Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party is bound to protect India and its citizens. 

Answering a series of questions during his interaction with media in Haryana’s Rohtak, the prime minister said that action will be taken against “any threat to the nation, be it by people or any system”.

PM Modi was reacting to a query if action will be taken against Hafiz Saeed and Dawood Ibrahim like Masood Azahar. The prime minister responded, “Any threat to the nation, be it by people or system, whether it’s on the land, sky or in space, BJP is bound to protect India and Indians,” he told news agency.

PM Modi on if action will be taken against Hafiz Saeed & Dawood Ibrahim like Masood Azahar, if BJP comes back to power: Don’t take names of individuals, any threat to nation, be it by people or system, whether it’s on land, sky or in space, BJP is bound to protect India & Indians.

The prime minister sharpened his attack on the Congress and said that the party can’t fight elections on issues of development and that is why “they manufacture a lie for which no facts are needed, but BJP is answerable to people and we keep all issues in front of the public”.

“I am saying from Day 1, we gave houses to 1.5 crore poor, electrification of 18,000 villages, Ayushmaan Bharat, MSP, highways etc. I wanted Congress to challenge us but Congress cant debate on these issues as facts are required,” the PM stated. 

Modi also slammed the Congress for its leader Sam Pitroda’s reported remark on the anti-Sikh riots, saying it showed the “character and mentality” of the party.

“It reflects Congress’s mentality, they have done this for years. Rajiv Gandhi had said ‘when a big tree falls earth shakes’. They even made Kamal Nath in-charge of Punjab, now made him MP CM. So don’t take this as an individual’s statement,” he said. 

The prime minister said that this Lok Sabha polls, people will give the result of Congress’ arrogance, “people of India will ensure that they slip even further,” Modi said adding that it was “Congress’s arrogance which got them 44 seats”. 

The prime minister, in an exclusive interview with WION, on Thursday exuded the confidence of securing a second term, that too with a thumping majority. 

“I assure you that the BJP is again going to form the government with an absolute majority. All the NDA constituents will emerge victorious with even bigger margins than 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The new government will be strong, and the work we have done in the last five years will speak for itself,” PM Modi told WION Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary.

The Prime Minister also dismissed speculation that the BJP and NDA will need partners to form a government after the results are announced on May 23.

Agencies

Mysuru, May 10: In a shocking incident, a 23-year-old woman was allegedly gangraped by six men in front of her male friend near Lingambudhi Palya in Mysuru, Karnataka on Wednesday night.

The incident took place around 10 pm on Wednesday night when they were attacked by six perpetrators in Lingapura village. The duo has been admitted with grievous injuries at a local hospital.

Initial reports suggest that the unidentified attackers cornered the duo and brutally thrashed the boy with stone. They bludgeoned his foot with a heavy stone and then attacked the girl. The men then took turn to gangrape the girl.

When the woman raised an alarm, passersby came to their rescue and informed the Jayapura police. The accused immediately fled the scene.

According to the SP Mysuru, Amit Kumar Singh, the Jayapura police station came to know about the incident at 11 pm. After visiting the spot it was found that the girl was raped and her friend was assaulted.

Medical tests were conducted on the woman at ‘Gelathi’, an exclusive centre set up by the Department of Woman and Child Welfare on the premises of Cheluvamba Hospital to deal with such cases. She was treated as an out-patient and her condition is said to be stable. While her male friend, who suffered a fracture on his right leg, is undergoing treatment at K R Hospital in Mysuru.

According to the statement of the girl, she had gone to repay loan and en route they had stopped for a while when the incident took place. The spot was uninhabited.

Meanwhile, a case has already been registered and three special teams formed to nab the accused.

The Mysuru news comes at a time when the Alwar gangrape in distant Rajasthan has caused massive outrage. On April 26, the accused stopped the couple’s motorcycle on Thanagaji-Alwar road and beat the husband. They stripped the couple and raped the woman in front of her husband. One of accused also shot a video. The incident occurred on April 26. This all happened for nearly three hours.

According to National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data in 2001 143795 incidents – rape, kidnapping and abduction, dowry deaths, assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty, insult to modesty of women, cruelty by husband or relative, importation of girls from foreign countries, immoral traffic act, dowry prohibition act, indecent representation of woman and Sati – were registered. While, 327394 cases of crime against women have been registered in 2015.

Agencies

New Delhi, May 10 : Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and former batsman VVS Laxman on Friday came out in support of former cricketer and East Delhi BJP candidate Gautam Gambhir after AAP accused him of distributing offensive pamphlets against his rival Atishi Marlena.

Taking to Twitter, Harbhajan Singh and Laxhman vouched that Gambhir could never talk ill of any woman.
”Shocked to hear about yesterday’s developments. Having known Gautam Gambhir for nearly two decades, I can vouch for his integrity, character and the respect he has for women”, Laxman tweeted.

Earlier on Thursday, Harbhajan Singh also tweeted saying that ‘Gambhir could never talk ill of any woman’ and that he was above such acts of bringing humiliation to women.
”I am shocked to note yesterday’s events involving @GautamGambhir. I know him well and he can never talk ill for any woman. Whether he wins or loses is another matter but the man is above all this”, Harbhajan had tweeted .

Meanwhile, Cricketer-turned-politician Gambhir sent defamation notices to three senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders for allegedly accusing him of distributing derogatory pamphlets against Ms Atishi.

In the notice, Gambhir demanded an unconditional apology from the AAP leaders and asked them to withdraw their allegations against him.
On Thursday, AAP’s east Delhi candidate, Atishi had held a press conference alleging that Gambhir distributed a pamphlet containing “obscene and derogatory” remarks against her in the constituency.
Atishi broke down while reading a pamphlet containing demeaning remarks against her, which she alleged was distributed in the constituency by her rival Gambhir.
However, the Bhartiya Janata Party candidate denied the allegation in strong terms and termed it as a conspiracy by AAP against him. He also challenged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to prove the allegations leveled against him and said would quit politics if the charge is proven.

Later, Gambhir in a series of tweets slammed Kejriwal and accused him of outraging a woman’s modesty.

A day after AAP candidate from Delhi East Atishi accused her BJP opponent Gautam Gambhir of circulating pamphlets with derogatory and casteist remarks against her, the latter asserted that if proven guilty, he would request AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal to draft his resignation letter, which he will tender publicly.

Speaking to ANI, Gambhir said he would retire from politics the day allegations against him are proven.

“If he has proof, then he must bring it today. My resignation would be written by Arvind Kejriwal and I will sign it publicly,” said Gambhir.

“If they have proof I am ready to take retirement from politics today itself. I will take retirement on May 23 if they come with proof but what if he doesn’t turn up with proof? Will he resign as Delhi Chief Minister and retire from politics?” he asked.

Gambhir went on to say that it is because of people like Kejriwal that “good” people don’t enter politics.

“You know why good people avoid entering politics? It is because of people like Arvind Kejriwal. They know they have to fight people like Arvind Kejriwal who can stoop to any low just for the sake of winning elections,” he said.

On Friday, Gambhir sent a defamation notice to Atishi, Kejriwal, and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, demanding an unconditional apology for making “defamatory” comments against him.

This came hours after Atishi, while addressing media in the national capital, claimed that pamphlets were being circulated with derogatory and casteist remarks against her.

“They have shown how low they can stoop. Pamphlet states that `she is a very good example of a mixed breed`,” Atishi had said.

Delhi, which has seven Lok Sabha seats at stake, will go to polls on May 12. Counting of votes will take place on May 23. East Delhi constituency will witness a triangular contest between Gambhir, Atishi and Congress’ Arvinder Singh Lovely. 

Agencies

Speaking exclusively to media, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said that he does not harbour prime ministerial ambition and that he is confident that the BJP will form the next government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Gadkari also said that the NDA is not a one-man government and every minister has a voice in the decision-making process.

As the Union minister spoke on a host of other issues, he said that 2019 is not an election of regional parties as the polity is divided between the NDA and the UPA. 

“2019 is not 1996. Most of the regional parties will take a decision after the results come out and will align with either the NDA or the UPA. The federal front has no future,” he said.

Gadkari also took on the critics on the issue of the government interfering in the work of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He told WION that the RBI is not an autonomous institution as it works within the larger umbrella of the government. 

He added that the government has full right to advice and direct the RBI for the benefit of people. 

“We are the elected representatives. People will come to us in case of an economic downturn, so it becomes our responsibility to set things right when required,” said Gadkari.

Gadkari also openly defended the candidature of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur who is contesting against Congress’ Digvijaya Singh from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat. 

He said that Sadhvi has been a victim of a conspiracy hatched by the Congress which had spawned the myth of Hindu terrorism. “She is innocent and will win the elections from Bhopal,” he said.

He also spoke on the farm crisis and said that it is a result of the economic policies of the Congress. He said that the agricultural sector needs a lot of innovation and needs to respond to the new global economy. On the issue subsidy, Gadkari said that subsidy is required as the farm sector is under a tremendous strain.

Downplaying the role of the RSS in the government, Gadkari said that the RSS does not interfere in the work of the government. “It is a wrong perception,” he said.

Agencies

The Supreme Court on Friday reserved its order on the contempt petition filed by BJP MP Meenakashi Lekhi against Rahul Gandhi for attributing his ‘chowkidar chor hai’ comment to the apex court.

The Congress president, on the other hand, requested the top court to close the criminal contempt proceedings against him since he has apologised over the wrong attribution of the remarks.

Appearing for Gandhi, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that Gandhi has tendered an unconditional apology in the matter.

But senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Lekhi, told the bench that the apology tendered by Gandhi should be rejected and action must be taken against him as per the law.

He also argued that the court should ask Gandhi to make an apology to the public for his remarks.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and comprising Justices SK Kaul and KM Joseph is hearing the case against the 48-year-old Congress chief.

Meenakshi Lekhi, the BJP Member of Parliament from the New Delhi constituency, had filed a petition in the Supreme Court alleging that Rahul Gandhi had committed contempt by attributing his ‘chowkidar chor hai’ remarks on the Rafale controversy to the top court.

Rahul Gandhi, while welcoming the Supreme Court’s decision to examine fresh revelations on the Rafale deal on April 10, made remarks about the prime minister and corruption

Ecstatic over the Supreme Court’s decision, Gandhi claimed a moral victory and said that the court has made it clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “committed theft”.

“The Supreme Court has made it clear that ‘chowkidarji’ (watchman) has committed a theft,” Gandhi told reporters during a rally in Amethi.

Lekhi said that the imputation that the court had ruled as such was contempt because it imputed words to the court that it hadn’t said.

Gandhi had on Wednesday filed a three-page affidavit stating his unconditional apology to the apex court.

In an earlier affidavit, Gandhi had said that he had no intention of dragging the court into politics and alleged that it was Lekhi who is playing politics. He had earlier expressed regret for his remarks.

On 30 April, Singhvi had said that the Congress president will file a fresh affidavit with an apology after BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that Gandhi has only expressed regret even as he “deliberately” put words in the mouth of the court.

Agencies

Deoria, May 9 : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh here on Thursday claimed that India was gaining respect, power and prestige under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Addressing a rally here in Salempur area, Mr Singh said India was known as a weak and poor country in early days but now our country has emerged as strong, powerful and influential country in world. He said that PM Modi worked hard day and night for betterment of the country.

Mr Singh said that India is fastest developing country of the world. Our economy was growing swiftly and we have gained sixth position in terms of development while in earlier days the rank was 9, he pointed out adding that our country will be their biggest economy of the world in coming days.

Hitting out at Congress for underdevelopment Mr Singh said that Congress provided 25 lakh homes in six years under Pradhanmantari Avas Yojna while in BJP government regime about 1.30 crore houses were gifted to poor, unprivileged and backwards. Apart from that poor families got free LPG connection and electricity in past five years, he added.

Union minister claimed that every poor family will have shelter and gas connection in coming days if Modi government comes to power at the Centre. He said that constriction of roads at grand scale was started in Atal government and now in Modi government national highways were being constructed at the rate of 32 kilometer per day.

He said that inflation was under control in BJP regime and over 7 crore poor were lifted above poverty line and the line will be eliminated in next five years.

Bengaluru, May 9 : Notification was issued for holding elections to 63 Urban Local Bodies in Karnataka and over 14 lakh eligible voters are expected to exercise their franchise on May 29.

Thus filing of Nominations began for 22 City Municipal Councils, 33 Municipalities and 22 Town Panchayats in 22 districts of the State.

As both the Coalition partners in the Government–Congress and JDS– have decided to go alone in the ULB election there will be a triangular fight.

Last date for withdrawal of Nomination is on May 20, while counting of votes polled will be taken up on May 31. The election code comes into force with immediate effect in all the ULBs where election are scheduled.

Panaji, May 9 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Goa on Thursday filed a complaint before Election Commission against Congress candidate for Panaji by-election Atanasio Monserrate alleging that he had failed to publish in newspapers list of criminal cases filed against him.
In the complaint, BJP Goa unit President Vinay Tendulkar said, “The Supreme Court judgment in writ petition 536 of 2011 makes it mandatory that the candidate having criminal background and the political party who has set up such a candidate must inform the general public three times on different dates in the period between the last day of withdrawal of nominations and the last day of campaigning about the same through print media as well as electronic media..”
“Therefore, it is our strong contention that Atanasio Monserrtae and the Congress have clearly violated the aforesaid mandatory provision laid down by the ECI and have also attracted a serious case of contempt of Supreme Court,” he said.
Mr Tendulkar claimed that by not complying with the Supreme Court directions, Mr Monserrate had also attracted contempt of court.
Besides Mr Monserrate, Valmiki Naik of Aam Adami Party (AAP), Sidharth Kuncaliencar of BJP and Subhash Velingkar of Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM) are also in the fray. The by-elections are scheduled to be held on May 19.