Highlights: PM Modi, other BJP leaders meet to pick candidates for LS polls

From Kejriwal's arrest to portfolio allocation in Haryana govt, catch all the latest news from around the world here

The BJP's Central Election Committee met here on Saturday to finalise the party's candidates in several states for the Lok Sabha polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president J P Nadda were joined by other CEC members as they went over the list of probables to take a final call. The states for which candidates were tipped to be discussed include Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The CEC has met twice earlier and has named candidates for 291 Lok Sabha seats so far, including in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Haryana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Kerala and Telangana among others.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal moves Delhi High Court challenging his arrest and the order of remand passed by the trial court on 22nd March. His legal team says the plea in Delhi HC stated that both the arrest and the remand order are illegal and he is entitled to be released from custody immediately. An immediate hearing has been sought from the Acting Chief Justice, preferably by Sunday 24th March.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh likened his party to a "well-established company" whose market capitalisation keeps fluctuating and asserted that it will stage a comeback. In an interaction with PTI Editors at the news agency's headquarters here, Ramesh also dismissed suggestions that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charisma that was responsible for the BJP's electoral performance and stressed on the importance of organisational strength. Talking about the need for bringing in new faces, Ramesh, however, noted that this was difficult in the Congress because people have been in the party for long. "It's easier for the BJP. Because, you know, the BJP is a startup in many states. You look upon the BJP as a startup. The Congress is not a startup. The Congress is a well-established company whose market cap (market capitalization) keeps fluctuating. But the BJP is a startup," he said.

Amid Quantum Mutual Fund voting against the proposed delisting of ICICI Securities, the largest public shareholder Norges Fund Investment Bank has voted in favour of the proposal of the stock broking arm of ICICI Bank. The foreign fund, which holds nearly 3.25 per cent stake in ICICI Securities, voted in favour on Thursday, the first day of e-voting, as per the information posted on the website of Norges Fund Investment Bank.

India on Saturday summoned the German deputy chief of mission here and lodged a strong protest against the country's foreign ministry's remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The German envoy Georg Enzweiler was summoned by officials in the external affairs ministry and told that the German Foreign Ministry's remarks on Kejriwal's arrest were an interference in India's judicial process and any "biased assumptions" were "most unwarranted", an MEA official said. A German Foreign Ministry spokesperson had "taken note" of Kejriwal's arrest.

In his first message after he was taken into custody, Delhi CM Kejriwal said that I have struggled a lot, the arrest doesn't surprise me. No prison can keep me inside, will come out and fulfil my promise.

The Income Tax department on Saturday conducted searches against AAP MLA Gulab Singh Yadav and some others individuals in Delhi as part of a tax evasion investigation, official sources said.

Delhi Minister Atishi alongside Saurabh Bhardwaj spoke with the members of the press, where Atishi said, "In the so-called excise policy scam of Delhi, CBI and ED investigations have been going on for the past two years. In these two years, a question has come up again and again - Where is the money trail? Where did the money go?...No proceeds of crime were recovered from any leader, minister or worker of AAP...Arvind Kejriwal was arrested in the same case two days back on the basis of the statement of just one person - Sharat Chandra Reddy. He is the owner of Aurobindo Pharma."

She further added, "He was summoned on 9th November 2022 for questioning. He clearly said that he never met or spoke with Arvind Kejriwal and has nothing to do with AAP. As soon as he said that, he was arrested the next day by the ED. After being in jail for several months, Reddy changed his statement. He said that he met Arvind Kejriwal and spoke with him over the excise policy matter. He was granted bail as soon as he said that. But where is the money? Where is the money trail?", ANI posted on X.

Security arrangements have been beefed up in the central Delhi area on Saturday as the ruling AAP plans to gather at Shaheedi Park to protest the arrest of its supremo and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. The party has announced that it will conduct an exclusive press conference this morning.

BJP has welcomed Delhi court's decision that sent Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to Enforcement Directorate's custody in an excise policy-linked money-laundering case. BJP said that that "kingpin of the crime" has finally been brought to justice. Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani addressed members of the press and said that countrymen are now convinced that nobody is above the law. "The news about the court sending him to (the ED's) remand has at least convinced the country that nobody is above the law. The kingpin of the crime, Arvind Kejriwal, has finally been brought to justice," she said.
 

8:45 PM

LS polls: None of my sons are in politics; BJP workers have a right over my political legacy, says Gadkari

"None of my sons are in politics. I told my sons that if they want to join politics, they should first paste posters on walls and work at the ground level. BJP workers have a right over my political legacy," said Union Minister Nitin Gadkari at a rally in Nagpur. 

8:43 PM

Watch: CM Arvind Kejriwal's wife, Sunita, leaves ED office after meeting her husband

8:24 PM

LIVE: EAM Jaishankar urges Singapore's biz community to invest in India's semiconductor industry

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday briefed Singapore's business community about the strides taken by India in the field of manufacture of semiconductors and appealed to them to invest in this key sector in the country. Jaishankar spoke about how machines for the manufacture of semiconductors have started coming (to India) and also how India is progressing towards establishing the first three plants for this multi-billion dollar industry.

8:08 PM

LIVE updates: Govt allows UAE's Adnoc to export oil from Indian strategic storage

The government has allowed Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) to export crude oil it has stored in underground strategic storages at Mangalore to give operational flexibility to the foreign firm, an order of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said on Saturday.

At present, crude oil, which is the raw material for producing fuels like petrol and diesel, is not allowed to be exported except through the state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).

6:42 PM

Will seek court permission to set up office for Delhi CM Kejriwal in jail, says Bhagwant Mann

Aam Aadmi Party leader and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said that if his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal is sent to jail, they will approach the court seeking permission to set up his office in prison to run his government from there. He also asserted that no one can take the place of Kejriwal in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). "It is not written anywhere that a government cannot run from jail," Mann told PTI videos in an interview when asked about the arrest of the Delhi chief minister and AAP chief by the Enforcement Directorate in an excise policy case and how he will run his government if he is sent to judicial custody.

6:01 PM

Arvind Kejriwal's plea in HC says his arrest and remand illegal, seeks immediate release from custody: Report

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal moved Delhi HC on Saturday challenging his arrest in liquor scam case. CM Kejriwal's plea in HC says his arrest and remand illegal, and seeks immediate release from custody, PTI reported. 

5:32 PM

Modi's Bhutan visit: A big thank you to my brother PM Modi for visiting Bhutan, says Tshering Tobgay

5:23 PM

Live news: Auto sector giant Maruti Suzuki India acquires over 6 per cent stake in startup Amlgo Labs

Maruti Suzuki India on Saturday said it has acquired over 6 per cent stake in technology startup Amlgo Labs. The startup operates in data analytics, cloud engineering, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to assist companies in data-driven decision-making. The investment is being made through Maruti Suzuki Innovation Fund, an initiative to undertake strategic investments in startups exhibiting high levels of technological innovation, the auto major said in a statement.

4:41 PM

LIVE Moscow attack: Russia detains suspects in an attack that left at least 115 dead in a Moscow concert hall

Russian authorities detained 11 people, state media reported on Saturday, after gunmen stormed a concert hall in Moscow in a grisly attack that left at least 115 people dead. Russia's Investigative Committee said four of those detained were directly involved in the attack that left the sprawling shopping mall and music venue smoldering with a collapsed roof. Russian agencies appeared to suggest the attack was linked to Ukraine even though the Islamic State group claimed responsibility in a statement. A US intelligence official told The Associated Press that US agencies had confirmed that that group was responsible for the attack.

3:41 PM

LIVE updates: India summons German deputy chief of mission to protest country's comments on Kejriwal's arrest

India on Saturday summoned the German deputy chief of mission here and lodged a strong protest against the country's foreign ministry's remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The German envoy Georg Enzweiler was summoned by officials in the external affairs ministry and told that the German Foreign Ministry's remarks on Kejriwal's arrest were an interference in India's judicial process and any "biased assumptions" were "most unwarranted", an MEA official said. A German Foreign Ministry spokesperson had "taken note" of Kejriwal's arrest.

3:06 PM

Uttarakhand govt to translocate four tigers to Rajasthan, says official

The Uttarakhand government has agreed to translocate four tigers to Rajasthan following a request from the authorities of the western state.

 

2:20 PM

Congress like a well-established firm with fluctuating mcap; BJP only a startup: Jairam

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh compared his party to a "well-established company" whose market capitalisation keeps fluctuating and asserted that it will stage a comeback. BJP, on the other hand, Ramesh said, is like a startup. 

2:00 PM

BJP has become dictatorial, arresting Oppn leaders, freezing their bank accounts: Atishi

BJP has become dictatorial, arresting Oppn leaders, freezing their bank accounts, said AAP leader and Delhi minsiter Atishi Marlen at the Shahidi Park protest on Saturday.

1:59 PM

Punjab CM Mann attacks BJP, says they have crossed all limits

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann participated at Aam Aadmi Party's protest at Shahidi Park. At the protest, Mann said that BJP has crossed all the limits and has used agencies like enforcement directorate to curtail democracy. 

1:09 PM

Himachal Pradesh: Cong's 6 rebel MLAs join BJP in presence of Union Minister Anurag Thakur