Page 5 - National Politics

LS polls: Inflation higher when Congress governed at Centre, says Rajnath

Inflation was higher whenever the Congress governed at the Centre, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday and asserted that India's unemployment rate is the lowest among big countries. He also targeted the AAP government in Punjab, saying it has turned the state into 'Kangla Punjab' (bankrupt Punjab). Singh made the remarks at election rallies in Punjab's Ferozepur and Anandpur Sahib parliamentary constituencies. Attacking the Congress, the Union minister said the inflation rate was 2 per cent from 1947 to 1950, and it "increased to 13.8 per cent during Nehru's time. From 1964 to 1966, it was over 10 per cent". During Morarji Desai's government, the first thing that was done was to lift restrictions on the movement of farm produce from one state to another, Singh said. As a result, inflation, which had touched 30 per cent, came down to 7 per cent, he claimed. "From 1947 to 2022, if you go by the record on inflation, whenever the Congress governed, it increased manifold,"

Some Oppn parties will perish, their nominees to lose deposits: Ravi Kishan

Actor-politician and BJP candidate from Gorakhpur constituency Ravi Kishan has claimed that half a dozen opposition parties will cease to exist and their candidate lose their deposits after the results of the Lok Sabha elections are declared. In an interview with PTI at his home here, Bhojpuri superstar Ravindra Shukla, better known as Ravi Kishan, claimed that if the opposition INDIA bloc comes to power, it would run the country based on Shariat. "You will see on June 4 that these 26 parties are going to face defeat. More than half a dozen of them will cease to exist and the deposits of their candidates forfeited," Kishan, who is the current MP from Gorakhpur, said as he thumped the table to emphasise his point. "The opposition wants the country to run on the basis of Shariat but this cannot happen. The country will be run according to Baba Saheb Ambedkar's Constitution. "I promise that the Constitution will not be tampered with (if the BJP wins)... The Congress definitely wants

Cong alleges Kerala ministers lied about liquor policy, demands probe

The Congress on Sunday continued its attack against the Left government in Kerala over its liquor policy, accusing Excise Minister M B Rajesh and Tourism Minister P A Mohammed Riyas of "lying" to the public by claiming that no discussion had taken place regarding the scrapping of the "dry day" norm. The opposition party questioned the silence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the issue and asked why a vigilance probe had not been ordered into the allegations despite receiving a complaint. The Congress also called for the government to announce a judicial probe into the allegations and to sack the excise minister. The criticism came after reports that the state government was considering scrapping the 'dry day' norm (which prohibits the sale of alcohol in the state on the first day of every calendar month), sparking a political storm in the state. While the Congress-led UDF has accused the LDF government of taking bribes to 'favour' bar owners, the Left claimed it has not yet he

Fadnavis, Shah tried to work for Gadkari's defeat in LS polls, says Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis worked for Nitin Gadkari's defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. Raut alleged that Fadnavis had unwillingly campaigned for Gadkari, who contested from the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat, when he realised the Union minister couldn't be defeated. Nagpur is the hometown of both BJP leaders. "Modi, Shah and Fadnavis worked for Gadkari's defeat in Nagpur. Fadnavis unwillingly joined the campaign for Gadkari when he realised he couldn't be defeated. The RSS people in Nagpur are openly saying Fadnavis helped the opposition to get Gadkari defeated," he wrote in an article in his party's mouthpiece "Saamna". The Sena (UBT) leader alleged that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had distributed Rs 25-30 crore in every constituency, and his machinery worked to defeat candidates of the NCP led by Ajit Pawar. Taking a potshot at Yogi Adityanath,

LS polls: AAP alleges BJP nominee Hiranmoy's claims in affidavit false

The Aam Aadmi Party has lodged a complaint to the Election Commission, alleging that BJP's Ghatal Lok Sabha nominee Hiranmoy Chattopadhyaya has provided "wrong" information about his educational qualification in the affidavit and sought cancellation of his candidature. The AAP also accused the actor-turned-politician of making a false claim that he is a research fellow at IIT Kharagpur. We have observed a discrepancy in the election affidavit declaration of Hiranmoy Chattopadhyaya regarding his educational qualification/accomplishment. He has claimed to be a research fellow at IIT Kharagpur since May 2023. However, a recent RTI reply from IIT Kharagpur has revealed that he is neither a research associate, nor scientist, nor staff, nor in any other category, as per the institute rules and regulations," the AAP wrote in the letter on Thursday. It is evident that Chattopadhyaya has given "falsified personal information in his election affidavit which is a violation of rules and ...

BJP hits out at Congress govt in K'taka, terms capital city Udta Bengaluru

The development comes after the Bengaluru Police busted a rave party at a farmhouse here recently which was allegedly attended by 86 people

Delhi Traffic Alert: PM Modi to hold rally at Dwarka, advisory issued

Delhi Traffic Police issued a traffic advisory due to PM Modi's rally at DDA Park in Dwarka today. The political rally will take place at 6 pm

Lok Sabha polls Phase 5: Below 50% turnout till 3 pm, Mumbai lags behind

Lok Sabha polls 2024: West Bengal recorded the highest polling percentage till 3 pm at 62.72 per cent, followed by the Union Territory of Ladakh where 61.26 per cent voters had cast their votes

Lok Sabha polls: PM Modi unveils 1000-year vision, predicts historic win

Lok Sabha elections: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said how a blueprint for India 100 years after Independence can lay the foundation for the country's bright future

LS polls: NCP, BJP leaders didn't want Shinde as CM in 2019, says Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed that NCP and BJP leaders, who are part of the present government in Maharashtra, did not want Eknath Shinde as the chief minister in 2019. Talking to reporters, Raut also claimed that NCP leaders like Ajit Pawar, Dilip Walse Patil and Sunil Tatkare had opposed Shinde's name for the CM's post saying they will not work under a junior and inexperienced person like him. "Congress and NCP said they had several senior leaders and the alliance leader should be someone who is experienced, senior and can take everyone along," the Rajya Sabha member said. Similarly, before the Shiv Sena (then undivided and headed by Uddhav Thackeray) joined hands with the Congress and NCP (as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi to form government), BJP leaders like Devendra Fadnavis, Girish Mahajan and Sudhir Mungantiwar told the Sena that they will not like Shinde as the CM, Raut claimed. Ajit Pawar and Fadnavis are currently deputy chief ministers in the state

Last stand of Desawari paan? Of fragrance, flavour, and forgotten farmers

The Desawari cannot withstand waterlogging, making the undulating slopes of Mahoba ideal for its cultivation

LS polls: 'Dictatorship' going on in country is unacceptable, says Kejriwal

Attacking the BJP, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the "dictatorship" allegedly going on in the country is unacceptable and the nation has never seen such a period in the past 75 years. Kejriwal was addressing Punjab AAP workers and leaders, including MLAs, in Amritsar and asked them to put in their best to ensure AAP's victory in all the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. He slammed the BJP, accusing it of putting all rival party leaders in jail. "The dictatorship that is going on in our country is not acceptable. India has never seen such a period in the past 75 years, putting opposition leaders in jail," said Kejriwal. He even sought to liken the situation in India with that of Russia. "Like in Russia, (Vladimir) Putin had either sent all rival leaders in jail or got them killed and then conducted the elections and got 87 per cent votes. When there is no opposition, you will be the only one who will get votes," he said. "They put me in jail, (former Delhi deputy

Lok Sabha polls: If INDIA bloc wins, who will be PM, Shah asks in Bihar

The BJP, which is aiming for a third term in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, has been targeting the Opposition's INDIA bloc over fighting the polls in coalition without naming their PM candidate

'Don't politicise Maliwal row': AAP counters BJP-Modi on Prajwal Revanna

On Monday, Swati Maliwal made a call to the Delhi police, alleging that Arvind Kejriwal's personal assistant, Bibhav Kumar, misbehaved with her at the Delhi CM's residence

Lok Sabha polls: EC rejects Shyam Rangeela's nomination from Varanasi seat

Lok Sabha poll: Comedian Shyam Rangeela, who became an internet sensation in 2017 for his viral mimicry of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had filed his nomination papers from Varanasi seat

Geopolitical challenges for next govt

When our gaze shifts from the domestic to the external after the polls, the challenges would have multiplied

WATCH: Sonia Gandhi's appeal to women days after BJP's 'mangalsutra' row

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Monday made a special video appeal to the women voters, urging them to support the party in the ongoing elections

Lok Sabha polls: Akhilesh, Owaisi, Mahua key names in fourth lap. Full list

Lok Sabha elections: Voting for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections is in progress. There are 1,717 candidates in the fray on 96 seats. We bring you a brief profile of a few high-profile candidate

Lok Sabha polls phase 4 today, 177 mn eligible to cast vote. Top 10 updates

Lok Sabha elections: A total of 96 constituencies across ten states and Union territories went to polls on Monday in the fourth stage of elections. Here are ten latest election updates for May 13

Congress alleges Centre undermining land acquisition act under PM Modi

The Congress on Sunday accused the central government of trying to weaken the land acquisition act since Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also alleged that BJP-ruled states have weakened the law by not following its statutes and are acquiring land by violating its provisions. In a video message posted on X, he dubbed the Modi government "anti-farmer" and said farmers have not been given the price of land as prescribed by the law. The Congress general secretary said that in September 2013, when Manmohan Singh was prime minister, a progressive and historic bill was brought for land acquisition that replaced the Land Acquisition Act of 1894. The main highlights of this law was a four-fold increase in the compensation amount in rural areas and two-fold hike in urban areas. There was also a provision that no land would be acquired without the consent of farmers, Ramesh claimed. Conditions were also put in place for the law to have retrospective