POLL-SNIPPETS: TMC protects infiltrators, opposes CAA: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flayed the Trinamool Congress, accusing it of protecting infiltrators but opposing the CAA, which gives citizenship to refugees.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flayed the Trinamool Congress, accusing it of protecting infiltrators but opposing the CAA, which gives citizenship to refugees.
Modi, while addressing an election rally at Balurghat (West Bengal), also alleged that the TMC gave the state "on lease" to goons and infiltrators. He criticised the TMC regime for opposing Ram Navami celebrations in the state, and termed Calcutta High Court's ruling that allowed a VHP procession in Howrah as victory of truth.
"This year's Ram Navami celebrations are a bit different as Ram Lalla has returned home in Ayodhya. But the TMC, just like in previous years, is opposing Ram Navami celebrations in the state," he said. The prime minister also said that the entire country is petrified by the incidents of crime against women in Sandeshkhali.
Corruption and crime are rampant in the state. Even central agencies are attacked when they try to investigate these corruption cases. It seems that the TMC has given the state on lease to infiltrators and goons," Modi said, adding, "The state government here protects infiltrators, but opposes the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which provides citizenship to refugees.."
BJP believes in winning hearts, 'lotus' will bloom on its own in Kashmir: Amit Shah
Union minister Amit Shah on Tuesday slammed the Congress, National Conference and PDP, alleging that most fake encounters and incidents of firing on youths in Jammu and Kashmir occurred during their rule.
Rejecting rival parties' charge the BJP was more interested in Kashmir's land than the welfare of its people, he said the BJP is in no haste and believes in winning the hearts of people as it will ultimately lead to the 'lotus', the party's poll symbol, blooming across the Valley.
Addressing an election rally in Jammu, Shah also said that assembly polls in J-K will be held according to the dateline set by the Supreme Court (September 30). "Nobody should have any doubt on this," the minister said.
Shah alleged that the Congress, National Conference and PDP exploited the youths of Kashmir. "These three parties did not allow democracy to grow in Jammu and Kashmir... on the pretext of security, our Kashmiri youths were exploited. I want to ask (National Conference president) Farooq Abdullah and the PDP - under whose rule most of the fake encounters took place, who fired on the children of Kashmir and handed the gun to them? It is these three parties."
But the BJP, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, restored peace and ensured development after the abrogation of Article 370, Shah said. "Modiji restored peace in Jammu and Kashmir. J-K slipped into backwardness due to terrorism and agitations for the past 70 years. Modi facilitated the end of terrorism, fake encounters, stone-pelting, and Pakistan-sponsored strikes, paving the way for development in J-K," he said.
The Home Minister assured the people that the Modi government would develop border villages at par with Jammu city, take the number of tourist arrivals to three crore and encourage border tourism besides providing piped domestic gas to every household.
Cong will raise tea workers' wages in Assam: Priyanka
Leading a roadshow in support of party candidate Gaurav Gogoi in Jorhat district of Assam, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said daily wages of tea garden workers will be hiked if the opposition alliance wins the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a huge crowd while taking part in a roadshow in Titabor (Assam) she claimed the ruling party also wants to "change" the Constitution and if that happens, the common people of the country will suffer the most.
"When I came to Assam and visited tea gardens before assembly polls 2-3 years ago, I had promised to raise the wages if Congress formed the government. But you chose BJP and the wages were not raised from around Rs 250. I am again telling you that our manifesto has guaranteed to increase the wages of tea garden workers if we form the government at the Centre," Vadra said.
Whatever promises were made by Congress in Karnataka and other states ruled by the party, all were fulfilled, she claimed.
Vadra also alleged that the ruling party will "change" the Indian Constitution if it returns to power for the third term and the common people will suffer the most after their rights are curtailed. "Farmers, workers, students, poor and all other people have one important right -- voting right, which is given by the Constitution. Please use it wisely," she appealed to the cheering crowd.
Talking about the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, Vadra said it is completely against the historic Assam Accord, which was signed following an initiative "by my father Rajiv Gandhi who came to Assam and listened to people's voice".
Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress leader said that unemployment is at an all-time high, but the PM mentioned it only twice in a recent interview, which was all about his 'Man Ki Baat'.
Kejriwal, his wife, Sisodia among AAP's star campaigners for LS polls in Gujarat
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and senior AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, all of whom are behind bars, have been named by the party as star campaigners for the Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat.
Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann are also among the list of 40 star campaigners, whose names have been submitted by the party to the Election Commission. Other prominent names on the list are AAP Rajya Sabha MPs Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak. Names of Rajya Sabha MPs Harbhajan Singh and Swati Maliwal are missing from the list.
Chief Minister Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in connection with a Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case. He is currently in judicial custody and lodged in Tihar jail.
Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat will be held in a single phase on May 7 and the last date for filing nomination papers is April 19.
I am indebted to Ambedkar's Constitution, says Modi in Bihar rally
In an apparent rebuttal of the opposition's charge that the BJP wanted to scrap the Constitution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that he felt "indebted to Baba Saheb Ambedkar's samvidhan" which enabled him to rise from humble origins.
Modi, who addressed back-to-back election rallies in Bihar's Gaya and Purnea districts, spoke extensively of the high esteem in which he held the Constitution, mentioning his government's measures like "celebrating Samvidhan Diwas, from schools to the Supreme Court and Parliament".
"This year is special. We are going to celebrate 75 years of the Constitution on a scale similar to the Amrit Kaal celebrations which marked 75 years of Independence", said Modi, adding, "Our intent is to reach out to every nook and corner of the country where youngsters will be told how our glorious Constitution was drafted and what is its significance".
"People ask me why do I care so much for the poor, the Dalits. I do so because I have risen from among them. I therefore, feel, indebted to the social class. I also feel indebted towards the Constitution framed by Babasaheb Ambedkar which helped me reach where I am," said the Prime Minister.
Modi's refrain came a day after RJD president Lalu Prasad, the BJP's principal opponent in Bihar, raked up utterances made by a number of leaders of the saffron party who have said the "Constitution will be changed if we get two-thirds majority in Parliament".
Modi, who has been equating the Constitution with sacred books like the Ramayana, Bible and Koran, pointed out that it was under the rule of the Congress, the RJD's ally, that the Emergency was imposed and several constitutional provisions were suspended.
"Our opponents are those who had held the Constitution hostage and tried to tamper with it during the Emergency. Those who want power to remain confined within the hands of a family always treat the Constitution as an eyesore. A reason why they have even begun to threaten that they will not accept outcomes of polls held under the provisions of the Constitution. We must remain united to foil their attempts," said the prime minister.
The PM had to repeatedly ask euphoric crowds at both Gaya and Purnea to give up chants of "Modi! Modi!" while he was holding forth. He said, "Save this enthusiasm for the polling date. It will be needed a lot".
'PM should look in the mirror first': Mamata on allegations of corruption against TMC
Demanding a white paper on the investigations conducted by central teams in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that PM Narendra Modi who accuses her TMC of corruption should look in the mirror first.
Addressing an election rally at Mainaguri in Jalpaiguri district, Banerjee said it was the TMC which is fighting the BJP in the state, while the CPI(M) and Congress were working with it. "BJP had sent 300 central teams to Bengal to investigate the allegations of corruption but they didn't find anything. Now, PM Modi needs to answer the people of Bengal, what happened to the MGNREGA funds? Poor people worked under the scheme but were not paid," she said, demanding a white paper on the investigations.
"The PM says TMC is a corrupt party. He should look in the mirror first. His party is filled with dacoits," she added. Raising the issue of demonetisation, Banerjee sought to know who benefitted from it. She called the BJP an "anti-Bengali party", and alleged that it was "planning to drive out" tribals, Dalits and OBCs in the "garb of NRC". "We won't allow NRC in Bengal," she asserted.
Upping the ante against the CPI(M) and Congress, she said, "Only the TMC is fighting the BJP in Bengal, while the other two opposition parties are working with it. We are with the INDIA bloc at the national level, but in Bengal, TMC must win to save the country."
Banerjee claimed that if the BJP returned to power no more elections would be held in the country. "There will be the rule of one man and one party," she claimed.
Claiming that the BJP-led government at the Centre did nothing for the ailing tea gardens of northern West Bengal, she said, "Our government has reopened 59 tea gardens and gave land rights to the workers who have been living there for decades."
