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Fight primarily between INDIA bloc partners in Kerala

On the other hand, the UDF which won 19 seats secured a vote share of 47.48 per cent and the Left Front which bagged just one seat got 36.29 per cent votes…reports Asian Lite News

With April 26, the date for voting in the Lok Sabha polls getting closer in Kerala, it is getting clearer by the day that the battle is primarily between key INDIA bloc partners the Congress-led UDF and the ruling CPI(M)-led Left, with the BJP-led NDA in for a triangular fight in two constituencies.

In the 2019 General Elections, barring the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat, the NDA candidates finished a distant third and managed a 15.64 per cent vote share.

On the other hand, the UDF which won 19 seats secured a vote share of 47.48 per cent and the Left Front which bagged just one seat got 36.29 per cent votes.

An analysis of the 20 Lok Sabha constituencies reveals that, while the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others claims that this time big surprises are in store, figures tell a different story.

Things may not be as easy as the BJP leadership thinks. In the 2019 polls, only in the Thiruvananthapuram constituency did the BJP candidate get above three lakh votes and finish in second place.

The BJP candidates could manage above two lakh votes in just four constituencies, namely Pathanamthitta, Thrissur, Palakkad and Attingal. In nine constituencies the NDA candidates mustered above one lakh votes and in six constituencies their candidates could not even manage one lakh votes.

Out of the 20 constituencies, NDA candidates got the least votes in Kannur (68,509) and the highest votes in Thiruvananthapuram (3,16,142). As things stand now, a very clear triangular fight has emerged in Thiruvananthapuram where the BJP candidate, Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar is facing off against the sitting Congress MP, Shashi Tharoor and the CPI candidate Panniyan Ravindran.

At Thrissur actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi is fighting the INDIA bloc partners. The other constituencies where the BJP appears to be putting all its energy into is at Attingal, where Union Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan is facing off against sitting Congress MP Adoor Prakash and CPI(M) candidate V Joy and at Palakkad where their candidate is local BJP veteran Krishnakumar who is facing off against the CPI(M)’s A Vijayaraghavan and the Congress’ VK Sreekandan.

At Pathanamthitta also the BJP is expecting to put up a stiff triangular battle as it has managed to rope in Anil Antony, son of Congress veteran, AK Antony. However, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and AK Antony have already said in public that the NDA will not even finish second in any of the constituencies and AK Antony went a step further to say that the best days of the BJP were in 2019 when the Sabarimala temple issue was at its peak and this time they will only create noise and settle for third place.

Chandrasekhar sends legal notice to Tharoor

BJP candidate for Thiruvananthapuram, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, has slapped a legal notice to his Congress counterpart, Shashi Tharoor, for defamation.

In his notice, Rajeev Chandrasekhar accuses Tharoor of disseminating patently false information among the constituents of Thiruvananthapuram, purportedly spreading misleading information regarding bribing key voters and influential figures such as Parish priests, among others.

Chandrasekhar has expressed ‘shock’ at the allegations made by Shashi Tharoor in a TV interview by a Kerala-based news organization called ’24 News’.

The BJP leader has also demanded the retraction of what he deems as reckless statements made by Shashi Tharoor and further demanded that he issue a public apology, or else face legal ramifications for the same.

The notice read, “Immediately withdraw all the allegations and aspersions made by you the Noticee against Our Client, i.e. Rajeev Chandrashekhar on the aforesaid news channel dated 06.04.2024; Tender an unconditional public apology to Our Client to his satisfaction through print and electronic media about the said baseless allegations and aspersions made by you the Noticee; and Immediately cease, refrain and desist from defaming, harassing, hampering the reputation of Our Client and spreading any uncalled for rumour and stop indulging in any such activities in the future.”

The legal notice also states that Tharoor has made these statements “with an intent to harm” Rajeev Chandrasekhar. It emphasizes how such defamatory statements have harmed and disrespected the entire Christian community of Thiruvananthapuram and its leaders by accusing them of engaging in cash-for-votes activities, further highlighting the need for a public apology within 24 hours.

“Shocked and surprised to watch the news video dated 06.04.2024 on a Malayalam news channel named 24 News, wherein you, the Noticee (Shashi Tharoor), made defamatory statements alleging that Our Client (Rajeev Chandrasekhar) had indulged in illegal activities of offering money to voters and that Our Client is spreading lies in Christian communities. Not only are the said statements totally and completely false but it is clear that the same was made with the clear mala fide intent to tarnish the reputation of Our Client to try and gain an unfair advantage in the upcoming elections,” the legal notice further said.

This legal notice comes shortly after Tharoor violated Rule I(2) of the Model Code of Conduct, which strictly states that political candidates must confine their criticisms to “their policies and programme, past record and work” and refrain from making criticisms of other parties or their workers based on “unverified allegations or distortion”.

In this case, Tharoor’s statements made to ’24 News’ on how Rajeev Chandrasekhar offered money to key voters in the constituency, including religious and community leaders such as parish priests, without disclosing their names publicly, have not been verified.

Tharoor was also accused of “violating sub-section 3 of section 123 of the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951, by appealing to the religious identity of the voters, and his actions constitute a corrupt practice under the RP Act as held by the decision of the 7-judge bench of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in Abhiram Singh v. CD Commachen (Civil Appeal No.37/1992).”

The legal notice further stated, “It is apprehended that you (Shashi Tharoor) have concocted these allegations and circulated them to influence the voters in Thiruvananthapuram. It is feared that you have engaged in spreading such false news to subvert the process of free and fair elections.

It is feared that your statements are now being circulated by your agents, supporters, and party members through various platforms including social media and messaging apps to spread the false allegations against Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the notice added. (ANI)

ALSO READ-INDIA bloc puts up show of strength

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India News Politics

SP’s manifesto promises caste census, MSP on crops

He further said that if voted to power, the party would provide MSP on all crops under the Swaminathan formula.”We have named our vision document as ‘Janta Ka Maang Patra – Humara Adhikar’...reports Asian Lite News

With only few days left for the Lok Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday released the party’s manifesto, promising a caste-based census by 2025.The party’s 20-page vision document titled ‘Hamara Adhikar’, released at the SP headquarters here in the presence of senior party leaders, also promises to end the Agnipath scheme and introduce regular recruitment in the armed forces.Addressing a press conference here, Akhilesh Yadav said that by 2025, all government vacancies of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes will be filled.

He further said that if voted to power, the party would provide MSP on all crops under the Swaminathan formula.”We have named our vision document as ‘Janta Ka Maang Patra – Humara Adhikar’. The main demands in this vision document are – the right to protect the constitution, the right to protect democracy, the right to freedom of media, and the right to social justice… the right to social justice is needed for the development of the country. Inclusive development isn’t possible without the caste census.

Caste census is the axis of development of the country,” Yadav said.The party also promised that the SP would end the Agnipath scheme and introduce regular recruitment in the armed forces.”…The vision document says – the caste census shouldn’t be delayed. We will conduct a caste census by 2025, and based on that, justice and participation for all will be ensured by 2029. Legal guarantee to MSP to the farmers on all crops and that too is to be calculated based on the Swaminathan formula. Old Pension Scheme (OPS) will be launched for everyone including paramilitary personnel. Agniveer policy will be put to an end and again the regular recruitments will be done in the armed forces,” the SP supremo said.The SP and the Congress, both members of the opposition INDIA bloc, are fighting the polls in Uttar Pradesh as allies. (ANI)

BJP releases 10th list of candidates

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday released its 10th list of 9 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, fielding party’s Rajya Sabha MP Neeraj Shekhar from Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia.

Neeraj Shekhar, the son of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, was a Lok Sabha MP from 2007 to 2014, representing SP from Ballia, the constituency earlier held by his father. In 2014, Shekhar lost the polls to his BJP rival and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

He was not fielded by the SP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections after that, he quit the SP and joined the BJP which sent him to the Upper House of Parliament.

The BJP has named Paras Nath Rai from Ghazipur who will take on Afzal Ansari, a candidate of the Samajwadi Party and Congress alliance.

The list which was released on Wednesday had eight new names, while the party replaced its candidate from West Bengal’s Asansol.

The party, earlier fielded Bhojpuri star Pawan Singh from Asansol, who has now been replaced by sitting BJP MP SS Ahluwalia.

BJP has fielded Sanjay Tandon from Chandigarh, while B.P. Saroj has been given a ticket from Machhlishahr.

Jaiveer Singh Thakur will contest from Mainpuri, a Samajwadi Party’s bastion. The SP re-nominated Dimple Yadav from the seat.

Vinod Sonkar will fight from Kaushambi while Praveen Patel will contest the elections from the Phulpur seat.

Neeraj Tripathi has been fielded from Prayagraj.

The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19.

Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast votes in the general election.

The counting of votes will take place on June 4. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) won 303 seats, while the Indian National Congress (INC) managed to get only 52 seats.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) won 282 seats, while the Indian National Congress (INC) managed to get only 44 seats. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Champai Soren Greenlights Caste-Based Survey in Jharkhand

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INDIA 2024 India News Politics

Shivakumar gets notice in disproportionate assets case

Shivakumar has been asked to provide all documents in his defence regarding the case…reports Asian Lite News

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President, D.K. Shivakumar, has been served a notice by the State Lokayukta on Wednesday in connection with the disproportionate assets (DA) case, sources confirmed.

Shivakumar has been asked to provide all documents in his defence regarding the case.

The development is seen as a setback for Shivakumar, who is busy with strategising and executing election campaigns for the Congress.

Shivakumar is also at the forefront of election campaigns with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

In a controversial move, the Congress government had withdrawn the permission given to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the matter.

The case was handed over to the CBI by the then BJP government headed by former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa.

The case was then handed over to the Lokayukta by the Congress government on November 23, 2023.

The CBI had questioned the Karnataka government’s decision in the court, claiming that it is in the last phase of filing the charge sheet against Shivakumar.

The Supreme Court had recently quashed the case probed by the Enforcement Directorate against Shivakumar.

Shivakumar had recently claimed that even after the DA case was quashed and permission withdrawn for the CBI probe, the central probe agencies still served notices to him, his family and business partners and accused that they were harassed.

The CBI had alleged that the assets of Shivakumar’s family, which was amounting to Rs 33 crore in 2013 had increased to Rs 166.79 crore by 2018.

The preliminary probe proved the increase of 44.93 per cent additional property disproportionate to the sources of income, sources said.

Shivakumar ridicules Kumaraswamy

Shivakumar ridiculed JD (S) leader HD Kumaraswamy’s style of politics on Wednesday, stating that his only job was to criticise.

“Tell me what Kumaraswamy has not criticised. His job is to criticise. He is criticising the Congress manifesto now. He criticised Mekedatu in the past and now he is saying he will implement it. He criticised the BJP for bringing his government down and now he has joined hands with them. He doesn’t respect his own words and I don’t bother much about his words,” Shivakumar told reporters at his Sadashivanagar residence.

“Kumaraswamy hasn’t even spared the Vokkaliga Mutt. He has created an alternative Vokkaliga Mutt. We all know what Kumaraswamy said about Yediyurappa and what Yediyurappa said about Kumaraswamy. We also know what Devegowda said about Yediyurappa. Yogeshwar, Ashok and Ashwathnarayan brought down the Kumaraswamy government, but now he has joined hands with the same people. Now, he is accusing the manifesto of the party, which made him the Chief Minister,” he added.

When asked about how Vokkaliga votes are getting divided, Kumaraswamy said, “Vokkaligas and Vokkaliga swamijis won’t advocate a political party just because they visit them. They are wise and they won’t interfere in politics. The swamijis are aware of the fact that JDS leaders divided the Vokkaliga mutts. Swamijis could have questioned the BJP leaders for bringing down a Vokkaliga chief minister but they did not. Now the JDS leaders are taking to Swamijis the same leaders who brought down a Vokkaliga chief minister.”

He further said, “The Congress party has given tickets to eight Vokkaligas. I am the KPCC President and the DCM. Vokkaligas are smart people and they are watching everything. Kumaraswamy is saying he joined hands with the BJP because of the Congress but he doesn’t realise that he has sold himself by this alliance. What is worse is that Devegowda had to field his own son-in-law on a BJP ticket. Now, they are embracing the same people who brought him down.”

ALSO READ: DMK has first copyright on corruption: Modi

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INDIA 2024 India News Politics

Home voting begins in West Tripura LS seat

Significantly, almost 5000 voters had opted for home voting in the West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency….reports Asian Lite News

The home voting for the elderly and person with disabilities begins in West Tripura Lok Sabha on Wednesday and will persist until April 12.

Significantly, almost 5000 voters had opted for home voting in the West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency.

“People whose age is more than 85+ years and those who have more than 40 per cent PwD can opt for home voting,” stated Returning Officer & District Election Officer Dr Vishal Kumar.

He further said that in the whole West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency, we have arranged about 200 teams for the home voting process. Everything is running fine and we are working on it.

“In Tripura, we have received about 9500 forms for home voting, of which nearly 4500 are in the west Tripura Lok Sabha constituency. The rest of the forms have been received from the East Tripura Lok Sabha constituency,” he added.

Meanwhile, Former BJP MLA and senior advocate Arun Chandra Bhowmik joined the Congress party on Wednesday in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. He was welcomed by AICC-in-charge of Tripura, Girish Chodankar at an election rally held in Agartala today.

Reportedly, Bhowmik was denied a ticket in the last assembly elections by the BJP and since then he has not been active in party activities.

Notably, the elections are scheduled to be held in two phases in the state. The West Tripura seat will go to the polls on April 19, while the East Tripura seat will witness voting on April 26. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country will be held in seven phases, starting on April 19 and ending on June 1. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast a vote in the general election. (ANI)

ALSO READ: DMK has first copyright on corruption: Modi

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INDIA 2024 India News Politics

BJP’s Kamal Mitras to connect with female voters in UP

These Kamal Mitras will make women aware about 15 women-centric schemes of the Central government….reports Asian Lite News

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will, once again, deploy more than 8,000 dedicated women campaigners, referred to as ‘Kamal Mitras’, to connect with women voters in Uttar Pradesh.

These Kamal Mitras will make women aware about 15 women-centric schemes of the Central government.

Trained to impart details of the schemes in nine languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odiya, Gujarati, Marathi and Bengali, the ‘Kamal Mitras’ are expected to help the party reach out to around 7.15 crore women voters.

These Kamla Mitras were registered through a website during an extensive nationwide drive of BJP’s ‘Mahila Morcha’ between May and December 2023.

Suchita Pathak Kakkad, State In-Charge of BJP’s Kamal Mitras campaign, said, “We have enrolled nearly 8,000 Kamal Mitras in all 80 Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttar Pradesh. The wing takes feedback from women — whether they are benefited by the schemes, if not then why, and gives them information about the eligibility and documents required to get scheme benefits, etc.”

She added that a US-based company designed the app of Kamal Mitras.

Anyone can get registered on the portal by feeding their mobile number and One Time Password generated on their numbers.

To become certified Kamal Mitras, the applicants are required to go through video training sessions on the portal.

The website provides video training sessions on all 15 women-centric schemes of the government one by one. After the sessions, applicants must go through an objective test of 35 questions about the schemes.

“One can proceed with the sessions, one by one, only after successfully completing the previous one. One cannot skip a session and there is no option to fast forward it. An applicant, one can go back and see it again if anything is not clear. One will have to take the final test having questions regarding schemes after completing all 15 sessions, after which the certificate of being Kamal Mitra will be issued,” said Kakkad.

Kaynat Kazi, member of National Executive Council of Mahila Morcha, said the Kamla Mitra campaign was the vision of Mahlia Morcha National President, Vanathi Srinivasan, and the top leadership to connect with women.

“The training also focused on how to combat Opposition propaganda against the BJP,” she added.

ALSO READ: DMK has first copyright on corruption: Modi

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Kejriwal moves SC, terms arrest as assault on democracy

Assailing the HC verdict, Delhi CM’s plea said the judgement failed to appreciate that the statements made before the probe agency are not held to be gospel truth…reports Asian Lite News

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court’s dismissal of the plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the excise policy case.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed his plea, saying Kejriwal’s arrest is not in contravention of law and remand can’t be termed “illegal”.

The high court further stated that this court is of the opinion that the accused has been arrested and his arrest and remand have to be examined as per law and not as per the timing of elections.

Kejriwal’s challenge to the timing of arrest before general elections in the absence of any mala fide on the part of ED is not sustainable, said the court.

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21. The trial court sent him to judicial custody till April 15. ED alleged that the Aam Adami Party (AAP) is the major beneficiary of the proceeds of crime generated in the alleged liquor scam.

The agency also claimed that Kejriwal was directly involved in the formation of the excise policy. The case pertains to alleged irregularities and money laundering in framing and implementing the Delhi Excise Policy 2022, which was later scrapped.

While Kejriwal was not named in the FIRs registered by the ED or the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Delhi excise policy case, his name first found a mention in the ED’s chargesheet, wherein the agency claimed that he allegedly spoke to one of the main accused, Sameer Mahendru, in a video call and asked him to continue working with co-accused and AAP communications-in-charge Vijay Nair.

In the appeal filed in the top court, Kejriwal said his arrest on March 21 after the announcement of the general elections is “obviously motivated by extraneous considerations”.

“The intervention of this court is urgently warranted, as over and above the issue of illegal curtailment of liberty, the petitioner’s arrest also constitutes an unprecedented assault on the tenets of democracy, free and fair elections and federalism, both of which form significant constituents of the basic structure of the Constitution,” it said.

The arrest was made solely relying on subsequent, contradictory and highly belated statements of co-accused who have now turned approvers, it said.

Moreover, such statements and material were in possession of the Enforcement Directorate since the last nine months and still the arrest has been made illegally in the middle of general elections 2024, the plea said.

“The petitioner’s arrest bears serious, irreversible ramifications for the future of electoral democracy in India and if he is not released forthwith to participate in the upcoming elections, it will establish a precedence in law for ruling parties to arrest heads of political opposition on flimsy and vexatious charges before elections, thereby eroding the core principles of our Constitution,” the plea said and sought his immediate release by terming the arrest as illegal.

Assailing the high court verdict, the plea said the judgement failed to appreciate that the statements made before the probe agency are not held to be gospel truth and can always be doubted by the courts.

“The High Court in the impugned judgement failed to appreciate that such statement of co-accused  later- turned approver statements cannot be the starting point for ascertaining the guilt of the accused person, and also the HC has failed to appreciate the procedure adopted by the ED in procuring such statements by coercion,” the plea said.

HC dismisses plea seeking Kejriwal’s removal

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea moved by Delhi’s former Minister Sandeep Kumar, seeking direction to remove Kejriwal from holding the post of Chief Minister.

The Court said, “This is the third petition with identical prayers. We will impose a Rs 50,000 fine on the petitioner. Stop making a mockery of the system. Costs are the only way to curb such petitions.”

The bench of Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora showed displeasure with the petitioner and stated that the Governor will take a call on this.

“We won’t. Don’t give political speeches in court. You’re trying to involve us in political tricket,” it said.

An ex-minister in the Aam Aadmi Party government and former MLA has recently filed a petition in the Delhi High Court, seeking the removal of Arvind Kejriwal from holding the post of Chief Minister.

The petition claims a writ of quo-warranto against Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that he has incurred the incapacity to hold the office of Chief Minister of Delhi after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in Excise Policy case.

Petitioner Sandeep Kumar, former Minister for Women and Child Development, Social Welfare, SC/ST Govt of NCT of Delhi in Aam Aadmi Party government and former MLA from Sultanpur Mazra Vidhanbasa Delhi, through plea stated that Arvind Kejriwal, while lodged in jail, has incurred an incapacity to carry out his constitutional obligations and functions under Articles 239AA (4), 167 (b) and (c) and proviso to sub-section (4) of section 14 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and hence he can no longer function as the Chief Minister of Delhi. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Kejriwal is a lion, wouldn’t be in jail for long, says Sunita  

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Jairam attacks Modi, Jaishankar over Katchatheevu row

The Congress leader said that the BJP will fail to get even one seat in Tamil Nadu…reports Asian Lite News

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on Katchatheevu island “baseless,” and said that the External Affairs Minister is trying to make it an “agenda” for their Lok Sabha campaign.

Speaking to ANI, the Congress leader said that the BJP will fail to get even one seat in Tamil Nadu.

“That is not a topic for the Tamil Nadu elections. Our PM and External Affairs Minister are trying to make it a topic. Everything they are saying is baseless…Unemployment, inflation and the attack on our Constitution are real issues and they do not talk about it. They know that they will be getting zero seats in Tamil Nadu,” Jairam Ramesh said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier targeted the Congress and the DMK for the Katchatheevu island issue, asserting that the parties tried to keep the people in the dark for many years.

The decades-old territorial and fishing rights dispute around Katchatheevu Island is in the limelight ahead of the general elections, with the BJP and the opposition engaged in a war of words over the issue.

The island, located between Rameswaram in India and Sri Lanka, is traditionally used by both Sri Lankan and Indian fishermen. In 1974, the then central government accepted Katchatheevu as Sri Lankan territory under the “Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime Agreement.”

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted the Congress party and DMK over the Katchatheevu island issue. He said that Congress “callously” gave away the island. He further alleged the ruling party of Tamil Nadu did “nothing” to safeguard the state’s interests.

All 39 seats of Tamil Nadu will poll in the first phase of the general elections on April 19 and the counting of votes, along with those from other phases, has been scheduled for June 4.

In 2019, the DMK swept the Lok Sabha polls in the state, winning 23 Lok Sabha seats and bagging the lion’s share of the total votes polled, at 33.2 per cent. Its ruling ally, Congress, bagged 8 seats, mining 12.9 per cent of the total votes polled, while the CPI won two seats. CPI (M) and IUML won one seat each while the remaining two seats went to Independents.

The elections to 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country will be held in seven phases, starting April 19. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to get their fingers inked this time. (ANI)

ALSO READ: DMK has first copyright on corruption: Modi

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INDIA 2024 India News Politics

DMK has first copyright on corruption: Modi

PM Modi took a swipe at the DMK, led by Chief Minister MK Stalin and accused the party of being ‘anti-Tamil’…reports Asian Lite News

Lashing out at the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday accused it of keeping the state “trapped” in an old mindset and politics, which is impeding the growth of the state’s youth.

Prime Minister Modi, while addressing a public rally as part of the election campaign for the BJP, took a swipe at the DMK, led by Chief Minister MK Stalin and accused the party of being ‘anti-Tamil’.

“The DMK has the first copyright on corruption. DMK wants to keep Tamil Nadu trapped in old thinking, old politics, the whole DMK has become the company of a family. Due to DMK’s family politics, the youth of Tamil Nadu are not getting a chance to move ahead,” the PM said.

Taking a jibe at the DMK, the PM said that there are three main criteria to get a ticket for the elections in the ruling party.

“There are three main criteria to contest elections from DMK and move ahead in the party. Three main criteria are family politics, corruption and anti-Tamil culture,” the PM said.

He also accused MK Stalin’s party of making people fight in the name of region, religion and caste.

“DMK party makes people fight in the name of region, religion and caste. DMK knows that the day people understand the politics of divide and rule, DMK will not get a single vote. That is why they make people fight among themselves for votes, I have also decided that I will continue to expose this decades-old, dangerous politics of the DMK,” the PM said.

In his campaign 10 days ahead of polling for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, the PM drummed up support for two partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)–Pattali Makkal Kachi’s Dharmapuri candidate Soumya Anbumani as well as the New Justice Party’s Vellore candidate AC Shanmugam, who is contesting on the BJP symbol.

Modi also came down heavily on the Opposition INDIA bloc, particularly targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s previous comments on “Shakti”.

“INDI alliance people insult ‘Shakti’ and ill-treat women. Everyone knows how DMK treated the late Jayalalithaa. Your blessings for BJP and NDA will protect ‘Sanatan Shakti’ and ensure women’s honour,” the PM added.

With the Navratri festival beginning on Tuesday, the PM, who addressed a public rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit said that the country should remember how the INDIA bloc ‘has taken a vow to destroy Shakti’ and those who worship the Goddess will never forgive the Congress and its allies.

The prime minister has been campaigning aggressively in Tamil Nadu. On Tuesday, he had led a massive roadshow in state capital Chennai.

“Chennai has won me over! Today’s roadshow in this dynamic city will remain a part of my memory forever. The blessings of the people give me strength to keep working hard in your service and to make our nation even more developed. The enthusiasm in Chennai also shows that Tamil Nadu is all set to support NDA in a big way,” PM Modi had said in a post on X.

All 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will vote in a single phase on April 19. The counting of votes will be held on June 4. In 2019, the DMK-led alliance swept the Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu, winning 38 of the 39 seats. (ANI)

Stalin likens PM’s visits to migratory birds

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin recently expressed his discontent with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign in the state, drawing a metaphorical parallel between Modi’s visits and the seasonal migration of birds to a sanctuary. Stalin’s critique, delivered through social media platform X, highlighted a series of pressing issues and posed questions regarding Modi’s purported guarantees for the upcoming 2024 general elections.

Stalin questioned Modi’s promises in light of what he perceives as the exposure of the Gujarat model and the Chaukidar role. He likened Modi’s presence in Tamil Nadu during election season to the arrival of migratory birds at a sanctuary, suggesting a transient engagement rather than a sustained commitment to addressing the state’s concerns.

Meanwhile, Stalin also attacked AIADMK and asserted that Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is an organisation that makes Prime Ministers and Presidents, adding that whenever “democracy is disturbed at the Centre, the DMK organisation changes the government and its history.”

“When AIADMK was with the Union Government, they did nothing good for Tamil Nadu…Edappadi K Palaniswami says daily that Stalin has a dream to become Prime Minister. DMK is an organisation that makes prime ministers. DMK is an organisation that makes presidents. Whenever democracy is disturbed in the Centre, the DMK organisation changes the government and its history,” Stalin said.

When AIADMK has alliance with central government, they will use it for their own purpose. When DMK has alliance with the center, then it works for state, he added.

“Knowing we are going to win all the seats, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami is asking what achievements DMK has made in our regime. I ask Edappadi K. Palaniswami to read news papers every morning after he wakes up,” Stalin said.

He further said that when AIADMK was with the Union government, they did nothing good for Tamil Nadu.

“You (Edappadi K Palaniswami) has a dream where the BJP is saying on one nation, one election, so along with the Parliament election, an assembly election will also be conducted. Nothing happened, as he spread rumours. That’s why he is saying whatever comes from his mouth. After Jayalalitha’s demise, Edappadi K. Palaniswami is losing all elections and you are all going to witness that in the next state assembly election too, DMK is going to get a win for sure. We are going to win in those constituencies ( AIADMK constituencies ) too,” he said.

Stalin further asserted that Edappadi K Palaniswami has said nobody can destroy AIADMK but

“Edappadi K Palaniswami have said nobody can destroy AIADMK. There is noone needed to destroy AIADMK from outside but you (Edapadi Palani Sami), O. Panneerselvam and TTV Dhinakaran is competing to do it (destroy AIADMK), he added.

All 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will vote in a single phase on April 19. The counting of votes will be held on June 4. In 2019, the DMK-led alliance swept the Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu, winning 38 of the 39 seats.

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Kerala Politics

Tharoor accepts Chandrasekhar’s challenge

Shashi Tharoor said that he welcomed the debate but also accused Rajeev Chandrasekhar of evading the debate till now…reports Asian Lite News

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has accepted the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s challenge to have a debate on the development of Thiruvananthapuram.

In his post on X, Tharoor said that he welcomed the debate but also accused Chandrasekhar of evading the debate till now.

“Yes, I welcome a debate. But the people of Thiruvananthapuram are aware of who has been evading a debate till now. Let us debate politics and development. Let us debate price hike, unemployment, corruption, communalism and the BJP’s 10 years of propagating politics of hatred,” he said.

“Let us also discuss about the development of Thiruvananthapuram and the visible progress we have made in the last 15 years,” Tharoor added.

Earlier in a post on X, Chandrasekhar accused Tharoor of spreading misinformation during a recent interview with the Kerala-based news organization where he falsely accused Chandrasekhar of offering money to religious leaders and key voters in the constituency.

In his post on X Rajeev said, “We have been debating in multiple forums during the last two weeks, and people have seen you struggle for answers to my questions on these occasions. Forced into a defensive mode, you chose to disseminate falsehoods that not only defamed me but also besmirched numerous social and religious organizations within my constituency. Therefore, to start with, you need to answer the following questions I have posed to you.”

“I demand an immediate retraction of these baseless accusations and a sincere apology directed towards me and to these esteemed individuals. After that, let’s engage in a constructive debate for the comprehensive development of Thiruvananthapuram,” Chandrasekhar added.

Chandrasekhar took another dig at Tharoor, saying contesting elections is not about being a global citizen or impressing people with mastery of English, but about addressing the people’s pressing needs and effecting positive change in their lives.

“My mission is to propel the development of Thiruvananthapuram, which has been stagnating for several years, in reverse mode. Thiruvananthapuram wants progress, development, employment, and investment. This can be achieved through the politics of performance,” he said while addressing a meeting of his voters in the state capital city.

The Union Minister contended that for the past 15 years, there has been a “continuous effort to distract the public from serious developmental issues by focusing on trivial matters and falsehoods” and urged people to stay away from such negative politics.

“I entered politics 18 years ago with the sole aim of making a positive impact on people’s lives. There are still many households in Thiruvananthapuram which lack access to safe drinking water and gas connections that should be available under the Ujwal Yojana subsidy. These needs should no longer be just on paper. I have taken it upon myself as a mission to transform their lives. Working under the Narendra Modi government, I am committed to doing just that,” he said.

“I have come here with a mandate to make a difference by attracting investments and fostering development in Thiruvananthapuram. My mantra is the politics of performance. We need innovation, development, employment, and investment. I have a clear vision for this, and I am ready to show you the results. My mission is to implement it. As the son of an IAF officer, my foremost priority is to serve the nation and make India proud until my last breath,” said Chandrasekhar, who is also pitted against former Thiruvananthapuram MP Pannyan Raveendran, of the CPI.

Notably, a letter has been sent to the Election Commission of India, the Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala, and Adeela Abdullah, the Additional Chief Electoral Officer & Additional Secretary Nodal Officer of Model Code of Conduct, Kerala, stating that Tharoor violated the Model Code of Conduct by spreading falsehoods and misinformation about Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

The letter sent on Monday was written by advocate VV Rajesh, the NDA convener for Trivandrum Parliamentary constituency.

Notably, the constituency of Thiruvananthapuram will go to the polls on April 26 during the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections. This constituency in Kerala is being closely watched due to a high-profile contest between Congress’ Shashi Tharoor and the BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

UDF, BJP afraid of poll verdict in state: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday attacked the Congress-led United Democratic Front and the BJP, saying that they are afraid of the Lok Sabha election verdict in the state.

He accused the BJP-led central government of discrimination in financial allocations concerning the state.

“Both UDF and BJP are afraid of the election verdict. The Central government is the cause of the financial crisis. Both parties want to hide this. Kerala does not feature among the states with higher borrowing rates,” Vijayan told the media here.

Earlier, CM Vijayan had said the CPI (M) manifesto pledges to repeal the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, whereas the Congress manifesto is silent on the issue.

“The CPI (M) manifesto pledges to repeal the CAA whereas the Congress manifesto remains silent on the issue,” he said.

The Central government notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, on March 11, days before the announcement of the schedule for Lok Sabha polls.

Pinarayi Vijayan

The bill concerning CAA was passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019.

The 2019 Act amended the Citizenship Act, 1955 and provides that people are eligible for citizenship if they belong to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian communities and entered India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan. It only applies to migrants who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

Kerala sends 20 parliamentarians to the Lok Sabha and voting will take place on April 26.

The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 will be held in seven phases, starting on April 19. The counting of votes is on June 4. (ANI)

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India News Politics

TMC leaders protesting outside EC office detained

A delegation of Trinamool Congress leaders, who were detained on April 8 from the Election Commission office here, sat on a protest throughout the night in the Mandir Marg police station premises despite police releasing them the same day…reports Asian Lite News

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders who were earlier detained for protesting outside the Election Commission of India (ECI) sat inside the premises of Mandir Marg Police Station pressing their demands to change the chiefs of the CBI, NIA, ED and Income Tax Department.

As per Delhi police, the 10-member delegation of Trinamool Congress leaders were detained on Monday following a protest outside the Election Commission of India over their demands in the national capital. The Opposition leaders were brought to Mandir Marg Police Station partway through their agitation and later asked to leave at night but the delegation did not leave and instead sat inside the premises all through the night.

“We released them yesterday but they did not leave,” said a police official. Those who staged the protest included five TMC MPs Derek O’Brien, Mohammad Nadimul Haq, Dola Sen, Saket Gokhale and Sagarika Ghosh. At the same time, three former MPs Arpita Ghosh, Shantanu Sen and Abir Ranjan Biswas were present. Apart from this, MLA Vivek Gupta and TMC youth leader Sudeep Raha were also protesting. A 10-member delegation went to the Election Commission’s office on Monday and submitted a memorandum highlighting that “BJP and NIA have been working hand-in-glove to selectively target and harass our party workers”.

TMC urged the poll body to change the chiefs of Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation, Income Tax Department and National Investigation Agency. After being detained, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien said that they are ready to fight the “BJP’s dictatorship”. TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also said that NIA Director and other officials should be removed by the poll body.

TMC MP Dola Sen also said, “We have appealed to the Election Commission to change the chiefs of NIA, CBI, ED and Income Tax and we are sitting on a 24-hour peaceful protest with this demand. Earlier, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, approached the Governor and top state officials on Monday to request the extension of central forces’ deployment beyond the Model Code of Conduct period. Citing the need to ensure the safety of citizens and uphold democratic values, he urged officials to extend the deployment by three months to ensure public safety and protect constitutional integrity. (ANI)

Gujarat CEC sends invitations to 20.3 lakh women voters

The Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat, P Bharathi, is extending a unique invitation to voters, particularly women, to participate in the upcoming grand festival of democracy.

Over 20.3 lakh invitation cards will be dispatched to encourage an increased turnout of women voters at 13,000 polling stations across the state.

In the spirit of India’s unity in diversity and its tradition of inviting others to celebrate occasions, P Bharathi is sending out these invitations to voters, urging them to cast their votes with their families, the information department Gujarat stated.

The aim is to enhance the participation of women voters at more than 13,000 polling stations where the difference in voter turnout between men and women is more than 10 per cent, and where the overall voter turnout is less than 50 per cent compared to the previous Legislative Assembly elections.

District Development Officers at the rural level and Deputy Municipal Commissioners at the urban level have been appointed as Nodal Officers of the Turnout Implementation Plan (TIP) to increase voter turnout at these polling stations.

To further increase women’s voter turnout, around 20.3 lakh invitation cards will be sent out across the state, requesting families to vote together.

The Chief Electoral Officer, Bharthi, has appealed to women voters to take time out of their busy schedules to vote with their families and inspire others to do the same through these invitation cards.

In addition, all district election officers have been instructed to conduct Chunav Pathshalas at all polling stations to discuss the reasons for low voter turnout and to make efforts to ensure that the maximum number of citizens exercise their right to vote.

Street meetings are organised by Asha workers, Anganwadi workers, Booth Level Officers, School Principals, Talatis, Gram Sevaks, non-political social leaders of villages and members of self-help groups under Chunav Pathshalas, where attendees will be encouraged to pledge to vote with their families for maximum voting turnout in the upcoming Lok Sabha General Elections-2024.

The BJP whitewashed the Congress in the 2014 and 2019 general elections by winning all 26 constituencies in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Gujarat will vote for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in a single phase on May 7 across all the 26 parliamentary constituencies in the state. The counting of votes is slated for June 4

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won all 26 seats with a vote share of 63.1 per cent while the Congress party bagged 32.6 per cent vote share.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party registered victory in all 26 seats with a vote share of 60.1 per cent whereas Congress received 33.5 per cent of votes. (ANI)

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