AHMEDABAD: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Friday dismissed Narendra Modi's repeated claims of Gujarat's development and said that he will head to the Chief Minister's residence to meet him with a list of 16 questions. 

“What we saw in Gujarat is quite shocking. It’s opposite to what was being said. We are going to meet Narendra Modi at his residence. If he is free to meet us, fine. If not, we will return when he gives us an appointment, said Kejriwal, who is in Gujarat to verify the development claims often made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.


“There was a lot of talk about how progressive Gujarat has been, but what we have witnessed in last two days is the exact opposite. We will go to Narendra Modi's residence now and ask him 16 questions,” he added.

The former Delhi chief minister also trained his guns on Modi over gas pricing, saying: “I want to ask Modi if his government plans to raise the price of gas from KG Basin basin to dollor 16 per unit.” Kejriwal on Thursday said that there was development in Gujarat but it was of Ambani’s and Adani’s.

“There was growth in Gujarat but it was of Ambani’s and Adani’s. The farmers in Gujarat were decimated. The common man has suffered in Gujarat,” said Kejriwal.

“There is no 24 hour electricity supply to the people. People have told me that they have to pay bribe to get job and other services. We will show the truth about the Gujarat model. It is nothing but trash,” he added.

He also reiterated that it is against the party policy to indulge in violence, and urged party workers to spread the truth about Gujarat development model in the state.

“I asked people why they voted for Modi if they are so irked with him. They told me that Modi does not let anyone stay in the opposition. He either buys them or scares them,” he added. - ANI

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has pressed the Law Ministry to take a call on "restricting" opinion polls by writing to it just days before the Lok Sabha polls were announced, but the government seems to be in no hurry to take a decision on the issue.

In a letter addressed to Secretary Legislative Department in the Law Ministry last week, the EC referred to its proposal to amend the law for restricting publication of results of opinion polls and lamented that no action has been taken so far.

"It may be recalled that the Commission had made a proposal to amend the law for restricting publishing the results of opinion polls. However, no action has been taken on the proposal which was initially made in 2004.

"...in view of the issue raised in the complaint of the Indian National Congress, the Commission would like necessary action to be taken by the government on its above referred proposal," the poll panel has said.

The government, however, seem to be in no hurry to take a call on the issue. It has referred the matter to the Law Commission which is already examining the broader issue of electoral reforms.

"The Law Commission is already examining the issue of electoral reforms. Opinion polls are part of larger issue of electoral reforms. Therefore, the matter has been referred to it," a senior government functionary to PTI.

Existing law allows EC to ban opinion polls just 48 hours prior to voting. The poll panel has proposed that there should be prohibition on publication and broadcast of the results of opinion polls starting from the date of notification of elections till the completion of the last phase of polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

A ban on opinion polls could require amendment to the Representation of the People Act. - PTI 

JAMMU: The ruling National Conference (NC) and Congress alliance in Jammu and Kashmir has forged an electoral alliance for the Lok Sabha polls, and a formal announcement is likely to be made Friday, Congress sources told IANS here.

While the NC has already announced its candidates for Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla seats, the Congress is yet to pick its candidates for Lok Sabha seats from the state.

At a meeting in Jammu city Thursday night, the Congress sources said, an informal understanding was reached on seat sharing between the NC and Congress.

"The formal announcement to this effect will be made in New Delhi and this would be followed by the announcement of the names of the candidates for the seats the Congress would fight in alliance with the NC in the state", a top Congress leader told IANS.

While the NC has repeated its candidates, Farooq Abdullah from Srinagar, Mehboob Beg from Anantnag and Sharief Din Shariq from Baramulla in the Kashmir Valley, the Congress is likely to repeat its candidates Madan Lal Sharma from Jammu and Chowdhary Lal Singh from Udhampur.

The Ladakh Lok Sabha seat would also be fought by a Congress candidate with the support of the NC. That would split the six Lok Sabha seats from the state equally between the two alliance partners.

Sources in both the NC and the Congress have said an alliance for the forthcoming state assembly elections due towards the end of this year would depend on the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections.

"It will definitely depend on how well does the Lok Sabha electoral alliance work out for the two parties," a senior NC leader told IANS here.

Once a formal announcement on poll tie-up is made, it would be for the third time that the Congress would be fighting the Lok Sabha elections in alliance with a regional party in Jammu and Kashmir.

In 2004, the Congress fought the parliamentary elections in alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party while it fought the 2009 elections in alliance with the NC. - IANS