The sixth phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh just got underway across forty-nine constituencies in seven districts in eastern UP.

The districts going to polls today are Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh and Ballia. Polling was brisk in the morning with&nbsp;11 per cent voting recorded till 9am.

Several big guns are in the fray today including Mukhtar Ansari and his son Abbas who are contesting on a BSP ticket this time. Gorakhpur BJP MP Yogi Adityanath influence is set to&nbsp;tested in Gorakhpur. Gorakhpur city has as many as 127 candidates in the fray for nine seats.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UttarPradeshPolls?src=hash">#UttarPradeshPolls</a>: Yogi Adityanath casts his vote at booth no. 3705 in Gorakhpur <a href="https://t.co/2CWIrxbqAV">pic.twitter.com/2CWIrxbqAV</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/837842256648249345">March 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav&#39;s Samajwadi Party will be contesting in 40 constituencies in the sixth phase with alliance partner Congress slugging it out in the rest of the nine constituencies.&nbsp;BJP is contesting 45 seats and its ally Apna Dal is fighting for one seat.

There are over 1.72 crore electorate who will decide the fate of 635 candidates across seven districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UttarPradeshpolls?src=hash">#UttarPradeshpolls</a>: Voting on 49 seats across 7 districts in sixth phase underway, visuals from Mau booth no. 280 <a href="https://t.co/5O2Sb764QB">pic.twitter.com/5O2Sb764QB</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/837843930414620672">March 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Special efforts made for differently abled voters, they are being assisted by helpers &amp; wheelchairs:Nikhil C Shukla, Mau District Magistrate <a href="https://t.co/DwLowsHMln">pic.twitter.com/DwLowsHMln</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/837849348960468992">March 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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(WION)

Polling across forty-nine constituencies in eastern UP is underway with 11% voting recorded till 9am

The sixth phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh just got underway across forty-nine constituencies in seven districts in eastern UP. The districts going to polls today are Mau, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh and Ballia. Polling was brisk in the morning with 11 per cent voting recorded till 9am. Several big guns are in the fray today including Mukhtar Ansari and his son Abbas who are contesting on a BSP ticket this time. Gorakhpur BJP MP Yogi Adityanath influence is set to tested in Gorakhpur. Gorakhpur city has as many as 127 candidates in the fray for nine seats. #UttarPradeshPolls: Yogi Adityanath casts his vote at booth no. 3705 in Gorakhpur pic.twitter.com/2CWIrxbqAV — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 × Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party will be contesting in 40 constituencies in the sixth phase with alliance partner Congress slugging it out in the rest of the nine constituencies. BJP is contesting 45 seats and its ally Apna Dal is fighting for one seat. There are over 1.72 crore electorate who will decide the fate of 635 candidates across seven districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh. #UttarPradeshpolls: Voting on 49 seats across 7 districts in sixth phase underway, visuals from Mau booth no. 280 pic.twitter.com/5O2Sb764QB — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 × Special efforts made for differently abled voters, they are being assisted by helpers & wheelchairs:Nikhil C Shukla, Mau District Magistrate pic.twitter.com/DwLowsHMln — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 × (WION)

Voting begins in sixth phase of Uttar Pradesh elections

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned for the BJP in a mega-rally held in Uttar Pradesh&#39;s Jaunpur district near his&nbsp;home constituency of Varanasi.&nbsp;

The prime minister slammed Opposition parties for politicising the Indian Army&#39;s surgical strikes across the Line of Control in Pakistan in September last year.&nbsp;

&quot;It is unfortunate that some political parties are questioning the Army out of political motives. For them even national security is a political tool,&quot; Modi said at the election rally in Jaunpur.

&quot;It is unfortunate that some parties, in their greed for power, are just focusing on politics of opposing. But the people of the nation will not forgive this...&quot; he said.

PM Modi also claimed that the Congress government had ignored the Army&#39;s demand for One Rank One Pension (OROP) for 40 years.

&quot;For 40 years our forces demanded OROP but nothing happened. I had promised a BJP government will deliver on OROP and we did,&quot; PM Modi said.

He also added that the Congress &quot;made fun&quot; of soldiers by sanctioning just Rs 500 crore for the OROP scheme before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

&quot;They announced Rs 500 crore for OROP, and tried to cash in on it during the Lok Sabha polls. When we calculated, we found that Rs 12,000 crore is needed for OROP,&quot; Modi said. &quot;Announcing just Rs 500 crore was cheating the Army.&quot;

Earlier, thousands of people lined-up for PM Modi&#39;s roadshow in Varanasi which goes to polls on March 8.

Eastern Uttar Pradesh witnessing the sixth phase of polling today.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash">#WATCH</a>: Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s roadshow proceeds in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi <a href="https://t.co/nBirbVemSr">pic.twitter.com/nBirbVemSr</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/837944065882742784">March 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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PM Modi&#39;s roadshow was met with huge crowds including BJP workers who lined the streets as the prime minister&#39;s cavalcade moved through the city.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash">#Visuals</a> PM Modi&#39;s roadshow in Varanasi. BJP is contesting on 4, it&#39;s ally AD on 1, out of 5 assembly constituencies under Varanasi Loksabha <a href="https://t.co/Ou2oWF5998">pic.twitter.com/Ou2oWF5998</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/837924232600281089">March 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

It concluded with the prime minister offering prayers at the famous Kaal Bhairav Temple. The roadshow began from &nbsp;the main gate of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus main gate along with BJP chief Amit Shah.

Before beginning the roadshow, PM Modi put a garland on the statue of freedom fighter Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, who was also the founder of BHU.&nbsp;

There were reports of Samajwadi Pary workers erecting a stage in the middle of the prime minister&#39;s route which was removed by the police. Seven SP workers were detained by police.

BSP chief Mayawati also campaigned in Varanasi the same day, accusing the BJP of failing up to clean the Ganga river which remains one of the world&#39;s most polluted rivers. In 2014, Modi had famously promised to clean up the river as a part of his poll promise.

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They haven&#39;t yet cleaned mother Ganga. Along with you people, this time mother Ganga will punish them too: Mayawati in Varanasi. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPPolls?src=hash">#UPPolls</a> <a href="https://t.co/bknAGtbKRf">pic.twitter.com/bknAGtbKRf</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/837960100002177025">March 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav also held a roadshow in the city.

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Congress VP Rahul Gandhi and UP CM Akhilesh Yadav hold joint roadshow in Varanasi <a href="https://t.co/JbH3u69SZ3">pic.twitter.com/JbH3u69SZ3</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/837958758403821568">March 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh and his wife Dimple Yadav also offered prayers at the city&#39;s Kashi Vishwanath Temple. 
 
&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Watch?src=hash">#Watch</a> UP CM Akhilesh Yadav,Dimple Yadav&amp; Congress VP Rahul Gandhi offer prayers at Kashi Vishwanath temple,Varanasi.Raj Babbar also present <a href="https://t.co/fqunSsNmld">pic.twitter.com/fqunSsNmld</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/838034010693636100">March 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party is contesting two out of five Assembly seats which fall under the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, currently held by the BJP.

The Congress has fielded candidates on three of the seats which cover almost the entire city. The SP is fighting the predominantly rural Rohaniya and Sevapuri.

In the 2012 Assembly elections, the Congress finished as the runner-up in Varanasi South and Varanasi Cantt.

In Varanasi North, the SP had finished third, behind BJP and BSP, and was followed closely by the Congress.

(WION with agency inputs)

At an election rally in neighbouring Jaunpur, PM Modi accused the Opposition of ignoring the Army's demand for One Rank One Pension (OROP)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned for the BJP in a mega-rally held in Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur district near his home constituency of Varanasi. The prime minister slammed Opposition parties for politicising the Indian Army's surgical strikes across the Line of Control in Pakistan in September last year. "It is unfortunate that some political parties are questioning the Army out of political motives. For them even national security is a political tool," Modi said at the election rally in Jaunpur. "It is unfortunate that some parties, in their greed for power, are just focusing on politics of opposing. But the people of the nation will not forgive this..." he said. PM Modi also claimed that the Congress government had ignored the Army's demand for One Rank One Pension (OROP) for 40 years. "For 40 years our forces demanded OROP but nothing happened. I had promised a BJP government will deliver on OROP and we did," PM Modi said. He also added that the Congress "made fun" of soldiers by sanctioning just Rs 500 crore for the OROP scheme before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. "They announced Rs 500 crore for OROP, and tried to cash in on it during the Lok Sabha polls. When we calculated, we found that Rs 12,000 crore is needed for OROP," Modi said. "Announcing just Rs 500 crore was cheating the Army." Earlier, thousands of people lined-up for PM Modi's roadshow in Varanasi which goes to polls on March 8. Eastern Uttar Pradesh witnessing the sixth phase of polling today. #WATCH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow proceeds in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi pic.twitter.com/nBirbVemSr — ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 × PM Modi's roadshow was met with huge crowds including BJP workers who lined the streets as the prime minister's cavalcade moved through the city. #Visuals PM Modi's roadshow in Varanasi. BJP is contesting on 4, it's ally AD on 1, out of 5 assembly constituencies under Varanasi Loksabha pic.twitter.com/Ou2oWF5998 — ANI (@ANI_news) March 4, 2017 × It concluded with the prime minister offering prayers at the famous Kaal Bhairav Temple. The roadshow began from the main gate of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus main gate along with BJP chief Amit Shah. Before beginning the roadshow, PM Modi put a garland on the statue of freedom fighter Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, who was also the founder of BHU. There were reports of Samajwadi Pary workers erecting a stage in the middle of the prime minister's route which was removed by the police. Seven SP workers were detained by police. BSP chief Mayawati also campaigned in Varanasi the same day, accusing the BJP of failing up to clean the Ganga river which remains one of the world's most polluted rivers. In 2014, Modi had famously promised to clean up the river as a part of his poll promise. They haven't yet cleaned mother Ganga. Along with you people, this time mother Ganga will punish them too: Mayawati in Varanasi. #UPPolls pic.twitter.com/bknAGtbKRf — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 × Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav also held a roadshow in the city. Congress VP Rahul Gandhi and UP CM Akhilesh Yadav hold joint roadshow in Varanasi pic.twitter.com/JbH3u69SZ3 — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 × Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh and his wife Dimple Yadav also offered prayers at the city's Kashi Vishwanath Temple. #Watch UP CM Akhilesh Yadav,Dimple Yadav& Congress VP Rahul Gandhi offer prayers at Kashi Vishwanath temple,Varanasi.Raj Babbar also present pic.twitter.com/fqunSsNmld — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 4, 2017 × Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party is contesting two out of five Assembly seats which fall under the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, currently held by the BJP. The Congress has fielded candidates on three of the seats which cover almost the entire city. The SP is fighting the predominantly rural Rohaniya and Sevapuri. In the 2012 Assembly elections, the Congress finished as the runner-up in Varanasi South and Varanasi Cantt. In Varanasi North, the SP had finished third, behind BJP and BSP, and was followed closely by the Congress. (WION with agency inputs)

Uttar Pradesh elections: PM Modi, Rahul-Akhilesh, Mayawati converge at battleground Varanasi

By Iftikhar Gilani

India&#39;s oldest party the Congress is split between baying for former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit&#39;s blood after she was reported to have called Rahul Gandhi &quot;immature&quot; or blaming Gandhi himself for taking so long to take over the party. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Rahul is the vice president of the Congress party, while his mother Sonia holds the post of president.&nbsp;

Sheila Dikshit meanwhile has said that she was misquoted by the media.&nbsp;

Feeling jittery about the BJP victory in Maharashtra civic body elections on Thursday despite demonetisation-induced&nbsp;hardships, Congress strategists are also mulling the need to change the party&#39;s campaign strategy in the ongoing Uttar Pradesh elections. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The party leaders feel that an over-emphasis on demonetisation has only worked in favour of the BJP, which may use it in the remaining three phases of the Assembly polls, pitting the poor against the rich.

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<h5>A senior party leader also wondered that after the Congress Working Committee adopted a resolution last year asking Rahul to take over as president, why then was he shirking the responsibility</h5>
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In a couple of tweets with hashtag #DontTwistMyWords, Dikshit on Friday afternoon went into&nbsp;damage-control mode saying the Congress vice-president has the &quot;sensitivity&quot; and &quot;concern of a mature leader&quot;. But not before it was used to the hilt by BJP president Amit Shah, who at a rally in Azamgarh said the entire nation agreed with Dikshit&#39;s &#39;fact&#39;, and wondered why he was &#39;forced into&#39; the state by the Congress? &quot;Sheila ji, the whole country acknowledges the fact which you stated, that Rahul is immature, but I want to ask why are you enforcing him in Uttar Pradesh.&quot;

Earlier, a former minister in Maharashtra, Nitin Raut, in an open letter, blamed the Congress leaders for debacle in Maharashtra civic polls. &quot;The biggest opponents for the party were not the BJP or Shiv Sena, but an unscrupulous Congress leader. A complete washout of the party pains a hardcore Congressman in me, but what shames me is that this was done on purpose,&quot; he said.

Raut said that with the BJP and the Sena at loggerheads and raising the pitch against each other, any experienced Congress leader could have inspired his party to put up a strong show. &quot;The results put a big question mark on the leadership in the state and its capability to prepare the party for the big test in 2019. It is of utmost importance to show party cadre and supporters that there is still hope, something which can happen only if we put people who can take party rank and file along at the top,&quot; he wrote.

Dikshit&#39;s detractors in the party cited her past remarks as well. She was quoted in interview as saying that Rahul was &quot;still not mature and should be given (more) time&quot;.

The statement came at the worst time as the party is engaged in a neck-to-neck fight in UP. It also gave ammunition to the BJP, which spares no chance of attacking Rahul. This even forced the party to cancel its daily briefing on Friday, as no leader had idea, how to tackle Dikshit comments.

But some leaders at the party headquarters were blaming Rahul himself. &quot;The decision to make him president is taking too long. The complete surgery needs to happen soon. We are still debating whether he is capable to take over or not. I fear time has already run out. BJP has begun preparing for the next Lok Sabha elections and here we are still trying to deal with the last one,&quot; said a party office-bearer.

A senior party leader also wondered that after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) adopted a resolution last year asking Rahul to take over as president, why then was he shirking the responsibility. Unofficially, party president Sonia Gandhi has more or less withdrawn and sends all the files to Rahul for clearance. In case of Mumbai also, leaders were shocked why Rahul didn&#39;t crack the whip despite open fight between Sanjay Nirupam and Gurudas Kamath.

(A version of this report first appeared in DNA)

Some leaders are baying for her blood, others blame the party's current plight on delay in Rahul taking over the reins

By Iftikhar Gilani India's oldest party the Congress is split between baying for former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit's blood after she was reported to have called Rahul Gandhi "immature" or blaming Gandhi himself for taking so long to take over the party. Rahul is the vice president of the Congress party, while his mother Sonia holds the post of president. Sheila Dikshit meanwhile has said that she was misquoted by the media. Feeling jittery about the BJP victory in Maharashtra civic body elections on Thursday despite demonetisation-induced hardships, Congress strategists are also mulling the need to change the party's campaign strategy in the ongoing Uttar Pradesh elections. The party leaders feel that an over-emphasis on demonetisation has only worked in favour of the BJP, which may use it in the remaining three phases of the Assembly polls, pitting the poor against the rich. A senior party leader also wondered that after the Congress Working Committee adopted a resolution last year asking Rahul to take over as president, why then was he shirking the responsibility × In a couple of tweets with hashtag #DontTwistMyWords, Dikshit on Friday afternoon went into damage-control mode saying the Congress vice-president has the "sensitivity" and "concern of a mature leader". But not before it was used to the hilt by BJP president Amit Shah, who at a rally in Azamgarh said the entire nation agreed with Dikshit's 'fact', and wondered why he was 'forced into' the state by the Congress? "Sheila ji, the whole country acknowledges the fact which you stated, that Rahul is immature, but I want to ask why are you enforcing him in Uttar Pradesh." Earlier, a former minister in Maharashtra, Nitin Raut, in an open letter, blamed the Congress leaders for debacle in Maharashtra civic polls. "The biggest opponents for the party were not the BJP or Shiv Sena, but an unscrupulous Congress leader. A complete washout of the party pains a hardcore Congressman in me, but what shames me is that this was done on purpose," he said. Raut said that with the BJP and the Sena at loggerheads and raising the pitch against each other, any experienced Congress leader could have inspired his party to put up a strong show. "The results put a big question mark on the leadership in the state and its capability to prepare the party for the big test in 2019. It is of utmost importance to show party cadre and supporters that there is still hope, something which can happen only if we put people who can take party rank and file along at the top," he wrote. Dikshit's detractors in the party cited her past remarks as well. She was quoted in interview as saying that Rahul was "still not mature and should be given (more) time". The statement came at the worst time as the party is engaged in a neck-to-neck fight in UP. It also gave ammunition to the BJP, which spares no chance of attacking Rahul. This even forced the party to cancel its daily briefing on Friday, as no leader had idea, how to tackle Dikshit comments. But some leaders at the party headquarters were blaming Rahul himself. "The decision to make him president is taking too long. The complete surgery needs to happen soon. We are still debating whether he is capable to take over or not. I fear time has already run out. BJP has begun preparing for the next Lok Sabha elections and here we are still trying to deal with the last one," said a party office-bearer. A senior party leader also wondered that after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) adopted a resolution last year asking Rahul to take over as president, why then was he shirking the responsibility. Unofficially, party president Sonia Gandhi has more or less withdrawn and sends all the files to Rahul for clearance. In case of Mumbai also, leaders were shocked why Rahul didn't crack the whip despite open fight between Sanjay Nirupam and Gurudas Kamath. (A version of this report first appeared in DNA)

India: Congress divided between blaming Rahul or Sheila after she calls him 'immature'

India&#39;s largest state Uttar Pradesh, which is in the midst of a longdrawn local&nbsp;elections, morphed into a battleground on Sunday as contenders adopted a no&nbsp;holds barred policy while attacking each other.

While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party, excoriated the ruling Samajwadi Party and its chief minister for being weak, the prepoll alliance of SP and the Congress&nbsp;attacked the BJP for paralysing the citizens due to demonetisation.

Addressing an election campaign in an Uttar Pradesh town Fatehpura, Prime Minister Modi ripped into the SP over religious partisanship, deteriorating law and order and alliance forged with the Congress.

Modi indirectly said the Akhilesh Yadav administration was more keen on appeasing the Muslims.&nbsp;

&quot;If there is electricity during Ramzan (an Islamic&nbsp;festival of fasting), there should be electricity during Diwali (Hindu festival of lights) too,&quot; he said, though the original statement was made in Hindi.

He also spoke about how police were being forced to take orders from the ruling party, calling it a &#39;goondaraj&#39; (the government of the powerful).

&quot;Police stations have become Samajwadi Pary office. Why is the policing system so inefficient in the state?&quot; Modi asked to the large crowd that massed at his rally.

He also looked at the SP-Congress alliance with suspicion, saying that the ruling party of Uttar Pradesh had shed its philosophy by tying up with a party that has &quot;looted&quot; the country.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav rubbished all negative talks about the alliance on Sunday, saying that it is &quot;not an alliance of two parties but an alliance of two young politicians&quot; determined to improve the state.

After casting his vote in Saifai, Akhilesh said, &quot;The voters have made up their mind in favour of the SP-Congress alliance.&quot;

SP leader and Akhilesh&#39;s uncle Shivpal Yadav complained that his supporters were attacked by the &quot;political opponents&quot; in his Jaswantnagar constituency.

On Saturday, Congress&#39; Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party&#39;s Akhilesh Yadav attacked BJP&#39;s Modi and said his &quot;smile had evaporated&quot; at the news of their alliance.

Using a reference from a popular Hindi film &#39;Sholay&#39;, Gandhi called Modi as the villain of the piece -- Gabbar Singh.&nbsp;

He also accused Modi of doing little to alleviate the crippling debts of farmers.

&quot;Now he (Modi)&nbsp;is saying let BJP win and he will get the loans waived. Modiji you are the prime minister. You don&#39;t have to win elections to waive the debts,&quot; he said on Saturday.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the third phase of the elections is under way today (February 20) as more than 800 candidates contest 69 assembly seats.

(WION)

BJP's Narendra Modi called SP's reign as being ineffective, while the SP-Congress combo dished out equally blistering attacks

India's largest state Uttar Pradesh, which is in the midst of a longdrawn local elections, morphed into a battleground on Sunday as contenders adopted a no holds barred policy while attacking each other. While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party, excoriated the ruling Samajwadi Party and its chief minister for being weak, the prepoll alliance of SP and the Congress attacked the BJP for paralysing the citizens due to demonetisation. Addressing an election campaign in an Uttar Pradesh town Fatehpura, Prime Minister Modi ripped into the SP over religious partisanship, deteriorating law and order and alliance forged with the Congress. Modi indirectly said the Akhilesh Yadav administration was more keen on appeasing the Muslims. "If there is electricity during Ramzan (an Islamic festival of fasting), there should be electricity during Diwali (Hindu festival of lights) too," he said, though the original statement was made in Hindi. He also spoke about how police were being forced to take orders from the ruling party, calling it a 'goondaraj' (the government of the powerful). "Police stations have become Samajwadi Pary office. Why is the policing system so inefficient in the state?" Modi asked to the large crowd that massed at his rally. He also looked at the SP-Congress alliance with suspicion, saying that the ruling party of Uttar Pradesh had shed its philosophy by tying up with a party that has "looted" the country. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav rubbished all negative talks about the alliance on Sunday, saying that it is "not an alliance of two parties but an alliance of two young politicians" determined to improve the state. After casting his vote in Saifai, Akhilesh said, "The voters have made up their mind in favour of the SP-Congress alliance." SP leader and Akhilesh's uncle Shivpal Yadav complained that his supporters were attacked by the "political opponents" in his Jaswantnagar constituency. On Saturday, Congress' Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav attacked BJP's Modi and said his "smile had evaporated" at the news of their alliance. Using a reference from a popular Hindi film 'Sholay', Gandhi called Modi as the villain of the piece -- Gabbar Singh. He also accused Modi of doing little to alleviate the crippling debts of farmers. "Now he (Modi) is saying let BJP win and he will get the loans waived. Modiji you are the prime minister. You don't have to win elections to waive the debts," he said on Saturday. Meanwhile, the third phase of the elections is under way today (February 20) as more than 800 candidates contest 69 assembly seats. (WION)

Uttar Pradesh elections: Contenders take jibes at each other as campaign rhetoric raises stakes

By Amit Shah &amp; Manan Kumar

Amidst the heady mix of galouti kebabs, biryani and politics, Awadh is savouring the attention of every political partiy in the battle for Uttar Pradesh.

It is in this region, most of which goes to the polls in the third phase of the UP election on Sunday, that the BJP is hoping to weaken the Samajwadi Party (SP), which had swept it in 2012, winning 55 of the 69 seats.

As polling neared, all four parties &mdash; SP, BJP, BSP and Congress &mdash; campaigned aggressively in the region, which falls in the central part of the state. &ldquo;All parties were reaching out combatively. They are giving either fuel for motorbikes or Rs 100, or both,&rdquo; said Vinay Yadav, a taxi driver who has been travelling in the region.

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The BJP, which is confident of having &ldquo;done well&rdquo; in the first two phases in the western parts of UP, is pinning its hopes on a ripple effect in the rest of the state. The other calculation of the party is that it has managed to woo the non-Yadav OBCs like the Kurmis, Kushwahas and Mauryas. The region has a high concentration of backward communities, apart from Brahmins and Rajputs, the upper-caste communities that have been the BJP&rsquo;s traditional supporters.

Admitting that Awadh had been a major challenge for the BJP because of the caste composition of the region, a party leader said the scenario had changed after the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 when the OBCs and even some Scheduled Castes voted for it. The BJP is counting on two factors &mdash; Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s rallies and giving tickets to a large number of OBCs. Modi held two rallies in a day, in Barabanki and Hardoi, this week, besides in Kannauj, Dimple Yadav&rsquo;s Lok Sabha seat.

&ldquo;The situation has now changed. We have the support of the OBCs,&rdquo; said state BJP vice-president JPS Rathore.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav faces a bigger challenge in Awadh. He faces the task of retaining the SP&rsquo;s tally of 2012, when it had wiped out the BJP and BSP in the region under the leadership of his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. The SP, whose strongholds go to polls in this phase, had swept it in the last Assembly polls, despite a lower presence of its Yadav support base. BSP had won six seats and BJP five.

The Modi-versus-Akhilesh debate has dominated the election scenario in Awadh, which could turn out to be a make-or-break region for both parties. Modi, who is the BJP&rsquo;s strongest vote-puller in a battle without a chief ministerial face, underlined the fact that he was an MP from the state and described himself as UP&rsquo;s &lsquo;adopted son&rsquo;.

Meanwhile, BSP supremo Mayawati has promised a separate Bundelkhand to dent the SP&rsquo;s bastion. Part of the Bundelkhand region, a parched region that falls at the bottom of all social indicators, overlaps the Assembly constituencies that are going to polls in the third phase. Addressing rallies on Saturday near Unnao and Etawah, Mayawati also raised the pitch of the campaign by declaring that if her party came to power, it will finish the RSS in UP.

(This report first appeared in DNA)

The Awadh region, which goes to the polls today, was swept by the SP in 2012. This time around, the BJP believes things will be different

By Amit Shah & Manan Kumar Amidst the heady mix of galouti kebabs, biryani and politics, Awadh is savouring the attention of every political partiy in the battle for Uttar Pradesh. It is in this region, most of which goes to the polls in the third phase of the UP election on Sunday, that the BJP is hoping to weaken the Samajwadi Party (SP), which had swept it in 2012, winning 55 of the 69 seats. As polling neared, all four parties — SP, BJP, BSP and Congress — campaigned aggressively in the region, which falls in the central part of the state. “All parties were reaching out combatively. They are giving either fuel for motorbikes or Rs 100, or both,” said Vinay Yadav, a taxi driver who has been travelling in the region. The Modi-versus-Akhilesh debate has dominated the election scenario in Awadh, which could turn out to be a make-or-break region for both parties × The BJP, which is confident of having “done well” in the first two phases in the western parts of UP, is pinning its hopes on a ripple effect in the rest of the state. The other calculation of the party is that it has managed to woo the non-Yadav OBCs like the Kurmis, Kushwahas and Mauryas. The region has a high concentration of backward communities, apart from Brahmins and Rajputs, the upper-caste communities that have been the BJP’s traditional supporters. Admitting that Awadh had been a major challenge for the BJP because of the caste composition of the region, a party leader said the scenario had changed after the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 when the OBCs and even some Scheduled Castes voted for it. The BJP is counting on two factors — Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rallies and giving tickets to a large number of OBCs. Modi held two rallies in a day, in Barabanki and Hardoi, this week, besides in Kannauj, Dimple Yadav’s Lok Sabha seat. “The situation has now changed. We have the support of the OBCs,” said state BJP vice-president JPS Rathore. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav faces a bigger challenge in Awadh. He faces the task of retaining the SP’s tally of 2012, when it had wiped out the BJP and BSP in the region under the leadership of his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. The SP, whose strongholds go to polls in this phase, had swept it in the last Assembly polls, despite a lower presence of its Yadav support base. BSP had won six seats and BJP five. The Modi-versus-Akhilesh debate has dominated the election scenario in Awadh, which could turn out to be a make-or-break region for both parties. Modi, who is the BJP’s strongest vote-puller in a battle without a chief ministerial face, underlined the fact that he was an MP from the state and described himself as UP’s ‘adopted son’. Meanwhile, BSP supremo Mayawati has promised a separate Bundelkhand to dent the SP’s bastion. Part of the Bundelkhand region, a parched region that falls at the bottom of all social indicators, overlaps the Assembly constituencies that are going to polls in the third phase. Addressing rallies on Saturday near Unnao and Etawah, Mayawati also raised the pitch of the campaign by declaring that if her party came to power, it will finish the RSS in UP. (This report first appeared in DNA)

UP elections, phase 3: BJP takes battle to Samajwadi Party stronghold

Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi made their first joint appearance in Congress bastion Rae Bareli in the ongoing Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh elections.

The Congress vice-president attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not fulfilling the promises made to the people of the state.&nbsp;

At a rally in Fatehpur district, Rahul said the rose tainted picture painted by PM Modi in 2014 of bringing development to the state was a stark contrast to the scenario two-and-a-half years later. He used the example of blockbuster film &quot;Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge&quot; and dacoit Gabbar Singh to draw a comparison between the promises and the current situation in the state.

&quot;In 2014, Modiji had said that good days will come. He showed a Dilwale Dulhania picture, after two-and-a-half years Gabbar Singh has come to the state,&quot; Rahul Gandhi said. 
&nbsp; 
He alleged that PM Modi would use the money of the people deposited in banks to waive off loans of 50 families.&nbsp;

He also accused the prime minister of centralised rule, leaving his ministers like Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley without any work.

&nbsp;

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Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi made their first joint appearance in Congress bastion Rae Bareli in the ongoing Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh elections (WION)
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&quot;Whatever Modiji does is on his own. He took away LK Advani&#39;s work. Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley have no work,&quot; the Congress leader alleged.

Later, at a rally in Rae Bareli, Rahul Gandhi accused PM Modi of snatching food park project from the constituency&nbsp;&quot;to take revenge&quot;. He said a rail factory had been put on hold in Rae Bareli, the&nbsp;Lok Sabha constituency of his mother, Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Rahul also criticised the prime minister for seeking votes in lieu of the loan waiver dole for farmers. 
 
&quot;When the UPA government was at the Centre, we were not in power in UP, but we waived off Rs 70,000 crore loans of farmers. Why can&#39;t Modi do it?,&quot; he said&nbsp;

Modiji has not fulfilled the promises made to the people of Varanasi -- of making a Bhojpuri film city and of cleaning up the Ganga river, he said.

&quot;Modiji was in Varanasi in 2014 where he coined a new slogan -- &#39;Ganga Maiyya&#39;, his mother -- and made a long list of promises, but nothing has happened there yet,&quot; he said while detailing how Modi during the 2014 polls had promised cleanliness in the temple town, clean Ghats, clean river, potable water to every household, free internet and much more.

He said that PM Modi thought of farmers only when elections were imminent. 
 
The Congress vice-president also slammed PM Modi over demonetisation and said it had caused significant damage to small businesses, shopkeepers and farmers.

Priyanka slams Modi over &quot;adopted son&quot;&nbsp;remark

Rahul&#39;s sister, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi slammed PM Modi over his &quot;adopted son of Uttar Pradesh&quot; remark made at a rally yesterday (February 16). She said the state did not need to adopt any one for its development.&nbsp;She said every youth of Uttar Pradesh could become a politician and develop the state.

&quot;Modi said UP has adopted him as a son. Does UP need to adopt anyone from outside for its development. UP doesn&#39;t need an &#39;adopted son&#39; to do good for the state. Rahul Gandhi (Congress Vice-President) and (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister) Akhilesh ji (Yadav) are two sons of UP,&quot; Priyanka said at the constituency Maharaniganj in Rae Bareli. 
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PM ne kaha mujhe UP ne godh liya aur mein UP ka vikas karoonga. Kya UP ko vikas ke liye kisi ko godh lene ki zarurat hai?: Priyanka G Vadra <a href="https://t.co/e7MFAYZY9T">pic.twitter.com/e7MFAYZY9T</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/832553314315182081">February 17, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

She alleged Modi had done nothing for his constituency Varanasi and accused him of making hollow promises.

Clamour for Priyanka Gandhi to campaign in Raebareli and in Amethi increased after incumbent Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav campaigned for Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Devendra Pratap Singh against the Congress candidate Ashok Singh in Sereni on Wednesday.&nbsp;

Priyanka campaigned for the Congress in the ongoing Assembly elections after weeks of postponements.

The Congress leader was reportedly refraining from campaigning in UP since the seat-sharing formula between the Congress and the SP in these constituencies remained a grey area.

Since both the alliance partners have now withdrawn five candidates each from their side, Priyanka is said to have agreed to come and campaign.

She was reportedly a key negotiator with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav when the alliance talks were on the brink of collapse.&nbsp;

Central minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani had attacked Priyanka Gandhi yeasterday saying the Congress leader was not campaigning in Amethi as she could not face people&#39;s questions.

Rae Bareli goes to polls on February 23 and Amethi on February 27. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

 
&nbsp;

Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi made their first joint appearance in Congress bastion Rae Bareli in the ongoing Assembly polls

Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi made their first joint appearance in Congress bastion Rae Bareli in the ongoing Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh elections. The Congress vice-president attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not fulfilling the promises made to the people of the state. At a rally in Fatehpur district, Rahul said the rose tainted picture painted by PM Modi in 2014 of bringing development to the state was a stark contrast to the scenario two-and-a-half years later. He used the example of blockbuster film "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" and dacoit Gabbar Singh to draw a comparison between the promises and the current situation in the state. "In 2014, Modiji had said that good days will come. He showed a Dilwale Dulhania picture, after two-and-a-half years Gabbar Singh has come to the state," Rahul Gandhi said. He alleged that PM Modi would use the money of the people deposited in banks to waive off loans of 50 families. He also accused the prime minister of centralised rule, leaving his ministers like Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley without any work. Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi made their first joint appearance in Congress bastion Rae Bareli in the ongoing Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh elections (WION) × "Whatever Modiji does is on his own. He took away LK Advani's work. Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley have no work," the Congress leader alleged. Later, at a rally in Rae Bareli, Rahul Gandhi accused PM Modi of snatching food park project from the constituency "to take revenge". He said a rail factory had been put on hold in Rae Bareli, the Lok Sabha constituency of his mother, Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Rahul also criticised the prime minister for seeking votes in lieu of the loan waiver dole for farmers. "When the UPA government was at the Centre, we were not in power in UP, but we waived off Rs 70,000 crore loans of farmers. Why can't Modi do it?," he said Modiji has not fulfilled the promises made to the people of Varanasi -- of making a Bhojpuri film city and of cleaning up the Ganga river, he said. "Modiji was in Varanasi in 2014 where he coined a new slogan -- 'Ganga Maiyya', his mother -- and made a long list of promises, but nothing has happened there yet," he said while detailing how Modi during the 2014 polls had promised cleanliness in the temple town, clean Ghats, clean river, potable water to every household, free internet and much more. He said that PM Modi thought of farmers only when elections were imminent. The Congress vice-president also slammed PM Modi over demonetisation and said it had caused significant damage to small businesses, shopkeepers and farmers. Priyanka slams Modi over "adopted son" remark Rahul's sister, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi slammed PM Modi over his "adopted son of Uttar Pradesh" remark made at a rally yesterday (February 16). She said the state did not need to adopt any one for its development. She said every youth of Uttar Pradesh could become a politician and develop the state. "Modi said UP has adopted him as a son. Does UP need to adopt anyone from outside for its development. UP doesn't need an 'adopted son' to do good for the state. Rahul Gandhi (Congress Vice-President) and (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister) Akhilesh ji (Yadav) are two sons of UP," Priyanka said at the constituency Maharaniganj in Rae Bareli. PM ne kaha mujhe UP ne godh liya aur mein UP ka vikas karoonga. Kya UP ko vikas ke liye kisi ko godh lene ki zarurat hai?: Priyanka G Vadra pic.twitter.com/e7MFAYZY9T — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 17, 2017 × She alleged Modi had done nothing for his constituency Varanasi and accused him of making hollow promises. Clamour for Priyanka Gandhi to campaign in Raebareli and in Amethi increased after incumbent Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav campaigned for Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Devendra Pratap Singh against the Congress candidate Ashok Singh in Sereni on Wednesday. Priyanka campaigned for the Congress in the ongoing Assembly elections after weeks of postponements. The Congress leader was reportedly refraining from campaigning in UP since the seat-sharing formula between the Congress and the SP in these constituencies remained a grey area. Since both the alliance partners have now withdrawn five candidates each from their side, Priyanka is said to have agreed to come and campaign. She was reportedly a key negotiator with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav when the alliance talks were on the brink of collapse. Central minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani had attacked Priyanka Gandhi yeasterday saying the Congress leader was not campaigning in Amethi as she could not face people's questions. Rae Bareli goes to polls on February 23 and Amethi on February 27. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Rahul invokes 'Dilwale Dulhania', dacoit Gabbar Singh to hit PM Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed Uttar Pradesh&#39;s ruling Samajwadi Party and the Opposition parties -- the Congress and the BSP -- for the lack of development in the state.

At an election rally in the state&#39;s Barabanki district, PM Modi claimed that in spite of the central government providing funds for farmers, the state government had not done any work in their favour. He said that Uttar Pradesh (UP) can develop only when the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress would be removed from the state.

&quot;Uttar Pradesh will progress only when the SP, BSP and Congress are removed. I urge people in UP to elect a BJP government devoted to development,&quot; he said while addressing a rally.

Till the time you will not punish SP, BSP and Congress, Uttar Pradesh will not change,&quot; he added.

Asserting confidence of achieving favourable mandate, Prime Minister Modi said an environment of contempt against the SP, BSP and Congress can be seen in Uttar Pradesh.

&quot;Our government is for the poor, the underprivileged, the marginalised, the farmers. You can change the situation by placing your finger on the right symbol,&quot; he said.

The PM also took pot shots at chief minister Akhilesh Yadav&#39;s government at another election rally in Hardoi district, alleging that police stations in the state had become the SP&#39;s office. He also vowed to eradicate the rule of goons (gunda-raj) in the state if the BJP came to power.&nbsp;

&quot;Can any political party&#39;s office be at police stations? The police take permission from the Samajwadi Party (SP) workers to lodge a case. Police stations have become the Samajwadi Party&#39;s offices. The highest number of political murders are perpetrated in UP.&nbsp;

Law and order has completely collapsed in the state. There should be no discrimination in the deliverance of justice,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

The PM, who was campaigning for the third and fourth phase elections in the state, vowed not to ditch the people in the state.

He drew a parallel with Lord Krishna who was born in UP but made Gujarat his &#39;karma bhoomi&#39; (place of work).

&quot;Krishna was born in Uttar Pradesh but made Gujarat his karma bhoomi. I was born in Gujarat but Uttar Pradesh has adopted me. It is a privilege for me. Uttar Pradesh is like &#39;mai-baap&#39;. I am not a son who would ditch his &#39;mai-baap&#39;. I will always care about Uttar Pradesh,&quot; he said.

The third phase of the UP assembly polls will take place on February 19. The results of the seven-phase elections will be announced on March 11.

Akhilesh Yadav hits back at Modi&#39;s inexperience barb, defends father Mulayam Singh

A day after PM Modi questioned him for forming a coalition with &quot;those who tried to murder&quot; his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav said Modi&#39;s advisors should have cited better examples like Firozabad where his party was defeated by the Congress in a by-poll.

The de facto chief of the SP said that his party had entered into an alliance with the Congress to keep communal forces at bay.

&quot;Why did he travel so far to 1984 to create anger in me against Congress. He could have mentioned Firozabad where Congress&#39; state unit chief (Raj Babbar) defeated us (in bypoll),&quot; he said, adding they were revisiting such an old incident only because they have already &quot;lost&quot; the elections.

Akhilesh Yadav also hit back at PM Modi for calling him &quot;inexperienced&quot; saying, he had learnt to cycle fast so that neither the BSP&#39;s elephant nor BJP&#39;s lotus could come anywhere near the SP. The elephant and the lotus are the elections symbols of the two parties.

&quot;They termed me as inexperienced but one can ride the bicycle (SP symbol) only after falling down at least once...I have learnt to ride bicycle and that too with great speed so that neither the elephant nor the lotus can come anywhere near,&quot; Akhilesh said at an election meeting in Karhal.

&quot;Modiji said in Kannauj that by entering into an alliance with Congress, I have shown inexperience...We have done this so as to remove all doubts among people about government formation...We have done this to form government and remove communal forces,&quot; he said.

On the BJP&#39;s &quot;achchey din&quot; (good days) slogan, he said, &quot;BJP people say SP could not bring achchey din...This was the slogan of BJP it was never given by the Samajwadis.&quot;

On the BJP&#39;s promise of loan waiver for farmers, he said, &quot;I want to ask what has their government done in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra (where farmers are committing suicide...first you help farmers of Maharashtra&quot;.

Both Gujarat and Maharashtra are ruled by the BJP.

Akhilesh also dismissed claims of tensions with Mulayam Singh claiming &quot;SP is not my party but that of Netaji (Mulayam)&quot;.

At a rally in Etawah, Akhilesh alleged that some people had deliberately tried to create a rift between Mulayam Singh and himself.

&quot;Those who have tried to create distance between Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and me, the people of Etawah should teach them a lesson,&quot; Akhilesh said. Jinhone Netaji aur mere beech khaayi paida ki hai, Etawah ke log usay sabak sikhaane ka kaam karna: Akhilesh Yadav in Etawah

&quot;The very people we trusted were the ones who made me and Netaji fight,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

PM Modi should stop &quot;Mann ki Baat&quot;: Rahul Gandhi

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi asked PM Modi to stop his radio programme &quot;Mann ki Baat&quot; and instead understand their sufferings in the wake of demonetisation.

Addressing an election rally in Sitapur, Rahul Gandhi also slammed Modi for not waiving off the loans of farmers.&nbsp;

&quot;There was a meeting yesterday (Wednesday). Some people raised their voice against demonetisation. Modiji asked, what is their problem?&quot;

&quot;Modiji, you should stop &quot;Mann Ki Baat&quot; and should listen to the people. You&#39;ll understand the problems people are facing due to demonetisation,&quot; he said.

Hitting out at Modi, Gandhi said that the Prime Minister does not need to be in power in Uttar Pradesh to waive off the loans of farmers.

&quot;To waive off loans, you (Modi) don&#39;t need to be in power in Uttar Pradesh for that. Your government is at the Centre, so you should waive off the loans. Why are you waiting for elections?&quot; Gandhi said. 
 
People won&#39;t be influenced by PM&#39;s &#39;adopted son&#39; drama: Mayawati

BSP chief Mayawati took a dig at PM Modi, saying that the People of UP will not be influenced by his drama of calling himself the adopted son of the state.

She also asked Modi not to spread false information about her party&#39;s work when they were in power in the state.

&quot;He can ask me if his people are unable to tell him,&quot; she said.

Mayawati also expressed confidence that the BSP would win with a majority in the upcoming elections.

&quot;I am glad to inform that in the two phases conducted in UP, majority of the seats have been won by the BSP candidates. I can assert that in the coming phases as well, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will lead. Our party will form the government in the state with full majority. Keeping in view the wrong policies and functioning of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party (SP), there is urgent need of BSP in Uttar Pradesh,&quot; she said. 
&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

PM Modi once again hit out at the Akhilesh Yadav government at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party and the Opposition parties -- the Congress and the BSP -- for the lack of development in the state. At an election rally in the state's Barabanki district, PM Modi claimed that in spite of the central government providing funds for farmers, the state government had not done any work in their favour. He said that Uttar Pradesh (UP) can develop only when the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress would be removed from the state. "Uttar Pradesh will progress only when the SP, BSP and Congress are removed. I urge people in UP to elect a BJP government devoted to development," he said while addressing a rally. Till the time you will not punish SP, BSP and Congress, Uttar Pradesh will not change," he added. Asserting confidence of achieving favourable mandate, Prime Minister Modi said an environment of contempt against the SP, BSP and Congress can be seen in Uttar Pradesh. "Our government is for the poor, the underprivileged, the marginalised, the farmers. You can change the situation by placing your finger on the right symbol," he said. The PM also took pot shots at chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's government at another election rally in Hardoi district, alleging that police stations in the state had become the SP's office. He also vowed to eradicate the rule of goons (gunda-raj) in the state if the BJP came to power. "Can any political party's office be at police stations? The police take permission from the Samajwadi Party (SP) workers to lodge a case. Police stations have become the Samajwadi Party's offices. The highest number of political murders are perpetrated in UP. Law and order has completely collapsed in the state. There should be no discrimination in the deliverance of justice," he said. The PM, who was campaigning for the third and fourth phase elections in the state, vowed not to ditch the people in the state. He drew a parallel with Lord Krishna who was born in UP but made Gujarat his 'karma bhoomi' (place of work). "Krishna was born in Uttar Pradesh but made Gujarat his karma bhoomi. I was born in Gujarat but Uttar Pradesh has adopted me. It is a privilege for me. Uttar Pradesh is like 'mai-baap'. I am not a son who would ditch his 'mai-baap'. I will always care about Uttar Pradesh," he said. The third phase of the UP assembly polls will take place on February 19. The results of the seven-phase elections will be announced on March 11. Akhilesh Yadav hits back at Modi's inexperience barb, defends father Mulayam Singh A day after PM Modi questioned him for forming a coalition with "those who tried to murder" his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav said Modi's advisors should have cited better examples like Firozabad where his party was defeated by the Congress in a by-poll. The de facto chief of the SP said that his party had entered into an alliance with the Congress to keep communal forces at bay. "Why did he travel so far to 1984 to create anger in me against Congress. He could have mentioned Firozabad where Congress' state unit chief (Raj Babbar) defeated us (in bypoll)," he said, adding they were revisiting such an old incident only because they have already "lost" the elections. Akhilesh Yadav also hit back at PM Modi for calling him "inexperienced" saying, he had learnt to cycle fast so that neither the BSP's elephant nor BJP's lotus could come anywhere near the SP. The elephant and the lotus are the elections symbols of the two parties. "They termed me as inexperienced but one can ride the bicycle (SP symbol) only after falling down at least once...I have learnt to ride bicycle and that too with great speed so that neither the elephant nor the lotus can come anywhere near," Akhilesh said at an election meeting in Karhal. "Modiji said in Kannauj that by entering into an alliance with Congress, I have shown inexperience...We have done this so as to remove all doubts among people about government formation...We have done this to form government and remove communal forces," he said. On the BJP's "achchey din" (good days) slogan, he said, "BJP people say SP could not bring achchey din...This was the slogan of BJP it was never given by the Samajwadis." On the BJP's promise of loan waiver for farmers, he said, "I want to ask what has their government done in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra (where farmers are committing suicide...first you help farmers of Maharashtra". Both Gujarat and Maharashtra are ruled by the BJP. Akhilesh also dismissed claims of tensions with Mulayam Singh claiming "SP is not my party but that of Netaji (Mulayam)". At a rally in Etawah, Akhilesh alleged that some people had deliberately tried to create a rift between Mulayam Singh and himself. "Those who have tried to create distance between Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and me, the people of Etawah should teach them a lesson," Akhilesh said. Jinhone Netaji aur mere beech khaayi paida ki hai, Etawah ke log usay sabak sikhaane ka kaam karna: Akhilesh Yadav in Etawah "The very people we trusted were the ones who made me and Netaji fight," he added. PM Modi should stop "Mann ki Baat": Rahul Gandhi Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi asked PM Modi to stop his radio programme "Mann ki Baat" and instead understand their sufferings in the wake of demonetisation. Addressing an election rally in Sitapur, Rahul Gandhi also slammed Modi for not waiving off the loans of farmers. "There was a meeting yesterday (Wednesday). Some people raised their voice against demonetisation. Modiji asked, what is their problem?" "Modiji, you should stop "Mann Ki Baat" and should listen to the people. You'll understand the problems people are facing due to demonetisation," he said. Hitting out at Modi, Gandhi said that the Prime Minister does not need to be in power in Uttar Pradesh to waive off the loans of farmers. "To waive off loans, you (Modi) don't need to be in power in Uttar Pradesh for that. Your government is at the Centre, so you should waive off the loans. Why are you waiting for elections?" Gandhi said. People won't be influenced by PM's 'adopted son' drama: Mayawati BSP chief Mayawati took a dig at PM Modi, saying that the People of UP will not be influenced by his drama of calling himself the adopted son of the state. She also asked Modi not to spread false information about her party's work when they were in power in the state. "He can ask me if his people are unable to tell him," she said. Mayawati also expressed confidence that the BSP would win with a majority in the upcoming elections. "I am glad to inform that in the two phases conducted in UP, majority of the seats have been won by the BSP candidates. I can assert that in the coming phases as well, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will lead. Our party will form the government in the state with full majority. Keeping in view the wrong policies and functioning of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party (SP), there is urgent need of BSP in Uttar Pradesh," she said. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Now, PM Modi compares himself to Lord Krishna

With India&#39;s largest state Uttar Pradesh already swept up in the hurly-burly of elections, ruling Samajwadi Party and Congress jointly released a manifesto, promising a raft of sops and especially focusing on the youth.

The Samajwadi Party and the Congress joined hands before the elections as they set to take on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party in the state elections.

Free distribution of smartphones to youth,&nbsp;employment guarantee through skill development to 20 lakh youths, loan waiver to farmers, cheap power and proper remuneration for crops, are but few of the promises made by the parties.

It also commits to provide Rs 1,000 monthly pension to one crore poor families and one time food at Rs 10 to urban poor, 33 per cent reservation to women in government jobs and 50 per cent reservation in panchayat and local bodies elections besides power, road and water to every village in five years. 
 
Free cycles to all girl students of class IX to XII and meritorious students, free homes to over 10 lakh poor dalit and backward families, four lane roads connecting all districts and metro in six main cities also figure in the list. 
 
For the minorities and backwards, it promises representation in ratio to their population in all the welfare schemes as also police modernisation for making it more effective and phased expansion of dial-100 scheme. 
 
These commitments include the promises made by Rahul Gandhi during his state-wide Kisan Yatra, such as loan waiver to farmers and reduction of power tariff for them - a long time demand of Congress. 
 
&quot;At least Samajwadi people practically give shape to what they say but some others only do &#39;mann ki baat&#39; but &#39;kaam ki baat nahi karte&#39;... they do not say in rallies and in districts what are the achievements of their government,&quot; Akhilesh said. 
 
&quot;(They say) two families have entered into an alliance... 
 
I will say that two youths have come together it is an the alliance of SP and Congress...,&quot; he stressed in response to a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s comment in this regard. 
 
&quot;These are ten steps to development worked out by the two parties on which Congress and SP will work on coming to power in future,&quot; Akhilesh added.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

They have promised job employment and better remuneration for crops as India's most populous state heads for elections

With India's largest state Uttar Pradesh already swept up in the hurly-burly of elections, ruling Samajwadi Party and Congress jointly released a manifesto, promising a raft of sops and especially focusing on the youth. The Samajwadi Party and the Congress joined hands before the elections as they set to take on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party in the state elections. Free distribution of smartphones to youth, employment guarantee through skill development to 20 lakh youths, loan waiver to farmers, cheap power and proper remuneration for crops, are but few of the promises made by the parties. It also commits to provide Rs 1,000 monthly pension to one crore poor families and one time food at Rs 10 to urban poor, 33 per cent reservation to women in government jobs and 50 per cent reservation in panchayat and local bodies elections besides power, road and water to every village in five years. Free cycles to all girl students of class IX to XII and meritorious students, free homes to over 10 lakh poor dalit and backward families, four lane roads connecting all districts and metro in six main cities also figure in the list. For the minorities and backwards, it promises representation in ratio to their population in all the welfare schemes as also police modernisation for making it more effective and phased expansion of dial-100 scheme. These commitments include the promises made by Rahul Gandhi during his state-wide Kisan Yatra, such as loan waiver to farmers and reduction of power tariff for them - a long time demand of Congress. "At least Samajwadi people practically give shape to what they say but some others only do 'mann ki baat' but 'kaam ki baat nahi karte'... they do not say in rallies and in districts what are the achievements of their government," Akhilesh said. "(They say) two families have entered into an alliance... I will say that two youths have come together it is an the alliance of SP and Congress...," he stressed in response to a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment in this regard. "These are ten steps to development worked out by the two parties on which Congress and SP will work on coming to power in future," Akhilesh added. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Uttar Pradesh elections: Samajwadi Party, Congress release manifesto

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on India Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his &#39;raincoat&#39; jibe and &#39;jokes&#39; remark saying, Prime Minister &quot;likes to peep into people&#39;s bathrooms&quot;.

Without naming, Modi on Friday had said that the maximum number of jokes that one will find online were made on the ministers of the grand old party.

Addressing the media after releasing a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) at a joint press conference with Akhilesh Yadav, in Lucknow, Rahul Gandhi said, &quot;Modi likes to read &#39;janampatri&#39;, search Google and peep into bathrooms of people...but he is a failure as PM.&quot;

Modi will get a jolt from results of the ongoing UP polls , he added.

&quot;We want a government for the youth, one that has vision. These ten points in the joint programme are foundations of development,&quot; Rahul said talking about the CMP.

Stating that it is not good to have too much anger, Akhilesh Yadav also hit out at PM Modi saying, &quot;The anger shows that he is losing sand from beneath of his feet. No need for emotions and anger...these are elections for growth and prosperity of the state,&quot; he added.

&quot;PM and BJP should not mislead people and come forward and tell what they have given to the state which has elected all prominent NDA leaders,&quot; Akhilesh said.

Akhilesh also expressed happiness with the initial voting trend in the first phase of polling and said, &quot;First votes went to SP-Congress alliance and so alliance will be ahead.&quot;

Meanwhile, clearing the air about the differences between the alliance over a few seats, Rahul said, &quot;On 99 per cent of 403 seats there is no problem. Issues being resolved on remaining seats&quot;

&quot;We are fighting polls together...wrong to say there is no coordination in alliance,&quot; Rahul added.

Smartphones, skill development, free cycles and homes for the poor were among the key points in SP-Congress joint programme.

&nbsp;

(This report first appeared in DNA)

Smartphones, skill development, free cycles and homes for the poor among the key points in SP-Congress joint programme

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on India Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his 'raincoat' jibe and 'jokes' remark saying, Prime Minister "likes to peep into people's bathrooms". Without naming, Modi on Friday had said that the maximum number of jokes that one will find online were made on the ministers of the grand old party. Addressing the media after releasing a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) at a joint press conference with Akhilesh Yadav, in Lucknow, Rahul Gandhi said, "Modi likes to read 'janampatri', search Google and peep into bathrooms of people...but he is a failure as PM." Modi will get a jolt from results of the ongoing UP polls , he added. "We want a government for the youth, one that has vision. These ten points in the joint programme are foundations of development," Rahul said talking about the CMP. Stating that it is not good to have too much anger, Akhilesh Yadav also hit out at PM Modi saying, "The anger shows that he is losing sand from beneath of his feet. No need for emotions and anger...these are elections for growth and prosperity of the state," he added. "PM and BJP should not mislead people and come forward and tell what they have given to the state which has elected all prominent NDA leaders," Akhilesh said. Akhilesh also expressed happiness with the initial voting trend in the first phase of polling and said, "First votes went to SP-Congress alliance and so alliance will be ahead." Meanwhile, clearing the air about the differences between the alliance over a few seats, Rahul said, "On 99 per cent of 403 seats there is no problem. Issues being resolved on remaining seats" "We are fighting polls together...wrong to say there is no coordination in alliance," Rahul added. Smartphones, skill development, free cycles and homes for the poor were among the key points in SP-Congress joint programme. (This report first appeared in DNA)

India: Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi release Common Minimum Programme on poll day, mock PM Modi

Ahead of the first phase of polling in India&#39;s northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to take on the ruling Samajwadi Party and its coalition partner Congress today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the SP-Congress a tie-up between two families who have &quot;looted&quot;(robed) Uttar Pradesh and the country, and mocked Rahul Gandhi saying no leader has as many jokes on him as he does for his &quot;childish&quot; acts.

&quot;When both families were separate, they caused so much destruction in the country and Uttar Pradesh. What will happen when they have joined hands. If you want to save Uttar Pradesh, you will have to save it from these families,&quot; he said addressing a rally in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh.

With BJP locked in a tough fight in the state assembly polls, the Prime Minister dwelt at length on the &quot;family rule&quot; of the Yadav clan and cases of crimes under its watch, besides alleged &quot;corruption&quot; during the reign of Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati governments.

Modi, who has been accused by Congress of using foul language and repeatedly humiliating opposition after his raincoat jibe against former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, persisted with his shrill attack on rivals saying they have only served their families.

With Jats playing a key role in the two phases for which polling will be held tomorrow and in the second phase on February 15, he said a BJP government in the state will set up a farmers welfare fund named after Charan Singh, a noted Jat leader.
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Clearing the dues of sugarcane farmers and waiving loans of small and marginal farmers, both promises being part of the BJP&#39;s manifesto, will be a top priority for the state government if his party is voted to power, he declared.

It was, however, his attack on the SP-Congress alliance and the ruling Yadav family which was the focus of his speech.

&quot;I do not know Akhilesh Yadav much. I have met him a few times in meetings and it seemed to me after reading various reports that he is an educated young man who is trying to learn. I was hopeful that a young man will be fit for politics in 5-10 years,&quot; the Prime Minister said.

&quot;On the other hand there is a Congress leaders who does so many childish acts that if you do a search on computer, you will find that no other leader has as many jokes on him as he has.&quot;

&quot;Even senior Congress leaders keep a distance from him. When the leader avoided by his senior party leaders was embraced by Akhilesh, then I began doubting his wisdom. One can make blunders but not of this kind,&quot; Modi said, targeting the Congress vice president.

He said it is an alliance between two families, one of which &quot;looted&quot; the country and the other Uttar Pradesh.

He noted that so many members of the extended ruling Yadav family are MPs, MLAs and serving in various other capacities in government.&nbsp;While Bijnor with about 2,000 villages has one MP, there are so many of them in Parliament, assembly and other government bodies from Safai, the family village of Akhilesh Yadav, he said.

They made one caste (Yadav) as their vote bank but served only their family, he said. The opposition BJP is being touted as a probable winner by political pandits and poll surveys but the recent Congress, Samajwadi Party coalition has changed the political fervour in the northern state engaged in a bitter poll fight with even the Mayawati-led BSP vying for the top slot.

(WION with PTI inputs)
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PM Narendra Modi attacked the tie-up of the Congress and Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the first phase of polling tomorrow

Ahead of the first phase of polling in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to take on the ruling Samajwadi Party and its coalition partner Congress today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the SP-Congress a tie-up between two families who have "looted"(robed) Uttar Pradesh and the country, and mocked Rahul Gandhi saying no leader has as many jokes on him as he does for his "childish" acts. "When both families were separate, they caused so much destruction in the country and Uttar Pradesh. What will happen when they have joined hands. If you want to save Uttar Pradesh, you will have to save it from these families," he said addressing a rally in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh. With BJP locked in a tough fight in the state assembly polls, the Prime Minister dwelt at length on the "family rule" of the Yadav clan and cases of crimes under its watch, besides alleged "corruption" during the reign of Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati governments. Modi, who has been accused by Congress of using foul language and repeatedly humiliating opposition after his raincoat jibe against former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, persisted with his shrill attack on rivals saying they have only served their families. With Jats playing a key role in the two phases for which polling will be held tomorrow and in the second phase on February 15, he said a BJP government in the state will set up a farmers welfare fund named after Charan Singh, a noted Jat leader. Clearing the dues of sugarcane farmers and waiving loans of small and marginal farmers, both promises being part of the BJP's manifesto, will be a top priority for the state government if his party is voted to power, he declared. It was, however, his attack on the SP-Congress alliance and the ruling Yadav family which was the focus of his speech. "I do not know Akhilesh Yadav much. I have met him a few times in meetings and it seemed to me after reading various reports that he is an educated young man who is trying to learn. I was hopeful that a young man will be fit for politics in 5-10 years," the Prime Minister said. "On the other hand there is a Congress leaders who does so many childish acts that if you do a search on computer, you will find that no other leader has as many jokes on him as he has." "Even senior Congress leaders keep a distance from him. When the leader avoided by his senior party leaders was embraced by Akhilesh, then I began doubting his wisdom. One can make blunders but not of this kind," Modi said, targeting the Congress vice president. He said it is an alliance between two families, one of which "looted" the country and the other Uttar Pradesh. He noted that so many members of the extended ruling Yadav family are MPs, MLAs and serving in various other capacities in government. While Bijnor with about 2,000 villages has one MP, there are so many of them in Parliament, assembly and other government bodies from Safai, the family village of Akhilesh Yadav, he said. They made one caste (Yadav) as their vote bank but served only their family, he said. The opposition BJP is being touted as a probable winner by political pandits and poll surveys but the recent Congress, Samajwadi Party coalition has changed the political fervour in the northern state engaged in a bitter poll fight with even the Mayawati-led BSP vying for the top slot. (WION with PTI inputs)

PM Narendra Modi attacks 'family rule' in Uttar Pradesh election rally

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav held a joint roadshow in Agra on Friday.

Both leaders were hosted in an open top bus to showcase&nbsp;a united front to the opposition BJP and BSP in the state which is set to go the polls on 11th February. The road show which lasted for less than&nbsp;an hour was greeted by a flood of Samajwadi Party and Congress supporters. &nbsp;
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&nbsp;

The two leaders had earlier held a joint interaction on January 29 declaring their objective to &quot;defeat the fascist forces&quot; referring to the BJP and promising to usher in a &quot;storm of development&quot;. Rahul Gandhi had said that he shared both a personal and political relationship with the Uttar Pradesh chief minister and their coming together was akin to the &quot;meeting of the Ganga and Yamuna at the Sangam.&quot; Chief minister Akhilesh, pronounced that they were &quot;two wheels of the cycle.&quot;

The leaders also released the joint campaign slogan &#39;UP koh yeh saath pasand hai&#39; (UP relishes this alliance). Uttar Pradesh will be voting for a new state assembly in a seven-phase election between February 11 and March 8.

Out of the 403 assembly seats, the Congress will be contesting in 105 seats and the Samajwadi Party will field its candidates in rest of the 298 seats. 
&nbsp;

(WION with agency inputs)
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Both leaders were hosted in an open top bus to showcase?a united front to the opposition BJP and BSP ahead of the first phase of polls

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav held a joint roadshow in Agra on Friday. Both leaders were hosted in an open top bus to showcase a united front to the opposition BJP and BSP in the state which is set to go the polls on 11th February. The road show which lasted for less than an hour was greeted by a flood of Samajwadi Party and Congress supporters. The two leaders had earlier held a joint interaction on January 29 declaring their objective to "defeat the fascist forces" referring to the BJP and promising to usher in a "storm of development". Rahul Gandhi had said that he shared both a personal and political relationship with the Uttar Pradesh chief minister and their coming together was akin to the "meeting of the Ganga and Yamuna at the Sangam." Chief minister Akhilesh, pronounced that they were "two wheels of the cycle." The leaders also released the joint campaign slogan 'UP koh yeh saath pasand hai' (UP relishes this alliance). Uttar Pradesh will be voting for a new state assembly in a seven-phase election between February 11 and March 8. Out of the 403 assembly seats, the Congress will be contesting in 105 seats and the Samajwadi Party will field its candidates in rest of the 298 seats. (WION with agency inputs)

Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi hold joint road show in Agra

Hours after Samajwadi Party (SP) de facto leader Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi held their first joint press conference, SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav said will not campaign for the party.

Mulayam Singh, who had resolved an inter-party feud with son Akhilesh over the distribution of seats this month, told ANI on Sunday he was against the alliance.

&quot;I will not go anywhere to campaign for this (SP-Congress) alliance. SP was capable enough to contest and win elections alone, there was no need for the alliance. I am against this alliance,&quot; the SP founder told ANI.

He seemed to be upset over the SP conceding 105 seats to the Congress, saying he was concerned about the political fate of party leaders who had lost their seats as a part of the alliance deal.

&quot;Our party leaders whose tickets have been cut, what will they do? They have lost their chance to contest elections for the next five years,&quot; Mulayam Singh Yadav said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi addressed their first joint conference after an alliance between their parties for the high-stakes state assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. The two leaders launched the campaign with the&nbsp;tagline&nbsp;&quot;UP favours this alliance (UP ko ye saath pasand hai).&quot; The press conference was followed by a road show in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow.

The two leaders displayed a show of solidarity, with Rahul Gandhi claiming that their relationship was not just political but also a personal one. The Congress vice-president had also called Akhilesh a &quot;good boy&quot; who wasn&#39;t &quot;allowed to work&quot;.

&quot;We are like two wheels of the same cycle - one of progress and one of prosperity. Cycle and hand is a great combination,&quot; Akhilesh had said.

Rahul Gandhi had also refused to reveal whether his mother, Congress president Sonia Gandhi or Mulayam Singh would campaign for the alliance, saying that campaign strategy would be divulged.

&quot;If we reveal anything now,&nbsp;no suspense will remain,&quot; Akhilesh had said when asked about the seat-sharing in the constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi, earlier a point of contention between the two parties. 
 
(WION with inputs from ANI)

The Samajwadi Party patriarch's remarks come soon after Akhilesh Yadav's joint press conference and show of solidarity with Rahul Gandhi

Hours after Samajwadi Party (SP) de facto leader Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi held their first joint press conference, SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav said will not campaign for the party. Mulayam Singh, who had resolved an inter-party feud with son Akhilesh over the distribution of seats this month, told ANI on Sunday he was against the alliance. "I will not go anywhere to campaign for this (SP-Congress) alliance. SP was capable enough to contest and win elections alone, there was no need for the alliance. I am against this alliance," the SP founder told ANI. He seemed to be upset over the SP conceding 105 seats to the Congress, saying he was concerned about the political fate of party leaders who had lost their seats as a part of the alliance deal. "Our party leaders whose tickets have been cut, what will they do? They have lost their chance to contest elections for the next five years," Mulayam Singh Yadav said. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi addressed their first joint conference after an alliance between their parties for the high-stakes state assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. The two leaders launched the campaign with the tagline "UP favours this alliance (UP ko ye saath pasand hai)." The press conference was followed by a road show in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow. The two leaders displayed a show of solidarity, with Rahul Gandhi claiming that their relationship was not just political but also a personal one. The Congress vice-president had also called Akhilesh a "good boy" who wasn't "allowed to work". "We are like two wheels of the same cycle - one of progress and one of prosperity. Cycle and hand is a great combination," Akhilesh had said. Rahul Gandhi had also refused to reveal whether his mother, Congress president Sonia Gandhi or Mulayam Singh would campaign for the alliance, saying that campaign strategy would be divulged. "If we reveal anything now, no suspense will remain," Akhilesh had said when asked about the seat-sharing in the constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi, earlier a point of contention between the two parties. (WION with inputs from ANI)

Against Congress-SP alliance, won't campaign for them: Mulayam Singh

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi addressed their first joint conference after an alliance between their parties for the high-stakes state assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. The two leaders launched the campaign with the&nbsp;tagline&nbsp;&quot;UP favours this alliance (UP ko ye saath pasand hai).&quot; The press conference was followed by a road show in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow.

Here are the highlights from their address:&nbsp;

Akhilesh Yadav and I don&#39;t just have a political relationship, but also a personal one. Our alliance will truly help Uttar Pradesh: Rahul Gandhi 
 
The alliance has made the personal and political relationship between Akhilesh and me better: Rahul Gandhi

I had said Akhilesh is a good boy, but he wasn&#39;t allowed to work: Rahul Gandhi

Campaign strategy will not be divulged: Rahul Gandhi on whether mother Sonia, Akhilesh&#39;s father Mulayam Singh would campaign&nbsp;

Priyanka (sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) has been of tremendous help to me and I have been so to her, if she campaigns or not is her choice; she is an asset to Congress: Rahul Gandhi 
 
Whether we will form an alliance in Lok Sabha or not is open to discussion: Rahul Gandhi

This is people&#39;s alliance. Rahul Gandhi and I know each other. It is a matter of happiness that we will now also work together: Akhilesh Yadav

We are like two wheels of the same cycle - one of progress and one of prosperity. Cycle and hand is a great combination: Akhilesh Yadav

If we reveal anything now,&nbsp;no suspense will remain: Akhilesh on seat-sharing in constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi&nbsp; 
 
This alliance isn&#39;t opportunistic: Akhilesh Yadav

Uttar Pradesh will&nbsp;vote for a new state assembly in a seven-phase election between February 11 and March 8. Out of the 403 assembly seats, Congress will contest 105 seats and the Samajwadi Party will field its candidates in the remaining 298 seats. 
 
(WION)

"If we reveal anything now,?no suspense will remain," said Akhilesh on seat-sharing in constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi?

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi addressed their first joint conference after an alliance between their parties for the high-stakes state assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. The two leaders launched the campaign with the tagline "UP favours this alliance (UP ko ye saath pasand hai)." The press conference was followed by a road show in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow. Here are the highlights from their address: Akhilesh Yadav and I don't just have a political relationship, but also a personal one. Our alliance will truly help Uttar Pradesh: Rahul Gandhi The alliance has made the personal and political relationship between Akhilesh and me better: Rahul Gandhi I had said Akhilesh is a good boy, but he wasn't allowed to work: Rahul Gandhi Campaign strategy will not be divulged: Rahul Gandhi on whether mother Sonia, Akhilesh's father Mulayam Singh would campaign Priyanka (sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) has been of tremendous help to me and I have been so to her, if she campaigns or not is her choice; she is an asset to Congress: Rahul Gandhi Whether we will form an alliance in Lok Sabha or not is open to discussion: Rahul Gandhi This is people's alliance. Rahul Gandhi and I know each other. It is a matter of happiness that we will now also work together: Akhilesh Yadav We are like two wheels of the same cycle - one of progress and one of prosperity. Cycle and hand is a great combination: Akhilesh Yadav If we reveal anything now, no suspense will remain: Akhilesh on seat-sharing in constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi This alliance isn't opportunistic: Akhilesh Yadav Uttar Pradesh will vote for a new state assembly in a seven-phase election between February 11 and March 8. Out of the 403 assembly seats, Congress will contest 105 seats and the Samajwadi Party will field its candidates in the remaining 298 seats. (WION)

Akhilesh and I like 2 wheels of a cycle: Rahul Gandhi, Uttar Pradesh CM's first address post alliance

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

By Iftikhar Gilani

Despite the two parties sealing an electoral alliance in Uttar Pradesh, leaders of both the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) are still at loggerheads over seat sharing, particularly in Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies, which are the bastion of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

The two parties have failed to reach an agreement over 10 seats which fall in the two Lok Sabha constituencies. While the Amethi Parliamentary seat is held by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Rae Bareli is represented by his mother and party President Sonia Gandhi.

Citing a general understanding between chief minister Akhilesh Singh and Gandhi scion Priyanka Gandhi Vadra that sitting MLAs would not be disturbed, the SP has announced candidates for seven of those 10 seats, where it is already in power, leaving just three for its alliance partner. In retaliation, the Congress is now preparing to declare candidates for all 10 seats that it claims as its own and a reference point for the revival of the party&rsquo;s fortune in this critical state.

In the 2012 Assembly election, SP had won three seats in Amethi and four seats in Rae Bareli. The Congress won just two seats in Amethi but drew a blank in Sonia Gandhi&rsquo;s constituency.

Congress workers, who had been preparing to regain those seats, are reportedly offended at getting just three seats. To add insult to injury, the SP has fielded known Sonia and Rahul baiters Gayatri Prasad Prajapati from Amethi and Rakesh Pratap Singh from Garuriganj. In Rae Bareli, it has nominated Asha Kishore from Salon, Devendra Pratap Singh from Sareni and Manoj Kumar Pandey from Unchahar. All of them are currently MLAs.

Sources say local Congress workers have refused to campaign for these SP candidates. Admitting difficulties, Deepak Singh, an Amethi native and Congress Member of the Legislative Council, said he and other workers have over the past five years highlighted misdeeds and lack of commitment of the SP MLAs.

&ldquo;With what face will we now go door to door and ask people to vote for them?&rdquo; he questions.

Meanwhile, sources say the issue is not only about the Nehru-Gandhi bastions, but that confusion reigns over other seats as well.

After several rounds of negotiations in Lucknow over the Amethi-Rae Bareli seats, the squabbling has now reached the national capital, with Congress leaders asking Priyanka to intervene. Congress leaders say they gave up their claim on the Lucknow Cantonment seat, a party bastion, in order to accommodate Yadav family daughter-in-law Aparna. Party general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said there was still time left to decide on these seats, as they are going to polls in phase IV and V on February 23 and 27 respectively.

SP leaders point out that in 2012, despite Priyanka Gandhi&rsquo;s strenuous campaigning, Congress could retain only Jagdishpur and Tiloi seats under the Amethi parliamentary constituency. It lost all five Assembly constituencies in Rae Bareli, while the SP won four. Only Rae Bareli Sadar was won by Peace Party candidate Akhilesh Singh, whose daughter recently joined the Congress.

Tussle of two

Congress has so far officially declared 68 candidates for the 105 seats that the SP has ceded to it. In the first phase both parties have fielded candidates in as many as seven seats. In Koil seat in Aligarh district, which covers the Aligarh Muslim University and city suburbs as well as nearby Khair seats, both parties have fielded candidates

(This article first appeared in DNA)

The bone of contention is 10 seats in the Congress pocket boroughs of Amethi and Rae Bareli

By Iftikhar Gilani Despite the two parties sealing an electoral alliance in Uttar Pradesh, leaders of both the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) are still at loggerheads over seat sharing, particularly in Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies, which are the bastion of the Nehru-Gandhi family. The two parties have failed to reach an agreement over 10 seats which fall in the two Lok Sabha constituencies. While the Amethi Parliamentary seat is held by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Rae Bareli is represented by his mother and party President Sonia Gandhi. Citing a general understanding between chief minister Akhilesh Singh and Gandhi scion Priyanka Gandhi Vadra that sitting MLAs would not be disturbed, the SP has announced candidates for seven of those 10 seats, where it is already in power, leaving just three for its alliance partner. In retaliation, the Congress is now preparing to declare candidates for all 10 seats that it claims as its own and a reference point for the revival of the party’s fortune in this critical state. In the 2012 Assembly election, SP had won three seats in Amethi and four seats in Rae Bareli. The Congress won just two seats in Amethi but drew a blank in Sonia Gandhi’s constituency. Congress workers, who had been preparing to regain those seats, are reportedly offended at getting just three seats. To add insult to injury, the SP has fielded known Sonia and Rahul baiters Gayatri Prasad Prajapati from Amethi and Rakesh Pratap Singh from Garuriganj. In Rae Bareli, it has nominated Asha Kishore from Salon, Devendra Pratap Singh from Sareni and Manoj Kumar Pandey from Unchahar. All of them are currently MLAs. Sources say local Congress workers have refused to campaign for these SP candidates. Admitting difficulties, Deepak Singh, an Amethi native and Congress Member of the Legislative Council, said he and other workers have over the past five years highlighted misdeeds and lack of commitment of the SP MLAs. “With what face will we now go door to door and ask people to vote for them?” he questions. Meanwhile, sources say the issue is not only about the Nehru-Gandhi bastions, but that confusion reigns over other seats as well. After several rounds of negotiations in Lucknow over the Amethi-Rae Bareli seats, the squabbling has now reached the national capital, with Congress leaders asking Priyanka to intervene. Congress leaders say they gave up their claim on the Lucknow Cantonment seat, a party bastion, in order to accommodate Yadav family daughter-in-law Aparna. Party general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said there was still time left to decide on these seats, as they are going to polls in phase IV and V on February 23 and 27 respectively. SP leaders point out that in 2012, despite Priyanka Gandhi’s strenuous campaigning, Congress could retain only Jagdishpur and Tiloi seats under the Amethi parliamentary constituency. It lost all five Assembly constituencies in Rae Bareli, while the SP won four. Only Rae Bareli Sadar was won by Peace Party candidate Akhilesh Singh, whose daughter recently joined the Congress. Tussle of two Congress has so far officially declared 68 candidates for the 105 seats that the SP has ceded to it. In the first phase both parties have fielded candidates in as many as seven seats. In Koil seat in Aligarh district, which covers the Aligarh Muslim University and city suburbs as well as nearby Khair seats, both parties have fielded candidates (This article first appeared in DNA)

UP elections: Alliance done but SP, Cong continue to bicker over seat sharing

The Congress party in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is toying with the idea of using &quot;insider vs outsider&quot;&nbsp;idiom in the upcoming assembly elections. A highly placed source in the campaign team confirmed to WION that Congress would like to portray Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi as local boys against Narendra Modi as an outsider.&nbsp;

&ldquo;We have not formalised the proposal but it is one idea we would like to play with,&rdquo; the source said. The reason why Congress has zeroed in on this idea is because the BJP has not declared a chief ministerial candidate for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and would be banking on the charisma of Narendra Modi.&nbsp;

The source also said that since it is an assembly election Akhilesh and Rahul can easily be portrayed as local boys and the prime minister as a rank outsider since the chief minister&#39;s face is the one that stays back in the state once the election is over. 
&nbsp; 
The idea also stands an equally good chance of running in hot water as Modi as a national campaigner is still the most powerful face in the country. Narendra Modi also happens to be a sitting member of parliament (MP) from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

By calling him an outsider, Modi can also get to play on an emotional pitch that flimsy issues are being used to personally target him and lastly even Gandhis migrated from Kashmir and settled in Allahabad which embraced them as their own.&nbsp;

Finally, the idea that the prime minister who has the national mandate be called an outsider in itself looks weak when it was under his leadership that the BJP won 71 seats in Uttar Pradesh in the general elections in 2014. 
&nbsp; 
Many would say that this goes with Prashant Kishore&rsquo;s style which relies on powerful hashtags focused on a face rather than party issues. Even in this case Prashant Kishore will campaign focusing on the face rather than manifesto promises. From &quot;chai par charcha&quot;, and &quot;Bihar mein bahar ho, Nitish Kumar ho&quot; to &quot;Coffee with Captain&quot; and now &quot;Rawat sang dawat&quot;, all have been produced by Kishore&rsquo;s team. 
&nbsp; 
The sources also indicated that Priyanka Gandhi&rsquo;s role in UP campaign will remain very limited and focus will only be on the campaign of Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi. The source also confirmed to WION that Priyanka&rsquo;s campaign will be limited to Rai Barelli and Amethi and that too will remain low profile in nature. Sources said that SP-Congress campaign would have more local flavour than national.&nbsp;

(WION)

Sources also said that Priyanka Gandhi is likely to play a limited role in the upcoming UP assembly elections

The Congress party in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is toying with the idea of using "insider vs outsider" idiom in the upcoming assembly elections. A highly placed source in the campaign team confirmed to WION that Congress would like to portray Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi as local boys against Narendra Modi as an outsider. “We have not formalised the proposal but it is one idea we would like to play with,” the source said. The reason why Congress has zeroed in on this idea is because the BJP has not declared a chief ministerial candidate for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and would be banking on the charisma of Narendra Modi. The source also said that since it is an assembly election Akhilesh and Rahul can easily be portrayed as local boys and the prime minister as a rank outsider since the chief minister's face is the one that stays back in the state once the election is over. The idea also stands an equally good chance of running in hot water as Modi as a national campaigner is still the most powerful face in the country. Narendra Modi also happens to be a sitting member of parliament (MP) from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. By calling him an outsider, Modi can also get to play on an emotional pitch that flimsy issues are being used to personally target him and lastly even Gandhis migrated from Kashmir and settled in Allahabad which embraced them as their own. Finally, the idea that the prime minister who has the national mandate be called an outsider in itself looks weak when it was under his leadership that the BJP won 71 seats in Uttar Pradesh in the general elections in 2014. Many would say that this goes with Prashant Kishore’s style which relies on powerful hashtags focused on a face rather than party issues. Even in this case Prashant Kishore will campaign focusing on the face rather than manifesto promises. From "chai par charcha", and "Bihar mein bahar ho, Nitish Kumar ho" to "Coffee with Captain" and now "Rawat sang dawat", all have been produced by Kishore’s team. The sources also indicated that Priyanka Gandhi’s role in UP campaign will remain very limited and focus will only be on the campaign of Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi. The source also confirmed to WION that Priyanka’s campaign will be limited to Rai Barelli and Amethi and that too will remain low profile in nature. Sources said that SP-Congress campaign would have more local flavour than national. (WION)

UP elections: Akhilesh & Rahul to fight on 'insider vs outsider' card

The Congress has almost finalised the seat-sharing arrangement for the Assembly elections with the Samajwadi Party (SP) faction led by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav but it is subject to the Election Commission&#39;s verdict on the disputed bicycle symbol.

Congress insiders said that in case the warring SP factions decide to unite, as indicated by the 77-year old patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, the possibilities of the alliance would look remote.

On Friday, Mulayam Singh appeared yielding to the prospect of letting the faction led by his son to use the party&#39;s symbol. He told his supporters that he doesn&#39;t want to further damage the SP&#39;s chances in the polls because of its internal feud.

A hectic backroom activity had reached a feverish pitch in Delhi over the past few days, with the Congress general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad conducting meetings with Ramgopal Yadav, who is anchoring Akhilesh&#39;s faction, at a secret place to fine-tune the distribution of seats. The Congress is negotiating for some 150 seats, leaving 253 for Akhilesh&#39;s party.

Congress leaders said that they expect Ram Gopal Yadav to finally give them 110 to 120 seats and also seek an assurance that other alliance partners, such as the Rashtriya Lok Dal of Ajit Singh, Peace Party, breakaway Apana Dal of Krishna Patel, Janata Dal (U), Trinamool Congress and Nationalist Congress Party would get seats from the Congress quota.

Earlier, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as well as Azad had ruled out any alliance with the SP. Azad broke this news to Uttar Pradesh Congress leaders a few days back, asking them to quickly identify the seats to be sought in the bargain.

Congress is seeking to field candidates for 80 to 90 seats, leaving the rest for other alliance partners out of its quota of 110-120. State Congress leaders at a closed-door meeting with Gandhi had clearly told him last month that the party would not cut much ice on its own and a four-cornered fight would benefit the BJP.

Sources said it was after Priyanka came into the picture that he gave a green signal for the alliance. Earlier, the Congress was of the opinion that it should take advantage of the infighting in the SP and project itself as an alternative.

The idea is to project the UP arrangement as a &#39;Grand Alliance&#39; like the one formed ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections to defeat the BJP.

It is believed that Congress President Sonia Gandhi&#39;s daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been working with Akhilesh&#39;s wife Dimple, who is also an MP, to stitch the alliance.

Both of them are understood to have met a few days ago. But the SP sources said that Dimple had called on Priyanka to greet on her 45th birthday on Thursday. The deal may be announced as early as Tuesday after the EC passes its order on Monday.

Congress leaders apprehend that in case the two SP factions decide to come together again, there will be hardly any seats left for the alliance.

In case both the parties join hands, Priyanka and Dimple will be campaigning together. While Priyanka will be projected as the scion of the Gandhi family, Dimple will be branded as &#39;an ideal wife and bahu (daughter-in-law)&#39;.

(This report first appeared in DNA)

Congress insiders said that in case the warring SP factions decide to unite, the possibilities of the alliance would look remote

The Congress has almost finalised the seat-sharing arrangement for the Assembly elections with the Samajwadi Party (SP) faction led by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav but it is subject to the Election Commission's verdict on the disputed bicycle symbol. Congress insiders said that in case the warring SP factions decide to unite, as indicated by the 77-year old patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, the possibilities of the alliance would look remote. On Friday, Mulayam Singh appeared yielding to the prospect of letting the faction led by his son to use the party's symbol. He told his supporters that he doesn't want to further damage the SP's chances in the polls because of its internal feud. A hectic backroom activity had reached a feverish pitch in Delhi over the past few days, with the Congress general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad conducting meetings with Ramgopal Yadav, who is anchoring Akhilesh's faction, at a secret place to fine-tune the distribution of seats. The Congress is negotiating for some 150 seats, leaving 253 for Akhilesh's party. Congress leaders said that they expect Ram Gopal Yadav to finally give them 110 to 120 seats and also seek an assurance that other alliance partners, such as the Rashtriya Lok Dal of Ajit Singh, Peace Party, breakaway Apana Dal of Krishna Patel, Janata Dal (U), Trinamool Congress and Nationalist Congress Party would get seats from the Congress quota. Earlier, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as well as Azad had ruled out any alliance with the SP. Azad broke this news to Uttar Pradesh Congress leaders a few days back, asking them to quickly identify the seats to be sought in the bargain. Congress is seeking to field candidates for 80 to 90 seats, leaving the rest for other alliance partners out of its quota of 110-120. State Congress leaders at a closed-door meeting with Gandhi had clearly told him last month that the party would not cut much ice on its own and a four-cornered fight would benefit the BJP. Sources said it was after Priyanka came into the picture that he gave a green signal for the alliance. Earlier, the Congress was of the opinion that it should take advantage of the infighting in the SP and project itself as an alternative. The idea is to project the UP arrangement as a 'Grand Alliance' like the one formed ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections to defeat the BJP. It is believed that Congress President Sonia Gandhi's daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been working with Akhilesh's wife Dimple, who is also an MP, to stitch the alliance. Both of them are understood to have met a few days ago. But the SP sources said that Dimple had called on Priyanka to greet on her 45th birthday on Thursday. The deal may be announced as early as Tuesday after the EC passes its order on Monday. Congress leaders apprehend that in case the two SP factions decide to come together again, there will be hardly any seats left for the alliance. In case both the parties join hands, Priyanka and Dimple will be campaigning together. While Priyanka will be projected as the scion of the Gandhi family, Dimple will be branded as 'an ideal wife and bahu (daughter-in-law)'. (This report first appeared in DNA)

UP election: Congress close to finalising seat-sharing arrangement with Akhilesh

The meeting organised by the Indian National Congress in Delhi against demonetisation wasn&rsquo;t without significance. First, a major function was organised in absence of&nbsp;Congress president Sonia Gandhi and secondly Congress chose the death anniversary of late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri as the day to organise the function.

Only Indira Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri&rsquo;s photographs were put on the dais.

Indira Gandhi had given the slogan, &rdquo;Mein kahti hun garibi hatao aur vo kehte hain mujhe hatao,&rdquo; and Shastri gave the famous slogan &rdquo;Jai Jawan and Jai Kisan.&rdquo; Sources say that the imagery goes well with the anti-demonetisation drive of the Congress Party as BJP would find it difficult to pin Congress down on Shastri. And Sonia&rsquo;s absence would give Rahul ample space to engage the public&rsquo;s mind.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi attacked the government on the ground that it was&nbsp;a personal decision of Narendra Modi. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t do it because we felt that it would give the desired dividends,&rdquo; said Rahul Gandhi. He also said that Congress did not once interfere&nbsp;in&nbsp;the functioning of the Reserve Bank of India.

&ldquo;Achhe din are only going to come when the Congress party is going to come back to power,&rdquo; said Rahul Gandhi. The Congress vice-president also said that media is being constrained under the Modi regime. &ldquo;Media also have the responsibility to show what people are going through because of demonetisation,&rdquo; said Rahul Gandhi. He also took the jibe at media by saying,&rdquo; Maybe, we respected the press too much.&rdquo;

The Congress also alleged that they wanted to organise a bigger function but could not because a&nbsp;bigger auditorium wasn&rsquo;t leased out to them.

The Congress vice-president called Ramdev and Bhogle as homemade economists whose decisions the Prime Minister enforced. Congress has decided to make demonetisation a major theme in the forthcoming state Assembly elections.

The same strategy is being deployed by BJP which has linked demonetisation with an&nbsp;anti-corruption drive. In the end, Rahul Gandhi also accused RSS of running the government by saying that only Mohan Bhagwat and Modi are running the government.

&nbsp;

The meeting was significant because it was organised in the absence of Sonia Gandhi and it marked Lal Bahadur Shastri's death anniversary

The meeting organised by the Indian National Congress in Delhi against demonetisation wasn’t without significance. First, a major function was organised in absence of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and secondly Congress chose the death anniversary of late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri as the day to organise the function. Only Indira Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri’s photographs were put on the dais. Indira Gandhi had given the slogan, ”Mein kahti hun garibi hatao aur vo kehte hain mujhe hatao,” and Shastri gave the famous slogan ”Jai Jawan and Jai Kisan.” Sources say that the imagery goes well with the anti-demonetisation drive of the Congress Party as BJP would find it difficult to pin Congress down on Shastri. And Sonia’s absence would give Rahul ample space to engage the public’s mind. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi attacked the government on the ground that it was a personal decision of Narendra Modi. “We didn’t do it because we felt that it would give the desired dividends,” said Rahul Gandhi. He also said that Congress did not once interfere in the functioning of the Reserve Bank of India. “Achhe din are only going to come when the Congress party is going to come back to power,” said Rahul Gandhi. The Congress vice-president also said that media is being constrained under the Modi regime. “Media also have the responsibility to show what people are going through because of demonetisation,” said Rahul Gandhi. He also took the jibe at media by saying,” Maybe, we respected the press too much.” The Congress also alleged that they wanted to organise a bigger function but could not because a bigger auditorium wasn’t leased out to them. The Congress vice-president called Ramdev and Bhogle as homemade economists whose decisions the Prime Minister enforced. Congress has decided to make demonetisation a major theme in the forthcoming state Assembly elections. The same strategy is being deployed by BJP which has linked demonetisation with an anti-corruption drive. In the end, Rahul Gandhi also accused RSS of running the government by saying that only Mohan Bhagwat and Modi are running the government.

India: Congress remembers Shastri in Sonia's absence, targets Modi and RSS

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Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi hit out against PM Modi saying&nbsp;demonetisation was a personal decision of the Prime Minister.

He said that the &#39;achhe din&#39; promised by the BJP will come only in 2019 &quot;when Congress comes to power&quot;.&nbsp;

The Congress vice-president&nbsp;said the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh were undermining the constitutional institutions like Reserve Bank of India, judiciary and the Election Commission.

(Wion with&nbsp;Agencies)

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The Congress vice-president said that the 'achhe din' promised by the BJP will come only in 2019 "when Congress comes to power".

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi hit out against PM Modi saying demonetisation was a personal decision of the Prime Minister. He said that the 'achhe din' promised by the BJP will come only in 2019 "when Congress comes to power". The Congress vice-president said the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh were undermining the constitutional institutions like Reserve Bank of India, judiciary and the Election Commission. (Wion with Agencies)

BJP, RSS undermining RBI, says Rahul Gandhi

Lashing out yet again at the demonetisation drive,Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sacrificed the common man in &#39;yagna&#39; against black money.

&quot;Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he is performing a yagna against black money and corruption. As animals are slaughtered in yagnas, similarly Prime Minister Modi has sacrificed the common man in yagna against black money,&quot; said Gandhi, while speaking at the 132nd foundation day of the Indian National Congress.

He went on to add that that demonetisation &#39;yagna&#39; is aimed at benefitting the rich

The Congress vice-president&#39;s comments came a day after the anti-demonetisation meeting, which was attended by all opposition parties except the Left, Janata Dal (United) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Taking on the opposition for raising objections to the demonetisation drive, Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday described the move as a &#39;safayi abhiyan&#39; aimed to curb black money and corruption.

At a rally in Congress-ruled Uttarakhand, the Prime Minister said that the country has suffered in the past not just because of black money but also due to leadership with &#39;malicious heart&#39;.

Gandhi also talked about the grand old party&rsquo;s achievements and commitment towards the nation.

&quot;What is the Congress? It means listening to you, understanding others. It made us understand the meaning of freedom,&quot; he said.

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(WION with inputs from ANI)

He also said demonetisation is aimed at benefitting the rich

Lashing out yet again at the demonetisation drive,Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sacrificed the common man in 'yagna' against black money. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he is performing a yagna against black money and corruption. As animals are slaughtered in yagnas, similarly Prime Minister Modi has sacrificed the common man in yagna against black money," said Gandhi, while speaking at the 132nd foundation day of the Indian National Congress. He went on to add that that demonetisation 'yagna' is aimed at benefitting the rich The Congress vice-president's comments came a day after the anti-demonetisation meeting, which was attended by all opposition parties except the Left, Janata Dal (United) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Taking on the opposition for raising objections to the demonetisation drive, Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday described the move as a 'safayi abhiyan' aimed to curb black money and corruption. At a rally in Congress-ruled Uttarakhand, the Prime Minister said that the country has suffered in the past not just because of black money but also due to leadership with 'malicious heart'. Gandhi also talked about the grand old party’s achievements and commitment towards the nation. "What is the Congress? It means listening to you, understanding others. It made us understand the meaning of freedom," he said. (WION with inputs from ANI)

Rahul Gandhi: Common man sacrificed in 'yagna' against black money

India&#39;s Congress party vice president Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee slammed prime minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, saying it had failed to reduce corruption and arrest the laundering of black money.

The Congress vice-president slammed the Modi government for failing to tackle the problem of cash crunch following demonetisation and said the measure had only made things more miserable for the poor and had increased unemployment in the country. Calling demonetisation a &quot;mega scam,&quot; Mamata Banerjee said the Modi government had lost its credibility and become &quot;baseless&quot; and &quot;faceless&quot; in the name of cashlessness.

Here are the key points from their joint press conference:

<ul>
	<li>December 30 is about to come and the situation is the same. The motive of demonetisation has failed completely: Rahul Gandhi 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>PM should answer the nation, that was the real motive of demonetisation and what will he do for those affected by it: Rahul Gandhi 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Demonetisation had no impact on corruption and black money. A new black market has emerged to convert black money into white: Rahul Gandhi 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Modi had said good days (acche din) will come, is this his idea of good days : Mamata Banerjee 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>All opposition parties will make a common minimum agenda programme: Mamata Banerjee 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>The Modi government has become baseless and faceless in the name of cashlessness: Mamata Banerjee&nbsp; 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Demonetisation is a mega scam and the biggest one after independence: Mamata Banerjee 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>They do whatever they feel like, federal structure has been totally destroyed. It is not an emergency, it is a super emergency: Mamata Banerjee 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>This is a fearless government, they do not care about anything: Mamata Banerjee 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>If things remain unresolved even after 50 days, will PM Modi take responsibility to resign as PM of the country?: Mamata Banerjee 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>This has sent the country 20 years back in time: Mamata Banerjee&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

 
(WION)

Rahul Gandhi alleged demonetisation had no impact on corruption and black money

India's Congress party vice president Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee slammed prime minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, saying it had failed to reduce corruption and arrest the laundering of black money. The Congress vice-president slammed the Modi government for failing to tackle the problem of cash crunch following demonetisation and said the measure had only made things more miserable for the poor and had increased unemployment in the country. Calling demonetisation a "mega scam," Mamata Banerjee said the Modi government had lost its credibility and become "baseless" and "faceless" in the name of cashlessness. Here are the key points from their joint press conference: December 30 is about to come and the situation is the same. The motive of demonetisation has failed completely: Rahul Gandhi PM should answer the nation, that was the real motive of demonetisation and what will he do for those affected by it: Rahul Gandhi Demonetisation had no impact on corruption and black money. A new black market has emerged to convert black money into white: Rahul Gandhi Modi had said good days (acche din) will come, is this his idea of good days : Mamata Banerjee All opposition parties will make a common minimum agenda programme: Mamata Banerjee The Modi government has become baseless and faceless in the name of cashlessness: Mamata Banerjee Demonetisation is a mega scam and the biggest one after independence: Mamata Banerjee They do whatever they feel like, federal structure has been totally destroyed. It is not an emergency, it is a super emergency: Mamata Banerjee This is a fearless government, they do not care about anything: Mamata Banerjee If things remain unresolved even after 50 days, will PM Modi take responsibility to resign as PM of the country?: Mamata Banerjee This has sent the country 20 years back in time: Mamata Banerjee (WION)

Demonetisation has failed: Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee slam PM Modi's initiative

Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla group, expressed his ignorance Friday about the allegations made a few days by Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi had alleged Birla&#39;s firm had paid bribes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi while he was Gujarat chief minister.

&quot;I don&#39;t even know about it and I do not wish to talk on that issue. The matter is subjudice,&quot; he told reporters after being asked repeatedly about the allegations.

Birla kept his responses to speaking about his new role as chairman of the Indian Insitute of Managment-Ahmedabad&#39;s board of governors while on a&nbsp;two-day visit to the institute on Friday.

Birla was at IIM-A Friday for the first time after being appointed chairman by the ministry of human resource development two months ago.

Birla said he would act as a bridge between the corporate world and the premier business school.

Reacting to Gandhi&#39;s allegations, union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said the charges were &quot;baseless, false, shameful and mala fide&quot; and an attempt to divert attention from the AgustaWestland probe in which the names of Congress leaders and the &quot;family&quot; -- he was referring to the Gandhi family -- were coming up.

This is not the first time such allegations have been made against the Prime Minister, although the charges date back to the time he was Gujarat chief minister.

Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan had levelled the same charges, based on the same documents, against Modi in the Supreme Court.

The court however has so far refused to entertain his PIL, which asks that a special investigation team probe the evidence.&nbsp;

(WION)

On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi had alleged Birla officials gave bribes to Modi while he was Gujarat chief minister

Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla group, expressed his ignorance Friday about the allegations made a few days by Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi had alleged Birla's firm had paid bribes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi while he was Gujarat chief minister. "I don't even know about it and I do not wish to talk on that issue. The matter is subjudice," he told reporters after being asked repeatedly about the allegations. Birla kept his responses to speaking about his new role as chairman of the Indian Insitute of Managment-Ahmedabad's board of governors while on a two-day visit to the institute on Friday. Birla was at IIM-A Friday for the first time after being appointed chairman by the ministry of human resource development two months ago. Birla said he would act as a bridge between the corporate world and the premier business school. Reacting to Gandhi's allegations, union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said the charges were "baseless, false, shameful and mala fide" and an attempt to divert attention from the AgustaWestland probe in which the names of Congress leaders and the "family" -- he was referring to the Gandhi family -- were coming up. This is not the first time such allegations have been made against the Prime Minister, although the charges date back to the time he was Gujarat chief minister. Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan had levelled the same charges, based on the same documents, against Modi in the Supreme Court. The court however has so far refused to entertain his PIL, which asks that a special investigation team probe the evidence. (WION)

'I don't even know about it,' Birla says about alleged payments to Modi

The Congress top brass earlier this week had launched a stinging accusation against India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi of accepting kickbacks from Sahara Group -- an Indian conglomerate -- but when they tweeted the entire list of individuals who were &#39;paid&#39;&nbsp;by the business house today, they inadvertently showed one of their senior party members being one of the recipients.&nbsp;

The Congress party&#39;s list shows that the business house paid Delhi chief minister Rs 1 crore (a little over $147,000) on September 23, 2013. Congress&#39; Sheila Dikshit was the chief minister of Delhi till December 2013.

The gaffe will be embarrassing for the Congress party -- the main opposition party in India -- especially since it is trying to corner Prime Minister Modi by accusing him of corruption. It is a double whammy for the party as it projected her as Uttar Pradesh&#39;s chief ministerial candidate. Uttar Pradesh, which is the largest and the most populous state in India, is heading for polls next year.

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???? ??, ???? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ??, ????? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ?????: ????? ????? <a href="https://t.co/rnICMOrr4j">pic.twitter.com/rnICMOrr4j</a>
&mdash; INC India (@INCIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCIndia/status/812245279730647040">23 December 2016</a></blockquote>
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On December 22, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had claimed that Modi, who was the chief minister of India&#39;s western state of Gujarat at the time, accepted Rs 5 crore (roughly&nbsp;$737,000) and Rs 2.5 crore ($368,536) twice.

Gandhi cited documents retrieved by the taxmen when they raided various properties belonging to Sahara Group on November 22, 2014.

However, the list tweeted by Congress blamed several senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders of taking bribes from Sahara Group.

The notable names include BJP leader Raman Singh, who was the chief minister of Chhattisgarh state then. The list claims that Singh received Rs 4 crore (over $589,000) from the conglomerate.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

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Congress tweeted a list of individuals' names who allegedly received kickbacks from an Indian conglomerate. The list had Dikshit's name

The Congress top brass earlier this week had launched a stinging accusation against India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi of accepting kickbacks from Sahara Group -- an Indian conglomerate -- but when they tweeted the entire list of individuals who were 'paid' by the business house today, they inadvertently showed one of their senior party members being one of the recipients. The Congress party's list shows that the business house paid Delhi chief minister Rs 1 crore (a little over $147,000) on September 23, 2013. Congress' Sheila Dikshit was the chief minister of Delhi till December 2013. The gaffe will be embarrassing for the Congress party -- the main opposition party in India -- especially since it is trying to corner Prime Minister Modi by accusing him of corruption. It is a double whammy for the party as it projected her as Uttar Pradesh's chief ministerial candidate. Uttar Pradesh, which is the largest and the most populous state in India, is heading for polls next year. ???? ??, ???? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ??, ????? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ?????: ????? ????? pic.twitter.com/rnICMOrr4j — INC India (@INCIndia) 23 December 2016 × On December 22, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had claimed that Modi, who was the chief minister of India's western state of Gujarat at the time, accepted Rs 5 crore (roughly $737,000) and Rs 2.5 crore ($368,536) twice. Gandhi cited documents retrieved by the taxmen when they raided various properties belonging to Sahara Group on November 22, 2014. However, the list tweeted by Congress blamed several senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders of taking bribes from Sahara Group. The notable names include BJP leader Raman Singh, who was the chief minister of Chhattisgarh state then. The list claims that Singh received Rs 4 crore (over $589,000) from the conglomerate. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Congress' gaffe subsumes party leader Sheila Dikshit in graft case

Rahul Gandhi today alleged that Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister had taken money from Sahara and Birla groups and demanded an independent inquiry into it, a charge BJP rejected as an attempt to divert attention from the AgustaWestland probe in which the names of Congress leaders and the &quot;family&quot; were coming up.

Addressing a rally here in the Prime Minister&#39;s home state, he alleged that in the I-T records there are notings of Sahara officials&#39; claims that they had paid money nine times to Modi between October, 2013 and February, 2014.

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<h5>Rahul alleged Sahara had given Modi Rs 40 crore. Birla had given the then Gujarat chief minister Rs 12 crore</h5>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Rahul alleged Sahara had given Modi Rs 40 crore. Birla had given the then Gujarat chief minister Rs 12 crore" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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Gandhi said the documents in this regard were with IT department which had raided the company when Modi was Gujarat Chief Minister.

Similarly, as per documents with Income Tax department, the Birla group also paid Rs 12 crore to Modi while he was Chief Minister.

Wondering as to why there has been no probe in the matter so far, Gandhi demanded an independent inquiry.

Last week, Gandhi claimed that he had evidence of &quot;personal corruption&quot; of Prime Minister but he was being prevented from speaking in the Lok Sabha because it would cause an earthquake.

Reacting to Gandhi&#39;s allegations, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in New Delhi that the charges are &quot;baseless, false, shameful and mala fide&quot; and an attempt to divert attention from the AgustaWestland probe as names of Congress leaders and the &quot;family&quot; are coming up.

Party spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said Gandhi was immature and was just indulging in bluff and bluster because people are not taking him seriously.

&quot;People of India have stopped taking him seriously. Rahul Gandhi is just bluff and bluster. There is no substance in what he says. He is just showing his and his party&#39;s incompetence,&quot; he said.

Gandhi said he was raising the issue on behalf of the country which needs answers over the questions raised against the Prime Minister.

&quot;PM Modi takes bribes and then shamelessly foists Demonetisation on Indians under the garb of &#39;fighting Black Money,&quot; Congress tweeted after the rally quoting its Vice-President Rahul Gandhi.

&quot;Rahulji asks if Modiji received this money from Sahara or not? If this document is with Income Tax, will Modi now investigate it?,&quot; tweeted party chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.

He was quoted saying by ANI that according to these records, Rs 2.5 crore was given to PM Modi on 30 October 2013, Rs 5 crore on 12 November 2013, Rs 2.5 crore on 27 Nov 2013, and Rs 5 crore on 29 November 2013. Entries showed Rs 5cr given to PM Modi on 6 Dec &rsquo;13; Rs 5cr on 19 Dec &rsquo;13; Rs 5cr on 13 Jan &rsquo;14;Rs 5cr on 28 Jan &rsquo;14;Rs 5cr 22 Feb &rsquo;14.&rdquo;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
As per record with IT,Rs2.5 cr was given to PM Modi on 30 Oct &#39;13;Rs 5cr on 12 Nov &#39;13;Rs 2.5 cr on 27 Nov &#39;13;Rs 5cr on 29 Nov &#39;13: RGandhi <a href="https://t.co/5nVqjO5FyB">pic.twitter.com/5nVqjO5FyB</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/811522742813999105">December 21, 2016</a></blockquote>

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Entries showed Rs 5cr given to PM Modi on 6 Dec &rsquo;13;Rs 5cr on 19 Dec &rsquo;13;Rs 5cr on 13 Jan &rsquo;14;Rs 5cr on 28 Jan &rsquo;14;Rs 5cr 22 Feb &rsquo;14-RGandhi <a href="https://t.co/11S1jvF2Nh">pic.twitter.com/11S1jvF2Nh</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/811523831969943552">December 21, 2016</a></blockquote>

NGO Common Cause had filed a PIL on the issue in the Supreme Court and a bench headed by CJI-designate Justice J S Khehar last week had refused to take up the matter saying there was no evidence but only allegations against the Prime Minister.

The bench then asked lawyer Prashant Bhushan to provide evidence before it could decide on whether it could admit the petition.

Gandhi alleged that the I-T records show Sahara officials&#39; claims of having paid Rs 40 crore to Modi on various dates between October, 2013 and February, 2014.

&quot;You (Modi) did not allow me to speak in Parliament. I did not know why you did not wanted to face me in the House. I tell you the reason. Any business entity keeps record of its transactions. On November 2014, Income Tax department conducted raids on Sahara, a very large corporate house,&quot; he said.

&quot;During that raid, I-T department found some documents, which are on record. I want to share with you the contents of those documents. There were several entries in those documents, which I am reading out before you,&quot; he said.

He then alleged that another record suggests that Birla Group gave Rs 12 crore to &#39;Gujarat Chief Minister&#39;.

&quot;This record is with I-T department since last 2.5 years.

I-T even recommended to conduct an inquiry in this issue. I want to ask you why no such inquiry was done? We want to know whether it is true that money was given to you nine times by Sahara?&quot; Rahul asked.

&quot;You doubted the honesty of citizens, their hard-earned income, and made them stand in the queues. Now, on behalf of citizens, I am asking you whether the information is true or not. And if it is true, then when you will set up an inquiry,&quot; said Gandhi.

(This report first appeared in DNA. It contains inputs from PTI)

Gandhi hinted at the allegations last week, said he was being stopped from speaking in Parliament as his words would cause an earthquake

Rahul Gandhi today alleged that Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister had taken money from Sahara and Birla groups and demanded an independent inquiry into it, a charge BJP rejected as an attempt to divert attention from the AgustaWestland probe in which the names of Congress leaders and the "family" were coming up. Addressing a rally here in the Prime Minister's home state, he alleged that in the I-T records there are notings of Sahara officials' claims that they had paid money nine times to Modi between October, 2013 and February, 2014. Rahul alleged Sahara had given Modi Rs 40 crore. Birla had given the then Gujarat chief minister Rs 12 crore × Gandhi said the documents in this regard were with IT department which had raided the company when Modi was Gujarat Chief Minister. Similarly, as per documents with Income Tax department, the Birla group also paid Rs 12 crore to Modi while he was Chief Minister. Wondering as to why there has been no probe in the matter so far, Gandhi demanded an independent inquiry. Last week, Gandhi claimed that he had evidence of "personal corruption" of Prime Minister but he was being prevented from speaking in the Lok Sabha because it would cause an earthquake. Reacting to Gandhi's allegations, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in New Delhi that the charges are "baseless, false, shameful and mala fide" and an attempt to divert attention from the AgustaWestland probe as names of Congress leaders and the "family" are coming up. Party spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said Gandhi was immature and was just indulging in bluff and bluster because people are not taking him seriously. "People of India have stopped taking him seriously. Rahul Gandhi is just bluff and bluster. There is no substance in what he says. He is just showing his and his party's incompetence," he said. Gandhi said he was raising the issue on behalf of the country which needs answers over the questions raised against the Prime Minister. "PM Modi takes bribes and then shamelessly foists Demonetisation on Indians under the garb of 'fighting Black Money," Congress tweeted after the rally quoting its Vice-President Rahul Gandhi. "Rahulji asks if Modiji received this money from Sahara or not? If this document is with Income Tax, will Modi now investigate it?," tweeted party chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala. He was quoted saying by ANI that according to these records, Rs 2.5 crore was given to PM Modi on 30 October 2013, Rs 5 crore on 12 November 2013, Rs 2.5 crore on 27 Nov 2013, and Rs 5 crore on 29 November 2013. Entries showed Rs 5cr given to PM Modi on 6 Dec ’13; Rs 5cr on 19 Dec ’13; Rs 5cr on 13 Jan ’14;Rs 5cr on 28 Jan ’14;Rs 5cr 22 Feb ’14.” As per record with IT,Rs2.5 cr was given to PM Modi on 30 Oct '13;Rs 5cr on 12 Nov '13;Rs 2.5 cr on 27 Nov '13;Rs 5cr on 29 Nov '13: RGandhi pic.twitter.com/5nVqjO5FyB — ANI (@ANI_news) December 21, 2016 Entries showed Rs 5cr given to PM Modi on 6 Dec ’13;Rs 5cr on 19 Dec ’13;Rs 5cr on 13 Jan ’14;Rs 5cr on 28 Jan ’14;Rs 5cr 22 Feb ’14-RGandhi pic.twitter.com/11S1jvF2Nh — ANI (@ANI_news) December 21, 2016 NGO Common Cause had filed a PIL on the issue in the Supreme Court and a bench headed by CJI-designate Justice J S Khehar last week had refused to take up the matter saying there was no evidence but only allegations against the Prime Minister. The bench then asked lawyer Prashant Bhushan to provide evidence before it could decide on whether it could admit the petition. Gandhi alleged that the I-T records show Sahara officials' claims of having paid Rs 40 crore to Modi on various dates between October, 2013 and February, 2014. "You (Modi) did not allow me to speak in Parliament. I did not know why you did not wanted to face me in the House. I tell you the reason. Any business entity keeps record of its transactions. On November 2014, Income Tax department conducted raids on Sahara, a very large corporate house," he said. "During that raid, I-T department found some documents, which are on record. I want to share with you the contents of those documents. There were several entries in those documents, which I am reading out before you," he said. He then alleged that another record suggests that Birla Group gave Rs 12 crore to 'Gujarat Chief Minister'. "This record is with I-T department since last 2.5 years. I-T even recommended to conduct an inquiry in this issue. I want to ask you why no such inquiry was done? We want to know whether it is true that money was given to you nine times by Sahara?" Rahul asked. "You doubted the honesty of citizens, their hard-earned income, and made them stand in the queues. Now, on behalf of citizens, I am asking you whether the information is true or not. And if it is true, then when you will set up an inquiry," said Gandhi. (This report first appeared in DNA. It contains inputs from PTI)

Cong's Rahul drops his 'earthquake', alleges Modi took money from Sahara, Birla as Gujarat chief minister

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received Rs 45 crore ($6.6 million) from Sahara -- a large business conglomerate in India -- before he became came to power in 2014, according to opposition leader Rahul Gandhi.

At a rally in the western state of Gujarat, the Congress vice-president&nbsp;claimed that during a raid in 2014,&nbsp;taxmen found documents which suggested that Sahara company made multiple payments to Modi between October 2013 and February 2014.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi tweeted that the Modi government is behaving like a &quot;confused&quot; traffic signal exhibiting different colours at the same time. He was attacking the government&#39;s &#39;repeated&#39; changes in the rules regarding deposit of old currency notes in banks.

He posted the picture of a huge traffic signal showing red, yellow, blue and a few other colours at the same time, on Twitter with the caption, &quot;Government orders after demonetisation.&quot;

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Government orders after demonetisation: <a href="https://t.co/5D5p0XX4MO">pic.twitter.com/5D5p0XX4MO</a>
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<h5>Chief Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala was equally critical of the latest order. He gave the RBI the sobriquet &#39;Reverse Bank of India&#39;</h5>
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The Congress leader had yesterday likened the repeated changes in the rules to Modi&#39;s changing of &quot;clothes&quot; and had said that the message going out was that the Prime Minister&#39;s words were &quot;hollow&quot;.

He was commenting on the new decision of the government under which an amount more than Rs 50,00 in scrapped currency can be deposited only once per account till December 30.

Earlier, the Prime Minister, while announcing the demonetisation decision on November 8, had said old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes could be deposited in banks till December 30 without any questions asked.

Party chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala was equally critical of the latest order, with him giving RBI the sobriquet of &quot;Reverse Bank of India.&quot;

In a series of tweets, he said, &quot;Unfortunately, Reserve Bank of India has become &#39;Reverse Bank of India&#39;!&quot;

Surjewala also posted two cartoons stating &quot;the rules of RBI are like weather, which keeps on changing and therefore, requires hourly bulletins to inform people.&quot;

&quot;Daily &#39;headline management&#39; is the norm for Modi Govt. If Ind. Owner has a choice to pay in cash or cheque, futile to amend the Wages Act,&quot; he said in response to the government bringing an ordinance to amend the Payment of Wage Act for allowing business and industrial establishments to pay salaries through cheques or by using electronic modes.

&quot;2ndly, it reflects massive shortage of currency with Modi Govt. Instead of admitting it, it is forcing daily wage earners to stand in bank queues,&quot; he said.

Surjewala also latched on to the remarks of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who after supporting demonetisation initially, did a volte face and said the move has created many troubles for the common man.

&quot;AP CM, NDA ally &amp; head of #DeMonetisation Committee is breaking his head over the mess. Do u need more proof Modiji?&quot;, he said.

Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, was equally caustic. &quot;50 days, 60 rules #DeMonetisation,&quot; he said in a tweet.

(PTI)

Gandhi said Modi received Rs 45 crore from a business conglomerate and also attacked the government's haywire demonetisation policy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received Rs 45 crore ($6.6 million) from Sahara -- a large business conglomerate in India -- before he became came to power in 2014, according to opposition leader Rahul Gandhi. At a rally in the western state of Gujarat, the Congress vice-president claimed that during a raid in 2014, taxmen found documents which suggested that Sahara company made multiple payments to Modi between October 2013 and February 2014. Earlier in the day, Gandhi tweeted that the Modi government is behaving like a "confused" traffic signal exhibiting different colours at the same time. He was attacking the government's 'repeated' changes in the rules regarding deposit of old currency notes in banks. He posted the picture of a huge traffic signal showing red, yellow, blue and a few other colours at the same time, on Twitter with the caption, "Government orders after demonetisation." Government orders after demonetisation: pic.twitter.com/5D5p0XX4MO — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 21, 2016 × Chief Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala was equally critical of the latest order. He gave the RBI the sobriquet 'Reverse Bank of India' × The Congress leader had yesterday likened the repeated changes in the rules to Modi's changing of "clothes" and had said that the message going out was that the Prime Minister's words were "hollow". He was commenting on the new decision of the government under which an amount more than Rs 50,00 in scrapped currency can be deposited only once per account till December 30. Earlier, the Prime Minister, while announcing the demonetisation decision on November 8, had said old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes could be deposited in banks till December 30 without any questions asked. Party chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala was equally critical of the latest order, with him giving RBI the sobriquet of "Reverse Bank of India." In a series of tweets, he said, "Unfortunately, Reserve Bank of India has become 'Reverse Bank of India'!" Surjewala also posted two cartoons stating "the rules of RBI are like weather, which keeps on changing and therefore, requires hourly bulletins to inform people." "Daily 'headline management' is the norm for Modi Govt. If Ind. Owner has a choice to pay in cash or cheque, futile to amend the Wages Act," he said in response to the government bringing an ordinance to amend the Payment of Wage Act for allowing business and industrial establishments to pay salaries through cheques or by using electronic modes. "2ndly, it reflects massive shortage of currency with Modi Govt. Instead of admitting it, it is forcing daily wage earners to stand in bank queues," he said. Surjewala also latched on to the remarks of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who after supporting demonetisation initially, did a volte face and said the move has created many troubles for the common man. "AP CM, NDA ally & head of #DeMonetisation Committee is breaking his head over the mess. Do u need more proof Modiji?", he said. Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, was equally caustic. "50 days, 60 rules #DeMonetisation," he said in a tweet. (PTI)

Demonetisation: Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi accuses PM Modi of graft

With both of them keeping an eye on the UP election -- which goes to the polls early next year -- Prime Minister Modi and the Opposition Congress&#39; Rahul Gandhi addressed rallies in the state Monday.&nbsp;

Modi spoke in Kanpur, Rahul in Jaunpur, and while both of them obviously talked about the country&#39;s recent demonetisation -- there really is nothing else people are talking about nowadays -- the two said the exact opposite of each other.&nbsp;

Modi told his supporters that today, for the first time, they had a central government dedicated to the poor.

Rahul told his supporters that demonetisation was not a fight against the corrupt. It was a fight against the poor, the farmer, and the underprivileged.

Said Modi: We are fighting against black money and corruption. We are doing all we can to make a better India. Our agenda is to stop corruption, stop black money. But other people have an agenda of &nbsp;&quot;stop Parliament&quot;.

Said Rahul: Modi has not only sucked up the poor&#39;s money, he has also sucked out their blood.

Rahul added, &quot;We said to Modi that the poor, farmers, are crying. I urged him to waive the loans of farmers. But he did not reply. He did not say a word.&quot;

Rahul&#39;s speech also stepped into -- again -- the realm of the speculative&nbsp;

In the last few months, he said, Mr Modi has given 60 per cent of India&#39;s wealth to one per cent of India&#39;s population. And that a handful of families, some 50 of them, hold a majority of this -- 60 per cent&nbsp;of the country&#39;s wealth.

&quot;I ask you,&#39; he said, &quot;is black money with the people of India or with those 50 families?&quot;&nbsp;

Rahul has a habit of alleging the sensational. Last week, he announced to the media that he had proof of &quot;personal acts of corruption&quot; by Prime Minister Modi.&nbsp;

But he refused to elaborate, saying he would say so only in Parliament.&nbsp;

A few years ago, he had alleged that the Uttar Pradesh police had shot dead people in the villages of Bhatta and Parsaul -- the villages&#39; land had been acquired by the government and the villagers were protesting.&nbsp;

Forensics later proved the allegation to be untrue.&nbsp;

Modi, whose attacks can also veer towards the personal, tended not to this time. All he did say was that the Congress&#39; style of functioning was &quot;unaccountable, corrupt and doing as they please -- this is the functioning style of the Congress&quot;.

He added that he saw a strong desire for change in Uttar Pradesh. &quot;I don&#39;t just see winds of change. I see a storm for change,&#39; he said.

He added that if the youth of Uttar Pradesh come together, then nothing can stop India from progressing.&nbsp;

UP and 2019

Uttar Pradesh will go to the polls early next year.

The election will be even more closely watched than usual. UP is one of India&#39;s largest states and very important politically.&nbsp;

But more importantly, the result will be seen a referendum on Modi&#39;s shock demonetisation. And an indicator perhaps of which way the 2019 national election will go.&nbsp;

On November 8, Modi had announced -- to everybody&#39;s surprise -- that the country&#39;s 500 and 1,000-rupee notes would cease to be legal tender. He said he was doing so to get at the country&#39;s &quot;black&quot; or untaxed money and terror funding.&nbsp;

The move found widespread support, but it also led to 86 per cent&nbsp;of the country&#39;s currency being sucked out of circulation. News reports talked of people, left with no cash, being unable to buy food and essential medicines.&nbsp;

The chief minister of Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, recently said more than a 100 people had died because of demonetisation.&nbsp;

Today, on the ground, depending on whom you talk to, there is either tremendous anger against the move or it has dissipated.&nbsp;

The Uttar Pradesh election will tell for certain.

(WION) 
&nbsp;

Modi said, for the first time, the central govt is dedicated to the poor. Rahul said demonetisation was a fight against the poor

With both of them keeping an eye on the UP election -- which goes to the polls early next year -- Prime Minister Modi and the Opposition Congress' Rahul Gandhi addressed rallies in the state Monday. Modi spoke in Kanpur, Rahul in Jaunpur, and while both of them obviously talked about the country's recent demonetisation -- there really is nothing else people are talking about nowadays -- the two said the exact opposite of each other. Modi told his supporters that today, for the first time, they had a central government dedicated to the poor. Rahul told his supporters that demonetisation was not a fight against the corrupt. It was a fight against the poor, the farmer, and the underprivileged. Said Modi: We are fighting against black money and corruption. We are doing all we can to make a better India. Our agenda is to stop corruption, stop black money. But other people have an agenda of "stop Parliament". Said Rahul: Modi has not only sucked up the poor's money, he has also sucked out their blood. Rahul added, "We said to Modi that the poor, farmers, are crying. I urged him to waive the loans of farmers. But he did not reply. He did not say a word." Rahul's speech also stepped into -- again -- the realm of the speculative In the last few months, he said, Mr Modi has given 60 per cent of India's wealth to one per cent of India's population. And that a handful of families, some 50 of them, hold a majority of this -- 60 per cent of the country's wealth. "I ask you,' he said, "is black money with the people of India or with those 50 families?" Rahul has a habit of alleging the sensational. Last week, he announced to the media that he had proof of "personal acts of corruption" by Prime Minister Modi. But he refused to elaborate, saying he would say so only in Parliament. A few years ago, he had alleged that the Uttar Pradesh police had shot dead people in the villages of Bhatta and Parsaul -- the villages' land had been acquired by the government and the villagers were protesting. Forensics later proved the allegation to be untrue. Modi, whose attacks can also veer towards the personal, tended not to this time. All he did say was that the Congress' style of functioning was "unaccountable, corrupt and doing as they please -- this is the functioning style of the Congress". He added that he saw a strong desire for change in Uttar Pradesh. "I don't just see winds of change. I see a storm for change,' he said. He added that if the youth of Uttar Pradesh come together, then nothing can stop India from progressing. UP and 2019 Uttar Pradesh will go to the polls early next year. The election will be even more closely watched than usual. UP is one of India's largest states and very important politically. But more importantly, the result will be seen a referendum on Modi's shock demonetisation. And an indicator perhaps of which way the 2019 national election will go. On November 8, Modi had announced -- to everybody's surprise -- that the country's 500 and 1,000-rupee notes would cease to be legal tender. He said he was doing so to get at the country's "black" or untaxed money and terror funding. The move found widespread support, but it also led to 86 per cent of the country's currency being sucked out of circulation. News reports talked of people, left with no cash, being unable to buy food and essential medicines. The chief minister of Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, recently said more than a 100 people had died because of demonetisation. Today, on the ground, depending on whom you talk to, there is either tremendous anger against the move or it has dissipated. The Uttar Pradesh election will tell for certain. (WION)

Modi & Rahul address rallies in UP, say exact opposite of each other

Parliament was again not allowed to function Wednesday, because of the continued uproar over demonetisation.&nbsp;

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Opposition raises &quot;Modi sarkar hosh me aao&quot; slogans in Lok Sabha <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DeMonetisation?src=hash">#DeMonetisation</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/808927071795900416">December 14, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The Lok Sabha or lower house was adjourned till tomorrow. Not counting today, there are now only two days left in this current winter session of parliament.&nbsp;

The Rajya Sabha or upper house was adjourned till 2 pm.&nbsp;

Parliament has not been allowed to function at all this winter session; the Opposition has been demanding a debate and vote on the government&#39;s shock demonetisation of India&#39;s 500- and 1,000-rupee notes. (That sucked 86 per cent of the cash in circulation then out of the economy.) The government has so far not agreed to the demand. &nbsp;

And while there was immense support for the stated aims of the move -- getting to the black money in the economy and cutting down on terror funding -- reports from around the country point to people having had to face tremendous amounts of hardship post November 8 when Prime Minister Modi made his shock announcement.&nbsp;

But, the real &quot;masala&quot; -- the Hindi word for spice -- took place outside of Parliament.&nbsp;

At a joint media briefing by the Opposition after Parliament was adjourned, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made the startling allegation that he had &quot;information about personal corruption by Prime Minister Modi&quot; but that he was not being allowed to speak in Parliament.&nbsp;

&quot;Read my lips... the PM is personally terrified of the information I have. It is personal corruption of the PM,&quot; he said.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash">#WATCH</a> Rahul Gandhi says he has info of personal corruption of PM Modi, about which he is not being allowed to speak in Lok Sabha <a href="https://t.co/5h7NDjOmJk">pic.twitter.com/5h7NDjOmJk</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/808936657072189440">December 14, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Mr Gandhi had recently said that if he were allowed to speak in Parliament, his words would &quot;cause an earthquake&quot;.&nbsp;

When WION&#39;s Kartikeya Sharma asked Mr Gandhi why, if he was not being allowed to speak in Parliament, he did not make his allegation(s) about Mr Modi in front of the media, Gandhi replied: &quot;I am an elected member of Parliament. I have a right to speak in Parliament. That right is being denied to me.&quot;&nbsp;

Later, he told the media corps that it was imperative the Narendra Modi administration explained to public in detail about the merits of demonetisation.

TV news channels reported first reactions from the BJP as: &quot;BJP laughs off Rahul&#39;s allegations&quot;. &nbsp;

Prime Minister Modi attended Parliament today; he was in the Lok Sabha.&nbsp;

And with both the government and the Opposition having told their MPs to attend Parliament today, there had been some hope earlier in the day that the Prime Minister would speak in Parliament and answer his detractors.&nbsp;

(WION)

The opposition leader said he would expose Modi in the Parliament, if he was allowed to do so

Parliament was again not allowed to function Wednesday, because of the continued uproar over demonetisation. Opposition raises "Modi sarkar hosh me aao" slogans in Lok Sabha #DeMonetisation — ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016 × The Lok Sabha or lower house was adjourned till tomorrow. Not counting today, there are now only two days left in this current winter session of parliament. The Rajya Sabha or upper house was adjourned till 2 pm. Parliament has not been allowed to function at all this winter session; the Opposition has been demanding a debate and vote on the government's shock demonetisation of India's 500- and 1,000-rupee notes. (That sucked 86 per cent of the cash in circulation then out of the economy.) The government has so far not agreed to the demand. And while there was immense support for the stated aims of the move -- getting to the black money in the economy and cutting down on terror funding -- reports from around the country point to people having had to face tremendous amounts of hardship post November 8 when Prime Minister Modi made his shock announcement. But, the real "masala" -- the Hindi word for spice -- took place outside of Parliament. At a joint media briefing by the Opposition after Parliament was adjourned, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made the startling allegation that he had "information about personal corruption by Prime Minister Modi" but that he was not being allowed to speak in Parliament. "Read my lips... the PM is personally terrified of the information I have. It is personal corruption of the PM," he said. #WATCH Rahul Gandhi says he has info of personal corruption of PM Modi, about which he is not being allowed to speak in Lok Sabha pic.twitter.com/5h7NDjOmJk — ANI (@ANI_news) December 14, 2016 × Mr Gandhi had recently said that if he were allowed to speak in Parliament, his words would "cause an earthquake". When WION's Kartikeya Sharma asked Mr Gandhi why, if he was not being allowed to speak in Parliament, he did not make his allegation(s) about Mr Modi in front of the media, Gandhi replied: "I am an elected member of Parliament. I have a right to speak in Parliament. That right is being denied to me." Later, he told the media corps that it was imperative the Narendra Modi administration explained to public in detail about the merits of demonetisation. TV news channels reported first reactions from the BJP as: "BJP laughs off Rahul's allegations". Prime Minister Modi attended Parliament today; he was in the Lok Sabha. And with both the government and the Opposition having told their MPs to attend Parliament today, there had been some hope earlier in the day that the Prime Minister would speak in Parliament and answer his detractors. (WION)

Congress' Rahul Gandhi accuses Indian PM Modi of corruption

The impasse over demonetisation continued for the 16th day in parliament today with the government asking the Opposition to apologise for disrupting proceedings. The Lower House, Lok Sabha, was adjourned until December 14 while the Upper House, Rajya Sabha was adjourned until&nbsp;2:30pm.&nbsp;

&quot;For 16 days they have disrupted the House and held the House hostage. Majority wanted to debate. But Congress, TMC and Left members are not allowing the House to function. The situation has reached such a stage that the President had to speak against the disruption. They must tender apology to the people of the country,&quot; parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said.

He was referring to President Pranab Mukherjee&#39;s remarks yesterday that disrupting parliament amounted to &quot;gagging of majority&quot; by minority, ie,&nbsp;the Opposition. 
 
The government also rejected the Opposition&#39;s demand for a debate and a vote on demonetisation, with union minister Venkaiah Naidu saying voting has &quot;already happened in 2014 and Time magazine&quot;.&nbsp;

Naidu was referring to the general election of 2014 which brought Prime Minister Narendra Modi to power. Mr Modi also recently won the online readers&#39; poll for Time magazine&#39;s person of the year. &nbsp;

Naidu also did not seem to think much of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi&#39;s claim that his speech on demonetisation is ready, but that he is being prevented from giving it in Parliament because the government keeps running away from a debate.&nbsp;

&quot;I am not allowed to speak. If they allow me to speak in the Parliament, there will be an earthquake,&quot; Gandhi had said.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Demonetisation?src=hash">#Demonetisation</a> is the biggest scam in Indian history.I will expose it in House but govt is not allowing me to speak: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RahulGandhi?src=hash">#RahulGandhi</a>(File pic) <a href="https://t.co/AWXWE3aToJ">pic.twitter.com/AWXWE3aToJ</a>
&mdash; Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) <a href="https://twitter.com/PTI_News/status/807111561445683201">December 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
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He had added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was giving speeches across the country, but had so far refused to address Parliament.&nbsp;

Parliament has been unable to function ever since the start of the winter session, because of the uproar over demonetisation.

The Opposition has been demanding that the Prime Minister address Parliament, and a debate and vote on demonetisation.&nbsp;

But so far, the two sides have not been able to come to an agreement. There are now four days left of the winter session, and so far Parliament has been adjourned virtually every day.&nbsp;

&quot;They are running away from the debate and are merely claiming to be ready for it,&quot; Gandhi said.&nbsp;

Mr Modi has on one day attended Parliament, he attended the Rajya Sabha or upper house,&nbsp;but did not address it. &nbsp;

(WION)

 
&nbsp;

Union minister Venkaiah Naidu said voting has 'already happened in 2014 and Time magazine'

The impasse over demonetisation continued for the 16th day in parliament today with the government asking the Opposition to apologise for disrupting proceedings. The Lower House, Lok Sabha, was adjourned until December 14 while the Upper House, Rajya Sabha was adjourned until 2:30pm. "For 16 days they have disrupted the House and held the House hostage. Majority wanted to debate. But Congress, TMC and Left members are not allowing the House to function. The situation has reached such a stage that the President had to speak against the disruption. They must tender apology to the people of the country," parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said. He was referring to President Pranab Mukherjee's remarks yesterday that disrupting parliament amounted to "gagging of majority" by minority, ie, the Opposition. The government also rejected the Opposition's demand for a debate and a vote on demonetisation, with union minister Venkaiah Naidu saying voting has "already happened in 2014 and Time magazine". Naidu was referring to the general election of 2014 which brought Prime Minister Narendra Modi to power. Mr Modi also recently won the online readers' poll for Time magazine's person of the year. Naidu also did not seem to think much of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's claim that his speech on demonetisation is ready, but that he is being prevented from giving it in Parliament because the government keeps running away from a debate. "I am not allowed to speak. If they allow me to speak in the Parliament, there will be an earthquake," Gandhi had said. #Demonetisation is the biggest scam in Indian history.I will expose it in House but govt is not allowing me to speak: #RahulGandhi(File pic) pic.twitter.com/AWXWE3aToJ — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 9, 2016 × He had added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was giving speeches across the country, but had so far refused to address Parliament. Parliament has been unable to function ever since the start of the winter session, because of the uproar over demonetisation. The Opposition has been demanding that the Prime Minister address Parliament, and a debate and vote on demonetisation. But so far, the two sides have not been able to come to an agreement. There are now four days left of the winter session, and so far Parliament has been adjourned virtually every day. "They are running away from the debate and are merely claiming to be ready for it," Gandhi said. Mr Modi has on one day attended Parliament, he attended the Rajya Sabha or upper house, but did not address it. (WION)

India: Govt says no to debate and vote on demonetisation, Parliament's Lower House adjourned until Dec 14

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said Thursday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s demonetisation move was a &quot;foolish decision&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;The assessment is that it is a disaster. It has devastated the poor, farmers and daily wage workers. We want to have a discussion. We want a vote, government doesn&#39;t. How can it be a bold decision? It is a foolish decision taken without any due consideration,&quot; ANI reported him as saying.&nbsp;

He also added that Prime Minister Modi has changed &quot;his narrative&quot; with regards to demonetisation. &quot;Prime Minister Modi started by saying it is against black money, now the talk of black money is vanished. Then, he went to terrorism. After the terrorists were caught with the new notes, he went to counterfeit currency and later cashless economy. So, basically he is running.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;PM Modi is running away, if he comes to the House for a debate, we won&#39;t let him run. He (PM Modi) is laughing, having a nice time while the people of the country are suffering. The idea behind a cashless economy is that a few people must get maximum benefits from these transactions, this has damaged the nation,&quot; &nbsp;ANI reported him as saying.&nbsp;

Parliament has been unable to function because of the uproar over demonetisation.&nbsp;

When asked about it, Rahul said it is the government&#39;s responsibility to run Parliament.

He added, &quot;If I am allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha, I will show to all how Paytm means &#39;Pay to Modi&#39;.&quot;&nbsp;

The government hit back at the Congress saying it was supporting black money hoarders.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from ANI) 
&nbsp;

'The assessment is that?it is a disaster,' he said

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said Thursday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move was a "foolish decision". "The assessment is that it is a disaster. It has devastated the poor, farmers and daily wage workers. We want to have a discussion. We want a vote, government doesn't. How can it be a bold decision? It is a foolish decision taken without any due consideration," ANI reported him as saying. He also added that Prime Minister Modi has changed "his narrative" with regards to demonetisation. "Prime Minister Modi started by saying it is against black money, now the talk of black money is vanished. Then, he went to terrorism. After the terrorists were caught with the new notes, he went to counterfeit currency and later cashless economy. So, basically he is running." "PM Modi is running away, if he comes to the House for a debate, we won't let him run. He (PM Modi) is laughing, having a nice time while the people of the country are suffering. The idea behind a cashless economy is that a few people must get maximum benefits from these transactions, this has damaged the nation," ANI reported him as saying. Parliament has been unable to function because of the uproar over demonetisation. When asked about it, Rahul said it is the government's responsibility to run Parliament. He added, "If I am allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha, I will show to all how Paytm means 'Pay to Modi'." The government hit back at the Congress saying it was supporting black money hoarders. (WION with inputs from ANI)

India: Demonetisation a 'foolish decision', says Rahul Gandhi

After the Congress party filed a complaint against the hacking of the Twitter accounts of the party and its vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Police has initiated a probe into the matter.

The police has written to the management of the social media site seeking necessary details, PTI reported.

&quot;We have written to Twitter to provide us log details such as the IP address of the hackers. We have started investigating the matter,&quot; a senior police official said.

India&#39;s information and technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the matter was being taken very &quot;seriously&quot; and prompt action had been taken.

&quot;As far Twitter account of Rahul Gandhi is concerned, when it came to my notice, I took it very seriously. Twitter representative of India was contacted and all offending tweets were removed,&quot; Prasad said. &quot;We are seeking the details of all those who logged in that twitter account in the last one week to probe it further.&quot;

Congress party hit back against the hacking today.

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Hello everyone! We are back. The tweets in the morning lacked wit, evidently. 
 
Anyway, Mr Modi, back to people&#39;s questions, care to answer?
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&nbsp;

Rahul Gandhi retaliated with a tweet of his own.

&nbsp;

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To every one of you haters out there. I love all of you. You&#39;re beautiful. Your hatred just doesn&#39;t let you see it yet
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&nbsp;

Rahul Gandhi&#39;s official Twitter account was hacked last night and profanities posted from it, which were deleted soon after. It was hacked again this morning. The Congress&#39;s Twitter account was hacked today and messages laden with expletives and profanities posted on it.

&nbsp;

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Gandhi&#39;s account was hacked around 8.45 PM. (Twitter)
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&nbsp;

The party&#39;s chief spokesperson, Randeep Surjewala, demanded strict action against the hackers, tweeting that &quot;it reflected disturbing insecurities of the prevalent fascist culture in the country.&quot;&nbsp;He also expressed concern about the &quot;digital safety&quot; of Indians.

&nbsp;

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Such unscrupulous,unethical&amp;roguish conduct of venal trolls 2hack <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG">@OfficeOfRG</a> reflects disturbing insecurities of prevalent fascist culture
&mdash; Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) <a href="https://twitter.com/rssurjewala/status/803986961014718464">November 30, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Pre-meditated hacking of <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG">@OfficeOfRG</a> smacks of a sinister conspiracy to abuse &amp; intimidate.It stregthens our resolve to fight for the Nation
&mdash; Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) <a href="https://twitter.com/rssurjewala/status/803991794769752064">November 30, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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Such despotic &amp;vulgar attempts reflect the extremities of an intolerant culture that resorts to abuse when cornered and left answer less.2/n
&mdash; Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) <a href="https://twitter.com/rssurjewala/status/804193760644984832">December 1, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Cyber attacks on <a href="https://twitter.com/INCIndia">@INCIndia</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG">@OfficeOfRG</a> exposes the vulnerability of cyber security &amp; Digital platforms in India. An eye opener for Modiji!
&mdash; Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) <a href="https://twitter.com/rssurjewala/status/804195788238692353">December 1, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Surjewala also filed a complaint with the cyber cell of Delhi Police.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi&#39;s political secretary Ahmed Patel also tweeted:

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The way <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG">@OfficeOfRG</a> a/c got hacked,as cybercrime &amp; Twitter watched helpless raises serious Q&#39;s on digital safety, Digital India future
&mdash; Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) <a href="https://twitter.com/ahmedpatel/status/804005397635862528">November 30, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Those forcing country to adopt online payment overnight,have they taken steps to ensure a/c of ordinary ppl will be immune from hacking?
&mdash; Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) <a href="https://twitter.com/ahmedpatel/status/804010661701267456">November 30, 2016</a></blockquote>
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(WION with inputs from PTI)

Delhi Police has initiated a probe into the matter and have written to Twitter management, seeking necessary details

After the Congress party filed a complaint against the hacking of the Twitter accounts of the party and its vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Police has initiated a probe into the matter. The police has written to the management of the social media site seeking necessary details, PTI reported. "We have written to Twitter to provide us log details such as the IP address of the hackers. We have started investigating the matter," a senior police official said. India's information and technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the matter was being taken very "seriously" and prompt action had been taken. "As far Twitter account of Rahul Gandhi is concerned, when it came to my notice, I took it very seriously. Twitter representative of India was contacted and all offending tweets were removed," Prasad said. "We are seeking the details of all those who logged in that twitter account in the last one week to probe it further." Congress party hit back against the hacking today. Hello everyone! We are back. The tweets in the morning lacked wit, evidently. Anyway, Mr Modi, back to people's questions, care to answer? — INC India (@INCIndia) December 1, 2016 × Rahul Gandhi retaliated with a tweet of his own. To every one of you haters out there. I love all of you. You're beautiful. Your hatred just doesn't let you see it yet — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 1, 2016 × Rahul Gandhi's official Twitter account was hacked last night and profanities posted from it, which were deleted soon after. It was hacked again this morning. The Congress's Twitter account was hacked today and messages laden with expletives and profanities posted on it. Gandhi's account was hacked around 8.45 PM. (Twitter) × The party's chief spokesperson, Randeep Surjewala, demanded strict action against the hackers, tweeting that "it reflected disturbing insecurities of the prevalent fascist culture in the country." He also expressed concern about the "digital safety" of Indians. Such unscrupulous,unethical&roguish conduct of venal trolls 2hack @OfficeOfRG reflects disturbing insecurities of prevalent fascist culture — Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) November 30, 2016 × Pre-meditated hacking of @OfficeOfRG smacks of a sinister conspiracy to abuse & intimidate.It stregthens our resolve to fight for the Nation — Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) November 30, 2016 × Such despotic &vulgar attempts reflect the extremities of an intolerant culture that resorts to abuse when cornered and left answer less.2/n — Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 1, 2016 × Cyber attacks on @INCIndia & @OfficeOfRG exposes the vulnerability of cyber security & Digital platforms in India. An eye opener for Modiji! — Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 1, 2016 × Surjewala also filed a complaint with the cyber cell of Delhi Police. Congress President Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel also tweeted: The way @OfficeOfRG a/c got hacked,as cybercrime & Twitter watched helpless raises serious Q's on digital safety, Digital India future — Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) November 30, 2016 × Those forcing country to adopt online payment overnight,have they taken steps to ensure a/c of ordinary ppl will be immune from hacking? — Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) November 30, 2016 × (WION with inputs from PTI)

Indian Congress Twitter account hacked, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi targeted again

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