More than 65 per cent&nbsp;of Western Uttar Pradesh&#39;s electorate cast its vote&nbsp;in the second phase of polling in the state today (February 15), the Election Commission said. 
 
&quot;Polling was held peacefully amid tight security,&quot; UP Chief Electoral Officer T Venkatesh said. 
 
Voting took place in 67 Assembly constituencies across 11 districts in the second phase of polling.

Polling took place at a brisk pace in the districts of Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Bareilly, Amroha, Pilibhit, Kheri, Shahjahanpur and Badaun. It ended at 5 pm, PTI reported.

In the last assembly elections in 2012, voting for the same seats had recorded 60 per cent polling. 
 
In the second of the seven-phase election, 2.28 crore voters, including over 1.04 crore women, are eligible to cast their ballots in 14,771 polling centres and 23,693 polling stations.

At Bareilly, central minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi&#39;s 115-year-old grandfather ZU Kazmi cast his ballot.

Long queues were seen outside polling stations in some places. Enthusiastic first-time voters were spotted taking selfies proudly showing indelible ink imprint on their fingers.

Muslim women in burqas were seen outside several booths, while a picture of a newly-married couple going to cast vote in Bareilly went viral on social media. 
 
Voter turnout, in the first phase on February 11, was recorded at 64.2 per cent - an increase of nearly three per cent from the first phase turnout in 2012.

Of the 67 seats at stake, the ruling Samajwadi Party had won 34 seats in 2012, followed by BSP&#39;s 18, BJP 10, Congress three and others two.

Prominent contestants include controversial SP minister Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam, who are contesting from Rampur and Swar, Saif Ali Naqvi, son of former Congress MP Zafar Ali Naqvi, former central minister Jitin Prasada from Tilhar (Shahjahanpur), BJP Legislature Party leader Suresh Kumar Khanna from Shahjahanpur city and state minister Mehboob Ali from Amroha.&nbsp;

Elaborate arrangements have been made for free and fair polling with the deployment of 51,771 police constables, 52,598 homeguards, 5,397 sub-inspectors and 3,666 head constables to maintain law and order.

The Election Commission has barred political parties and candidates from publishing advertisements in newspapers today and tomorrow without its approval, PTI reported. The poll body has asked them to get advertisements pre-certified from the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee at the state and district levels before their publication.

The poll body said the decision was taken in view of past instances of advertisements of &quot;offending and misleading nature&quot; in print media on such occasions, which vitiate the elections. 
 
The upcoming five phases of polling will be held on February 19, 23, 27 and on March 4 and 8.

Counting of votes will take place on March 11.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

 
&nbsp;

In 2012, of the 67 seats at stake, ruling Samajwadi Party had won 34 in 2012, followed by BSP 18, BJP 10, Congress three and others two

More than 65 per cent of Western Uttar Pradesh's electorate cast its vote in the second phase of polling in the state today (February 15), the Election Commission said. "Polling was held peacefully amid tight security," UP Chief Electoral Officer T Venkatesh said. Voting took place in 67 Assembly constituencies across 11 districts in the second phase of polling. Polling took place at a brisk pace in the districts of Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Bareilly, Amroha, Pilibhit, Kheri, Shahjahanpur and Badaun. It ended at 5 pm, PTI reported. In the last assembly elections in 2012, voting for the same seats had recorded 60 per cent polling. In the second of the seven-phase election, 2.28 crore voters, including over 1.04 crore women, are eligible to cast their ballots in 14,771 polling centres and 23,693 polling stations. At Bareilly, central minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's 115-year-old grandfather ZU Kazmi cast his ballot. Long queues were seen outside polling stations in some places. Enthusiastic first-time voters were spotted taking selfies proudly showing indelible ink imprint on their fingers. Muslim women in burqas were seen outside several booths, while a picture of a newly-married couple going to cast vote in Bareilly went viral on social media. Voter turnout, in the first phase on February 11, was recorded at 64.2 per cent - an increase of nearly three per cent from the first phase turnout in 2012. Of the 67 seats at stake, the ruling Samajwadi Party had won 34 seats in 2012, followed by BSP's 18, BJP 10, Congress three and others two. Prominent contestants include controversial SP minister Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam, who are contesting from Rampur and Swar, Saif Ali Naqvi, son of former Congress MP Zafar Ali Naqvi, former central minister Jitin Prasada from Tilhar (Shahjahanpur), BJP Legislature Party leader Suresh Kumar Khanna from Shahjahanpur city and state minister Mehboob Ali from Amroha. Elaborate arrangements have been made for free and fair polling with the deployment of 51,771 police constables, 52,598 homeguards, 5,397 sub-inspectors and 3,666 head constables to maintain law and order. The Election Commission has barred political parties and candidates from publishing advertisements in newspapers today and tomorrow without its approval, PTI reported. The poll body has asked them to get advertisements pre-certified from the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee at the state and district levels before their publication. The poll body said the decision was taken in view of past instances of advertisements of "offending and misleading nature" in print media on such occasions, which vitiate the elections. The upcoming five phases of polling will be held on February 19, 23, 27 and on March 4 and 8. Counting of votes will take place on March 11. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Uttar Pradesh elections: More than 65% polling in Phase-2

Castigating the brittle law and order condition in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday cornered chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and said that the latter commenced his campaign for the state polls from Sultanpur where a 22-year-old woman, who had accused the contesting Samajwadi Party MLA Arun Verma of raping her along with some other youth in 2013, was found murdered near her house.

Asserting that Verma is a close confidant of the chief minister, BJP leader Sambit Patra said, &quot;Mr&nbsp;Akhilesh Yadav launched a campaign for Uttar Pradesh elections from this constituency of Arun Verma, so naturally where you start a campaign from a person who propagates lawlessness shows what kind of law and order situation Akhilesh Yadav and his government would maintain in Uttar Pradesh.&quot;

Treading same paths another BJP leader Nalin Kohli demanded inquiry against Verma and said that such incidents prove that law and order in Uttar Pradesh have hit an all time low and hence has collapsed.

&quot;This is very serious very worrisome. In Uttar Pradesh law and order is in a state of crisis this confirms yet again that a person has been targeted who has levelled a serious allegation and that too of rape against a Samajwadi party leader,&quot; Kohli told ANI.

&quot;Law and order has collapsed in Uttar Pradesh and now if the chief minister there said that he will do something then it is too late as somebody has lost its life. Immediately the person should be taken into custody and there should be an inquiry. How can murders&nbsp;take place so freely in Uttar Pradesh?&quot; he added.

According to reports, a 22-year-old woman who had accused Verma of raping her along with some other youths in 2013 was found murdered near her house in Sultanpur yesterday.

The body of the woman, who was missing since Saturday, was found on Sunday near a primary school in Jaisinghpur.&nbsp;An FIR has been registered in this regard.&nbsp;

(ANI)&nbsp;

BJP leader Nalin Kohli demanded an inquiry against Verma and said such incidents prove law and order in UP has hit an all-time low

Castigating the brittle law and order condition in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday cornered chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and said that the latter commenced his campaign for the state polls from Sultanpur where a 22-year-old woman, who had accused the contesting Samajwadi Party MLA Arun Verma of raping her along with some other youth in 2013, was found murdered near her house. Asserting that Verma is a close confidant of the chief minister, BJP leader Sambit Patra said, "Mr Akhilesh Yadav launched a campaign for Uttar Pradesh elections from this constituency of Arun Verma, so naturally where you start a campaign from a person who propagates lawlessness shows what kind of law and order situation Akhilesh Yadav and his government would maintain in Uttar Pradesh." Treading same paths another BJP leader Nalin Kohli demanded inquiry against Verma and said that such incidents prove that law and order in Uttar Pradesh have hit an all time low and hence has collapsed. "This is very serious very worrisome. In Uttar Pradesh law and order is in a state of crisis this confirms yet again that a person has been targeted who has levelled a serious allegation and that too of rape against a Samajwadi party leader," Kohli told ANI. "Law and order has collapsed in Uttar Pradesh and now if the chief minister there said that he will do something then it is too late as somebody has lost its life. Immediately the person should be taken into custody and there should be an inquiry. How can murders take place so freely in Uttar Pradesh?" he added. According to reports, a 22-year-old woman who had accused Verma of raping her along with some other youths in 2013 was found murdered near her house in Sultanpur yesterday. The body of the woman, who was missing since Saturday, was found on Sunday near a primary school in Jaisinghpur. An FIR has been registered in this regard. (ANI)

India: Akhilesh attacked after woman who accused SP MLA of gang rape is found dead

By &nbsp;Arghya &nbsp;Roy Chowdhury

The mother of all battles,&nbsp;kickstarts in Uttar Pradesh from Saturday. The importance of UP in India&#39;s electoral politics can&#39;t be overstated. Not only does it have the highest number of Lok Sabha seats, it also has given more prime ministers than any other state in the country.

The state is so important, even Narendra Modi had to contest from Varanasi to leverage his own charisma to get Bharatiya Janata Party home.

The frenzy generated by Modi mixed with an electorate divided along communal lines, ensured that BJP managed to virtually sweep the entire state. But this time the situation is bit different, and one of the main reasons is the alliance between Congress and SP.

The first phase, where 73 constituencies are going to polls are spread across 15 districts. They are Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mathura, Hathras, Agra, Firozabad, Etah and Kasganj.

Many of these districts are communally sensitive and the Muzaffarnagar riots in 2013 greatly affected the voting patterns in 2014. One of the biggest puzzles of this phase would be whether people chose to vote along religious lines or go back to their usual pattern of caste-based identities.

One party which would be hedging their bets for the&nbsp;conventional order to resume is Ajit Singh&#39;s Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). A party predominantly asserting the Jat identity, its message resonates well in the sugarcane-soaked Jat heartlands.

The party won 9 of out 73 seats, in the last Assembly elections and was on the cusp of stitching up an alliance with SP and Congress before talks fell through.

RLD still enjoys decent clout and may upset equations in several constituencies where close contest is on cards.In the last elections, SP and BSP both won 11 seats out of the 73 up for grabs on Saturday.

For BSP, this is a crucial phase as many of the seats have a&nbsp;strong concentration of Dalits and Muslim, once Mayawati&#39;s favourite hunting ground.

But it will be up for a stiff concentration with Owaisi&#39;s AIMIM in contention and SP and Congress fighting together. Congress has been a marginal player in Western UP for decades now, but it will try to galvanise the upper-caste votes for SP.

But no other party has more riding on phase one than the BJP. A good start will give it much-needed momentum to march towards the majority mark.

The party has made a major gamble by not putting up a CM face. It hopes that carpet-bombing by top leaders including Modi and Shah will do the trick.

Some of the top BJP candidates contesting in this phase are Rajnath Singh&#39;s son, Hukum Singh&#39;s daughter and controversial leaders like Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana.

In some of the more urbane districts like Noida and Agra, the party is likely to perform well.

The issues which have dominated the campaign cycle so far have been demonetisation, the law-and-order situation, communal disharmony, lack of industries and the informal sector facing a&nbsp;crisis.

Of which the opposition have tried to skewer BJP on demonetisation. Western UP is the hub of small scale industries, many of them been adversely affected by the&nbsp;cash crunch.

The SP government is facing the heat for poor law and order condition, especially it&#39;s ham-handed handling of the riots.

While Western UP is no longer the communal tinderbox it was in 2014, undercurrents of deep religious disharmony permeate till this day. And politicians of all hue have tried to exploit that according to their vote banks.

Both SP and BSP will be pretty happy if they can hold on to their 2012 tally.

For BJP, a good start is extremely necessary. PM Modi has given a clarion call for voting out SCAM (Samajwadi-Congress-Akhilesh-Maywati) which got an angry response from others.

Amit Shah has made a bold prediction that BJP will win 90 out of 143 seats in the first two phases.So, BJP is looking for high strike rate in Western UP to make up for its organisational weakness in other phases. Others will be desperate to deny them the perfect start.

&nbsp;

(This report first appeared in DNA)

Not only does UP have the highest number of Lok Sabha seats, it also has given more prime ministers than any other state in the country

By Arghya Roy Chowdhury The mother of all battles, kickstarts in Uttar Pradesh from Saturday. The importance of UP in India's electoral politics can't be overstated. Not only does it have the highest number of Lok Sabha seats, it also has given more prime ministers than any other state in the country. The state is so important, even Narendra Modi had to contest from Varanasi to leverage his own charisma to get Bharatiya Janata Party home. The frenzy generated by Modi mixed with an electorate divided along communal lines, ensured that BJP managed to virtually sweep the entire state. But this time the situation is bit different, and one of the main reasons is the alliance between Congress and SP. The first phase, where 73 constituencies are going to polls are spread across 15 districts. They are Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mathura, Hathras, Agra, Firozabad, Etah and Kasganj. Many of these districts are communally sensitive and the Muzaffarnagar riots in 2013 greatly affected the voting patterns in 2014. One of the biggest puzzles of this phase would be whether people chose to vote along religious lines or go back to their usual pattern of caste-based identities. One party which would be hedging their bets for the conventional order to resume is Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). A party predominantly asserting the Jat identity, its message resonates well in the sugarcane-soaked Jat heartlands. The party won 9 of out 73 seats, in the last Assembly elections and was on the cusp of stitching up an alliance with SP and Congress before talks fell through. RLD still enjoys decent clout and may upset equations in several constituencies where close contest is on cards.In the last elections, SP and BSP both won 11 seats out of the 73 up for grabs on Saturday. For BSP, this is a crucial phase as many of the seats have a strong concentration of Dalits and Muslim, once Mayawati's favourite hunting ground. But it will be up for a stiff concentration with Owaisi's AIMIM in contention and SP and Congress fighting together. Congress has been a marginal player in Western UP for decades now, but it will try to galvanise the upper-caste votes for SP. But no other party has more riding on phase one than the BJP. A good start will give it much-needed momentum to march towards the majority mark. The party has made a major gamble by not putting up a CM face. It hopes that carpet-bombing by top leaders including Modi and Shah will do the trick. Some of the top BJP candidates contesting in this phase are Rajnath Singh's son, Hukum Singh's daughter and controversial leaders like Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana. In some of the more urbane districts like Noida and Agra, the party is likely to perform well. The issues which have dominated the campaign cycle so far have been demonetisation, the law-and-order situation, communal disharmony, lack of industries and the informal sector facing a crisis. Of which the opposition have tried to skewer BJP on demonetisation. Western UP is the hub of small scale industries, many of them been adversely affected by the cash crunch. The SP government is facing the heat for poor law and order condition, especially it's ham-handed handling of the riots. While Western UP is no longer the communal tinderbox it was in 2014, undercurrents of deep religious disharmony permeate till this day. And politicians of all hue have tried to exploit that according to their vote banks. Both SP and BSP will be pretty happy if they can hold on to their 2012 tally. For BJP, a good start is extremely necessary. PM Modi has given a clarion call for voting out SCAM (Samajwadi-Congress-Akhilesh-Maywati) which got an angry response from others. Amit Shah has made a bold prediction that BJP will win 90 out of 143 seats in the first two phases.So, BJP is looking for high strike rate in Western UP to make up for its organisational weakness in other phases. Others will be desperate to deny them the perfect start. (This report first appeared in DNA)

India: First phase of Uttar Pradesh elections could make or break BJP's dream to rule

India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on Uttar Pradesh&#39;s ruling Samajwadi Party(SP) during an election rally in Uttar Pradesh&#39;s Ghaziabad district.

The Indian prime minister attacked the Akhilesh Yadav government over the law and order situation in the state and the constant infighting within the ruling party.

&quot;Girls are afraid of going to school. Your Samajwadi Party (SP) is harbouring goons and they are responsible for this condition of Uttar Pradesh (UP),&quot; PM Modi said while addressing an election rally in UP&#39;s Ghaziabad.

Uttar Pradesh will go to the polls on February 11 in the first phase of polls, in a long drawn seven-phase polling schedule set to culminate with results set to be announced on 11th March. Political pundits&nbsp;believe BJP will win a&nbsp;majority of seats in the assembly but the recent Congress-Samajwadi Party coalition may unsettle their plans to come to power.

PM Modi said rapes and murders were unaccounted for in the state and the Samajwadi Party was neither &quot;worried, nor did it consider it their responsibility to tackle the situation&quot;.

&quot;Today, in Uttar Pradesh, after the sun sets a woman cannot step outside confidently on the streets as they are not safe in the state,&quot; PM Modi asserted.

He also blamed the SP and the Mayawati-led BSP for the lack of development in the state.&nbsp;&quot;Development has gone to &#39;exile&#39; for the last 14 years in the state, this election is about bringing development back,&quot; he said.

&quot;After Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power, we will form a special task force against land mafia. Then we will give back land to the poor and middle class people,&quot; said Modi.

The PM said the politically-crucial state could become the country&#39;s &quot;best state&quot; (Uttam Pradesh) &nbsp;if people chose the right government, alluding to his party, the BJP.

&quot;Nowadays, I am listening to speeches. They abuse the federal government for five minutes. Can you give me an account of your achievements as well,&quot; the prime minister said pointing to the opposition.

&quot;If Bharatiya Janata Party assumes power in Uttar Pradesh we will scrutinise the scams in employment sector and will give jobs to unemployed people,&quot; he said.

Blaming the Samajwadi Party for the lack of development in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said Akhilesh Yadav had &quot;destroyed the state in the last five years&quot;.

&quot;The Samajwadi Party, which has been in power for last five years, it is their duty to answer the people of Uttar Pradesh about the work they have done,&quot; India&#39;s prime minister said.

&quot;When Akhilesh Yadav became Chief Minister, we thought there would be development in the state since he is young and highly educated, but he destroyed the state in five years,&quot; Modi said.

&quot;Due to selfish politics, poor are not getting food even twice a day. Even that does not seem to have had any impact on the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government,&quot; Modi added.

The PM said the objective in the upcoming state assembly election was to bring development in the state.&nbsp;

He also said he would give an account of my achievements in the 2019 general elections.

&quot;Akhilesh is so scared, he has embraced whoever he came across. Who steps in a sinking boat,&quot; Modi sarcastically remarked referring to SP&#39;s alliance with the Congress for the assembly elections in the state.

Modi also took pot-shots at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, son of SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, blaming him for the split in the party.&nbsp;

&quot;What have you done to your father (Mulayam Singh Yadav), uncle (Shivpal Yadav) and the daughter-in-laws, nephews and brothers in your family, the people know everything,&quot; he said.

(WION with agency inputs) 
&nbsp;

PM Modi attacked the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party at an election rally in Ghaziabad

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party(SP) during an election rally in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad district. The Indian prime minister attacked the Akhilesh Yadav government over the law and order situation in the state and the constant infighting within the ruling party. "Girls are afraid of going to school. Your Samajwadi Party (SP) is harbouring goons and they are responsible for this condition of Uttar Pradesh (UP)," PM Modi said while addressing an election rally in UP's Ghaziabad. Uttar Pradesh will go to the polls on February 11 in the first phase of polls, in a long drawn seven-phase polling schedule set to culminate with results set to be announced on 11th March. Political pundits believe BJP will win a majority of seats in the assembly but the recent Congress-Samajwadi Party coalition may unsettle their plans to come to power. PM Modi said rapes and murders were unaccounted for in the state and the Samajwadi Party was neither "worried, nor did it consider it their responsibility to tackle the situation". "Today, in Uttar Pradesh, after the sun sets a woman cannot step outside confidently on the streets as they are not safe in the state," PM Modi asserted. He also blamed the SP and the Mayawati-led BSP for the lack of development in the state. "Development has gone to 'exile' for the last 14 years in the state, this election is about bringing development back," he said. "After Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power, we will form a special task force against land mafia. Then we will give back land to the poor and middle class people," said Modi. The PM said the politically-crucial state could become the country's "best state" (Uttam Pradesh) if people chose the right government, alluding to his party, the BJP. "Nowadays, I am listening to speeches. They abuse the federal government for five minutes. Can you give me an account of your achievements as well," the prime minister said pointing to the opposition. "If Bharatiya Janata Party assumes power in Uttar Pradesh we will scrutinise the scams in employment sector and will give jobs to unemployed people," he said. Blaming the Samajwadi Party for the lack of development in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said Akhilesh Yadav had "destroyed the state in the last five years". "The Samajwadi Party, which has been in power for last five years, it is their duty to answer the people of Uttar Pradesh about the work they have done," India's prime minister said. "When Akhilesh Yadav became Chief Minister, we thought there would be development in the state since he is young and highly educated, but he destroyed the state in five years," Modi said. "Due to selfish politics, poor are not getting food even twice a day. Even that does not seem to have had any impact on the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government," Modi added. The PM said the objective in the upcoming state assembly election was to bring development in the state. He also said he would give an account of my achievements in the 2019 general elections. "Akhilesh is so scared, he has embraced whoever he came across. Who steps in a sinking boat," Modi sarcastically remarked referring to SP's alliance with the Congress for the assembly elections in the state. Modi also took pot-shots at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, son of SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, blaming him for the split in the party. "What have you done to your father (Mulayam Singh Yadav), uncle (Shivpal Yadav) and the daughter-in-laws, nephews and brothers in your family, the people know everything," he said. (WION with agency inputs)

Development on 'exile' in UP for 14 years: Modi

Thirty-six people were injured, one of them seriously, in a Jallikattu event held at Avanipuram in the district amid high-security today in which more than 900 bulls were used, police said. All the injured were being treated at the medical camp put up near the venue, police said.

More than 700 bull-tamers participated in the events, which were witnessed by thousands of spectators.

The bull-taming sport was formally inaugurated by Revenue Minister R B Udhayakumar and District Collector Veeraraghava Rao. Top officials of the district and police administrations, including Superintendent of Police, were also present at the venue.

Police said all precautionary measures, including mandatory medical tests for bulls and participants as laid down by the state government, were taken before the conduct of the traditional rural sport.

Normally, Jallikattu is held as part of the Pongal festivities in Tamil Nadu. However, it was not held during Pongal this year due to a Supreme Court ban.

Amid continuing protests over Jallikattu ban across the state, the Tamil Nadu Assembly had on January 23 unanimously passed an amendment bill, clearing the path for conducting Jallikattu without any hindrance.

(PTI) 
&nbsp;

All the injured were being treated at the medical camp put up near the venue, police said

Thirty-six people were injured, one of them seriously, in a Jallikattu event held at Avanipuram in the district amid high-security today in which more than 900 bulls were used, police said. All the injured were being treated at the medical camp put up near the venue, police said. More than 700 bull-tamers participated in the events, which were witnessed by thousands of spectators. The bull-taming sport was formally inaugurated by Revenue Minister R B Udhayakumar and District Collector Veeraraghava Rao. Top officials of the district and police administrations, including Superintendent of Police, were also present at the venue. Police said all precautionary measures, including mandatory medical tests for bulls and participants as laid down by the state government, were taken before the conduct of the traditional rural sport. Normally, Jallikattu is held as part of the Pongal festivities in Tamil Nadu. However, it was not held during Pongal this year due to a Supreme Court ban. Amid continuing protests over Jallikattu ban across the state, the Tamil Nadu Assembly had on January 23 unanimously passed an amendment bill, clearing the path for conducting Jallikattu without any hindrance. (PTI)

Tamil Nadu: 36 injured in Jallikattu event at Avanipuram

A brisk 53 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first six hours of voting in the Indian state of Goa on Saturday where the ruling BJP is battling it out with the opposition Congress, AAP and an alliance of MGP, Shiv Sena and GSM for the 40-member House.

&nbsp;Election Commission of India&#39;s data from various polling booth showed that about 53 per cent of 11.10 lakh voters turned up to exercise franchise in the first six hours.

An impressive 83 per cent voting was recorded in the state in 2012 assembly polls, which saw the BJP wresting power from the Congress.

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar, widely seen as the chief ministerial face of the BJP, union minister Shripad Naik and chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar were among the early voters who cast their ballots. Long queues were seen outside almost all the polling stations right from the morning in the state.

Except for minor incidents of EVM failures, which were soon rectified, and cancellation of voting in one booth, polling is progressing peacefully in over 1,642 booths across the state, to decide the fate of 250 contestants in the fray.

The election is being closely fought by major political forces BJP, Congress, AAP and MGP-led alliance, who have mounted a hectic campaign. The polls will decide the&nbsp;future of Goa&#39;s five former chief ministers Churchill Alemao, Pratapsinh Rane, Ravi Naik, Digambar Kamat and Luizinho Faleiro and the incumbent Laxmikant Parsekar.

BJP has put up 36 aspirants, Congress 37 and AAP is contesting on 39 seats, and each of them backing independents in a few seats. BJP, which had a pre-poll alliance in 2012, is going at it alone this time, after the MGP snapped the partnership and forged a front with Goa Suraksha Manch floated by RSS rebel Subhas Velingkar and Shiv Sena.

Sluggish voter turnout in Punjab&nbsp;

Punjab witnessed a sluggish voter turnout of 14 per cent till 11.30 am. Polling began in the state amid heavy security earlier today, with 1,145 candidates contesting across 117 seats. Poll for the first phase will conclude at 5 pm Nearly two crore voters will decide the fate of 1,145 candidates, including 81 women. 22, 615 polling stations have been set up, with over one lakh security personnel deployed for free and fair voting.

Tight security arrangements have also been made for 100 critical polling stations and 5,500 vulnerable pockets of the state.

Voting will today also take place for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, which fell vacant following the resignation of state Congress chief Amarinder Singh.

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&nbsp;

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged voters to turn up in huge numbers and specially asked the youngsters to exercise their voting rights. &quot;Urging people of Punjab and Goa to turn out in record numbers and vote in the Assembly elections. I particularly urge my young friends to vote,&quot; Modi said in a tweet.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Urging people of Punjab &amp; Goa to turnout in record numbers &amp; vote in the Assembly elections. I particularly urge my young friends to vote.
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/827689041592254466">February 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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(PTI and ANI)

The elections to Punjab and Goa are being billed as a major test of BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity post-demonetisation

A brisk 53 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first six hours of voting in the Indian state of Goa on Saturday where the ruling BJP is battling it out with the opposition Congress, AAP and an alliance of MGP, Shiv Sena and GSM for the 40-member House. Election Commission of India's data from various polling booth showed that about 53 per cent of 11.10 lakh voters turned up to exercise franchise in the first six hours. An impressive 83 per cent voting was recorded in the state in 2012 assembly polls, which saw the BJP wresting power from the Congress. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar, widely seen as the chief ministerial face of the BJP, union minister Shripad Naik and chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar were among the early voters who cast their ballots. Long queues were seen outside almost all the polling stations right from the morning in the state. Except for minor incidents of EVM failures, which were soon rectified, and cancellation of voting in one booth, polling is progressing peacefully in over 1,642 booths across the state, to decide the fate of 250 contestants in the fray. The election is being closely fought by major political forces BJP, Congress, AAP and MGP-led alliance, who have mounted a hectic campaign. The polls will decide the future of Goa's five former chief ministers Churchill Alemao, Pratapsinh Rane, Ravi Naik, Digambar Kamat and Luizinho Faleiro and the incumbent Laxmikant Parsekar. BJP has put up 36 aspirants, Congress 37 and AAP is contesting on 39 seats, and each of them backing independents in a few seats. BJP, which had a pre-poll alliance in 2012, is going at it alone this time, after the MGP snapped the partnership and forged a front with Goa Suraksha Manch floated by RSS rebel Subhas Velingkar and Shiv Sena. Sluggish voter turnout in Punjab Punjab witnessed a sluggish voter turnout of 14 per cent till 11.30 am. Polling began in the state amid heavy security earlier today, with 1,145 candidates contesting across 117 seats. Poll for the first phase will conclude at 5 pm Nearly two crore voters will decide the fate of 1,145 candidates, including 81 women. 22, 615 polling stations have been set up, with over one lakh security personnel deployed for free and fair voting. Tight security arrangements have also been made for 100 critical polling stations and 5,500 vulnerable pockets of the state. Voting will today also take place for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, which fell vacant following the resignation of state Congress chief Amarinder Singh. × Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged voters to turn up in huge numbers and specially asked the youngsters to exercise their voting rights. "Urging people of Punjab and Goa to turn out in record numbers and vote in the Assembly elections. I particularly urge my young friends to vote," Modi said in a tweet. Urging people of Punjab & Goa to turnout in record numbers & vote in the Assembly elections. I particularly urge my young friends to vote. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 4, 2017 × (PTI and ANI)

India state elections: Goa outshines with 53 per cent voter turnout, Punjab lags behind

Karnataka BJP president BS Yedurappa on Saturday said veteran politician SM Krishna, who recently resigned from the Congress party, will join the BJP soon.&nbsp;

&quot;SM Krishna has decided to join BJP. We don&#39;t know when for certain, we&#39;ll fix that soon. But he is joining 100 per cent ,&quot; Yeddyurappa told ANI.

Krishna, former chief minister of Karnataka and former foreign minister, quit the Congress last week stating that he was being sidelined in the party because of his age.&nbsp;

&quot;What pained me was how the Congress sidelined a loyal worker and cited my age for sidelining me,&quot; 84-year-old Krishna said.&nbsp;

Congress sources said Krishna was feeling &ldquo;suffocated&rdquo; in the party for a long time.&nbsp;

Krishna has kept a low profile for the past two years. The party did not give him any big responsibility during the 2013 Assembly election.&nbsp;

He has been a part of the Congress for the past 46 years. Krishna led the Congress to victory in Karnataka in 1999 and served as the chief minister till 2004. He first became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1968.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Karnataka BJP president BS Yedurappa told ANI he wasn't certain when Krishna would the party, but added he would be joining BJP 100 per cent

Karnataka BJP president BS Yedurappa on Saturday said veteran politician SM Krishna, who recently resigned from the Congress party, will join the BJP soon. "SM Krishna has decided to join BJP. We don't know when for certain, we'll fix that soon. But he is joining 100 per cent ," Yeddyurappa told ANI. Krishna, former chief minister of Karnataka and former foreign minister, quit the Congress last week stating that he was being sidelined in the party because of his age. "What pained me was how the Congress sidelined a loyal worker and cited my age for sidelining me," 84-year-old Krishna said. Congress sources said Krishna was feeling “suffocated” in the party for a long time. Krishna has kept a low profile for the past two years. The party did not give him any big responsibility during the 2013 Assembly election. He has been a part of the Congress for the past 46 years. Krishna led the Congress to victory in Karnataka in 1999 and served as the chief minister till 2004. He first became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1968. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India: Veteran Congress politician SM Krishna to join BJP soon

The Bharatiya Janata Party&#39;s Central Election Committee meeting is scheduled to take place today, in order to select the candidates for the upcoming Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

Already behind schedule, the BJP is expected to announce the first chunk of names after a UP-centric meeting of party&#39;s Central Election Committee followed by two quick lists on January 17 and 19.

The poll process will formally start with the commencement of nominations for phase-I of the seven-phase elections on January 17.

According to reports, the first list post-CEC meeting is expected to carry as many as 150 names mostly from UP west and Rohilkhand regions going to polls in first and second phases.

The BJP on January 11 released the first list of candidates for Punjab and Goa polls.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda released the BJP&#39;s first list of 17 candidates for Punjab polls and 29 candidates for Goa polls.

(ANI)

The BJP is expected to announce the first chunk of names after a UP-centric meeting of party's Central Election Committee

The Bharatiya Janata Party's Central Election Committee meeting is scheduled to take place today, in order to select the candidates for the upcoming Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. Already behind schedule, the BJP is expected to announce the first chunk of names after a UP-centric meeting of party's Central Election Committee followed by two quick lists on January 17 and 19. The poll process will formally start with the commencement of nominations for phase-I of the seven-phase elections on January 17. According to reports, the first list post-CEC meeting is expected to carry as many as 150 names mostly from UP west and Rohilkhand regions going to polls in first and second phases. The BJP on January 11 released the first list of candidates for Punjab and Goa polls. Union Health Minister JP Nadda released the BJP's first list of 17 candidates for Punjab polls and 29 candidates for Goa polls. (ANI)

India: BJP's CEC meeting today, candidates for UP, Uttrakhand polls expected

Maharashtra&#39;s regional party, the Shiv Sena, which has an alliance with the BJP in Maharashtra, ruled out a tie-up with the party in the upcoming civil polls in the state. The Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray&nbsp;also ruled out future alliance&nbsp;with any party in the future, calling the last 25 years of alliance with political parties a &quot;waste&quot;.

Soon after, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that his party, the BJP, would &quot;take along those who come with us and leave aside those who don&#39;t&quot;.

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Power aint our ultimate goal but a medium of devpt.We&#39;ll take along those who come with us &amp;leave aside who dont.Transformatn is inevitable!
&mdash; Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dev_Fadnavis/status/824634080096555008">January 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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We pledge to walk on the path of transparency! 
???????? ???????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ??????! 
????? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ?????????? ?? ?? ??!
&mdash; Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dev_Fadnavis/status/824643407771430912">January 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&quot;In future, the Shiv Sena will furl its flag in Maharashtra alone, it will not knock on anyone&#39;s doors for a coalition,&quot; the Shiv Sena chief had said earlier. 
&nbsp;

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Shiv Sena iske aage akele Maharashtra mei bhagva lehrayegi,kisi ke darwaaze par gathbandhan ke liye nhi jaaegi: Shiv Sena&#39;s Uddhav Thackeray
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/824623518008561665">January 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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In 50 yrs of Sena, 25 years were wasted because of alliance. We&#39;re not greedy for power: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray
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He also clarified that the current alliance would stay but the parties would face-off in the municipal corporation of Greater Mumbai polls (MCGM).

Uddhav Thackeray also accused the BJP of harbouring &quot;goons&quot; (gundas) in the party and said they didn&#39;t have the capacity to fight with the Shiv Sena&#39;s &quot;foot-soldiers&quot; (sainiks). BJP hit back by saying that talks had failed because the party was firm about keeping the civic body &#39;&#39;corruption-free&quot;.

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They (BJP) have many gundas in their party but we don&#39;t have gundas, we have mawlas (sainik): Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray <a href="https://t.co/AtAMjbGFlN">pic.twitter.com/AtAMjbGFlN</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/824622478668374016">January 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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If someone is sad about our wish to make BMC corruption free,then no compromise from our side. We&#39;ll bring in transparency:Kirit Somaiya,BJP <a href="https://t.co/Oz3b52sfDB">pic.twitter.com/Oz3b52sfDB</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/824624605851639810">January 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&quot;I am ready to go solo, the Shiv Sainiks are ready to go solo. I want strong foot soldiers with me who have the courage to launch a frontal attack and not back-stab. Once I have taken my decision, I do not want anybody to question it,&quot; Udhav Thackeray had said while addressing party workers in Mumbai today. 
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Shiv Sena iske aage akele Maharashtra mei bhagva lehrayegi,kisi ke darwaaze par gathbandhan ke liye nhi jaaegi: Shiv Sena&#39;s Uddhav Thackeray
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/824623518008561665">January 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Talks between the ruling alliance partners for the tie-up for the civic polls in Mumbai and other parts of the state had reached a dead-end in the last few days.

&quot;If you promise to stand by me, I have taken the decision to go solo in Maharashtra. I will not go to anybody&#39;s door with a begging bowl for an alliance and won&#39;t be at anybody&#39;s mercy. I have decided that there will be no alliance for any of the municipal corporation or zilla parishad polls,&quot; Thackeray said. 
 
The decision came a day after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar&#39;s name was announced in the list of Padma awardees. He will be honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, the country&#39;s second-highest civilian award after the Bharat Ratna.&nbsp; 
 
Civilian honour for NCP leader,&nbsp;Sena reads alliance

Shiv Sena sources told NDTV the party read it as an intention of the BJP to form an alliance with the NCP.

&quot;One of the Padma awards was probably &#39;gurudakshina&#39; (a gift for a teacher)... today the nation wants to know what I have to say but what the Shiv Sena has to say (to it),&quot; Thackeray said in his address to party workers today. 
 
The Sena and the BJP&nbsp;fought the assembly elections separately but later joined hands after the BJP fell short of a majority. 
 
Elections to MCGM and other municipal corporations in the state including Nashik, Pune, Kolhapur and Nagpur will be held on February 21.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Talks between the ruling alliance partners for tie-up in the civic polls in Mumbai have reached a dead end

Maharashtra's regional party, the Shiv Sena, which has an alliance with the BJP in Maharashtra, ruled out a tie-up with the party in the upcoming civil polls in the state. The Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray also ruled out future alliance with any party in the future, calling the last 25 years of alliance with political parties a "waste". Soon after, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that his party, the BJP, would "take along those who come with us and leave aside those who don't". Power aint our ultimate goal but a medium of devpt.We'll take along those who come with us &leave aside who dont.Transformatn is inevitable! — Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) January 26, 2017 × We pledge to walk on the path of transparency! ???????? ???????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ??????! ????? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ?????????? ?? ?? ??! — Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) January 26, 2017 × "In future, the Shiv Sena will furl its flag in Maharashtra alone, it will not knock on anyone's doors for a coalition," the Shiv Sena chief had said earlier. Shiv Sena iske aage akele Maharashtra mei bhagva lehrayegi,kisi ke darwaaze par gathbandhan ke liye nhi jaaegi: Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray — ANI (@ANI_news) January 26, 2017 × In 50 yrs of Sena, 25 years were wasted because of alliance. We're not greedy for power: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray — ANI (@ANI_news) January 26, 2017 × He also clarified that the current alliance would stay but the parties would face-off in the municipal corporation of Greater Mumbai polls (MCGM). Uddhav Thackeray also accused the BJP of harbouring "goons" (gundas) in the party and said they didn't have the capacity to fight with the Shiv Sena's "foot-soldiers" (sainiks). BJP hit back by saying that talks had failed because the party was firm about keeping the civic body ''corruption-free". They (BJP) have many gundas in their party but we don't have gundas, we have mawlas (sainik): Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray pic.twitter.com/AtAMjbGFlN — ANI (@ANI_news) January 26, 2017 × If someone is sad about our wish to make BMC corruption free,then no compromise from our side. We'll bring in transparency:Kirit Somaiya,BJP pic.twitter.com/Oz3b52sfDB — ANI (@ANI_news) January 26, 2017 × "I am ready to go solo, the Shiv Sainiks are ready to go solo. I want strong foot soldiers with me who have the courage to launch a frontal attack and not back-stab. Once I have taken my decision, I do not want anybody to question it," Udhav Thackeray had said while addressing party workers in Mumbai today. Shiv Sena iske aage akele Maharashtra mei bhagva lehrayegi,kisi ke darwaaze par gathbandhan ke liye nhi jaaegi: Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray — ANI (@ANI_news) January 26, 2017 × Talks between the ruling alliance partners for the tie-up for the civic polls in Mumbai and other parts of the state had reached a dead-end in the last few days. "If you promise to stand by me, I have taken the decision to go solo in Maharashtra. I will not go to anybody's door with a begging bowl for an alliance and won't be at anybody's mercy. I have decided that there will be no alliance for any of the municipal corporation or zilla parishad polls," Thackeray said. The decision came a day after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar's name was announced in the list of Padma awardees. He will be honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second-highest civilian award after the Bharat Ratna. Civilian honour for NCP leader, Sena reads alliance Shiv Sena sources told NDTV the party read it as an intention of the BJP to form an alliance with the NCP. "One of the Padma awards was probably 'gurudakshina' (a gift for a teacher)... today the nation wants to know what I have to say but what the Shiv Sena has to say (to it)," Thackeray said in his address to party workers today. The Sena and the BJP fought the assembly elections separately but later joined hands after the BJP fell short of a majority. Elections to MCGM and other municipal corporations in the state including Nashik, Pune, Kolhapur and Nagpur will be held on February 21. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India: Shiv Sena says no tie-up with BJP for civic body polls, rules out future alliance

In a bid to corner the Opposition&#39;s Congress ahead of the Budget session, the ruling BJP launched a fresh attack on the party, accusing it of pulling strings to secure loans for liquor baron Vijay Mallya&#39;s now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

The BJP alleged the &quot;corrupt hands&quot; which helped Mallya get bank loans belonged to the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram. The party quoted from purported letters written by Mallya to Manmohan Singh in which he sought his intervention and subsequent to which Kingfisher Airlines received loans.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra asked Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul Gandhi to explain at whose behest the defaulting company got loans.

Reacting to the allegations, former PM Manmohan Singh said that all Prime Ministers and others in the government receive letters from various captains of industry and that what was being talked about was just an ordinary piece of letter &quot;which any government in my position would have dealt with.&quot;

&ldquo;All PMs and other ministers in any govt receive representatives from various captains of industry which is passed on to appropriate authority. What I did was with full satisfaction of mine that we were not doing anything against law of the land. It was a normal routine transaction and therefore the letter that&rsquo;s being talked about is nothing but an ordinary piece of letter. It&rsquo;s an ordinary piece of letter which any Government in my position would have dealt with,&rdquo; he was quoted as saying by ANI.

Earlier in a press conference, the BJP dragged the Congress leadership into the row, alleging that the then principal secretary to the PM, Pulok Chatterjee, would &quot;snatch files&quot; from Manmohan Singh to take it to 10 Janpath, residence of Sonia Gandhi.&nbsp;

&quot;The hands which pulled the strings to ensure that Mallya received loans are visible now. They belonged to Chidambaram and Singh.

&quot;Did the hands of 10 Janpath also pull the strings? Sonia and Rahul Gandhi should come out in public to say at whose behest the loans were sanctioned to Kingfisher Airline,&quot; he said. &quot;It was after one such letter Mallya had written to Singh on November 14, 2011 that the Prime Minister told the media that &#39;we have to find ways to get Kingfisher out of trouble&#39;,&quot; Patra said. In another letter, he sought Singh&#39;s intervention to get funds from banks released immediately, the BJP leader claimed.

In one of the letters, Mallya said he was very &quot;relieved&quot; and &quot;pleased&quot;, apparently referring to developments in the interim, according to Patra. A top official in the Prime Minister&#39;s Office had spoken to ministries concerned following his letter to Singh and Mallya had mentioned it, he said.&nbsp;

Patra cited another letter the absconding liquor baron allegedly wrote to Chidambaram in March 2013, seeking his intervention to get a No Objection Certificate from the State Bank of India -- which headed the consortium of banks which had given unrecovered loans to the airlines, and its subsidiaries -- while his liquor company was in talks with Diageo for a deal.&nbsp;

Asked about Mallya&#39;s defence, Patra said the businessman said they would not listen to a defaulter and he should come back if he wanted to be heard.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aZQpHi_lMhY" width="560"></iframe>

(This report first appeared in DNA)

 
&nbsp;

The BJP alleged that in 2011, former PM Manmohan Singh told the press 'we have to find ways to get Kingfisher out of trouble'.

In a bid to corner the Opposition's Congress ahead of the Budget session, the ruling BJP launched a fresh attack on the party, accusing it of pulling strings to secure loans for liquor baron Vijay Mallya's now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines. The BJP alleged the "corrupt hands" which helped Mallya get bank loans belonged to the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram. The party quoted from purported letters written by Mallya to Manmohan Singh in which he sought his intervention and subsequent to which Kingfisher Airlines received loans. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra asked Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul Gandhi to explain at whose behest the defaulting company got loans. Reacting to the allegations, former PM Manmohan Singh said that all Prime Ministers and others in the government receive letters from various captains of industry and that what was being talked about was just an ordinary piece of letter "which any government in my position would have dealt with." “All PMs and other ministers in any govt receive representatives from various captains of industry which is passed on to appropriate authority. What I did was with full satisfaction of mine that we were not doing anything against law of the land. It was a normal routine transaction and therefore the letter that’s being talked about is nothing but an ordinary piece of letter. It’s an ordinary piece of letter which any Government in my position would have dealt with,” he was quoted as saying by ANI. Earlier in a press conference, the BJP dragged the Congress leadership into the row, alleging that the then principal secretary to the PM, Pulok Chatterjee, would "snatch files" from Manmohan Singh to take it to 10 Janpath, residence of Sonia Gandhi. "The hands which pulled the strings to ensure that Mallya received loans are visible now. They belonged to Chidambaram and Singh. "Did the hands of 10 Janpath also pull the strings? Sonia and Rahul Gandhi should come out in public to say at whose behest the loans were sanctioned to Kingfisher Airline," he said. "It was after one such letter Mallya had written to Singh on November 14, 2011 that the Prime Minister told the media that 'we have to find ways to get Kingfisher out of trouble'," Patra said. In another letter, he sought Singh's intervention to get funds from banks released immediately, the BJP leader claimed. In one of the letters, Mallya said he was very "relieved" and "pleased", apparently referring to developments in the interim, according to Patra. A top official in the Prime Minister's Office had spoken to ministries concerned following his letter to Singh and Mallya had mentioned it, he said. Patra cited another letter the absconding liquor baron allegedly wrote to Chidambaram in March 2013, seeking his intervention to get a No Objection Certificate from the State Bank of India -- which headed the consortium of banks which had given unrecovered loans to the airlines, and its subsidiaries -- while his liquor company was in talks with Diageo for a deal. Asked about Mallya's defence, Patra said the businessman said they would not listen to a defaulter and he should come back if he wanted to be heard. (This report first appeared in DNA)

Routine for govt to receive requests for help: Manmohan Singh on Vijay Mallya 'bailout'

BJP president Amit Shah released the party&#39;s manifesto for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections promising to build the Ram temple at Ayodhya.

&quot;Efforts will be made to ensure that Ram temple is constructed under constitutional provisions,&quot; Amit Shah declared while releasing the BJP manifesto. This means BJP is back to propagating the hindutva agenda even as it tries to push the development card in the elections. The Ram temple is sure to be seized upon by the SP-Congress coalition and also the BSP, possibly at the cost of other major issues.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati (BSP) reacted sharply almost immediately at&nbsp;BJP&#39;s Ram temple promise, declaring&nbsp;&quot;the BJP is trying to mislead the people of Uttar Pradesh&quot;. Political parties across Uttar Pradesh will now try to checkmate the BJP on its Ram temple agenda at a crucial stage in the campaign, ahead of the first phase of voting on 11th February. &nbsp;

The BJP has named the manifesto as &nbsp;&#39;Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra&#39; (pledge for people&#39;s&nbsp;welfare) for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

&quot;BIMARU&#39; (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, UP) states have improved, but not Uttar Pradesh. Centre sanctioned Rs one lakh crore to Uttar Pradesh but no development has occurred, in fact,&nbsp;the law and order is at a new low,&quot; the BJP president added as he released the manifesto.

The document focuses on farmers&#39; welfare, Amit Shah said, adding agricultural loans will be waived once BJP comes to power. &quot;We will provide laptops to all students without any discrimination and provide free WI-Fi to all colleges and universities,&quot; he asserted. The BJP president also said special focus would be given to Bundelkhand for its all round development.

Special Task Force to be set up to put an end to illegal mining in the state, Shah stated.

The BJP in its manifesto has stated that there would no interviews for Class III and IV Uttar Pradesh government jobs to end corruption in recruitment and the party will form teams at district levels to check &quot;exodus&quot; of people due to communal tension.

The party has also promised to set up food processing parks and ensure uninterrupted power at cheaper rates for the poor.

BJP Uttar Pradesh election manifesto highlights:

* Rs 500 crore will be allocated for the Baba Ambedkar 
fund.

*All colleges and universities will have free Wi-Fi.

*Up to 6 lakh loan from permanent houses and toilets. BPL citizens to get 2 lakh life cover.

*24x7 electricity in all houses. PM has said before 2019, all villages will have electricity.

*Villages will be connected with mini-bus services. People will be able to use metro at any time with their families.

*There will be a Bundelkhand and Poorvanchal development board under the directed supervision of the chief minister&#39;s office.

*Redressal system in every district to sort our trader disputes.

*Rs 5,000 for every girl child born in poor families; no age bar for widow pensions which will be Rs 1000.

*The opinion of all women on triple talaq will be taken and placed in front of the Supreme Court. 
&nbsp;

(WION)

&nbsp;

BJP president Amit Shah said his party will form teams at the district level to check 'exodus' of people due to communal tension

BJP president Amit Shah released the party's manifesto for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections promising to build the Ram temple at Ayodhya. "Efforts will be made to ensure that Ram temple is constructed under constitutional provisions," Amit Shah declared while releasing the BJP manifesto. This means BJP is back to propagating the hindutva agenda even as it tries to push the development card in the elections. The Ram temple is sure to be seized upon by the SP-Congress coalition and also the BSP, possibly at the cost of other major issues. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati (BSP) reacted sharply almost immediately at BJP's Ram temple promise, declaring "the BJP is trying to mislead the people of Uttar Pradesh". Political parties across Uttar Pradesh will now try to checkmate the BJP on its Ram temple agenda at a crucial stage in the campaign, ahead of the first phase of voting on 11th February. The BJP has named the manifesto as 'Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra' (pledge for people's welfare) for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. "BIMARU' (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, UP) states have improved, but not Uttar Pradesh. Centre sanctioned Rs one lakh crore to Uttar Pradesh but no development has occurred, in fact, the law and order is at a new low," the BJP president added as he released the manifesto. The document focuses on farmers' welfare, Amit Shah said, adding agricultural loans will be waived once BJP comes to power. "We will provide laptops to all students without any discrimination and provide free WI-Fi to all colleges and universities," he asserted. The BJP president also said special focus would be given to Bundelkhand for its all round development. Special Task Force to be set up to put an end to illegal mining in the state, Shah stated. The BJP in its manifesto has stated that there would no interviews for Class III and IV Uttar Pradesh government jobs to end corruption in recruitment and the party will form teams at district levels to check "exodus" of people due to communal tension. The party has also promised to set up food processing parks and ensure uninterrupted power at cheaper rates for the poor. BJP Uttar Pradesh election manifesto highlights: * Rs 500 crore will be allocated for the Baba Ambedkar fund. *All colleges and universities will have free Wi-Fi. *Up to 6 lakh loan from permanent houses and toilets. BPL citizens to get 2 lakh life cover. *24x7 electricity in all houses. PM has said before 2019, all villages will have electricity. *Villages will be connected with mini-bus services. People will be able to use metro at any time with their families. *There will be a Bundelkhand and Poorvanchal development board under the directed supervision of the chief minister's office. *Redressal system in every district to sort our trader disputes. *Rs 5,000 for every girl child born in poor families; no age bar for widow pensions which will be Rs 1000. *The opinion of all women on triple talaq will be taken and placed in front of the Supreme Court. (WION)

BJP releases Uttar Pradesh election manifesto, promises to build Ram temple at  Ayodhya

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today officially announced Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh as the party&#39;s chief ministerial face in the upcoming polls in the state.

&quot;Punjab will be run by its people. I want to tell you that Punjab&#39;s chief minister will be from Punjab and Punjab&#39;s chief minister is sitting here. Amarinder Singh is Punjab&#39;s chief ministerial candidate and he will be Punjab&#39;s chief minister,&quot; Rahul said while addressing a rally in the pocket-borough of Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia.

&quot;Amarinder Singh has given his blood and sweat for Punjab. He has worked day and night for the development of Punjab. He has always worked for the Punjabi and Sardar community. He is going to be our chief minister,&quot; Rahul said.

He also attacked the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and said the state was under the monopoly of the Badal family. He accused the Badals of accusing them of &quot;plunder, corruption&quot; and &quot;exodus&quot; of the industries to other states.

74-year-old Amarinder, who is fighting his last election, will be the next Chief Minister (CM), if the party forms government in Punjab. Captain Amarinder Singh is all set to fight the assembly elections against the SAD chief and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal from Lambi.

Rahul Gandhi said Punjab will not be run by &quot;remote control&quot;, taking a veiled dig at AAP chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of wanting to become the chief minister of Delhi and Punjab at the same time.

The Congress vice-president has also said that if his party comes to power, the government will bring a law to deal with the drug menace in the state.

&quot;I just want to say a few things, we (Congress) will form such laws and a government against drugs in Punjab, that will make everyone shiver at the first thought of drugs,&quot; he said.

Punjab Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia is seeking re-election for the third time from Majitha constituency. Congress has fielded Sukhjinder Raj Singh against him.

Punjab goes to polls for 117 seats in a single-phase on February 4. Counting will be held on March 1.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also lead the election campaign of the Akali-BJP coalition in Punjab today. He addressed a rally in the city of Jalandhar and was accompanied by CM Parkash Singh Badal. Badal slammed the Congress for its &quot;divide and rule&quot; strategy for the upcoming elections. Modi praised the Badals for their governance and said the people of Punjab wanted them back in power.

The BJP&#39;s Punjab manifesto focuses on implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), physical infrastructure, poverty elimination, education, and health care.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

The Congress vice-president, PM Modi and chief minister Parkash Singh Badal addressed election rallies in the state today

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today officially announced Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh as the party's chief ministerial face in the upcoming polls in the state. "Punjab will be run by its people. I want to tell you that Punjab's chief minister will be from Punjab and Punjab's chief minister is sitting here. Amarinder Singh is Punjab's chief ministerial candidate and he will be Punjab's chief minister," Rahul said while addressing a rally in the pocket-borough of Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia. "Amarinder Singh has given his blood and sweat for Punjab. He has worked day and night for the development of Punjab. He has always worked for the Punjabi and Sardar community. He is going to be our chief minister," Rahul said. He also attacked the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and said the state was under the monopoly of the Badal family. He accused the Badals of accusing them of "plunder, corruption" and "exodus" of the industries to other states. 74-year-old Amarinder, who is fighting his last election, will be the next Chief Minister (CM), if the party forms government in Punjab. Captain Amarinder Singh is all set to fight the assembly elections against the SAD chief and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal from Lambi. Rahul Gandhi said Punjab will not be run by "remote control", taking a veiled dig at AAP chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of wanting to become the chief minister of Delhi and Punjab at the same time. The Congress vice-president has also said that if his party comes to power, the government will bring a law to deal with the drug menace in the state. "I just want to say a few things, we (Congress) will form such laws and a government against drugs in Punjab, that will make everyone shiver at the first thought of drugs," he said. Punjab Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia is seeking re-election for the third time from Majitha constituency. Congress has fielded Sukhjinder Raj Singh against him. Punjab goes to polls for 117 seats in a single-phase on February 4. Counting will be held on March 1. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also lead the election campaign of the Akali-BJP coalition in Punjab today. He addressed a rally in the city of Jalandhar and was accompanied by CM Parkash Singh Badal. Badal slammed the Congress for its "divide and rule" strategy for the upcoming elections. Modi praised the Badals for their governance and said the people of Punjab wanted them back in power. The BJP's Punjab manifesto focuses on implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), physical infrastructure, poverty elimination, education, and health care. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Rahul Gandhi names Amarinder Singh as chief ministerial candidate for Punjab polls

Regional elections in India&#39;s northern state of Punjab got mired in political slugfest as&nbsp;contending parties took an opportunity to take a shot at the other.

While India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose party the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is supporting the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), attacked the Congress for their &quot;political opportunism&quot;, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a similar swipe at the ruling party in Punjab saying that they had drained resources from the state.

Addressing a rally in Jalandhar city in Punjab, Modi, alluding to the Congress&#39; decision to tie a prepoll alliance with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh state, said the Gandhi-led part was like &quot;water and changes its shape to suit its political needs&quot;.

The prime minister also attacked the Congress for blaming the ruling coalition of tarnishing the image of Punjab, especially the drug menace that has convulsed the state.

He said the Congress was only hellbent on tarnishing the image of the youth.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also raised the political temperature in the state. He accused them of draining the resources, not helping the farmers and turning a blind eye to the drug menace in the state.

&ldquo;Four years back, I said that 70 per cent youth are affected by drugs. Badals made fun of me. Now whole Punjab is saying what I had said,&rdquo; Rahul claimed, according to The Indian Express.

The Congress also named Captain Amrinder Singh as their chief ministerial candidate.

Punjab, which is in a three-way tussle between the BJP-SAD coalition, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party,&nbsp;will go to polls on February 4.

(WION)

&nbsp;

Indian PM Modi accused the Congress of political opportunism, while the Congress accused them of draining Punjab's resources

Regional elections in India's northern state of Punjab got mired in political slugfest as contending parties took an opportunity to take a shot at the other. While India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose party the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is supporting the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), attacked the Congress for their "political opportunism", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a similar swipe at the ruling party in Punjab saying that they had drained resources from the state. Addressing a rally in Jalandhar city in Punjab, Modi, alluding to the Congress' decision to tie a prepoll alliance with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh state, said the Gandhi-led part was like "water and changes its shape to suit its political needs". The prime minister also attacked the Congress for blaming the ruling coalition of tarnishing the image of Punjab, especially the drug menace that has convulsed the state. He said the Congress was only hellbent on tarnishing the image of the youth. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also raised the political temperature in the state. He accused them of draining the resources, not helping the farmers and turning a blind eye to the drug menace in the state. “Four years back, I said that 70 per cent youth are affected by drugs. Badals made fun of me. Now whole Punjab is saying what I had said,” Rahul claimed, according to The Indian Express. The Congress also named Captain Amrinder Singh as their chief ministerial candidate. Punjab, which is in a three-way tussle between the BJP-SAD coalition, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, will go to polls on February 4. (WION)

Punjab elections: Political heat rises as contending parties train guns at each other

Controversial BJP Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Katiyar fired a shot at India&#39;s Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who is a star campaigner in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections.The firebrand BJP MP made a derogatory remark against Priyanka Gandhi Vadra &nbsp;saying &quot;she is not the most beautiful star campaigner&quot;.

When asked about Priyanka being named as a star campaigner by Congress for Uttar Pradesh polls, Katiyar said, &quot;It doesn`t matter if she is going to be a star campaigner for the Congress in the upcoming assembly elections. There are number of star campaigners who are more beautiful than her,&quot; Katiyar told ANI news agency.&nbsp;

The remark created a political storm with Congress quickly reacting to the comments, terming it as &quot;petty and insulting culture of BJP that commodifies women&quot;.

Scoffing at Vinay Katiyar for his sexist remarks against her, Priyanka Gandhi reacted immediately, saying it &quot;exposes the BJP&#39;s mindset towards the better half of the country&#39;s population&quot;.&nbsp;

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Response from Ms.Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as given to <a href="https://twitter.com/Tavysingh">@Tavysingh</a> in response to Mr.Katiyar&#39;s statement <a href="https://t.co/tYLtZpPglv">pic.twitter.com/tYLtZpPglv</a>
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Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said BJP has &quot;insulted&quot; India&#39;s womanhood and such conduct, behaviour and words prove BJP&#39;s mentality.&nbsp;

(WION)

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Katiyar personal remark against Priyanka Gandhi Vadra created a political storm ?

Controversial BJP Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Katiyar fired a shot at India's Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who is a star campaigner in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections.The firebrand BJP MP made a derogatory remark against Priyanka Gandhi Vadra saying "she is not the most beautiful star campaigner". When asked about Priyanka being named as a star campaigner by Congress for Uttar Pradesh polls, Katiyar said, "It doesn`t matter if she is going to be a star campaigner for the Congress in the upcoming assembly elections. There are number of star campaigners who are more beautiful than her," Katiyar told ANI news agency. The remark created a political storm with Congress quickly reacting to the comments, terming it as "petty and insulting culture of BJP that commodifies women". Scoffing at Vinay Katiyar for his sexist remarks against her, Priyanka Gandhi reacted immediately, saying it "exposes the BJP's mindset towards the better half of the country's population". Response from Ms.Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as given to @Tavysingh in response to Mr.Katiyar's statement pic.twitter.com/tYLtZpPglv — Preeti Sahai (@sahai_preeti) January 25, 2017 × Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said BJP has "insulted" India's womanhood and such conduct, behaviour and words prove BJP's mentality. (WION)

Katiyar's remark exposes 'BJP's mindset', says Priyanka

Amid sexist remarks made by the Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP? Vinay Katiyar on Wednesday stroked a controversy by saying that there are more beautiful campaigners that Priyanka Gandhi.

&quot;How does it affect. There are more beautiful girls and women who are star campaigner. There are some actress, artists,&quot; Katiyar said.

Katiyar, who is also the founder-president of Bajrang Dal made remarks when he was asked about the election campaign.

A day ago, BJP&#39;s Uttar Pradesh chief Keshav Prasad Maurya raked up the contentious issue of Ram Temple before the first phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on February 11, saying a &quot;grand&quot; temple will be built in Ayodhya if BJP secures an outright majority.

&quot;Ram Mandir is a subject of faith. It is not going to be built in two months. The temple will be constructed after the elections. BJP will come to power with a full majority,&quot; he told reporters here.

Whereas Sharad Yadav stirred a controversy saying, &quot;Honour of vote is bigger and more important than honour of daughter. If daughter&#39;s honour is compromised, it only affects the village or community but if the vote&#39;s honour is compromised, it impacts the entire nation,&quot; Yadav said.

Meanwhile, The National Commission for Women (NCW) has issued a notice to the Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav for his derogatory remark on women.

(This report first appeared on DNA)

'How does it affect. There are more beautiful girls and women who are star campaigner. There are some actress, artists,' Katiyar said

Amid sexist remarks made by the Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP? Vinay Katiyar on Wednesday stroked a controversy by saying that there are more beautiful campaigners that Priyanka Gandhi. "How does it affect. There are more beautiful girls and women who are star campaigner. There are some actress, artists," Katiyar said. Katiyar, who is also the founder-president of Bajrang Dal made remarks when he was asked about the election campaign. A day ago, BJP's Uttar Pradesh chief Keshav Prasad Maurya raked up the contentious issue of Ram Temple before the first phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on February 11, saying a "grand" temple will be built in Ayodhya if BJP secures an outright majority. "Ram Mandir is a subject of faith. It is not going to be built in two months. The temple will be constructed after the elections. BJP will come to power with a full majority," he told reporters here. Whereas Sharad Yadav stirred a controversy saying, "Honour of vote is bigger and more important than honour of daughter. If daughter's honour is compromised, it only affects the village or community but if the vote's honour is compromised, it impacts the entire nation," Yadav said. Meanwhile, The National Commission for Women (NCW) has issued a notice to the Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav for his derogatory remark on women. (This report first appeared on DNA)

There are pretty campaigners than Priyanka Gandhi, says BJP leader Vinay Katiyar

Former chief minister of the northern Indian states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh and a senior Congress leader, Narayan Dutt Tiwari along with his son Rohit Shekhar joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today.

According to reports, Tiwari wants a BJP ticket for his son from Kumaon region of Uttarakhand and therefore is all set to change his loyalty.

The 91-year-old leader was thrice the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh (1976-77, 1984-85, 1988-89) and once the chief minister of Uttarakhand (2002-2007).

In 1986-1987, he served in former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi&#39;s cabinet as minister for external affairs.

&nbsp;

(ANI)

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Tiwari, 91, wants a BJP ticket for his son from the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand and therefore is reportedly changing his loyalty

Former chief minister of the northern Indian states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh and a senior Congress leader, Narayan Dutt Tiwari along with his son Rohit Shekhar joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today. According to reports, Tiwari wants a BJP ticket for his son from Kumaon region of Uttarakhand and therefore is all set to change his loyalty. The 91-year-old leader was thrice the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh (1976-77, 1984-85, 1988-89) and once the chief minister of Uttarakhand (2002-2007). In 1986-1987, he served in former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's cabinet as minister for external affairs. (ANI)

India: Senior Congress politician ND Tiwari, son join BJP

Launching a scathing attack on the Congress over its remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s photo on Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC) calendar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday accused the former of suffering from &quot;Modi-phobia&quot;, adding that it hates Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

&quot;Congress and other parties are bankrupt in terms of issues... Congress is suffering from Modi-phobia. They hate the Prime Minister,&quot; BJP leader Shrikant Sharma told ANI.

Drawing a parallel between the ruling party and the former ruling regime, Sharma said Prime Minister Modi has always promoted Khadi and Mahatma Gandhi&#39;s views, whereas, the Congress had only insulted the Father of the Nation and used him to loot the country.

&quot;Prime Minister Modi has always promoted Khadi, and it is his efforts only that the sale of Khadi has increased so much...Nobody can replace Gandhiji, he is our icon. We are only pursuing Gandhiji&#39;s ideas. He wanted upliftment of the poor and that is what we are working towards. Congress used Gandhiji only to loot the nation. It is Congress which has insulted Gandhiji. We are only giving him respect,&quot; said Sharma.

Toeing the same sentiments, another BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain also alleged the Congress of using Mahatma Gandhi for political benefit. &quot;Earlier when other faces also appeared on the calendar then Congress didn&#39;t have a problem with it. Now, this is issue being raised for political benefit. But, people understand everything. Some people used Gandhi ji for their party benefit, but Prime Minister is using Gandhi ji&#39;s views for the betterment of the country,&quot; Hussain told ANI.

In a big development, Mahatma Gandhi&#39;s picture weaving khadi on a simple charkha, wearing his trademark cloth has been replaced by Prime Minister Modi&#39;s picture in the same classic pose as that of the former in the KVIC diary and calendar. However, it took a new turn on Friday as sources said the calendar never featured the picture of Father of the Nation.

Sources added there was no question of replacing Mahatma Gandhi&#39;s picture with that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. &quot;There was no picture of Mahatma Gandhi on KVIC diary or calendar in the year 1996, 2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, so there is no question of replacing his picture with that of Modi,&quot; said sources.

(ANI)

The party says Prime Minister Modi has always promoted khadi, and Gandhi's views

Launching a scathing attack on the Congress over its remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photo on Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC) calendar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday accused the former of suffering from "Modi-phobia", adding that it hates Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Congress and other parties are bankrupt in terms of issues... Congress is suffering from Modi-phobia. They hate the Prime Minister," BJP leader Shrikant Sharma told ANI. Drawing a parallel between the ruling party and the former ruling regime, Sharma said Prime Minister Modi has always promoted Khadi and Mahatma Gandhi's views, whereas, the Congress had only insulted the Father of the Nation and used him to loot the country. "Prime Minister Modi has always promoted Khadi, and it is his efforts only that the sale of Khadi has increased so much...Nobody can replace Gandhiji, he is our icon. We are only pursuing Gandhiji's ideas. He wanted upliftment of the poor and that is what we are working towards. Congress used Gandhiji only to loot the nation. It is Congress which has insulted Gandhiji. We are only giving him respect," said Sharma. Toeing the same sentiments, another BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain also alleged the Congress of using Mahatma Gandhi for political benefit. "Earlier when other faces also appeared on the calendar then Congress didn't have a problem with it. Now, this is issue being raised for political benefit. But, people understand everything. Some people used Gandhi ji for their party benefit, but Prime Minister is using Gandhi ji's views for the betterment of the country," Hussain told ANI. In a big development, Mahatma Gandhi's picture weaving khadi on a simple charkha, wearing his trademark cloth has been replaced by Prime Minister Modi's picture in the same classic pose as that of the former in the KVIC diary and calendar. However, it took a new turn on Friday as sources said the calendar never featured the picture of Father of the Nation. Sources added there was no question of replacing Mahatma Gandhi's picture with that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "There was no picture of Mahatma Gandhi on KVIC diary or calendar in the year 1996, 2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, so there is no question of replacing his picture with that of Modi," said sources. (ANI)

Modi vs Khadi: Congress suffering from 'Modi-phobia', says BJP

Former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh&#39;s daughter Gurkanwal Kaur joined the BJP Saturday ahead of the crucial regional elections in India&#39;s northern Punjab state.

Kaur was a former minister of state for social welfare as well as parliamentary secretary in the Amarinder Singh government from 2002 to 2007.

Kaur said she left Congress because they failed to recognise her work.&nbsp;

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Have worked in Congress, but they never recognised my work &amp; instead ignored me: Gurkanwal Kaur,daughter of Beant Singh <a href="https://t.co/UhvkQ1vz0p">pic.twitter.com/UhvkQ1vz0p</a>
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She said she was &quot;impressed with the policies of the Narendra Modi-led federal BJP government&quot;. 
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Impressed with the policies of Narendra Modi ji, really happy and thankful at this juncture: Gurkanwal Kaur on joining BJP <a href="https://t.co/3z9mGCaPb9">pic.twitter.com/3z9mGCaPb9</a>
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Meanwhile, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Sidhu defected from the BJP last September and is rumoured to join the Congress soon.

&quot;Sidhu will join Congress in a day or two. He has a big responsibility as he will canvass for the party across the state as a star campaigner,&quot; Sidhu&#39;s wife Navjot Kaur said on Friday.

Meanwhile, former Indian Army chief General Joginder Jaswant Singh also joined the BJP recently and is campaigning for the party in the state.

Punjab is set for a three-way fight between SAD-BJP combine, the Congress and new entrants AAP. The state goes to polls on February 4. 
 
(WION) 
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Gurkanwal Kaur was a former minister of state between 2002 and 2007

Former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh's daughter Gurkanwal Kaur joined the BJP Saturday ahead of the crucial regional elections in India's northern Punjab state. Kaur was a former minister of state for social welfare as well as parliamentary secretary in the Amarinder Singh government from 2002 to 2007. Kaur said she left Congress because they failed to recognise her work. Have worked in Congress, but they never recognised my work & instead ignored me: Gurkanwal Kaur,daughter of Beant Singh pic.twitter.com/UhvkQ1vz0p — ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017 × She said she was "impressed with the policies of the Narendra Modi-led federal BJP government". Impressed with the policies of Narendra Modi ji, really happy and thankful at this juncture: Gurkanwal Kaur on joining BJP pic.twitter.com/3z9mGCaPb9 — ANI (@ANI_news) January 14, 2017 × Meanwhile, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Sidhu defected from the BJP last September and is rumoured to join the Congress soon. "Sidhu will join Congress in a day or two. He has a big responsibility as he will canvass for the party across the state as a star campaigner," Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur said on Friday. Meanwhile, former Indian Army chief General Joginder Jaswant Singh also joined the BJP recently and is campaigning for the party in the state. Punjab is set for a three-way fight between SAD-BJP combine, the Congress and new entrants AAP. The state goes to polls on February 4. (WION)

Ex-Punjab chief minister Beant Singh's daughter defects to BJP ahead of polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)&nbsp;asked the Samajwadi Party to resolve the ongoing &#39;political drama&#39;&nbsp;and focus on law and order, corruption and&nbsp;lack of administration in the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.

BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak told ANI the tussle in the Samajwadi Party clearly indicates that the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh is in total confusion at the moment.

&quot;It is purely a political drama. This is a sign that the party (SP) is in total disarray and they talk about giving a fight to the BJP. There was lot of corruption and now the Samajwadi Party family is seen fighting for power,&quot; he said. &quot;The people are upset with the party (SP). I hope there will be a change in UP,&quot; he added.

The Election Commission will later today hold its first hearing on the dispute in the Samajwadi Party. The poll panel announced the date of hearing on Tuesday, a day after both factions - led by party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav - submitted their rebuttal to each other`s claims over control of the party.

Earlier&nbsp;on Monday, Mulayam met Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi and Election Commissioners OP Rawat and AK Joti during which he has reportedly reiterated that Ram Gopal Yadav stands expelled from the party and he continues to remain the Samajwadi Party president.

Mulayam, however, later extended an olive branch to his son and said that Akhilesh would become the Chief Minister after the elections.

Earlier, Ram Gopal submitted a dossier containing signed affidavits of support for the Akhilesh faction from party delegates, MPs, MLAs and MLCs. The Akhilesh camp urged the poll body to decide on the matter at the earliest.

(ANI)

'The people are upset with the party (SP). I hope there will be a change in UP,' said BJP general secretary, Vijay Bahadur Pathak

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asked the Samajwadi Party to resolve the ongoing 'political drama' and focus on law and order, corruption and lack of administration in the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh. BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak told ANI the tussle in the Samajwadi Party clearly indicates that the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh is in total confusion at the moment. "It is purely a political drama. This is a sign that the party (SP) is in total disarray and they talk about giving a fight to the BJP. There was lot of corruption and now the Samajwadi Party family is seen fighting for power," he said. "The people are upset with the party (SP). I hope there will be a change in UP," he added. The Election Commission will later today hold its first hearing on the dispute in the Samajwadi Party. The poll panel announced the date of hearing on Tuesday, a day after both factions - led by party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav - submitted their rebuttal to each other`s claims over control of the party. Earlier on Monday, Mulayam met Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi and Election Commissioners OP Rawat and AK Joti during which he has reportedly reiterated that Ram Gopal Yadav stands expelled from the party and he continues to remain the Samajwadi Party president. Mulayam, however, later extended an olive branch to his son and said that Akhilesh would become the Chief Minister after the elections. Earlier, Ram Gopal submitted a dossier containing signed affidavits of support for the Akhilesh faction from party delegates, MPs, MLAs and MLCs. The Akhilesh camp urged the poll body to decide on the matter at the earliest. (ANI)

India: BJP mocks 'political drama' in Samajwadi Party

Continuing the fight against demonetisation the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday asserted that the currency swap has adversely affected the nation, asserting that the ruling party has been carrying out a &#39;political vendetta&#39; against all parties opposing demonetisation.

Taking their agitation against banning of high denomination notes forward, TMC leader Derek O` Brien said that 45 MP&#39;s of West Bengal along with &nbsp;chief minister Mamata Banerjee will meet President Pranab Mukherjee later today to discuss the ill effect of demonetisation on the nation.

&quot;The Trinamool Congress has been holding protests across the country, in fact in nine states, today is the third day in Delhi. The state of the nation is not good. Our 45 MP&#39;s will go and talk to the President today and we are very thankful for him to give us time at 2 pm today. We will also give him a memorandum&quot; said Brien.

The TMC MP also slammed the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) for launching a&nbsp;political vendetta against their movement opposing demonetisation and said, &quot;The political vendetta launched by BJP on our party or any other opposing its demonetisation move is not right.&quot;

The TMC earlier this week launched countrywide protest demanding the&nbsp;removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to &quot;save the country&quot;.

Terming as &quot;flop show&quot; Prime Minister Modi&#39;s 8 November decision of spiking Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes, Trinamool supremo and West Bengal chief minister Banerjee said the party will hold demonstrations in Odisha, Punjab, Bihar, Manipur, Tripura,&nbsp; 
Assam and Jharkhand, besides West Bengal and the national capital.&nbsp;

(ANI)&nbsp;

TMC leader Derek O` Brien said that they will meet the President today to discuss the ill effect of demonetisation on the nation

Continuing the fight against demonetisation the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday asserted that the currency swap has adversely affected the nation, asserting that the ruling party has been carrying out a 'political vendetta' against all parties opposing demonetisation. Taking their agitation against banning of high denomination notes forward, TMC leader Derek O` Brien said that 45 MP's of West Bengal along with chief minister Mamata Banerjee will meet President Pranab Mukherjee later today to discuss the ill effect of demonetisation on the nation. "The Trinamool Congress has been holding protests across the country, in fact in nine states, today is the third day in Delhi. The state of the nation is not good. Our 45 MP's will go and talk to the President today and we are very thankful for him to give us time at 2 pm today. We will also give him a memorandum" said Brien. The TMC MP also slammed the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) for launching a political vendetta against their movement opposing demonetisation and said, "The political vendetta launched by BJP on our party or any other opposing its demonetisation move is not right." The TMC earlier this week launched countrywide protest demanding the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "save the country". Terming as "flop show" Prime Minister Modi's 8 November decision of spiking Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes, Trinamool supremo and West Bengal chief minister Banerjee said the party will hold demonstrations in Odisha, Punjab, Bihar, Manipur, Tripura, Assam and Jharkhand, besides West Bengal and the national capital. (ANI)

Demonetisation: TMC targets BJP for 'political vendetta' on opposing parties

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s office has decided to make public the decisions taken by the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) set up by the first UPA government in 2004 to advise then PM Manmohan Singh, Indian daily <a href="http://www.deccanherald.com/content/590434/centre-make-nac-files-public.html">Deccan Herrald</a> reported.

Around 700 files containing details of the NAC meetings will &quot;establish&quot; that it was Congress president Sonia Gandhi who was running the UPA government and not former prime minister Manmohan Singh, highly placed sources told Deccan Herrald.

The files will contain the minutes of the NAC meetings, details of foreign and domestic tours undertaken by its members, and other sensitive government matters handled by the council and will be made public shortly, the sources said.

The Deccan Herrald report says that one of the files accessed by Sonia Gandhi was on the drafting of a real estate regulation bill in 2011.

The files show that union minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Kumari Shelja, wrote to &ldquo;Madam&rdquo;&mdash; as Sonia Gandhi is popularly called &mdash; &nbsp;on November 16, 2011, &ldquo;informing&rdquo; and seeking her &ldquo;guidance&rdquo; on the &ldquo;Real Estate (Regulation &amp; Development) Bill 2011.&rdquo; At that time, the bill had been circulated among the chief ministers and Central ministers for their feedback, Shelja&rsquo;s communication revealed.

The files establish that suggestions on the draft legislation were made by private real estate developers associations and a leading real estate developer. They also contain a note dated December 2, 2011, from Rita Sharma, who was secretary to the advisory body, giving the salient features of the bill and marked to the Congress president.

The NAC, set up by PM Manmohan Singh in 2004, was criticised by the BJP as an &ldquo;extra-Constitutional authority&rdquo; designed to equip Sonia with remote control to run the UPA government.&nbsp;

Modi, a critic of the NAC, had accused it of drafting a &ldquo;perverse&rdquo; and &ldquo;ill-conceived&rdquo; bill to tackle communal violence while he was chief minister of Gujarat.The bill was seen by the BJP as a tool to target the BJP government in the state.

The NAC was dissolved after the NDA government came to power in 2014.

The Congress defended it as being an advisory body set up to implement the UPA coalition&#39;s Common Minimum Programme. The party argued that its existence marked signs of a healthy democracy, facilitating greater pre-policy deliberations.

Around 700 files will 'establish' that it was the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council which was running the UPA government

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office has decided to make public the decisions taken by the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) set up by the first UPA government in 2004 to advise then PM Manmohan Singh, Indian daily Deccan Herrald reported. Around 700 files containing details of the NAC meetings will "establish" that it was Congress president Sonia Gandhi who was running the UPA government and not former prime minister Manmohan Singh, highly placed sources told Deccan Herrald. The files will contain the minutes of the NAC meetings, details of foreign and domestic tours undertaken by its members, and other sensitive government matters handled by the council and will be made public shortly, the sources said. The Deccan Herrald report says that one of the files accessed by Sonia Gandhi was on the drafting of a real estate regulation bill in 2011. The files show that union minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Kumari Shelja, wrote to “Madam”— as Sonia Gandhi is popularly called — on November 16, 2011, “informing” and seeking her “guidance” on the “Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Bill 2011.” At that time, the bill had been circulated among the chief ministers and Central ministers for their feedback, Shelja’s communication revealed. The files establish that suggestions on the draft legislation were made by private real estate developers associations and a leading real estate developer. They also contain a note dated December 2, 2011, from Rita Sharma, who was secretary to the advisory body, giving the salient features of the bill and marked to the Congress president. The NAC, set up by PM Manmohan Singh in 2004, was criticised by the BJP as an “extra-Constitutional authority” designed to equip Sonia with remote control to run the UPA government. Modi, a critic of the NAC, had accused it of drafting a “perverse” and “ill-conceived” bill to tackle communal violence while he was chief minister of Gujarat.The bill was seen by the BJP as a tool to target the BJP government in the state. The NAC was dissolved after the NDA government came to power in 2014. The Congress defended it as being an advisory body set up to implement the UPA coalition's Common Minimum Programme. The party argued that its existence marked signs of a healthy democracy, facilitating greater pre-policy deliberations.

PM Modi to make files public that show Sonia Gandhi-led advisory body ran UPA govt: Report

Having a face in the assembly elections in India is a basic necessity. Without this&nbsp;it becomes difficult for any political party to fight elections properly.

The BJP is repeating the mistake they made in Bihar&nbsp;by not projecting a chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh. Barring elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand post 2014, where candidate projection was not done, all other state elections were a referendum on the working ability of a face backed by fine ticket distribution and solid social base. Even the three states mentioned above saw massive caste consolidation because of long anti-incumbency, which allowed BJP to canvass without an overarching face.

In Maharashtra it became a case of Maratha versus&nbsp;non Maratha, in Haryana it was a case of Jat versus&nbsp;non Jat, and in Jharkhand tribal versus&nbsp;non tribal was the ruling sentiment allowing Punjabi-Khatri, ML Khattar to become chief minister in Haryana, Fadnavis, a Brahmin and Raghubar Das a non-tribal to becomes chief minister of Maharashtra and Jharkhand respectively. In Delhi, BJP did give a face but outsourced it from the opponent hence losing the upper hand against Arvind Kejriwal of AAP who looked far more credible.

Coming back to Uttar Pradesh, BJP has decided not to project a particular face despite RSS wanting one. The reason is simple. BJP after Kalyan Singh has not been able to produce a big OBC leader who could carry along upper caste with traditional BJP voters.

Despite the fact that Samajwadi Party is going through an existential crisis where father and son are fighting each other to control the party, Akhilesh Yadav has emerged as a popular face. BJP has faces in UP, but none enough to be projected as prospective candidate. BJP doesn&rsquo;t trust Varun Gandhi, and Home Minister Rajnath Singh has not been sent keeping in mind the OBC clout in the north Indian politics.

Despite remaining committed to soft Hindutva by sporting issues like exodus of majority community from villages and beef controversy, BJP neither has a pan UP face nor a substantive issue around which to&nbsp;consolidate&nbsp;different social segments. Same is the case with the Congress, which is a junior player in Uttar Pradesh.

This leaves Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav in the fray who can associate governance with a face. Mayawati despite being a mascot of fine law and order, has remained aloof from UP politics, hence not been able to generate the&nbsp;verve&nbsp;necessary before&nbsp;elections. But she cannot be ruled out. Her campaign style remains different from that of BJP, Congress and SP. Her silent campaign was a surprise for many naysayers, even in 2007.

Akhilesh Yadav on the other hand got rid of his anti-incumbency by&nbsp;taking a stand&nbsp;on the issues of governance and induction of tainted leaders against his father and uncle&rsquo;s wish. &nbsp;

Even the bitter critics of Samajwadi Party would concede that Akhilesh today is being perceived as a leader rather than a mere inheritor. Even Indira Gandhi could only establish her leadership in the party after asserting herself electorally and organisationally.

Many argue that BJP could repeat 2014 by harnessing a majority vote to make the Muslim vote irrelevant in the elections. There lies the difference. It was a mandate for the challenger Narendra Modi who had captured people&rsquo;s imagination as a righteous leader. UP voted for a person who would rule India, hence caste lines broke under the euphoria. The assembly election in Uttar Pradesh will be constrained by caste equations and alliances if possible in the remaining time.

Even during Ram Temple agitation, Kalyan Singh, a Lodh remained an important face of BJP in the state. So for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and AAP in Punjab to campaign without a face is a high gamble. All elections in India at regional levels are being fought on faces. Whether it was Jaya or presently, Nitish, Mamta, Karunanidhi, Chandra Shekhar Rao, Shivraj Chauhan or Raman Singh, faces provide a connect with the masses.

The face as a marker of policy has evolved further because instead of ideology the face becomes the&nbsp;brand dominating the whole political discourse. This is one hard reality BJP will not be able to escape in Uttar Pradesh. People would like to know as to who will stay with them.&nbsp;This is the reason why Uttar Pradesh will see a direct fight between high profile Akhilesh Yadav, with or without a cycle against a low profile campaign of Mayawati.

People will vote the face they can trust, and Uttar Pradesh will decide that face very soon.

(WION)

A face becomes more than a marker of a politician's policy, it becomes the?brand dominating the whole political discourse

Having a face in the assembly elections in India is a basic necessity. Without this it becomes difficult for any political party to fight elections properly. The BJP is repeating the mistake they made in Bihar by not projecting a chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh. Barring elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand post 2014, where candidate projection was not done, all other state elections were a referendum on the working ability of a face backed by fine ticket distribution and solid social base. Even the three states mentioned above saw massive caste consolidation because of long anti-incumbency, which allowed BJP to canvass without an overarching face. In Maharashtra it became a case of Maratha versus non Maratha, in Haryana it was a case of Jat versus non Jat, and in Jharkhand tribal versus non tribal was the ruling sentiment allowing Punjabi-Khatri, ML Khattar to become chief minister in Haryana, Fadnavis, a Brahmin and Raghubar Das a non-tribal to becomes chief minister of Maharashtra and Jharkhand respectively. In Delhi, BJP did give a face but outsourced it from the opponent hence losing the upper hand against Arvind Kejriwal of AAP who looked far more credible. Coming back to Uttar Pradesh, BJP has decided not to project a particular face despite RSS wanting one. The reason is simple. BJP after Kalyan Singh has not been able to produce a big OBC leader who could carry along upper caste with traditional BJP voters. Despite the fact that Samajwadi Party is going through an existential crisis where father and son are fighting each other to control the party, Akhilesh Yadav has emerged as a popular face. BJP has faces in UP, but none enough to be projected as prospective candidate. BJP doesn’t trust Varun Gandhi, and Home Minister Rajnath Singh has not been sent keeping in mind the OBC clout in the north Indian politics. Despite remaining committed to soft Hindutva by sporting issues like exodus of majority community from villages and beef controversy, BJP neither has a pan UP face nor a substantive issue around which to consolidate different social segments. Same is the case with the Congress, which is a junior player in Uttar Pradesh. This leaves Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav in the fray who can associate governance with a face. Mayawati despite being a mascot of fine law and order, has remained aloof from UP politics, hence not been able to generate the verve necessary before elections. But she cannot be ruled out. Her campaign style remains different from that of BJP, Congress and SP. Her silent campaign was a surprise for many naysayers, even in 2007. Akhilesh Yadav on the other hand got rid of his anti-incumbency by taking a stand on the issues of governance and induction of tainted leaders against his father and uncle’s wish. Even the bitter critics of Samajwadi Party would concede that Akhilesh today is being perceived as a leader rather than a mere inheritor. Even Indira Gandhi could only establish her leadership in the party after asserting herself electorally and organisationally. Many argue that BJP could repeat 2014 by harnessing a majority vote to make the Muslim vote irrelevant in the elections. There lies the difference. It was a mandate for the challenger Narendra Modi who had captured people’s imagination as a righteous leader. UP voted for a person who would rule India, hence caste lines broke under the euphoria. The assembly election in Uttar Pradesh will be constrained by caste equations and alliances if possible in the remaining time. Even during Ram Temple agitation, Kalyan Singh, a Lodh remained an important face of BJP in the state. So for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and AAP in Punjab to campaign without a face is a high gamble. All elections in India at regional levels are being fought on faces. Whether it was Jaya or presently, Nitish, Mamta, Karunanidhi, Chandra Shekhar Rao, Shivraj Chauhan or Raman Singh, faces provide a connect with the masses. The face as a marker of policy has evolved further because instead of ideology the face becomes the brand dominating the whole political discourse. This is one hard reality BJP will not be able to escape in Uttar Pradesh. People would like to know as to who will stay with them. This is the reason why Uttar Pradesh will see a direct fight between high profile Akhilesh Yadav, with or without a cycle against a low profile campaign of Mayawati. People will vote the face they can trust, and Uttar Pradesh will decide that face very soon. (WION)

In Indian politics, face matters

Major clashes erupted at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party office in Kolkata, following the arrest of Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay.

Party cadres of Trinamool Congress clashed with BJP supporters, injuring several on both sides, including senior leaders of BJP.

A huge contingent of police officials was rushed to the BJP party office to bring the situation under control. Trinamool Congress supporters were seen pelting stones and hurling empty glass bottles at the party office.

Meanwhile, the police is trying to push back Trinamool Congress supporters to prevent any further deterioration of the situation. Police have put up guard rails to prevent entry of any Trinamool Congress supporters near the BJP party office.

Meanwhile, Rapid Action Force has been deployed near the BJP party office in Kolkata. All shops around the party office has been shutdown.&nbsp;

The Officer-in-charge, Jorasanko Police Station, Amit Rakshit, has been injured in the stone pelting.&nbsp;

Several cars parked near the party office have&nbsp;been vandalised.

(WION)

Trinamool Congress supporters were seen pelting stones and hurling empty glass bottles at the party office

Major clashes erupted at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party office in Kolkata, following the arrest of Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay. Party cadres of Trinamool Congress clashed with BJP supporters, injuring several on both sides, including senior leaders of BJP. A huge contingent of police officials was rushed to the BJP party office to bring the situation under control. Trinamool Congress supporters were seen pelting stones and hurling empty glass bottles at the party office. Meanwhile, the police is trying to push back Trinamool Congress supporters to prevent any further deterioration of the situation. Police have put up guard rails to prevent entry of any Trinamool Congress supporters near the BJP party office. Meanwhile, Rapid Action Force has been deployed near the BJP party office in Kolkata. All shops around the party office has been shutdown. The Officer-in-charge, Jorasanko Police Station, Amit Rakshit, has been injured in the stone pelting. Several cars parked near the party office have been vandalised. (WION)

BJP-TMC supporters clash at BJP party HQ

India&#39;s Union minister of&nbsp;Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information &amp; Broadcasting in the Narendra Modi administration took time out to speak about the merits of demonetisation, the concept of nationalism and his party Bharatiya Janata Party&#39;s chances in Uttar Pradesh, which is India&#39;s largest regional elections.

WION: Has demonetisation served its purpose of taking out black money from the system?

Venkaiah Naidu: &nbsp;Yes, it has done so. It is a vaccine against the scam and it has done the job.

WION: Critics say that large amount of black money is abroad and not in India and all cash is not black?

VN: This is wrong to say that most of the black money is stashed abroad. You may recall that the first decision taken was constituting a special investigation team&nbsp;to find the black money stashed abroad. Secondly, we also came out with a bill in Parliament on the funds stashed abroad. Then we took initiative in G20 and entered into an agreement on multiple avoidance tax treaty with Mauritus and Cyprus and then followed it up with Switzerland and then with the US on FETA. PM (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) has been consistent. He also gave time to people to declare their (unaccounted) money. He has been doing things systematically. The black money is now in the open and this is the biggest achievement. Every rupee is being accounted for.&nbsp;

WION: The scheme has caused public inconvenience. Could&nbsp;it have been avoided?

VN: It was not possible. It was like a cancer spread across the country. The entire system was affected. Serious action was required. In 1971, the former finance minister YB Chavan recommended demonetisation. Justice Wanchoo committee also recommend it. But the previous governments didn&rsquo;t act on it. In the 80s, benami &nbsp;(without name) transaction bill was passed but the government did not notify it. We did it. In 2012, the Supreme Court of India directed the government to form a mechanism to bring back black money. This government did it. UPA (the previous government) slept over it. The chemotherapy has been administered under our regime. People welcomed it as a game-changer. People wanted drastic action and we have done it. We have 130 crore (1.3 billion) population. We had parallel economy, drug mafia, high number of fake notes and a neighbour which promotes terror etc. All of them were using black money. We delivered a death blow and that is why there is so much hue and cry. I admit that there is inconvenience. It might continue for few more days because people are used to (having) cash (on them). Arrangements could not be made because advance information could not be given. It is a temporary pain for long term gain.

WION: When will the caps go? When do we expect the liquidity to return to normal?

VN: The prime minister has already assured that pain will be eased step by step

WION: On this issue, the opposition did not allow the (India&#39;s) parliament to function. Do you expect demonetisation to cast its shadow on the budget session as well?

VN: I hope it doesn&rsquo;t happen. Parliament is a place for debate and discussion, but that&nbsp;could not happen. The Opposition wanted a debate but they later avoided and instead disrupted the parliament. They then went to the president. The government was willing and the prime minister was ready to respond. In fact, the debate had started and Opposition had fielded Anand Sharma, Pramod Tiwari and Manmohan Singh (to debate in the parliament). Mayawati , Ram Gopal Yadav, Piyush Goel and others,&nbsp;including me, spoke (about the merits of cash scrap) but they (the opposition) changed the goal posts and asked for the prime minister (to address their concerns). And when the prime minister came on the floor, the opposition didn&rsquo;t allow the house to function. They lost a golden opportunity for a debate. It was a proper forum to highlight the issue but they missed it.

WION: There is a perception that senior leaders of BJP and Congress don&rsquo;t talk unlike the days when Vajpaye was the prime minister?

VN: Everyone has a different style. Vajpayee&rsquo;s style was different, Modi&rsquo;s style is different and so was (Jawaharlal) Nehru, Indira (Gandhi) and Rajiv&#39;s (Gandhi) style. The prime minister told the opposition that we are ready for discussion but it didn&rsquo;t happen. I always tell the opposition:&nbsp;I propose, you oppose and let the House dispose.

WION: Rahul Gandhi (the de facto opposition leader) has attacked Modi on issues of demonetisation and Sahara papers. Your response?

VN: Rahul Gandhi is behaving in most irresponsible and immature manner. My personal advice is that he should graduate himself otherwise he would be failing himself and his party in the process. The personal criticism has been out of frustration. Congress has called Modi names. They (Congress) first called him &#39;maut ka saudagar&#39; (death merchant), then Rahul Gandhi called him Hitler, Mussolini and&nbsp;Gaddafi. The former external affairs minister (Salman Khurshid) called him impotent. This has not helped them and their stature has gone down.

WION: The principal charge of the opposition is that 50-odd families are being helped through the process of demonetisation?

VN: Absurd and meaningless. They shouted slogans in the parliament (accusing us of helping&nbsp;the Adanis and Ambanis, two large business conglomerates in the country). Adani and Ambani were not born during Narendra Modi&rsquo;s regime. They were born and brought up during the Congress-led governments. Who are these 50 families and how did they prosper?&nbsp;1.86 lakh crore of the bank money which has become NPA (non-performing assets) was all given during the Congress regime by these people. All concessions to Ambani and Adani were given by them. Now in order to portray us as pro-business and anti-poor, they (the opposition) are shouting these slogans. We are different. We feel that both industry and agriculture are equally important. Each should be respected. There are black sheep in the media. Every sector has a black sheep. We are looking to take action against them. Vijay Mallya was given loans during the Congress regime. The loans were restructured during the Congress tenure.

WION: BJP in 2016 was able to makes its presence felt in the Northeast (of India) by winning Assam. What are the party&#39;s prospects in Uttar Pradesh (India&#39;s largest state)?

VN: Absolutely. BJP is becoming an all-India party. When I joined this party, people would make fun of me that I&rsquo;m joining a Brahmin-baniya, urban-north India party. Today we have lawmakers across the country. We will win Karnataka. We have done well in Kerala. Our vote share&nbsp;has gone up. In Tamil Nadu, we have chances due to the demise of Amma (Jayalalithaa; she died earlier this month). In UP, the stakes are high but we are confident of winning. We got 71 seats (of 80 seats) during the general elections in the country (in 2014).&nbsp;People have seen the performances of the other regional players in the state and are not happy. The alternative to Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samajwadi Party -- the hitherto dominant parties in UP -- is BJP

WION: Doesn&rsquo;t it worry you that demonetisation might impact BJP adversely?

VN: That is what is being discussed by the media. But in reality, our appeal has increased at the grassroots level. This is the feedback I&rsquo;m getting from Uttar Pradesh. Look at the result of Chandigarh (a Union Territory in India). We won 20 seats. A lot of people from Uttar Pradesh stay there. We&nbsp;did well in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan local body elections as well. We won all the elections after demonetisation.

WION: The prime minister has invested his political capital in a scheme like demonetisation. Do think it was worth the risk?

VN: Yes, it was worth taking. We have not come to rule the country. We want to develop it. He is known for taking risks. He has taken it up as a challenge. He went for a surgical strike against our neighbour, who were interfering in our domestic affairs. He is known for taking tough and bold decisions. He wants to improve the living conditions of the people.

WION: Last year, the debate on nationalism dominated conversations in universities and many other areas of our society. How do you see it in retrospect?

VN: What is wrong in discussing about nationalism?&nbsp;Nation means people and people means all communities. It means all sections of the country. It means Bharat Mata ki Jai (a slogan that hails India). It means &#39;Dalito ki jai, Christian ki&nbsp;jai, Jains ki&nbsp;jai, sabhi backward castes&nbsp;ki&nbsp;jai&#39; (Victory to the Dalits, Christians, Jains and other backward castes). It encompasses every community. We should feel proud of it. Earlier, talks on nationalism would be looked down upon. Now, people feel proud and people talk about it. There nothing wrong in it.

WION: Many scholars would say that there is a difference between ethnic and civic nationalism.

VN: Those who say it are a product of 2,000 years of foreign rule and Macaulayism. This education system has gone into our heads. The influence of socialist model has also affected us. &nbsp;People have changed, the political mandate has changed but people in certain sections who were well entrenched, there minds have not changed. They have lost the battle but still holding key positions, like in the media. The so-called progressives and the leftists have not changed with the times either.

There was a big clash in Dhulagarh, West Bengal. Hundreds of shops were looted and people were thrown out of houses but the so-called secular media is neither reporting it nor discussing it. On the other hand, Zee TV has reported it prominently but a criminal charge&nbsp;has been filed against them. People sitting in Lutyen&rsquo;s Delhi, who are apparently progressive, aren&rsquo;t talking about it. Is talking about Hindus&nbsp;a crime in this country?&nbsp;This is perverted secularism and that is why people have rejected it. Secondly, ultra-Leftist people take up issues happening at Jawaharlal Nehru University and shout slogans at Hyderabad University, but the society at large have remained peaceful. I don&rsquo;t know why the essence of Hinduism is being twisted. Hinduism is a way of life and not a religion. We don&rsquo;t want to discriminate between people on the basis of religion and race. Ever since Modi came to power, there are&nbsp;less communal clashes and focus is on development and good governance. Modi&#39;s opponents lost the 2014 general elections badly and that&#39;s the reason for the opponents are attacking Modi personally and indulging in a disinformation campaign.

WION: Lastly, did surgical strike change the nature of play between Pakistan and India?

VN: I don&rsquo;t think Pakistan would understand but a message has been sent.&nbsp;It (the surgical strikes) was not (done) for political reasons but to show Pakistan and the world that India is capable of retaliation. That has been done. It has raised the morale of the Indian armed forces and it has raised the morale of the Indian people living in India and also abroad.

(WION)

India's federal minister defends government's policy by charting the steps taken by PM Modi to counter the menace

India's Union minister of Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information & Broadcasting in the Narendra Modi administration took time out to speak about the merits of demonetisation, the concept of nationalism and his party Bharatiya Janata Party's chances in Uttar Pradesh, which is India's largest regional elections. WION: Has demonetisation served its purpose of taking out black money from the system? Venkaiah Naidu: Yes, it has done so. It is a vaccine against the scam and it has done the job. WION: Critics say that large amount of black money is abroad and not in India and all cash is not black? VN: This is wrong to say that most of the black money is stashed abroad. You may recall that the first decision taken was constituting a special investigation team to find the black money stashed abroad. Secondly, we also came out with a bill in Parliament on the funds stashed abroad. Then we took initiative in G20 and entered into an agreement on multiple avoidance tax treaty with Mauritus and Cyprus and then followed it up with Switzerland and then with the US on FETA. PM (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) has been consistent. He also gave time to people to declare their (unaccounted) money. He has been doing things systematically. The black money is now in the open and this is the biggest achievement. Every rupee is being accounted for. WION: The scheme has caused public inconvenience. Could it have been avoided? VN: It was not possible. It was like a cancer spread across the country. The entire system was affected. Serious action was required. In 1971, the former finance minister YB Chavan recommended demonetisation. Justice Wanchoo committee also recommend it. But the previous governments didn’t act on it. In the 80s, benami (without name) transaction bill was passed but the government did not notify it. We did it. In 2012, the Supreme Court of India directed the government to form a mechanism to bring back black money. This government did it. UPA (the previous government) slept over it. The chemotherapy has been administered under our regime. People welcomed it as a game-changer. People wanted drastic action and we have done it. We have 130 crore (1.3 billion) population. We had parallel economy, drug mafia, high number of fake notes and a neighbour which promotes terror etc. All of them were using black money. We delivered a death blow and that is why there is so much hue and cry. I admit that there is inconvenience. It might continue for few more days because people are used to (having) cash (on them). Arrangements could not be made because advance information could not be given. It is a temporary pain for long term gain. WION: When will the caps go? When do we expect the liquidity to return to normal? VN: The prime minister has already assured that pain will be eased step by step WION: On this issue, the opposition did not allow the (India's) parliament to function. Do you expect demonetisation to cast its shadow on the budget session as well? VN: I hope it doesn’t happen. Parliament is a place for debate and discussion, but that could not happen. The Opposition wanted a debate but they later avoided and instead disrupted the parliament. They then went to the president. The government was willing and the prime minister was ready to respond. In fact, the debate had started and Opposition had fielded Anand Sharma, Pramod Tiwari and Manmohan Singh (to debate in the parliament). Mayawati , Ram Gopal Yadav, Piyush Goel and others, including me, spoke (about the merits of cash scrap) but they (the opposition) changed the goal posts and asked for the prime minister (to address their concerns). And when the prime minister came on the floor, the opposition didn’t allow the house to function. They lost a golden opportunity for a debate. It was a proper forum to highlight the issue but they missed it. WION: There is a perception that senior leaders of BJP and Congress don’t talk unlike the days when Vajpaye was the prime minister? VN: Everyone has a different style. Vajpayee’s style was different, Modi’s style is different and so was (Jawaharlal) Nehru, Indira (Gandhi) and Rajiv's (Gandhi) style. The prime minister told the opposition that we are ready for discussion but it didn’t happen. I always tell the opposition: I propose, you oppose and let the House dispose. WION: Rahul Gandhi (the de facto opposition leader) has attacked Modi on issues of demonetisation and Sahara papers. Your response? VN: Rahul Gandhi is behaving in most irresponsible and immature manner. My personal advice is that he should graduate himself otherwise he would be failing himself and his party in the process. The personal criticism has been out of frustration. Congress has called Modi names. They (Congress) first called him 'maut ka saudagar' (death merchant), then Rahul Gandhi called him Hitler, Mussolini and Gaddafi. The former external affairs minister (Salman Khurshid) called him impotent. This has not helped them and their stature has gone down. WION: The principal charge of the opposition is that 50-odd families are being helped through the process of demonetisation? VN: Absurd and meaningless. They shouted slogans in the parliament (accusing us of helping the Adanis and Ambanis, two large business conglomerates in the country). Adani and Ambani were not born during Narendra Modi’s regime. They were born and brought up during the Congress-led governments. Who are these 50 families and how did they prosper? 1.86 lakh crore of the bank money which has become NPA (non-performing assets) was all given during the Congress regime by these people. All concessions to Ambani and Adani were given by them. Now in order to portray us as pro-business and anti-poor, they (the opposition) are shouting these slogans. We are different. We feel that both industry and agriculture are equally important. Each should be respected. There are black sheep in the media. Every sector has a black sheep. We are looking to take action against them. Vijay Mallya was given loans during the Congress regime. The loans were restructured during the Congress tenure. WION: BJP in 2016 was able to makes its presence felt in the Northeast (of India) by winning Assam. What are the party's prospects in Uttar Pradesh (India's largest state)? VN: Absolutely. BJP is becoming an all-India party. When I joined this party, people would make fun of me that I’m joining a Brahmin-baniya, urban-north India party. Today we have lawmakers across the country. We will win Karnataka. We have done well in Kerala. Our vote share has gone up. In Tamil Nadu, we have chances due to the demise of Amma (Jayalalithaa; she died earlier this month). In UP, the stakes are high but we are confident of winning. We got 71 seats (of 80 seats) during the general elections in the country (in 2014). People have seen the performances of the other regional players in the state and are not happy. The alternative to Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samajwadi Party -- the hitherto dominant parties in UP -- is BJP WION: Doesn’t it worry you that demonetisation might impact BJP adversely? VN: That is what is being discussed by the media. But in reality, our appeal has increased at the grassroots level. This is the feedback I’m getting from Uttar Pradesh. Look at the result of Chandigarh (a Union Territory in India). We won 20 seats. A lot of people from Uttar Pradesh stay there. We did well in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan local body elections as well. We won all the elections after demonetisation. WION: The prime minister has invested his political capital in a scheme like demonetisation. Do think it was worth the risk? VN: Yes, it was worth taking. We have not come to rule the country. We want to develop it. He is known for taking risks. He has taken it up as a challenge. He went for a surgical strike against our neighbour, who were interfering in our domestic affairs. He is known for taking tough and bold decisions. He wants to improve the living conditions of the people. WION: Last year, the debate on nationalism dominated conversations in universities and many other areas of our society. How do you see it in retrospect? VN: What is wrong in discussing about nationalism? Nation means people and people means all communities. It means all sections of the country. It means Bharat Mata ki Jai (a slogan that hails India). It means 'Dalito ki jai, Christian ki jai, Jains ki jai, sabhi backward castes ki jai' (Victory to the Dalits, Christians, Jains and other backward castes). It encompasses every community. We should feel proud of it. Earlier, talks on nationalism would be looked down upon. Now, people feel proud and people talk about it. There nothing wrong in it. WION: Many scholars would say that there is a difference between ethnic and civic nationalism. VN: Those who say it are a product of 2,000 years of foreign rule and Macaulayism. This education system has gone into our heads. The influence of socialist model has also affected us. People have changed, the political mandate has changed but people in certain sections who were well entrenched, there minds have not changed. They have lost the battle but still holding key positions, like in the media. The so-called progressives and the leftists have not changed with the times either. There was a big clash in Dhulagarh, West Bengal. Hundreds of shops were looted and people were thrown out of houses but the so-called secular media is neither reporting it nor discussing it. On the other hand, Zee TV has reported it prominently but a criminal charge has been filed against them. People sitting in Lutyen’s Delhi, who are apparently progressive, aren’t talking about it. Is talking about Hindus a crime in this country? This is perverted secularism and that is why people have rejected it. Secondly, ultra-Leftist people take up issues happening at Jawaharlal Nehru University and shout slogans at Hyderabad University, but the society at large have remained peaceful. I don’t know why the essence of Hinduism is being twisted. Hinduism is a way of life and not a religion. We don’t want to discriminate between people on the basis of religion and race. Ever since Modi came to power, there are less communal clashes and focus is on development and good governance. Modi's opponents lost the 2014 general elections badly and that's the reason for the opponents are attacking Modi personally and indulging in a disinformation campaign. WION: Lastly, did surgical strike change the nature of play between Pakistan and India? VN: I don’t think Pakistan would understand but a message has been sent. It (the surgical strikes) was not (done) for political reasons but to show Pakistan and the world that India is capable of retaliation. That has been done. It has raised the morale of the Indian armed forces and it has raised the morale of the Indian people living in India and also abroad. (WION)

Demonetisation is a vaccine against black money: Minister Venkaiah Naidu defends move that has discomfited people

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address the nation on New Year eve.

Sources said the Prime Minister, who has come under sharp criticism post the November 8 demonetisation drive, is likely to put forth his views in this regard before the nation.

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<h5>On November 8, Modi had said, &#39;The magnitude of cash in circulation is directly linked to the level of corruption&#39;</h5>
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Prime Minister Modi had earlier urged the nation to give him 50 days post the demonetisation decision to get things back on track.

After demonetisation, the government has taken a number of steps to ensure that no hardship is faced by tourists and the industry is not affected.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) smoothly transitioned to cashless mode of payment by simplifying&nbsp;process of e - tickets.

The government`s efforts have paid dividend as there has been a notable growth in the comparative figures of Foreign Tourists Arrival (FTA), Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) and online sale of e - tickets after demonetisation.

In a television address to the nation on November 8, Prime Minister Modi said, &quot;The magnitude of cash in circulation is directly linked to the level of corruption.&quot;

Inflation becomes worse through the deployment of cash earned in corrupt ways.

&quot;He said to break the grip of corruption and black money, the government has decided that from midnight Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 currency notes will cease to be legal tender.&quot;

The Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes hoarded by anti-national and anti-social elements will become just worthless pieces of paper,&quot; he added.

Till date, the government has made several changes to the norms.

After reports on crop sowing taking a hit due to no availability of cash, the government allowed farmers to buy seeds with old Rs. 500 currency notes.

A November 17 announcement allowed the farmers to withdraw up to Rs. 25,000 per week from their KYC-compliant account.

Following reports on abuse of Jan Dhan accounts, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) capped the withdrawal limit to Rs. 10,000 per month.

On November 17, the government made more modifications to the existing rules.

Families could now withdraw up to Rs. 2.5 lakh for weddings.

The currency exchange limit was reduced from Rs. 4,500 to Rs. 2,000 per person.

The traders in agricultural mandis were permitted to draw up to Rs. 50,000 in cash per week to pay for sundry expenses like wages.

Also, government employees up to Group C could draw Rs. 10,000 salary in advance in cash.

The demonetisation decision has also taken a toll on the common man, with reports of some dying while standing in queues to collect money.

In between all this, Prime Minister Modi has continued to address the nation at various public gatherings and his `Mann ki Baat` radio programme.

Making an emotional appeal at an event in Goa on November 13, Prime Minister Modi asked the &quot;honest&quot; people of the country to bear the hardships for another 50 days.

Exactly two weeks later on November 27, the Prime Minister urged the farmers and small traders to go cashless at his monthly `Mann ki Baat` address.

&quot;The common man will be trouble free if they are made aware of the digital financial transaction options,&quot; he said asking the youth to lead the change.

The opposition cornered the government in the Winter Session of Parliament over the inconvenience faced by the nation post demonetisation.

(ANI)&nbsp;

He will probably talk about demonetisation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address the nation on New Year eve. Sources said the Prime Minister, who has come under sharp criticism post the November 8 demonetisation drive, is likely to put forth his views in this regard before the nation. On November 8, Modi had said, 'The magnitude of cash in circulation is directly linked to the level of corruption' × Prime Minister Modi had earlier urged the nation to give him 50 days post the demonetisation decision to get things back on track. After demonetisation, the government has taken a number of steps to ensure that no hardship is faced by tourists and the industry is not affected. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) smoothly transitioned to cashless mode of payment by simplifying process of e - tickets. The government`s efforts have paid dividend as there has been a notable growth in the comparative figures of Foreign Tourists Arrival (FTA), Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) and online sale of e - tickets after demonetisation. In a television address to the nation on November 8, Prime Minister Modi said, "The magnitude of cash in circulation is directly linked to the level of corruption." Inflation becomes worse through the deployment of cash earned in corrupt ways. "He said to break the grip of corruption and black money, the government has decided that from midnight Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 currency notes will cease to be legal tender." The Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes hoarded by anti-national and anti-social elements will become just worthless pieces of paper," he added. Till date, the government has made several changes to the norms. After reports on crop sowing taking a hit due to no availability of cash, the government allowed farmers to buy seeds with old Rs. 500 currency notes. A November 17 announcement allowed the farmers to withdraw up to Rs. 25,000 per week from their KYC-compliant account. Following reports on abuse of Jan Dhan accounts, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) capped the withdrawal limit to Rs. 10,000 per month. On November 17, the government made more modifications to the existing rules. Families could now withdraw up to Rs. 2.5 lakh for weddings. The currency exchange limit was reduced from Rs. 4,500 to Rs. 2,000 per person. The traders in agricultural mandis were permitted to draw up to Rs. 50,000 in cash per week to pay for sundry expenses like wages. Also, government employees up to Group C could draw Rs. 10,000 salary in advance in cash. The demonetisation decision has also taken a toll on the common man, with reports of some dying while standing in queues to collect money. In between all this, Prime Minister Modi has continued to address the nation at various public gatherings and his `Mann ki Baat` radio programme. Making an emotional appeal at an event in Goa on November 13, Prime Minister Modi asked the "honest" people of the country to bear the hardships for another 50 days. Exactly two weeks later on November 27, the Prime Minister urged the farmers and small traders to go cashless at his monthly `Mann ki Baat` address. "The common man will be trouble free if they are made aware of the digital financial transaction options," he said asking the youth to lead the change. The opposition cornered the government in the Winter Session of Parliament over the inconvenience faced by the nation post demonetisation. (ANI)

Indian PM Modi likely to address country on New Year's eve: Sources

Launching a counter-attack against the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today asked her if the huge amount of money deposited in her party&#39;s bank account was a money conversion exercise as it accused her of using her Dalit identity to hide &quot;corruption&quot;.

The BJP fielded Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to attack Mayawati, and hurled other charges at them.

&quot;Her allegations are baseless and we reject it with the contempt they deserve. If the Enforcement Directorate (ED) does a routine exercise, why is she so rattled? Will your corruption be hidden in the name of Dalits. Does Mayawati want to say that her corruption should be seen as a fight against Dalits? It is an insult of Dalits,&quot; he told a press conference.

Noting that she did not deny the deposits in the BSP&#39;s account, he asked, &quot;It raises a bigger question. Is it a donation or money conversion exercise?&quot;

The development of Dalits cannot be &quot;mortgaged&quot; to corruption, he said.

Prasad also made light of her claim that Rs 104 crore found in BSP&#39;s bank account in Delhi had come by way of political donations and that those were converted into high denomination notes before being deposited after the note ban kicked in on November 8.

&quot;Small currencies were converted into bigger bills and the money was not deposited in August, September and October but soon after demonetisation. It also raised a lot of suspicion. Now we are getting signals of why she has been opposing the note ban so strongly from the first day,&quot; Prasad said.

He also rejected her claim that the ED&#39;s action was linked to her assertion that the BJP was pushing Samajwadi Party (SP)&nbsp;and Congress for an alliance for the Uttar Pradesh (UP)&nbsp;assembly polls.

&quot;This is nothing but her frustration. She made these comments only yesterday while deposits were made much earlier...As far as BJP is concerned, even if SP, BSP and Congress come together, it will emerge victorious,&quot; he said.

When asked about her demand that BJP too make public the donations it has received, he said all parties submit these details to the Election Commission which puts it on its website.

On the government&#39;s stand on electoral reforms, he said those were primarily the Election Commission&#39;s job but it was open to supporting &quot;positive reforms&quot;.

&quot;As far as improvement is concerned we are certainly open to that. There has to be proper initiative and consensus,&quot; he said.

When asked about Mayawati&#39;s assertion that the ED action would help her in the Uttar Pradesh state elections the same way as the alleged Taj corridor corruption case started under the NDA I in 2007, Prasad said, She had forgotten that there were Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and what happened to her party then.

(PTI)&nbsp;

'Her allegations are baseless and we reject it with the contempt they deserve', said Prasad, the lawyer the BJP fielded to attack Mayawati

Launching a counter-attack against the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today asked her if the huge amount of money deposited in her party's bank account was a money conversion exercise as it accused her of using her Dalit identity to hide "corruption". The BJP fielded Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to attack Mayawati, and hurled other charges at them. "Her allegations are baseless and we reject it with the contempt they deserve. If the Enforcement Directorate (ED) does a routine exercise, why is she so rattled? Will your corruption be hidden in the name of Dalits. Does Mayawati want to say that her corruption should be seen as a fight against Dalits? It is an insult of Dalits," he told a press conference. Noting that she did not deny the deposits in the BSP's account, he asked, "It raises a bigger question. Is it a donation or money conversion exercise?" The development of Dalits cannot be "mortgaged" to corruption, he said. Prasad also made light of her claim that Rs 104 crore found in BSP's bank account in Delhi had come by way of political donations and that those were converted into high denomination notes before being deposited after the note ban kicked in on November 8. "Small currencies were converted into bigger bills and the money was not deposited in August, September and October but soon after demonetisation. It also raised a lot of suspicion. Now we are getting signals of why she has been opposing the note ban so strongly from the first day," Prasad said. He also rejected her claim that the ED's action was linked to her assertion that the BJP was pushing Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress for an alliance for the Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly polls. "This is nothing but her frustration. She made these comments only yesterday while deposits were made much earlier...As far as BJP is concerned, even if SP, BSP and Congress come together, it will emerge victorious," he said. When asked about her demand that BJP too make public the donations it has received, he said all parties submit these details to the Election Commission which puts it on its website. On the government's stand on electoral reforms, he said those were primarily the Election Commission's job but it was open to supporting "positive reforms". "As far as improvement is concerned we are certainly open to that. There has to be proper initiative and consensus," he said. When asked about Mayawati's assertion that the ED action would help her in the Uttar Pradesh state elections the same way as the alleged Taj corridor corruption case started under the NDA I in 2007, Prasad said, She had forgotten that there were Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and what happened to her party then. (PTI)

BJP attacks Mayawati over Rs 104 cr in bank account

A three-member Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation will visit Dhulagarh in West Bengal on Saturday to look into incidents of violence, news agency ANI reported.

Communal clashes broke out in the village of Dhulagarh in Bengal&rsquo;s Howrah district last week.

BJP MPs Satyapal Singh, Jagdambika Pal and Roopa Ganguly are part of the delegation, ANI reported.

West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh will also join the delegation once the delegation reaches the state, party leaders said.

The BJP had alleged a wing of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) had targeted a particular community in the area, ANI reported. &nbsp;

(WION with inputs from ANI)

The clashes had broken out in Howrah district last week

A three-member Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation will visit Dhulagarh in West Bengal on Saturday to look into incidents of violence, news agency ANI reported. Communal clashes broke out in the village of Dhulagarh in Bengal’s Howrah district last week. BJP MPs Satyapal Singh, Jagdambika Pal and Roopa Ganguly are part of the delegation, ANI reported. West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh will also join the delegation once the delegation reaches the state, party leaders said. The BJP had alleged a wing of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) had targeted a particular community in the area, ANI reported. (WION with inputs from ANI)

Bengal communal clashes: Three-member BJP delegation to visit Dhulagarh

Whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decides to engage the Opposition or not for the next Parliament session, it is clear that battle between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Gandhi family will be even more up close and personal.

Modi&#39;s decision to attack former prime minister Indira Gandhi on the issue of demonetisation and the campaign against corruption was unexpected. During his speech at the BJP parliamentary party meeting, Modi said that Indira Gandhi rejected the demonetisation proposal made by YB Chavan. PM Modi went on to say that Indira Gandhi even snubbed Chavan by asking if he did not want to contest elections. So in one stroke the PM not only challenged Indira&rsquo;s commitment to drive out corruption, but also the perception of her being strong leader&nbsp;who always took bold decisions. 
&nbsp; 
Despite her flaws and imposition of the Emergency in 1975, Indira Gandhi&rsquo;s personal integrity towards the nation and her commitment to the poor remains intact. Even on the issue of national security, Indira&rsquo;s reputation still exceeds that of any prime minister in the country. She is not only credited for the victory in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, but also acknowledged for her ability to rise up to any challenge. Even RSS in its long campaign against the Congress rarely attacked Indira Gandhi as it felt comfortable with the soft Hindutva which she projected during the early 80s. Modi has decided to change it once and for all. This has to be understood in current discourse on strong leadership. 
&nbsp; 
Of&nbsp;late a tendency to compare Modi&rsquo;s style of governance with that of Indira Gandhi has emerged in the context of a strong leadership model. This talk becomes even more important with India&#39;s Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi&rsquo;s statement that Indira Gandhi cannot be compared with Narendra Modi. It tells us two things. 
&nbsp; 
One, Congress is uncomfortable with the idea of Modi being compared with Indira as a strong leader, as it makes Rahul&rsquo;s standing in front of him very weak. Two, Narendra Modi himself doesn&rsquo;t want any comparison of his tenure with any prime minister, including that with BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It is an attempt to carve out a distinct narrative for himself which remains untouched by any political legacy. Modi not only seems to be challenging the wisdom and beliefs of contemporary leaders, but trying to change the political narrative around them. Congress would off course argue that it is an attempt to re-cast the past in present political lexicon, which to a large extent is true, but it also stands as an intellectual challenge to the Congress that has been comfortable with its accepted heritage. 
&nbsp; 
This was not the case during Atal Bihari Vajpayee&rsquo;s tenure who accommodated the Congress&#39;s heritage with minor tinkering. This will not be the case now. It will not be tinkering. It will be a makeover and Congress should be ready to rise up the challenge it if it needs to save its legacy in popular perception as relevant and living.

(WION)

This was not the case during Atal Bihari Vajpayee?s tenure who accommodated the Congress's heritage with minor tinkering

Whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decides to engage the Opposition or not for the next Parliament session, it is clear that battle between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Gandhi family will be even more up close and personal. Modi's decision to attack former prime minister Indira Gandhi on the issue of demonetisation and the campaign against corruption was unexpected. During his speech at the BJP parliamentary party meeting, Modi said that Indira Gandhi rejected the demonetisation proposal made by YB Chavan. PM Modi went on to say that Indira Gandhi even snubbed Chavan by asking if he did not want to contest elections. So in one stroke the PM not only challenged Indira’s commitment to drive out corruption, but also the perception of her being strong leader who always took bold decisions. Despite her flaws and imposition of the Emergency in 1975, Indira Gandhi’s personal integrity towards the nation and her commitment to the poor remains intact. Even on the issue of national security, Indira’s reputation still exceeds that of any prime minister in the country. She is not only credited for the victory in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, but also acknowledged for her ability to rise up to any challenge. Even RSS in its long campaign against the Congress rarely attacked Indira Gandhi as it felt comfortable with the soft Hindutva which she projected during the early 80s. Modi has decided to change it once and for all. This has to be understood in current discourse on strong leadership. Of late a tendency to compare Modi’s style of governance with that of Indira Gandhi has emerged in the context of a strong leadership model. This talk becomes even more important with India's Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi’s statement that Indira Gandhi cannot be compared with Narendra Modi. It tells us two things. One, Congress is uncomfortable with the idea of Modi being compared with Indira as a strong leader, as it makes Rahul’s standing in front of him very weak. Two, Narendra Modi himself doesn’t want any comparison of his tenure with any prime minister, including that with BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It is an attempt to carve out a distinct narrative for himself which remains untouched by any political legacy. Modi not only seems to be challenging the wisdom and beliefs of contemporary leaders, but trying to change the political narrative around them. Congress would off course argue that it is an attempt to re-cast the past in present political lexicon, which to a large extent is true, but it also stands as an intellectual challenge to the Congress that has been comfortable with its accepted heritage. This was not the case during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure who accommodated the Congress's heritage with minor tinkering. This will not be the case now. It will not be tinkering. It will be a makeover and Congress should be ready to rise up the challenge it if it needs to save its legacy in popular perception as relevant and living. (WION)

PM Modi's attack on Indira on '71 war anniversary points to a new strategy

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that Indira Gandhi rejected suggestions for demonetisation in 1971, saying she wanted to win elections.

Indira Gandhi sold out India by ignoring advice to demonetise, the prime minister said.

Implementation of demonetisation policy was required in 1971, but it was implemented now, Modi said, hitting out at the opposition during the ruling party&#39;s parliamentary meet. &quot;For the Congress, party is bigger than nation; but for us, the nation is above the party,&quot; he said.

Modi also thanked chief ministers of India&#39;s eastern states of Odisha and Bihar for supporting demonetisation.

Prime Minister Modi said that unlike earlier when opposition parties stalled House proceedings against scams, Congress-led parties are now doing so against government&#39;s steps to curb black money and corruption.

He pitched for a&nbsp;digital economy as he urged masses to adopt it as a &quot;way of life&quot; to rid the society of corruption and black money.

Modi also noted that the Wanchoo Committee in the&nbsp;early 70s had recommended demonetisation when Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister, recalling that the then senior Left leader Jyotirmoy Basu had demanded its quick implementation, parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar told reporters following the meeting.

On a day that marks the anniversary of Bangladesh&#39;s liberation, Modi also targeted the opposition over its remarks on the army&#39;s surgical strikes.

The opposition in 1971-72 did not seek evidence of the army&#39;s valour unlike that of today, he said.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Then prime minister Indira Gandhi sold the nation by not adopting demonetisation, Modi alleged

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that Indira Gandhi rejected suggestions for demonetisation in 1971, saying she wanted to win elections. Indira Gandhi sold out India by ignoring advice to demonetise, the prime minister said. Implementation of demonetisation policy was required in 1971, but it was implemented now, Modi said, hitting out at the opposition during the ruling party's parliamentary meet. "For the Congress, party is bigger than nation; but for us, the nation is above the party," he said. Modi also thanked chief ministers of India's eastern states of Odisha and Bihar for supporting demonetisation. Prime Minister Modi said that unlike earlier when opposition parties stalled House proceedings against scams, Congress-led parties are now doing so against government's steps to curb black money and corruption. He pitched for a digital economy as he urged masses to adopt it as a "way of life" to rid the society of corruption and black money. Modi also noted that the Wanchoo Committee in the early 70s had recommended demonetisation when Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister, recalling that the then senior Left leader Jyotirmoy Basu had demanded its quick implementation, parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar told reporters following the meeting. On a day that marks the anniversary of Bangladesh's liberation, Modi also targeted the opposition over its remarks on the army's surgical strikes. The opposition in 1971-72 did not seek evidence of the army's valour unlike that of today, he said. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Demonetisation should have been done in 1971: Indian Prime Minister

In a shot in the arm for BJP after Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s demonetisation move and ahead of Gujarat elections next year, the party swept local bodies elections by capturing 107 seats out of total 123 seats which went for polls in different parts of the state.

Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani hailed the victory as people&#39;s endorsement of Modi&#39;s two recent steps, surgical strikes across the LoC and demonetisation.

&quot;This is truly a grand success of BJP, as elections took place in different parts of state representing people from different communities. Thus, we can say that every section of society accepted BJP,&quot; said Rupani.

The party won in two municipalities and one taluka panchayat along with majority seats of various other local bodies on which voting was held on Sunday. The result was declared today.

BJP captured 107 out of total 123 seats which went for polls in different parts of the state.

Putting a dismal performance ahead of the Assembly polls due next year, the Congress manged to capture only 16 seats in this election.

As per the final result declared by the Gujarat State Election Commission, BJP has registered victory in Vapi municipality of Valsad district by capturing 41 out of total 44 seats. Only three seats went to Congress. Vapi municipality was earlier held by BJP.

Similarly, BJP made a near clean sweep in the polls to Kanakpur-Kansad municipality of Surat, where it captured 27 out of 28 seats, leaving only one to Congress. It was also held by BJP earlier.

In Rajkot, BJP snatched Gondal taluka panchayat, which went for the&nbsp;mid-term poll, from Congress by winning 18 out of total 22 seats. Congress settled for only four. Earlier, Congress was ruling Gondal taluka panchayat.

The results of the local bodies elections assume significance for the BJP in the run-up to the state polls next year, and that they were held just after the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes by the Centre.

Apart from these three elections, Gujarat SEC conducted by-elections on 29 seats of various municipalities, taluka panchayats and district panchayats across the state. The by-polls were necessitated as these seats fell vacant due to various reasons.

Out of total 16 seats of different municipalities, BJP bagged 14 while Congress has to settle for only two. Out of the total four seats of district panchayats, both the parties bagged two each. In the taluka panchayat by-polls, BJP won on five out of total nine while Congress captured four seats.&nbsp;

BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said that this is a vote for demonetisation decision of the BJP and negative approach of the Congress to oppose the anti-black money move.

Gujarat Congress conceded its defeat and vowed to work hard for the people. The opposition party also downplayed BJP&#39;s victory, claiming that people&#39;s mood can&#39;t be judged from such local body polls.

&quot;We accept our defeat. But, BJP must not forget that it was only by-poll on some seats. Results of these polls cannot be taken as the litmus test of people&#39;s mood. We will introspect on these results. We will continue to raise issues concerning people,&quot; Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said.&nbsp;

(PTI)

Chief minister Rupani hailed the victory as people's endorsement of PM Modi's two recent steps, surgical strikes and demonetisation

In a shot in the arm for BJP after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move and ahead of Gujarat elections next year, the party swept local bodies elections by capturing 107 seats out of total 123 seats which went for polls in different parts of the state. Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani hailed the victory as people's endorsement of Modi's two recent steps, surgical strikes across the LoC and demonetisation. "This is truly a grand success of BJP, as elections took place in different parts of state representing people from different communities. Thus, we can say that every section of society accepted BJP," said Rupani. The party won in two municipalities and one taluka panchayat along with majority seats of various other local bodies on which voting was held on Sunday. The result was declared today. BJP captured 107 out of total 123 seats which went for polls in different parts of the state. Putting a dismal performance ahead of the Assembly polls due next year, the Congress manged to capture only 16 seats in this election. As per the final result declared by the Gujarat State Election Commission, BJP has registered victory in Vapi municipality of Valsad district by capturing 41 out of total 44 seats. Only three seats went to Congress. Vapi municipality was earlier held by BJP. Similarly, BJP made a near clean sweep in the polls to Kanakpur-Kansad municipality of Surat, where it captured 27 out of 28 seats, leaving only one to Congress. It was also held by BJP earlier. In Rajkot, BJP snatched Gondal taluka panchayat, which went for the mid-term poll, from Congress by winning 18 out of total 22 seats. Congress settled for only four. Earlier, Congress was ruling Gondal taluka panchayat. The results of the local bodies elections assume significance for the BJP in the run-up to the state polls next year, and that they were held just after the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes by the Centre. Apart from these three elections, Gujarat SEC conducted by-elections on 29 seats of various municipalities, taluka panchayats and district panchayats across the state. The by-polls were necessitated as these seats fell vacant due to various reasons. Out of total 16 seats of different municipalities, BJP bagged 14 while Congress has to settle for only two. Out of the total four seats of district panchayats, both the parties bagged two each. In the taluka panchayat by-polls, BJP won on five out of total nine while Congress captured four seats. BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said that this is a vote for demonetisation decision of the BJP and negative approach of the Congress to oppose the anti-black money move. Gujarat Congress conceded its defeat and vowed to work hard for the people. The opposition party also downplayed BJP's victory, claiming that people's mood can't be judged from such local body polls. "We accept our defeat. But, BJP must not forget that it was only by-poll on some seats. Results of these polls cannot be taken as the litmus test of people's mood. We will introspect on these results. We will continue to raise issues concerning people," Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said. (PTI)

Gujarat: BJP sweeps civic polls, wins 107 out of 123 seats

The demonetisation of the country&#39;s 500- and 1,000-rupee notes by the Modi government has brought about a rarely-seen unity among the Opposition parties -- they have called for nationwide protests today -- but they stand divided over the way they would protest the measure.

The Left parties have called a 12-hour bandh (strike) in West Bengal to protest against the demonetisation&nbsp;but chief minister Mamata Banerjee&#39;s Trinamool Congress (TMC) will not join the strike; her party will only hold protests.

The Congress too has decided against a bandh. Senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said no &quot;Bharat Bandh&quot; (India Strike) has been called by the party, but that it will hold nationwide protests as part of a &quot;Jan Aakrosh Diwas&quot; or People&#39;s Day of Anger. A strike he said would only add to people&#39;s miseries.&nbsp;

The JD(U) has decided not to participate in the protests after its leader and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar welcomed the demonetisation, calling it a &quot;courageous step&quot;.&nbsp;

Mamata Banerjee&#39;s TMC and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal&#39;s AAP are the only parties which have demanded a rollback; the other parties have voiced their displeasure over the way the demonetisation&nbsp;is being implemented and the hardships that it&nbsp;is causing common people.

(This report first appeared in DNA)

But most stop short of calling a strike, say that would only add to people's miseries

The demonetisation of the country's 500- and 1,000-rupee notes by the Modi government has brought about a rarely-seen unity among the Opposition parties -- they have called for nationwide protests today -- but they stand divided over the way they would protest the measure. The Left parties have called a 12-hour bandh (strike) in West Bengal to protest against the demonetisation but chief minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) will not join the strike; her party will only hold protests. The Congress too has decided against a bandh. Senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said no "Bharat Bandh" (India Strike) has been called by the party, but that it will hold nationwide protests as part of a "Jan Aakrosh Diwas" or People's Day of Anger. A strike he said would only add to people's miseries. The JD(U) has decided not to participate in the protests after its leader and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar welcomed the demonetisation, calling it a "courageous step". Mamata Banerjee's TMC and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's AAP are the only parties which have demanded a rollback; the other parties have voiced their displeasure over the way the demonetisation is being implemented and the hardships that it is causing common people. (This report first appeared in DNA)

Demonetisation: Opposition to hold nationwide protests today

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