Cong releases first list of candidates for Rajasthan polls

The list includes the names of Sachin Pilot, the leader of opposition in the state, and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot

Politics News : The Congress has released its first list of 152 candidates for the Rajasthan assembly elections. The list includes the names of Sachin Pilot, the leader of opposition in the state, and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot.

After detailed deliberations at the party’s Central Election Committee, it was decided that Pilot, who is the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (RPCC) chief, will contest from Tonk, while Gehlot will contest from his home turf – Sardarpura constituency.

Meanwhile, senior party leaders CP Joshi and Giriraj Vyas will contest from Nathdwara and Udaipur, respectively. Also, ex-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former top cop of Rajasthan Harish Meena, who recently joined the Congress, has also managed to register his name in the candidates’ list and will…read more

---

→News Source: BS / Business Standard←

Bharat Bandh Live: Opposition is protesting high fuel prices, falling rupee

The Congress party called for a 'Bharat bandh' on September 10 to protest the rising fuel prices and steadily declining value of the rupee against the US dollar. Twenty political parties have answered the Congress' call, and a number of chambers of commerce and traders' associations are also supporting the bandh.

Top Opposition party leaders like Sharad Pawar, M K Stalin and Left leaders have openly extended their support to the call for a shutdown, while the Trinamool Congress has decided to stay away from the protest.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that the Narendra Modi government had "looted" Rs 11 trillion from the people of the country in the past 52 months and was running a "profiteering company" rather than a government.

He also urged people to bring about a change in the country by ousting the BJP from power.

BJP and RSS trying to divide, spread hatred in India: Rahul Gandhi

Congress President Rahul Gandhi has lambasted the BJP and RSS, saying they were working "to divide and spread hatred" in India.

Gandhi made the statement while addressing the Indian Overseas Congress on Thursday in Berlin, the Congress said on Friday.

His address was not aired live due to a technical glitch.

Interacting with the Indian-origin parliamentarians, Gandhi said that "the government which is now ruling in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, want to divide and spread hatred in the country. The Congress party will not let this happen".

Gandhi said the strength of India lies in listening to the views of every citizen, irrespective of his/her religion or caste.

Rahul Gandhi slams mob lynchings and attacks on Dalits; BJP hits back

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said mob lynchings and attacks on Dalits and minorities reflected the anger that currently pervaded India’s society because of growing joblessness and the Narendra Modi government taking away protections provided to the country’s poor. He said the Modi government’s demonetisation and poorly implemented goods and services tax (GST) have destroyed the informal economy and killed jobs in the small and medium businesses, which contributed to this anger.

Addressing a gathering at the Bucerius Summer School at Hamburg in Germany, of which Rahul Gandhi is an alumnus, the Congress president pointed to the example of the rise of the Islamic State, in Iraq and Syria to caution that excluding a large number of people from the development process could lead to creation of insurgent groups anywhere in the world.

Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's mortal remains taken to BJP headquarters

Atalji Amar Rehen - Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's mortal remains, wrapped in the tricolour, were taken to the BJP headquarters here on Friday for the people to pay their last respects to the departed leader.

The body in a flower-decked casket was carried in a hearse to 6-A Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg headquarters.

Vajpayyee, who passed away at the AIIMS here on Thursday evening at the age of 93, will be cremated at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal near Rajghat in the national capital at 4 p.m.

His last journey will begin from the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters to Rashtriya Smriti Sthal at 1 p.m. The government has announced a state funeral for Vajpayee.

A seven-day state mourning has been announced as a mark of respect for the former Prime Minister. Delhi government offices, schools and institutions have been closed.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and all the three armed forces chiefs earlier led a host of leaders in paying homage to Vajpayee.

Kerala rains: Toll rises to 79; PM asks MoD to step up relief & rescue ops

Kerela Rains - At least 79 people have perished, 25 of them on Thursday, since August 8 in Kerala's heaviest rain in almost 94 years. The heavy rain, gusty winds, and the deluge has already destroyed more than 20,000 houses. As a result, more than 150,000 people are lodged in relief across the state. Kochi metro services have stopped, Kochi Airport closed till Saturday, and train services suspended between Chalakkudy and Aluva. Almost 10,000 km long roads have damaged in the ongoing monsoon in Kerala, according to NDTV.

The danger, just like the rain, isn't over. The IMD has issued red alerts in all districts for the next 24 hours. The weather department has warned of heavy rain accompanied with gusty winds with a speed up to 60 km per hour in all the 14 districts of the state, PTI reported.

Power supply, communication systems and distribution of drinking water have been disrupted in various parts of the state in the rain mayhem which Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has described as the 'worse' natural calamity the state has seen in the longest time.

Here's how social media pages are good source for making a quick buck

Those of us even sparsely active on social media must have at some point of scrolling through an ocean of posts come across images of Indian army soldiers, with the caption – “share if you are a true Indian”. The not-so-subtle nudge at our patriotism gets us to do as intended and the post goes viral; rarely do we wonder that the image might have an ulterior motive.

A thriving business
They say sharing is caring and a closed Facebook group by the same name seems to live the thought on a daily basis. The group asks for a government ID proof if you wish to join it and once you’re inside the circle of over 18,000 individuals, you can buy or sell patriotism, misogyny, politics, Bollywood, nationalism and even God.

1. Modi and BJP
With the advent of the internet, social media has become a money-making factory. Facebook is no longer limited to connecting with friends and playing Farmville but a place to easily connect with potential buyers. As more and more people got politically active on Facebook, a silent market emerged.

Ankit Pandey
In a May 2017 article, we chronicled the activities of Pandey – how he made a mint in sleazy and pro-BJP websites that supplied regular content to Facebook pages.
Read More

Bihar Bandh against rape cases at shelter home; railway, road services hit

A shutdown called by the Left parties in Bihar Bandh on Thursday against the rape of 34 minor girls at a shelter home in Muzaffarpur district has hit rail and road traffic, police said.

The state-wide shutdown is backed by opposition parties including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) (RJD), Congress, Hindustani Swam Morcha, Samajwadi Party and Lokrantrik Janata Dal.

Left party workers and supporters blocked railway tracks thereby affecting over a dozen trains since early Thursday morning.

According to reports reaching here, trains were stopped in Darbhanga, Madhubani, Jahanabad, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Patna and Bhojpur districts.

Protesters have also blocked several roads in Siwan, Bhojpur, Nawada, Patna, Arwal, Jagabad districts.

The case came to light earlier this year when the Bihar Social Welfare Department filed an FIR based on a social audit of the shelter home conducted by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai.

The CBI on Sunday took over case following a recommendation by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

As Sec 377 is in force, Rahul Gandhi must marry before we hug him: BJP MP

A day after Rahul Gandhi said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs step back on seeing him as they fear he might hug them, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Thursday took a jibe, saying the leaders might be divorced by their wives if they embrace the Congress president as "Section 377 hasn't been scrapped as yet".

Dubey said BJP MPs can hug Gandhi only when the Congress president gets married.=

"Why should we hug him. Section 377 hasn't been scrapped as yet. And our wives will also give divorce to us. If Rahul Gandhi gets married, then we will hug him," he said.  

The IPC's Section 377 criminalises sex among people of the same gender. 

Reel vs real: The politics behind the life and crimes of Sanjay Dutt

When a film about a public figure is made, many questions relating to the accuracy or inaccuracy of portrayals arise. In a vibrant democracy, multiple truths often jostle with each other, so that we can determine for ourselves which one (or ones) we prefer. We must also ponder if any biographical film, condensing a life into two-and-a-half hours, takes certain departures from reality. In this sense, Sanju, a biopic on actor Sanjay Dutt is no exception.

In a particular scene in Sanju, Dutt is seen playing court to a political figure in Delhi, months after he was charged with the crime of possessing an AK-56 rifle and hobnobbing with those suspected of carrying out the bomb blasts in Bombay (now Mumbai) on March 12, 1993. The politician in the movie is rather indifferent and dismissive of Dutt’s plea.

In real life, it was actor-turned-politician Sunil Dutt who had indeed courted a political figure. He had once informally told a gathering of journalists – including the author – that he had approached Sharad Pawar, who became chief minister of Maharashtra soon after the bomb blasts, begging for leniency for his son. Sunil Dutt recalled bowing before Pawar, tears rolling down his cheeks, when he noticed that the politician was faintly smiling, enjoying his ordeal. Stunned and disillusioned, Sunil Dutt subsequently met Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, who eventually came out in support of Sanjay Dutt, declaring publicly he did not believe that any member of the Dutt family could be ‘anti-national’.

Sunanda Pushkar death case: Court asks Shashi Tharoor to appear on July 7

A court in Delhi on Tuesday asked Congress leader Shashi Tharoor to appear before it as an accused on July 7 in connection with his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s death, media reports say.

The court took note of a chargesheet filed by Delhi Police that charged the former Union minister with abetting Pushkar’s suicide.

On the night of January 17, 2014, Pushkar was found dead in a south Delhi hotel. The 51-year-old had not left behind a suicide note.

In the 3,000-page chargesheet, police named Tharoor as the only accused in the case, alleging that the parliamentarian from Kerala had subjected his wife to cruelty.

Tharoor said the chargesheet was “preposterous” and “unbelievable”.
Sunanda was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a suite of a five-star hotel in Delhi on the night of January 17, 2014.

After EVM row, Cong says BJP has new plan for rigging Madhya Pradesh polls

After levelling allegations of tampered electronic voting machines across polls in the country, the Congress has made another shocking accusation regarding electoral fraud. The Grand Old Party has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to influence the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly election by enrolling close to 6 million (60 lakh) fake voters in the state's voters list.
Responding to the allegations, the Election Commission of India (EC) has ordered a probe into the matter. EC teams will reach the state, which is slated to go to polls later this year, on Monday to look into allegation levelled by Congress.

Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath has alleged that these names "have been deliberately registered" in the voter rolls, adding that his party's allegations were not over "administrative negligence" but about "administrative misuse" by the BJP. Kamal Nath on Sunday led a Congress delegation to meet EC officials over the allegations.

Modi magic fading? United Opposition must not ignore BJP's 2 key advantages

A resurgent and united Opposition dealt another blow to the PM Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), defeating it in electorally-crucial Uttar Pradesh's Kairana and Noorpur bypolls, whose results were announced on Thursday. BJP's defeat in Kairana, in particular, was seen as a successful test case for Opposition unity ahead of the 2019 general elections. However, the Congress and other opposition parties must not ignore the advantages the saffron party still enjoys going into the Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP and its allies could only win three of the 14 seats up for grabs in the recent bypolls. Out of the four Lok Sabha seats in play, BJP won only in Maharashtra's Palghar, while the BJP-NDPP alliance won in Nagaland. The saffron party lost in Kairana and Maharashtra's Bhandara-Gondia. Among the Legislative Assembly seats that saw bypolls, the BJP only won in Uttarakhand's Tharali. The saffron party's ally, the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), lost Bihar's Jokihat to the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

The BJP, for its part, has played down the outcome of the bypolls and asserted that the party will win the 2019 elections. The saffron party also has two key things going for it:

Bypoll results 2018: Kairana has a loud message for Modi-Shah before 2019

The Kairana Lok Sabha bypoll result has yet again underlined the challenge that Narendra Modi-Amit Shah combine is set to face in 2019 against a united Opposition. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) loss here is seen as yet another dent in the invincibility cloak of Prime Minister Modi and party chief Shah.

With the BJP likely to struggle a repeat of its 2014 performance in much of northern India, the Kairana loss puts into sharper focus Shah’s efforts at expanding the party in areas beyond the Vindhyas and Chota Nagpur plateau, and make inroads in the Coromandel coast states.

In 2019, the BJP needs to win in the northeastern states, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to offset its foreseeable losses in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, etc.

The BJP’s Kairana loss comes on the heels of its losses in recent Lok Sabha by-polls in Phulpur and Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Ajmer and Alwar in Rajasthan.

While the BJP emerged the single largest party in Karnataka, its failure to form the government jolted the confidence that its supporters had in Shah’s abilities as a ‘master strategist’. These are not good signs as Modi and Shah prepare for 2019, and the government has its work cut out for the remainder of its term.

Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy says have stopped Modi's Ashwamedha horse: Updates

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has said that the Janata Dal (Secular) and Congress alliance has succeeded in "tying" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ashwamedha horse (victory horse) in Karnataka, insinuating that the Modi-Amit Shah duo's electoral juggernaut has been halted. On Wednesday, Kumaraswamy was sworn in as the 25th chief minister of Karnataka in a ceremony in Bengaluru that brought together anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (anti-BJP) regional and Opposition parties on a single platform ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"I had said after the Uttar Pradesh election results came out that my aim is to tie the Ashwamedha horse of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah (BJP President). Today, both Congress and JD(S), together, have tied their Ashwamedha horse in Karnataka," said Kumaraswamy, adding, "Probably, in the days to come, Amit Shah has to go to Narendra Modi with lifeless Ashwamedha horse, as we have tied their horse."

The swearing-in ceremony, which also saw Congress' G Parameshwara sworn in as Karnataka deputy chief minister, showcased rare scenes of bonhomie between United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, Nationalist Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Communist Party of India Member of Parliament D Raja, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejaswi Yadav, and former Union minister Sharad Yadav.

Karnataka swearing-in: Yeddy's grim prediction for Kumaraswamy; top updates

Karnataka Chief Minister-designate H D Kumaraswamy's swearing-in ceremony in Bengaluru on Wednesday will be used by Opposition parties for a "show of strength" against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Several prominent Opposition leaders and chief ministers, including Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, confirmed that they would attend the swearing-in of the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) leader. Meanwhile, BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa on Wednesday said that "hunger, greed and power" were the basis of the JD(S)-Congress alliance, adding that such an alliance would "not even last three months".

United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, among others, are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

While the Congress-JD(S) combine has a reason to cheer, a defiant BJP state unit will protest across Karnataka on Wednesday against the formation of the coalition government. The BJP is observing the occasion as the 'anti-people's mandate day' across the state.

Karnataka LIVE updates: Speaker from Congress, name to be disclosed soon

A day ahead of his swearing-in, Karnataka Chief Minister-designate H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday visited the Hindu holy towns of Dharmasthala and Sringeri to pray for the success of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government. Kumaraswamy will take oath on Wednesday at 4:30 pm at Vidhan Soudha in Bengaluru. Governor Vajubhai Vala will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Kumaraswamy, according to a government release.

The swearing-in was earlier scheduled to be held on Monday but was later postponed as it coincided with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's death anniversary.

JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy returned to the southern state after a day-long visit on Monday to Delhi to discuss government formation and ministerial berth sharing between the coalition partners with Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

The details of the meeting were not divulged but sources have reportedly said the Congress demanded two posts for Deputy Chief Ministers — one for a Dalit and the other for a Lingayat, 12 for ministers and one for the Speaker. However, Kumaraswamy said the matter will be finalised when the two sides sit together on Tuesday in Bengaluru.

Karnataka shows what Modi should most fear ahead of 2019 general elections

As a politician, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is distinguished by his relentlessness. Every vote, every constituency, every election matters. Modi has built his Bharatiya Janata Party into an electoral juggernaut that runs 21 of India’s 29 states; 70 per cent of India’s population is ruled by the BJP at both the state and the federal level.

In some of these states, such as the vast northern territory of Uttar Pradesh, the party swept elections on its own. In others, such as UP’s struggling neighbor Bihar, the BJP stole away one member of the ruling coalition in order to seize power for itself. In yet others, such as the coastal state of Goa, the opposition Congress Party in fact did better than the BJP in the elections only to discover that Modi’s lieutenants were far more skillful alliance-builders.

Last weekend, in the southern state of Karnataka -- home to India’s IT capital, Bangalore -- Modi discovered the limits of this strategy. Karnataka was the last major state ruled by Congress; after a bruising election campaign, the BJP ended up winning more seats in the state assembly, though not quite enough to form an outright majority.

Karnataka floor test tomorrow: Yeddyurappa says 100% confident; top updates

.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) B S Yeddyurappa, sworn in as KarnatakaGovernment chief minister a day before, on Friday said he would obey the Supreme Court’s direction to face a floor test at 4 pm on Saturday. He was confident that he would be able to prove a majority, he added.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court reduced the 15-day window the BJP had been given by Governor Vajubhai Vala to prove its majority in the House and ordered that Yeddyurappa face a floor test on Saturday itself. The court was hearing the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) combine's plea challenging the Governor's decision to invite the BJP to form the next government in the state after the May 12 Assembly election threw up a fractured mandate. Even as Yeddyurappa said he was 100 per cent confident of proving full majority, the Congress termed the apex court's judgment "historic".

The hearing came after the apex court issued notices to the Karnataka government and Yeddyurappa seeking their replies on the plea filed by the Congress and JD(S), which have opposed Yeddyurappa's swearing-in and termed Governor Vajubhai Vala's decision to invite the BJP to form the government as "unconstitutional". Meanwhile, the Congress on Friday observed 'Save Democracy Day' across the country

West Bengal election results: TMC wins 2,467 Gram Panchayat seats; updates

West Bengal Election Results - The ruling Trinamool Congress today surged ahead by registering victory in over 2,400 gram panchayat seats, according to the results available till 12 noon, SEC officials said. The BJP and the CPI(M) won 386 and 94 gram panchayat seats respectively, the State Election Commission officials said. According to the SEC, the TMC has won 2,467 gram panchayat seats and is leading in 2,683 seats. The BJP has won 386 seats and is leading in 231 seats while the CPI(M) won 94 seats and is leading in 163 seats, the officials said. The Congress won 33 seats and is leading in 55 seats. Independent candidates have emerged winners in 158 seats and are leading in 163 seats. As per latest trends available for panchayat samiti seats, the TMC has won 14 seats and leading in 24 seats.

The other parties are yet to open their account in panchayat samiti seats. The TMC was leading in 24 zilla parishad seats.

The panchayat elections were held for 621 zilla parishads, 6,123 panchayat samitis and 31,802 gram panchayats in West Bengal on May 14.

The counting of votes began at 8 am amid tight security, the State Election Commission officials said.