LIVE! US sanctions Indian cos for trade, ties with Iran

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Thu, 25 April 2024

US sanctions Indian cos for trade, ties with Iran

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23:43 10 Indians working with Russian military return: MEA

Ten Indian nationals working as support staff with the Russian military have been released and have returned to India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi has been pressing Russia to ensure the return of all other citizens serving in similar positions in the Russian military.

"Ten such individuals have come back to India and they have been released and they have returned home," Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.

After two Indians, working as support staff with the Russian military lost their lives, India last month called on its nationals to not risk their lives by taking up such jobs.

Jaiswal said the Indian side is very actively pursuing the case of all Indians serving with the Russian military at various levels, including with the foreign ministry, defence ministry and several other organisations in Russia.

"We are committed to bring back all the people who so far have got in touch with us and want to be released and repatriated and return back home," he said.

"We have been assured by the Russian side that the other Indians who are there, they'll also be released and will return home. We are working out those details," he said.

On the case of an Indian national from Jammu and Kashmir serving in the Russian military and whose relatives were allegedly asked by Indian officials to get in touch with Russian authorities to ensure his release, Jaiswal said Indian officials are in touch with Russian authorities over it.

We remain committed to bring him back as well, he said.

There were reports that said around 200 Indian nationals were recruited since last year to work as support with the Russian military. -- PTI

The United States slapped on Thursday sanctions on over a dozen companies, individuals and vessels, including three from India, for facilitating illicit trade and UAV transfers on behalf of the Iranian military.

The US Department of Treasury said these companies, individuals and vessels have played a central role in facilitating and financing the clandestine sale of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia's war in Ukraine.

While Sahara Thunder has been identified as the main front company that oversees Iran's commercial activities in support of these efforts, the three India-based companies to have been slapped with sanctions for supporting Sahara Thunder are Zen Shipping, Port India Private Limited, and Sea Art Ship Management (OPC) Private Limited.

Iranian military entity Sahara Thunder relies on a vast shipping network involved in the sale and shipment of Iranian commodities on behalf of Iran's Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) to multiple jurisdictions including the People's Republic of China (PRC), Russia, and Venezuela, the Treasury said.

"Sahara Thunder has entered into time-charter contracts with India-based Zen Shipping and Port India Private Limited for the Cook Islands-flagged vessel CHEM (IMO 9240914), which is managed and operated by UAE-based Safe Seas Ship Management FZE," it said.

"Sahara Thunder has used the CHEM to conduct multiple shipments of commodities since 2022. Iran-based Arsang Safe Trading Co. has provided ship management services in support of several Sahara Thunder-related shipments, including those by the CHEM," the Treasury said.

According to the Treasury, Iran-based Asia Marine Crown Agency has served as the port agent in Bandar Abbas, Iran supporting several Sahara Thunder shipments.

"India-based Sea Art Ship Management (OPC) Private Limited and UAE-based company Trans Gulf Agency LLC have worked together to provide ship management services in support of Sahara Thunder. The UAE and Iran-based Coral Trading EST. have purchased Iranian commodities from Sahara Thunder," it said.

"Iran's Ministry of Defence continues to destabilise the region and world with its support to Russia's war in Ukraine, unprecedented attack on Israel, and proliferation of UAVs and other dangerous military hardware to terrorist proxies," said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson.

"The United States, in close coordination with our British and Canadian partners, will continue to use all means available to combat those who would finance Iran's destabilising activities," he said. -- PTI

Image only for representation

22:56 US woman who 'tried to bribe' CISF personnel with gold held

A United States woman who allegedly tried to 'bribe' a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel with smuggled gold was apprehended at the Delhi airport, officials said on Thursday.

The incident took place at Terminal-3 of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport early on Wednesday, when a passenger identified as US citizen Farah Deeko Mohamed arrived from Nairobi (Kenya) on an Air India flight.

The passenger was intercepted by CISF personnel while she was being frisked before taking a connecting Air India flight to Hyderabad, a senior officer of the paramilitary force said.

She was found carrying five gold bars (weighing 50 grams each) and some jewellery worth about Rs 35 lakh by concealing it in her undergarments, the officer added.

"The passenger discreetly offered some gold she was carrying to the CISF woman personnel who frisked her, in exchange for allowing her to proceed with the precious metal," a CISF spokesperson said.

"The personnel rejected the bribe and promptly apprehended the passenger," the spokesperson said.

The passenger was handed over to Customs officials for further investigation. -- PTI

22:32 Modi speaks to Meloni, thanking her for...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke to his counterpart in Italy Giorgia Meloni and thanked her for the invite to the G7 Summit in June.

In a post on 'X', Modi said he greeted Meloni and the people of Italy on the 79th anniversary of Liberation Day.

'Thanked her for the invite to the G7 Summit in June. Discussed taking forward #G20India outcomes at the G7. Reaffirmed commitment to deepening our Strategic Partnership,' Modi said.

The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest, officials said. -- PTI

22:17 MCD mayoral polls postponed

Polls to elect the new mayor and deputy mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi that were slated for April 26 stands postponed amid the non-appointment of a presiding officer, an official order said on Thursday.

The civic body postponed the mayoral polls after the Raj Niwas issued a letter on behalf of Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, stating that he 'does not deem it appropriate to exercise his power as administrator to appoint the presiding officer in absence of the inputs from chief minister'.

The MCD said even though it got the Election Commission's nod to hold the mayoral polls, the appointment of the presiding officer has not taken place.

Therefore, it may not be possible to conduct the elections for mayor and deputy mayor, the civic body said in its order. -- PTI

Randhir Jaiswal

21:41 Raised this matter with Iranian authorities: MEA on Kashmir issue

In the wake of Kashmir issue finding its way into a joint statement issued at the conclusion of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Pakistan, India on Thursday said it has 'raised this matter with the Iranian authorities'.

President Raisi paid an official visit to Pakistan from April 22-24 at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

He was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian as well as other members of the cabinet and senior officials.

Pakistan and Iran have agreed that the Kashmir issue should be resolved through 'peaceful means based on the will of the people' of the region, said a joint statement issued by the two countries after Raisi's maiden visit to Islamabad on Wednesday.

In response to a question on the Kashmir issue being mentioned in the joint statement, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "On that issue, we have raised this matter with the Iranian authorities."

Responding to a poser on whether Raisi has also proposed to visit India, he said, "Regarding your second question about their President's visit, as you know, we inform you about such visits at appropriate time, when everything is ready and finalised."

The joint statement stated that taking note of developments at regional and global levels, both sides stressed the importance of peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue and diplomacy to find mutually acceptable solutions to common challenges.

India has previously rejected such statements by other countries on the Kashmir issue.

"The Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh are and always will be integral and inalienable parts of India. No other country has locus standi to comment on the same," the MEA spokesperson has asserted repeatedly. -- PTI

In a major breakthrough, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested a key accused in a case related to the attack on the Indian High Commission in London in March last year.

Inderpal Singh Gaba, a resident of Hounslow in the United Kingdom, has been arrested for carrying out unlawful activities during protests that took place on March 22, 2023, in London, a statement issued by the agency said.

NIA investigations in the case so far have revealed that the incidents in London on March 19 and 22 last year were part of a larger conspiracy to unleash vicious attacks on the Indian missions and its officials.

The attacks in London in March 2023 were found to be in retaliation to the action taken by the Punjab Police against pro-Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh on March 18, 2023, it added.

Further investigations in the case are continuing, the statement said. -- PTI

Three former leaders of Punjab Congress, two of whom recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, have been provided a VIP security cover of armed paramilitary commandos by the Union government, official sources said on Thursday.

Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary, his mother Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary and Tajinder Singh Bittu have been given a 'Y' category security cover owing to threats ascertained to them by central intelligence agencies, they said.

Karamjit Kaur and Bittu have recently joined the BJP.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been directed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to provide the security cover, the sources said. Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary, the MLA from Phillaur, was recently suspended by the Congress for allegedly indulging in anti-party activities.

He had allegedly made statements against the party's Jalandhar candidate and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi opposing the latter's candidature from Jalandhar.

His mother Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary, who had unsuccessfully contested from the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat last year, joined the BJP on April 20.

Bittu, All India Congress Committee secretary in-charge of Himachal Pradesh who is considered a close aide of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, had also joined the BJP the same day.

As part of the 'Y' category security, about four-five armed commandos will escort each of the three politicians during their travel in Punjab.

The CRPF is expected to soon take over the security of the three leaders.

The VIP security cover categorisations begin from the highest Z+ followed by Z, Y+, Y and X. -- PTI

IMAGE: BJP leader Tajinder Singh Bittu with party president J P Nadda, in New Delhi on April 20, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

A five-member medical board set up on the direction of a Delhi court has suggested the administration of low-dose insulin to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal twice a day for the next five days in Tihar Jail, official sources said on Thursday.

They said the board will review the situation after five days.

The board constituted by the director of AIIMS consists of an endocrinologist and a diabetologist.

The first dose of insulin was given to Kejriwal on Monday evening when his sugar level had spiked up to 217. It was done on the advice of AIIMS doctors.

The medical board, constituted the next day, advised the continuation of the dosage for five days, the sources said.

He is getting a low dose of insulin twice a day, before lunch and dinner, daily, they said.

"Kejriwal's health is being monitored by doctors of Tihar and he is being provided home-cooked food and other medicines prescribed by his doctors," an official of Tihar jail said.

Earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party had alleged a conspiracy to kill Kejriwal in jail by denying him insulin and other medicines for diabetes.

The Delhi chief minister was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money-laundering case linked to the Delhi government's now-scrapped excise policy.

He has been lodged in the Tihar jail number 2 since April 1. -- PTI

19:27 Lawyers move HC against Mamata's comment

Prayers were made before the Chief Justice's bench of the Calcutta high court on Thursday by a few lawyers seeking suo motu cognisance of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's 'defamatory' statements over a judgment cancelling 25,753 school jobs in West Bengal for irregularities in the appointment process.

Senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya submitted to the court an affidavit enclosing newspaper clippings of Banerjee's statements along with a pen drive containing the extract of the speech and sought suo motu initiation of criminal contempt against her.

Another lawyer Kaustav Bagchi also submitted a representation requesting suo motu cognisance of the matter alleging 'defamatory and malicious' comments by the chief minister over the judgment.

Bhattacharya is a Communist Party of India-Marxist Rajya Sabha MP while Bangchi defected to the Bharartiya Janata Party from the Congress in February.

Two other lawyers also prayed for leave to file petitions with similar allegations, for which permission was granted by the bench comprising Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya.

Chief Justice Sivagnanam directed that the papers, along with petitions, for which leave was granted to be filed, be placed before him for appropriate orders.

A division bench of the high court, presided by Justice Debangsu Basak, had on Monday declared the school jobs selection process as 'null and void'. -- PTI

Mumbai police on Thursday arrested two persons in Punjab in connection with the recent firing outside actor Salman Khan's house in Mumbai, an official said.

Subhash Chander (37) and Anuj Thapan (32) had provided weapon and cartridges to the shooters on March 15, the police official said.

Both were arrested by a Crime Branch team and are being flown to Mumbai, the official said.

Meanwhile, a Mumbai court on Thursday extended the police custody till April 29 of two men arrested in connection with the firing outside the Bollywood actor's residence in upscale Bandra.

Vicky Gupta (24) and Sagar Pal (21), both residents of Bihar, were produced before the metropolitan magistrate court here after their previous remand ended on Thursday.

Gupta and Pal allegedly fired outside 58-year-old Khan's house at the Galaxy Apartment in Bandra in the early hours of April 14 before fleeing the spot on a motorbike.

They were nabbed on April 16 from Mata No Madh village in Gujarat's Kutch district.

The crime branch team later recovered two pistols, magazines and bullets from the Tapi river in Gujarat during a search operation to recover weapons allegedly used in the firing.

The Mumbai police have declared jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his younger brother Anmol Bishnoi as wanted accused in the case. -- PTI

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18:37 Ex-SSP's son kills youth for eating half of his girlfriend's burger in Karachi

The son of a retired senior police officer in Pakistan's Karachi city killed a 17-year-old boy, the son of a sessions judge, for eating half of a burger he had ordered for his girlfriend.

The incident happened on February 8 in Karachi's posh Defence Housing Authority (DHA) area, police said on Wednesday, adding that the investigation into the case is now complete.

According to the investigating officer of the case, Daniyal Mir Bahar, the son of retired Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nazir Ahmed Mir Bahar, had invited Ali Kerio, son of Karachi District South sessions judge Javed Kerio, to his house and later his girlfriend Shazia also joined them.

Daniyal had ordered two zinger burgers for himself and Shazia, but Ali purportedly consumed half of one burger. This enraged Daniyal so much that he seized his security guard's assault rifle and opened fire on Ali, who later succumbed to gunshot injuries on the way to the hospital, police said.

"Daniyal got into a serious fight with Ali over why he ate half of the burger without permission which was ordered for his girlfriend Shazia," the investigating officer said.

"We have arrested the accused and he is in jail pending trial," the officer said. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday attacked the INDIA bloc parties, saying they are seeking votes for changing the Constitution to provide religion-based reservation while he wants 400 seats to prevent them from snatching away the quota rights of people belonging to the SC, ST and OBC communities.

Addressing a rally at Aonla in Bareilly district, he also claimed the Congress not only wanted to conduct an economic survey but also survey institutions and offices.

"INDI alliance is seeking votes for changing the Constitution to provide religion- based reservation. I am asking for 400 seats to put a lock on their plans to rob the reservation to the SC, ST and OBC people. I need 400 seats so that no one takes away your rights," he said.

Referring to backward classes including Yadav, Kushwaha, Maurya, Gurjar, Rajbhar, Teli and Pal communities, the prime minister said, "I will never let the Samajwadi Party and Congress snatch away your right to reservation. This is Modi's guarantee."

"If two people in a backward or Dalit family work, they will take away the job of one and give it to those whom they say have the first right on the country's resources," Modi said.

He was referring to former PM Manmohan Singh's 2006 remark that minorities, particularly Muslims, have the "first claim" on the country's resources.

He said that the Congress and the SP considered themselves bigger than Lord Ram and they also insulted Shri Krishna. Attacking the opposition over dynastic politics, Modi said that for them their family is everything.

"The SP did not find any Yadav outside family to give tickets in Budaun, Mainpuri, Firozabad, Azamgarh and Kannauj," he said. Modi said this Lok Sabha election is to completely free the country of the mentality of slavery of 1,000 years and to give new heights to India's self-respect.

Seeking to take credit for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, the prime minister said that people from the SP and Congress used to say that the BJP would not tell the date of temple construction. With your blessings we also got the temple built and consecration ceremony also took place. We told them the date, time, place, and also invited them. They considered themselves greater than Lord Ram. They rejected the invitation of the consecration ceremony so that their vote bank did not get upset," he said.

17:44 IndiGo orders 30 wide-body A350-900 planes

The country's largest airline IndiGo on Thursday announced placing an order for 30 wide-body A350-900 planes.

The airline, which is expanding its international presence, has till now been operating only narrow-body Airbus aircraft except for two Boeing 777 planes leased from Turkish Airlines for operations on the Istanbul route. In a release, the carrier said it has entered the "wide body space with an order for 30 firm Airbus A350-900 aircraft".

These planes will be powered by Rolls Royce's Trent XWB engine.

"The exact configuration of the aircraft will be decided at a later stage, and the deliveries are expected to start from 2027. In addition to the 30 firm A350-900 order, IndiGo has purchase rights for an additional 70 Airbus A350 family aircraft, at its discretion, for possible future needs under certain conditions," it said.

Currently, IndiGo operates over 350 aircraft. In June last year, IndiGo placed the largest ever single aircraft order by any airline for 500 aircraft with Airbus. PTI

Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought time from him to explain in person the party's 'Nyay Patra'.

In his two-page letter, the Congress chief said he is neither "shocked" nor "surprised" by the language used by the prime minister in his recent speeches.

"I am neither shocked nor surprised by your language or your speeches over the last few days. It was expected that you and other leaders from your party would start speaking in this manner after you saw the dismal performance of the BJP in the first phase of the elections. The Congress has been talking about the deprived poor and their rights (Nyay). We are aware that you and your government do not have any concern for the poor and dispossessed," Kharge wrote to the PM.

The Congress has been talking about the deprived poor and their rights ("nyay"), he said and added, "Your 'suit-boot ki sarkar' works for the corporates whose taxes you reduced, while the salaried class pays higher taxes. The poor pay GST even on food and salt and rich corporate claim GST refunds. That is why when we talk of inequality between rich and poor, you are purposely equating it with Hindu and Muslim. Our manifesto is for the people of India whether they are Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Jain, or Buddhist. I think you have still not forgotten your pre-independence allies, the Muslim League and Colonial Masters."

He further said that Congress has always served to empower the poor and the Modi government has looted the money of the poor through Demonetisation.

"Your government was the one who used Demonetisation as an "organized loot and legalized plunder" to transfer the money deposited by the poor in the banks to the rich in the form of loans. Then as a part of conscious design, these loans were surreptitiously written off by your government. The lakhs of crores of corporate loans that your government has written off since 2014 are the transfer of wealth from poor to rich. No farmer's loans, artisans loans, MSME loans, or student loans were waived off by you," he added.

Kharge further said that the BJP government has repeatedly turned away from the atrocities that the poor and backward women are facing in the country.

"Today, you talk about their mangalsutra. Isn't your government responsible for the atrocities against women in Manipur, atrocities against Dailt girls, garlanding of rapists? When farmers are committing suicide under your government, how are you protecting their wives and children? Please read about the Narf Nyay which we will be Implementing when we come to power," he said.

The Congress chief further said that it has become a habit of PM Modi to seize on a few words taken out of context and create a communal divide."It has become a habit for you to seize on a few words taken out of context and create a communal divide. You are lowering the dignity of the chair by speaking in this manner. When all of this is over, people will remember that the Prime Minister of the country used such vulgar language for fear of losing an election," he said. -- ANI

Kalpana Soren with Mallikarjun Kharge. File pic

17:14 Kalpana Soren to contest polls

Jailed ex-CM Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana to contest bypolls from Jharkhand's Gandey assembly seat: JMM.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that BJP will end reservation for Muslims in Telangana and provide the benefit to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.

"BJP has decided that they will end reservation for Muslims done by Congress and TRS in Telangana and make reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs," Amit Shah said at a public meeting in Siddipet.

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had said last month that the Congress government in the state would protect the four per cent reservation for Muslims in education and employment.

In his remarks, Amit Shah accused Congress of making Telangana a "ATM of Delhi".

He said the BJP-led government has worked to eliminate pending problems in the country.

He said pran pratishtha of grand Ram temple in Ayodhya was done during the rule of Modi government and Article 370 was scrapped from Jammu and Kashmir.

Shah accused Congress of not probing "scams" committed by the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi government. Telangana Rashtra Samithi later changed its name to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

"Of all the scams committed by TRS, Congress is not investigating even one. Both TRS and Congress are together. Modiji will work for freeing Telangana from corruption. Both Congress and TRS do not celebrate Telangana Liberation Day because they are afraid of Majlis (AIMIM)," he said, adding that the BJP-led government has decided that it will celebrate September 17 as Telangana Liberation Day.

He said people of Telangana have decided to elect BJP candidates in the Lok Sabha polls.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma

16:33 'Miyas' slammed by Assam CM won't vote for BJP

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's remark that the BJP does not need 'Miya' votes for the next ten years if certain social practices such as child marriage aren't forsaken has not gone down well among a section of the community which termed it as a "refusal to their very existence".

Though Sarma has softened his stand during the ongoing general elections and visited a number of Bengali-speaking Muslim areas seeking votes for BJP, community members are not in a mood to forget and forgive.

"You (Sarma) said Miya votes were not needed. Now, when you see that without our votes, you cannot win in many seats, you are coming to us. You need us only at the time of election. Why should we support you when you don't want us at all?" questioned Ruhul Amin from Dhing in Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency.

'Miya' is originally a pejorative term used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam and the non-Bengali speaking people generally identify them as Bangladeshi immigrants.

In recent years, activists from the community have started adopting this term as a gesture of defiance.

Amin, a 56-year-old school teacher-turned-tailor from the Miya community, said people are also recollecting a number of derogatory statements made by Sarma and many of his ministerial colleagues since 2021 when the second BJP government took charge in the state.

"They said Miya women were child-giving machines. This offended us all, especially the women from our community. The CM may be claiming that all Miya women and youths will vote for him this time, but he will be proved wrong," he added.

In February this year, Sarma had said he would not seek 'Miya' votes for the next two years as a lot of welfare works like drives against child marriages and encroachments need to be completed before that.

However, during an election campaign meeting last month, Sarma diluted his stand and exuded confidence that girls, women and youths from the 'Miya' community would vote for the BJP due to the good work done to uplift them.

Out of a total electorate of around 18.2 lakh, there are over 10.5 lakh Muslim voters in Nagaon constituency after delimitation. Voting in Nagaon will take place in the second phase on April 26. Incumbent Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi is seeking a second term in Lok Sabha and his direct fight will be against his erstwhile confidante Suresh Bora, who was in Congress and joined the BJP around three months ago.

Though Amin appreciated the government's drives against child marriage, push for girl education and a near-clean recruitment process, he termed these acts as a normal duty of any state.

Generally it is considered that Miya people are backward and not aware of the situation in the country, but it is wrong. People are worried that if the BJP comes to power, our Constitution will be changed to create a Myanmar-like situation and all freedom enjoyed by minorities like Muslims and Christians will be curtailed," he added.

Mousumi Begum, a sixth semester BA student from the Miya community in Beltoli area adjacent to Nagaon town, said most of the youths from the community will not vote for the ruling party candidate.

"We do not trust them and their assurances. They have been attacking Muslims since they formed the government. The youths don't support demolition of madrassas and mosques in the name of eviction," she added.

The student of philosophy at Nagaon College also disagreed with the government narrative that madrassas teach only religion and said all modern subjects are taught as per state board along with theology.

"The Citizenship (Amendment) Act is also an issue among the youths. Besides, Muslim girls do not support abolishing the triple talaq system, under which it was easier for a girl also to leave a husband if she did not wish to stay with him. But now it will be difficult," Begum said.

Rupahi's Ikramul Hussain observed that "an artificial wave" is being created by the Chief Minister that all minorities, especially Miyas, are going to vote in large numbers in the Lok Sabha polls.

"The Miya people are very silent. They are attending all BJP meetings in large numbers and dancing with the CM. But they will never vote for BJP. Though some good works have been done for the community, some exceptionally derogatory statements by Sarma and his ministers have offended us a lot," he said.

Hussain, who is a farmer and an insurance agent and also owns a pharmacy, said people from the minority community are not openly expressing their opinion in "fear of vengeance" after the poll results as the state government is still under the BJP.

"People do understand that all the promises of financial support are only election gimmicks. Besides, flood and erosion are big problems in Nagaon-Morigaon belt and nothing significant has been done to control it over the years," he added.

On the other hand, farmer Abdul Gafar of Laogaon village said around 25-30 per cent of Muslims may vote for the BJP but it will be even less from the Miya community.

"Though people support abolishing child marriage and emphasis on education, they will not forget the evictions in Gorukhuti and Char areas while going to vote. These incidents have affected BJP's poll prospects in Miya areas," he added. Around 1,200-1,400 houses, mostly belonging to Bengali-speaking Muslims, were razed in September 2021 in Dhalpur *of Gorukhuti*, leaving over 7,000 people homeless. -- PTI

Lakhs of voters will have to bear the searing heat when they step out to exercise their franchise in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Friday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday warned of heatwave to severe heatwave conditions in parts of West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh during the next five days. It has issued a red warning for West Bengal and Odisha and an orange alert for Bihar and parts of Karnataka.

The Met office said high humidity could add to people's inconvenience in Tripura, Kerala, coastal Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Assam, Meghalaya and Goa.

Voters in 88 Lok Sabha constituencies in 13 states and Union Territories will exercise their franchise during the second phase of the elections on Friday.

Kerala's 20 seats, 14 in Karnataka, 13 in Rajasthan, eight each in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, six in Madhya Pradesh, five each in Bihar and Assam, three each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one each in Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, and Manipur will go to polls in the second phase. High-velocity winds, light rain and thunderstorms could provide temporary relief from the hot weather in parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh on Friday, the weather office said. The ongoing heatwave spell is the second this month. Heatwave conditions have been prevailing in Odisha since April 15 and in Gangetic West Bengal since April 17, according to the Met office.

The IMD also said warm night conditions are likely in Odisha during April 27-29. High night temperatures are considered dangerous because the body doesn't get a chance to cool down. Increasing nighttime heat is more common in cities because of the urban heat island effect, in which metro areas are significantly hotter than their surroundings.

The threshold for a heat wave is met when the maximum temperature of a weather station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees in the coastal areas, and 30 degrees in the hilly regions, and the departure from normal is at least 4.5 notches. A severe heat wave is declared if the departure from normal exceeds 6.4 notches.

KBK Infographics

15:48 KKR bowling woes under spotlight vs shaky Punjab Kings

Mitchell Starc will be desperate to justify his USD 3 million price tag as Kolkata Knight Riders bowling unit try to find ways to be less profligate when it is pitted against a perennially under-achieving Punjab Kings in an IPL match in Kolkata on Saturday.

KKR is currently second in the 10-team table with 10 points, four behind table toppers Rajasthan Royals (14 points) and the team's success is largely due to the batting efforts from the top-order.

In Punjab Kings, they meet a side that has been inconsistent and despite two good finds in Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma, they haven't exactly done well during key moments and like every other year, they are all but out of play-off contention.

Representational image

15:43 Bodies of 2 missing kids found in locked car in Mum

Two children missing for hours were found dead inside a parked car at Antop Hill in central Mumbai, with the police suspecting that the kids lost their lives due to suffocation, an official said on Thursday.

The car was locked from inside and it appears that the children could not unlock it, the official said.

Muskan Mohabbat Shaikh (5) and Sajid Mohammed Shaikh (7) were playing outside their homes, where the car was parked, on Wednesday afternoon. When the children did not return home till evening, their parents started a search for them. Subsequently, they also lodged a missing complaint at the Antop Hill police station, the official said.

A few hours later, an onlooker found the children lying unconscious inside the car. The vehicle doors were opened and the kids were rushed to the hospital but doctors declared them dead, the official said.

Prima facie, it seems the kids were suffocated to death as they were locked inside the car, the official said. Police are examining footage of CCTV cameras installed in the area and probing all possible angles, he said, adding that an accidental death case has been registered for now. PTI

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are on track to break past records and become the most expensive electoral event in the world, according to a poll expert.

The estimated expenditure is expected to reach a staggering Rs 1.35 lakh crore, more than double the Rs 60,000 crore spent in 2019, claimed N Bhaskara Rao, who chairs the Centre for Media Studies (CMS), a not-for-profit organisation, and has been tracking election spending for 35 years.

Rao stated that this comprehensive expenditure encompasses all spending, direct or indirect, related to polls, including that by political parties and organisations, candidates, the government, and the Election Commission.

With the BJP vying for a third consecutive term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, industry observers have noted the party's dominant presence in campaigns, irrespective of the mediums used for publicity.

In an interview with PTI, Rao said he revised the initial expenditure estimate from Rs 1.2 lakh crore to Rs 1.35 lakh crore, factoring in electoral bond disclosures and accounting for all election-related expenses. Initially, we estimated the expenditure at Rs 1.2 lakh crore.

However, post the electoral bond stake disclosures, we've revised the figure to Rs 1.35 lakh crore, he said, adding that this estimate covered spending that took place 3-4 months before voting dates were announced. Rao emphasised that money flowed into the process through various means beyond electoral bonds.

Recent observations by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) revealed a "significant lack of transparency" in political funding in India. From 2004-05 to 2022-23, approximately 60 per cent of contributions to the nation's six major political parties, totalling Rs 19,083 crore, came from undisclosed sources, including funds from electoral bonds, it claimed.

The ADR has, however, refrained from providing any cumulative expenditure projections for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. -- PTI

Mahua Moitra campaigning in Plassey

15:05 Dehadrai withdraws defamation case against Mahua

Lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai on Thursday withdrew from the Delhi High Court his defamation lawsuit against former partner TMC leader Mahua Moitra as a "peace offering".

Dehadrai had last year accused Moitra of taking bribes from businessman and Hiranandani Group CEO Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions in Parliament, which led to her expulsion from the Lok Sabha on December 8.

Following the row, Mahua filed a case against Dehadrai and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey to restrain them from posting, circulating or publishing any "fake" and "defamatory" content against her.

Earlier this year, Dehadrai also moved the present lawsuit seeking damages of Rs 2 crore from the former lawmaker claiming that after he filed a complaint with the CBI over Moitra receiving illegal gratification for unauthorisedly providing her Lok Sabha login credentials to a third party, she "embarked on a ceaseless campaign of slander and abuse" to disseminate "false, abusive, and defamatory statements ' against him.

On Thursday, Dahadrai's counsel suggested that the present case could be put to an end if Moitra was willing to "de-escalate" by undertaking that she would not make "palpably false" statements.

Maintaining that judicial time is "best not spent" on such disputes that can be resolved between the parties, Justice Prateek Jalan said, "If this is something that can stop the crossfire, it is a welcome suggestion."

"Maybe personal allegations on both sides can be taken out of the public domain. If there is some possibility of arriving at an agreed protocol of behaviour..," the judge said as he noted that there were several cases pending in the high court in relation to the dispute between the parties.

Dehadrai, who was present in court, subsequently said he would unconditionally withdraw the lawsuit.

"I am willing to withdraw. I will withdraw as a peace offering," his advocate Raghav Awasthi said.

Permitting Dehadrai to withdraw, the court ordered, "The suit is dismissed as withdrawn".

In the lawsuit filed through lawyer Mukesh Sharma, Dehadrai had said Moitra's statements lowered his esteem in the eyes of friends, family and colleagues as they portrayed him as a "person who has become bitter due to a failed personal relationship and is now filing false complaints to take revenge for the said reason".

BJD MP Pinaki Misra has also filed a lawsuit against Dehadrai over his allegedly defamatory tweets and statements against him in relation to the cash-for-query row. PTI

"The reason the prime minister of the "mother of democracy' could refer to more than 200 million Muslim citizens as "infiltrators' and those who "produce many children' is because he could.

"If the prime minister can get away with expressions of naked prejudice, it is not only because the Election Commission ignores its constitutional duties. A large swathe of Hindu India applauds and approves of Modi's bigotry and does not care that their prime minister, after a decade in power, is given to deliberate misinterpretation, religious incitement and outright lies," writes Samar Halarnkar.

Read the column here.

Imran Khan with Bushra Bibi. File pic

14:43 Toilet cleaner mixed in Imran Khan's wife's food: Spokesperson

Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi was reportedly given at least two to three drops of "toilet cleaner" mixed in an Iftar meal, her spokesperson said on Thursday.

The cleaner was allegedly mixed with her food on Shab-e-Barat on February 24. "We found out that two or three drops of toilet cleaner were added to Bushra Bibi's Iftar meal," the spokesperson of Bushra Bibi, Mashal Yousafzai, was quoted as saying by the Geo news.

She claimed that after consuming the meal, her health deteriorated and it was getting worse every day. Khan, 71, the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has many times claimed that Bushra Bibi, 49, was given food mixed with toilet cleaner.

The spokesperson said before her arrest, she did not have any problems, including blood pressure and diabetes. Since her arrest, Bushra Bibi's health has deteriorated, something must have happened, she said expressing her apprehension. Bushra Bibi, convicted in two different cases, is being held at the Bani Gala home since the couple was sentenced in the un-Islamic nikah' case in February.

The Bani Gala residence has been converted into a sub-jail for the former prime minister's wife. Yousafzai, also the advisor to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, questioned why Bushra's medical tests were not conducted when the court had been directing the authorities for three weeks.

She also wondered who was preventing the authorities from conducting the medical tests. The court has directed (authorities) to conduct her endoscopy and blood test. Endoscopy revealed ulceration and inflammation in the stomach, said Yousafzai. She said despite the orders of the court, they did not let the former first lady get her blood tested.

She said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) also asked that the blood test should be done by Al-Shifa Hospital and be cross-checked at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital.

She said, "The blood test could reveal whether the element of poison was present in her blood or not." Yousafzai said a couple of days ago, Bushra had pain in her chest and left arm. The jail doctor did an ECG and it was not normal, she claimed. -- PTI

Former PM Rajiv Gandhi

14:38 Rajiv ended inheritance law to save his property: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi scrapped the inheritance law during his tenure to save the wealth and family property that was to be taken by the government after the death of his mother Indira Gandhi.

Addressing an election rally in Morena, Prime Minister Modi said, "The facts relating to Inheritance Tax are eye-opening. When former PM Indira Gandhi died, her children were going to get her property. But there was a rule earlier, that before the property goes to the children some part of it was taken by the government. Congress had formulated a law on this. To save the property so that it does not go to the government, the then PM Rajiv Gandhi scrapped the inheritance law. After accumulating wealth over four generations, now they want to loot your wealth."

Criticising the Karnataka government's decision to categorise the entire Muslim community in the state under the OBC category, the Prime Minister said that the opposition party will implement this model in the entire nation.

"Congress government in Karnataka declared all the people of the Muslim community in Karnataka as OBC. Congress already added so many new people into the OBC community that earlier OBCs used to get reservations in education and government jobs but now these reservations they used to get have been secretly snatched away from them," PM said.

Prime Minister said that when Congress was at Centre in 2011, it had decided to give away a part of OBC reservation on religious lines."On December 19, 2011, a note was run in the cabinet which mentioned that a part of 27 per cent OBC must be given to a specific religion. Later, the Andhra Pradesh High Court struck the decision of Congress. They went to Supreme Court but they also upheld the decision of Andhra HC.

In 2014, they again mentioned in their manifesto if the reservation has to be given on the religious lines then they will go ahead with it," the PM said.

"Here in Madhya Pradesh, those getting the benefit of reservations such as Yadavs, Khushwahas, Gujjars and other backward classes, all your reservations will go away to their favourite vote bank. They want to implement this model in the whole country," he added.

At least 20 people were injured in the fire

14:21 3 dead in massive fire in Patna hotel

Three dead, over 20 rescued after major fire breaks out in Patna hotel.

A massive fire broke out in a hotel near Golambar in the Kotwali police station area, in Patna on Thursday morning. Upon receiving the information, fire tenders rushed to the spot and started dousing the fire. The fire extinguishing operation is still underway.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge

14:10 PM publicising Cong manifesto for 1st time: Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to give a communal angle to the Congress manifesto. The Congress leader also accused PM Modi of raising some issues that are not in the manifesto.

"BJP is in trouble. The PM is baffled. Since April 19, he has been trying to take the whole agenda in a different direction. He tried to give a communal angle to our manifesto, after which, he raised some issues which are not there in our manifesto... He is publicising our manifesto during his election rallies. Even though this publicity is wrong, it is based on lies, still, this is the first time that the PM is publicising the opposition's manifesto," he said.

Jairam Ramesh challenged the PM's claim that their manifesto talks about wealth redistribution, stating that there is not one word in their 50-page manifesto that hints at wealth redistribution.

"The PM says that our manifesto talks about wealth redistribution. I challenge him that in our 50-page manifesto, there is not one word that hints at wealth redistribution," he said.

He mentioned that the Congress manifesto does not include any mention of inheritance tax, hence, it is not part of their agenda.

"I want to clarify one thing. There is no mention of inheritance tax in our manifesto, it is not our agenda. The truth is, that in 1985, PM Rajiv Gandhi abolished the inheritance tax.. We never mentioned anything about inheritance tax, and it is not a part of our agenda," he said.

A controversy erupted after the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, Sam Pitroda, while emphasising the need for policy towards wealth redistribution, spoke about the concept of inheritance tax prevailing in America and said that these are issues that will need to be discussed.

However, the Congress party has distanced itself from the remarks and said that inheritance tax laws do not reflect the position of the party. But, the BJP came guns blazing at the Congress party over Pitroda's remarks. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday criticised the Congress party's proposal for an inheritance tax, accusing them of intending to seize the property of common people.

People at a Modi rally

13:32 Don't be angry if shehzada abuses Modi: PM in MP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi enjoys abusing him but people should not be angry about it adding that since centuries "Naamdars" have abused "Kaamdars".

Addressing an election rally in Morena, Prime Minister Modi said, "Congress' Shehzada enjoys abusing Modi. People on social media are saying that this language is not right. People are getting upset about it. I am appealing to them that you don't have to be sad. They are Naamdar and we are Kaamdar. Naamdars have been abusing kaamdars for centuries. I have come out from poverty if again I get abused, then let it be. Don't waste your time."

The Prime Minister was responding to the language used by Rahul Gandhi against him.

"The moment I talked about X-Ray, Narendra Modi was in fear. He started trembling. Jaise hi usko dar lagta hai vo jhoot bolne lagta hai. (Whenever he is in fear, he starts lying). Sometimes he talks about China, then Pakistan. He is lying repeatedly. Is baar nahi nikalpaega (This time he won't be able to escape)," Rahul Gandhi had said at a public meeting on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Modi said that for the Congress 'Gandhi family' comes before the development of the nation.

"Nothing is greater than the country for BJP. But for Congress, it is family first. Congress' policy is to keep the one who makes the maximum contribution, hard work and dedication for the country at the back. Therefore, for so many years, Congress did not allow the demands of army personnel like One Rank-One Pension to be fulfilled. We implemented One Rank-One Pension as soon as the government was formed," he said.

He also said that Madhya Pradesh became a 'Bimaru Rajya' during Congress' rule."

"After filling the potholes of Congress, the BJP has given a new identity to Chambal and Madhya Pradesh. The people of Bhind, Morena and Gwalior, who have seen the dark period of the Congress, are experiencing the development that has taken place under the BJP government more," the PM said.

"The people of Madhya Pradesh know that once you get rid of a problem, you should stay away from it. Congress party is such an anti-development party," he added.

Prime Minister further mentioned that Congress accepted the partition of the country on religious lines.

"Congress still does not want to improve their habits. For them, it is the easiest way of success. They are playing games. They have made religion appeasement as their pawn and are now playing with the future of the country," he said. -- PTI

Update: The Election Commission of India has taken cognizance of alleged Model Code of Conduct violations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Both BJP and INC had raised allegations of causing hatred and division based on religion, caste, community, or language ECI has invoked section 77 of the Representation of the People Act and held party presidents responsible, as a first step, to reign in star campaigners.

MCC allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Rahul Gandhi are exchanged with BJP President JP Nadda and INC President Mallikarjuna Kharge as a first step. ECI has sought a response by 11 AM on April 29.

"Political parties will have to take primary responsibility for the conduct of their candidates, star campaigners in particular. Campaign speeches by those holding high positions are of more serious consequences," said the Election Commission.

The BJP on Monday alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was making a false claim about the rise in poverty in the country and urged the Election Commission to take "strict action" against him.

Lodging a complaint with the poll panel, the BJP also accused Gandhi of continuing to create a North-South divide in the country on the basis of language and region to vitiate the poll atmosphere.

The Congress approached the poll body on Monday and formally lodged a complaint seeking action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The only available remedy compatible with the principle of zero tolerance towards allegations of corrupt practices, is the disqualification of the candidates who try to create a divide between different classes of the citizens of India regardless of the stature or position of that candidate," the Congress memorandum had said.

The first phase of the seven phase Lok Sabha elections concluded on April 19. The second phase of polls will get underway on April 26. The other phases are scheduled for May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. Results of all the 543 Lok Sabha seats will be announced on June 4.

The Election Commission seeks a reply from the BJP on a complaint by the Congress and other opposition parties about PM Modi's Banswara speech.

The EC takes cognisance of the alleged Model Code of Conduct violations by PM Modi as well as Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. EC shares model code violation allegations against PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi with BJP, Congress chiefs and seeks a response by April 29.

"Political parties will have to take primary and increasing responsibility for conduct of their candidates, star campaigners," the EC said.

Campaign speeches by those holding high positions are of more serious consequences, says EC.

More details awaited.

12:46 Congress wants to auction PM's post: BJP

In a scathing attack against the Opposition INDIA bloc, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla on Thursday alleged that the alliance has no mission for the country and that they want to "auction" the post of Prime Minister. "INDI alliance has no mission for the country.

They have come up with their own corruption, dynastic profession, ambition and confusion," Poonawalla told ANI.

"There is such a fight among themselves because of their ambition and confusion. They want to auction PM Modi's post...They should announce their candidate for the Prime Ministerial post," he added.

Meanwhile, the BJP on Thursday continued its attack on Congress over the latter's alleged inheritance tax proposal.

Wading into the controversy, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday accused the Congress of intending to seize the property of common people. He alleged that the Congress plans to distribute the people's wealth among the Rohingyas as part of their vote bank policy.

"The mindset of Congress for the country and the common people of the country was revealed during the UPA government regime and yesterday. There were hints even in the Congress manifesto. What Sam Pitroda said yesterday was advocated for by then Home Minister P Chidambaram too. Congress looted the country's resources for almost 60-65 years. Now, it has its eyes set on common people's property. That is why it is talking about Inheritance tax. It will be distributed among people who are intruders. Who doesn't know that behind the crores of intruders, Rohingyas in different parts of the country is Congress' vote bank policy? They have always done politics at the cost of the nation, inheritance tax is a part of it," he said.

"It is good that Congress departed in 2014; otherwise, Congress would have implemented it at that time itself," he added.

A day before 2nd phase of voting, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday levelled a series of allegations against the prime minister and asked, "What PM Modi has given to Bihar in last 10 years?"

Five Lok Sabha constituencies Bhagalpur, Banka, Purnia, Kishanganj, and Katihar will go to polls in the second phase of voting on Friday.

"I want to ask Prime Minister Modi, why do you want to end the Constitution and democracy? Why do you want to snatch away the reservation and jobs of Dalits, backwards, deprived and poor?" Yadav said in Hindi in a post on 'X.'

"Why do you (PM Modi) want to make the poor poorer and the rich richer? Bihar gave you 39 out of 40 MPs but what did you give to Bihar in 10 years? Why don't you come to Bihar and talk about work?" he further asked.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the NDA won 39 out of 40 seats in Bihar.

Earlier, Yadav has alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda brought five bags of cash to distribute among the voters during his recent visit to Bihar ahead of the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 26. -- ANI

Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi are likely to contest the Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli and Amethi seats, respectively, sources said on Thursday.

According to the sources, the final decision will be taken after April 26 and nominations can be filed next week. Phase 2 of the elections are scheduled for tomorrow

In this phase Wayanad from where Rahul Gandhi is contesting will go to the polls. Smriti Irani defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi. Irani has again been fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party from the seat.

As per the seat agreement between the Samajwadi Party and Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Congress will contest 17 seats and the Samajwadi Party the remaining 63 seats in the electorally crucial state.

Apart from its traditional strongholds of Rae Bareli and Amethi, the Congress is also contesting on Varanasi, Ghaziabad and Kanpur.

Earlier, posters featuring Robert Vadra, husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, appeared outside the party's office on Wednesday in the Gauriganj area of Amethi. This raised speculations of a possible ticket for Vadra.

However, the Congress appears to be wanting to put up a fight for every seat that it is contesting and has thus decided on fielding the Gandhi sibling. Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies will vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20.

However, Rahul Gandhi will not find the going easy in his erstwhile bastion as Union Minister Smriti Irani has been campaigning extensively in the constituency.

Rae Bareli is a Congress bastion since 1960 with both Feroze Gandhi and Indira Gandhi having represented it. Sonia Gandhi has been the MP from the constituency since she won the 2006 by poll. With Sonia moving to the upper house, the Congress is likely to field Priyanka Gandhi who is a general secretary in the party.

11:11 Gehlot tapped Sachin Pilot's phone, says aide

In a startling revelation, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's ex-OSD Lokesh Sharma on Wednesday said that that the purported audio clip of a phone conversation, involving Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and certain Congress figures discussing the ousting of the state's Congress government in 2020, was provided to him by Gehlot.

Sharma has alleged that Gehlot used to tap the phones of rebel Congress leaders, including Sachin Pilot. He claimed that the audio clips of rebel Congress leaders and their phone calls provided to the news organizations were given to him by the former Rajasthan chief minster himself.

"Till today, I kept telling everyone that I received those audio clips from social media. But this is not the truth. On July 16, 2020, some audio clips went viral via the media because I shared them with the media using my phone number. In those audios, a conspiracy was being made to topple the government by poaching MLAs," Sharma said while addressing a press conference.

"On July 16, 2020, Ashok Gehlot came to Hotel Fairmont because all the rebel leaders at that time were kept in that hotel. One hour after after the CM left, his PSO Ramniwas called me up and asked me to come to the CM House as the CM wanted to meet me... As soon as I reached, the CM handed over a pen drive and a paper, which I circulated among the people through you. This paper allegedly contained a reference to a conversation between Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Late MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma, and Sanjay Jain, this pen drive contained their audio," Sharma said.

"I was asked to circulate the audio on social media. I did not receive these audio clips via social media, CM Ashok Gehlot handed them over to me in this pen drive and asked me to circulate them to the media," Sharma alleged.

Sharma further alleged that the then Rajasthan Chief Minister wanted to portary BJP's hand beind 'toppling' of Rajasthan Congress and hence Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was made to look as the main accused in the whole matter and it was alleged that BJP along with Sachin Pilot and other MLAs were attempting to topple the government. -- ANI

Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com does a deep dive into four elections when Narendra Modi resorted to anti-Muslim fervour and points out that Hindu-Muslim politics does not necessarily mean victory for the BJP. Read the report here.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav has alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda brought five bags of cash to distribute among the voters during his recent visit to Bihar ahead of the second phase of Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking to reporters in Patna on Wednesday, Tejashwi Yadav said, "I have received news that he (BJP chief JP Nadda) has brought several bags with him. He is distributing them at places where elections are taking place. Get this checked, the allegations are true. I am not lying. Agencies are helping him openly. He is coming from Delhi and bringing five bags with him."

On Prime Minister Modi's mangalsutra jibe, Tejashwi Yadav said, "Just look at the price of gold these days, women cannot even afford a mangalsutra today and they are talking about snatching it away."

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi last week alleged Congress wants to take away the gold and property of people and distribute it among "those having more children".

Referring to reports about Congress's intention to redistribute wealth if elected to power, the Prime Minister said the party would conduct a survey and they would not even let Mangalsutra remain with women and "will go to this extent."

"When they (Congress) were in government, they said that Muslims have the first right over India's resources. So, they will distribute this wealth (property and gold) among those having more children, among illegal immigrants...this Urban Naxal thinking won't even spare your Mangalsutra," the PM said.

Meanwhile on Thursday Tejashwi Yadav posted a video posting a series of queries to the Prime Minister.

In his video the RJD leader said "I want to ask Prime Minister Modi, why do you want to end the Constitution and democracy? Why do you want to snatch away the reservation and jobs of Dalits, backwards, deprived and poor? Why do you want to make the poor poorer and the rich richer? Bihar gave you 39 seats, but what did you give to Bihar in 10 years? Why don't you come to Bihar and talk about work?

As speculation over Uttar Pradesh's Kaiserganj seat deepens, sitting MP Brij Bhushan Singh, who was accused of sexual harassment of female wrestlers, said on Wednesday that there are 99.9 per cent chances that he will contest from the seat.

The BJP, which has declared its candidates for the majority of the seats in Uttar Pradesh, has so far not announced its candidate for the Kaiserganj seat. Brij Bhushan Singh said, "I am not a candidate right now. But the BJP has no contest on the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat. Last time, victory was won by more than 2 lakh votes; this time, the workers have given a slogan of 5 lakh votes. If God has decided this, what can I do? But I am a strong contender, so I will contest 99.9 per cent, 0.1 per cent would remain." Further, the sitting MP said that even if the party announced the candidate just an hour prior, people would make him win.

"The party believes that Kaisarganj is a seat of the BJP. Even if they announce the name of candidate just an hour prior, the people of the state will make the BJP candidate win. Has the party denied me a ticket? Has the party released a list that does not have my name? Kaisarganj is one among the 400 seats. PM Modi doesn't need to contemplate Kaisarganj, I would like to tell him that we will begin (the victory) from here. Rahul ji and Priyanka will have no impact on Purvanchal. People of Kaisarganj will get good news suddenly. The entire region will be happy," Brij Bhushan added.

Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat will vote on May 20 in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election. In the 2019 election, Brij Bhushan secured 5,81,358 votes. -- ANI

Abhishek Banerjee

10:07 BJP has a history of mass killing: TMC

Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh on Wednesday reacted sharply to the alleged assassination attempt on TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, saying that "BJP has a history of mass killing and murder."

Speaking to ANI, Kunal Ghosh said, "BJP has a history of mass killing and murder so they can't show themselves as clean by throwing mud at some other party. There have been attacks against Mamata Banerjee earlier and to attack Abhishek Banerjee one person had come here but Kolkata police caught him."

Alleging political rivalry in the case, Ghosh stated that such attacks are tactics employed by those unable to defeat Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee, and the TMC.

"This is not a matter of politics. Those who can't win against Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee, and TMC, are finding another way to attack. The man who has been arrested has hinted towards a bigger conspiracy," he said.

Earlier on April 24, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed a BJP leader wanted to kill her nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

"One of the Gaddars (TMC turncoats) in the BJP said they would lob an explosive. If you hold a grudge against me, bomb me all you want. But you tried to kill Abhishek. However, we came to know of it in advance," the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said at a public meeting at Birbhum.

The TMC supremo further claimed that the BJP would have shot her nephew if the latter had given them an appointment.

"They (BJP) even conducted a recce at his house, called him, asking for an appointment. Had Abhishek given him time, he would have shot and fled," Mamata said.

On April 22, Kolkata Police claimed to have apprehended a person associated with the 2008 Mumbai attacks, who was reportedly conducting surveillance of the residence and office of Abhishek Banerjee. -- ANI

09:31 JD-U leader shot dead in Patna

Janata Dal-United leader Saurabh Kumar was shot dead by bike-borne assailants in Patna on Wednesday night, police said.

Police said that Saurabh Kumar was returning from a wedding reception function when the attack was carried out.

One person who accompanied the JD-U leader was also injured in the incident.

"Saurabh Kumar came with his friends to attend a reception function. While returning he was shot by unidentified assailants who were on a motorcycle. Then he was taken to hospital and one other person named Munmun Kumar also sustained injuries. They were taken to Kankarbagh Uma hospital, however, by then Saurabh Kumar died. We are examining the matter," SDPO Masaurhi, Kanhaiya Singh said.

Police official said that a search for the unidentified assailants is underway.

Further details are awaited. -- ANI

The United States slammed Russia on Wednesday for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution on the Outer Space Treaty that put a legally-binding obligation that countries should not be putting weapons of mass destruction (WMD), including nuclear weapons, in orbit.

"As we have noted previously, the United States assesses that Russia is developing a new satellite carrying a nuclear device. We have heard President (Vladimir) Putin say publicly that Russia has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space. If that were the case, Russia would not have vetoed this resolution," US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement, after Russia vetoed the resolution at the UN headquarters in New York.

"Today, Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution, proposed jointly by the United States and Japan, that would have reaffirmed the fundamental obligation of State Parties to the Outer Space Treaty not to place nuclear weapons in orbit around the Earth," Sullivan said.

The resolution also would have called on all member-states not to develop nuclear weapons specifically designed to be placed in orbit, he added.

"Placement by a State Party of a nuclear weapon in orbit would not only violate the Outer Space Treaty, but would threaten the vital communications, scientific, meteorological, agricultural, commercial and national security services that any and all satellites provide to societies around the globe," Sullivan said.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told members of the UN Security Council that by vetoing the resolution, Russia has abandoned its responsibility.

"Of course, this is not the first time Russia has undermined the global non-proliferation regime. Over the past few years, Russia has irresponsibly invoked dangerous nuclear rhetoric and walked away from several of its arms control obligations. It has remained unwilling to engage in substantive discussions around arms control or risk reduction. And it has defended and even enabled dangerous proliferators," she said.

Had it been adopted, the resolution would have also emphasised the necessity of further measures, including political commitments and legally-binding instruments, with appropriate and effective provisions for verification, to prevent an arms race in outer space in all its aspects. -- PTI

History-making teen Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh was swamped by fans as he returned to an enthusiastic reception here on Thursday after becoming the youngest challenger to the world title following his triumph at the prestigious Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto.

Hundreds of students from the Velammal Vidyalaya, the school where Gukesh studies, lined up at the airport at least one hour before his flight landed to greet the 17-year-old chess prodigy.

A sizeable general crowd also built up as his arrival time drew closer and the area around the arrival gate was jam-packed in no time.

The youngster walked out at around 3am and he was immediately flanked by the jubilant mass. In no time, he had garlands around his neck even as the police jostled to escort him out safely.

"I feel very happy for this homecoming, this is a special achievement. I was in a good space since the beginning of the tournament, I had full confidence that I will emerge top in this tournament and luck was on my side as well," Gukesh said while talking to the media at the airport.

"It's good to see so many people enjoy chess...I thank the Tamil Nadu government. I thank my Appa, Amma, coach, friends, family, sponsor and my school for being alongside me and playing an amazing role in helping me win this tournament," he added.

His mother Padma, who is a microbiologist, was there to receive him along with some other members of the family and the young champion had a huge smile on his face the moment he spotted her in the crowd. They exchanged a hug after greeting each other.

Gukesh's father Rajinikanth, who is an ENT surgeon but quit his practice to support him, had travelled with the teen to Toronto for the tournament.

On Monday, Gukesh became the first Indian after the great Viswanathan Anand to win the Candidates Tournament, which is held specifically to decide the challenger for the reigning world champion.

He became the youngest ever challenger for the title, bettering the record created by the legendary Garry Kasparov 40 years ago.

The triumph entitles Gukesh to a clash against reigning world champion Ding Liren of China in the last quarter of the year. -- PTI

West Bengal Congress chief and Baharampur Lok Sabha seat candidate Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday shot off a letter to Chief Election Commission Rajiv Kumar, seeking his intervention into alleged harassment of party workers by policemen with an 'intention to affect the party's poll prospects'.

Chowdhury, in his two-page letter, alleged that two police officers in Baharampur have been harassing Congress workers, 'implicating them on false and frivolous charges, with an intention to affect the party's prospects in the Lok Sabha elections'.

'I am writing to bring to your attention and seek your immediate intervention to put an end to the blatant acts of misuse of the law by the law enforcement agencies themselves in implicating persons affiliated to the Congress on false and frivolous charges with the obvious intention to mar the party's electoral prospects,' he said in the letter.

The Congressman also highlighted a couple of alleged incidents and said that they were 'systematically planned' aimed at demoralising party workers, and 'hindering my election campaign'.

'... in these blatantly dirty acts of misuse of the law to harass, and implicate Congress workers to demoralise and stall my election campaign,' he said urging the poll body to replace the officers immediately.

Chowdhury, the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, seeks a sixth straight term from the seat, where he is pitted against cricketer-turned-politician Yusuf Pathan of the Trinamool Congress. -- PTI

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