The Congress said that the Gandhi family had the blessings of the people of Amethi and nobody stood a chance against them in elections there after AAP leader Kumar Vishwas held a rally in the constituency, which is represented in the Lok Sabha by Rahul Gandhi.   

"The way the Gandhi family has served that constituency (Amethi) and the kind of blessings the people of that seat have given to the family, nobody stands a chance against them," Congress leader and Union Minister Rajiv Shukla told reporters.

Indian and Sri Lankan officials, along with representatives of fishermen, will meet to discuss the issues related to fishermen of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on January 20 at Chennai, Union Minister V Narayanasamy said today.

The Centre had already taken steps to work out solutions to end the problems of fishermen of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry facing assault by naval forces and coast guard units of Sri Lanka and also seizure of their fishing vessels, he said.

Jyanthi tax imposed in Delhi to move environment ministry files, Modi said in Panaji apparently referring to former minister Jayanthi Natarajan.

Hitting out at the Aam Aadmi Party again for its unconventional style of governance, the BJP today said publicity without substantive governance was simply "gimmickry" the continuance of which would invite public ridicule and anger.   

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, said that, when it came to governance, the AAP had confused substance with style. Its "unconventional style is not a substitute for substantive governance," Jaitley added.   

"Publicity as regards the style of governance without any substantive governance is simply gimmickry. Responsible governance has a lasting impact. Gimmickry is always short-lived," he said.

PM Manmohan Singh telephones Sheikh Hasina to convey his good wishes after she is sworn in as Bangladesh's prime minister following elections.

Narendra Modi targets Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde for his remark that Muslims should not be arrested. "The home minister of India said something that is very worrying. You tell me, should wrongdoers not be punished or not? Should the law not be same for all wrongdoers."

"But, the home minister is interested in vote bank politics. He is writing to CMs to see to it that members of a particular community are not arrested. On the basis of religion, injustice should not be done to anybody. If one is innocent he or she must be free but this must be for everyone," Modi said.

"Law and order is a state subject. Shinde ji, sitting in Delhi, do not tutor states on law and order," he said.  

"The government in Delhi does not do anything but it prevents others from doing things as well. The Congress has destroyed the federal structure of the country. We will not let this happen," Modi said at a rally in Goa.

Attacking the PM, he said, "People expected a lot from Manmohan Singh. The Congress under Manmohan Singh has destroyed established institutions. His 10 years have been the worst in history."

"People ask Modi ji what will you do? We will do good those wrongs done by the Congress. We will strengthen offices and institutions. We believe in decentralisation," Modi said in Goa. 

"My young friends, do you want to live the lives your elders lived, the problems they faced. Who were the people that gave you these problems. Do we not need to punish those people," Modi said as he slammed the Congress. 

"Rajiv Gandhi kept saying 21st century is coming, it was all over. But, are we ready for this century," he asked.

"I do not want to get into that history but we lost a lot of time and hopes were lost."

"All institutions have been rendered useless. Power went into hands where there was no accountability. This is not right in democracy." 

"The people of India have decided to uproot the Congress. Congress mukt Bharat, BJP ka naara nahi hai, jan jan ka sankalp hai," Modi said.

"When I say Congress mukt Bharat, I mean not only the Congress party leaders but the culture that the Congress has come to represent must come to an end," he added.

"In various ways, through various leaders and parties this Congress culture spread across India. India needs freedom from this."

"Be it dynasty politics, nepotism, corruption, communalism, divisions in society, poverty...freedom from all this is Congress mukt Bharat."  

At the Panaji rally, Modi said that the money collected for the rally will go to the families of those who lost their lives in the unfortunate building collapse.

"I was seeing on TV, during the collapse, Manohar Parrikar ji was at the site amd we could see his skills as an engineer. These are the values of the BJP. The party has taught us these values that we have to be with the people in their happy and sad times."

"Imagine the strength of this party. It has promoted a chaiwallas son to this position."

Narendra Modi begins his address at St Cruz in Panaji, Goa. This is his first rally in the state after he was nominated as Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate.

He begins the rally addressing his supporters in Goa. "Saadgi, suchita aur Goa ke vikas ke liye poorna samarpan...This is no small thing. I congratulate you for choosing such a government."

"You have chosen Manohar Parrikar as your CM and you must be congratulated for this," he said.  

Union steel minister Beni Prasad Verma finds himself in trouble once again. His comment on Narendra Modi, 'We need a prime minister not a man-eater' has sparked a political war.   

Beni Prasad who had targeted Modi on several occasions before, said yesterday the country needs a prime minister and not a "man-eater".

Verma, without naming BJP's prime ministerial candidate Modi, said, "Hamen bhavi pradhan mantri ki zaroorat hai, aadamkhor ki nahi (We need a future prime minister, not a man-eater)."

Under pressure from his party, Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily today said the government is considering increasing the quota of subsidised LPG cylinders to 12 per household even as hints were dropped of a one-time hike in diesel and LPG rates.

Moily, who last week said there was no proposal to increase the quota from nine cylinders per household to 12, today said the final decision on the issue will be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs.

"I have read in newspapers about (Congress Vice President) Rahul Gandhi taking up the issue of increasing the LPG cap with the prime minister. I am yet to get comments from the Congress vice president or the prime minister," he told reporters.

Moily said 89.2 per cent of the 15 crore LPG consumers use up to nine cylinders in a year and only 10 per cent have to buy the additional requirement at the market price. If the quota is raised to 12, about 97 per cent of the LPG consumers would be covered by subsidised LPG, he said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today that adequate supply of energy at affordable prices is critical for growth.

"We need to increase energy supplies by 3 to 4 times over the next decade. We eed to bridge gap between demand and supply; encouraging firms to explore oil and gas in stable policy regime," he said. 

"India is committed to reducing its carbon footprint," he added.

NDTV reports: Narendra Modi will shortly address what Goa Chief Minister and BJP leader Manohar Parrikar claims will be the biggest ever rally in the state.

"It is the biggest rally not only in the history of Goa, but also in India. Almost 10 per cent of Goa's population is coming for the rally," Parrikar said.

Over a lakh people are expected to attend, he said.

At the Amethi rally, Aam Aadmi Party's Kumar Vishwas slammed the Gandhi family for no development in Amethi. 

"Sonia Gandhi ji, you keep going abroad for treatment. Do you not trust people in your own country? If you can't trust the 'sons' of your own country, how can I trust yours?"

Talking about the protests he faced in Amethi, he said, "If you think we will be scared of blag flags, you are wrong. We weren't scared when we exposed the scam of the 'maharani's damad' (Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law, Robert Vadra)."

"Anyone can come to Amethi, I don't need to take a visa from Rahul Gandhi to come here."

Aam Aadmi Party leader Kumar Vishwas holds his first rally in Amethi, the bastion of Rahul Gandhi, amid protests. Unfazed, Vishwas attacked the Congress rule in Amethi.

Taking a dig at Rahul, he poet-turned-politician said, "I will not go to Dalit's house and call a TV crew over. Simply eating at a Dalit's house will not make a difference."

He asked the people to choose between the prince and the aam aadmi.

"It's better to be a joker than a thief," Vishwas said in response to Congress leader Beni Prasad Verma's jibe at him.

He slammed the Congress for lack of corruption in Amethi. He said the Gandhi family has failed over the years.  

NDTV reports: After the row with the United States over diplomat, sources say the foreign ministry is now pushing the finance ministry to change the status of domestic workers who go to the US with Indian envoys.

Foreign Secretary Sujata Singh has met senior Finance Ministry officials in this regard, sources said.

Read the full report here

Sri Lanka on Saturday said it will not release over 200 Indian fishermen lodged in Colombo before the Indo-Lanka fisheries talks, scheduled in New Delhi later this week to resolve a major irritant in bilateral ties.

Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne, due to visit New Delhi for the proposed talks on Tuesday, said there would be no release of Indian fishermen before the meeting, a day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa ordered the release of 179 Lankan fishermen lodged in state prisons to create a favourable atmosphere.

The CBI has found no criminality int the allocation of about 60 coal blocks, which are likely to betaken out of the purview of its ongoing probe after taking the Supreme Court's permission. 

Agency sources said this will be mentioned in the status report to be filed by the agency before the Supreme Court tomorrow.

Although the agency has analysed the records in detail and concluded there was no criminality involved in the allocation of these coal blocks, a final decision whether to take them out of the ongoing probe would be taken after directives of the Supreme Court, the sources said.

The latest medical bulletin on actress Suchitra Sen: After a sudden deterioration of Suchitra Sen's medical condition last evening, her condition has stabalised. Her heart and blood pressure continue to remain stable. Although weak, she is conscious. 

The actress is receiving treatment at the Belle Vue Clinic in Kolkata.

The 82-year-old actress, who has shunned media and public for decades since her retirement from the film industry, initially suffered chest infection, and was undergoing treatment for it at the nursing home since December 23. Her condition worsened Dec 28 night.

Following complications, Sen was put on the ventilator January 3.  

Expressing deepest condolences to the family of Ariel Sharon and to the people of Israel, US President Barack Obama said Vice President Joe Biden will lead the American delegation to the memorial service of the popular former Israeli premier.

"We reaffirm our unshakable commitment to Israel's security and our appreciation for the enduring friendship between our two countries and our two peoples," Obama said in a statement.

"We continue to strive for lasting peace and security for the people of Israel, including through our commitment to the goal of two states living side-by-side in peace and security. "As Israel says goodbye to Prime Minister Sharon, we join with the Israeli people in honouring his commitment to his country," he said.

Maldives has ruled out any possibility of return of Indian infrastructure giant GMR in the over $500-million Male airport project but said it was welcome to participate in other ventures in the island nation.

Asserting that Maldives has nothing against GMR, newly- elected Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen said his administration was committed to resolve the dispute with the Indian firm amicably.

The president has already talked about a out-of-court settlement in the matter. "I am not saying we are saying no to GMR. What I am saying is total management of the airport is far too important for the Maldivian government (to hand over). We have nothing against GMR or any Indian company. It is just that the international airport is far too important for us, commercially and also from security point of view," Yameen told PTI in a recent interview.

After facing protests in Jadishpur, Aam Aadmi Party's Kumar Vishwas faced protests from the Congress. The party workers protested against him on the Lucknow-Amethi highway.

The Congress said ahead of Vishwas' rally in Amethi, "He will never succeed here."

Goons vandalise and  set ablaze a toll plaza in Kolhapur Maharashtra following a dispute over the collection of toll traffic.

Initial reports say that Shiv Sena workers were involved in the attack. Four booths have been destroyed, reports CNN-IBN.

The Shiv Sena has called for a bandh in Kolhapur tomorrow.

Image: Representation picture

"I am not contesting the Lok Sabha polls," said Nationalist Congress chief Sharad Pawar today.

Pawar's statement comes a day after, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said at an event in Maharashtra's Solapur  that he would be happy to see National Congress Party or NCP chief Sharad Pawar as India's PM.

Shinde's statement, which came ahead of Congress' crucial session on January 17 in which party vice-president Rahul Gandhi is expected to be named as its PM candidate, created quite a furore.

Shinde today clarified saying, "I was asked how would I feel if Pawar becomes PM. I said he is from Maharashtra and an ally, so it will be good. But our basic issue is that we want to make Rahul Gandhi the PM." 

The Srinagar-Jammu national highway, which connects Kashmir Valley to the rest of the country, was today opened for traffic after remaining cut off for two days due to snowfall.   

Traffic on the 294-km arterial road was stopped on Friday following snowfall in the areas around Jawahar Tunnel and only those vehicles were allowed to move yesterday whichhad been stranded a day earlier.   

"The highway is open for traffic and vehicles are being allowed to ply from Srinagar towards Jammu," an official of the traffic department told PTI.

Protesters wave black flags at Aam Aadmi Party leader Kumar Vishwas  as his convoy passed through Jadishpur on way to Amethi, where he is scheduled to address a rally this noon.

The protesters sought an apology for Vishwas' for his 'communal remarks' against Hazrat Imam Hussain.

The poet-turned-politician had made the allegedly objectionable in his 'musharias' earlier. He had recently apologised for the comments.    
 

Israel bid farewell today to its former prime minister Ariel Sharon, one of the most prominent military generals in the country's history and a controversial figure who died after being in coma for eight years.

The farewell ceremony will be followed by a state funeral at his Sycamore Ranch home in south Israel tomorrow.

The casket of Sharon, who died yesterday at the age of 85 despite efforts to stabilise him, will be placed in the Knesset (Israeli parliament) plaza from 12:00 noon until 6 pm today (local time) so that the people can pay their last respects.

NDTV reports: Reacting to the allegation of sexual harassment against him, former Supreme Court judge Swatenter Kumar said it was a deep-rooted conspiracy and that "none of the facts are verified.

"The intern story is concocted with ulterior motives... The complaint is false and a result of conspiracy to tarnish the judge reputation," he added.

Read the full report here

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