After unveiling it’s manifesto a few days ago, the All Indian Mahila Empowerment Party (AIMEP) today unveiled the second list of its candidates to contest for the Karnataka Assembly during an event at The Lalit Ashok Hotel today. The party had earlier announced the spokespeople for the upcoming elections scheduled to be held on May 12.

While announcing the candidates, Dr Nowhera Shaik, President, All India Mahila Empowerment Party, said, “We have chosen our candidates after a lot of careful deliberations and background checks. We all believe in our platform of social justice and justice for all. We are all working towards the cause of India, where our candidates, too, are concerned with the welfare of women who are at the wrong end of the spectrum. Those who have not received seats at the MLA level, will be given seats at the municipal and corporation levels.”

The MEP is the first political party in the country focussing on women and their issues, as it believes that improving the conditions of women will ensure that the society as a whole will be improve.

The AIMEP has expressed its intention to contest all the 224 seats in Karnataka Assembly polls. The party has also said that it aims to make a pro-women government and it’s list of candidates itself is an indication of its intentions.

About AIMEP

It is the concern towards the issues of women that led into forming the All India Mahila Empowerment Party. The indispensability of politics in addressing social concerns is what prompted into forming of the party , MEP devoted to the course of gender justice and empowerment of women. Realized how the male oriented social set up is limiting the development of faculties of women making them unaware and unable of self-recognition and independent existence.

The All India Mahila Empowerment Party is a result of realizations in the past of engagement in issues concerning women. Ultimate change can be made possible only through organizing as a movement making things clear and be demanding from the authorities to ensure women rights and gender justice. Working under the banner JUSTICE FOR HUMANITY, this party leaves no little room for doubts and questions. A sound society which recognizes equality of all its members can only build a healthy and strong nation. Empowering women is a means towards the empowerment of the larger society and the nation.

About Dr Nowhera Shaik

Dr Shaik has been running her own business for over 20 years and has been educating girls as a means to empower them. She is the President of a reputed Muslim women’s organisation, At-Tawheed International Dawah Centre for Women, which supports thousands of poor women through her charitable activities like sponsoring education, arranging marriages, health camps, etc. The organisation today has chapters across cities in India and the Middle East.

The All India Mahila Empowerment Party is a result of Nowhera Shaik’s commitment towards to society and the country . Ultimate change can be made possible only through organising movement, making things clear and be demanding from the authorities to ensure women rights and gender justice.

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Wednesday apologized to a woman journalist whose cheeks he patted after a press conference, triggering widespread criticism.

In a letter to the journalist, Lakshmi Subramanian, which was circulated to the media, Purohit said: “I wish to express my regret and my apologies to assuage your sentiments that have been hurt.”

Purohit said: “You had asked a question when we had got up and were proceeding to leave after the close of the press conference (on Tuesday).”

“I considered that question to be a good one. Therefore, as an act of appreciation for the question that you had posed, I gave a pat on your cheek considering you to be like my granddaughter,” he said.
Purohit said he himself has been a journalist for about 40 years.

“I do understand from your mail that you are feeling hurt about the incident. I wish to express my regret and my apologies to assuage your sentiments that have been hurt.”

Reacting to Purohit’s letter, Subramanian tweeted: “Your Excellency, I have with me your letter expressing regret at what happened at the press conference in Chennai… I accept your apology even though I am not convinced about your contention that you did it to appreciate a question I asked.”

Earlier, Tamil Nadu journalists had demanded an unconditioned apology from Purohit for patting the cheek of Subramanian.

Subramanian tweeted a picture in which the Governor is seen patting her cheek at the Raj Bhavan and expressed her shock over his conduct.

The Governor met the media to deny as untrue allegations of a so-called sex scandal at a leading university in the state.

Journalists promptly drafted a letter informing the Governor that his conduct amounted to a non-bailable criminal offence.

“As the Constitutional head of our state of Tamil Nadu, you have crossed the lines of not just basic courtesy but also those of law,” read the letter to the Governor.

They pointed out that whatever his intention, he had violated the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998.

DMK Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi tweeted: “Even if the intention is above suspicion, violating a woman journalist’s personal space does not reflect the dignity or the respect which should be shown to any human being.”

The journalists had sought an unconditional apology from the Governor and an assurance that he will desist from behaving in this manner in future.

By R. Narayan

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may do much better in Karnataka in the forthcoming Assembly elections if Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a number of rallies in the Vokkaligas-dominated central and old Mysuru region.

The Janata Dal (Secular) or JDS has a strong presence in the area and has been winning most of seats in this belt. A change in strategy and PM’s addresses may attract a sizable number of party supporters.

The JDS has won more than 25 seats in all the three previous elections and this belt has been contributing much to its success.
Between 2004 and 2013, the worst performance made by the party was in 2008 when it had bagged only 28 seats. In the rest of elections it had done much better. The party had captured 58 seats in 2004 and 40 in the previous polls.

If the BJP has to do better and score over the Congress it has to win a good number of seats in this area.

Most of the party leaders, talked to, strongly believe that if the PM agrees to address 25 to 30 rallies, mostly in this region, the situation will change much in favour of the party and the ruling Congress will find the going very tough.

“There is no doubt about it. If Modi jee holds three or four meetings in this belt, we will win a number of seats”, hoped Narayan Prasad, a party office bearer in Chamarajnagar.

If a senior party leader in Mysuru is to be believed, the party had requested the Prime Minister to devote ten days in the state and address 30 rallies. It was not found possible. “He has agreed to be here for five or six days only and address 12 meetings”, he said. Dates and places are yet to be decided.

The party Karnataka in-charge also did not throw much light on it. “We are finalising places where PM will hold rallies”, Murlidhar Rao said.

Hindusthan Samrachar/ R. Narayan/ Shri Ram Shaw

Willing to talk to top Maoist leadership: Chhattisgarh CM
By Brajendra Nath Singh

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, who has been battling left-wing extremists in the state for the last 15 years, says he is ready to talk to Maoists — but only if their top leadership comes to the table.

He says the fight against Maoists is the “toughest fight in the world” and asserts that left-wing extremists can still claim dominance in only “15-20 per cent areas” in just two districts — Bijapur and Sukma.

“The battle against Maoists is the toughest fight in the world. This is a fight where our own people (Maoists) roam around wearing lungis and suddenly start firing. What will a jawan do under such circumstances? They (Maoists) keep themselves surrounded by women and children and innocent villagers. We can’t do anything. We can’t kill everybody,” Singh, the longest-serving Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Minister, told IANS in an interview.

He said that the fight on the borders was “easier” as enemies are known, but the battle against Maoists was different.

“On the border we know our posts and can easily identify the enemies. We can use guns, bombs and other heavy arms against them. But here it is a different fight. We know they (Maoists) are there, but we can’t use bombs and other weapons against them as they keep themselves surrounded by villagers,” he said.

Inviting top Maoist leaders for talks, Singh urged them to join the mainstream by involving themselves in development work.

“What is the problem in talks? We are ready, but we can’t talk to district-level Maoists. They are only following the directions of top Maoists. Whenever there are talks, it will be with the top leadership that includes their five-seven Politburo members. If they come forward, we can find some way out,” he said.

“This (Maoists) is not the problem of Chhattisgarh alone. They are spread in six states,” he added.

“Most of these Maoists operate from Andhra Pradesh, while some operate from Odisha, Telangana and Garhchiroli in Maharashtra. Bastar is spread across 40,000 sq km, an area larger than Kerala. They flee to any of these states after committing crimes against humanity,” he said.

The Chief Minister claimed that through development work in Maoist-hit areas, his government has been successful in curbing and countering their influence.

“Now you can freely roam in any area of Dantewada, even on two-wheelers. Change is visible when you travel to these areas. By creating infrastructure — roads and power — I have been able to win the confidence of the people,” he said, referring to a district that was once a hotbed to Maoist activity.

Singh said that power works as a major catalyst for change. “Once a person gets addicted to light (power), he will never like the dark. I am trying to provide power to every household. Once this is done, we will distribute smartphones to each student — at the bachelors and masters level, or those doing MBBS and engineering..

“Today we have reached a stage where there are only some 640,000 homes without power. These houses will be equipped with power by June this year.

“In some parts of Dantewada and Sukma, where we are facing problems in providing power supply, we are distributing solar lanterns. If the Maoists find these lanterns in any house, they break them. Now we are distributing these lanterns to students and they use it for their studies.”

Recalling the challenges faced in the fight against the Maoists, he said that Chhattisgarh was the only state in India where there was a stretch of 150 km of National Highways that had “mitti” (untarred) roads — because the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) that was tasked with constructing the roads back in 2003 had refused to do so because of the Maoist threat.

“Finally, we decided to get this patch of 150 km constructed by local contractors. Now, from Jagdalpur, Dantewada, Sukma to Bijapur — all are well connected by road,” he said.

(Ians)

The Congress on Tuesday said that the aspirants, who did not figure in the list of party candidates in Karnataka, would be accommodated in its future party government in the state.

Party President Rahul Gandhi has been engaging with the tickets aspirants and the MLAs who have been denied ticket to pacify them, said party spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill.

“It is unfortunate that all aspirants cannot be given tickets for the limited number of seats. We respect the feelings of those people who have not got the ticket.

“The Congress will engage with those ticket aspirants, pacify them and would make them part of future government in Karnataka and I am sure they will have a smiling face once again,” he said.

Karnataka’s ruling Congress on Monday set up a special cell to quell the revolt brewing in the party from a dozen sitting legislators and scores of aspirants whose names did not figure in the 218 candidates declared to contest the May 12 assembly elections.

On BJP’s ticket distribution, Congress said even in their party there is a lot of dissidence and disgruntlement over ticket distribution.

“BJP’s policy is to back the corrupt and corrupt practices. It gets proved by their ticket distribution. The BJP has given tickets to Yeddyurappa (former Karnataka Chief Minister) and Reddy brothers.

“By giving them tickets, BJP has made it very clear that it is going to fight election riding on the shoulders of the corrupt,” said Shergill.

(IANS)