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Mon, 14 May 2018
Bullet train meet: Farmers detained at venue, some walk out

Timeline  Refresh

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23:00   Bullet train meet: Farmers detained at venue, some walk out
Some farmers were detained and a few others walked out of a consultation meeting for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai high speed rail project in Surat today, with a top district official stating that it went off successfully.

Collector Dhaval Patel said that some persons were detained from the venue as the administration feared that they might raise slogans and create law and order issues.

"Some persons were detained due to a concern over law and order. However, the meeting went on successfully as we tried to address issues raised by the farmers," Patel said.

He added that around 400 farmers attended the public hearing which was organised at city's Gandhi Smruti Bhavan. Darshan Naik, a Congress member of the Surat district panchayat, claimed that he was detained by the police, and said that several farmers walked out after coming to know of the detention.

"There was a large number of police personnel deployed at the meeting who were frisking every farmer entering the venue hall. I went in with a set of demands but was stopped by the police and detained," said Naik.

"When farmers who had gone in for the meeting came to know about this, they walked out and the meeting was not held again. We demand its rescheduling," he said.

As per the process, such consultation meetings have to be held before the actual process of acquiring land can start.

The project was launched last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe and it is expected to be ready for commissioning by 2022.

The high-speed train will run between Ahmedabad and Mumbai and will halt in 12 stations.  -- PTI
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22:38   Haasan invites Stalin, Rajini for meet on Cauvery
Makkal Needhi Maiam President and actor Kamal Haasan today met Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader M K Stalin and invited him for a meeting on the Cauvery dispute on May 19.

MNM sources said Haasan met Stalin at the DMK headquarters in Chennai and invited his party to attend the meeting.

Haasan also spoke to his contemporary and aspiring politician Rajinikanth over phone and invited him for the meet, the sources said. MNM was organising a meeting of various parties and farmers -- bodies on May 19 in Chennai to discuss the Cauvery issue, they added.

Earlier, the Centre had submitted its draft Cauvery management scheme before a bench of the Supreme Court in Delhi.  -- PTI
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22:16   PNB misrepresented factual position on LoUs to RBI: CBI chargesheet
Top honchos of Punjab National Bank 'misrepresented' the factual position on letters of understanding (LoUs) to the RBI and ignored its warnings when credit facilities worth over $2 billion were fraudulently cleared by its branch in Mumbai, according to a Central Bureau of Investigation chargesheet.

The agency has said then PNB MD and CEO Usha Ananthasubramanian and her top officials also failed to prevent the fraud despite having knowledge of the modus operandi, according to sources.

Diamond merchants Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi allegedly cheated PNB by availing credits worth over $2 billion from overseas banks, on the basis of fraudulent LoUs issued by PNB staff, which were siphoned off by them.

An LoU is a guarantee given by an issuing bank to Indian banks having branches abroad to grant short-term credit to the applicant.

Ananthasubramanian, who is currently the MD and CEO of Allahabad Bank, Executive Directors of Punjab National Bank K V Brahmaji Rao and Sanjiv Sharan, and General Manager (International Banking) Nehal Ahad are four senior bank executives who have been charge-sheeted by the agency.

Giving details of the charges against Ananthasubramanian, the agency sources said she was the MD and CEO of PNB when a similar case of LoU fraud was reported from Indian Overseas Bank, Chandigarh in 2016 where credits were issued by PNB's Dubai branch on the basis of these guarantees.

The modus operandi in the IOB case was similar to the Nirav Modi case. Hence, the top brass of PNB had complete knowledge of the methods involved by fraudsters to cheat the banks using LoUs, the sources said.

After the IOB fraud had surfaced, the RBI had issued guidelines and circulars to prevent such frauds in the banks which were allegedly not implemented in PNB in its entirety, they said.

All these files were processed by Ananthasubramanian and three other top officers -- Rao, Sharan and Ahad, which shows they were completely aware of the modus operandi of such frauds being perpetrated, they said.

The Reserve Bank of India had sent a questionnaire to the officials seeking to know the status of LoU issuing process in their bank which was responded to by Ahad in concurrence with his seniors including Ananthasubramanian in which he had stated that all was well in the bank, they said.

This was a clear 'misrepresentation' of facts to the RBI by top officials of PNB, they said. The sources said naming of Ananthasubramanian, who was at the helm of affairs in Punjab National Bank during 2015-17, in the charge sheet did not mean that her predecessors had been cleared by the agency.

The agency said the time period of the scam was spread between 2011-17 and probe into the role of other officers was underway. They said the present chargesheet, filed in a special court in Mumbai, primarily deals with the first FIR registered in the case relating to the fraudulent issuance over Rs 6,498.20 crore worth of LoUs to Diamond R US, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamonds.

The agency has not given in detail the role of Mehul Choksi in the present charge sheet. It is likely to come up when the CBI files supplementary charge sheets in the case related to the probe into his Gitanjali Group.   -- PTI
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21:20   Major cabinet rejig: Goyal gets finance, Irani shunted out of I&B
JUST IN: In a major cabinet rejig Union minister Piyush Goyal has been given charge of the finance ministry till Arun Jaitley recovers, say media reports.

Jaitley has undergone a successful kidney transplant today.

Moreover, Union minister Smriti Irani has been shunted out of information and broadcasting ministry and junior I&B minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has been given charge of the ministry.

Irani will look after textile ministry, say media reports.

More details awaited. 
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20:52   MHA seeks report on West Bengal panchayat poll violence
The ministry of home affairs on Monday sought a report from the West Bengal Government regarding incidents of violence during Panchayat Election in the state.

The state has been witnessing violent clashes between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Trinamool Congress workers since the filing of nominations for the election back in April.

During the polling earlier in the day, clashes erupted yet again resulting in the death of 12 people while many were injured.

Clashes also broke out between TMC and Congress supporters in Murshidabad.

Amid the violence, a voting booth was allegedly vandalised by TMC workers in North Dinajpur's Sonadangi.

In Murshidabad, ballot boxes were looted at gunpoint by unidentified persons, and in another instance, some ballot papers were thrown in a pond after a clash between TMC and BJP workers.

A ballot box was also retrieved from a pond in Sonadangi.

The clashes between the two parties also led to vandalism of vehicles in Raniganj area of Asansol during the time of voting.

The voting, which began at 7 am on Monday morning, ended at 5 pm in 621 Zilla Parishads, 6157 panchayat samitis, and 31,827 gram panchayats.

The counting will take place on May 17.   -- ANI
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20:32   Inflation rises in April, may prompt RBI to harden monetary stance
Reversing the declining trend of three months, retail inflation inched up to 4.58 per cent in April and may prompt the Reserve Bank to harden stance at the monetary policy review next month.

The Wholesale Price Index based inflation too rose to 3.18 per cent in April mainly on account of spike in fuel prices, as per inflation data released by the government.

The hardening of inflation, both retail and wholesale, comes weeks ahead of RBI's Monetary Policy Committee meet on June 4 and 5. Retail inflation, based on movement in Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose after declining since January on account of rise in prices of cereals, meat, fish and fruits.

As per the Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, retail inflation was 4.28 per cent in March and 2.99 per cent in April last year.

A key data factored in by RBI while deciding on the policy interest rate, retail inflation has consistently remained above the central bank's comfort level of 4 per cent since November 2017.

In its first monetary policy review for the fiscal last month, RBI maintained status quo on interest rate citing inflationary concerns.

At the April 4-5 MPC meeting, Deputy Governor Viral Acharya had cited revival in investment activity and an improvement in capacity utilisation for his switch from a neutral stance to shift 'decisively to vote for a beginning of withdrawal of accommodation in the next monetary policy meeting in June'.

A majority of the six-member panel had flagged upside risks to inflation as it kept the benchmark repurchase rate unchanged at 6 per cent.

As per today's CPI data, the rate of price rise in protein rich items like meat and fish inched up in April to 3.59 per cent, as against 3.17 per cent in March.

Similarly, the inflation in the fruit basket was higher at 9.65 per cent compared to 5.78 per cent in the previous month.

However, inflation in vegetables segment was lower at 7.29 per cent in April compared to 11.7 per cent. Overall, inflation in the food basket remained flat at 2.8 per cent month-on-month.

The data revealed that inflation in the fuel and light segment also came in lower at 5.24 per cent month-on-month basis.

The WPI-based inflation was 2.47 per cent in March and 3.85 per cent in April last year.

The data on WPI is released by the commerce ministry. WPI inflation, which was on a declining trend since December 2017, accelerated in April due to an unfavourable base effect, a seasonal uptick in food prices as well as the pass through of rising global crude oil prices.

Inflation in December was 3.58 per cent. WPI inflation in food articles was at 0.87 per cent in April 2018, as against a deflation of 0.29 per cent in the preceding month.

Deflation in vegetables was 0.89 per cent in April, while in the previous month it was 2.70 per cent. In the 'fuel and power' basket in WPI, petrol inflation spiked to 9.45 per cent in April from 2.55 per cent in March; while diesel jumped to 13.01 per cent from 6.12 per cent in the previous month.

RBL Bank Economist Rajni Thakur said that at a time when economic healing process is underway, rising price pressure driven by high global prices of oil presents a very difficult dilemma for RBI in terms of holding rates to support growth momentum and rising rates to defend the currency against major swings.

On WPI, Aditi Nayar, Principal Economist with ICRA said that inflation is expected to continue to rise over the remainder of this quarter.

"The government may prefer to wait for additional information about the level at which the monthly GST revenues stabilise after the e-way bill introduction, before reducing excise duty on fuels," she said.

The central bank revised downward forecast for retail inflation to 4.7-5.1 per cent for April-September and 4.4 per cent for October-March.  -- PTI
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20:07   Congress slams Modi govt over fuel price hike
The Congress today attacked the Modi government for hiking fuel prices, with party president Rahul Gandhi alleging that befooling people is the key principle of 'Modinomics'.

'Karnataka finishes voting, FUEL prices rise to a 4 year high! The Key Principle of Modinomics: fool as many people as you can, as often as you can,' Gandhi wrote on Twitter, using the hashtag 'PeTrolled'.

Congress's communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala alleged that the government was befooling the public as it did not raise fuel prices only due to elections in Karnataka.

'Post deception of people of Karnataka and the country by not raising Petrol-Diesel prices for 19 continuous days to garner votes; First salvo of Petrol/Diesel enhancement is fired! How many more to be fired to fleece the pockets of ordinary people?' he asked on Twitter.

He said that people had now understood the Modi's government's game.

After a 19-day pre-Karnataka poll hiatus, petrol price was today hiked by 17 paise a litre and diesel by 21 paise as PSU oil firms began passing on the spike witnessed in international rates to consumers.

With this, diesel prices have touched a record high while petrol is at a 56-month peak.

Oil PSUs, who had kept rates unchanged for nearly three weeks before Karnataka went to polls despite input cost spiking, reverted to daily revision in prices no sooner had the state voted to elect a new government on Saturday.  -- PTI
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19:05   US opens new embassy in Jerusalem amid deadly clashes
The United States today opened its embassy in Jerusalem under a controversial move by President Donald Trump that has infuriated the Palestinians, who clashed with Israeli soldiers who shot dead at least 37 of them in Gaza, in the deadliest escalation of violence since 2014.
Trump announced the decision to move the embassy in December, when he formally recognised the city as the capital of Israel, breaking away from decades of US neutrality on the senstitive issue.
Trump, in an early morning tweet, hailed the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem as "a great day for Israel." 
Trump made no reference to the violence in an early morning tweet but said, "A great day for Israel!"
A high-level American delegation that includes Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin, Senior adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, senior adviser and first daughter Ivanka Trump, and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt are attending the embassy opening ceremony.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also present.
The embassy move is contentious for Palestinians, who hope to claim part of the city as their future capital, and for many in the Arab world, as it is home to some of the holiest sites in Islam. The city is also home to deeply holy sites for Jews and Christians. 
The issue has been so thorny that international negotiators had left the question of Jerusalem to the final stages of any peace deal. -- PTI

Image: A worker is seen inside the new US embassy compound during preparations for its opening ceremony in Jerusalem. Photograph: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
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18:42   Chargesheet against Tharoor 'politically motivated': Congress
The Kerala Congress today described as "politically motivated" the Delhi Police chargesheet against party leader Shashi Tharoor accusing him of abetting the suicide of his wife Sunanda Pushkar, while the BJP demanded the MP's resignation.
 
Tharoor is the only person named as an accused in the case. The police in its chargesheet, which runs into 3,000 pages, has alleged that Tharoor had subjected his wife to cruelty. Pushkar was found dead in a luxury hotel room in Delhi on the night of January 17, 2014.
Opposition leader in the Kerala assembly Ramesh Chennithala said "using power, an attempt is being made by BJP to suppress and insult Congress leaders."
Chennithala said "wrong" reports have been given to the media on several occasions in connection with the case to "insult" Tharoor.
"Now, a case for abetting the suicide of his wife has been (filed) against Tharoor," he said in a statement here.
"There has been political interference in the case as Tharoor had severally criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Sangh Parivar on various occasions," Kerala PCC president M M Hassan said.
"It is only the fascists who act in this manner to take on their political rivals... The move is only to cut short the political career of the MP, who represents Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha," he said.
However, BJP leader M T Ramesh demanded that Tharoor immediately resign as an MP. Congress president Rahul Gandhi should be prepared to seek his resignation, he told reporters. -- PTI
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18:18   WB panchayat polls violence: Centre seeks report from Mamata govt
The Centre today sought a report from the West Bengal government on the violence during panchayat polls in which six people were killed and 43  injured.
   
A home ministry official said the state government has been told to provide a detailed report on the circumstances leading to the violence and the steps taken to restore peace and punish those involved in the violence.
 
Despite massive security arrangements, widespread violence marred the panchayat polls in West Bengal today, leaving at least six people dead and 43 injured.
 
Clashes between the supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition parties occurred in many parts of the state including North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad and South Dinajpur districts.
 
More than 60,000 security personnel from West Bengal and neighbouring states were deployed for the panchayat polls. -- PTI  
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18:09   WB panchayat polls: Ballot boxed looted at gunpoint in Murshidabad
Ballot boxes were looted at gunpoint on Monday by unidentified people at polling booths in West Bengal's Murshidabad where the Panchayat Election is just done.


The ongoing Panchayat Election saw huge-scale clashes between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Trinamool Congress workers, resulting in the death of one.


Clashes also broke out between TMC and Congress supporters in Murshidabad.


"BJP agent was trying to run away with the ballot box, while officers caught hold of him but people said to let him go. I just drove people away using my hand, that's all," State Minister Rabindra Nath Ghosh told ANI, who was caught on camera slapping a BJP supporter.

On a related note, the voting, which began at 7 a.m. on Monday morning, will continue till 5 p.m. in 621 Zilla Parishads, 6157 panchayat samitis, and 31,827 gram panchayats.

The counting will take place on May 17. -- ANI

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17:33  
Tempest @ColdCigar Maine Suna hai Air India Modiji k Plane ka engine Hamesha Start rakhti hai kyunki baar baar Off krke restart krne mein Jayada Fuel lagta hai.
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17:29   PM to meet Putin in 'informal summit' in Russia on May 21
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Russia on May 21 for an informal summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Ministry of External Affairs announced today. The informal summit will be held in Russian city of Sochi.


"This will be an important occasion for the two leaders to exchange views on international matters in a broad and long-term perspective with the objective of further strengthening our Special and Privileged Strategic partnership," the MEA said in a statement.


It said both the leaders will also discuss their respective national developmental priorities and bilateral matters.


"This informal Summit in Sochi between Prime Minister Modi and President Putin is in keeping with the tradition of regular consultations between India and Russia at the highest levels," the MEA said.


Last month, Modi had travelled to Chinese city of Wuhan for an informal summit with President Xi Jingpin. -- PTI


File pic.
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17:26   Modi govt spent Rs 1000 cr a year on publicity since 2014
The Narendra Modi government has spent Rs 4,343 crore on publicity since it came to power in May 2014, an agency under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has said in reply to an RTI query. The expenditure was incurred on advertisements in the print and electronic media as well as outdoor publicity, the central government agency said in response to the application filed by city-based RTI activist Anil Galgali.


The Bureau of Outreach Communication under the ministry said the government spent Rs 4,343.26 crore on advertising its programmes across media platforms. This included Rs 1732.15 crore on advertisements in the print media (from June 1, 2014, to December 7, 2017) and Rs 2079.87 crore in the electronic media (from June 1, 2014, to March 31, 2018). A sum of Rs 531.24 crore was spent on outdoor publicity (June 2014 to January 2018), it said.
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17:21  
Centre seeks report from West Bengal govt on violence during Panchayat polls: Home Ministry.
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17:16   Sunanda chargesheet based on medico-legal, forensic evidence: Police
Delhi Police today said that the chargesheet filed in the Sunanda Pushkar case that accuses her husband and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor of abetting her suicide was finalised on the basis of "medico-legal and forensic evidence".
   
Tharoor is the only person who has been arrayed as an accused in the case. 

The police, in its charge sheet which runs into around 3,000 pages, has also alleged that Tharoor had subjected his wife to cruelty.
 
"On the basis of medico-legal and forensic evidence analysed during investigation as well as opinion of psychological autopsy experts, the charge sheet was filed. The matter is sub judice," said a Delhi Police spokesperson.
 
Psychological autopsy is a reconstructive mental state evaluation to understand an individual's mental state at and around the time of death for the purpose of identifying the cause of death.
 
Pushkar was found dead in a luxury hotel room on the night of January 17, 2014.
 
The Congress leader has been charged under sections 498 A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code. -- PTI
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16:22   Preposterous! Tharoor says on chargesheet in Sunanda death
Shashi Tharoor reacts to the abetment to suicide charge filed against him in the death of his Sunanda Pushkar in 2014.


"I have taken note of the filing of this preposterous charge sheet and intend to contest it vigorously. No one who knew Sunanda believes she would ever have committed suicide, let alone abetment on my part. If this is conclusion arrived at after 4+ yrs of investigation, it does not speak well of the methods or motivations of the Delhi Police. In Oct 17, the Law Officer made a statement in the Delhi High Court that they have not found anything against anyone & now in 6 months they say that I have abetted a suicide. Unbelievable," Tharoor tweeted.


The Delhi Police on Monday filed a chargesheet in a court accusing Congress leader Shashi Tharoor of abetting the suicide of his wife Sunanda Pushkar.


Tharoor is the only person who has been arrayed as an accused in the case.


The police in its chargesheet, which runs into around 3,000 pages, has also alleged that Tharoor had subjected his wife to cruelty.


The police filed the chargesheet in the mysterious death of Pushkar before Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmendra Singh, who will consider it on May 24.


It also urged the court to summon Tharoor as an accused.


Image: Shashi Tharoor sits in an ambulance as he waits outside a mortuary to receive his wife Sunanda Puskhar Tharoor's body at a hospital in New Delhi in 2014.

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16:11   All documents destroyed by UPA: Swamy
Subramaniam Swamy on the Sunanda Pushkar case: All witnesses and  documents were destroyed by the UPA govt and corrupt police. On the basis of current evidence this is what could be done. More information will come during trial. There are allegations on Shashi Tharoor that he forced his wife to commit suicide.

Swamy had moved the top court after the Delhi High Court had last year dismissed his plea seeking a probe by a court-monitored SIT into Pushkars death.
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16:05  
@RahulGandhi I'm happy to hear that Jaitleyji's kidney transplant surgery, today at AIIMS, went well. I wish him a speedy recovery.
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15:57   Kathua case: SC to hear witnesses case seeking protection from police torture
The Supreme Court will on May 16 hear the matter of three students, who are witnesses in the Kathua gangrape and murder case, seeking protection from police torture.


The apex court on May 7 transferred the Kathua gangrape and murder case to Pathankot Court and also ruled that the matter does not warrant a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry.


As per the top court, day-to-day hearings would take place in the matter along with in-camera proceedings, under the Pathankot district judge, with no scope for adjournment.


The Jammu and Kashmir government told the apex court that they were ready for fair trial in the case involving the alleged rape and murder of a minor in Kathua in January.


Gopal Subramanian, a senior Supreme Court lawyer, appearing for the state of Jammu, told the apex court that the state was only concerned with the investigation and a fair trial. However, the state government opposed the transfer of the case to any other state. -- ANI
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15:35   Mumbai boy tops Class 10 ICSE exam
ISCE Class 10 and 12 exam results declared; pass percentage 96.21 per cent: officials. Mumbai's Swayam Das tops Class 10 ICSE exam with 99.4 per cent. Seven students top ISC Class 12 with 99.5 per cent.
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15:26   Tharoor charged with 'abetment' in Sunanda Pushkar's suicide
Just in: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor charged with abetment in the suicide of his wife Sunanda Pushkar. Tharoor has been charged with 'cruelty in marriage'. 

The Delhi Police today filed a charge sheet in the mysterious death of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. The charge sheet was filed before Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh under sections 498 A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code. Tharoor has been arrayed as an accused in the case. Pushkar was found dead in a luxury hotel room on January 17, 2014.  -- PTI
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15:01   PM's language unacceptable, Manmohan, Cong leaders write to Prez
Top Congress leaders led by former premier Manmohan Singh have petitioned President Ram Nath Kovind alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had used "threatening and intimidating" language against them during the Karnataka poll campaign.


In a letter to the president, they said the "threat" by Modi to Congress leaders during the poll campaign needs to be condemned as it does not behove of a person holding the position of prime minister to utter such words.


"The president may caution the prime minister from using such unwarranted, threatening and intimidating language against leaders of the Congress party or any other party or person as it does not behove the position of the prime minister," Manmohan Singh and the other Congress leaders said.


The letter to Kovind was written by Manmohan Singh and senior Congress leaders A K Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel, P Chidambaram, Ashok Gehlot, Mallikarjun Kharge, Karan Singh, Ambika Soni, Kamal Nath, Anand Sharma, Motilal Vora, Digvijay Singh and Mukul Wasnik.


The Congress leaders in their letter referred to Modi's May 6 speech in Hubli in Karnataka. The prime minister gave a "threat" to the Congress leadership by saying, "Congress ke neta kaan kholkar sun lijiye, agar seemaon ko paar karoge, to yeh Modi hai, lene ke dene pad jayenge (Congress leaders should clearly hear out, if you cross limits, then this is Modi and you will have to pay a price)", they claimed, while providing a video of the same.


The Congress leaders said all the prime ministers of India in the past have maintained immense dignity and decorum in discharging of public or private functions and actions.


"The threat held out by the prime minister to the INC's leadership deserves to be condemned. This cannot be the language of a prime minister of a constitutionally governed democratic country of 1.3 billion people.


"Such discourse whether in public or private is unacceptable conduct. The words used are menacing and intimidating with intent to insult and provoke breach of the peace," Singh and other leaders said in the letter.  -- PTI
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14:35  
West Bengal: Voting booth vandalised allegedly by TMC workers in North Dinajpur's Sonadangi during Panchayat polls.
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14:20   CBI files charge sheet in Nirav Modi scam
The CBI today filed its first charge sheet in the country's largest financial scam worth over USD Rs 2 billion in Punjab National Bank by billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi, detailing the alleged role of the bank's former chief Usha Ananthasubramanian, who is now Allahabad Bank CEO and MD, officials said.


The charge sheet, filed in a special court in Mumbai, also names several other top officials of the bank. Ananthasubramanian was the MD and CEO of PNB from 2015 to 2017 and was questioned recently by the CBI in connection with the case.


The agency has also named PNB executive directors K V Brahmaji Rao and Sanjiv Sharan, and general manager (international operations) Nehal Ahad in its charge sheet.


The agency has detailed the roles of Nirav Modi, his brother Nishal Modi and Subhash Parab, an executive in Nirav Modi's company, officials said.


The charge sheet basically deals with the first FIR registered in the case relating to the fraudulent issuance over Rs 6,000 crore of Letters of Undertaking to Diamond R US, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamonds.


The agency has not given in detail the role of Mehul Choksi in the present charge sheet. It is likely to come up when the CBI files supplementary charge sheets in the case related to the probe of the Gitanjali group.


The CBI has registered three separate FIRs in connection with the alleged fraud in the public sector bank by the companies of the nephew-uncle duo of Modi and Choksi. Both Modi and Choksi had left the country before PNB filed the complaint with the CBI. -- PTI
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14:08   Govt sanctions Rs 1,161 cr calamity relief for 4 states, 1 UT
The Central government today sanctioned Rs 1,161 crore as calamity relief to four states and one union territory, which were hit by floods, landslides and drought, the Home Ministry said. A high level committee, headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, approved Rs 1,161.17 crore allocation for the states and the UT -- Rajasthan (drought kharif Rs 526.14 crore), Assam (floods Rs 480.87 crore), Himachal Pradesh (floods and landslides Rs 84.60 cr), Sikkim (floods and landslides Rs 67.40 cr) and Lakshwadeep (cyclone Ockhi Rs 2.16 cr), a ministry spokesperson said.


Today's meeting of the committee was also attended by Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, senior officials of the ministries of home, finance and agriculture. PTI
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13:52   Jaitley undergoes successful kidney transplant at AIIMS
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today underwent a successful kidney transplant at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, an official at the premier health institute said. Both the donor and the recipient are stable and recovering well, the official said.


Jaitley, 65, was admitted to the hospital on Saturday and taken to the operation theatre at 8 am today.


The minister, suffering from a kidney ailment, has been undergoing dialysis for the last one month. According to sources, nephrologist Dr Sandeep Guleria from Apollo Hospital, also the brother of AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, who is a family friend, was part of the team performing the transplant.


The minister, who cancelled his scheduled visit to London for the 10th India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue next week, had confirmed his illness in a tweet on April 6. "I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted," he had tweeted.


In September 2014, Jaitley underwent a bariatric surgery to treat weight gain because of a long-standing diabetic condition. The surgery was first performed at Max Hospital, but he had to be later shifted to AIIMS because of complications. Jaitley had a heart surgery several years ago.
-- PTI
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13:49   The real story behind Raazi
As Raazi hit theatres, Harinder Sikka -- author of Calling Sehmat, the book on which the film is based -- reveals the thrilling real life story of an Indian spy named Sehmat. As told to Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf.

Read the interview here.
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13:46   TMC cites history, says 400 died in poll violence in CPM rule
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Derek O'Brien justifies the spiraling violence in the West Bengal panchayat polls which saw three dead and several injured.


O 'Brien tweeted an explanation for the violence saying, "To all 'newborn' experts on Bengal #PanchayatElections in State have a history. 400 killed in poll violence in 1990s in CPIM rule. 2003: 40 dead. Every death is a tragedy. Now closer to normal than earlier times. Yes, few dozen incidents. Say, 40 out of 58000 booths. What's %age?


"CPI(M) and BJP are now so desperate that they are even ganging up with Maoists to kill/shoot/stab three Trinamool workers in different incidents in #Bengal today. Deliberately trying to foment trouble. Is this democracy? #PanchayatElection."


A couple was burnt to death at their home in South 24 Parganas district early today, hours before panchayat polls were to being in West Bengal, police said. Family members of the victims, stated to be a CPI(M)
worker and his wife, alleged that goons of the ruling Trinamool Congress set fire to the house at  Kachharabari locality of Kakdwip at around 1 am.


A Trinamool Congress worker was shot dead in the Kultali area of West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district in poll-related violence even as voting continues in the state.


TMC's Partha Chatterjee called the incidents minor. "No major incidents have been reported. Administration is active in places where such clashes have taken place. Voting is being conducted peaceful. I strongly condemn the attack on journalists."


Five local journalists have also been injured during violence after booth capturing in West Bengal's Birpara town, allegedly by TMC workers.


Earlier in the day, ballot papers were thrown in a pond after a fresh clash that broke out between TMC and Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) in West Bengal's Murshidabad town following which the voting had been stopped for now.


@AITCofficial, the TMC's official Twitter handle went a step further and alleged that news agency ANI was spreading rumours. "Why is @ANI spreading rumours and amplifying a few, sporadic, local incidents? We learn that local ANI reporters and stringers getting direct instructions from their bosses in Delhi to shame #Bengal. Agenda driven news-gathering," @AITCofficial tweeted.


Union Minister Babul Supriyo, said he was not surprised by all the incidents that are happening. "Bengal govt is a shameless govt, you cannot expect them to follow any kind of constitutional behaviour. I demand President's Rule in WB."


Image: A local journalist is being treated at a hospital in the midst of the panchayat polls in Bengal. Five local journalists were injured in the violence.
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12:17   3 dead, over 20 injured in spiralling violence in Bengal polls
A TMC worker named Arif Gazi was shot dead in the Kultali area of South 24 Parganas district, reports ANI. However, other reports say that Gazi was a CPI-M worker.


A CPI (M) worker and his wife were charred to death after their house in North 24 Parganas was torched last night. CPI (M) alleges TMC workers were behind the attack.


The state Election Commission has received several complaints of violence from North 24 Parganas, Burdwan, Coochbehar and South 24 Parganas districts.


Twenty people were injured in a low-intensity blast at a polling station at Shuktabari in north Bengal's Coochbehar district.


Ballot papers were thrown in a pond after a clash that broke out between TMC and BJP in Murshidabad, following which voting was stopped. 


In Burdwan district, opposition CPI(M) and BJP accused the TMC of terrorising voters and hurling bombs outside polling stations. The TMC termed the allegations as baseless. In Birbhum, masked men carrying weapons and sticks were seen intimidating voters outside some of the booths. Television footage from Basanti block of South 24 Parganas district showed masked gunmen roaming outside polling stations. In the Bhangar area of the same district, police resorted to lathi-charge and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse a crowd, following clashes, the official said. In Jalpaiguri ballot boxes were set on fire, and in the Rajarhat area water was poured in .


Image: Ballot papers were thrown in a pond after a clash that broke out between TMC and BJP in Murshidabad.
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11:59  
SC to hear on Wednesday plea by three witnesses in Kathua gangrape and murder case, alleging harassment by state police.
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11:39   Knifings, bombs, tear gas define Bengal panchayat polls
Over 11 per cent polling was recorded till 9 am in the West Bengal panchayat polls that was marked by sporadic incidents of violence in which several people were injured today, SEC officials said.


Reportedly, one person was killed and three others were injured in South Dinajpur district's Tapan area after a bomb was hurled outside a polling station. The police are yet to confirm the death. "We have received a report that four persons were injured. Out of them, one has died. The district police superintendent is yet to confirm the death," an SEC official said.


The official said that 11.93 per cent polling was recorded till 9 am. Less than three hours after polling began, the State Election Commission received complaints of violence from several districts. It has asked the police to take action, SEC officials said.


Reports of violence have been received from North 24 Parganas, Burdwan, Coochbehar and South 24 Parganas districts, they said. In Coochbehar district, North Bengal Development Minister Rabindranath Ghosh allegedly slapped a person outside a polling booth.


The SEC said it has received a complaint and asked authorities to take action. Televisions channels showed the minister purportedly slapping the person. However, Ghosh claimed he did not do it.


In the Dinhata area of north Bengal's Coochbehar district, at least 15 people, including voters, were injured after clashes broke out between two groups outside a polling station, sources said. The voters later lodged a police complaint.


In North 24 Parganas, the BJP accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of letting loose a reign of terror in several parts of the district, especially in the Amdanga area. SEC sources said a few people were injured in clashes that broke out between two groups in Amdanga.


Senior minister Jyotipriyo Mullick said TMC workers were not involved in the incident and accused the BJP of terrorising the voters. In Burdwan district, opposition CPI(M) and BJP accused the TMC of terrorising voters and hurling bombs outside polling stations.


The TMC termed the allegations as baseless. In Birbhum, masked men carrying weapons and sticks were seen intimidating voters outside some of the booths. Television footage from Basanti block of South 24 Parganas district showed masked gunmen roaming outside polling stations.


In the Bhangar area of the same district, police resorted to lathi-charge and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse a crowd, following clashes, the official said. -- PTI


Image: Mourners outside a house in North 24 Parganas where a CPI (M) worker and his wife were charred to death after the house was torched last night. CPI (M) alleges TMC workers were behind the attack.
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11:28   N Korea's latest nuclear test 10 times stronger than Hiroshima bomb
North Korea's latest and largest underground nuclear test last year was powerful enough to move a mountain, say scientists who found that the bomb was 10 times stronger than the one dropped by the US on Hiroshima during World War II. Researchers, including those from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and University of California, Berkeley in the US, showed how the explosion altered the mountain above the detonation. The nuclear test on September 3, 2017 took place under Mt Mantap at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the country's north, rocking the area like a 5.2-magnitude earthquake, according to the study published in the journal Science.
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10:57  
West Bengal panchayat polls: BJP supporter in Bilkanda severely injured after being attacked with a knife, allegedly by TMC workers. He is presently undergoing treatment. 
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10:44   Pakistan Army 'upset' with Sharif
The Pakistan Army is said to be 'extremely upset' with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's alleged admission that Pakistan had a significant role to play in the terrorist attacks that took place across Mumbai between November 26 and 29, 2008, which claimed the lives of 166 persons and injured more than 300.


It may be recalled that on Saturday evening, in an interview given to the Dawn newspaper, Sharif suggested terrorists from Pakistan had "crossed the border" to attack Mumbai and added that such terror strikes could have been prevented.


In the interview, Sharif said, "Militant organisations (in Pakistan) are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can't we complete the trial?"


Sharif, however, did not name Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed or known terrorist outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamaat-ud-Dawah and Jaish-e-Mohammad that the international community clearly acknowledges as operating from Pakistan soil with impunity in the interview.


Sharif also lamented that Pakistan had isolated itself. He seemed to suggest that Islamabad should look into why its narrative that "it had been fighting terrorism had not been accepted by the international community despite sacrifices".


Sharif's statement has, according to sources, left the Pakistan Army extremely worried that "this will give more weight to India's narrative that Pakistan is not doing enough" to rein in terrorist modules operating from its soil, and particularly from areas in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.  -- ANI
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10:36   'BJP must know that social media is not a substitute for politics or governance'
It won't matter how many more Twitter followers Narendra Modi has than Rahul Gandhi. It will only matter who has won more seats in the Lok Sabha, says Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. Read the column here.
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10:31   BJP leaders' firm owes Rs 29.31 crore to J&K Bank
Himgiri Infrastructure Development Limited, the company incorporated in 2000 by senior BJP leaders in Jammu which was used to buy land next to the Army ammunition depot in Nagrota, owes Rs 29.31 crore to Jammu and Kashmir Bank. And its account was declared a non-performing asset in December last year, records investigated by The Indian Express show.
Read the full report here.
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10:27   2 killed in dust storm in UP's Muzaffarnagar, Shamli
At least two people, including a woman, were killed and several injured in a dust storm that hit Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts in western Uttar Pradesh last evening, officials said.


Riyasat Ali (52) was killed and his son seriously injured after a tree fell on them near Pawti village, Muzaffarnagar district administration officials said today.


In Shamli district's Jalalabad area, 50-year-old Anwari Begum died after a portion of her house's wall collapsed during the dust storm, officials said. Over 12 people were injured in both districts and electricity supply was disrupted because of the storm, according to Muzaffarnagar and Shamli district administration officials. -- PTI
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10:26   Petrol, diesel prices hiked after 19-day pre-poll hiatus
After a 19-day pre-Karnataka poll hiatus, petrol price was today hiked by 17 paise a litre and diesel by 21 paise as PSU oil firms began passing on the spike witnessed in international rates to consumers. Petrol price in Delhi was hiked to Rs 74.80 per litre from Rs 74.63 while diesel rates were increased to Rs 66.14 a litre from Rs 65.93, according to a price notification issued by state-owned oil marketing companies.


With this, diesel prices have touched a record high while petrol is at a 56-month peak. Oil PSUs, who had kept rates unchanged for nearly three weeks before Karnataka went to polls despite input cost spiking, reverted to daily revision in prices no sooner had the state voted to elect a new government on Saturday.


State-owned oil marketing companies are estimated to have lost about Rs 500 crore as they absorbed higher cost resulting from the spike in international oil rates and fall in rupee against the US dollar.


Oil PSUs, which have been since June last year revising auto fuel prices on a daily basis to reflect changes in the cost, have kept pump rates static since April 24, an analysis of daily price notification issued by oil companies showed. -- PTI
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10:14   102 not out
A 102-year-old woman votes at a polling booth in the Dantan area of West Midnapore. The voting for the single-phase panchayat polls began today across West Bengal amid tight security. The polling started at 7 am and will end at 5 pm. The counting will take place on May 17. It is the last major polls in the state before next year's Lok Sabha elections.
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10:03   CPI-M worker, wife, charred to death after house set on fire, TMC blamed
In West Bengal a CPI (M) worker and his wife were charred to death after their house in North 24 Parganas was torched last night. CPI (M) alleges TMC workers were behind the attack. Violence was reported from various parts of West Bengal, as the polling for the single phase panchayat elections is underway today. Within less than two hours after the polling began, the State Election Commission has received complains of violence from at least four districts from different parts the state and has asked the police to take action, SEC officials said.


Violence reported in Bhangar, after a media vehicle has been torched and a camera broken. Media not allowed to enter the area.


In Birpara, alleged TMC workers bar voters from entering Booth No. 14/79. 
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09:50   Mr Obama, we miss you
If there's one picture that you need to see as Mother's Day went by yesterday, it's this.

Barack Obama @BarackObama Happy Mother's Day to every mom out there, especially the remarkable moms in my life, @MichelleObama and my mother-in-law, Marian Robinson. 
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09:46   3 RJD leaders returning from Tej Pratap's wedding die in accident
Three Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders were among four killed in a road accident in Bihar's Araria district.According to police, they were returning from the wedding of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad's eldest son, Tej Pratap Yadav.


The police said their car was going to Kishanganj from Patna when the driver lost the control and broke through the road divider and collided head-on with a truck coming from the opposite direction in Simraha police station area on Sunday morning.


The deceased have been identified as Ikramul Haq Baghi, the party activist and son of former state minister Islamuddin; RJD Kishanganj district president Intekhab Alam; Dighalganj block president Pappu; and driver Sahil. -- ANI
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09:43  
Petrol, diesel prices hiked after 19-day pre-Karnataka poll hiatus; rates go up by 17 paise and 21 paise respectively.
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09:36   WB polls: BJP, TMC accuse each other as violence breaks out
Violence was reported from various parts of West Bengal, as the polling for the single phase panchayat elections is underway today. Within less than two hours after the polling began, the State Election Commission has received complains of violence from at least four districts from different parts the state and has asked the police to take action, SEC officials said. The SEC is conducting the panchayat election.


Violence broke out in North 24 Parganas, Burdwan, Coochbehar and South 24 Parganas districts. In North 24 Parganas, the BJP accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of letting loose a reign of terror in several parts of the district, especially in Amdanga area.


A few people were injured when clashes broke out between two groups, SEC sources said. Senior minister Jyotipriyo Mullick denied the involvement of the TMC in the incident and accused BJP of terrorising the voters.


In Dinhata area of Coochbehar district in North Bengal, a few voters were injured after clashes broke out between two groups outside a polling station, the sources said.


The voters lodged a police complaint. Violence was reported in Burdwan districts too. The opposition CPI(M) and BJP had accused the TMC of terrorising voters and hurling bombs outside polling stations. The TMC has termed the allegations as baseless.


After a protracted legal battle in the Kolkata High Court and the Supreme Court involving the Sec, the TMC and the opposition parties, the three-tier panchayat polls in is being held in the state. PTI
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08:59   Sharif's 26/11 statement 'grossly misinterpreted': PML-N
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz issued a statement dismissing all claims with regard to former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's remarks on 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, stating it has been 'grossly misinterpreted' by the Indian media.

The statement shared by Nawaz Sharif's daughter, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, on Twitter read, "PML-N would like to set the record straight on the interview of PML-N Quaid carried yesterday by DAWN. At the outset, statement of the Quaid has been grossly misinterpreted by the Indian media."

"The PML-N as the country's premier popular national political party and its Quaid need no certificate from anybody on their commitment and capacity to preserve, protect and promote Pakistan's national security," it further read, criticising opposition leaders, who have been questioning his loyalty towards Pakistan.

On May 11, Sharif in an exclusive interview to a Pakistan daily, The Dawn, had said that terrorists sent by Pakistan were responsible for the 26/11 attacks.

"Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can't we complete the trial?" Nawaz noted in the interview in a reference to the Mumbai attacks-related trials which have stalled in a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court.

Pakistan has so far not completed trial in the 26/11 case.

-- ANI
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08:38   Panchayat polls begin in West Bengal
The voting for the single-phase panchayat polls began today across West Bengal amid tight security, an official said.
  
"The polling started at 7 in the morning," the official said.

Polling will end at 5 pm. The counting will take place on May 17.

It is the last major polls in the state before the next year's Lok Sabha elections.

With 40 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats located in the districts, political parties are viewing today's event as a warm up match ahead of 2019 general elections.

After a protracted legal battle in the Kolkata high court and the Supreme Court involving the State Election Commission, the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition parties, the three-tier panchayat polls in West Bengal is being held.

The run-up to the panchayat polls was marked by intense campaigning. The ruling Trinamool Congress was engaged in a bitter war of words with the opposition Congress, Left Front and BJP over the violence that erupted during the filing of nominations for the polls.

The opposition had accused the ruling TMC of letting loose a reign of terror during the nomination process. The TMC rubbished the allegations and had said the opposition do not have a mass base and are trying to evade the polls.

The filing of nominations, which was held from April 2 to April 9 and then again on an extended date on April 23, was marked by violence and clashes between the ruling TMC and opposition parties that led to several deaths.

-- PTI
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08:11   Thunderstorms, lightning wreak havoc in 4 states, kill 41
Dust storms and thunderstorms wreaked havoc on Sunday in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and the national capital, killing at least 41 people and leaving behind a trail of destruction.
 
Uttar Pradesh bore the brunt of a thunderstorm and hail that left at least 18 people dead, while 12 people including four children were killed in West Bengal, nine in Andhra Pradesh, and two in Delhi, officials said.
At several places in north India including Delhi, high-velocity winds uprooted trees and affected road, rail and air services.
According to the India Meteorological Department, thunderstorms also occurred at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtara, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu yesterday.
In a tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: "Saddened by the loss of lives due to storms in some parts of the country. Condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured."
Condoling the deaths, Congress President Rahul Gandhi in a tweet asked party workers to provide all assistance to the bereaved families.
The devastation comes over 10 days after storms hit UP, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab, killing 134 people and injuring over 400. UP was the worst affected, accounting for 80 deaths, most of them in Agra district in the western part of the state.
Subsequently on May 9, several parts of Uttar Pradesh were struck by a severe storm that left 18 dead and 27 others injured.
At least 18 people were killed and 28 injured in hail and thunderstorm that pummelled parts of Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

-- PTI

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