Curated By: Asmita Ravi Shankar & Aditi Ray Chowdhury
News18.com
Last Updated: March 19, 2024, 08:57 IST
New Delhi, India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday addressed a public meeting in Telangana’s Jagtial and reinforced the ‘4 June ko 400 Paar‘ aim to the public. Taking a swipe at the Opposition, he said that the ‘BJP wave’ “will sweep out BRS and the Congress from the state”. He also attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his ‘Shakti’ remark during the end of his ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ in Mumbai on Sunday.
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Travelling with a packed schedule, the PM — later in the day — will then visit Karnataka’s Shivamogga and finally go on a mega road show in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The prime minister is set to pay homage to the 1998 blast victims at the end of roadshow in RS Puram, where the terrifying incident took place.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s core group of the Uttar Pradesh unit is likely to hold a meeting in the evening with party president JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital.
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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) on Monday claimed to have received a shot in the arm by inducting Lovely Anand, mother of turncoat RJD MLA Chetan Anand who had crossed over to the NDA during the assembly’s budget session last month.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) will discuss and approve the party’s manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections at its meeting here on Tuesday.
The Congress Central Election Committee (CEC), chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, is also likely to meet later that evening to finalise the names of the remaining candidates for the seven-phase polls beginning April 19. The manifesto committee has already sent the draft document to the CWC, the party’s top decision-making body, for its nod.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, PMK has decided to ally with the BJP in Tamil Nadu.
PMK General Secretary Vadivel Ravanan said that regarding constituencies and candidates, PMK founder Ramadoss will make an announcement day after tomorrow.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi neither understands Hindu religion nor democracy, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Monday in an attack on him for his “fight against shakti” remarks.
At a rally in Mumbai, Gandhi commented, “We are not fighting against a political party…We are not fighting against (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi, nor are we fighting against one person. But, one face has been projected in the forefront.
Bihar LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Raju Tiwari, on party getting five seats in NDA’s seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in the state said, “The NDA has announced its seat-sharing formula for Lok Sabha elections in Bihar, giving 17 seats to the BJP, 16 to the JD(U) and five to Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas).”
“Chirag Paswan and all of us are satisfied. Chirag Paswan will contest from Hajipur,” he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a road show in Coimbatore on Monday, amid non-stop chants of ‘Modi, Modi’ by BJP workers and the playing of traditional music to welcome him.
As Modi began his roadshow in an open vehicle, people who gathered on both sides of the road showered flower petals on him and chanted slogans hailing him.
On removal of West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar by the ECI, West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said, ” Rajeev Kumar was supposed to be removed, he is the same Rajeev Kumar against whom CBI registered FIR and had gone to arrest him, he was a CP that time and he had disappeared. Mamata Banerjee had protested against his arrest so such a person is more like a cadre of the party (TMC) than a DGP. In 2014, also he was removed from the position of CP…there are so many small Rajeev Kumar in West Bengal, who have been kept on payroll by Mamata Banerjee.”
BJP will contest 17 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, as per the NDA announcement .
Nitish Kumar-led JDU will field candidates in 16 seats. Lok Janashakti Party (Ram Vilas) to contest 5 seats, whereas Hindustani Awas Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha to contest from 1 seat each.
BJP’s Samrat Choudhary, while speaking at the Bihar NDA press conference said, “We have a target to win all 40 seats. Last time we had 3 parties in alliance. This time we have 5 parties.”
Security has been tightened in Jharkhand especially along the state’s border with West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, a senior police officer said on Monday.
DGP Ajay Kumar Singh chaired an inter-state virtual co-ordination meeting with senior police officials from neighboring states to ensure fair elections. Discussions during the meeting covered various topics, including intelligence sharing, naxal activities, and coordination to address inter-state criminal activities.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh, while talking about the removal of West Bengal DGP by Election Commission, said, “The BJP is trying its best to grab the operations of ECI (Election Commission of India) and other organisations as well. The state BJP is very weak. They are continuously sending requests to send EDI, CBI and transfer officers.”
Vivek Sahay has been appointed as the new DGP of West Bengal.
BSP MP Sangeeta Azad, party leader Azad Ari Mardan and Supreme Court lawyer Seema Samridhi (Kushwaha) joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in Delhi on Monday.
Criticising the removal of West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar, the Trinamool Congress on Monday claimed it was a glaring example of BJP’s “control” over the Election Commission (EC).
Addressing a press conference, TMC general secretary Kunal Ghosh claimed that BJP was gripped by the fear of losing the Lok Sabha seats in the state.
“Attacking the ‘Shakti’ means attacking the power of ‘Maa Bharti’. However, this ‘Shakti’ will annihilate terror and anarchy. The INDI alliance and Congress have challenged this ‘Shakti’. However, they will receive an answer for this from the daughters and mothers of this country,” said PM Modi in Karnataka’s Shivamogga.
No other government gave as much emphasis on ‘Nari Shakti’ as mine, said PM Modi in Karnataka’s Shivmogga in Rally.
After PM Modi slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his Shakti remark, Gandhi responded back to the Prime Minister’s recent comment.
मोदी जी को मेरी बातें अच्छी नहीं लगतीं, किसी न किसी तरह उन्हें घुमाकर वह उनका अर्थ हमेशा बदलने की कोशिश करते हैं क्योंकि वह जानते हैं कि मैंने एक गहरी सच्चाई बोली है।
जिस शक्ति का मैंने उल्लेख किया, जिस शक्ति से हम लड़ रहे हैं, उस शक्ति का मुखौटा मोदी जी हैं।
वह एक ऐसी शक्ति…
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 18, 2024
PM Modi said that Congress is a party which can go to any extent to attain power. “Britishers left us, but Congress has not left the mentality of the Britishers,” he said.
He further said, “Congress first divided the nation, then caste, Community and then they divided people on religion.”
It is important for the victory of BJP-led NDA in Karnataka in the upcoming polls, said PM Modi while addressing the rally at Shivmogga.
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