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Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address six public meetings in Karnataka

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Bengaluru, Apr 2 : Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, will address as many as six ‘Vijaya Sankalpa Yathra’, the public meetings across Karnataka from April 8, Senior BJP leader and former minister Aravinda Limbaali informed here on Tuesday.
Speaking to newsmen, he said that Prime minister, on his part of the election campaign in Karnataka will address two public meetings on 8th April at two places, Chitradurga and Mysuru, Mangaluru and Bengaluru on April 13 and Chikkodi and Gangavathi on April 18.
Maintaining that large number of people are expected to participate in these meetings,
he said that apart from Modi, several other leaders including Uttar Pradesh Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Home minister Rajnath Singh, and others would also tour the state and address the public meetings.
The BJP’s national president Amit Shaw will also tour four days in the state from April 10 to April 20 and take part in Road Shows and meet the party workers in several places in the state.
Stating that unlike the Opposition Congress, the BJP will go before the people, on the strength of the achievements and performances of the Narendra Modi Government at the Center, he charged that the Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi, are only indulged in spreading falsehood and empty promises.
Criticising that the Congress-JD(S) coalition government, had failed to address basic problems being faced by the people of the state, he said that “there is no any co-ordination between the leaders of the coalition partners”.
Opining that the days of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government are numbered the BJP leader said that “the coalition government will collapse soon after the General Elections”.
Replying to questions, while the JD(S)-Congress government will collapse on its own weight very soon, he said that “Several Congress MLAs, are in constant touch with the BJP leaders to topple the government”.
Referring to BJP candidate Tejasvi Surya’s statement that already he had won the Bengaluru South Seat even before the election, he said that “It could not be true. But he (Tejasvi) is still a young man and we will correct him if he had said so”.

Cong to release manifesto today

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New Delhi, Apr 2 : Ahead of the first phase of polling for Lok Sabha elections on April 11, the Congress party will on Tuesday release its manifesto for the elections, which is expected to unveil the party’s roadmap on jobs creation, tackling agrarian crisis and boosting the education, health sectors and vision on how to further strengthen the economic growth of the country.
The highlight of the party’s manifesto, to be released by Congress president Rahul Gandhi here at the party headquarters, will be the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) scheme under which the party has promised to deposit Rs 72,000 per annum in accounts of poorest 20 per cent families of the country if it comes to power in the Lok Sabha elections.
On March 25, the Congress, while announcing the Minimum income guarantee scheme, proclaimed that Rs 72,000 a year would be given to poorest 20 per cent families in the country, if the party comes to power in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The money will be transferred directly to the bank accounts of these families, Mr Gandhi said at a news conference here after consultations of the Congress Working Committee which discussed the party manifesto for the 2019 elections for the House of the People.
”Under the Minimum income guarantee, Congress will give Rs 72,000 per annum to the the poorest 20 per cent families if the party comes to power,” Mr Gandhi said.
The scheme will ensure a family has a minimum income of Rs 12,000 in a month.
The scheme of the Congress is in a counter to the Bharatiya Janata Party government’s income plan for farmers at Rs 6,000 per year.
In the run up to the release of the party manifesto, the Congress president has also made a series of promises for the youth and small businessmen.
He has announced a host of incentives for youngsters who want to start their own businesses including easy availability of bank credit.
The Congress president has also announced that the party will fill all Government vacancies by March 2020 if it comes to power.
The Congress president has also promised that if elected to power, his party would move to directly elected mayors with five year terms and elected councils to improve the quality of life in cities.
The party is likely to promise a complete loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh in the manifesto.
The manifesto has been prepared in consultation with people from different segments of life.

Agencies

Cong promises to compel Pak to verifiably end support to terrorist groups that it shelters

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New Delhi, Apr 2 : Outlining its policy to tackle terrorism, the Congress on Tuesday said if voted to power, it will take determined steps to persuade other countries to compel Pakistan to verifiably end its support to the terrorist groups that it shelters.
”Congress will take determined steps to persuade other countries to compel Pakistan to verifiably
end its support to the terrorist groups that it shelters,” the party said in its manifesto for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Describing that the party is against terrorism at global level, Congress said it is implacably opposed to terrorism any-where in the world and promises to work with other countries to eliminate terrorist groups, terrorist acts and cross-border terrorism.
”We will persuade the United Nations to constantly review the list of terrorists and to
expand the scope of sanctions,” the party said.
Congress affirms its firm belief in the continued relevance of the policy of friendship, peaceful co-existence, non-alignment, independence of thought and action, and increased bilateral engagement in its relations with other countries of the world.
Congress promises to establish a National Council on Foreign Policy consisting of members of the
Cabinet Committee on Security, scholars, domain experts and diplomats to advise the Government
on matters concerning foreign policy.
”We will work closely with all countries of the world, and particularly India’s neighbours and the G-20
countries, in various multi-lateral forums and institutions,” the party said.

”Foreign Trade will be an important element of our foreign policy and we promise to make every effort
to significantly increase trade with other countries,” the party said.
The party claimed that It was a Congress government that opened India’s economy to other countries of the world.
”Congress promises to strengthen its relations with other countries through enhanced economic
co-operation, two-way investments and closer relations between businesspersons,” the manifesto said.
”Congress promises to pass a Law on Asylum consistent with international treaties and conventions.
We will re-double the efforts to win for permanent membership India in the UN Security Council and the Nuclear Suppliers Group,” the manifesto said.
”Congress will work with SAARC and ASEAN coun-tries to enhance the volume of trade, investments,
tourism and cultural exchanges and reap the benefits of geographical proximity,” it said.
Congress in its manifesto promised to establish effective mechanisms with neighbouring countries, especially Sri Lanka and Pakistan, to resolve the problems faced by fishermen, to eliminate conflict, coercive action
and loss of lives, and to improve livelihood opportunities for our fishing communities.
”We will strengthen the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, expand its engagement with
other countries and encourage the Council to in-crease the projection of India’s soft power globally,” the manifesto said.

Congress further promised to increase significantly the size of the Foreign Service, induct domain experts and
scholars, open more missions abroad, participate more effectively in international organisations, leverage ”our growing economy and acquire a position of leadership in the world”.

Agencies

Now, Gautam Gambhir joins issue with Omar Abdullah on ‘PM post’ in Kashmir

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New Delhi, Apr 2 : A day after former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah sparked off a major row demanding revival of the post of ‘Prime Minister in Kashmir’, cricketer-turned-BJP leader Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday said in such an eventuality, he wants to walk on ‘oceans’.

“Omar Abdullah wants a separate PM for J&K and I want to walk on oceans! Omar Abdullah wants a separate PM for J&K & I want pigs to fly!,” Mr Gambhir tweeted.

He also said more than a separate Prime Minister, Mr Abdullah will need “some sleep followed by a strong coffee”.

“If he still does not understand then a green Pakistani passport,” he said.

In a tweet, Mr Abdullah on Monday defended his remarks and said – “It’s not what JKNC wants sir, it’s what the terms of accession guaranteed J&K, it’s what the Constitution of India (the same Constitution you take an oath to uphold) guaranteed J&K. All we ask is what the Constitution gave to J&K”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi told an election rally at Hyderabad on Monday – ?Two Prime Ministers for Hindustan? Do you agree with it? Congress has to answer and all the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ partners have to answer. What are the reasons and how dare he say that”.

The Prime Minister also tweeted and said it was ‘shameful’ that National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has sought to revive the demand for post of ‘Prime Minister in Kashmir’.

“National Conference wants 2 PMs, 1 in Kashmir & 1 for rest of India. Does Mamata Didi agree? Does U-Turn Babu agree? Does Pawar Sahab agree? Does former PM Deve Gowda Ji agree? Shame on the Opposition,” Prime Minister tweeted.

He also said – “Till Modi is there, no one can divide India” and tagged the video of his speech at Hyderabad.

All is well’… if it ends well : Siddaramaiah

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BENGALURU: “All is well,” says Siddaramaiah tugging at his scarf with a flourish, exuding confidence, about the JD(S) and Congress alliance. That he has to harp on the wellness of Karnataka’s ruling coalition just weeks before the first round of polling on April 18, spoke volumes.  

“Haven’t we completed ten months in government?” he asks of the media group, called for a special interaction at Bangalore Press Club, on Monday. The former Chief Minister, however, did not shy away from admitting ‘minor’ nagging issues at the district levels, only to quickly add that those were being “weeded out”.

Brushing away the prevailing doubts, Siddaramaiah adds, “it’s been proved beyond all reasonable doubts that JD(S) and Congress transferred their votes together and registered big wins in the bypolls. Yes, there are a few differences but they will be solved gradually. Votes will get transferred to each other.”  While the ground reality may defy his statements, the coordination committee chief, pushed the idea of a successful joint campaign with confidence.F

Leaders and workers of the JD(S) are yet to begin a campaign for Congress candidates in 21 seats and leaders of the Congress are yet to actively seek votes for JD(S)’ candidates in seven other seats but Siddaramaiah claimed that all was well between the partners. Seniors from JD(S) like G T Devegowda and Sa Ra Mahesh have refused to campaign for the Congress in Mysuru citing rebellion in neighbouring Mandya district.

In Raichur, JD(S) leader Rangappa Naik has threatened to contest as an independent miffed over his party conceding the seat to Congress. Incumbent Congress MP Muddahanumegowda, who also skipped the joint rally on Sunday, has refused to campaign for JD(S) national president H D Deve Gowda who is contesting from Tumkur.Despite the glaring differences and apparent disinterest to coordinate from district leaders, Siddaramaiah says that all is well. 

Claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi won’t return to power, Siddaramaiah said that the BJP was refusing to speak on issues that actually matter. “They had swept Gujarat in 2014 but can they do that now? It is impossible for Modi to come back to power. They refuse to address real issues of farmers, poor, women, Dalit welfare, development and unemployment but use Pulwama to gain votes. They speak of Ram Mandir but people are tired of it,” Siddaramaiah said. He said that if the BJP was opposed to Congress’ NYAY scheme, it was opposed to the good of people.

Countering speculations over Rahul Gandhi’s decision to contest from a second seat — Wayanad in Kerala – Siddaramaiah recalled that Modi had contested from two seats in 2014 as well. “Rahul Gandhi is not scared of Smriti Irani. In fact, he will win with a big margin. When Modi contested two seats, nobody called it the downfall of the BJP,” he said.The former Chief Minister said the joint campaign of both parties for all 28 candidates will begin as early as Tuesday.

Rahul to file nomination papers for Wayanad Lok Sabha seat on Apr 4

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Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 2 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi will arrive in Kerala on Wednesday to file his nomination papers for Wayanad Lok Sabha seat on Thursday.

Mr Gandhi will reach Kozhikode on Wednesday evening and file his nomination on April 4, party sources here said.

Congress Senior leaders including AICC General secretaries Oommen Chandy, KC Venugopal, Mukul Wasnik, IUML leader Kunhalikutty, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and KPCC President Mullappally Ramachandran will also accompany the AICC President during his visit to Kozhikode and Wayanad.

Agencies

Will Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s nomination be rejected?

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Independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh has accused an EC official of ‘tampering’ with the process of scrutinising Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s nomination papers.

On Sunday, independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh accused Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and the district administration of working in favour of the former’s son and JD(S)’s Mandya candidate, Nikhil Kumaraswamy. Two days after Nikhil filed his nomination on March 25, Sumalatha’s polling agent MA Madan Kumar submitted an objection – a written complaint – to the Returning Officer (RO) and Mandya Deputy Commissioner N Manjushree and general observer Ranjeet Kumar J, pointing out the discrepancies in his nomination papers. According to norms, the RO is supposed to pass an order on such an objection. However, Sumalatha said no orders have been passed in this regard.

Since the scrutiny of nominations began on March 27, several controversial questions regarding Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s nomination have been raised. Now, a series of allegations and counter-allegations have resulted in massive speculations that Nikhil’s nomination may be rejected.

Were there technical errors in Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s nomination papers? Did the Returning Officer (RO) of Mandya and the Election Commission officials tamper with the process of scrutinising his nomination papers?

The last date for filing nomination papers for Lok Sabha elections, or making any changes to it, was March 26 for the first phase of polling in Karnataka.

A day before, on March 25, amidst much fanfare, Nikhil Kumaraswamy submitted his nomination papers to the Deputy Commissioner of Mandya, N Manjushree, at 2.43 pm.

On March 27, the Returning Officer, who is also the Mandya Deputy Commissioner (DC), took up the scrutiny of all nomination papers filed for the Mandya segment. This was done in the presence of election general observers Ranjeeth Kumar J and Rani Nagar at 11.50 am.

On March 27, Manjushree stated that Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s nomination papers were in order.

However, Sumalatha’s polling agent MA Madan Kumar claimed otherwise. On the same day, he submitted a written complaint to Manjushree and Ranjeeth, claiming that the four sets of nomination papers filed by Nikhil Kumaraswamy on March 25 were not in order. Madan stated that Nikhil had not filled in all the columns on his Form 26 (election affidavit).

Madan Kumar then stated that CCTV footage from the DC’s office will show that two days after the last date for filing nominations was over, Nikhil Kumaraswamy submitted a fresh Form 26 on March 27 at 10.20 am.

“Nikhil submitted fresh papers an hour before the scrutiny process begins. I complained to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora on March 27, stating that the RO (Manjushree) accepted the nomination papers despite the objection I filed,” Madan told media.

Sumalatha too stepped up the attack against the RO. During an election rally on March 28, Sumalatha accused Manjushree of violating the rules to help Nikhil. She claimed that JD(S) leaders in Mandya, including CM HD Kumaraswamy, were pressurising Manjushree.

On March 29, Manjushree held a press conference in Mandya to counter Sumalatha’s allegations. She said she had followed due process and had not indulged in any illegal activity.

According to Madan, the CCTV footage at Manjushree’s office had recorded Nikhil filing his nomination again, which is against the rules.

“After Manjushree’s press conference, I released a video of the scrutiny of nomination papers. The footage that the DC office gave us as proof that nothing was done wrong was tampered with. You can see the date stamps for yourself and find what went wrong,” Madan added.

On Saturday, the Election Commission of India directed the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka, Sanjiv Kumar to look into the matter. Sanjiv Kumar held talks with officials of the Mandya district administration. Sanjiv Kumar later told the media that since the nomination papers were accepted by the RO, the EC could not intervene in the issue.

On Sunday, Sumalatha accused general observer Ranjeeth Kumar of colluding with the JD(S).  Then, the Mysuru regional commissioner, TK Anil Kumar, was brought in by the ECI to conduct a probe into the accusations of procedural lapses by the Mandya Deputy Commissioner Manjushree.

According to an Election Commission officer, the last date for scrutinising nomination papers for phase 2 of the elections was on March 29 and hence, it is unlikely that Nikhil’s nomination would be rejected now. “Sumalatha can approach the court but she has indicated that she will not do so,” the EC official added.

Meanwhile, Mysuru regional commissioner TK Anil Kumar, acting on a direction from the Election Commission of India, has initiated an inquiry into Sumalatha’s charges. Madan stated that he has recorded the claims of both parties.

“He took my statement and also Manjushree’s and said he would submit the report to the ECI. I have also spoken about how the DC office tampered with the CCTV footage and I have submitted a copy of it to Anil Kumar. He said he will submit it to the ECI and that we would have to wait till EC makes a decision,” Madan added.

Agencies

A Notorious House Thief nabbed Rs 40 lakhs worth stolen Gold and silver ornaments

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Bengaluru, Apr 2 : Police have nabbed a notorious House Thief and recovered from him Rs 40 lakhs worth stolen Gold ornaments and Silver articles in the City recently.
South East Police in a release here on Tuesday said that the arrested was identified as 32 year-old Prakash.
The arrested was involved in 8 house theft cases reported in various Extensions in the City. The stolen articles recovered from him included 1 kg 216 gram Gold ornaments, 1 kg 800 gram Silver articles.
Suddaguntepalya Police have registered a case and investigating

Children of slain journalist Khashoggi to get paid by Riyadh

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Riyadh, Apr 2 : The four children of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the US-based Saudi Arabian dissident and contributing columnist for The Washington Post, receive each month at least $10,000 apiece from Saudi authorities in the wake of their father’s murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last year, and have also been given estates in the kingdom worth millions more,officials said on Tuesday.

According to Saudi officials, Khashoggi’s children ? two sons and two daughters ? were presented with houses in the Saudi port city of Jeddah, worth around $4 million each, adding that the estates were likely to be later put on sale.

Moreover, the officials believe that each of Khashoggi’s children may additionally receive tens of millions of dollars as compensation after the trial on their father’s suspected murderers.

Some of the officials said that the payments were partially aimed at making sure that the journalist’s family would continue to avoid making harsh comments against Saudi Arabia following the tragedy.

Another official, however, refuted the idea, saying that it was a common practice in the kingdom to financially help the families of victims of violent crimes.

A former Saudi official also said that the payments to Khashoggi’s children were a way of acknowledging that “a big injustice has been done.”

Khashoggi, who was a well-known critic of Saudi policies, went missing last October after he entered the Saudi consulate in Turkey’s Istanbul.

Agencies

Prime Minister Modi’s divisive, irresponsible speech unlikely to invite EC’s censure

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He has been let off time and again by the Election Commission even after making reckless and irresponsible speeches. Why should it be different this time ?

The Election Commission of India has been extraordinarily lenient with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Despite repeatedly violating the Model Code of Conduct, the PM has got away so far without a warning or a censure from the Commission.

And although the Prime Minister on Monday invoked the word ‘Hindu’ over a dozen times in his address at a public meeting at Wardha (Maharashtra) and accused the Congress of being anti-Hindu and pro-Pakistan, he is unlikely to be pulled up by the Election Commission.

The Election Commission of course can only issue warnings and censure political leaders violating the Model Code of Conduct or vitiating the electoral process. As former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Qureshi explained on TV, the Commission can only invoke its ‘moral force’ in case of violations. But a warning to none else than the Prime Minister of India should have a salutary effect and restrain not just him but other political leaders reducing the election campaign to a mud bout in a pig sty.

The MCC says, “No party/candidate shall indulge in any activity which may aggravate existing differences/create mutual hatred/cause tension between different castes & communities, religious/linguistic, there shall be no appeal to caste/communal feelings for securing votes”.

But Modi got away by alleging that more land was being given to bury the Muslims than to cremate the Hindus ( Kabristan vs Shamshan) during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. During the same campaign, he alleged that more electricity supply was being maintained by the state government during Muslim festivals than during Hindu festivals ( Eid vs Diwali).

Then during the Gujarat Assembly election, the Prime Minister made the outrageous claim that the Congress was conspiring with Pakistan to install a Muslim, Ahmed Patel, as chief minister of the state. Even more preposterous was his allegation that former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and former Army Chief Deepak Kapoor had met Pakistan’s High Commissioner and a visiting former Foreign secretary of Pakistan at a private dinner in the house of former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyer. The PM, making the sensational allegation the morning after the private dinner, alleged that this amounted to treason.

He is yet to apologise for the reckless comment. It was left to Arun Jaitley to offer some kind of explanation in parliament to mollify the opposition.

And now the Prime Minister is at what he apparently does best, inflaming passions on communal lines, invoking ‘Hindu’ anger and seeking to ‘punish’ the previous government and the previous ruling party for allegedly insulting Hindus by coining the term, “saffron terror”.

The Prime Minister’s ‘minority phobia’ is worrying and raises questions about his mental health, if not his conduct that is unbecoming of the office he holds. With the Election Commission of India turning a benign eye to his several transgressions, it is unlikely that he will be pulled up even now. And one can only dread what he is going to say next in the coming six weeks of campaigning.

Former diplomat K.C. Singh summed up the sentiment of many when he tweeted:

“Regrettably one thought PM Modi’s brush with prime ministerial power, serial hugging of Muslim Gulf Sheikhs & Christian western leaders, his pre-2014 bigotry would pass. Instead from BIGOT he’s now free flowing communal SPIGOT.”

While others quibbled over the demographic divide in Wayanad, from where the Congress President Rahul Gandhi will be contesting, others wondered if it behoved the Prime Minister to speak in terms of religious divisions.

Some Twitter users pointed out that Hindus are in a minority in Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir and in several states in the North-East. Should that make a difference in elections ?

Agencies

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