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Modi chopper row
BJP manifesto on April 7
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Mistry arrested over poster war against
Modi, released
Manish Tewari to head Cong communication division
EC should authenticate all EVMs: Cong
On poll duty: Haryana candidates’ mothers, wives
Sonia-Shahi Imam meeting raises storm
India, US enhance joint capabilities to fight terror
Recall verdict against LGBT, activists tell SC
Scientists sequence peanut genome
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Report sought from aviation ministry: EC
Arteev Sharma Tribune News Service
Jammu, April 3 “We have received the complaint and the Civil Aviation Ministry has been asked for a factual report. We are awaiting the report and action will be initiated only after receiving the report,” the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) V S Sampath said here. The CEC accompanied by the Election Commissioner Dr Nasim Zaidi and the Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi was in town to review the arrangements and preparedness of election machinery for five-phase polls to six parliamentary constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir beginning from April 10. The BJP had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission after Narendra Modi alleged a ‘conspiracy’ behind the delay in his flight which affected his election campaign in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. He had requested the Election Commission to probe the matter. Interestingly, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took a dig at Narendra Modi. “My helicopter was late by two hours yesterday but I didn’t think anything of it. Now it’s raining today. I smell a rat. Where should I complain?”, he wrote on Twitter. Asked about the poll preparedness in Jammu and Kashmir in view of the election boycott call given by separatists and low turnout of voters in earlier elections, the CEC said, “Election boycott calls are not new to this place and other parts of the country. Such calls are given for varied reasons. This is the will of the people to come forward and cast their vote. As far as the Election Commission is concerned, we create proper and conducive atmosphere for free, fair and smooth conduct of the elections”. Earlier, the commission held a meeting with the representatives of national and state political parties. He also had extensive discussions with the chief secretary, DGP, Special DGP and home commissioner. The commission members also met returning officers and SSPs and talked about election preparedness.
Report sought: CEC
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BJP manifesto on April 7
New Delhi, April 3 "The party manifesto will be released on April 7," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said here today. The manifesto, which will highlight the party's promises to the voters, has been much delayed and will be coming out on a day when polling in six Lok Sabha seats in Assam and Tripura will be held. Ahead of the manifesto, the party will also release its "charge sheet" against the Congress-led UPA government tomorrow, highlighting the acts of omission and commission, failures and various scams of the present regime, Sitharaman said. The party will appeal to the electorates to judge the Congress as political entity and the Union Government led by it on governance. The chargesheet, which will brought out in the form of a booklet, will take into account the performance of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. A party functionary said the booklet is of about 45 pages. It has figured out about 50 instances of violation of oath of commitment to the country’s integrity, security, etc undertaken by high functionaries at the time of assuming offices. The charges, in the main, will zero in on developments relating to UPA-II. They are besides issues relating to issues relating to corruption and scams. Although the party is keeping it under wraps, sources say that the charge-sheet will directly accuse Singh for compromising the dignity of the office of Prime Minister. Among others, the coalgate scandal and CVC appointment will be highlighted. The BJP will also bring the Congress’ 2009 manifesto under scrutiny. It is understood to have identified a number of promises which have allegedly not been fulfilled. — PTI
'Chargesheet' against UPA today
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Mistry arrested over poster war against Modi, released Vadodara, April 3 Mistry and his 33 supporters were later released by a magistrate on personal bonds of Rs 5,000 each. City Police Commissioner Satish Sharma told PTI that charges of rioting, damaging public property and unlawful assembly were pressed against 20 men including him, while 14 arrested were charged with only unlawful assembly. Tempers frayed in the rising heat of a gruelling election campaign as dramatic TV footage showed the 69-year-old Congress general secretary climb a ladder, carrying his own poster in hand, trying to paste it on the one of Modi hanging on an electric pole on a road divider. The poster war between Mistry and the BJP broke out after the ruling party in the state booked all advertisement kiosks in the city installed by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation on the road sides and dividers where they splashed their Prime Ministerial nominee's posters. Mistry has been demanding a fare share of the kiosks from the district authorities and VMC for displaying his posters. Trouble began this morning when Congress supporters tore down some posters of Modi to paste those of their leader. The police intervened and prevented Mistry from pasting his own poster on Modi's and seized his ladder. — PTI
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Manish Tewari to head Cong communication division New Delhi, April 3 Tewari along with Haryana Industries Minister and party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala will handle the communications department in the absence of senior leader and general secretary Ajay Maken, who is busy defending his New Delhi parliamentary constituency. The party also named Kumari Selja, former minister and currently Rajya Sabha member from Haryana, the new in charge of Rajasthan in the absence of general secretary Gurudas Kamat who is also contesting elections. Tewari said he was “extremely grateful to the party for having entrusted him with the responsibility.
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EC should authenticate all EVMs: Cong
New Delhi, April 3 The move came following reports that some EVMs malfunctioned during a recent mock poll drill the EC conducted in the Jorhat parliamentary constituency of Assam. The pressing of button in front of the Congress symbol was reportedly resulting in registration of the vote in BJP's favour. Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel and a high-level delegation of the party today meet Election Commissioner HS Brahma and complained to him about the discrepancy. Others in the delegation included Congress treasurer Motilal Vora, party general secretary in charge of organisation Janardan Dwivedi, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and spokespersons Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Randeep Surjewala. Anand Sharma said the malfunctioning of EVMs in the Jorhat mock drill was a serious development. “We have demanded that the EC must order such mock drills of EVMs across the country and recheck and authenticate the machines for proper functioning," he said.
Poll timings
Just like the model code of conduct was implemented after a political consensus evolved, poll timings should be extended only after consulting all
parties.
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On poll duty: Haryana candidates’ mothers, wives
Hisar/Chandigarh, April 3 Halfway through her day’s programmes, in Adampur’s Bhana village in Hisar, septuagenarian Jasma Devi, a one-time “reluctant” MLA and wife of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, takes in her stride the excitement her presence generates among village women. At a supporter’s house, where she will have lunch, she urges the women to vote for her son, Haryana Janhit Congress chief Kuldeep Bishnoi. “Ours is the only family that will watch Hisar’s welfare. Don’t be taken in by empty words. The others will not come back,” she emphasises, enjoying an occasional bite. Bishnoi, a sitting MP, is contesting from the Hisar seat and she wants to leave nothing to chance. In Rohtak where MP Deepender Hooda is “comfortably placed”, his mother Asha Hooda is campaigning for him. Deepender is indisposed on account of a severe back problem. Accompanied by the local MLA, she seeks votes in the name of development he has ensured as also his honesty and commitment to work. She asks, “Ever since he has became an MP, he has always been there for his people of the constituency, working in Parliament or pursuing a project in one of the ministries. If his efforts are visible, please vote keeping in view his performance,” she says. In her 40s, Naina Chautala is quietly campaigning for her son Dushyant, contesting from the Hisar seat. She meets women according to the programme chalked out. Sources say that the Chautala clan in not too inclined to involve women in campaigning but with party chief Om Prakash Chautala and Dushyant’s father Ajay in jail, Chautalas had to involve family women in the campaigning. Haryana Excise and Taxation Minister Kiran Choudhry has been touring Bhiwani-Mahendergarh extensively to muster support for daughter Shruti. Aggressive in her speeches, she emphasises, “Shruti has inherited Chaudhry Bansi Lal’s legacy. She’s synonymous with development. The other candidates have nothing to show in terms of work done,” she says. Urban Local Bodies Minister Savitri Jindal is holding corner meetings in Kurukshetra for her MP son Naveen Jindal. In contrast to Choudhry’s style, Jindal believes in quietly associating with the electorate. Beginning her village tours at 9 am, she retires for the day by 8 pm. In Sirsa, considered a Chautala bastion, Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar’s wife Avantika addresses meetings at Dabwali with ease. BJP candidate Rattan Lal Kataria’s wife Banto is very active and goes all out campaigning in Ambala, holding corner meetings with supporters. Jindal’s wife Shallu and his sisters have fanned out across the entire seat while Bishnoi’s wife Renuka has a packed schedule. Be it Sonepat, Karnal or Faridabad, these women have their hands full, campaigning with the specific aim of taking some message to women voters. A welcome change from the days when, if at all, the role of women was confined to reaching out to those living in the
neighbourhood!
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Sonia-Shahi Imam meeting raises storm
Mumbai/Guwahati, April 3 In Guwahati, BJP spokesman MJ Akbar today attacked her for "politics of the 19th century" and dubbed the religious leader a middleman of the ruling party. "Sonia Gandhi is doing politics of the 19th century with the people of 21st century. She is just treating Muslims as a commodity. Please stop purchasing a community with the help of a middleman who has lost credibility," Akbar told mediapersons. Sonia had reportedly asked a delegation of Muslim leaders led by Bukhari to ensure that secular votes did not split in the Lok Sabha elections. In Mumbai, the Shiv Sena today said the meeting was akin to a "fox and wolf" discussing non-violence and vegetarianism. "Imam Bukhari and Sonia Gandhi held a meeting and it is said that they discussed that secular votes should not get split in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls...It is like fox and wolf coming together to talk non-violence and vegetarianism," Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'. "Finally, Sonia Gandhi had to surrender before Imam Bukhari. This is the death of the Congress. Now, the Imam will issue a fatwa and appeal to the Muslims to vote for the Congress to avoid division of secular votes. But who pays heed to the fatwas issued by Imams? Islam has no place for such fatwas," he said. (With PTI inputs)
Will take cognisance in case of complaint: EC
Jammu: The EC would take cognisance if it receives a complaint against Sonia Gandhi's meeting with Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari, Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath said.
No violation of poll code, says Cong
}Nothing in our Constitution bars any political leader from meeting any religious leader. There is no violation of the Model Code here.~ Anand Sharma, commerce minister
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India, US enhance joint capabilities to fight terror
New Delhi, April 3 Outgoing American Ambassador to India Nancy Powell today handed over explosive incident counter-measures equipment worth $300,000 to the Mumbai Police to aid the fight against terrorism. Speaking on the occasion, Powell referred to the strategic nature of the India-US strategic partnership and underlined that counter-terror cooperation would continue to grow between the two countries. “The relationship between the United States and India, which are the two oldest and the largest democracies in the world, is very strategic,” said Powell, who resigned earlier this week.
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Recall verdict against LGBT, activists tell SC
New Delhi, April 3 The SC judgment “reflected its bias” against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and resulted in “manifest injustice,” they pleaded in their curative petition, the last legal remedy in the apex court. Pleading for an urgent hearing of their plea in the open court, instead of the usual closed-door proceedings within the judges’ chambers in such matters, they said it was unfortunate that the SC had forced them to establish they were more than a miniscule fraction of the country’s population for getting their fundamental rights protected. The SC had rejected their review plea, observing that Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, under which homosexual acts were a crime punishable with a maximum punishment of life sentence.
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Scientists sequence peanut genome
Hyderabad, April 3 The new peanut genome sequence will now be put in public domain and will be available to researchers and plant breeders across the globe to aid in the breeding of more productive and more resilient peanut varieties. Peanut (also called groundnut) is an important crop both commercially and nutritionally. Globally, farmers grow peanuts over 24 million hectares each year, producing about 40 million metric tons. While the oil and protein rich legume is seen as a cash crop in the developed world, it remains an important sustenance crop in developing nations, an ICRISAT release said.
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Vadodara, April 3
