in a process it could not conclude in ten years. Moreover, the present Government completed these negotiations in just about one year," said the NDA government. The government also stressed that 36 Rafale aircrafts were procured to meet the urgent need of the Indian Air Force strictly in accordance with the Defence Procurement Procedure. "The procurement of 36 Rafale aircraft to meet the urgent need of the IAF is strictly in accordance with the Defence Procurement Procedure in all aspects including mandating, conducting and monitoring of negotiations and seeking all necessary approvals, including that of the Cabinet Committee on Security, before entering into the IGA. The aircraft had already been evaluated successfully by IAF during 2009-10," said the statement. On the issue of transfer of technology, the government said, "It may also be noted that contrary to the impression sought, to be created by the Opposition, in the earlier proposal to procure Rafale, which ended in a stalemate, there was no provision for transfer of technology but only to manufacture under licence. The Government was unable to agree on the terms for even that in its negotiations with the vendor, resulting in the long-drawn exercise under the earlier Government ultimately turning futile." Reacting to the Congress allegation on why an Indian private company with zero experience in aviation was chosen as an offset partner to manufacture Rafale jets, the MoD said no offset partners has been selected so far. "Further, no Indian Offset Partner for the 2016 deal for 36 Rafale Aircraft has been so far selected by the vendor (DA) because as per the applicable guidelines, DA is free to select the Indian Offset Partners and provide their details at the time of seeking offset credits, or one year prior to discharge of offset obligation," it said. (ANI)

Opposition misleading country over Rafale deal: Government

<p>Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and state party unit chief Ashok Chavan noted that the Congress will join hands with &quot;like-minded&quot; parties in Maharashtra to take on the ruling BJP.</p>

<p>Chavan spoke at a party meeting which was attended by senior Congress leaders of the state.</p>

<p>&quot;The prevailing social situation in Maharashtra, the political situation and the fight against the government in future was discussed at the meeting,&quot; Chavan said.</p>

<p>&quot;The problems currently plaguing the state, the prevailing political situation and the upcoming Budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature were discussed at the meeting,&quot; Chavan added.</p>

<p>Chavan noted that the Congress and the National Congress Party (NCP) have decided to put up a fight on issues like &quot;deteriorating condition of farmers in the state, issues being faced by middle class and rising dictatorship like the attitude of the BJP-led government&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a separate meeting, Congress and NCP leaders met at the official residence of Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil in South Mumbai.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


Chavan spoke at a party meeting which was attended by senior Congress leaders of the state

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and state party unit chief Ashok Chavan noted that the Congress will join hands with "like-minded" parties in Maharashtra to take on the ruling BJP. Chavan spoke at a party meeting which was attended by senior Congress leaders of the state. "The prevailing social situation in Maharashtra, the political situation and the fight against the government in future was discussed at the meeting," Chavan said. "The problems currently plaguing the state, the prevailing political situation and the upcoming Budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature were discussed at the meeting," Chavan added. Chavan noted that the Congress and the National Congress Party (NCP) have decided to put up a fight on issues like "deteriorating condition of farmers in the state, issues being faced by middle class and rising dictatorship like the attitude of the BJP-led government". In a separate meeting, Congress and NCP leaders met at the official residence of Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil in South Mumbai. (With inputs from agencies)

Congress to join hands with 'like-minded' parties to fight BJP in Maharashtra: Ashok Chavan

<p>BJP national secretary Ram Madhav&#39;s Twitter account has also been hacked.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The incident followed shortly after veteran actor <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/anupam-khers-hacked-twitter-account-is-now-back-to-normal-31979">Anupam Kher&#39;s account was hacked</a> and later restored.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to reports Turkish &#39;pro-Pakistan&#39; group is behind Madhav&#39;s hacked account. The group is also believed to be behind the manipulation of Anupam Kher&#39;s and Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta&#39;s Twitter account.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Madhav and Kher&#39;s Twitter pages had retweeted posts in Turkish that also featured the emoji of Turkey&#39;s flag.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Economist Kaushik Basu&#39;s Twitter account was also compromised and later restored.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Twitter has apologised in an official statement stating, &quot;Our teams are working to resolve an issue affecting a small number of Indian users. We will notify affected account holders directly.&quot;</p>

<p>The social networking giant has also urged users not to click on links in &#39;direct messages&#39;&nbsp;coming from unknown accounts.</p>

<p>Kher previously noted that he received a link from Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta in a direct message on Monday.</p>


The incident followed shortly after veteran actor Anupam Kher's account was hacked and later restored

BJP national secretary Ram Madhav's Twitter account has also been hacked. The incident followed shortly after veteran actor Anupam Kher's account was hacked and later restored. According to reports Turkish 'pro-Pakistan' group is behind Madhav's hacked account. The group is also believed to be behind the manipulation of Anupam Kher's and Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta's Twitter account. Madhav and Kher's Twitter pages had retweeted posts in Turkish that also featured the emoji of Turkey's flag. Economist Kaushik Basu's Twitter account was also compromised and later restored. Meanwhile, Twitter has apologised in an official statement stating, "Our teams are working to resolve an issue affecting a small number of Indian users. We will notify affected account holders directly." The social networking giant has also urged users not to click on links in 'direct messages' coming from unknown accounts. Kher previously noted that he received a link from Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta in a direct message on Monday.

Ram Madhav, Anupam Kher's Twitter accounts hacked

<p>The opposition BJP in Odisha today demanded Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik&#39;s resignation and a CBI probe into the alleged rape of a minor by four men in uniform in Koraput and her subsequent suicide.</p>

<p>BJP activists took out a mass rally from Ram Mandir Square here and marched towards the chief minister&#39;s residence with banners, party flags and placards.</p>

<p>They raised slogans against Patnaik and demanded his resignation over the issue.</p>

<p>A scuffle ensued with the police when they reached near the chief minister&#39;s residence &#39;Naveen Niwas&#39; and attempted to enter it forcefully, police said.</p>

<p>A large number of BJP workers were then detained, the police added.</p>

<p>BJP state vice-president Sameer Mohanty accusing BJD government of trying to destroy evidences in the Kunduli gang rape and suicide. &quot;Therefore, we demand Patnaik&#39;s resignation,&quot; he said before being taken to police custody.</p>

<p>The girl had alleged rape by four persons in uniform when she was returning home from Kunduli market in Koraput on October 10 last year and committed suicide on January 22.</p>

<p>The Odisha Police had rejected the girl&#39;s allegation and said she was not raped.</p>

<p>The state government has constituted a judicial panel to probe into the alleged gang rape and subsequent suicide by the victim.</p>


The resignation has been demanded over the alleged rape of a minor, and her subsequent suicide, by four men in uniform

The opposition BJP in Odisha today demanded Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's resignation and a CBI probe into the alleged rape of a minor by four men in uniform in Koraput and her subsequent suicide. BJP activists took out a mass rally from Ram Mandir Square here and marched towards the chief minister's residence with banners, party flags and placards. They raised slogans against Patnaik and demanded his resignation over the issue. A scuffle ensued with the police when they reached near the chief minister's residence 'Naveen Niwas' and attempted to enter it forcefully, police said. A large number of BJP workers were then detained, the police added. BJP state vice-president Sameer Mohanty accusing BJD government of trying to destroy evidences in the Kunduli gang rape and suicide. "Therefore, we demand Patnaik's resignation," he said before being taken to police custody. The girl had alleged rape by four persons in uniform when she was returning home from Kunduli market in Koraput on October 10 last year and committed suicide on January 22. The Odisha Police had rejected the girl's allegation and said she was not raped. The state government has constituted a judicial panel to probe into the alleged gang rape and subsequent suicide by the victim.

BJP demands Odisha CM's resignation

<p>The TDP today said its alliance with the BJP in Andhra Pradesh and the Centre was very much alive, following speculation that the party was disgruntled over the &quot;raw deal&quot; that the state got in the Union Budget.</p>

<p>TDP leader and Union minister Y Satyanarayana Chowdary briefed the media this afternoon about deliberations at a meeting convened by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on the Union Budget.</p>

<p>&quot;As and when it is required, the chief minister and party chief will take the decision appropriately. As of today, it (the alliance) is just going on. We never said (about snapping ties)...It&#39;s all speculation,&quot; he said here.</p>

<p>&quot;Our state is in a disadvantageous position due to the bifurcation (of united Andhra Pradesh). People are dissatisfied because there is no specific mention of state issues in the Union Budget. All this was discussed,&quot; Chowdary said.</p>

<p>The meeting was attended by party MPs, a few state ministers, senior TDP leaders and senior bureaucrats.</p>

<p>&quot;We have already taken up the issues with the Union Finance Minister, Railway Minister (on setting up a railway zone in Visakhapatnam). Definitely, in the next 2-3 days we are hopeful everything will be resolved,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>Chowdary added that the TDP would raise the state&#39;s demands, if required, in Parliament.</p>

<p>Some of the issues over which the TDP is miffed are the implementation of a special financial package for the state, setting up of a railway zone, deficit finance and schemes related to the development of Amaravati as the state capital.</p>

<p>&quot;People (of Andhra Pradesh) are looking forward with anticipation. They (the Centre) have done something, but much more needs to be done. We will discuss these things in the next two-three days and try to work out a solution,&quot; Chowdary added.</p>

<p>&quot;If required we will protest inside Parliament. We are discussing specific points. If we don&#39;t get clarity, definitely we will protest inside Parliament during the (Budget) session,&quot; the Union minister said.</p>

<p>Asked if the two TDP ministers in the Union Cabinet were ready to resign if the state&#39;s demands were not met, Chowdary said, &quot;As and when it is required, our CM and party president will take appropriate decision.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;I suggest the media should never anticipate, or think of, a divorce. You should think only of marriage,&quot; Chowdary said when asked if a &quot;divorce&quot; with the BJP was imminent.</p>

<p>Asked if BJP chief Amit Shah spoke with Naidu (after reports about TDP&#39;s resentment started doing rounds), Chowdary replied in the negative.</p>

<p>Nor did Naidu speak to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, BJP&#39;s bickering ally in Maharashtra, as some media reports claimed, he said.&nbsp;</p>


The meeting was attended by party MPs, a few state ministers, senior TDP leaders and senior bureaucrats.

The TDP today said its alliance with the BJP in Andhra Pradesh and the Centre was very much alive, following speculation that the party was disgruntled over the "raw deal" that the state got in the Union Budget. TDP leader and Union minister Y Satyanarayana Chowdary briefed the media this afternoon about deliberations at a meeting convened by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on the Union Budget. "As and when it is required, the chief minister and party chief will take the decision appropriately. As of today, it (the alliance) is just going on. We never said (about snapping ties)...It's all speculation," he said here. "Our state is in a disadvantageous position due to the bifurcation (of united Andhra Pradesh). People are dissatisfied because there is no specific mention of state issues in the Union Budget. All this was discussed," Chowdary said. The meeting was attended by party MPs, a few state ministers, senior TDP leaders and senior bureaucrats. "We have already taken up the issues with the Union Finance Minister, Railway Minister (on setting up a railway zone in Visakhapatnam). Definitely, in the next 2-3 days we are hopeful everything will be resolved," he added. Chowdary added that the TDP would raise the state's demands, if required, in Parliament. Some of the issues over which the TDP is miffed are the implementation of a special financial package for the state, setting up of a railway zone, deficit finance and schemes related to the development of Amaravati as the state capital. "People (of Andhra Pradesh) are looking forward with anticipation. They (the Centre) have done something, but much more needs to be done. We will discuss these things in the next two-three days and try to work out a solution," Chowdary added. "If required we will protest inside Parliament. We are discussing specific points. If we don't get clarity, definitely we will protest inside Parliament during the (Budget) session," the Union minister said. Asked if the two TDP ministers in the Union Cabinet were ready to resign if the state's demands were not met, Chowdary said, "As and when it is required, our CM and party president will take appropriate decision." "I suggest the media should never anticipate, or think of, a divorce. You should think only of marriage," Chowdary said when asked if a "divorce" with the BJP was imminent. Asked if BJP chief Amit Shah spoke with Naidu (after reports about TDP's resentment started doing rounds), Chowdary replied in the negative. Nor did Naidu speak to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, BJP's bickering ally in Maharashtra, as some media reports claimed, he said.

Alliance with BJP on, says TDP on reports of rift with BJP over 'raw deal' in Union Budget

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public rally in Bengaluru, Karnataka today to mark the culmination of Karnataka BJP&#39;s &#39;Parivarthana Yatra&#39;.</p>

<p>During his address, PM Modi shared what exactly he means by the term &#39;TOP&#39; priority of the NDA government.</p>

<p>&quot;Those growing vegetables and fruits are our top priority. When I say TOP, I mean whichever part of the country you go, three vegetables are very much visible -- Tomato, Onion and Potato,&quot; PM Modi.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;That&#39;s why I call TOP Priority. T for Tomato, O for Onion and P for potato - that makes TOP priority, &quot; he explained.&nbsp;</p>

<p>PM Modi shared that the three food items are staples all across the nation and symbolise his government&#39;s initiative called &#39;Operation Greens&#39;. The project is aimed at improving the living condition of farmers and was announced in the budget as well.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Citing the efficacy of the government-led AMUL initiative, PM Modi noted that &#39;Operation Greens&#39; will also prove beneficial for vegetable growers.</p>

<p>PM Modi also announced that party&#39;s state president B S Yeddyurappa would earmark Rs one lakh crore to improve the state irrigation system if the party comes to power in Karnataka in the upcoming assembly elections.&nbsp;</p>

<p>BJP&#39;s &#39;Parivartan Yatra&#39;&nbsp;would crisscross the entire state covering all the 224 assembly constituencies.</p>


BJP's 'Parivartan Yatra' would crisscross the entire state covering all the 224 assembly constituencies

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public rally in Bengaluru, Karnataka today to mark the culmination of Karnataka BJP's 'Parivarthana Yatra'. During his address, PM Modi shared what exactly he means by the term 'TOP' priority of the NDA government. "Those growing vegetables and fruits are our top priority. When I say TOP, I mean whichever part of the country you go, three vegetables are very much visible -- Tomato, Onion and Potato," PM Modi. "That's why I call TOP Priority. T for Tomato, O for Onion and P for potato - that makes TOP priority, " he explained. PM Modi shared that the three food items are staples all across the nation and symbolise his government's initiative called 'Operation Greens'. The project is aimed at improving the living condition of farmers and was announced in the budget as well. Citing the efficacy of the government-led AMUL initiative, PM Modi noted that 'Operation Greens' will also prove beneficial for vegetable growers. PM Modi also announced that party's state president B S Yeddyurappa would earmark Rs one lakh crore to improve the state irrigation system if the party comes to power in Karnataka in the upcoming assembly elections. BJP's 'Parivartan Yatra' would crisscross the entire state covering all the 224 assembly constituencies.

'TOP' priority for NDA government means Tomato, onion, potato: PM Modi 

<p>Rahul Gandhi&#39;s temple visits of late were not merely for &quot;demonstration effect&quot; but underline the fact that what was being done quietly in the past is now done openly, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said.</p>

<p>&quot;Many many Hindus, certainly my generation, grew up as believing and practising Hindus but never showed it outside as they didn&#39;t feel like doing so,&quot; the Lok Sabha member told PTI in an interview during the recently-concluded Jaipur Literature Festival here.</p>

<p>&quot;In those days, religion was seen as an intensely personal matter you practice what you like you don&#39;t have to show the outside world. And in any case, your religion had nothing to do with political affiliation; that was the assumption,&quot; the 61-year-old leader said.</p>

<p>However, Tharoor said now Hinduism and religion have been made the front and centre in the politics of the BJP and those supporting that are openly saying that they are the only good Hindus and everybody else is bad.</p>

<p>&quot;Why should we cede this narrative to them? To my mind, we may as well show publicly what we have been doing privately. This is not in my view merely for demonstration effect or appearances. It is merely that what used to be done quietly in the past is being done openly now,&quot; he said when asked about Gandhi&#39;s visits to temples during the Gujarat polls campaign.<br />
<br />
Tharoor also said he feels that Gandhi was symbolising a change in the Congress.</p>

<p>Noting that the Congress had performed well in Gujarat due to the effectiveness of Gandhi&#39;s campaign, he said that the Congress now has an &quot;energetic leader&quot; who does not hesitate to use wit and humour in a relaxed style, which in the past, was not associated with the party leadership.</p>

<p>&quot;So, when Gandhi issues a tweet after Donald Trump makes a pro-Pakistan statement, some ask what is this but many say &#39;what a refreshing style, let&#39;s listen to this guy&#39;. So in many ways I would say, our politics is changing and Rahul Gandhi is leading and symbolising that change,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Tharoor also said that the Congress stands a good chance in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.</p>

<p>&quot;In fact, we are getting more and more rumours that the government may advance the elections because it thinks it would lose the elections if these are held in March-April 2019 due to the momentum the Congress is clearly beginning to get,&quot; he claimed.</p>

<p>He also termed the controversy of the film &#39;Padmaavat&#39; as very unfortunate.</p>

<p>&quot;The classical principle of freedom of expression is fundamental to any democracy. If you don&#39;t like what I have written in my book, don&#39;t read my book. If you don&#39;t like a film, don&#39;t watch it,&quot; Tharoor said.<br />
&quot;At the worst, you can even encourage others to boycott it. But you have no right to threaten violence, least of all to conduct violence,&quot; the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said.</p>


However, Tharoor said now Hinduism and religion have been made the front and centre in the politics of the BJP and those supporting that are openly saying that they are the only good Hindus and everybody else is bad

Rahul Gandhi's temple visits of late were not merely for "demonstration effect" but underline the fact that what was being done quietly in the past is now done openly, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said. "Many many Hindus, certainly my generation, grew up as believing and practising Hindus but never showed it outside as they didn't feel like doing so," the Lok Sabha member told PTI in an interview during the recently-concluded Jaipur Literature Festival here. "In those days, religion was seen as an intensely personal matter you practice what you like you don't have to show the outside world. And in any case, your religion had nothing to do with political affiliation; that was the assumption," the 61-year-old leader said. However, Tharoor said now Hinduism and religion have been made the front and centre in the politics of the BJP and those supporting that are openly saying that they are the only good Hindus and everybody else is bad. "Why should we cede this narrative to them? To my mind, we may as well show publicly what we have been doing privately. This is not in my view merely for demonstration effect or appearances. It is merely that what used to be done quietly in the past is being done openly now," he said when asked about Gandhi's visits to temples during the Gujarat polls campaign. Tharoor also said he feels that Gandhi was symbolising a change in the Congress. Noting that the Congress had performed well in Gujarat due to the effectiveness of Gandhi's campaign, he said that the Congress now has an "energetic leader" who does not hesitate to use wit and humour in a relaxed style, which in the past, was not associated with the party leadership. "So, when Gandhi issues a tweet after Donald Trump makes a pro-Pakistan statement, some ask what is this but many say 'what a refreshing style, let's listen to this guy'. So in many ways I would say, our politics is changing and Rahul Gandhi is leading and symbolising that change," he said. Tharoor also said that the Congress stands a good chance in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. "In fact, we are getting more and more rumours that the government may advance the elections because it thinks it would lose the elections if these are held in March-April 2019 due to the momentum the Congress is clearly beginning to get," he claimed. He also termed the controversy of the film 'Padmaavat' as very unfortunate. "The classical principle of freedom of expression is fundamental to any democracy. If you don't like what I have written in my book, don't read my book. If you don't like a film, don't watch it," Tharoor said. "At the worst, you can even encourage others to boycott it. But you have no right to threaten violence, least of all to conduct violence," the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said.

Rahul's temple visits not for 'demonstration effect': Tharoor

<p>A group of college students, donning degree robes and selling &#39;pakodas&#39; to passers-by in a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s remarks over job creation, were today whisked away by the police, hours before the PM&#39;s rally here.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="in">Karnataka: Students of a college seen selling pakora in Bengaluru. <a href="https://t.co/b5qpd1ePbh">pic.twitter.com/b5qpd1ePbh</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/960103977013661696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The students appeared near the Mehkri Circle, a few metres away from Palace Ground where Modi is scheduled to address the rally, in protest against his recent remarks linking pakoda (snack) selling and job creation.</p>

<p>On being asked about inadequate job creation in the last four years in a recent interview to a news channel, the prime minister had said that a person selling pakodas outside their (channel&#39;s) television studio and earning Rs 200 a day should also be perceived as &#39;employed&#39;.</p>

<p>The young students sold &#39;Modi Pakodas&#39;, &#39;Amit Shah Pakoda&#39; and &#39;Dr Yeddy Pakodas&#39;, a reference to Karnataka BJP chief Yeddyurappa, to those passing by, including the BJP workers and visitors on their way to the rally.</p>

<p>The police later removed the degree robes of the protesting students and took them into custody.&nbsp;</p>


The students appeared near the Mehkri Circle, a few metres away from Palace Ground where Modi is scheduled to address the rally, in protest against his recent remarks linking pakoda (snack) selling and job creation

A group of college students, donning degree robes and selling 'pakodas' to passers-by in a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks over job creation, were today whisked away by the police, hours before the PM's rally here. Karnataka: Students of a college seen selling pakora in Bengaluru. pic.twitter.com/b5qpd1ePbh — ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2018 × The students appeared near the Mehkri Circle, a few metres away from Palace Ground where Modi is scheduled to address the rally, in protest against his recent remarks linking pakoda (snack) selling and job creation. On being asked about inadequate job creation in the last four years in a recent interview to a news channel, the prime minister had said that a person selling pakodas outside their (channel's) television studio and earning Rs 200 a day should also be perceived as 'employed'. The young students sold 'Modi Pakodas', 'Amit Shah Pakoda' and 'Dr Yeddy Pakodas', a reference to Karnataka BJP chief Yeddyurappa, to those passing by, including the BJP workers and visitors on their way to the rally. The police later removed the degree robes of the protesting students and took them into custody.

Students donning degree robes sell pakodas near Modi's rally venue

<p>Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu, NDA&#39;s big ally, called for an &quot;emergency party meeting&quot; with the leaders on Friday after criticising the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/key-highlights-from-union-budget-2018-31455">Union Budget 2018</a> which was presented on Thursday by finance minister Arun Jaitley.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The meeting was called in order to discuss the &quot;future course of action after the budget allocation for Andhra Pradesh&quot;, the party said, adding that it would continue to &quot;fight&quot;&nbsp;for the state&#39;s due.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/india-on-course-to-grow-at-8-jaitley-31428">&nbsp;Budget 2018: India on course to grow at 8%, says Jaitley</a></p>

<p>Minister of state for science and technology,&nbsp;YS Chowdhary noted that the people of Andhra Pradesh were dissatisfied with the budget.</p>

<p>&quot;People and the party are disappointed with the Union Budget. Many state issues like Railway zone, Polavaram project funding, funding for capital Amaravati and other pending issues of Andhra Pradesh were not addressed in the budget,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>While talking about the long-pending infrastructure projects the minister informed that no progress had been made in the last four years.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;The Polavaram project was linked to the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), but there was no smooth flow of funds. The budget should have included it,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;Metro for Andhra Pradesh in Vizag and Vijayawada was promised, but there is no mention about it in the budget, except for things like renovation of platforms and construction of foot-over-bridges,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>We are in an alliance and will fight for our share, Chowdhary said, adding that the party leaders will put &quot;pressure on the Centre until 2019 elections&quot;.</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/live-union-budget-2018-finance-minister-arun-jaitley-presents-budget-in-parliament-31380">Budget 2018: Govt is focusing on rural and agricultural economy, says Arun Jaitley</a></p>

<p>TDP organising&nbsp;secretary GSRK Prasad said, &quot;It is a failure budget from the finance minister. The AP CM had already represented earlier the requirements for the state.&quot;</p>

<p>The TDP leader further said that the &quot;promises&quot;&nbsp;that were made are yet to be delivered.</p>

<p>&quot;As of the bifurcation promises and the reorganisation funding is also not allocated till now. Whatever may be the consequences we are continuing the alliance with BJP both at the centre and the state,&quot; said GSRK Prasad.</p>

<p>Naidu will hold a meeting in Amaravati on Sunday to discuss the course of action.</p>

<p>The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA government had presented the Union Budget for 2018-19 on Thursday.</p>

<p><strong><a href="http://www.wionews.com/budget2018">Full Coverage of Budget 2018</a></strong></p>


The meeting was called in order to discuss the future course of action after the budget allocation for Andhra Pradesh adding that the party would continue to fight for the state's due

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu, NDA's big ally, called for an "emergency party meeting" with the leaders on Friday after criticising the Union Budget 2018 which was presented on Thursday by finance minister Arun Jaitley. The meeting was called in order to discuss the "future course of action after the budget allocation for Andhra Pradesh", the party said, adding that it would continue to "fight" for the state's due. Also read: Budget 2018: India on course to grow at 8%, says Jaitley Minister of state for science and technology, YS Chowdhary noted that the people of Andhra Pradesh were dissatisfied with the budget. "People and the party are disappointed with the Union Budget. Many state issues like Railway zone, Polavaram project funding, funding for capital Amaravati and other pending issues of Andhra Pradesh were not addressed in the budget," he said. While talking about the long-pending infrastructure projects the minister informed that no progress had been made in the last four years. "The Polavaram project was linked to the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), but there was no smooth flow of funds. The budget should have included it," he said. "Metro for Andhra Pradesh in Vizag and Vijayawada was promised, but there is no mention about it in the budget, except for things like renovation of platforms and construction of foot-over-bridges," he said. We are in an alliance and will fight for our share, Chowdhary said, adding that the party leaders will put "pressure on the Centre until 2019 elections". Also read: Budget 2018: Govt is focusing on rural and agricultural economy, says Arun Jaitley TDP organising secretary GSRK Prasad said, "It is a failure budget from the finance minister. The AP CM had already represented earlier the requirements for the state." The TDP leader further said that the "promises" that were made are yet to be delivered. "As of the bifurcation promises and the reorganisation funding is also not allocated till now. Whatever may be the consequences we are continuing the alliance with BJP both at the centre and the state," said GSRK Prasad. Naidu will hold a meeting in Amaravati on Sunday to discuss the course of action. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA government had presented the Union Budget for 2018-19 on Thursday. Full Coverage of Budget 2018

BJP's NDA ally TDP calls for emergency meeting over 'disappointment' with Budget

<p>The BJP has released its first list of 45 candidates for the February 27 Meghalaya Assembly polls.</p>

<p>The party had earlier said it would contest from all the 60 Assembly seats in the north-eastern state.</p>

<p>The list includes the names of former Congress minister A L Hek, former NCP state president Sanbor Shullai and eight other former MLAs.</p>

<p>&quot;The central election committee (of the BJP) has released the first list of candidates for the February 27 election,&quot; the party&#39;s state unit chief Shibun Lyngdoh told PTI.</p>

<p>He added that the list of 45 candidates also included the names of those who had joined the saffron party in the state capital on January 2 -- AL Hek, Sanbor Shullai, Robinus Syngkon and Justine Dkhar.</p>

<p>Two women feature in the list -- BJP state mahila morcha president Pelcy Snaitang (from the Ranikor constituency) and Marian Maring (from the Nongpoh constituency in Ri-Bhoi district).</p>

<p>The other former legislators, who had contested and lost in the 2013 state polls but featured in the list, included R L Tariang, J A Lyngdoh, Phlour Khongjee, John Manner Marak, K C Boro and Billykid Sangma.</p>

<p>The second list of candidates for the remaining 15 constituencies was likely to be out very soon, Lyngdoh said.&nbsp;</p>


The party had earlier said it would contest from all the 60 Assembly seats in the north-eastern state

The BJP has released its first list of 45 candidates for the February 27 Meghalaya Assembly polls. The party had earlier said it would contest from all the 60 Assembly seats in the north-eastern state. The list includes the names of former Congress minister A L Hek, former NCP state president Sanbor Shullai and eight other former MLAs. "The central election committee (of the BJP) has released the first list of candidates for the February 27 election," the party's state unit chief Shibun Lyngdoh told PTI. He added that the list of 45 candidates also included the names of those who had joined the saffron party in the state capital on January 2 -- AL Hek, Sanbor Shullai, Robinus Syngkon and Justine Dkhar. Two women feature in the list -- BJP state mahila morcha president Pelcy Snaitang (from the Ranikor constituency) and Marian Maring (from the Nongpoh constituency in Ri-Bhoi district). The other former legislators, who had contested and lost in the 2013 state polls but featured in the list, included R L Tariang, J A Lyngdoh, Phlour Khongjee, John Manner Marak, K C Boro and Billykid Sangma. The second list of candidates for the remaining 15 constituencies was likely to be out very soon, Lyngdoh said.

BJP releases first list of 45 candidates for Meghalaya polls

<p>Telugu Desam Party (TDP) of Chandrababu Naidu, the BJP&#39;s biggest ally down South, is miffed with the Budget and has called an &quot;emergency meeting&quot; with party leaders on Sunday.</p>

<p>&quot;We are going to declare war. We have three options - one is to try and continue, two is our MPs resign and the third is to end the alliance. We will decide in the meeting with the chief minister on Sunday,&quot; said TDP parliamentarian TG Venkatesh in Delhi.</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;We are disappointed with the Union Budget presented today. Many pressing state issues like Railway Zone, Polavaram project funding, Funding for capital Amaravati and other pending issues of Andhra Pradesh are not addressed in the budget,&#39;&#39; news agency ANI quoted YS Chowdary, MoS Science &amp; Technology, TDP as saying. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Since Naidu took charge as chief minister four years ago, the ties between the BJP and TDP have ruptured.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


"The people and the party are disappointed with the Union Budget. Many state issues like the Polavaram project funding and funds for capital Amaravati were not addressed in the budget," said Chowdhary

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) of Chandrababu Naidu, the BJP's biggest ally down South, is miffed with the Budget and has called an "emergency meeting" with party leaders on Sunday. "We are going to declare war. We have three options - one is to try and continue, two is our MPs resign and the third is to end the alliance. We will decide in the meeting with the chief minister on Sunday," said TDP parliamentarian TG Venkatesh in Delhi. ''We are disappointed with the Union Budget presented today. Many pressing state issues like Railway Zone, Polavaram project funding, Funding for capital Amaravati and other pending issues of Andhra Pradesh are not addressed in the budget,'' news agency ANI quoted YS Chowdary, MoS Science & Technology, TDP as saying. Since Naidu took charge as chief minister four years ago, the ties between the BJP and TDP have ruptured.

Miffed with 'raw deal' in Budget, TDP declares 'war' on ally BJP

<p>Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said it is not possible to double farmers&#39; income by 2022 until the agricultural growth is 12 per cent.</p>

<p>&quot;The government says farmers&#39; income will be doubled by 2022. But it&#39;s not possible until the agricultural growth is 12 per cent. Until we achieve that ... It is just a hollow assurance,&quot; Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad quoted Singh as saying after a meeting of opposition parties here.</p>

<p>&quot;The fiscal deficit seems to have increased,&quot; the former prime minister said.</p>

<p>Earlier in the day, Singh said it was to be seen how the government would fulfill its promises.</p>

<p>&quot;I do not think I can blame the budget for being motivated by scoring points in elections, but what worries me is that the fiscal arithmatic is at fault,&quot; he told a television news channel.</p>

<p>When questioned if the budget was reform-oriented, the former PM said the word reform has been used and abused too many times.</p>

<p>&quot;I don&#39;t want to comment on it,&quot; he said, asking whether the farm crisis is a thing of the past and if not, what is the strategy to deal with it.</p>


'... it's not possible until the agricultural growth is 12 per cent. Until we achieve that ... It is just a hollow assurance,' Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad quoted Singh as saying

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said it is not possible to double farmers' income by 2022 until the agricultural growth is 12 per cent. "The government says farmers' income will be doubled by 2022. But it's not possible until the agricultural growth is 12 per cent. Until we achieve that ... It is just a hollow assurance," Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad quoted Singh as saying after a meeting of opposition parties here. "The fiscal deficit seems to have increased," the former prime minister said. Earlier in the day, Singh said it was to be seen how the government would fulfill its promises. "I do not think I can blame the budget for being motivated by scoring points in elections, but what worries me is that the fiscal arithmatic is at fault," he told a television news channel. When questioned if the budget was reform-oriented, the former PM said the word reform has been used and abused too many times. "I don't want to comment on it," he said, asking whether the farm crisis is a thing of the past and if not, what is the strategy to deal with it.

Not possible to double farmers' incomes by 2022: Manmohan Singh

<p>The Congress on Thursday won an assembly seat in Rajasthan and had a major victory in two <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bypoll-results-31475">parliamentary </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bypoll-results-31475">bypolls</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bypoll-results-31475">.&nbsp;</a></p>

<p>The Congress is ready to take the Ajmer and Alwar parliamentary seats from the BJP and has won the Mandalgarh assembly segment, also held by the BJP.</p>

<p>Congress president Rahul Gandhi hailed the party&rsquo;s Rajasthan unit for its impressive show in the bypolls for two Lok Sabha and one Assembly seats, calling the outcome a &ldquo;rejection&rdquo; of the BJP by the people.</p>

<p>&quot;Well done Rajasthan Congress! Proud of each and every one of you. This is a rejection of the BJP by the people of Rajasthan,&quot; tweeted Congress president Rahul Gandhi.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Well done Rajasthan Congress! Proud of each and every one of you. This is a rejection of the BJP by the people of Rajasthan.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RajasthanByPolls?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RajasthanByPolls</a></p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/959017563572359168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The ruling BJP on Thursday conceded defeat in Rajasthan.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;&ldquo;We respect the people&rsquo;s mandate and we will analyse the reasons for our defeat. I am taking responsibility for the defeat,&rdquo; Rajasthan BJP chief Ashok Parnami said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We are going to study the reasons, but bypolls don&#39;t reflect the full picture,&quot; said BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya also said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>All three seats are linked to Rahul Gandhi&#39;s top lieutenants in Rajasthan - Pilot, CP Joshi and Jitendra Singh Bhanwar.</p>

<p>All the three seats fell vacant after the deaths of Ajmer MP Sanwar Lal Jat, Alwar MP Chand Nath and Mandalgarh MLA Kirti Kumari.</p>


The Congress is ready to take the Ajmer and Alwar parliamentary seats from the BJP and has won the Mandalgarh assembly segment, also held by the BJP

The Congress on Thursday won an assembly seat in Rajasthan and had a major victory in two parliamentary bypolls. The Congress is ready to take the Ajmer and Alwar parliamentary seats from the BJP and has won the Mandalgarh assembly segment, also held by the BJP. Congress president Rahul Gandhi hailed the party’s Rajasthan unit for its impressive show in the bypolls for two Lok Sabha and one Assembly seats, calling the outcome a “rejection” of the BJP by the people. "Well done Rajasthan Congress! Proud of each and every one of you. This is a rejection of the BJP by the people of Rajasthan," tweeted Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Well done Rajasthan Congress! Proud of each and every one of you. This is a rejection of the BJP by the people of Rajasthan.#RajasthanByPolls — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 1, 2018 × The ruling BJP on Thursday conceded defeat in Rajasthan. “We respect the people’s mandate and we will analyse the reasons for our defeat. I am taking responsibility for the defeat,” Rajasthan BJP chief Ashok Parnami said. "We are going to study the reasons, but bypolls don't reflect the full picture," said BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya also said. All three seats are linked to Rahul Gandhi's top lieutenants in Rajasthan - Pilot, CP Joshi and Jitendra Singh Bhanwar. All the three seats fell vacant after the deaths of Ajmer MP Sanwar Lal Jat, Alwar MP Chand Nath and Mandalgarh MLA Kirti Kumari.

Bypoll results: Congress sweeps Rajasthan, setback for Raje's BJP

<p>Counting of votes for the by-polls of three Lok Sabha and two Assembly seats in Rajasthan and West Bengal began today.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After completion of 80 per cent of counting in Alwar congress has maintained a lead of over 1.40 lakh votes and is winning in Ajmer as well with a margin of 80,204 votes.</p>

<p>In a big jolt to the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government,&nbsp;Congress&nbsp;candidate Vivek Dhakad on Thursday won the Mandalgarh Assembly seat by 12976 votes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Congress president Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to congratulate fellow leaders Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot for their victory in the Rajasthan&nbsp;bypolls&nbsp;on Thursday.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Forget trends now,<br />
<br />
We <a href="https://twitter.com/INCIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@INCIndia</a> have won all 3 seats , done and dusted!<br />
<br />
Let me take this opportunity to congratulate <a href="https://twitter.com/SachinPilot?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SachinPilot</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ashokgehlot51?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ashokgehlot51</a> and every congress worker and every proud Rajasthani to believe in congress &lsquo; ideology.<br />
<br />
Big thanks ????????????????<br />
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RajasthanByPolls?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RajasthanByPolls</a></p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@0ffice0ffRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/0ffice0ffRG/status/958963108332163072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>TMC&#39;s Sunil Singh has won the Naopara assembly seat in West Bengal with 1,11,729 votes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;Singh said, &ldquo;It is a great win and it shows people&rsquo;s faith in TMC. I will now work for the people. There was a rumour that former TMC leader and now a BJP leader&nbsp;Mukul Roy&nbsp;would be a factor in Noapara seat but he could not make a difference in reality.&rdquo;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Initial trends from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RajasthanByPolls?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RajasthanByPolls</a> are a mandate against the Govt, I hope our leads will increase even more. Vasundhara ji and her Govt have been totally rejected by people: Sachin Pilot,Congress <a href="https://t.co/UyW82Vhfvt">pic.twitter.com/UyW82Vhfvt</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/958929143130984448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;Meanwhile, many prominent figures took to Twitter to congratulate the winning party.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The real headline of the day is <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RajasthanByPolls?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RajasthanByPolls</a> . Sorry Mr Jaitley, but your <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jumlanomics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Jumlanomics</a> is totally overshadowed. India has had enough of manipulated headlines. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Budget2018?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Budget2018</a></p>
&mdash; Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) <a href="https://twitter.com/JhaSanjay/status/958948646107648000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The sacrifice of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Padmaavat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Padmaavat</a>&#39;s &quot;i&quot; didn&#39;t go in vain ????<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RajasthanByPolls?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RajasthanByPolls</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RajasthanBypollsResult?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RajasthanBypollsResult</a></p>
&mdash; Shirish Kunder (@ShirishKunder) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShirishKunder/status/958975784219303936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Big day for Congress. Looks set to take away BJP seats of Alwar and Ajmer. And now started leading in Mandalgarh assembly constituency too. Big message for BJP Govt. <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNnews18?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CNNnews18</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RajasthanByPolls?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RajasthanByPolls</a></p>
&mdash; Arunoday Mukharji (@ArunodayM) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArunodayM/status/958937704942551040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The truth is staring in the faces of the BJP...<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Congress?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Congress</a> leading in all the 3 seats in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RajasthanByPolls?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RajasthanByPolls</a>..people learn from their mistakes..choosing BJP was a mistake.. <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OfficeOfRG</a> is the only compassionate leader with a large heart to lead the country..</p>
&mdash; khushbusundar (@khushsundar) <a href="https://twitter.com/khushsundar/status/958926828508360704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


The polling in all the constituencies took place on Monda

Counting of votes for the by-polls of three Lok Sabha and two Assembly seats in Rajasthan and West Bengal began today. After completion of 80 per cent of counting in Alwar congress has maintained a lead of over 1.40 lakh votes and is winning in Ajmer as well with a margin of 80,204 votes. In a big jolt to the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government, Congress candidate Vivek Dhakad on Thursday won the Mandalgarh Assembly seat by 12976 votes. Congress president Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to congratulate fellow leaders Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot for their victory in the Rajasthan bypolls on Thursday. Forget trends now, We @INCIndia have won all 3 seats , done and dusted! Let me take this opportunity to congratulate @SachinPilot @ashokgehlot51 and every congress worker and every proud Rajasthani to believe in congress ‘ ideology. Big thanks ???????????????? #RajasthanByPolls — Office of RG (@0ffice0ffRG) February 1, 2018 × TMC's Sunil Singh has won the Naopara assembly seat in West Bengal with 1,11,729 votes. Singh said, “It is a great win and it shows people’s faith in TMC. I will now work for the people. There was a rumour that former TMC leader and now a BJP leader Mukul Roy would be a factor in Noapara seat but he could not make a difference in reality.” Initial trends from #RajasthanByPolls are a mandate against the Govt, I hope our leads will increase even more. Vasundhara ji and her Govt have been totally rejected by people: Sachin Pilot,Congress pic.twitter.com/UyW82Vhfvt — ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2018 × Meanwhile, many prominent figures took to Twitter to congratulate the winning party. The real headline of the day is #RajasthanByPolls . Sorry Mr Jaitley, but your #Jumlanomics is totally overshadowed. India has had enough of manipulated headlines. #Budget2018 — Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) February 1, 2018 × The sacrifice of #Padmaavat's "i" didn't go in vain ????#RajasthanByPolls #RajasthanBypollsResult — Shirish Kunder (@ShirishKunder) February 1, 2018 × Big day for Congress. Looks set to take away BJP seats of Alwar and Ajmer. And now started leading in Mandalgarh assembly constituency too. Big message for BJP Govt. @CNNnews18 #RajasthanByPolls — Arunoday Mukharji (@ArunodayM) February 1, 2018 × The truth is staring in the faces of the BJP...#Congress leading in all the 3 seats in #RajasthanByPolls..people learn from their mistakes..choosing BJP was a mistake.. @OfficeOfRG is the only compassionate leader with a large heart to lead the country.. — khushbusundar (@khushsundar) February 1, 2018 ×

Bypoll results: Forget trends now, we have won all 3 seats, done and dusted, says Rahul Gandhi

<p>Congress has taken a massive leap and grabbed Mandalgarh Assembly seat and is now on a path to take over Ajmer and Alwar Lok Sabha in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bypoll-results-tmc-wins-naopara-assembly-in-west-bengal-congress-leads-in-ajmer-alwar-31424">Rajasthan </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bypoll-results-tmc-wins-naopara-assembly-in-west-bengal-congress-leads-in-ajmer-alwar-31424">bypolls</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bypoll-results-tmc-wins-naopara-assembly-in-west-bengal-congress-leads-in-ajmer-alwar-31424">.&nbsp;</a></p>

<p>Congress is on the verge of winning the Alwar bypoll as after 90 per cent of counting of votes, Congress is leading with a massive margin of over 1.6 lakh votes. BJP could only manage 4,42,502 votes.</p>

<p>Trinamool candidate Sajda Ahmed wins Uluberia Lok Sabha constituency and defeated BJP candidate Anupam Mallick by 4,74,023.</p>

<p>The BJP meanwhile emerged second in both the seats pushing Left Front to the third position. In Uluberia, BJP received 1,68,805 votes while CPM bagged 85,244 votes. In Noapara, BJP registered 38,711 votes while CPM managed to get 35,497 votes. The Congress meanwhile came fourth in both the seats and lost its deposits.</p>

<p>Congress&#39;s Karan Singh wins Alwar Lok Sabha constituency seat and defeated BJP&#39;s Jaswant Yadav by 1,56,319 votes.</p>

<p>The Trinamool Congress under&nbsp;Mamata Banerjee has won West Bengal&#39;s Naopara seat and is maintaining a steady lead in Ulluberia constituency.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, BJP has been lagging behind in Rajasthan but still running close in West Bengal relegating the Left Front to third and Congress to the fourth position.</p>

<p>The counting of votes for the Rajasthan bypolls in two Lok Sabha and one assembly constituency &mdash; a crucial contest ahead of the state elections due later this year &mdash; began at 8am on Thursday.</p>


The polling in all the constituencies took place on Monday

Congress has taken a massive leap and grabbed Mandalgarh Assembly seat and is now on a path to take over Ajmer and Alwar Lok Sabha in Rajasthan bypolls. Congress is on the verge of winning the Alwar bypoll as after 90 per cent of counting of votes, Congress is leading with a massive margin of over 1.6 lakh votes. BJP could only manage 4,42,502 votes. Trinamool candidate Sajda Ahmed wins Uluberia Lok Sabha constituency and defeated BJP candidate Anupam Mallick by 4,74,023. The BJP meanwhile emerged second in both the seats pushing Left Front to the third position. In Uluberia, BJP received 1,68,805 votes while CPM bagged 85,244 votes. In Noapara, BJP registered 38,711 votes while CPM managed to get 35,497 votes. The Congress meanwhile came fourth in both the seats and lost its deposits. Congress's Karan Singh wins Alwar Lok Sabha constituency seat and defeated BJP's Jaswant Yadav by 1,56,319 votes. The Trinamool Congress under Mamata Banerjee has won West Bengal's Naopara seat and is maintaining a steady lead in Ulluberia constituency. However, BJP has been lagging behind in Rajasthan but still running close in West Bengal relegating the Left Front to third and Congress to the fourth position. The counting of votes for the Rajasthan bypolls in two Lok Sabha and one assembly constituency — a crucial contest ahead of the state elections due later this year — began at 8am on Thursday.

Rajasthan, West Bengal bypolls: More wins for Congress, TMC

<p>TMC&#39;s Sunil Singh has won the Naopara assembly seat in West Bengal with 1,11,729 votes.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RajasthanByPolls?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RajasthanByPolls</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPDATE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UPDATE</a>: Congress leading in Ajmer Lok Sabha by 45321 votes, in Alwar Lok Sabha by 72101 votes and in Mandalgarh assembly by 11136 votes</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/958967791150878720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Congress&#39;s Vivek Dhakad has won Mandalgarh assembly seat by 12976 votes.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RajasthanByPolls?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RajasthanByPolls</a> : Congress&#39;s Vivek Dhakad has won Mandalgarh assembly seat by 12976 votes</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/958970906839277568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>As of now, the Congress leads in Ajmer and Alwar parliamentary seats in Rajasthan. TMC leads in West Bengal&#39;s&nbsp;Uluberia.</p>

<p>The counting began at 8 am today amid tight security.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Naopara assembly seat by-poll: TMC candidate Sunil Singh wins with 1,11,729 votes</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/958933052180312064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>According to reports, Congress&#39; Karan Singh Yadav was leading by 61,500 votes over BJP&#39;s Jaswant Yadav in Alwar.</p>

<p>In Ajmer, Congress&#39;s Raghu Sharma was ahead of BJP&#39;s Ram Swaroop Lamba by 3,398 votes, they said.</p>

<p>In Mandalgarh, BJP candidate Shakti Singh Hada was ahead of independent candidate Gopal Malviya by over 3,000 votes. Congress&#39; Vivek Dhakad was trailing.</p>

<p>Chief Election Officer Ashwani Bhagat said the results would be declared before noon.</p>

<p>The polling in all the constituencies took place on Monday.</p>

<p>The election was held for Ajmer and Alwar Lok Sabha seats and Mandalgarh Assembly constituency in Rajasthan.</p>

<p>All the three seats fell vacant after the death of Ajmer MP Sanwar Lal Jat, Alwar MP Chand Nath and Mandalgarh MLA Kirti Kumari, who all were from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).</p>

<p>While in West Bengal, by-polls were held for Uluberia Lok Sabha Constituency in Howrah district and Noapara Assembly Seat in North 24 Parganas.</p>

<p>The election was necessitated due to the death of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sultan Ahmed and the Congress party MLA Madhusudan Ghosh.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>


TMC's Sunil Singh has won the Naopara assembly seat in West Bengal by 1,11,729 votes

TMC's Sunil Singh has won the Naopara assembly seat in West Bengal with 1,11,729 votes. #RajasthanByPolls #UPDATE: Congress leading in Ajmer Lok Sabha by 45321 votes, in Alwar Lok Sabha by 72101 votes and in Mandalgarh assembly by 11136 votes — ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2018 × Congress's Vivek Dhakad has won Mandalgarh assembly seat by 12976 votes. #RajasthanByPolls : Congress's Vivek Dhakad has won Mandalgarh assembly seat by 12976 votes — ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2018 × As of now, the Congress leads in Ajmer and Alwar parliamentary seats in Rajasthan. TMC leads in West Bengal's Uluberia. The counting began at 8 am today amid tight security. Naopara assembly seat by-poll: TMC candidate Sunil Singh wins with 1,11,729 votes — ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2018 × According to reports, Congress' Karan Singh Yadav was leading by 61,500 votes over BJP's Jaswant Yadav in Alwar. In Ajmer, Congress's Raghu Sharma was ahead of BJP's Ram Swaroop Lamba by 3,398 votes, they said. In Mandalgarh, BJP candidate Shakti Singh Hada was ahead of independent candidate Gopal Malviya by over 3,000 votes. Congress' Vivek Dhakad was trailing. Chief Election Officer Ashwani Bhagat said the results would be declared before noon. The polling in all the constituencies took place on Monday. The election was held for Ajmer and Alwar Lok Sabha seats and Mandalgarh Assembly constituency in Rajasthan. All the three seats fell vacant after the death of Ajmer MP Sanwar Lal Jat, Alwar MP Chand Nath and Mandalgarh MLA Kirti Kumari, who all were from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While in West Bengal, by-polls were held for Uluberia Lok Sabha Constituency in Howrah district and Noapara Assembly Seat in North 24 Parganas. The election was necessitated due to the death of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sultan Ahmed and the Congress party MLA Madhusudan Ghosh. (With inputs from agencies)

Bypoll results: Congress wins in Mandalgarh, Rajasthan; TMC leads in West Bengal

<p>Former president of Congress Party, Sonia Gandhi chaired a meeting with opposition leaders at Parliament library building on Thursday.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sonia Gandhi, Former PM Manmohan Singh and other leaders arrive at Parliament Library Building for the meeting of the opposition parties <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a> <a href="https://t.co/cCV58YjaMM">pic.twitter.com/cCV58YjaMM</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/959027698805936128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The meeting was called to plan a joint strategy for the ongoing budget session of parliament and work towards opposition unity to take on the BJP.</p>

<p>The main focus of the meeting was to bring support from 17 parties which have come together during the presidential and vice presidential polls against the currently ruling BJP party.</p>

<p>According to the media reports issues like triple talaq bill, the Supreme Court judges row and the Kasganj violence were discussed during the meeting.</p>

<p>The opposition leader meeting began around five in the evening and lasted for more than two hours.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Meeting for the opposition parties held at Parliament Library Building concludes. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/959054867745705985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Gandhi chairing the meeting with opposition leader could be taken as a signal that Sonia Gandhi will be playing an active role in upcoming General Elections of 2019.</p>

<p>Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar also hosted an informal meet over a tea with opposition leaders at his residence where it was decided to hold another meeting post-budget with Sonia Gandhi.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The meeting was called to plan a joint strategy for the ongoing budget session of parliament and work towards opposition unity to take on the BJP

Former president of Congress Party, Sonia Gandhi chaired a meeting with opposition leaders at Parliament library building on Thursday. Sonia Gandhi, Former PM Manmohan Singh and other leaders arrive at Parliament Library Building for the meeting of the opposition parties #Delhi pic.twitter.com/cCV58YjaMM — ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2018 × The meeting was called to plan a joint strategy for the ongoing budget session of parliament and work towards opposition unity to take on the BJP. The main focus of the meeting was to bring support from 17 parties which have come together during the presidential and vice presidential polls against the currently ruling BJP party. According to the media reports issues like triple talaq bill, the Supreme Court judges row and the Kasganj violence were discussed during the meeting. The opposition leader meeting began around five in the evening and lasted for more than two hours. Meeting for the opposition parties held at Parliament Library Building concludes. #Delhi — ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2018 × Gandhi chairing the meeting with opposition leader could be taken as a signal that Sonia Gandhi will be playing an active role in upcoming General Elections of 2019. Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar also hosted an informal meet over a tea with opposition leaders at his residence where it was decided to hold another meeting post-budget with Sonia Gandhi.

Sonia Gandhi chairs opposition meeting on joint strategy in Parliament

<p>Hitting out at the Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the state BJP office tweeted a picture of a jacket similar to what Rahul Gandhi wore during a concert he attended at the poll-bound&nbsp;state Meghalaya on Tuesday. The picture also included the price tag of $ 995( a little over Rs 63,000).</p>

<p>The BJP office tweeted &quot;So @OfficeOfRG, soot(pun intended!)-boot ki sarkar with &#39;black&#39;&nbsp;money fleeced from Meghalayan State exchequer by rampant corruption? Instead of singing away our woes, you could have given a report card of your inefficient govt in Meghalaya! Your indifference mocks us!&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">So <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OfficeOfRG</a> , soot(pun intended!)-boot ki sarkar with &lsquo;black&rsquo; money fleeced from Meghalayan State exchequer by rampant corruption? Instead of singing away our woes, you could have given a report card of your inefficient govt in Meghalaya! Your indifference mocks us! <a href="https://t.co/sRvj5eoyRb">pic.twitter.com/sRvj5eoyRb</a></p>
&mdash; BJP Meghalaya (@BJP4Meghalaya) <a href="https://twitter.com/BJP4Meghalaya/status/958400868277092352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Responding to the attacks of the state BJP office, Gandhi today said</p>

<p>He said &quot;&nbsp;You will not see him (PM) hug a poor person, talk to a poor person or even engage with a poor person. You will see him with others. &quot;There is a particular distance he maintains with the poor people which he does not with Mr Obama or others,&quot; The fact of the matter is that he (Modi) is still a suit-boot person. He has not done anything....,&quot;</p>

<p>He also took on the government for their promise to generate 2 crore jobs a year but failed to achieve the target.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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Hitting out at the Congress President Rahul Gandhi during his visit to the poll-bound state Meghalaya, the state BJP office tweeted a picture of a jacket similar to what Rahul Gandhi had worn in a concert there. The picture also included the price tag of $ 995( a little over Rs 63,000)

Hitting out at the Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the state BJP office tweeted a picture of a jacket similar to what Rahul Gandhi wore during a concert he attended at the poll-bound state Meghalaya on Tuesday. The picture also included the price tag of $ 995( a little over Rs 63,000). The BJP office tweeted "So @OfficeOfRG, soot(pun intended!)-boot ki sarkar with 'black' money fleeced from Meghalayan State exchequer by rampant corruption? Instead of singing away our woes, you could have given a report card of your inefficient govt in Meghalaya! Your indifference mocks us!" So @OfficeOfRG , soot(pun intended!)-boot ki sarkar with ‘black’ money fleeced from Meghalayan State exchequer by rampant corruption? Instead of singing away our woes, you could have given a report card of your inefficient govt in Meghalaya! Your indifference mocks us! pic.twitter.com/sRvj5eoyRb — BJP Meghalaya (@BJP4Meghalaya) January 30, 2018 × Responding to the attacks of the state BJP office, Gandhi today said He said " You will not see him (PM) hug a poor person, talk to a poor person or even engage with a poor person. You will see him with others. "There is a particular distance he maintains with the poor people which he does not with Mr Obama or others," The fact of the matter is that he (Modi) is still a suit-boot person. He has not done anything....," He also took on the government for their promise to generate 2 crore jobs a year but failed to achieve the target.

Rahul Gandhi's 'Rs 63k' jacket renews 'soot -boot debate' between Congress- BJP

<p>The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) in Telangana is on board with the BJP on the issue of simultaneous polls to Lok Sabha and state assemblies, a senior party leader has said.</p>

<p>The TRS floor leader in the Lok Sabha, AP Jithender Reddy, said that such a synchronised exercise will cut costs, save time and ensure governments focus on development. &quot;We are for it,&quot; Reddy said.</p>

<p>&quot;It will give us time to focus on administration for five years, instead of every time going to elections,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;It will save money and time; you can focus yourself on the development of the state,&quot; the Lok Sabha member from Mahbubnagar said.</p>

<p>On January 29, President Ram Nath Kovind had called for a &quot;sustained debate&quot; on holding simultaneous polls, saying all parties need to reach a consensus on the issue.</p>

<p>In his maiden address to the joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament at the beginning of the Budget session, Kovind said citizens alive to the state of governance in the country were concerned about frequent elections in one part of the country or another, which adversely impacted the economy and development.</p>

<p>His remarks came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a fresh pitch for holding the polls together.</p>

<p>Modi had said that like festivals, elections should be held on fixed dates so that governments can function for five years.</p>

<p>He also said that barbs exchanged during campaigning in one state have a bearing in other parts of the country which were not going to polls.</p>

<p>Modi was of the view that once the elections are held together, the central and the state governments can devote the next five years to governance.</p>


The TRS floor leader in the Lok Sabha, AP Jithender Reddy, said that such a synchronised exercise will cut costs, save time and ensure governments focus on development. 'We are for it,' he said

The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) in Telangana is on board with the BJP on the issue of simultaneous polls to Lok Sabha and state assemblies, a senior party leader has said. The TRS floor leader in the Lok Sabha, AP Jithender Reddy, said that such a synchronised exercise will cut costs, save time and ensure governments focus on development. "We are for it," Reddy said. "It will give us time to focus on administration for five years, instead of every time going to elections," he said. "It will save money and time; you can focus yourself on the development of the state," the Lok Sabha member from Mahbubnagar said. On January 29, President Ram Nath Kovind had called for a "sustained debate" on holding simultaneous polls, saying all parties need to reach a consensus on the issue. In his maiden address to the joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament at the beginning of the Budget session, Kovind said citizens alive to the state of governance in the country were concerned about frequent elections in one part of the country or another, which adversely impacted the economy and development. His remarks came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a fresh pitch for holding the polls together. Modi had said that like festivals, elections should be held on fixed dates so that governments can function for five years. He also said that barbs exchanged during campaigning in one state have a bearing in other parts of the country which were not going to polls. Modi was of the view that once the elections are held together, the central and the state governments can devote the next five years to governance.

Telangana Rashtra Samiti supports BJP on issue of simultaneous Lok Sabha, Assembly polls

<p>The Election Commission today issued the notifications for the February 27 Meghalaya Assembly elections.</p>

<p>Chief Electoral Officer of Meghalaya, F R Kharkongor said&nbsp;that &quot;The Election Commission has issued notifications for the elections in the state.&quot;</p>

<p>The tenure of the current 60-member Meghalaya Assembly ends on March 6 and the state will go to the polls on February 27.</p>

<p>With the issuance of the election notification, the filing of nomination started today.</p>

<p>The last date of filing nominations is February 7 while the date of scrutiny of nomination is February 8.</p>

<p>The last date of withdrawal of candidates is February 12.</p>

<p>The counting of votes will take place on March 3.</p>

<p>Voter Verified Paper Audit Trial (VVPAT) will be used along with EVMs in the election.</p>


With the issuance of the election notification, the filing of nomination started today

The Election Commission today issued the notifications for the February 27 Meghalaya Assembly elections. Chief Electoral Officer of Meghalaya, F R Kharkongor said that "The Election Commission has issued notifications for the elections in the state." The tenure of the current 60-member Meghalaya Assembly ends on March 6 and the state will go to the polls on February 27. With the issuance of the election notification, the filing of nomination started today. The last date of filing nominations is February 7 while the date of scrutiny of nomination is February 8. The last date of withdrawal of candidates is February 12. The counting of votes will take place on March 3. Voter Verified Paper Audit Trial (VVPAT) will be used along with EVMs in the election.

Election Commission issues Meghalaya Assembly election notification

<p>Quoting a source, the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that the BJP wants to ruin the retail business in Delhi to make way for Foreign Direct Investment.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He tweeted &quot; Someone told me today- &quot; Thro sealing, BJP wants to ruin Delhi&#39;s retail business to pave way for FDI in retail in Delhi. &quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Someone told me today - &ldquo;Thro sealing, BJP wants to ruin Delhi&rsquo;s retail business to pave way for FDI in retail in Delhi.&rdquo; I hope this is not true.</p>
&mdash; Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/958283025669799936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Municipal corporations in Delhi have undertaken the Supreme Court-led drive sealing commercial premises for failing to deposit conversion charges.</p>

<p>Conversion charge is the amount paid to convert one category of property to another -- &nbsp;i.e, from residential to commercial.</p>

<p>Kejriwal on Wednesday met with the Delhi Lieutenant Governor to discuss the sealing issue.</p>

<p>He said &quot; I spoke to LG over sealing issue. He told me he has already spoken to centre&nbsp;about it and they will try to find a solution&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I spoke to LG over sealing issue. He told me he has already spoken to center about it &amp; they will try to find a solution: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a> Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after meeting LG Anil Baijal <a href="https://t.co/KEtTUITPZK">pic.twitter.com/KEtTUITPZK</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/958678326662615040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


He tweeted 'Someone told me today- Thro sealing, BJP wants to ruin Delhi's retail business to pave way for FDI in retail in Delhi'

Quoting a source, the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that the BJP wants to ruin the retail business in Delhi to make way for Foreign Direct Investment. He tweeted " Someone told me today- " Thro sealing, BJP wants to ruin Delhi's retail business to pave way for FDI in retail in Delhi. " Someone told me today - “Thro sealing, BJP wants to ruin Delhi’s retail business to pave way for FDI in retail in Delhi.” I hope this is not true. — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 30, 2018 × Municipal corporations in Delhi have undertaken the Supreme Court-led drive sealing commercial premises for failing to deposit conversion charges. Conversion charge is the amount paid to convert one category of property to another -- i.e, from residential to commercial. Kejriwal on Wednesday met with the Delhi Lieutenant Governor to discuss the sealing issue. He said " I spoke to LG over sealing issue. He told me he has already spoken to centre about it and they will try to find a solution". I spoke to LG over sealing issue. He told me he has already spoken to center about it & they will try to find a solution: #Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after meeting LG Anil Baijal pic.twitter.com/KEtTUITPZK — ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2018 ×

BJP wants to ruin Delhi's retail business to make way for FDI: Arvind Kejriwal

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