Lok Sabha Election highlights: PM Modi launches a slew of projects in UP

The prime minister mentioned initiatives taken by the Centre to clean the river Ganga and said his government was making the seemingly impossible task possible

Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Varanasi, Kanpur and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh today and unveiled multiple development projects for the state ahead of Lok Sabha polls, whereas Congress President Rahul Gandhi was in Odisha to interact with women at Sibasai Kalyan Mandap on the occasion of International Women's Day.

Catch the highlights here:

11:26 PM

9:42 PM

BJP Parliamentary Board meeting at party's headquarters in Delhi

9:41 PM

9:40 PM

9:39 PM

CPI-M announces Mohammed Salim's name from Raiganj constituency

9:39 PM

9:38 PM

Samajwadi Party names 3 women candidates for Lok Sabha polls

9:38 PM

9:37 PM

9:35 PM

PM inaugurates, lays foundation stone for a slew of projects in UP

 

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a series of development projects in five Uttar Pradesh cities, including his parliamentary constituency Varanasi.

Besides the holy city, the other places where Modi inaugurated projects or symbolically laid foundation stones were Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra and Ghaziabad.

 

In Varanasi, the prime minister laid the foundation stone for the Kashi Vishwanath Temple's approach road and its beautification, and also inspected the project site.

 

After offering prayers at the temple, Modi said that he was blessed to be associated with the project of Kashi Vishwanath Dham.

 

About the beautification project, he said this was "mukti (freedom) for Kashi Vishwanath Dham" which was surrounded with encroachment.

9:26 PM

Start probe into "missing" Rafale papers from Parrikar: Rahul

The probe into the "missing" Rafale papers should start from Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar who had claimed files related to the deal were with him, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Friday.

 

Taking potshots at the BJP-led ruling coalition in Goa, Gandhi said like the government has "disappeared" in the coastal state, Rafale papers, too, have gone missing.

 

Gandhi was addressing booth-level party workers under the banner `Jeet Ki Aur'.

 

"Like the government has disappeared from Goa, the (Rafale) files, too, have disappeared. If you want to inquire then start it from Parrikar," he said.

 

4:37 PM

When we form the govt, we will provide free education to every girl in Odisha: Rahul

4:36 PM

4:22 PM

Mamata accuses Modi govt of stealing country's reserves to fund BJP

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Modi government on Friday of stealing the country's reserves to fund the BJP and wondered how would it protect the country when it could not safeguard the Rafale deal files.

 

Launching her party's campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the Trinamool Congress chief claimed that the country would have a new, people's government after the election.

 

Trashing the bravery chants of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders after the Indian Air Force carried out airstrikes on terror camps in Pakistan to avenge the killing of 40 CRPF jawans in a terrorist attack at Pulwama last month, Banerjee claimed that Jammu and Kashmir had witnessed a 260-per cent rise in terror-related incidents under the present regime.

 

The current government, which had gone past its "expiry date", could not restore peace in the Valley, she said, adding that a new government at the Centre would bring stability in Kashmir.

4:20 PM

Modi giving farmers Rs 3.50 a day, but waiving Rs 3.5 lakh crore loans of industrialists: Rahul

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making fun of poor farmers by doling out only Rs 3.50 a day while waving loans worth Rs 3.5 lakh crore of industrialists.

 

Coming down heavily on the prime minister, the Congress chief said the PM-KISAN scheme launched by the Centre is nothing but an attempt to make mockery of poor farmers by doling out a paltry sum of Rs 6,000 annually.

 

Gandhi was addressing a well-attended Congress rally at this south Odisha town in tribal-dominated Koraput district, where the engine unit of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is located, ahead of the upcoming election for the state Assembly as well as the Lok Sabha.

 

Though the Modi government refused to waive farm loans and raise the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy, it readily wrote off loans to the tune of Rs 3.5 lakh crore owed by a handful of 15-20 industrialists, he claimed.