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Congress has a lot at stake in Punjab
CHANDIGARH: When Punjab votes Wednesday, the Congress will have its fingers tightly crossed. The party has gambled by fielding its top leaders like Amarinder Singh to defeat the ruling Akali Dal-BJP combine.
It is perhaps only in Punjab that the Congress has fielded a battery of top leaders for the first time, forcing the BJP and the Akali Dal to toil hard on some of the seats.
"They (BJP-Akalis) went into the election campaign claiming they will win all 13 seats. Now (BJP's prime ministerial candidate) Narendra Modi is requesting voters to give the combine maximum seats," a senior Congress legislator told IANS here.
Out of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, the Congress has fielded political heavyweights in at least five.
For Bathinda, the Congress has tied up with the People's Party of Punjab (PPP) and fielded its president Manpreet Badal as a joint candidate.
In two other seats, the Congress has fielded outgoing legislators Joginder Singh Panjgrain (Faridkot) and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot (Fatehgarh Sahib).
Leading the Congress charge is the charismatic former chief minister Amarinder Singh, who has taken on his BJP rival Arun Jaitley.
Given Jaitley's closeness to Modi, fielding Amarinder in Amritsar has been the Congress' biggest gamble.
Despite the BJP's claim of a "Modi wave", Amarinder Singh is definitely giving the ruling combine a run for its money.
"Jaitley was brought here after being given the impression that it will be a cakewalk. Now, he has realised he is losing his very first Lok Sabha election," Amarinder Singh told IANS.
In Ferozepur, the Congress has fielded Punjab's leader of the opposition Sunil Jakhar, son of former Lok Sabha speaker Balram Jakhar and an outgoing legislator.
Preneet Kaur, Amarinder Singh's wife and union minister of state for external affairs, is seeking re-election for a fourth term from Patiala. And state Congress president and outgoing MP Pratap Singh Bajwa is pitted against BJP's Vinod Khanna in Gurdaspur.
In Bathinda, the Congress has not picked up anyone from its own ranks. It has fielded former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal to take on Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Badal, wife of Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal.
Manpreet is the estranged nephew of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Harsimrat is the daughter-in-law of the chief minister.
In Anandpur Sahib, the Congress has fielded another heavyweight, former union minister Ambika Soni. She is contesting her first popular election.
"The Congress fielded top leaders to give a tough fight to the Akali Dal-BJP combine. We will win a number of seats," Punjab Congress president Pratap Singh Bajwa said.
The Congress has also fielded two outgoing legislators in Faridkot and Fatehgarh Sahib.
Anandpur Sahib MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, grandson of former chief minister Beant Singh, has been fielded in Ludhiana.
The Congress did not field two union ministers, Manish Tewari (Ludhiana) and Santosh Chaudhary (Hoshiarpur). Tewari opted out of the contest due to health reasons. - IANS
Modi hits back at Farooq Abdullah
AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi today hit back at Farooq Abdullah for his remark that those voting for the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate should drown in sea, saying the biggest blow to secularism in India was delivered in Kashmir from where Kashmiri Pandits were forced out due to their religion.
Using a video message released by the CM's office to lash out at Abdullah, Modi said the Union minister has no moral right to preach against communalism as policies of his father Sheikh Abdullah, him and his son and Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah were responsible for communalising the state politics.
"If somebody has to drown then you should look at your (Abdullah) face in mirror. Put your father's face in front of mirror and ask this question. Those who have chased Kashmiri Pandits out have no face to preach against communalism," he said in a hard-hitting statement.
Invoking India's age-old tradition of secularism and syncretism, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, accused by critics of practicing Hindutva politics, said these high values are the best policies for India and it is his commitment to "take everybody along and develop all".
"I want to tell Farooq Abdullah that the thousands of years-old great tradition of secularism in India suffered its biggest and deepest blow in Kashmir. And this happened due to the politics of your father, due to your politics and due to you son's politics.
"Kashmir is the only place in this country where Pandits were evicted due to their religion. Kashmir was the land of sufi traditions... and it has been tarred with communal colour by you for selfish interests," Modi said.
Apparently referring to controversial statements, many by his aides, during the current campaign, he said Indian secularism is not so poor as to be affected adversely by some comments.
"Country is not going to deviate from its values of jai jagat (victory to world) and vasudaiv kutumbakam (world is a family)," he said.
Abdullah drew BJP's ire with his remarks on Sunday that those who vote for Modi should "drown" in the sea and also threatened that Kashmir will not remain with India if the country becomes communal.
In Delhi, BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman also attacked Abdullah for his comments. - PTI
SC suspends death sentence of Red Fort shootout convict
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Monday stayed the execution of December 2000 Red Fort terror shootout convict Mohamed Arif's death sentence on the grounds that he has already undergone life sentence of nearly 14 years.
Counsel Tripurari Ray said that carrying out the death sentence of Arif after he has already completed 13 years four month would be violative of the constitution.
The apex court bench of Chief Justice R.M. Lodha, Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Kurian Joseph referred the matter to a constitution bench.
The court said that matter be heard early.
As Chief Justice Lodha said that by an earlier pronouncement of the apex court, the law on delay in execution has already been laid, Roy told the court Arif has not filed any mercy petition.
Arif was arrested Dec 25, 2000. He was convicted by the trial court Oct 24, 2005, and awarded death sentence Oct 31, 2005.
His death sentence was confirmed by the Delhi High Court Sep 13, 2007.
The apex court dismissed his appeal Aug 10, 2011, and his review petition was dismissed Aug 28, 2011. - IANS
EC restricts Bikram's movement
Chandigarh: The Election Commission today restricted the movement of Punjab Revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia to his polling station area from where he is an elector.
CEO V K Singh said according to a communique received from the EC, Majithia would not visit any other part of any assembly segment of the Amritsar Parliamentary Constituency, including Majitha assembly seat.
"The Commission has also directed to keep his movements under surveillance and video-graphed with immediate effect," he said.
Meanwhile, the Jathedar of Takht Sachkhand Hazur Sahib, one of the five seats of temporal authority of Sikhs, declared Majithia as 'Tankhaiya' (apostate) for allegedly distorting the Gurbani while canvassing for BJP's Amritsar candidate Arun Jaitley.
Majithia had at an election rally reportedly distorted a hymn in Gurbani, compositions of the Sikh gurus and inserted Jaitley's name into it.
A 'Hukamnama' (edict) holding Majithia guilty of religious misconduct was issued yesterday. The minister had later tendered an apology to Giani Gurbachan Singh, Jathedar of Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs. PTI
Giriraj’s anticipatory bail rejected
BOKARO (Jharkhand): A local court today rejected the anticipatory bail petition of BJP leader Giriraj Singh who is facing non-bailable arrest warrant in connection with his hate speech made ten days ago.
Additional District and Sessions Judge (First Class) Bipin Bihari rejected the petition of the Nawada Lok Sabha candidate of the saffron party.
Earlier on April 23, Sub-divisional Judicial Magistrate Amit Sekhar had issued the warrant against the former Bihar minister.
The warrant was issued in connection with an FIR filed against Singh on April 21 alleging that he had said in an election meeting under Harla police station on April 18 that those who opposed BJP’s Prime Ministerial Candidate Narendra Modi would have to find a place in Pakistan.
Another FIR has also been lodged against him by the Deogarh district police on the same charge the same day.
Earlier on April 25, he got an anticipatory bail by Patna District and Sessions Judge Birendra Kumar on an FIR on the same charge. - PTI
Bihar minister files case against Ramdev
PATNA: Bihar Minister and JD(U) leader Shayam Rajak today filed a complaint case against yoga teacher Ramdev for his uncharitable remarks on Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi pertaining to Dalits.
Rajak filed the case in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Ramakant Yadav.
The matter will come up for hearing tomorrow.
Rajak submitted in his petition that Ramdev's statement "Rahul Gandhi visits Dalits' houses for honeymoon" had insulted the downtrodden.
He sought action against Ramdev under IPC 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), Representation of Peoples Act, 1951 and relevant sections of SC & ST Act. - PTI
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