LIVE! Govt returns proposal to elevate 2 judges to SC

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Tue, 07 May 2019

Govt returns proposal to elevate 2 judges to SC

Timeline Refresh

23:37 Rahul seeks time till weekend to respond to EC show-cause

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has sought time till this weekend from the Election Commission to respond to a show-cause notice issued over his remark that the Narendra Modi government had enacted a new law which allowed tribals to be shot at.

The commission is yet to take a call on the request, sources said.

Last Friday, Gandhi had sought time till May 7 to respond to the notice, following which the EC had granted an extension.

Citing his speech in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, on April 23, the commission had on May 1 issued a show-cause notice to Gandhi, highlighting a provision of the model code of conduct which bars "unverified" allegations against political opponents. -- PTI

The government is learnt to have returned to the collegium names of two high court chief justices recommended for elevation as judges of the Supreme Court, sources aware of the development said on Tuesday.

On April 12, the Supreme Court collegium had recommended the names of Jharkhand high court Chief Justice Aniruddha Bose, and Gauhati HC Chief Justice A S Bopanna for elevation to the top court.

Seniority and representation of regions have been cited as reasons behind the government's decision, the sources said.

While Justice Bose whose parent high court is Calcutta, is at number 12 in all-India seniority of judges, Justice Bopanna, whose parent high court is Karnataka, stands at number 36.

Last year, the government had returned Justice Bose's name to the collegium when he was recommended to head the Delhi high court.

"While recommending the names of Mr Justices Aniruddha Bose and A S Bopanna, the collegium has taken into consideration, apart from their merit and integrity, combined seniority on all-India basis of chief justices and senior puisne judges of high courts.

"The collegium has also kept in mind the desirability of giving due representation on the bench of the Supreme Court, as far as possible, to all the high courts," the collegium resolution had read.

The Calcutta high court is represented in the Supreme Court by Justice Indira Banerjee. Justices S M Mallikarjnagouda and S Abdul Nazeer represent the Karnataka HC.

At present, the Supreme Court has a working strength of 27. Its sanctioned strength is 31 judges, including the chief justice. -- PTI

23:13 'BJP's guru-chela to be out of power soon'

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said that their alliance will "shake the very roots" of the BJP and dislodge the "chowkidar of capitalists" from the prime minister's chair.

Addressing election rallies in favour of Mahagathbandhan candidates in Machchlishahr and Jaunpur seats, they also targeted the Congress, alleging that it is "anti-Dalit" like the BJP and wants the people to remain poor.

"BJP's guru and chela are all set to be out of power at the Centre," Mayawati said at a rally in Bhadohi, attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.

"This alliance is so strong that in the 2022 Assembly elections in UP, it will send Yogi baba back in his mutt," Mayawati said, referring to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The BSP supremo alleged that the BJP tried to break their alliance, but she "exposed" it in the media and gave a "befitting reply" to the saffron party.

"The BJP is going out of power in these elections... it has failed to fulfil the promises made to the poor and the middle classes in 2014 elections ...despite all this the Prime Minister is seeking votes again," she said in Jaunpur.

Mayawati said, "Terror attacks are taking place and the government is busy in taking mileage of the army's valour."

Terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi as 'chowkidar of capitalists", she alleged that he helped the rich become richer. She also alleged that the GST and note ban were a "source of corruption".

Hitting out at the Congress, Mayawati alleged "both BJP and Congress are anti-dalits".

Referring to the Congress' Nyaya scheme, she said the party which is claiming to provide Rs. 6,000 every month to poor families "only wants people to remain poor and helpless.... There is a need to remain vigilant from them."

On Uttar Pradesh, she said farmers in the state were facing immense hardships because of stray cattle and blamed the Aditynath government for it.

She also promised permanent jobs if the SP-BSP alliance is voted to power at the centre. -- PTI

Restrictions on the movement of civilian traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway were further relaxed on Tuesday, with the authorities partially lifting the ban on public vehicles on the Srinagar-Udhampur stretch.

The restrictions on civilian traffic in the Srinagar-Udhampur section of the national highway-44 will be lifted on Wednesdays with effect from May 23, according to an official statement.

"The prohibition on civilian traffic in this stretch would now be only on Sunday(s)," it said.

The authorities had earlier relaxed the ban on the Srinagar-Baramula stretch.

The restrictions on civilian traffic two days a week were enforced after a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide attacker rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a bus in a CRPF convoy, killing 40 jawans on February 14. -- PTI

Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister and veteran BJP leader Shanta Kumar on Tuesday expressed concern over the language of politics in the country at present.

"The language of leaders nowadays does not remain respectful," Kumar told reporters in Shimla, without naming anyone. "There is a need to maintain the status of politics for strengthening democracy. Every politician should also take care of his language."

Besides, the former Union minister rued, a number of politicians had also switched their loyalties by joining other parties during the ongoing Lok Sabha election.

The former chief minister claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party would get more seats this time as compared to the 2014 general election, saying there was "no opposition".

"Narendra Modi will again become the PM as he had done several remarkable work during his five-year tenure," he said.

Kumar said the level of politics in the state had always remained high. "When I became an MLA for the first time in 1972, (Yashwant Singh) Parmar was the CM at that time and I learnt a lot from him," he said.

Asked about the BJP's policy of not allocating ticket to any leader above 75 years of age, the 84-year-old said he had decided by himself to not contest the election as he wanted to concentrate on the Vivekananda Trust.

"I did not want to contest even the 2014 election. The then BJP chief, Rajnath Singh, asked me to provide a list of three probable candidates, but later he called me to Delhi and said none of these three will win as per our survey and asked me to contest," he said.

Kumar said the party decides the candidates considering all aspects. "Moreover, the young leadership should also be given a change to grow," he added. -- PTI

Four days after cyclone Fani hit Odisha coast, landline phone service has been restored in Puri though mobile network continues to remain skeletal and efforts are on to make it fully operational, along with the internet service.

The issue of restoration of power and telecom services were discussed threadbare at a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, here.

It was reported that the land line connectivity has been restored in Puri though mobile services still remain skeletal, an official statement said.

The Department of Telecommunications is coordinating with the Odisha government to implement a priority plan for restoration of mobile and internet services in the areas affected by the cyclone.

Mobile service providers have allowed free SMS and intra-circle roaming in these areas while cellular towers on wheels are also being deployed in Puri.

Banking services have started and efforts are being made to operationalise all ATMs.

Stressing on early restoration of power infrastructure, Odisha government has conveyed that following deployment of additional manpower and materials from central PSUs and neighbouring states, power supply has been restored partially in Bhubaneswar, while a lot of ground still needed to be covered in Puri, the statement said.

The power supply to maintain essential services such as water, health and banking is being provided through diesel generator sets.

Reviewing the relief measures, the cabinet secretary stressed that power and telecommunications in Puri and Bhubaneswar need to be restored on priority basis and directed the concerned state and central officials to work in close coordination. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the second most followed politician in the world on social media after former US President Barack Obama, according to a report.

Modi has a total audience of 110.9 million on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Obama's total following stood at 182.7 million, the report released by digital marketing platform SEMrush said on Tuesday.

"With his approximately 110 million followers worldwide, Narendra Modi has overtaken the present US President Donald Trump who has 96 million followers globally. However, Trump still enjoys the second most followed politician position globally on Twitter (with 59.8 million followers)," it said.

According to the report, Modi had over 43 million followers on Facebook, about 47 million followers on Twitter and more than 20 million followers on Instagram.

However, these numbers do not represent unique users, which means that the same person or entity could be following the same politician across various social media platforms.

Congress party President Rahul Gandhi has accumulated 12 million followers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, the report said.

The report said of all the social media platforms, Twitter served as "the nest of the maximum number of active political audiences, both domestic and global". -- PTI

Former Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu has advocated making public the report of the Supreme Court's in-house inquiry committee which looked into the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against the Chief Justice of India by a former woman employee of the apex court, saying the decision to withhold the finding "appears to have no reason or legal base".

"The people of this country are informed that the in-house committee of Supreme Court consisting of three judges has cleared Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi of sexual harassment allegations raised by a former employee claiming 'no substance' in the complaint," he said.

According to the CJI and other dignitaries, there is a "larger conspiracy" behind this allegation, Acharyulu said.

"...public interest gives rise to a right of public to know and hence the report should have been made public after redacting the details if need not be disclosed, especially in complaints like sexual harassment," he said.

The three-member committee had on Monday given clean chit to Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, saying it "found no substance" in the allegations. The apex court administration later said the report "is not liable to be made public", citing the verdict in the 2003 case of Indira Jaising vs Supreme Court of India.

Acharyulu said, "As per Indira Jaising order, the enquiry into Mysore incident was informal and only to gather some information from colleague judges, but in this case, it is a statutorily mandated inquiry and it is not opinion collection or information gathering."

The former Information Commissioner said the publication of the report, under any stretch of imagination, cannot impede the inquiry or prosecution or apprehension of any accused or any other person in this case and cannot be withheld from the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

"When a judgement given by the courts in a rape case could be made public without mentioning the name of the victim, with all details of examination of witnesses, and their cross examination, prohibiting the report of an internal inquiry committee appears to have no reason or legal base," he said.

Immediately after the office of apex court's Secretary General came out with the findings of the committee on Monday, the woman issued a press statement saying that she was "highly disappointed and dejected". -- PTI

Calling the Congress party the "cry baby" of this election, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said the model code of conduct cannot encroach the right to free speech.

He said that political parties have developed a new tendency to excessively allege violation of the model code of conduct by their opponents.

Those complaining to the Election Commission about violation of model election code must keep in mind that right to free speech has not been diluted by the MCC in any way, Jaitley noted.

"The MCC cannot encroach the right to free speech. The two have to exist harmoniously," Jaitley wrote in a blogpost titled 'Model Code of Conduct Does Not Take Away the Right to Free Speech'.

Any power exercised by the Election Commission under Article 324 cannot relate to areas which are covered by the legislation or regulation but will be confined to areas where legislation does not occupy any space, he said.

He furth said, Article 324 of the Constitution gives to the Election Commission the power to take all necessary steps in order to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections.

"Of late, a tendency has developed amongst the political parties to excessively allege violation of the MCC by their opponents. The Congress Party as the 'Cry Baby' of this election, is leading the pack," Jaitley said.

He said that while submitting memorandums on violation of the MCC with regard to political speech, the parties must bear in mind that the MCC cannot dilute the Right to Free Speech.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to first time voters that they should keep in mind the sacrifice of martyrs while casting vote, Jaitley said "no party or candidate was mentioned".

Modi, during an election rally in Maharashtra on April 9, had said, "Can your first vote be dedicated to those who carried out the air strike. I want to tell the first-time voters: can your first vote be dedicated to the veer jawans (valiant soldiers) who carried out the air strike in Pakistan. Can your first vote be dedicated to the veer shaheed (brave martyrs) of Pulwama (terror attack)".

The Election Commission did not find any violation of its instructions on invoking armed forces in poll campaigns under the MCC in Modi's speech.

Referring to Modi's comment in Wardha about Rahul Gandhi contesting from Wayanad, Jaitley said the Prime Minister only commented on the demographic composition of the constituency.

"If such speeches are considered by anyone as violative of the MCC, that may actually run the danger of the MCC's constitutionality in relation to free speech being called into question. To avoid such a situation, the memorialist must keep in mind that the Right to Free Speech has not been diluted by the MCC in any way," he said.

The Congress had last month approached the EC seeking action against Modi's "divisive" speech in Wardha on April 1 where he had reportedly said the opposition party was "scared" to field its leaders from constituencies where the majority dominates, indicating that the Kerala's Wayanad constituency had more voters from the minority community.

20:54 Swara Bhasker campaigns for AAP's Atishi

Actor Swara Bhasker campaigned for East Delhi candidate Atishi on Wednesday and hailed the Aam Aadmi Party leader as a politician who banks on her work for the people and not fame.

Bhasker and Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani held a bike rally for Atishi in Shastri Park area of east Delhi.

"Atishi has proved herself by contributing in the education sector. She is a politician who does politics on the basis of her work and not name," the actor said.

Atishi is pitted against Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Gautam Gambhir and the Congress' Arvinder Singh Lovely.

Bhasker said she is not a member of any party, but is campaigning for candidates who focus on development issues and on democratic values

The actor had also campaigned for CPI(M) candidate Amra Ram in Sikar, Rajasthan, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh in Bhopal and CPI candidate Kanhaiya Kumar in Begusarai, Bihar.

In the past two days, actor-turned-politician Prakash Raj and Mevani had joined the AAP's campaign.

Delhi goes to polls on Sunday. -- PTI

20:09 CJI case: Complainant seeks copy of report

The woman, whose complaint against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has been found to have "no substance", on Tuesday asked the top court for a copy of the inquiry report that had rubbished her accusations.

In a letter to the three judges of the committee -- Justices S A Bobde, Indira Banerjee and Indu Malhotra -- the former SC staffer asserted that she has a "right to the report", the reasons for the same as well as copies of the depositions of any witnesses, any other persons or any other evidence considered by the committee.

"Besides this, as is being reported by the media, if a copy of the report is being given to the CJI directly or indirectly, I am entitled to a copy thereof in any case. I find it rather strange that the complaint in a case of sexual harassment is not to be provided with a copy of the report which finds her complaint to be without substance and that my complaint has been held by the committee to be this without giving me any reasons for the same," she said.

The former court staffer, who had worked at the residential office of the CJI and complained of sexaul harassment against the CJI, said the Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 in Section 13 provides that both parties have a right to receive a copy of the Report.

"Not providing a copy to the complainant while upholding while holding her complaint to be unfounded would be a violation of the principles of natural justice and a complete travesty of justice," she said.

"It is also respectfully pointed out that the judgement cited was given at a time prior to the Right to Informatiuon Act. Even according to the full bench judgement of the Delhi High Court in the Assets disclosure case, such a report should be accessible to any citizen under the RTI. the full bench had held that even assets of judges would be accessible under RTI to any citizen, she added.

"In these circumstances, I request you to kindly provide me with a copy of the report since I have a right to know how, and on what basis have your Lordships found my complaint to have "no substnace"," she asked.

The complainant said she was shocked that despite her detailed affidavit, simple corroborative evidence and clear, consistent statement before the committee reiterating my experience of sexual harassment and consequent victimisation, the Committee has found 'no substance' in her complaint and affidavit.

"I am shocked that the the committee has come to an adverse finding against me despite the fact that I was compelled to withdraw from the committee since the committee did not observe even the most basic principles of the procedure. I have not been informed of my basic rights and obligations with regard to the inquiryw proceedings. From the beginning there has been a lack of transparency in the fucntioning of the committee and great prejudice is being cuased to me repeatedly," she said.

The woman said while in the first notice received from the committee and in the first hearing, despite repeatedly asking the committee, she was not given any clarity on whether the present proceedings were in-house proceedings or not.

"However, the in-house proceeding rules were now being used ot deny me and the public a right to the report. The Secretary General's press note states that a copy of the report will not be made public because of the Supreme Court judgement in Indira Jaising vs Supreme Court of India and Anr (2003) S SCC 494. It appears from the press release that I, the complainant, will not be provided with a copy of the report," she said.

On Monday, it was disclosed that the three-member judges committee gave its report to the full court saying it found "no substance" in the sexual harassment complaint made by the woman against the CJI. The apex court's Secretary General also said the report would be not be made public in accordance with the in house procedure of the court. -- ANI

"Narendra Modi should get a tight slap of democracy," a furious Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday, hitting back at the prime minister for alleging repeatedly that her government is run by

extortionist syndicates.

She also questioned the BJP's nationalistic and patriotic claims, saying it was an "RSS man" who killed Mahatma Gandhi.

"I do not bow my head in politics. When Modi alleges that Trinamool Congress is a party of syndicates...its government is run by syndicates, I feel he should get a tight slap of democracy (be defeated in election)," she said at a public meeting at Raghunathpur in Purulia.

Calling Modi a prime minister who is "known for telling lies", Banerjee said during his visits to West Bengal for election he says her government does not allow Durga Puja and other Hindu rituals to be performed. "Do you believe those allegations?" she asked.

Joining issue with the prime minister over his claim that she does not allow people to chant "Jai Sri Ram" and throw those who do behind bars, she said, "I will not join them (the BJP) in shouting their slogan. I will rather say Jai Hind."

At another meeting at Ranibandh in Bankura district, she questioned BJP's claim of patriotism. "I do not know who Gandhiji's killers were. But we know the name of Nathuram Godse, an RSS man. When you speak of patriotism and serving the nation can you tells us who was he?

"Did you fight for the country's independence? You (the BJP) had supported the British. Don't you feel ashamed?" Banerjee said.

Speaking in the same vein at Barjora, also in Bankura district, Banerjee said, "They (the BJP) don't revere Gandhiji and Netaji as leaders of the nation .... Modi should not sermonise us on patriotism".

A combative Banerjee alleged that BJP starts doing politics over Lord Ram during elections.

She said the saffron party could not build even a small Ram temple in the last five years.

The TMC supremo asserted Modi will not get a second term in office as he failed to bring in 'acche din' that he had promised in 2014.

Instead, more than 12,000 farmers committed suicide, factories got closed and three crore jobs were lost.

However, she claimed, while there was distress everywhere, income of those living in West Bengal went up three-fold.

She accused the BJP of orchestrating riots between "Hindus and Muslims, Muslims and Christians and Muslims and adivasis" during the last five years. -- PTI

Vinayak Sreedhar, who idolised Stephen Hawking, scored nearly 100 in all the three subjects he appeared for during the CBSE 10 examination, and passed away in March before he could write the remaining two.

Sreedhar suffered from duchenne muscular dystrophy which is a genetic disorder characterised by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness.

He scored 100 in English, 96 in Science and 97 in Sanskrit and could not appear for Computer Science and Social Studies.

Topping the class 10 board exams, becoming an astronaut and a trip to Rameswaram are among some of the unfulfilled wishes of Sreedhar, who was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when he was two-years-old.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused due to the absence of dystrophin, a protein that helps keep muscle cells intact.

The results for the class 10 Central Board of Secondary Education examination were announced on Monday.

The Amity International School, Noida, student appeared for the exams under the general category and not the Children With Special Need category.

"His muscular movement was very limited. He could write slowly but since there is a time duration for exams he used a scribe to write English and Science exam. For Sanskrit, he insisted to write himself. His body movement was restricted and he was wheelchair-bound, but his mind was very sharp and aspirations very high," Mamta Sreedhar, his mother, told PTI.

"He would always say I want to become an astronaut despite all the challenges and would say if Stephen Hawkings could go to Oxford and make a name in Cosmology I can go to space too. He was confident that he will be among top rankers. We were always amazed with his confidence and would encourage him further," she added.

Legendary British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking also suffered from a motor neurone disease.

Sreedhar had plans to visit Rameswaram temple near Kanyakumari after his exams were over.

"We are today in Rameshwaram and are going for darshan in the evening. It was his unfulfilled wish so we decided to not postpone the plans and do it for him," his mother said.

However, Vinayak Sreedhar is not the only one in his family to make his parents proud. His sister is an Indian Institute of Science alumnus and is currently pursuing her Phd at the University of British Columbia on a fellowship.

While Vinayak's father is vice president in GMR, his mother is a home maker by choice.

"I made this choice. My entire day revolved around him. From brushing his teeth to feeding him, I did it all myself but it was his will power which always gave us the strength," his mother said. -- PTI

Image: Vinayak Sreedhar. Photograph: PTI Photo

Over 200 Delhi University teachers have issued a public statement condemning Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making "derogatory and untrue" remarks about former PM Rajiv Gandhi.

Their statement came after Modi had in a rally on Saturday targeted Congress president Rahul Gandhi on the Rafale issue and said "your father was termed 'Mr Clean' by his courtiers, but his life ended as 'Bhrashtachari No 1' (corrupt number 1)."

"Narendra Modi has lowered the dignity of the office of the prime minister by making derogatory and untrue remarks about the late Rajivji, who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation," the statement issued Monday night and signed by 207 teachers read.

No prime minister has ever "stooped" to this level through such actions as has Modi, it said.

The nation acknowledges the achievements of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, they said in the statement.

"History records the deeds of the good and the noble, but rarely does it pay attention to the carping of lesser individuals," it read.

The statement had references to the 1999 Kargil war and the telecom revolution when Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister.

"When India beat back the invaders from Kargil, our soldiers shouted slogans praising Rajiv Gandhi for the Bofors gun even though Rajivji had been martyred a decade ago," the statement read.

"If our IT companies earn, each year, billions of dollars in foreign revenue it is because of the farsighted wisdom of Rajivji. If India is connected as a nation through the advances in the telecom sector it is because of the policies and actions of Rajivji," it said.

According to the statement, if train travel is so much more convenient today it is because of his (Rajiv Gandhi) acumen in computerising rail reservation.

The statement was also signed by former Delhi University Teachers' Association president Aditya Narayan Misra, two DU executive council members, three academic council members, DUTA vice president and joint secretary, and a member of the varsity's finance committee.

The statement has also been tweeted by the Congress leader, Sam Pitroda, who is the Gandhi family's close aide.

Praised the teachers for taking a stand, Pitroda said: "I personally admire such teachers who personally stand up for the character.... They on their own took a stand and these are courageous people and I admire them for taking a stand."

"These are the teachers who are concerned about our children. They want them to teach the right values. They are saying that this is not the values what India stands for," he said. "They came together and decided to speak I really admire that. Today an environment is such in India that nobody wants to speak." -- PTI

19:09 India re-elected as observer to Arctic Council

India has been re-elected as an observer to intergovernmental forum Arctic Council, officials said Tuesday.

The Arctic Council promotes cooperation, coordination and interaction among Arctic states, the region's indigenous communities and other inhabitants on common issues, particularly on sustainable development and environmental protection.

"At the 11th Arctic Council ministerial meeting at Rovaniemi with Vani Rao Ambassador, Finland. Happy news. India re-elected as Observer of the Arctic Council. India committed to do more contributions in the Arctic Council (sic)," M Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences tweeted.

Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States are members of the Arctic Council.

Indian researchers have been studying whether there is a co-relation between Indian monsoon and the Arctic region.

India's National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, an institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, has set up a research station, 'Himadri', in Svalbard in Norway that works on the mass balance of glaciers, the effect of the warming on the marine system, the formation of clouds and precipitation, and the effect on biodiversity. -- PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah on Tuesday alleged that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is not allowing people to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' in the state, and wondered if the Lord's name cannot be taken in India, will it be uttered in Pakistan.

Shah also dared Banerjee to arrest him for chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' at the multiple election rallies he addressed in the state on Tuesday.

"Lord Ram is a part of the culture of India... Can anybody stop people from taking his name? I want to ask Mamata didi, if Shri Ram's name is not taken in India, will it be chanted in Pakistan?" he said.

"I want to tell Mamata didi that this is West Bengal and not Pakistan... I am going to Kolkata from here (Bishnupur), put me in jail if you have the guts," the BJP chief said.

He addressed rallies in Ghatal, Keshiari and Bishnupur in West Bengal.

Shah claimed that Banerjee had stopped her car a few days ago to tell people that they will be put in jail if they chant the name of Lord Ram.

A video had appeared in the social media that showed Banerjee stopping her car at a place in West Midnapore district on Saturday, and chasing some persons who chanted 'Jai Shri Ram' as her carcade was crossing the area.

Shah said he has come to know that the CM has cancelled permission for two rallies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the state -- one at Purulia and the other at Bankura -- scheduled for Thursday.

"Can you (Banerjee) prevent your defeat in this manner?" he asked.

On Modi invoking the Bofors scandal, the BJP president wondered if reminding people what had happened was tantamount to insulting former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

"What wrong has PM Narendra Modi done by saying that the Bofors scam happened during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure... Rahul baba says his father has been insulted. Is it an insult to be reminded of what had happened?" Shah said. -- PTI

After the Supreme Court junked some opposition parties' review plea for 50 per cent voter verifiable paper audit trail or VVPAT verification in the Lok Sabha polls, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday said he would not give up the fight for transparency in the election process.

Twenty-one opposition leaders, including Naidu, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, CPI leader D Raja and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, had filed a plea seeking review of the apex court's April 8 order directing the Election Commission to increase random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling booths per assembly segment.

The opposition parties had demanded that the number be raised to 50 per cent of total booths.

"We respect the Supreme Court's order...but the party will not give up and continue its fight for transparency in the election process in the country. It's absolutely critical for the EC to work transparently to ensure free and fair elections," Naidu said in a statement.

The Election Commission should be responsible for the honest execution of the Supreme Court's April 8 order. In case of any discrepancy, VVPAT slips should be matched with EVM results in the entire constituency, the Telugu Desam Party chief said.

On the EC's claim that the counting of all VVPAT slips may delay the results by five days, Naidu said, "It's just a matter of a few days. The poll panel should choose credibility and transparency over other things."

The TDP had earlier alleged large-scale EVM malfunctioning in Andhra Pradesh during the April 11 elections for the 25 Lok Sbha seats and to elect a new 175-member assembly. -- PTI

Image: Andra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Sanghvi address the media after Supreme Court hearing, in New Delhi. Photograph: R Raveendran/ANI Photo

17:59 Rahul promises NYAY to Chhatisgarh tribals

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said his party will safeguard the forests, land and water of the tribals, if voted to power. He said the standard of living of the poor would also be improved through the 'NYAY' scheme, the party's proposed minimum income guarantee programme.

"We will protect the jal, jungle, zameen (water, forest and land) of tribals," the Congress leader said at an election rally in Chaibasa. Asserting that the 'NYAY' scheme will act as a "surgical strike" in eradicating poverty from the country, Gandhi said, "A sum of Rs 72,000 per annum will be deposited in the bank accounts of the tribals, the poor, farmers, small traders."

The NYAY scheme will increase the purchasing power, resulting in growth of trade and provide employment opportunities," Gandhi said. Accusing the Narendra Modi government of giving Rs 5.55 lakh crore to 15 industrialists, he said the NYAY scheme will require much less funds but change the lives of the poor. -- PTI

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Tuesday said that people of the country will not fall to BJP's "fake" promises and "drama" and the party is bound to lose these elections owing to its capitalistic, communal and RSS-influenced policies.

"Bharatiya Janata Party will be voted out of power in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections due to its communal, casteist, capitalistic, and RSS-influenced policies. No jumblebaji (fake promises) or drama will do any good to them (BJP leaders)," she said at a joint SP-BSP-RLD rally in Jaupur.

Mayawati accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making false promises to the people of the country especially to the poor, Dalits, and deprived in the last general elections and not fulfilling them during the last five years of his government.

She said, "Narendra Modi did not deliver even one-fourth of the promises he made to the poor and working class of the society in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The BJP will lose power due to its drawbacks and failures in delivering its promises to the people."

17:19 PM is as arrogant as Duryodhana: Priyanka

In a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said the Mahabharata character Duryodhana too had "such arrogance".

Addressing a public meeting in Ambala , she also criticised Modi for calling her late father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi "Bhrashtachari Number 1" (the most corrupt).

She dared Modi to fight the Lok Sabha elections on issues like development rather than "divert" the people's attention.

"This country has never forgiven ego and arrogance. History is witness to this, the Mahabharata is witness to this," she said at the meeting in support of Kumari Selja, the Congress candidate from Ambala.

"Duryodhana also had such arrogance. When Lord Krishna went to make him understand, he tried to take him captive," the Congress general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh said.

She read out by Hindi poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, saying wisdom is the first casualty before someone's downfall: "Jab naash manush par chhata hai, pehle vivek mar jata hai..."

She said if the prime minister has "courage" he should fight the Lok Sabha elections on issues related to development, employment, farmers and women.

He should face the people and tell them what he has done for them over the past five years and what he plans to do in the future, she said.

"You are the PM, you are a big leader of the BJP, you should understand this. Otherwise the people will teach you a lesson," she said.

"This election is about achievements of the BJP-led Central government. But to hide their failures, they try to divert the attention of people of country," she said. -- PTI

16:19 Don't disrespect poor: Rahul warns Modi

Picking on Prime Minister Narendar Modi's criticism of the UPA government's MNREGA scheme, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to show respect while talking about the poor.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi, you have insulted MNREGA. You said in Parliament that Congress made people dig holes while the scheme provided employment to lakhs and crore of people. You should pay respect while you talk about poor and don't disrespect them," he said addressing an election rally in Chaibasa, Jharkhand.

He was referring to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme, the flagship programme of UPA which he alleged was 'ignored' by the NDA government at the centre.

He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given 5 lakh 55 thousand crores to 15 influential persons which he 'looted' from people pocket by 'imposing demonetization'.

"Put your hand in your pockets, take out your wallet and you will come to know that Narendra Modi has taken your money. Tribal brothers and sisters, see your 'jungle', 'Jal' and ''Zameen', Narendra Modi has given your 'jungle', 'Jal' and ''Zameen' to Anil Ambani," Gandhi told the people.

He also alleged that none of the BJP government has ever returned land procured by the industrialist from the tribals even after the industry was not set up.

On the contrary, Gandhi said the Congress government in Chhattisgarh had returned the land to the tribals that was acquired by the Tata when BJP was in power in the state.

"In Chhattisgarh, Tata acquired the land of tribals, it was given to the BJP. In 5 years they failed to establish any factory or industry there. Congress Chief Minister decided to return the land and returned it back to the Tribal of Bastar," said Rahul Gandhi. -- ANI

15:42 Naidu to participate in Mamata's poll rallies

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will participate in poll rallies of his West Bengal counterpart, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee in the state. According to a highly-placed source in the Andhra Pradesh government, Naidu will arrive in Kolkata Wednesday morning and participate in two campaign rallies of Banerjee -- one scheduled at Jhargram -- and the second at Haldia.

After spending Wednesday night at Haldia, Naidu, who is also the Telegu Desam Party president, will speak at another campaign rally at Kharagpur the next day, the official told PTI.

After the meeting in Kharagpur, both the chief ministers will head towards Kolkata where they are likely to have a close door meeting on Thursday evening, he said adding Naidu is scheduled to leave that night itself, the source said. -- PTI

File pic of Chandrababu Naidu with Mamata Banerjee in November 2018

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury Tuesday attacked the BJP government, alleging that the country's economy and security have been run into the ground in the last five years. In a series of tweets, he listed the "failures" of the government since 2014 and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot escape the pitfalls.

"The plot and more has been lost under the Modi govt. Jobs and Spending down, benefitting noone, except the cronies who have been taken care of. At least Rs 5.5 lakh crore of public loans waived off for them since 2014. "A litany of failures, which Modi can't escape: Modi govt has run the Economy into the ground. Terror attacks in J&K were up 176% even though the harebrained Notebandi was to cut off terror funding. Truce violations by Pakistan increased 100% since 2014," Yechury tweeted.

On Monday, a war of words broke out between Modi and Yechury after the prime minister hit out at the Left leader for his alleged "derogatory" remarks against two great Hindu epics. Yechury had retaliated by alleging that Modi had "distorted" what he had said. -- PTI

The Editors Guild has condemned several incidents of physical attack on journalists in West Bengal during the fifth phase of polling and urged the Election Commission to take action against those who indulged in such acts.

Physical attacks against journalists are always reprehensible, but particularly so during elections as they undermine fair media scrutiny of an election, the Guild said in a statement.

The Editors Guild said it condemns several incidents of physical attack on journalists in West Bengal on May 6, during the fifth phase of polling. Journalists belonging to different media organisations including NewsX, ABP Ananda and Zee News were attacked, allegedly by workers of the Trinamool Congress, the statement said.

The Guild urges the EC to initiate necessary action against those who indulged in physical violence against journalists and asks the TMC-led West Bengal government to ensure law and order in the state so that journalists are not attacked by political parties and they can perform their professional duties safely, it said. -- PTI

14:46 Akbar to be cross-examined on May 20

The Patiala House court on Saturday deferred the cross-examination of the former Union Minister MJ Akbar till May 20 in connection with a defamation case filed by him against journalist Priya Ramani after she complained of sexual misconduct.

MJ Akbar was partly cross-examined today by senior advocate Rebecca John appearing on the behalf of Priya Ramani. The next hearing will be held before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal.

Ramani and other senior journalists were also present during the hearing. Geeta Luthra appeared on behalf of MJ Akbar in the court.

During the course of hearing, MJ Akbar contended that the allegations made by Ramani "maligned" his reputation.

"I filed a criminal defamation complaint against a tweet that Priya Ramani issued last year in October. The tweet was based on an article that the accused had written in Vogue in 2017. The language used in her tweet was deeply offensive and a web of the fabricated lies."

Image: Journalist Priya Ramani had tweeted this image saying she has been signing a lot of these papers recently.

14:39 IMA cadet dies in accident during training

IN a tragic incident in Uttarakhand, Amul Rawal, a cadet of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, lost his life during training exercise on May 6 when he fell into a gorge during night navigation exercise. A procedural Court of Inquiry has been ordered.

Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif will return to Kot Lakhpat Jail here on Tuesday following the expiry of his six-week bail in a corruption case in which he has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

The three-time former premier is expected to surrender himself to jail authorities in evening after Iftar and will arrive at the prison in a PML(N) workers' rally, which will be led by his daughter Maryam Nawaz. Sharif, 69, was granted six-week interim bail by the top court on March 26 in the Al-Azizia Mills corruption case to undergo medical treatment and he filed the petition on April 27 for permanent bail stating that he was suffering from acute anxiety and depression.

The bail expired Tuesday as the Supreme court rejected his review petition seeking extension in the bail granted to him on medical grounds. The court also rejected the former premier's plea to allow him to travel abroad for treatment.

"Nawaz Sharif will return to Kot Lakhpat Jial Lahore on Tuesday in a procession of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers. A call has been given to the workers to gather at the Jati Umra residence of Sharif to march towards the jail along with him," PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb told PTI on Monday.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said his meeting with his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhara Rao on Monday was highly significant as regional parties will play a major role in the formation of a government after the Lok Sabha elections.

"A new government will come at the Centre which will follow federal system and secularism. The state will effectively lend support to anyone who supports the development of the state. Yesterday's meeting with KCR was highly significant," said Vijayan.

"KCR discussed the national political scenario. According to KCR both fronts may not get the majority and so regional parties will get a prominent role," said Vijayan.

"There were no discussions about prime minister candidate," he added.

KCR had proposed the idea of 'Federal Front' in March last year and initiated efforts to provide an alternative to both the BJP and Congress at the Centre.

Subsequently, he had met leaders of the Trinamool Congress, Biju Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal(S) and the DMK. He had also invited YSR Congress Party to join the proposed front.

12:58 Women lawyers protest clean chit to CJI

In Delhi, women lawyers and activists today held a protest outside the Supreme Court against the procedure adopted to deal with the sexual harassment case against CJI Ranjan Gogoi.

Section 144 has been imposed outside the SC following the protest.

Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Monday got a clean chit from the Supreme Court's In-House Inquiry Committee which 'has found no substance' in the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by a former woman employee of the apex court.

The 3-member Committee, which completed its task in 14 days, proceeded ex parte as the woman had opted out of the inquiry on April 30 after participating for three days.Immediately after the office of apex court's Secretary General came out with the findings of the committee, the woman issued a press statement saying that she was 'highly disappointed and dejected'.

She said 'gross injustice' has been done to her as a woman citizen of India and 'worst fears' have come true, and all hope of justice and redress from the highest court of the land have been shattered. She said that she will consult her lawyer and decide on the next steps.

12:52 EC should verify count on all VVPATs: Naidu.

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday said he will approach the Election Commission requesting counting of all the Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail in an Assembly segment in case any discrepancy or mismatch is found in any of the five VVPATs-EVMs are that are required to be verified.

He made this comments to reporters after the Supreme Court turned down a review plea by 21 opposition parties seeking a direction to increase random physical verification of VVPAT from five to at least 50 per cent of EVMs.

The review petition was filed after the Supreme Court on April 8 directed the ECI to increase physical counting of VVPAT slips to 5 random EVMs in each constituency. Earlier, only VVPAT slips from one EVM in every Assembly segment or constituency was subjected to physical verification.

12:37 Five horrible years of Modi to end: Khurshid

Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Tuesday said that the countdown for Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun and "five horrible years" of the NDA government will end after its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.

"Indian democracy and freedom of conscience are confronting toxic mix of state and non-state actors. Whilst latter have prospered state-ruling party patronage for five years, PM no longer hides his vicious barbs even against martyrs of the land," Khurshid wrote on Twitter.

"The countdown has begun for Modi: 16 days and no more. Soon rats will jump the sinking ship. Five horrible years to end. Jai Ho Democracy. He did his best to debase and defile it but truth prevails. We shall overcome," he added.

Khurshid, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Rajiv Shukla and other Congress leaders had met officials of the Election Commission on Monday and apprised the poll panel about their objection over a statement made by Prime Minister Modi against former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

12:34

Delhi HC quashes FIR accusing AAP MLA Somnath Bharti of domestic violence.

11:56 Gambhir's celebrity status will go against him: Atishi

Claiming that her BJP rival Gautam Gambhir is proving to be a "novice' whose celebrity status will go against him, AAP's East Delhi candidate Atishi says people might want to see stars but want their representatives to be available to them in their everyday lives.

The Oxford graduate, who believes the BJP is her main opponent and the Congress is number three in the electoral race, said people won't vote for the former cricketer because they know he will anyway get disqualified after the elections.

"Gautam Gambhir is also proving to be a novice candidate. His nomination form was not filed correctly. He has two voter ID cards. People have this mindset - now that Gambhir has two voter ID cards he will anyway get disqualified so why waste our vote on him," Atishi told PTI in an interview.

The 37-year-old, who doesn't use her second name Marlena but has not dropped it officially, said celebrities have a disadvantage. People will come to see them but an MP is someone they want in their everyday lives, she explained.

"Everyone knows Gautam Gambhir is a star who is going to be in Bombay, London and Johannesburg. He is not going to be available to attend to people of his constituency,' she said. The AAP candidate is locked in a three-way fight with Gambhir and Congress' Arvinder Singh Lovely in the elections on May 12, the penultimate round of the seven-phase polls. -- PTI

11:52 Look who will campaign for Digvijaya!

Congress leader and the party's candidate from Bhopal, Digvijaya Singh, performs pooja in the presence of Computer Baba, at a venue where he is camping along with thousands of sadhus to undertake Hat Yog.

Computer Baba who was granted status of minister in the BJP govt, said he will campaign for Singh. "BJP sarkaar panch saal mein Ram Mandir bhi nahi bana paayi. Ab Ram Mandir nahi toh Modi nahi. The BJP govt has not built the Ram temple in five years. No Ram temple, no Modi."

Five Indian sailors posted in Nigeria have been "abducted" by pirates, confirmed External Minister Sushma Swaraj.She has also asked Indian Ambassador in Nigeria Abhay Thakur to "take the matter" with the Government of Nigeria to ensure an immediate release of sailors.

"I have seen news reports about abduction of five Indian sailors by pirates in Nigeria," tweeted Swaraj on Monday. "I am asking Indian High Commissioner to take this up at the highest level with Government of Nigeria for their release," she added.

This comes days after Indian media reported that pirates have abducted five Indian sailors last month and took their ship MT Apecus in Bonny Outer anchorage in Nigeria. -- ANI

11:33 SC dismisses EVM-VVPAT matching plea

The Supreme Court Tuesday dismissed the plea filed by 21 Opposition leaders seeking a review of its April 8 order directing the Election Commission to increase random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling booths per assembly segment.

"We are not inclined to modify our order," a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said. The plea was filed by opposition leaders led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

Senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for petitioners, told the bench that the apex court had increased the random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling booths per assembly segment and they are now seeking that it should be increased to 25 per cent at least.

"It will be for the satisfaction of confidence building measures," Singhvi tod the bench also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna. Singhvi said the present increase of random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs to five polling booths per assembly segment amounted to a meagre two per cent and petitioners are seeking that it be raised to 25 per cent at least. -- PTI

The Supreme Court Tuesday allowed Karti Chidambaram, who is facing criminal cases being probed by the ED and CBI, to travel to the US, Germany and Spain this month. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna said this nod to travel abroad was subject to compliance of conditions imposed earlier.

The apex court had in January granted Karti, son of Congress leader P Chidambaram, permission to travel abroad after depositing Rs 10 crore with the secretary general of the Supreme Court.

The top court had also asked him to file an undertaking that he would return and cooperate with the investigation. Karti is facing criminal cases which are being probed by the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI.

One of the cases relates to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance to INX Media for receiving foreign funds of Rs 305 crore when his father was the finance minister.-- PTI

11:21 Verify 50% of EVMs using VVPAT: Naidu to EC

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu has urged the Chief Election Commissioner to verify 50 per cent of Electronic Voting Machines using Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail slips.

This comes ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on a petition filed by 21 Opposition parties, led by Naidu, to review its judgment rejecting 50 per cent random physical verification of EVMs using VVPAT.

"It may be recalled that in mid-March, 22 opposition parties filed a petition before the Supreme Court that would have settled once and for all any qualms about the use of EVMs. The request was to verify 50 per cent of EVMs using VVPAT machines. The EC only objection to this was that it would increase the time of counting by 6 more days," Naidu said in his letter to the CEC. -- PTI

INX media case: Supreme Court allows Karti Chidambaram to travel to the United States, Spain and Germany in May and June. A Bench headed by CJI asked Karti Chidambaram to deposit a security deposit of Rs 10 crore.

Snapping back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned him as to why he has not built even one Ram temple but is busy chanting "Jai Shri Ram".

"You BJP babu, you say 'Jai Shri Ram' but have you built even one Ram temple? At the time of elections, Ram Chandra becomes your party agent, you say 'Ram Chandra is my election agent'. You say 'Jai Shri Ram' and force others to say it," Banerjee said while addressing a public rally in Bishnupur on Monday.

This comes after PM Modi hailed Lord Ram with the chant at his Jhargram rally and dared Banerjee to have him arrested.

Modi was referring to a recent incident that went viral on social media where three people were reportedly arrested for allegedly chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' when the Chief Minister's convoy was passing by.

"Didi has thrown people into jail for chanting 'Jai Shri Ram'. I thought of greeting her with the chant so she can throw me behind bars, too. I will then serve the innocent people who are in jail for chanting in praise of Lord Ram," the Prime Minister said. -- ANI

10:16 Sensex recovers over 200 points in early trade

The benchmark BSE Sensex recovered over 200 points Tuesday led by gains in banking and IT stocks despite weak global cues. The 30-share index was trading 169.69 points, or 0.44 per cent, higher at 38,770.03.

Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty was up 38.70 points, or 0.33 per cent, at 11,636.95.

Top gainers in early session were Vedanta, Coal India, Hero MotoCorp, TCS, SBI, Tata Steel, Axis Bank, PowerGrid, Yes Bank, Tata Motors, HUL, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Infosys, rising up to 1.83 per cent. On the other hand, IndusInd Bank, ONGC, RIL, Sun Pharma, HCL Tech and Bharti Airtel fell up to 1.92 per cent. In the previous session on Monday, the BSE bourse settled at 38,600.34, down 362.92 points or 0.93 per cent.

The broader NSE Nifty ended the day at 11,598.25, losing 114 points or 0.97 per cent. According to traders, banking and IT stocks lifted investor sentiment despite choppy cues from other global markets. -- PTI

The Bar Council of India has opined that there was "something fishy" in the sexual harassment allegations levelled by a former employee of the Supreme Court against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi.

In a statement directed to members of legal fraternity, judges and people of the country, the BCI claimed that there was some very strong support behind the complaint against the CJI.

"The common man of the country is not a fool. Mass was/is realizing that there was/is some very strong backing/support behind the complaint against Chief Justice of India and complainant was/is not at all a simple lady," the BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra stated on Monday.

Throwing light on the incident, the BCI said, "If you examine the complaint and the annexures and see the way facts are narrated; the manner in which she claims to have recorded everything in her mobile while at police station, and the way she has been dealing with police, the Courts, CBI, IB, everyone; If one analyses these things carefully, you will find something fishy."

The council further said that one should not doubt the decision of three-judge in-house Committee of the Supreme Court, which on Monday gave a clean chit to CJI Gogoi in the sexual harassment complaint allegation against him.

"The Committee has taken the decision after examining the materials and everything carefully; it has adopted the right procedure, which was required in this case. We should not doubt the decision of our three Judges of the committee, otherwise, it will send a very wrong signal and there shall be no end to such malicious complaints against the responsible authorities/persons discharging important functions," the BCI said.

It further informed that the complainant did not opt to lodge an FIR against the CJI in the matter.

"Before questioning the validity of probe by in-house Committee of three Judges, we should not forget that the lady (Complainant) had approached and lodged her complaint to the Judges of Supreme Court only; she did not opt to lodge a complaint or FIR. She herself has opted this forum and the Judges have decided to hold in-house inquiry on her complaint before them. Even Supreme Court Bar Association had proposed for holding in-house inquiry," the BCI said.

The three-judge committee constituted to probe the allegations of sexual harassment made by the complainant against CJI Gogoi has cleared him of the charges. -- ANI

09:26 Tharoor's praise for Imran Khan sparks row

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday showered praise on Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for his genuine and far-reaching interest in Indian history, adding in the same vein that it was disappointing that it took a Pakistani leader to remember Tipu Siltan.

Tharoor was responding to Khans tweet on May 4 where he hailed Tipu Sultan as a man I admire because he preferred freedom and died fighting for it rather than live a life of enslavement.

The exchange has once again brought the 18th-century ruler of the erstwhile Mysore kingdom in the midst of political discourse, with both the BJP and the Congress indulging in a war of words.

Soon after Khans tweet, BJP MP Chandrasekhar tagged Congress leader Siddaramaiah and wrote: "Dear @siddaramaiah avare - time for u (you) to hug Imranji n (and) Bajwaji - @sherryontopp! Thts (That's) quickest way to bcm (become) @RahulGandhi n (and) @priyankagandhi's favourite! #JustDoIt."

08:54 EC rejects Smriti's claims of booth capturing

The Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday rejected Union Minister Smriti Irani's allegations of booth capturing in Amethi by Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

On Monday, during the fifth phase of Lok Sabha election, Irani had tweeted a video in which an elderly woman can be seen claiming that she was forced by the polling officer to caste her vote for the Congress party and not for the BJP. They held my hand and forced me to press the Congress button. I wanted to vote for lotus (BJP), the woman can be heard saying in the video.

Following the video, the BJP leader had urged the Election Commission to look into the matter and take appropriate action against Rahul Gandhi.

I tweeted an alert to administration and EC (alleging booth capturing in Amethi), hope they take action. People of the country have to decide whether this kind of politics of Rahul Gandhi should be punished or not, Irani was quoted as saying.

Venkateshwar Lu, CEO UP dubbed the allegations leveled by Smriti Irani as baseless.

Following the complaint, the sector officer, senior officials and even observers rushed to the booth and spoke to the polling agents of the political parties, other officials in the polling booth following which it was conclusively found that the charges in the video clip were fabricated. Due to prima facie allegations in the clip, the presiding officer was summarily removed while the probe was going on, the electoral official added.

In Amethi, Smriti is pitted against Congress president Rahul Gandhi. In 2014 too, Smriti fought against Rahul from this parliamentary constituency but the Congress president had won by a comfortable margin of over 1 lakh votes.

08:28 Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar freed

Two Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar after they were convicted of breaking the Official Secrets Act walked free from a prison on the outskirts of Yangon on Tuesday after spending more than 500 days behind bars, witnesses said.

The two reporters, Wa Lone, 33, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 29, had been convicted in September and sentenced to seven years in jail, in a case that raised questions about Myanmars progress toward democracy and sparked an outcry from diplomats and human rights advocates.

Myanmar President Win Myint has pardoned thousands of other prisoners in mass amnesties since last month. It is customary in Myanmar for authorities to free prisoners across the country around the time of the traditional New Year, which began on April 17.

IMAGE: Journalist Wa Lone leaves after he was sentenced to prisonin Yangon. Photograph: Myat Thu Kyaw/Reuters

07:53 EC clean chit to Modi in 2 more cases: Sources

The Election Commission has given clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in two more cases, sources aware of the development said.

The Congress had alleged that he held a "roadshow" in Ahmedabad on April 23 and the sources said the commission has concluded that Modi did not violate the model code and the election law.

They said that the commission has also cleared Modi for his April 9 speech at Chitradurga in Karnataka where he had reportedly asked new voters to dedicate their vote for the heroes of the Balakot air strike.

On the same day, he had made a similar appeal in Ausa in Latur district of Maharashtra. The EC had given a clean chit to him in that case as well, but one of the election commissioners had given a dissenting view in the matter.

Though the commission has so far not made the two decisions public, with these decisions, Modi has been given a clean chit in eight matters.

The poll authorities in Gujarat are learnt to have maintained that prima facie no violation was found.

The Congress had moved the EC alleging that Modi took out a "roadshow" after casting his vote and made political remarks in violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

After casting his vote in Ahmedabad, Modi walked some distance from the polling booth and interacted briefly with media persons.

Earlier, the EC had cleared six speeches of Modi, two of Shah and one of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.

The commission has now submitted a report to the Supreme Court of the cases related to Modi and Shah that it has disposed. Alleging delay on EC's part, the Congress had moved the top court for a remedy.

The matter would come up for hearing on Wednesday.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said his state's former ATS chief Hemant Karkare had never used the term 'Hindu terror' and disapproved of the offensive remark made by the BJP's Lok Sabha candidate Pragya Singh Thakur against the martyred police officer.

Karkare, as chief of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), had led the investigation into the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, in which Thakur is an accused.

Thakur is the BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Bhopal, where she is pitted against Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.

"Karkare had never ever used the `Hindu terror' word. This word had been used by three persons Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, the then Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar," he told reporters in Indore while replying to a query.

Singh, a former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, has in the past denied coining the phrase 'Hindu terror'.

Fadnavis was on a visit to Indore, which is home to around 3 lakh Marathi voters. Indore is among the eight Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh that will vote on May 19 in the last phase of elections.

The Maharashtra CM claimed the previous Congress governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra had coined the phrase 'Hindu terror' as part of their vote-bank politics.

At that time, many young people were rounded up as part of anti-terror operations. This had caused resentment among a minority community as the Congress government had failed to justify these arrests, Fadnavis said.

Asked about Thakur's statement that her 'curse' killed Karkare, who died while fighting terrorists during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, he said she has apologised for her remark.

The BJP chief minister said Karkare is a hero not only for Maharashtra, but the entire country.

"The BJP considers Karkare a martyr not only of Maharashtra, but the entire country because he laid down his life for motherlands security," he said.

"The BJP has already stated that it does not agree with Pragya's controversial remark against Karkare," he said, adding she has apologised for her remark.

"I have already said that Pragya should not have given such a controversial statement," the Maharashtra CM said.

Asked about local resident Dilip Patidar, a witness in the Malegaon blast case who is missing since November 2008, he said, "The NIA is looking into the matter." -- PTI

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