NEWS AND VIEWS

PUNJAB

HARYANA

JAMMU & KASHMIR

HIMACHAL

REGIONAL BRIEFS

NATION

OPINIONS

LETTERS

SPORTS

WORLD

Special Features

DIASPORA MIND YOUR LANGUAGE VIDEOS THE TRIBUNE WEB TV

Cong backing the tainted: Modi
At Chandigarh, lashes out at party for fielding Bansal, Ashok Chavan despite graft charges
Chandigarh, March 29
BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Saturday hit out at the Congress for fielding “tainted” candidates. In his 45-minute speech at the Bharat Vijay rally in Chandigarh, he said: “You have seen ‘shashaks’ (rulers) for 60 years, now give a ‘sewak’ (servant) an opportunity for the next 60 months.”

From left: BJP’s Chandigarh in charge Aarti Mehra, party LS candidate Kirron Kher, PM nominee Narendra Modi, Punjab Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal and UT unit chief Sanjay Tandon during a rally at Sector 34 in Chandigarh on Saturday. Tribune photo: S Chandan

Exit of Muthalik, Sabir Ali leave BJP red-faced
New Delhi, March 29
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) top leadership, within a week, has been forced to beat a hasty retreat on account of two entrants -- Pramod Muthalik and Sabir Ali -- and cancel their membership. This has became an acute embarrassment to the party that is hoping to wrest power at the Centre. (Details on Nation page)

epaper

Masood held for hate speech, Rahul slams his remarks
Says comments on Modi not part of Cong culture
Lucknow, March 29
In a major embarrassment to the Congress, its Saharanpur candidate Imraan Masood was on Saturday sent to 14-day judicial custody after being arrested for his reported hate speech in which he allegedly threatened to "chop" BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi “into pieces”.

Cong candidate Imraan Masood at a Saharanpur court. PTI

Jailed Chautalas rule Uchana ‘fort’
Uchana, March 29
Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) supremo Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay may be in jail, but thousands of diehard loyalists who sent Chautala Senior to the Haryana Vidhan Sabha from the Uchana Assembly segment are concentrating their energies on April 10 when the state votes.

ED begins probe into Punjab’s VAT refund scam
Chandigarh, March 29
The Enforcement Directorate has started its investigation into the Rs 500-crore Value Added Tax refund scam in Punjab. The department has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR).

Bhullar case: Apex court verdict on Monday
New Delhi, March 29
The Supreme Court will deliver its judgment on Monday on Devender Pal Singh Bhullar’s plea for reducing to life term the death penalty awarded to him in a 1993 bomb blast case.

Lanka vote: Amnesty slams India for staying away New Delhi, March 29 Amnesty International has criticised India's decision to abstain on a crucial UN Human Rights Council vote on Sri Lanka, saying it is an abdication of its human rights responsibilities and unbecoming of an emerging democracy.