Farmers participating in the 'Delhi Chalo' call will not end their agitation until their demands are met, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said on Saturday while indicating that their stir may continue even after the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls comes into force.

 

Thousands of farmers have been staying put at Khanauri and Shambhu points on Punjab's border with Haryana along with their tractor-trolleys and trucks after their march to the national capital to press the Centre for various demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops, was stopped by security forces.

Last Wednesday, the 'Delhi Chalo' march, spearheaded by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), was put on hold by farmer leaders for two days after a protester was killed and around 12 police personnel were injured in clashes at Khanauri. 

The incident took place when some protesting farmers were trying to head towards barricades.

Speaking to reporters at the Shambhu border point, KMM leader Pandher said they will announce their next course of action on February 29.

"It is certain that this agitation will continue as long as (our) demands are not met. If they (Centre) accept our demands tomorrow, we will take a decision on the agitation," he said.

About the imposition of the model code of conduct when the Election Commission announces the schedule for the Lok Sabha polls, Pandher said, "We do not have to distribute tickets for MPs. So we do not need to worry about the model code of conduct. We are not going to campaign at polling booths."

"We are not worried (about the code of conduct). We are thinking that the agitation may continue even when the model code of conduct is in force," the KMM leader added.

According to farmer leaders, the protesters will continue to camp at the two protest sites till February 29 when the next course of action will be decided. Four rounds of talks between farmer leaders and Union minister to end the stalemate failed to achieve any breakthrough.

Besides a legal guarantee for MSP for crops and farm debt waiver, the Punjab farmers are also demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21. -- PTI

Buoyed by sealing seat-sharing deals with the AAP and the Samajwadi Party, the Congress on Saturday took a swipe at the BJP, which is yet to announce such an arrangement with its allies, asking whether the ruling party has been held "hostage" by the parties it sought to "gobble up".

 

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said that in the last week, the INDIA bloc has sealed important seat-sharing deals in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana and Chandigarh. 

"In the coming few days, all our other discussions will also reach a positive conclusion," he said in a post on X.

In the same post, Venugopal said, "Meanwhile, what is happening in the NDA? Are all the ill-conceived, corrupt and opportunistic M&A deals giving BJP sleepless nights? Why no seat-sharing yet in Bihar? What about Maharashtra, where they have taken a sledgehammer on democracy?"

"Is the party which claims to win 400+ seats being held hostage by those parties it wanted to gobble up?" he posed.

The Congress has announced seat-sharing pacts with Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and with AAP in Delhi, Gujarat and Haryana. It is also in the process of finalising its seat-sharing in Bihar and Maharashtra soon. -- PTI

The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) said that the AIIMS at Kalyani, which is scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually on Sunday, does not have environmental clearance.

According to the guidelines of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), any project which is bigger than 20,000 square metres requires an environment clearance (EC), WBPCB Chairman Kalyan Rudra said on Saturday.

The AIIMS Kalyani, located in Nadia district of the state, has been set up on an area larger than 20,000 square metres.

"The authorities of the AIIMS Kalyani had applied for environmental clearance on October 6, 2022. Its construction started before they obtained the clearance, Rudra told a press conference.

So, the project is under the violation category, he said.

Following the MoEFCC guidelines, the WBPCB imposed an environmental damage cost and a penalty that summed up to over Rs 15 crore, Rudra added.

The AIIMS Kalyani has, however, applied for an exemption contending that it was a healthcare facility and does not require an environmental clearance," he said.

But the state government has no authority to exempt the amount, Rudra said.

"The WBPCB filed a case before ACJM's court in Kalyani in this connection," he said. -- PTI

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday said the Congress will not be able to open its account in Uttar Pradesh this time as party leader leader Rahul Gandhi has raised a question mark on the intelligence of the people of the state. 

   

Thakur said the people of Uttar Pradesh have elected four generations of the Nehru-Gandhi family and sent them to the Lok Sabha. 

Referring to Gandhi's recent drunk and addict comment on the youth of Uttar Pradesh at a rally in Varanasi, Thakur said the Congress leader has lost his senses and is not aware of what he is saying.

Thakur, while talking to the media persons here, said Gandhi has hurt the honour and respect of the people of Uttar Pradesh.

The minister said the Congress has cheated the public by making false promises.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi's videos are going viral among the public in which she had said that five lakh government jobs would be given to the youth in Himachal Pradesh and now Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has retracted from the statement, he added.

Addressing the Tridev conference of Hamirpur BJP Mandal here earlier, the minister said the people will vote for the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as they are fed up with the Congress' false promises.

Thakur gave a clarion call to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists to remain united and go in the field to expose the misdeeds of the Congress party and tell the people what the BJP led NDA had done for them during the last ten years. 

The BJP is a political party of workers and we will get record votes at every polling booth enabling the BJP to win 370 seats, he said. -- PTI

Authorities here initiated the process of partially reopening Singhu and Tikri borders with Haryana on Saturday, almost two weeks after they were sealed in view of farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march, officials said.

A Delhi Police officer said one lane of the service lane at the Singhu border and one lane at the Tikri border are being opened to allow movement of vehicles.

The opening of Singhu and Tikri borders will bring relief to those travelling from Delhi to Haryana.

The two borders were sealed on February 13 as protesting farmers from Punjab began their 'Delhi Chalo' march to press their demands, including minimum support price (MSP) for crops and a farm loan waiver.

Thousands of farmers have been camping on the Punjab-Haryana border near Ambala, about 200 kilometres from Delhi, after their march was thwarted by security personnel. -- PTI 

Haldwani violence alleged mastermind Abdul Malik was arrested from Delhi on Saturday, Nainital SSP Prahlad Narayan Meena said.

 

He said six teams were formed to search for Malik and his son Abdul Moid in different states including Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. 

One of these teams arrested Malik from Delhi but his son is still on the run, Meena told reporters.

Malik allegedly built an "illegal" madrasa in the Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani. Its demolition led to the violence in Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani on February 8.

Malik had vehemently opposed the administration's action and his wife Safia had gone to the court challenging the Municipal Corporation notice for its demolition. 

Six people were killed and more than a hundred including police personnel and journalists injured in the Banbhoolpura violence. -- PTI 

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday travelled by a local train from Ghatkopar in Mumbai to Kalyan in neighbouring Thane district.

  

The minister shared on X a few pictures of her journey by the local train, lifeline of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

She interacted with fellow commuters during the 30-km ride, the social media post said. 

More than 65 lakh people travel by suburban trains in the Mumbai region every day. 

Pitching for labour reforms, the chairman of the 16th Finance Commission and former NITI Aayog Chairman Arvind Panagariya on Saturday said that "unemployment," is not a problem for India but "under-employment" is.

   

Speaking at a session 'The Economic Whisper: how to fuel growth with jobs' at the concluding day of the two-day ABP Network's 'Ideas of India Summit 3.0' in Mumbai, he also sounded optimistic that the jobs problem in the country will be solved over the next 10 years.

"Unemployment is really not India's problem in my view. Our problem is underemployment, so productivity is low. So the job that can be done by one person often gets done by two people or maybe three people. And that is where I think, the real challenge of jobs is creating well-paid high-productivity jobs," he said.

Stating that in the economy's jargon, India is a labour-abundant and capital-scarce country, he said, "What we have done is to put much of the capital in very selective sectors which are in any case very capital intensive".

"We got the situation where much of the capital is working with very few workers.  And then you have a host of workers in agriculture in micro and small enterprises where the capital is hardly present. So then you got a lot of workers working with very little capital. And when that is the case, it translates into low productivity," Panagariya said.

The country still needs to fix labour and trade laws, he said, adding that, "compared to other countries, protection level is higher that needs to come down."

"In India, building consensus is a part of the democratic reform process, which makes passing laws a slower process," he said.

"During (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee's Prime Ministership labour laws were tabled. Subsequently, no government showed the courage. With the Modi Government, the laws have been passed. It is now the states that have to write the rules and regulations to implement the laws," he stated.

Talking about reforms, he said, "Implementation of labour laws, privatization of public sector enterprises and banks are some of the important reforms that need to be brought about."

"Nevertheless, on the whole, we are in a fantastic sweet spot. These are problems. I think we'll get sorted out over the next 10 years. I am very optimistic that the jobs problem will be solved as well," Panagariya said. -- PTI

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday said the politics of the state had turned into a mess and it was time people brought about a change.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to Kalyan as part of his statewide tour ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the MNS chief also said meeting leaders from other parties did not mean alliances were being struck.

There was speculation recently of the MNS joining the National Democratic Alliance after Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar met Thackeray in the latter's Shivaji Park home.

The current political scenario in the state was like chikhal (wet, slippery mud) with party lines blurring and people must ensure politicians are held accountable for their deeds, Thackeray said.

He also questioned the reliability of electronic voting machines and said polls must be held through ballot papers.

Speaking about the Maratha quota issue, the MNS leader said the focus now was on caste-based politics rather than issues like drought, unemployment, farm distress etc.

He also criticised the Election Commission of India for calling teachers for poll duty, saying the move adversely affects students. -- PTI 

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday slammed the Congress-Aam Aadmi Party tie-up as an alliance of the corrupt, asserting that neither chemistry nor mathematics favours the two parties against the ruling combine led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi and Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva told a press conference that in the states where the alliance matters -- be it Gujarat, Haryana, Chandigarh, Goa or the national capital -- the BJP had got well over 50 per cent votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

This "corrupt" alliance will not work against those known for serving the people, Lekhi said, citing numerous allegations of graft AAP leaders had levelled against the Congress in the past.

Sachdeva said the move "shows Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has lost his connection" with Delhiites.

Lekhi said Kejriwal used to not only describe most ministers in the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre during 2004-14 as corrupt but had also demanded the withdrawal of the Bharat Ratna from the late Rajiv Gandhi, she said.

Two parties who have no strength to stand on their feet have decided to support each other but it will not work, she added.

At the press conference, she also lashed out at the West Bengal government over the Sandeshkhali incident.

She alleged that the state police have been harassing the victim women instead of acting against Sheikh Shajahan, accused of running a ring of Trinamool Congress (TMC) members who captured land and sexually assaulted women under coercion.

Commenting on the Congress-AAP alliance, Sachdeva asserted that the BJP will again win all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, adding that it is good that the two parties have joined hands as they cannot blame division of votes for their impending loss.

The AAP -- with 62 MLAs in the Delhi Assembly -- has knelt before the Congress, which has no MLAs, to hide its corruption under the veneer of the alliance, he claimed. -- PTI

Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma on Saturday wrote to his Haryana counterpart demanding that a farmer who was injured in clashes during the 'Delhi Chalo' march and is undergoing treatment at PGI Rohtak be handed over to the Punjab authorities.

 

Verma said that any other farmer from Punjab undergoing treatment in Haryana should also be handed over to the state authorities.

Farmer leaders, who are spearheading the 'Delhi Chalo' march, had alleged that a few farmers were beaten up and taken away by Haryana security personnel on February 21.

A protester was killed and about 12 police personnel were injured in the clashes at Khanauri, one of the two protest sites on the Punjab-Haryana border.

In his communication to Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal, Verma said Pritpal Singh, hailing from Punjab, should be handed over to the state authorities.

"It has come to our notice that Pritpal Singh from Punjab, who got hurt during the farmers' agitation, is undergoing treatment at PGI (Post Graduate Institute) Rohtak," wrote Verma.

"You are requested to handover Pritpal Singh to Punjab authorities so that his treatment may be... done in Punjab free of cost by the Punjab government," he said.

Further, if any other agitating farmer from Punjab is undergoing treatment in Haryana, he should also be handed over to us, Verma further said.

On Friday, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia had alleged that Singh was "kidnapped" and injured by Haryana Police. -- PTI

Over 1,250 complaints, including 400 related to land disputes, have been received at government camps in the restive Sandeshkhali region of West Bengal, where the administration is conducting a mass outreach programme to address grievances of locals, officials said.

Sandeshkhali Block 2, the epicentre of the violent protests triggered by allegations of land encroachment and sexual misconduct involving local TMC leaders, has contributed the largest share of close to 1,000 complaints.

"Since February 18, when government assistance camps commenced operations, the collective tally of applications from Sandeshkhali and adjacent areas has surpassed 1,250, with the majority stemming from Sandeshkhali Block 2," a senior official of the Basirhat sub-division, which oversees Sandeshkhali, told PTI.

According to Arun Kumar Samanta, the BDO of Sandeshkhali Block 2, his office has received over 1,000 complaints.

"Of the total complaints, around 400 pertain to land matters, encompassing various issues such as unauthorised occupation and alterations in land titles. Additionally, we have received applications highlighting difficulties in accessing the state's welfare schemes," Samanta told PTI.

Meanwhile, officials from Sandeshkhali Block 1 have registered 250 complaints, with 14 relating to land disputes.

"So far, we have received 250 applications from locals about their grievances," Sandeshkhali BDO (Block 1), Sayantan Sen, said.

Detailing the nature of land-related grievances, the district official of Basirhat sub-division said, "Complaints range from forcible seizures to non-payment of leased land. We are meticulously scrutinising documents and collaborating with block-level authorities to address these concerns."

The newly enacted laws -- the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Act -- to completely overhaul the criminal justice system in the country will come into effect from July 1.

 

The three laws got the Parliament's approval on December 21 last year and President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent on December 25.

According to three identical notifications issued by the Union Home Ministry, provisions of the new laws will come into force from July 1.

The laws will replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872 respectively.

The three legislations aim at completely overhauling the criminal justice system in the country by giving definitions of various offences and their punishments. -- PTI 

Maratha activist Manoj Jarange on Saturday accused the Maharashtra government of using "tricks and conspiracies" to undermine their ongoing agitation for reservation for the community in government jobs and education.  

Addressing the media at his Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, Jarange said he would disclose his next course of action on Sunday and asked people from the community to gather there.

He alleged that the government was deploying "tricks and conspiracies" the scuttle their efforts for quota and questioned the delay in converting the notification on 'blood relatives' of Kunbi Marathas into a law.

Jaranage also accused the police of registering cases against Maratha protesters at the behest of the state home minister (Devendra Fadnavis). 

The Maharashtra legislature during a one-day special session on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill providing 10 per cent reservation for the Marathas in education and government jobs under a separate category, but Jarange has been firm on his demand for quota for the community under the OBC head. -- PTI

An NHRC team visited trouble-torn Sandeshkhali for the second consecutive day on Saturday to investigate into allegations of land-grabbing by some TMC leaders.

A CPI(M) delegation led by Minakshi Mukhopadhyay also visited the strife-hit region in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal even as an uneasy calm prevailed with police patrolling the area.

Mukhopadhyay, along with party leader Palash Das, visited various households and spoke to the locals.

ADG (South Bengal) Supratim Sarkar also made a visit to the area.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari likened the situation in Sandeshkhali to Nandigram, where a movement against "forcible" land acquisition by the then Left Front government in 2007-08 catapulted the TMC to power in 2011.

"The situation in Sandeshkhali is like Nandigram... people have brought serious allegations of land-grabbing, vote-looting, sexual harassment and murder of democracy in the area," he told reporters in Kolkata.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC are still in force in certain parts of Sandeshkhali.

The region has been rocked by protests over alleged land-grabbing and sexual harassment of women by local TMC leaders, including Sheikh Shajahan and his brother Sirajuddin Sheikh. -- PTI

The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday announced the cancellation of the recently held examination to recruit police constables in the state.

 

In a post on 'X', Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said orders have been issued to re-conduct the exam within six months.

"There can be no compromise with the sanctity of examinations. Those who toy with the hard work of youngsters will not be spared under any circumstances. Strictest action is certain to be taken against such unruly elements," he said in Hindi.

The examination was conducted on February 17 and 18. -- PTI 

Fifteen people, including seven children, died when the tractor-trolley in which they were travelling overturned and fell into a pond in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj district on Saturday morning, police said.

They said 15-20 people were injured in the accident that took place on the Patiyali-Dariyavganj road under the Patiyali police station area when the occupants of the tractor-trolley were going to take a bath in the Ganga river.

Inspector General, Aligarh Range, Shalabh Mathur, told PTI, "The tractor-trolley overturned and fell into the 7-8-foot-deep pond while the tractor driver was trying to overtake another vehicle. Fifteen people -- seven children and eight women -- died in the accident. Around 15-20 people were injured and have been hospitalised."

"The tractor-trolley was coming from Jaithara in Etah district. I am going to the spot with the divisional commissioner (of Aligarh)," he said.

Mathur said the bodies will be handed over to the families of the deceased after conducting post-mortem examination.

He said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured. 

Mumtaz Patel, the daughter of late veteran Congress leader Ahmed Patel tendered her apology to the district cadre after the Bharuch parliamentary constituency was offered to the Aam Adami Party as part of the seat-share pact in Gujarat.

 

Soon after Congress leader Mukul Wasnik, in a joint press conference with the AAP in Delhi, announced that the AAP will contest the Lok Sabha election from the stronghold of Ahmed Patel, the late father of Mumtaz, she said that she will continue to work to make the party stronger along with the party cadre in Bharuch.

 

"Deeply apologize to our district cadre for not being able to secure the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in alliance. I share your disappointment. Together, we will regroup to make INC stronger. We won't let Ahmed Patel's 45 years of Legacy go in vain," she said, in a post on X.

 

Mumtaz had earlier expressed her interest in contesting the Lok Sabha election from the stronghold of father Ahmed Patel.

 

Mumtaz's brother Faisal had also declared that he would win the Bharuch seat after reports emerged that former Congress President Rahul Gandhi had said that he was not in favour of the Congress giving the AAP the Bharuch seat but left the decision to the party leadership. 

 

"Honorable Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji, you listened to me and the Bharuch Congress workers. By supporting us, I and my fellow Bharuch Congress workers have been honored. I promise you that I will live up to your faith by winning the Bharuch Lok Sabha" Faisal Patel had posted on X on Friday. 

 

Faisal Patel had earlier said that neither he nor the Congress cadre in Bharuch would support the decision to let the AAP contest the seat. 

 

Ahmed Patel had won the Bharuch seat in 1977, 1980 and 1984 but since 1989 the BJP has dominated the seat winning it multiple times. Incumbent MP Mansukhbhai Vasava has held the seat since 1998. 

 

According to the seat-sharing agreement the Congress will contest 24 seats in Gujarat, while the remaining two --Bharuch and Bhavyanagar are in the AAP's kitty.

The Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on Saturday resumed from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh with Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joining her brother in the yatra's final leg in the state.

 

She will accompany Gandhi as the yatra passes through Amroha, Sambhal, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hathras, Agra, concluding at Fatehpur Sikri on Sunday, the Congress said.

People raised slogans such as 'Rahul Gandhi zindabaad', 'Priyanka Gandhi zindabaad' and 'Congress party zindabaad' as the yatra passed through different areas of Moradabad. The Congress leaders were seen waving to people from an open jeep.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is set to join the Congress' yatra in Agra on Sunday, a development that came after the parties reached a seat-sharing arrangement in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha polls. 

"The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra of Rahul Gandhi resumed from Moradabad. Party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also present along with Rahul Gandhi. As the yatra moved through Moradabad, people from different walks of life greeted them. Both were seated in an open jeep," Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI. 

Priyanka Gandhi was to participate in the yatra when it entered Uttar Pradesh in Chandauli but could not do so because of ill health and subsequent hospitalisation.

The yatra on Sunday will halt at Rajasthan's Dholpur.

The Congress had said February 26 to March 1 will be break days for the yatra to allow Rahul Gandhi to fulfil his long-standing commitment to deliver two special lectures at his alma mater Cambridge University in the UK on February 27 and February 28. 

He will be also attending important meetings in New Delhi during this period, it had said.

Passengers on board an Air Mauritius flight were stuck on the aircraft for over five hours at Mumbai airport on Saturday before the airline decided to cancel it, one among the flyers said. 

The Air Mauritius flight MK 749 from Mumbai to Mauritius was to depart at 4.30 am and passengers boarded the plane from 3.45 am onwards, he said. 

There were nearly 200 passengers on board, including a 78-year-old man who developed a breathing problem as the aircraft's air-conditioning system was not working, he alleged.

"The plane developed an engine problem but the passengers remained locked inside the plane for over five hours and were not allowed to come out," he said.

Though the airline called engineers with spare parts to fix the engine glitch, it could not be rectified. Finally, around 10 am the captain announced that the flight had been cancelled," he said. -- PTI

Nationalist Congress Party founder Sharad Pawar on Saturday unveiled his outfit's symbol -- 'man blowing turha (traditional trumpet)' -- calling it an inspiration to launch a new struggle for people's welfare and a government which works for their upliftment.

Months after Ajit Pawar broke away from the party to align with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, the Election Commission recently recognised his faction as the real NCP and allotted its symbol 'Wall Clock' to it. 

Later, EC allotted 'Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar' as the name for Sharad Pawar's group.

The EC on Thursday allotted 'man blowing turha (traditional trumpet)' as the symbol of the senior Pawar's outfit.

Speaking at the Raigad fort after unveiling the symbol, Pawar said the trumpet will bring happiness to the people who are struggling due to rising inflation and unemployment.

"To establish a people's government, we need to struggle and hence we have to strengthen the trumpet symbol. It is an inspiration to launch a new struggle for people's welfare and a government which works for their upliftment," he said.

Pawar (83) sought the support of his party workers in bringing a government that works for the welfare and progress of the common man. -- PTI

An alliance between the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress in Delhi and in different states, including Gujarat and Haryana, for the Lok Sabha polls announced today.

In Delhi, the Congress will contest on three seats -- Chandni Chowk, North East and North West --, while the AAP will contest on four seats -- New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi and East Delhi.

In Gujarat the Congress will contest on 24 Lok Sabha seats out of 26 while the AAP will have its candidates on two seats in Bharuch and Bhavnagar.

The Congress will contest on nine Lok Sabha seats in Haryana while the AAP will have its candidates on one seat in Kurukshetra. 

In Goa and Chandigarh, the Congress will contest on two and one Lok Sabha seats respectively.

A 32-year-old man was stabbed to death while resisting four people from robbing him at a park in East Delhi's Madhu Vihar area, police said on Saturday.

The incident occurred late Friday night, they said.

The victim was identified as Narendra.

A police official said Narendra and a friend were consuming alcohol at the DDA park near a CNG gas station in Madhu Vihar when four people came and stabbed him multiple times before snatching his bag and mobile phone. 

The official said Narendra was rushed to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

A case under Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder), 397 (robbery, or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) and 392 (punishment for robbery) has been registered at the Madhu Vihar police station.

Police said teams have been formed to nab the assailants.   -- PTI

The Manipur Police have halted the movement of transferred personnel 'wherever applicable, in view of the current crisis'.

They stated that the transfer orders remain in effect but the personnel will be moved as and when required.

The halt in the movement of transferred personnel came after a tribal body wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressing concern over the safety of Kuki policemen in Meitei-dominated areas.

The police stated that the transfer orders were issued to streamline excess manpower but there was no need for immediate movement of the personnel at this stage in view of the current crisis.

'Reference to Manipur Police Headquarter order dated 14.02.2024 regarding transfer and posting of 177 (One hundred and seventy-seven) personnel of all communities of MR/IR units to various units, it is informed that the transfer and posting has been done in order to streamline the excess manpower against the sanctioned post available in all MR/IR units and to facilitate the process for preparation of their salaries,' Manipur Police posted on X on Friday.

'However, in view of the present crisis, there is no immediate movement of the personnel required at this stage,' it added.

Churachandpur-based Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) had on Friday written to Shah calling for his intervention to stop the transfer orders as it required the movement of Kuki-Zo police personnel to Meitei-dominated areas.

The tribal body claimed that the 'state government would not be able to guarantee the safety' of Kuki Zo personnel if they were stationed in districts dominated by Meiteis.  -- PTI

An alliance between the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress in Delhi and in different states, including Gujarat and Haryana, for the Lok Sabha polls may be officially announced on Saturday, sources in the AAP said.

The Congress and the AAP are constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), formed by opposition parties to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming general elections.

The announcement of alliance and seat-sharing arrangements for Delhi, Gujarat, Goa, Chandigarh and Haryana could be made at a joint press conference at 11.30 am, the sources said.

In Delhi, the AAP will contest four of the seven Lok Sabha seats -- West Delhi, South Delhi, New Delhi and East Delhi -- and the Congress will get Chandani Chowk, North East Delhi and North West Delhi, they said.

The AAP has already announced its candidates on two Lok Sabha seats -- Bharuch and Bhavnagar -- in Gujarat and the South Goa seat.

It is also likely to get one seat -- Faridabad or Gurugram -- in Haryana, the sources added.   -- PTI

The Rajasthan government has suspended two teachers from a government school in Kota district for their alleged involvement in religious conversion and ties to banned terror outfits.

Another teacher is also facing an investigation in this regard, Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar said.

The suspension orders of the teachers identified as Mirza Mujahid and Firoz Khan, posted at a school in Kota's Sangod block, were issued on Thursday night following directions from the education minister.

The action came after Sarva Hindu Samaj, Sangod, sent a memorandum to the Education Minister, alleging that activities of religious conversion and 'love jihad' have been going on in the school since 2019.

The memorandum also alleged that three teachers have connections with banned outfits and that they had links to Pakistani groups.

The memorandum also stated that a first information report (FIR) had previously been registered in this regard at Sangod police station, but no action was taken.

The memorandum also claimed that one Hindu girl who was named as Muslim in the school record was abducted by Muslim youths and was yet to be traced.

Dilawar, in a video statement issued on Friday, said that strict action has been initiated against three teachers in a government senior secondary school at Khajuri Odpur village in Sangod.

"In the Khajoori village of Sangod panchayat samiti in Kota district, the religion of a girl in senior secondary school was mentioned as 'Islam' in the transfer certificate of a girl despite her being a Hindu. A conspiracy of religious conversion and 'love jihad' is happening there, Hindu girls are being forced to offer namaaz -- this has come to our notice," he said.

He further said that if the teachers are found to be involved in these acts, the three of them will be terminated from the job.

"As soon as this was brought to my notice, I decided to take strict action against three teachers. In this context, I suspended two teachers -- Firoz Khan and Mirza Mujahideen. Further action is being taken against one Shabana. All three of them have been sent to Bikaner. I will take strict action against them after a detailed investigation. If needed, I will expel them," the state minister added.   -- ANI

A high-level inquiry committee constituted by Pakistan's top electoral body on Friday said that the explosive allegations of election rigging levelled by a former senior bureaucrat were 'false and based on lies'.

The report of the probe committee came a day after Rawalpindi's former Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha on Thursday took a U-turn and withdrew his allegations, saying he had made the rigging charges at the behest of ex-prime minister Imran Khan's party which offered him a 'lucrative position'. 

In its report submitted on Friday, the committee constituted by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) recommended legal action against Chattha for making 'false accusations and potentially impacting the commission's integrity', ARY News reported citing sources.

The committee thoroughly investigated the allegations, reviewing evidence and interviewing relevant officials. Their findings, as per sources, conclusively debunked the claims of rigged elections, it said.

The allegations of election rigging made by the former Rawalpindi Commissioner were 'false and based on lies', the committee said.

The Samaa TV also reported that the committee's report has recommended legal action against Chattha for making false accusations and potentially impacting ECP's integrity.

After thoroughly investigating Chatta's allegations, reviewing evidence and interviewing relevant officials, the committee, according to sources, conclusively debunked the claims of rigged elections, the report said.

On Saturday, Chattha resigned from his office after 'accepting responsibility' for manipulation of poll results.

"I am taking responsibility for all this wrongdoing and telling you that the chief election commissioner and the chief justice are also completely involved in this," he had said.

The former bureaucrat had alleged that 13 candidates from Pakistan's garrison city of Rawalpindi were forcefully declared winners in the elections.

He had also accused Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja of facilitating the rigging of votes.

The ECP had strongly rejected the allegations against the chief election commissioner made by Chattha.

However, retracting his allegations in a letter to the ECP on Thursday, Chattha said that all of this was done in coordination with jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which had promised him a 'lucrative position'.

The inquiry committee mentioned Chatha's letter in its report and quoted him as saying that he was influenced by 'external forces' when making his statement, the ARY News reported quoting sources.

'Chatha has apologised to ECP in front of the inquiry committee,' it said.

Expressing shame and embarrassment in his letter to the ECP, the former bureaucrat sought an apology from the nation. Chatha stated that the entire plan to malign state institutions was approved by 'the PTI leadership'.

The ex-commissioner clarified that he never instructed any Returning Officer to show favouritism or intervene in the election process.

'With a 32-year service record, I was scheduled to retire on March 13, 2024, and held concerns about potential loss of benefits in the future. I deeply regret my statement and offer a sincere apology to the nation,' Chatha stated in the letter.   -- PTI