Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier tweeted that he will be addressing the nation today at 11.45 AM. The Prime Minister started his address to the nation. He said India has now entered the Super League with Mission Shakti. India shoots down low orbit live satellite. India is the fourth nation to achieve this feat.
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BJP leader Arjun Singh, who has recently crossed over from TMC, has stated that about 100 MLAs from the Trinamool Congress will be joining the BJP soon. As per reports, the TMC has declined to offer a counter to his statement and has stated that he should see a doctor.
Arjun Singh, a four-time MLA from Bhatpara, had recently switched to BJP after the TMC denied him the MP ticket from Barackpore. Sitting MP Dinesh Trivedi was given the ticket. Singh had stated that the people of Barackpore were unhappy with the sitting MP and would have preferred him (Singh) as an MP.
Singh is considered a heavyweight leader with a large support base of ground workers and local leaders. His defection to BJP was stated as a considerable loss to Mamata’s party. Singh will be contesting against his TMC rival on a BJP ticket for the Barackpore Lok Sabha seat.
Several TMC leaders have defected to the BJP recently. Two sitting MPs Saumitra Khan from Bishnupur, and Anupam Hazra from the Bolpur seat also had switched to BJP in recent weeks.
Apart from Khan and Hazra, the BJP is believed to be in talks with sitting MLAs Sovan Chatterjee, MLA from Behala east and Sabyasachi Dutta, MLA from Rajarhat New Town. Sovan Chatterjee was a prominent TMC minister till he fell out of favor with Mamata.
Chatterjee and his friend Baisakhi Chatterjee were reportedly threatened by TMC workers and confined to a bungalow. TMC leader Arubrato Mondal had allegedly stated that if Sovan Chatterjee and his friend dared to join BJP, they will be ‘Khallas’ (finished).
The BJP has been campaigning aggressively in West Bengal. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee also seems to have an assessment of the threat the BJP might pose for her as her government had tried every trick in the book to stop BJP leaders from holding rallies in the state.
The TMC government has attempted to stop BJP leaders Amit Shah, Shivraj Chouhan, Yogi Adityanath, and Shahnawaz Hussain from holding rallies or landing their helicopters under various pretenses. Mamata Banerjee’s government also did not allow the BJP to hold its mega campaigning Rath Yatra in the state last year.
BJP senior leader and national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain has been campaigning in West Bengal. Yesterday in his rally in Jalpaiguri, Hussain stated that Bengal will witness a paradigm shift in the coming days.
The Goa unit of the BJP pulled off a stunning coup late last night. It weaned away 2 of the 3 Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Legislative Party (MGP) MLAs in Goa and they joined the BJP overnight. Since two thirds of the party had resigned and joined a new party, anti defection laws did not apply to the MLAs and they did not have to resign from their seats
The 2 MLAs who switched over are Tourism Minister Manohar “Babu” Azgaonkar and Deepak Pawooskar. With their entry, it is expected that the now lone remaining MGP MLA, Deputy CM Sudin Dhavlikar will be dropped from the Government and Deepak Pawooskar would be inducted into the Government. The exercise happened in the presence of Goa CM Pramod Sawant and acting speaker Michael Lobo. Soon after, Goa BJP state chief Vinay Tendulkar also met the duo.
The main question which would come to anyone’s mind: Why did BJP break an “ally’s party”? There are many reasons for this.
Relations between BJP and MGP have been strained for many months. Late last year, few Congress MLAs in Goa had resigned and had planned to recontest on BJP tickets. This was not a good situation for MGP as a stronger BJP meant MGP’s position was weaker. Hence in a very odd move the “ally MGP” filed a petition in the High Court to restrain these MLAs from recontesting. Of course, the High Court threw the petition out.
Next, once BJP announced the Shiroda seat would be contested by Subhas Shiridkar, who had switched over from Congress, the MGP too announced that they too would contest the Shiroda seat. This was in complete contrast to coalition dharma.
Yesterday was said to be the last day for MGP to back off from the contest, but even yesterday, Dipak Dhavlikar, brother of Sudin Dhavlikar was adamant on contesting against the BJP.
This move of indiscipline probably forces BJP to display its strength and they managed to pry away 2 MGP MLAs.
Besides this, all was not well within MGP as well. Last week, after Parrikar’s demise, as the calculations for the new government were on, the MGP had reportedly passed a resolution to secure 3 cabinet berths for all 3 MLAs. But finally, only 2 MGP MLAs were given ministries, leaving Pawooskar in the cold.
It was rumoured that these were the machinations of the Dhavlikar brothers, and even then, it was suspected that BJP had wooed the 2 MGP MLAs. More recently, MGP expelled their current general secretary former MLA Lavoo Mamlatdar for 6 years, for “anti-party activities”.
With just days left for the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party seems to be still in a state of confusion over finding a safe seat for its President Rahul Gandhi. As Smriti Irani’s acceptability in Amethi has grown in the last few years, Congress party believes that it is extremely tough for Rahul Gandhi to retain his seat.
According to a Times Now report, Congress Party has finally arrived at a decision to field Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency as it is believed to be a traditional Congress bastion comprising of over 50 per cent of minority votes.
In a sting video, a senior Congress Party leader can be seen saying Congress President Rahul Gandhi is facing pressure in Amethi and has to find a safe seat, implying that he should contest from Wayanad as Hindus form a minority in Wayanad constituency which will ensure an easy victory for Rahul Gandhi.
Insider spills the beans: ‘Wayanad safe seat for Rahul Gandhi’: Majeed, Member of Kerala District Congress Committee | #RahulFearsAmethi pic.twitter.com/PyjDIEqR4S
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 26, 2019
“The total Christian-Muslim vote is about 50%. It comes to around 54% which makes easier for Rahul. And the thing is there are 8% Adivasis who are with us. Actually, Wayanad has been a Congress stronghold since 1957,” said a Congress leader in Times Now sting video.
“We have done the preliminary steps. If Rahul Gandhi decides to comes here. If Rahul Gandhi decides to fight from here, there is no need for campaigning,” added Kerala Congress leader.
The Congress leader said that BJP is taking all measures to corner Rahul Gandhi as several leaders even from Amethi Congress have now joined BJP, so Rahul Gandhi is surely looking for a safe seat to contest from. He also said that from Wayanad, SDPI would also support the Congress party.
It should be remembered that members of Islamist outfit SDPI were arrested for the brutal murder of 20-year-old student leader Abhimanyu. Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political wing of the Muslim extremist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI), which has been accused of spreading Islamist terror, has also been accused of sending death threats to Kerala based inter-faith couple Harrison, a Christian and Shahana. Its parent organisation, PFI has been indicted in several cases. For example, the NIA in its chargesheet had indicted PFI members for a larger conspiracy behind the murder of Munnani activist. India Today had even exposed the organization for engaging in the brainwashing and conversion of Hindu women through its network of illegal financing
Congress President Rahul Gandhi is reportedly looking for a safe seat as Congress party believes that winning Amethi against Union Minister Smriti Irani will be a herculean task for Rahul Gandhi. Hence, Congress Party is on a contingency plan to field Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, which has 29% Muslim votes and another 21% Christian votes.
It is interesting to see that Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who had indulged in soft-Hindutva with a ‘Temple run’ right before Gujarat elections and claims to be Janeudhari Brahmin, has lately toned down his pro-Hindutva image to garner the traditional Congress votes of Muslims and Christians. Addition to that, Congress party leaders also believe that Rahul Gandhi victory is easily ensured only in those constituencies where half of the total voters are either Muslims or belong to other minorities groups.
Congress party seems to have understood that Rahul Gandhi will be facing a tough fight in Amethi as not only Smriti Irani has better traction in these regions but also these constituencies are majorly comprised with Hindu vote bank. As the chances of Rahul Gandhi defeating Smriti Irani in Amethi is getting tough day after day, Congress party seems to have realised that it is easy for Rahul Gandhi to pull an easy victory from constituencies where minority votes are much larger compared to Hindu votes.
Sillod MLA and Congress leader Abdul Sattar, on being denied a ticket for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, has taken 300 chairs from the party office with him. Sattar, who quit the party for not being given a ticket, took away the chairs from the local party office claiming they ‘belonged to him’.
As per reports, the local Congress unit had called for a joint meeting with its ally, NCP at party office ‘Gandhi Bhawan’. However, ahead of this meeting, Sattar, along with his supporters removed about 300 chairs. Following this, the meeting was held at the NCP office.
Sattar was miffed at being denied the Lok Sabha ticket for Aurangabad constituency. Nomination of MLC Subhash Zhambad by Congress added fuel to the fire which triggered Sattar to take away the chairs. As per reports, Sattar has claimed that the chairs were his and he was providing them to Congress for the meetings. Now that he has left the party, he took the chairs with him. He added that those who have secured the candidature should make arrangements for the chairs.
Meanwhile, Zhambad, while downplaying the incident, gave Sattar the benefit of doubt. He justified Sattar taking away chairs from party office by saying that perhaps he was in need of those chairs.
Interestingly, a day before he got the chairs removed from party office, he had claimed that Congress had promised him a Lok Sabha ticket from either Aurangabad or Jalna. He had said that the state party chief Ashok Chavan was in touch with him following his resignation and will offer him either of the two seats.
Last week, senior editor at The Wire, Arfa Khanum Sherwani had posted a tweet wishing Holi, where she mentioned that she would play Holi saying Bismillah. This had attracted severe criticism for her from many Muslims, who were offended that a Muslim was going to celebrate Holi, and that she used the word Bismillah along with Holi.
Now it seems harassing The Wire journalist on social media for her one tweet was not enough, as students of Aligarh Muslim University are protesting her presence on the university campus due to the same tweet.
Founding editor of the leftist website Siddharth Varadarajan informed on Twitter that AMU students are protesting against Sherwani’s visit to the university.
Bulleh Shah’s Holi Khelungi Keh Bismillah is famous throughout South Asia. @khanumarfa, senior editor, @thewire_in, tweeted Holi greetings using this iconic phrase. Ignoramuses trolled her. Now some AMU students are protesting her presence on campus! Such jahallat at a top univ!
— Siddharth (@svaradarajan) March 26, 2019
Arfa K. Sherwani is among the speakers invited for the Women Leadership Summit 2019 organised by the Aligarh Muslim University Women’s College Students Union. The summit is scheduled to take place from 26th to 28th March, and includes left-leaning usual names like Arundhati Roy, Vrinda Grover, Teesta Setalvad as speakers invited to participate in various events.
It is ironical that Arfa is facing protests from radical Muslims for her Holi tweet, who herself showed radical feelings by opposing “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” chants. According to her, this slogan forces a certain mythological idea of motherland being a Devi, a Hindu deity. She had tweeted that this does not suit those people who believe in monotheism i.e. Muslims. Now Muslims at the AMU are finding her not Muslim enough.
There is another irony in the fact that AMU students are opposing the senior editor from the same website, which was defending the university students when they had heckled a female journalist from Republic TV. The Wire had then insinuated that the Republic journalist had provoked the students, and the students were justified in assaulting the crew of the TV channel.
The AMU students, who are favourites with “progressive liberals”, often take offence against comments they think insult Islam. Earlier, they had objected to a Facebook post by freelance JNU protestor Shehla Rashid, and had even postponed an event she was scheduled to participate in AMU. According to AMU students, Shehla Rashid had indulged in blasphemy when she talked about free speech; it was alleged that she made insulting statements about religious figures.
Arfa Khanum Sherwani was scheduled to participate in a panel discussion at 2 PM today during the summit at AMU, but it is not clear whether that event was cancelled due to these protests.
The response of AMU students to such social media posts highlights the menace of intolerance towards Hindus and Hindu festivals by a specific section of the Indian population. While “liberals” dedicate their overwhelming resources towards combating nonexistent radicalization among Hindus, they turn a blind eye towards the radicalization that has gripped the minority community. The latest episode is symptomatic of dangerous levels of radicalization in the educated section of the community.
Putting an end to the on-going speculations, veteran actor turned politician Jaya Prada joined the BJP today, two weeks before the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP, in its list of candidates for Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal named the former Samajwadi member Jaya Pradesh to contest from Rampur constituency against the Samajwadi Party strongman Azam Khan.
JUST IN | @BJP4India releases its list of candidates for Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Upendra Rawat from Barabanki (SC), UP; Manoj Sinha from Ghazipur; and pick some names from WB. | #May23WithTimesNow pic.twitter.com/e2dB9qDRki
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 26, 2019
Jaya Prada was officially inducted in the BJP at party headquarter in New Delhi. “This is a significant moment for me. Be it cinema or politics, I have worked with all my heart and dedicated my life to it. Thankful to the BJP for this respect,” Jaya Prada said at the press conference.
“Today I am working with that brave leader in whose hands the country feels safe… PM Modi. I thank the BJP and Amit Shah for this,” Jaya Prada said.
Now, with Jaya Prada’s official induction into BJP, she would be facing SP stalwart Azam Khan in Rampur constituency with whom Jaya Parda has never shared a very cordial relationship. In fact, earlier Jaya Prada had revealed that Azam Khan had attempted an acid attack on her. She had also stated that due to Khan, she had once perceived a threat to her life and was under severe trauma.
The 56-year-old actor started her political career by joining the TDP before joining SP and had won the important Lok Sabha seat of Rampur in 2004 against the sitting MP, Begum Noor Bano. She won the seat again in 2009 Lok Sabha election.
However, in a faction conflict in the Samajwadi Party following differences with Mulayam Singh Yadav, Jaya Prada’s decision to side Amar Singh had resulted in her expulsion from the party in 2010.
After being expelled from the Samajwadi Party, Jaya Prada and Amar Singh, who recently expressed vocal support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi by following PM Modi’s “Mein bhi Chowkidar” campaign, and adding Chowkidar” to his Twitter title, formed the Rashtriya Lok Manch. The party fielded a number of candidates in 2012 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, but won none. However, ahead of the 2014 national elections, both of them joined Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal.
Later, in 2014, she contested the Lok Sabha polls on an RLD ticket from Bijnor but lost in the elections.
Moreover, BJP leader Arun Singh also announced today that Maneka Gandhi and Varun Gandhi would be contesting from Sultanpur and Pilibhit respectively.
“Maneka Gandhi to contest from Sultanpur and Varun Gandhi to contest from Pilibhit. Ram Shankar Katheria to contest from Etawah. Rita Bahuguna Joshi to contest from Allahabad. Jaya Prada to contest from Rampur (UP), Jagdambika Pal from Domariagan (UP). Humayun Kabir to contest from Murshidabad (West Bengal),” BJP leader Arun Singh said while addressing the media.
In 2014, BJP had won a remarkable 71 seats to register a historic mandate in Uttar Pradesh. This time too Uttar Pradesh will be the main battlefield where the BJP will face an acid test since many believe that coming together of SP-BSP will present a big challenge for BJP.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has in its status report made ‘very very serious’ revelations on the interrogation of former Kolkata Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha chit fund scam.
SC also asked the agency to file an application within 10 days to press its charges. Kumar and others can respond to the plea within seven days after that.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it cannot “close its eyes” if some “very very serious facts” are disclosed to it. However, it added that as the CBI’s status report was filed in a sealed cover, it cannot pass any order at the moment without hearing the other side. “We will later determine the charges and counter-charges after hearing both sides,” the apex court said.
The Supreme court was hearing the CBI’s contempt petition against various senior officials of the West Bengal government, including the State’s DGP and the then Kolkata police commissioner on the ground of non-cooperation in its probe into the Saradha chit fund scam and alleged destruction of evidence.
In the last hearing, the Supreme Court had directed the CBI Director, Rishi Kumar Shukla to provide information in support to the allegations that Kumar had tampered with and destructed call data records, who was then heading the West Bengal Special Investigation Team (SIT) while probing the chit fund scam.
In an affidavit submitted to the court, the CBI had alleged that in 2009 the Centre had cautioned West Bengal government about the possibility of chit fund companies cheating people but the state government took no action and “allowed” it to thrive.
Referring to two instances to reinforce its claims the CBI pointed to a “larger conspiracy” behind the scam. The first instance the agency cited was that Rs 6.21 crore was given to a TV channel that is part of the Saradha Group, secondly, the agency referred to the sale of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s paintings amounting to Rs 6.5 crore by a newspaper run by the Trinamool Congress.
The buzz around the scam escalated after Kolkata Police had forcefully detained eight CBI officials who had gone to visit police commissioner Rajeev Kumar to obtain crucial information regarding the scam.
Following this, CM Mamata Banerjee had resorted to ‘dharna’ politics accusing Modi government of indulging in vendetta politics and using CBI to plot a ‘coup’, though the fact was that Mamta Banerjee was allegedly trying to protect Kolkata Commissioner who is accused of destroying key evidence against the perpetrators of the Saradha Chit-fund scam.
Several opposition parties came in the support of Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government.
However, CBI had then approached the Supreme Court, alleging that the state machinery and police were deliberately obfuscating facts and hampering the investigation into the Sardha Chit Fund Scam.
The West Bengal government and police had rejected in the top court allegations made by the CBI that they had obstructed the inquiry into the chit fund scam. The West Bengal Police claimed the CBI had forcibly tried to enter Rajeev Kumar’s official residence on February 3 without valid papers.
SC had given CBI a big relief and had asked Rajeev Kumar to appear before the agency, in Shillong, a place which it deemed was politically neutral. SC had also directed CBI to not to exercise coercive actions like arrest against Kumar.
The Saradha Scam was brought to light in 2013. Many political leaders were connected with this Ponzi scheme that was run by a consortium of over 200 companies. The Saradha Group had reportedly collected more than 200 billion rupees from lakhs of small investors. The Group had collapsed in April 2013 and a year later, the Supreme Court of India had ordered the CBI to take over the investigation from the state SIT.
Rahul Gandhi announced yesterday his plan to award Rs. 72,000 annually to every family below the poverty line. While the promise of a dole has been deemed a fantasy that the Indian Economy cannot afford right now, the Congress party continues to promote its harebrained idea as profound wisdom.
We have consulted economists, this is doable, and we will adhere to fiscal discipline.
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) March 25, 2019
NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar, however, has sounded the alarm bells after the Congress made the announcement yesterday. He said that the fiscal deficit may actually increase from 3.5% to 6%. “All the credit rating agencies may bring down our ratings. We may not get loans from outside and eventually, our investments might be blocked,” he said
In 2008, P Chidambaram had increased the fiscal deficit from 2.5% to 6%. It’s the next step in that pattern. Rahul Gandhi today made the announcement without thinking about its impact on the economy: NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar on Rahul Gandhi’s NYAY scheme promise
— DeshGujarat (@DeshGujarat) March 25, 2019
He added how in 2008 when P. Chidambaram was the union minister of finance, the fiscal deficit had gone up from 2.5% to 6%. He added that the sops handed out by Congress President Rahul Gandhi was not a well thought out plan. An inevitable consequence of the dole would be that the middle class is likely to be forced to pay higher taxes to fund the minimum basic income only months after the Modi government reduced their tax burden. Inflation, which the current government has been successful in controlling, is also likely to shoot up.
Moreover, the minimum basic income could very well mean the end of all other subsidies. Common people will likely have to forfeit their subsidies on gas, fertilizers, electricity, crop prices and MNREGA. The Ayushman Bharat scheme which currently provides for free treatment of poor people in dire need of money may also have to be scrapped. In spite of all that, the promised dole provides for ample opportunity to scam the public and costs could very well escalate beyond what’s feasible.
Significantly, however, there doesn’t appear to be any agreement on the matter within the Congress party itself. While Rahul Gandhi says one thing, the chairperson of Data Analytics Department of the Congress party, Praveen Chakravarty, says something entirely the opposite. It appears there’s significant confusion within the Congress party itself on how it will be implemented.
One thing is for certain. Should the Congress come to power and the scheme, in whatever form, does get implemented, the greatest sufferers will be the middle class. The poor, too, will suffer as infrastructure will crumble and the cost of living will shoot up.
The AAP candidate for UP’s Gautam Buddh Nagar, Shweta Sharma, has been disqualified for failing to produce enough people to back her nomination. As per a report in Times Now, she failed to arrange the 10 required number of proposers to back her nomination as per EC norms.
AAP Candidate disqualified in Noida, not enough people to back AAP candidate. | LISTEN IN to what BN Singh, DM, Gautam Buddh Nagar said while speaking to TIMES NOW’s @iMohit_Sharma | #May23WithTimesNow pic.twitter.com/yMHIRwyoea
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 26, 2019
AAP had declared Shweta Sharma, a professor, as its candidate for UP’s Gautam Buddh Nagar. As per reports, as the AAP is not recognised as a national party by the EC, their candidate has to arrange a minimum of 10 people as proposers at the Returning Officer’s office to back her nomination. However, on Monday, which was the last day of filing nominations, the candidate failed to arrange 10 persons as proposers.
BN Singh, the DM of Gautam Buddh Nagar, has informed Times Now that Sharma’s nomination papers had only 1 proposer. The report quotes the officials saying that the AAP candidate was given enough time to arrange proposers but she could not come up with enough proposers.
Her nomination has been dismissed today after scrutiny. As per a report in Times Now, of the 21 candidates who had filed nomination for the Gautam Buddh Nagar seat, 8 have been disqualified.
AAP had declared Shweta Sharma as a candidate on Sunday. Upon the disqualification of her nomination, the AAP candidate has reportedly stated that it is a conspiracy by the BJP.
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