Morning Post, a conservative British newspaper, raised a hefty sum of '26,000 pounds' for the benefit of General Reginald Dyer -- the man behind the dreadful Jallianwala Bagh massacre, according to a recently-released book.

It started with an article, titled 'The Man Who Saved India', which was written just days after Dyer was removed from his post by the British authorities in July, 1920, according to the book, Jallianwala Bagh.

'... there are thousands of men and women in England who realise the truth -- that the lives of their fellow-country-men in India hung upon the readiness of General Dyer to act as he acted.

'It is to those men and women that we appeal, to do what is in them to redress the callous and cynical wrong which has been done. General Dyer has been broken,' reads the article.

The fund, according to author Kim Wagner, saw people from all over the British empire and from all walks of life contributing to support Dyer, including 'Rudyard Kipling, who gave 10 pounds'.

'When the fund eventually closed, more than 26,000 pounds had been raised, which meant that Dyer could retire in comfort and without financial concerns,' he added.

Wagner pointed out some pseudonyms used by people who contributed in the fund -- 'One who remembers 1857', 'The Prince of a White Man Slain', 'In gratitude to Gen. Dyer, from an Englishwoman who heard the mob', 'A Widow who remembers reading, when a child, of the horrors of 1857', 'An Old Anglo-Indian'.

The pseudonyms revealed something of the 'mindset and politics mobilised by the fund', the author said.

Overwhelmed by all the love coming his way, Dyer wrote a letter of thanks that was subsequently published in the Morning Post.

"I am proud to think that so many of my fellow-countrymen and women approve of my conduct at Amritsar, and I accept the token of their approval in the spirit in which it is offered," reads the letter.

India on Saturday marked the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, when troops of the British Indian Army, under the command of Dyer, fired indiscriminately at a crowd holding a peaceful meeting on April 13, 1919, leaving hundreds of people dead.  -- PTI

Former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar relinquished his post at the Centre and returned to Goa because he did not agree with the Rafale fighter jet deal, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar claimed on Saturday.

Addressing reporters in Kolhapur, the Maratha strongman also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging that he had failed to fulfil the promises made during the 2014 poll campaign and was, therefore, diverting people's attention.

"The Rafale deal was not acceptable to Manohar Parrikar. He therefore resigned from the post of Defence minister and returned to Goa," claimed Pawar.

Parrikar, who took over as defence minister in November 2014, was sworn in as Goa chief minister on March 14, 2017.

He died on March 17 this year after a long battle with a pancreatic ailment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after talks with the then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris. The final deal was sealed on September 23, 2016.

Slamming Modi, Pawar said the BJP has taken 'siege' of important institutions in the country and is using them for its own benefits.

"It is very serious when judges of the Supreme Court have to conduct a press conference," he said.

In an unprecedented move, four judges of the Supreme Court had held a press conference on January 12, 2018, in which they raised a litany of problems, including the issue of assigning of cases, plaguing the apex court.

The historical press conference was held by Justices J Chelameswar, Madan B Lokur, Kurian Joseph and Ranjan Gogoi (current CJI).      

Pawar also attacked the BJP and Modi for 'politicising' the Army, adding that all other parties ensured that the armed forces were not politicised.

Praising Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, Pawar said the former was speaking the truth when he tells people that the Modi-Shah (BJP chief Amit Shah) combination is a dangerous one for the country.

"He is effectively conveying, with proofs, about the wrongs that have happened. We and Raj Thackeray are not together in the elections but we will take the help of everybody to take away power from the hands of wrong people," he said.

Pawar claimed that there is an environment of change prevalent in the country and people do not want a BJP government in power again.   - PTI

Gujarat water supply minister Kunvarji Bavaliya was caught on camera Saturday telling a group of women who complained about drinking water woes in their village that they should have voted for him.

After the video, shot on mobile camera, went viral, the minister said the question came from 'uneducated women' and had been prompted by local politics.

Bavaliya quit the Congress last year to join the Bharatiya Janata Party and was made a cabinet minister.

He won the ensuing assembly by-election to Jasdan, which falls in Rajkot Lok Sabha constituency.

Campaigning for the BJP candidate at Kanesara village, he faced a group of angry villagers, most of them women, who complained that only half the village gets drinking water.

To which, the minister said only 55 per cent of the villagers had voted for him last time.

"I have the entire water resources ministry, I am in the government, and if required, I can sanction crores of rupees to arrange water supply to the village," he said.

"When I contested the election this time, I got only 55 per cent votes. Why didn't you all come together to vote for me?" he asked.

When questioned by reporters later, Bavaliya defended his remarks, saying the protesters were 'uneducated women', and local politics prompted them to ask the question.

He also said that the complaint was not about his ministry, but the local panchayat.

"I told them this is a panchayat issue and does not concern my ministry," he said.

Congress leader Hardik Patel lambasted Bavaliya.

"If somebody did not vote for the BJP and voted for other party, shouldn't they be given basic amenities? This is vindictive politics," Patel said. -- PTI

Brushing aside resentment among party leaders over denial of tickets, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday said with only 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state, it was impossible to accommodate all 177 aspirants.

He said the decision to allot tickets was taken by the Congress high command based on candidates' winnability.

"Tickets were allotted to balance youth with experience," Singh told mediapersons after welcoming former Aam Aadmi Party leader Chandan Garewal into the Congress.

Asked about reports of some disgruntled Congress leaders preparing to form a separate Congress Taksali, the chief minister said it was not possible to accommodate all ticket aspirants.

He said he hoped better sense would prevail among these leaders and they would work for the success of the Congress.

Responding to a question about denial of ticket to senior Congress leader and sitting Jalandhar MP Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Singh pointed out that he had unsuccessfully contested on party tickets thrice in the past and even his wife had been given a chance, but she too had lost.

The idea of Congress Taksali was floated by Kaypee at a meeting of party leaders and workers in Chandigarh on Sunday. Besides him, Shamsher Singh Dullo and Santosh Choudhary are two other Congress veterans who have been sulking over denial of ticket for the May 19 elections.  -- PTI

A Narendra Modi lookalike who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections has been served notice for violating the poll code over what he calls is his slogan -- 'one vote, one note'.

Abhinandhan Pathak filed his nomination papers from Lucknow on Friday as an Independent candidate and said he would also contest Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

After filing nomination, he told the media that his slogan was 'one note, one vote'.

In a notice served to Pathak on Friday evening, District Magistrate Kaushalraj Sharma said that the slogan appeared to be in violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and amounts to 'luring electorate for votes'.

"Pathak has been given 24 hours time to reply to the notice after receiving it. In absence of the reply, FIR under relevant sections will be lodged against him," the DM, also the returning officer, said.

After challenging Home Minister Rajanth Singh, sitting MP and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate, who is yet to file his nomination from Lucknow, Pathak said that he would also file nomination from from Varanasi on April 26.

Claiming himself to be a 'serious candidate and not the dummy one', Pathak said he was against 'jumla' (gimmick) and after winning, "I would support Rahul Gandhi's PM's candidature" .

Pathak bears resemblance to PM Modi. He dresses and speaks like Modi and begins his speech with 'Mitron' (friends), the pet word PM uses frequently to address his audiences.

A resident of Saharanpur, Pathak was with the BJP-led NDA constituent Republican Party of India (Athawale) as its state vice-president for Uttar Pradesh till he joined the Congress last month.

During the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, there were several lookalikes of Modi, including Pathak, who were seen in different places across the country during election campaigns.

However, Pathak had actively campaigned for the Congress in the run-up to the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh last year, holding meetings in a number of seats in the state, including Jagdalpur, Dantewada, Kondagaon and Bastar.

Lucknow, from where Pathak has filed his nomination, will vote in the fifth phase of the elections on May 6.  -- PTI

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal cancelled all his engagements for Saturday following medical advice after he complained of fever and severe stomach ache, his advisor said.

The programmes of the SAD chief for Saturday, including visit to Amritsar to pay respects to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre victims, had to be cancelled following his indisposition Friday night, his advisor H S Bains said.

All his election-related engagements have also been postponed, he added. Bains said the new schedule of the Akali president's programmes, including his election rallies, would be recast and announced after he gets well.

"Mr Badal deeply regrets his inability to be in Amritsar today (Friday)," the advisor said.  -- PTI

As many as 513 ceasefire violations by Pakistan have taken place along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir in the past one-and-a-half month and the Pakistan Army has suffered five to six times more casualties than the Indian Army in the retaliatory action, a senior officer said on Saturday.

The Pakistan Army also used heavy weaponry like mortars and artillery guns in over 100 times during these violations and targeted civilian areas but was given a befitting response by the Indian Army, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of White Knight Corps Lt Gen Paramjit Singh told reporters in Rajouri.

"Almost 513 ceasefire violations happened in the past one-and-a-half month and over 100 times during these violations, the Pakistan Army used heavy weapons like mortars and artillery guns and targeted civilian areas. Only yesterday (Friday), four civilians, including two girls, were injured in Poonch," the GOC said.

However, he said the Pakistan Army is being given a befitting response by the Indian Army.

Responding to a question about the casualties suffered by Pakistan in the retaliatory action, he said unlike the Indian Army, Pakistan does not announce the number of its casualties.

"However, as per our sources, the Pakistan Army suffered five to six times more casualties than the casualties on our side," Lt Gen Singh said.

10 people, including four security personnel, have been killed and nearly 45 others, mostly civilians, injured in the twin districts since India's preemptive air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26 in response to the February 14 Pulwama terror attack.  -- PTI

A wanted criminal, who was on the run after allegedly killing a Banaras Hindu University student, has been arrested following an exchange of fire with police.

A sub-inspector was also injured in the exchange of fire with the gangster, the police said.

Acting on a tip-off, the police had cordoned the Lanka area here on Friday night.

The notorious criminal, Rupesh Verma alias Sunny alias Professor, a native of Buxar in Bihar, was nabbed when he tried to flee by opening fire at the police team, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anand Kulkarni said.

Verma, who was carrying a reward of Rs 25,000, received bullet injuries in the leg and fell off the motorcycle which he had looted a few days ago from a man on the national highway, the SSP added.

One of his companions, Raja Dubey alias Ravan, who was riding pillion on the motorcycle, gave a slip to the police.

Both Verma and Dubey were wanted in the murder case of BHU student Gaurav Singh.

Verma was admitted to a government hospital in Ramnagar, while sub-inspector Ishwar Dayal, who received bullet injuries in his hands, was admitted to BHU's Trauma Centre, where his health condition was stated to be stable, the police said.

A hunt was on to nab Dubey, they added.   -- PTI    

British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith, who laid a wreath at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial in Amritsar on Saturday to mark the centenary of the massacre, said Britain deeply regretted the incident that took place on this day a hundred years ago.

Asquith visited the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial in the morning to pay homage to those killed in the incident on April 13, 1919. He laid a wreath at the memorial inside the historic Jallianwala Bagh.

"The events of Jallianwala Bagh 100 years ago today reflect a shameful act in British-Indian history. We deeply regret what happened and the suffering caused," Asquith wrote in the visitors' book at the memorial.      

"I am pleased today that the UK and India have and remain committed to developing further a thriving 21st century partnership," he added.

In his brief interaction with reporters later, Asquith said British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday described the Jallianwala Bagh massacre as a 'shameful scar' on British Indian history.

May, however, stopped short of offering a formal apology.

Asked why an apology was not tendered by the British government, Asquith said, "I know this is a really important question. I would just ask you to respect what I came here to do, which is to commemorate those who died a hundred years ago and to express the sorrow of the British government and of the British people.

"But I would repeat what I said earlier that both governments are committed to building a very strong relationship...we have an extraordinarily flourishing relationship today."

He pointed out that former British prime minister David Cameron, during his visit to India earlier, had expressed regret and termed the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy a 'deeply shameful scar'.

Asquith also added that the Queen (Elizabeth II) had spoken of the incident as a distressing example of Britain's past history with India.

The British envoy said his great-grandfather H H Asquith, who was the prime minister of Britain between 1908 and 1916, had referred to the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy as one of the worst outrages.

"My own great grandfather, who was the prime minister for almost a decade, had referred to this as one of the worst outrages in our whole history," he said.

The massacre took place at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar during the Baisakhi festival in April 1919 when the British Indian Army under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer opened fire at a crowd staging a pro-independence demonstration, leaving scores dead.  -- PTI

Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of corruption, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that '100 per cent chowkidar (guard) is a chor (thief)'.

At a rally in Kolar, Gandhi also asked as to why all the 'thieves' have the surnames of Modi.

"I have a question. Why all the thieves have Modi in their names whether be it Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Narendra Modi? We don't know how many more such Modis will come out," Gandhi said.

Raking up the Rafale fighter jet deal issue, he said, '100 per cent chowkidar is a chor' and alleged that the prime minister stole Rs 30,000 crore and gifted it to his 'thief friend' Anil Ambani.

"You stole Rs 30,000 crore and gifted to your thief friend. You 100 per cent steal money. 'Chowkidar' is a thief. Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksy, Lalit Modi, Mallya, Anil Ambani and Narendra Modi -- There is a group, a team of thieves," Gandhi said as he attacked Modi, who has described himself as a 'chowkidar' who would not tolerate graft.

He also said Modi no longer spoke about farmers, jobs and corruption. "Unlike him, we don't tell lies."

Gandhi spoke about the NYAY scheme, the minimum income scheme of depositing Rs 72,000 annually into the account of five crore families announced by the Congress in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls.

Gandhi said one of the first acts of the Congress, if voted to power, would be to provide for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Parliament and assemblies and also in government jobs.  -- PTI

Curfew remained in force in Kishtwar town of Jammu and Kashmir for the fifth day on Saturday after a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader was shot dead by terrorists in the communally-sensitive region earlier this week, officials said.

Internet services continued to be suspended as a precautionary measure in the district, but it was restored in nearby Doda and Ramban districts on Friday night, the officials said.

"Curfew is being strictly implemented in the town and adjoining areas to maintain law and order," Kishtwar District Development Commissioner A S Rana told PTI.

Army columns are assisting the Central Reserve Police Force and the police, the official said.

The curfew was promulgated in the town and adjoining areas on Tuesday after RSS leader Chanderkant Sharma and his security guard was shot dead by terrorists at a health centre.

Minor protests were reported from some interior localities, but the situation remained well under control, the officials said.

Some people, who were allowed to visit temples in the interior localities for the Ram Navami festival, raised slogans and later dispersed off peacefully, the officials said.

There was no violation of curfew reported from anywhere, the officials said.

"The situation will be reviewed later in the day to take a decision about the relaxation for the day," Rana said.

The curfew was relaxed in a phased manner, for the first time since its imposition, on Friday evening.

Police had picked up several overground workers for interrogation in connection with the incident and massive house-to-house searches were also going on.   -- PTI

Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati regretted on Saturday that an attempt was being made to create hatred between the followers of Bajrangbali and Ali.

In a tweet on the occasion of Ram Navami, Mayawati said: 'Greetings & good wishes to the people for peaceful & prosperous life on Ram Navami. When people are happily remembering the ideals of Shri Ram, it is unfortunate that an attempt is being made to create confrontation & hatred between Bajrang Bali & Ali for narrow political gain.'

Mayawati's comments come after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on Tuesday compared the Lok Sabha election to a contest between 'Ali', a revered figure in Islam, and Bajrangbali, the Hindu god Hanuman.

In another tweet, the BSP supremo paid homage to those killed in the Jallianwala massacre and sought an apology from the British.

"On the centenary of the Jallianwala tragedy, our homage to martyrs & sympathy to the family members who sacrificed their lives for the country. It would have been most gratifying had the Indian govt. succeeded in extracting an apology from the British for this gruesome massacre," she said.

The massacre took place in Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab's Amritsar on April 13, 1919, when troops of the British Indian Army, under the command of General Reginald Dyer, fired indiscriminately at a crowd holding a pro-independence demonstration, leaving hundreds of people dead.  --  PTI

Braving all odds, Election Commission officials in Arunachal Pradesh trekked 13,583 feet in Luguthang village to elections for Mukto Assembly Constituency.

Polling for 60 assembly constituencies and two Lok Sabha seats in Arunachal Pradesh was held simultaneously on April 11.

'Polling parties in Arunachal Pradesh. 13,583 feet altitude Luguthang - Mukto Assembly Constituency. Whatever the challenges - they do cross them all to reach the Voters afterall!' EC spokesperson Sheyphali Sharan tweeted on Saturday.

As 17th Lok Sabha elections are being conducted in seven phases from April 11 to May 19, officials and security personnel are trekking to remote areas of the country to set up poll booths.

In Arunachal, it took two days to reach several polling stations situated at inaccessible areas.

Also, some of the polling officials were airlifted since they were deployed in isolated places.

There were 2,202 polling stations in the state for 7,98,249 voters.

This year, the EC has taken several steps to add more service voters in the election process. Awareness campaigns through electronic, social, print and other media were given due attention.

According to EC officials, an estimated 66 per cent voters of the total of 7.98 lakh electorate cast their votes in the simultaneous assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday.

However, the exact figures are yet to be revealed by the EC.  -- ANI

Two terrorists have been killed by security forces in an encounter in Shopian on Saturday.

The encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists earlier in the morning.

More details awaited.  -- ANI

Two days after the Election Commission directed that all recorded programmes displayed on NaMo TV be pre-certified, the Delhi poll body has directed the BJP not to air any content on the platform without its certification, officials said.  

The poll body had on Thursday said since NaMo TV was sponsored by the BJP, all recorded programmes displayed on the platform should be pre-certified by media certification and monitoring committee of Delhi and all political publicity contents displayed without pre-certification be removed immediately.

Following the EC's directive, the Chief Electoral Officer, Delhi wrote to the saffron party to ensure that all political content not approved be removed.  

"As a precautionary measure, two officials have been deployed to watch NaMo TV and monitor its content," officials said.

An official said political parties usually submit audiovisual content for pre-certification, without specifying on which platform it will be aired. The content may be aired during a rally or on the party's website, he said.

After the Congress filed a complaint with the poll panel about the channel disturbing the level playing field, the EC had asked the Delhi CEO to file a report on the issue. 

The Delhi CEO approved the logo of NaMo TV, which the BJP said was part of the NaMo App that it owns, but did not "certify" the content as it contained old speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishore has hit out at RJD leaders Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi for claiming that he tried to engineer a truce between JD-U chief Nitish Kumar and them.

In a tweet, Kishor, the second-in-command in JD-U after Kumar, said those facing corruption charges are claiming to be custodians of truth. 

In an interview to News18, Rabri Devi had alleged that Nitish Kumar sent Prashant Kishor to meet Lalu five times in attempts to reunite the two parties. 

She further claimed that Kishor told Lalu to declare a PM face for the Lok Sabha polls. Prashant Kishore had visited our residence five times. I even threw him out of the house. He is a liar. He told Lalu ji that Nitish Kumar has sent him to form a merger between the two parties but we protested, we dont trust Nitish said Rabri Devi.

A voter turnout of 61.50 per cent was recorded in Uttarakhand which went to polls in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on Thursday.

  

According to final polling percentage released by the Election Commission after collating data received from remote corners of the hill state late on Friday night a total of 61.50 per cent of the 78.56 lakh voters exercised their franchise on the polling day.

The final polling percentage in Uttarakhand released by the poll body is only slightly lower than 61.67 per cent voter turnout recorded in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Giving the break-up of the final polling percentage on all the five seats of the state, the commission said Haridwar recorded the highest turnout of 68.92 per cent followed by Nainital which recorded a turnout 68.69 per cent. 

58.30 per cent of the electorate voted in Tehri, 54.47 per cent  in Pauri and 51.82 per cent in Almora which is a reserved seat.

There were 52 candidates in the fray for the five seats of Uttarakhand where the contest was mainly between the BJP and Congress. 

The outcome of seats keenly awaited are Nainital where former chief minister Harish Rawat battled state BJP president Ajay Bhatt, Tehri where sitting BJP MP Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah was challenged by PCC president Pritam Singh and Pauri where former BJP MLA Tirath Singh Rawat took on sitting party MP BC Khanduri's son Manish who debuts as a Congress candidate.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh paid floral tributes at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial on Saturday to mark the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

  

Gandhi, Singh, Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, accompanied by some other Congress leaders, paid floral tributes at the memorial inside the Jallianwala Bagh in the morning. They also observed a two-minute silence to remember those who were massacred in the tragic incident on April 13, 1919.

Gandhi arrived at Amritsar late on Friday night. Upon his arrival, the Congress chief, accompanied by Singh, went straight to the Golden Temple here and paid obeisance.

Singh and Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore had also taken part in a candlelight march on the eve of the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on Friday evening as part of the various events organised by the Punjab government to mark the historic occasion.

Singh had termed the tragic event as a heart-wrenching moment in India's history.   

The massacre took place at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar during the Baisakhi festival in April 1919 when troops of the British Indian Army under the command of Colonel Dyer opened fire at a crowd of people holding a pro-independence demonstration, leaving several dead and scores injured.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan paid Rs 70 crore as tax for the financial year 2018-19. "Mr Bachchan has paid Rs 70 crore tax for the financial year 2018-19," his spokesperson said in a statement.

In the recent past, Big B also paid off loans of 2,084 farmers in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. He has also donated Rs 10 lakh to the family members of each victim of the February 14 Pulwama terror attack.

India today marks the 100th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, one of the worst atrocities of British colonial rule for which London has yet to apologise. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who reached Amritsar last night, paid his tribute to those who lost their lives and laid a wreath at the memorial this morning.

British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith, who too paid his tribute, called the Jallianwala Bagh massacre a "shameful act in British-Indian history". "The events of Jallianwala Bagh 100 years ago today reflects a shameful act in British-Indian history. We deeply regret what happened and the suffering caused. I am pleased today that the UK and India have and remain committed to developing further a thriving 21st century partnership," Asquith said. 

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, political leaders and hundreds of people are expected to visit the memorial in Amritsar today.

"Today, when we observe 100 years of the horrific Jallianwala Bagh massacre, India pays tributes to all those martyred on that fateful day. Their valour and sacrifice will never be forgotten. Their memory inspires us to work even harder to build an India they would be proud of," PM Modi tweeted.

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, as it is known in India, saw British troops, under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer, fire on thousands of unarmed men, women and children holding a pro-Independence demonstation in Amritsar on Baisakhi in April 1919. It is one of the darkest chapters of India's freedom struggle against the British occupation.

In a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray said that the term 'Pradhan Sevak was first coined by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

He said that at the Nehru Memorial Museum in Teen Murti Bhavan in New Delhi, there is a plaque in which Pandit Nehru's quote is prominently embossed: "Is desh ki janta hame Pradhan Mantri na kahe, pratham sevak kahe."

"But he (Modi) has merely changed pratham sevak to pradhan sevak," Thackery pointed out amidst thunderous applause at regular intervals during his campaign speech for the Congress-led 56-party 'Mahagathbandhan' here.

"You (Modi) will keep on abusing Nehru and Indira Gandhi, but still you copy them. Past five years you have only lied to the country on everything," Thackeray roared.

He also touched on Modi's oft-repeated allegation that nobody from the Congress family went to visit Bhagat Singh when he was in jail awaiting the gallows during the freedom struggle.

He played Modi's earlier speeches on the topic and produced an old newspaper clipping to buttress his argument that Nehru had actually met Bhagat Singh twice in jail.

"Now, what does he (Modi) mean by Congress family? Was it Gandhiji's family, Nehru's family, Patel's family, Maulana Azad's family, or Sarojini Naidu's family? If it was Nehru's family, then he had visited Bhagat Singh twice in prison and it it is Indira's family, she was barely 14 at that time. The question of Rajiv, Sanjay, Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka's family doesn't arise," he declared.

Saying that Modi and Bharatiya Janata President Amit Shah were "dangerous" people, Thackeray warned that if they returned to power, the whole nation will be reduced to their slaves.

Troubles at Jet Airways mounted on Friday, prompting the Prime Ministers Office to hold an urgent meeting as the carriers fleet dropped to a mere 11 and it decided to extend its cancellation of international operations till Monday.

According to officials aware of discussions, the meeting was called after civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu asked secretary of the department Pradeep Singh Kharola to review issues concerning Jet Airways.

After participating in the meeting at the PMO, Kharola held a meeting through video conference with the management of Jet Airways.

Jet has been reeling under a severe liquidity crisis, which has compelled it to ground jets for which leases have gone unpaid. The airline is also facing protests from its employees, who have not been paid on time for months.

Kharola told reporters that Jet Airways flew only 11 aircraft on Friday and will fly six to seven aircraft on both days this weekend on domestic routes.

He said the airline had enough funds to keep operations going on till Monday. A consortium of bankers led by State Bank of India is managing the airline.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi offers prayers at the Akal Takht, Golden temple.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh also present.  -- ANI

The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party on Friday said it would soon withdraw support to the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Goa.

The MGP has expressed support to the Congress for Lok Sabha elections and Mapusa bypoll, both of which will be held on April 23.

The MGP and Congress have fielded their candidates for the Shiroda bypoll as well.

"We have decided to withdraw support to the Pramod Sawant government. We will soon be writing to Governor Mridula Sinha," MGP president Deepak Dhavalikar said.

Dhavalikar said that the party has decided to support Congress in both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa.

Recently, two MGP MLAs  Manohar Ajgaonkar and Deepak Pawaskar had left the party to join BJP, reducing the former's strength to one in the 40-member House.

The state government currently enjoys the support of 14 BJP MLAs, three from the Goa Forward Party and three Independents.

After the MGP withdraws support, the opposition benches will have 14 Congress MLAs and one each from MGP and Nationalist Congress Party.  -- PTI

IMAGE: Goa CM Pramod Sawant at the Raj Bhavan in Panaji. Photograph: PTI Photo