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Amid the reports of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi contesting from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, Samajwadi Party Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said that everyone will gather in Uttar Pradesh now.

Replying to the question “Now that you have come to Kannauj, is your friend (Rahul Gandhi) going to come (contest) to Amethi”, Akhilesh Yadav said, “Sab aayenge ab toh (Everyone will come now), mehfil toh ab UP mein hi sajegi (The gathering will be in Uttar Pradesh only).”

Akhilesh Yadav was in Kannauj where he filed his nomination for the Lok Sabha polls. Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Ramgopal Yadav accompanied Akhilesh while he was filing his nomination.

Akhilesh Yadav was elected to the 13th Lok Sabha from Kannauj in a by-election in 2000. He was then re-elected twice from the same constituency in 2004 and 2009. He took over as UP CM in 2012 and returned to the Lok Sabha in 2019 as an MP from Azamgarh. In 2022 he resigned from the LS to be a part of the UP Assembly.

Voting on the Kannauj seat will be held in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 13.

Earlier, the party declared Tej Pratap Yadav, Akhilesh’s nephew and son-in-law of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, as its candidate.

As per the seat agreement between the Samajwadi Party and Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Congress is contesting on 17 seats and the Samajwadi Party has the remaining 63 seats in the electorally crucial state.

Meanwhile, according to sources Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi are likely to contest the Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli and Amethi seats, respectively.

Sources mentioned that the final decision will be taken after April 26 and nominations can be filed next week. In the second phase, Wayanad from where Rahul Gandhi is contesting will go to the polls.

Smriti Irani defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi. Irani has again been fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party from the seat.

As per the seat agreement between the Samajwadi Party and Congress in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress will contest 17 seats and the Samajwadi Party the remaining 63 seats in the electorally crucial state.

Apart from its traditional strongholds of Rae Bareli and Amethi, the Congress is also contesting on Varanasi, Ghaziabad and Kanpur.

Earlier, posters featuring Robert Vadra, husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, appeared outside the party’s office on Wednesday in the Gauriganj area of Amethi. This raised speculations of a possible ticket for Vadra.

However, the Congress appears to be wanting to put up a fight for every seat that it is contesting and has thus decided on fielding the Gandhi sibling. Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies will vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20. (ANI)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accused the Congress party of conspiring to take away the rights of OBCs, SCs, and STs in secret.

Speaking at an election rally in Agra PM Modi said that the Karnataka Congress government secretly robbed the rights of the OBCs and they want to do the same thing with OBCs, SCs, and STs everywhere they get into power.

“The Congress government in Karnataka has overnight turned all the Muslim castes in Karnataka into OBCs by stamping a paper and told them to become the owners of this 27 per cent and loot it. They have robbed the rights of the OBCs. The Congress intends to play the same game in UP, to perform the same feat, wherever they get a chance in the country, they want to secretly rob the rights of the OBCs, SCs, and STs from the back door and give it away. And in this, the Samajwadi Party is also fully supporting them,” the PM said at a rally in Agra.

The PM also accused Congress of advocating religion-based reservations despite court restrictions.

“The same Congress has repeatedly advocated for reservations based on religion in their manifestos, whether in Karnataka or Andhra Pradesh. The Constitution and the courts of the country have repeatedly forbidden Congress from doing so, rejecting every argument they have made… Congress has now resolved to bring reservations based on religion, and for this, they have found a way to steal from the 27 per cent quota for OBCs, to quietly snatch away and give reservations based on religion,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that appeasement politics have divided the nation into pieces.

“In our country, we have seen a lot of politics of appeasement, which has divided the nation into pieces. The politics of appeasement have drowned out the honest and truthful. Our path is not one of appeasement; it is one of satisfaction,” he said.

The PM also accused the Samajwadi Party and Congress’s INDI alliance of appeasement politics.

“The Samajwadi Party and Congress’s INDI alliance are deeply involved in appeasement politics. The manifesto released by Congress for the 2024 elections is completely stamped with the Muslim League’s approval. The entire Congress manifesto is dedicated only to strengthening their vote bank. Our manifesto is dedicated to strengthening the nation,” he said.

PM Modi launched an attack on the Congress party, saying, “Since independence, it has been clear that India will never provide reservations based on religion; this was decided after discussions in the Constituent Assembly, which were led by Babasaheb Ambedkar. It was Ambedkar’s wish, and the fundamental spirit of the Constitution and social justice dictate that the Constitution of India does not agree to reservations based on religion. However, Congress is such a party that insults Ambedkar every day, disrespects the Constitution, and shreds the very fabric of social justice.”

In Uttar Pradesh in the 2019 general elections, the BJP emerged triumphant, securing 62 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, supplemented by two seats clinched by its ally Apna Dal (S). Mayawati’s BSP managed to secure 10 seats, while Akhilesh Yadav’s SP garnered five. The Congress Party secured only one seat.

Uttar Pradesh sends the maximum number of MPs, 80 in total, to Parliament. The first phase of voting in the state has already taken place on April 19.

The remaining Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will cast their votes in the subsequent phases of the election, namely, Phase 2 on April 26, Phase 3 on May 7, Phase 4 on May 13, Phase 5 on May 20, Phase 6 on May 25, and Phase 7 on June 1. The counting of votes will occur on June 4. (ANI)

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India on Thursday firmly rejected the US State Department report on Human Rights in India, which mentioned “significant human rights abuses” during the violence that broke out in Manipur last year and said that the report is “deeply biased” and “reflects a poor understanding of India.”

“This report is deeply biased and reflects a poor understanding of India. We attach no value to it and urge you to do the same,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal responded to the question asked during the MEA’s press briefing on Thursday.

The US State Department’s report, “2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: India” alleged that the ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur resulted in “significant human rights abuses.” 

It also said that at least 175 people were killed and more than 60,000 were displaced amid violence.

“The outbreak of ethnic conflict between the Kuki and Meitei ethnic groups during the year in India’s northeastern state of Manipur resulted in significant human rights abuses. Media reported at least 175 persons were killed and more than 60,000 displaced between May 3 and November 15. Activists and journalists reported armed conflict, rapes, and assaults in addition to the destruction of homes, businesses, and places of worship,” the Executive Summary of the US report read.

“The government deployed security forces, implemented daily curfews, and internet shutdowns in response to the violence. The Supreme Court criticized the failure of the central government and the Manipur state government to halt the violence and appointed officials to investigate incidents of violence and to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the rebuilding of homes and places of worship,” it added.

Additionally, on being asked regarding the progress in the ongoing investigation into the foiled assassination plot against India designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Spox Jaiswal echoes the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and said that the issue equally impact both countries national security and the high-level committee is looking into the matter.

“We have set up a high-level committee. The high-level committee is looking into several information that was shared by the American side with us because they also equally impact our national security. The high-level committee is looking into those aspects, and that is where it is right now,” he said.

Earlier, in the daily press briefing of the US State Department, when being asked if the US received a report of India’s internal investigation in the case, US Department of State official spokesperson, Mathew Miller, denied sharing any details and asserted that they are looking forward to the results of the investigation on the Indian side.

“So I’m not going to speak to media reports. I will just say that we have made clear to the Government of India that we want to see them conduct a full investigation, and we continue to look forward to the results of that investigation, but I don’t have any updates to offer,” Miller said.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is an India-designated terrorist who holds American and Canadian citizenship. He has repeatedly issued threats against India.

As per the US Justice Department indictment, an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, who is currently in custody, has been charged with the murder-for-hire of Pannun. The US Justice Department had claimed that an Indian government employee, who was not identified in the indictment filed, had recruited Gupta to hire a hitman to allegedly assassinate Pannun, which was foiled by US authorities. (ANI)

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On the pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University and other Universities in the US, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that there should be a right balance between freedom of expression and sense of responsibility, adding that the democratic country is judged by what we do at home and not what we say abroad.”

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have seen reports on the matter and have been following related events. In every democracy, there has to be the right balance between freedom of expression, a sense of responsibility and public safety and order. Democracies in particular should display this understanding in regard to other fellow democracies. After all, we are all judged by what we do at home and not what we say abroad.”

Asked whether it is a concern for India as Indian students study in US universities, he said, “As far as your question regarding Indian students is concerned, we are always in touch with Indian students and as and when there are issues which have to be resolved, we will look into it.”

Colleges across the United States are grappling with escalating unrest as pro-Palestinian protests sweep through their campuses, prompting administrators to implement unprecedented measures to address the intensifying situation, CNN reported.

Protesters at Columbia University, where demonstrations ignited last week, demand the severance of ties with Israeli academic institutions and complete divestment from entities linked to Israel amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

At the University of Texas in Austin, over 30 arrests were made during protests, while around 50 protesters were arrested at the University of Southern California following a dispersal order from the police.

Negotiations between Columbia University officials and protesters regarding the clearance of encampments on campus have been described as “unstable” by Esha Karam, managing director of Columbia Daily Spectator, citing student organisers. Talks have been extended for 48 hours, but the outcome remains uncertain.

“We’re about halfway through that extended deadline of 48 hours and we heard from organizers on the student front earlier today in a press conference who told us that the negotiations are ongoing so unstable at the moment,” Karam told CNN.

There’s still around another 24 hours to go until the extended deadline “but really after that, we don’t really know where things are going,” Karam added.

The California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt campus, faces continued closure as protesters, including unidentified non-students, occupy two buildings. School officials have expressed concerns over safety hazards and property damage, with plans to keep the campus closed for an extended period.

With the surge in protests, US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson called for the resignation of Columbia University’s president amid ongoing demonstrations sparked by pro-Palestinian sentiments at major American universities, CNN reported.

House Speaker Mike Johnson emphasised the need for order on campus, stating that if the university president cannot restore calm, she should resign, CNN reported. However, students have expressed varied viewpoints on this call for resignation, with some expressing willingness to continue working with her. (ANI)

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IndiGo has placed an order for 30 A350-900 aircraft, a decision that will enable the airline to connect Indian metros to destinations around the world.

Powered by Rolls Royce’s Trent XWB engine, these aircraft promise unparalleled mission capability and efficiency, offering IndiGo unprecedented options as it enters the next phase of its growth.

The airline ordering for wide-body aircraft will strengthen its fleet.

IndiGo’s strategic partnership with Airbus reaches new heights with this order, further enhancing the depth, breadth, and size of their relationship. Similarly, the collaboration with Rolls Royce marks the beginning of a promising long-term association.

With deliveries expected to commence from 2027, the exact configuration of the aircraft will be determined later. Additionally, IndiGo holds Purchase Rights for an additional 70 Airbus A350 Family aircraft, providing flexibility for future expansion.

This announcement comes on the heels of IndiGo’s remarkable performance in 2023, during which it welcomed 100 million customers onboard its flights. As one of the fastest-growing airlines globally, this order will fuel IndiGo’s trajectory of growth and expansion.

Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, expressed his excitement on this moment, emphasising its significance for both the airline and Indian aviation. He reiterated IndiGo’s commitment to being India’s preferred airline and contributing to the nation’s growth.

The milestone was celebrated on Thursday at InterGlobe’s Corporate Headquarters in Gurgaon, in the presence of key executives from IndiGo, Airbus, and Rolls Royce. Looking ahead, IndiGo will host a conference call on April 30 to provide further insights into this strategic development.

IndiGo’s investment in wide-body aircraft aligns with the Indian government’s vision of positioning the country as a global aviation hub by 2030. (ANI)

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Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi are likely to contest the Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli and Amethi seats, respectively, sources said on Thursday.

According to the sources, the final decision will be taken after April 26 and nominations can be filed next week. Phase 2 of the elections are scheduled for April 26. In this phase Wayanad from where Rahul Gandhi is contesting will go to the polls. 

Smriti Irani defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi. Irani has again been fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party from the seat.                

As per the seat agreement between the Samajwadi Party and Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Congress will contest 17 seats and the Samajwadi Party the remaining 63 seats in the electorally crucial state.

Apart from its traditional strongholds of Rae Bareli and Amethi, the Congress is also contesting on Varanasi, Ghaziabad and Kanpur.

Earlier, posters featuring Robert Vadra, husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, appeared outside the party’s office on Wednesday in the Gauriganj area of Amethi. This raised speculations of a possible ticket for Vadra. 

However, the Congress appears to be wanting to put up a fight for every seat that it is contesting and has thus decided on fielding the Gandhi sibling. Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies will vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20. 

However, Rahul Gandhi will not find the going easy in his erstwhile bastion as Union Minister Smriti Irani has been campaigning extensively in the constituency. On April 8, the Union Minister questioned Rahul Gandhi’s loyalty to Amethi. 

“BJP workers know that the Gandhi family will come to contest elections from Amethi. PM Narendra Modi sends ration to 19 lakh citizens in Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, if the Gandhi family is against Narendra Modi, so these 19 lakh citizens who are getting free ration, what will the Gandhi family say to these families?… I went to Wayanad a few days ago and got the information that Rahul Gandhi has declared Wayanad as his family…Yesterday a Congress leader said that Rahul Gandhi chose Wayanad because Rahul Gandhi says that the people of Wayanad are more loyal. So what about the loyalty of Amethi,” she said in a news conference.

Rae Bareli is a Congress bastion since 1960 with both Feroze Gandhi and Indira Gandhi having represented it. Sonia Gandhi has been the MP from the constituency since she won the 2006 by poll. With Sonia moving to the upper house, the Congress is likely to field Priyanka Gandhi who is a general secretary in the party.  (ANI)

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The successful completion of the Rs 18,000 crore follow-on public offer (FPO) marks the beginning of Vodafone Idea 2.0, which will stage a “smart turnaround”, Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said.

Birla praised PM Modi and telecom minister Ashwani Vaishnav for a conducive policy environment which encourages investment, innovation, and competition, at Vodafone Idea’s FPO listing at NSE today, April 25.

“The emphatic oversubscription of the FPO – with the overall book being subscribed seven times and the institutional book being subscribed 19 times — demonstrates the tremendous potential of the India digital story and Vodafone Idea’s role in it,” Birla said. ” I believe that a revitalised Vodafone Idea is important for India.”

Birla highlighted the government’s support in preserving a competitive three-player market and committed to remain in this sector.

“The Aditya Birla Group had remained committed to this sector for over two and a half decades now. Along with our partner, Vodafone Group, we have invested around Rs.1,70,000 crore in the Indian telecom industry. Before this FPO, in the last five years, out of Rs.30,000 crore raised by the company, more than 75 percent has come from the two promoter groups,” Birla said.

The proceeds of the fundraise will be used for technological upgradation of its telecom network. “This, in turn, will enhance operational efficiencies and lead to better performance. The cycle of investment will trigger the cycle of growth.

Praising investors and banks Birla said it is a beginning of Vodafone-Idea 2.0 “On the back of this fundraise and continued support from banks, Vodafone Idea will stage a smart turnaround. This moment, in some ways, marks the beginning of Vodafone Idea 2.0. I believe that a revitalized Vodafone Idea is important for India,”

“The robust engagement from both foreign and domestic investors is heartening. Notably, the full subscription of the retail portion is truly commendable, given the sheer scale of the offer.”

Birla said that Vodafone Idea is a “national asset” with 215 million users, about 8000 MHz spectrum and a network that spans Kashmir to Kanyakumari…. India’s digital economy is booming, and robust telecom networks are crucial to support this growth. A nation of 1.4 billion people deserves 3 private telecom players. (ANI)

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As speculation over Uttar Pradesh’s Kaiserganj seat deepens, sitting MP Brij Bhushan Singh, who was accused of sexual harassment of female wrestlers, said on Wednesday that there are 99.9 per cent chances that he will contest from the seat.

The BJP, which has declared its candidates for the majority of the seats in Uttar Pradesh, has so far not announced its candidate for the Kaiserganj seat.

Brij Bhushan Singh said, “I am not a candidate right now. But the BJP has no contest on the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat. Last time, victory was won by more than 2 lakh votes; this time, the workers have given a slogan of 5 lakh votes. If God has decided this, what can I do? But I am a strong contender, so I will contest 99.9 per cent, 0.1 per cent would remain.”

Further, the sitting MP said that even if the party announced the candidate just an hour prior, people would make him win.

“The Party believes that Kaisarganj is a seat of the BJP. Even if they announce the name of candidate just an hour prior, the people of the state will make the BJP candidate win. Has the party denied me a ticket? Has the party released a list that does not have my name? Kaisarganj is one among the 400 seats. PM Modi doesn’t need to contemplate Kaisarganj, I would like to tell him that we will begin (the victory) from here. Rahul ji and Priyanka will have no impact on Purvanchal. People of Kaisarganj will get good news suddenly. The entire region will be happy,” Brij Bhushan added.

Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat will vote on May 20 in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election.

In the 2019 election, Brij Bhushan secured 5,81,358 votes.

Chandradev Ram Yadav from BSP got 3,19,757 while Congress candidate Vinay Kumar Pandey got 3,7132 votes. (ANI)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi enjoys abusing him but people should not be angry about it adding that since centuries “Naamdars” have abused “Kaamdars”.

Addressing an election rally in Morena, Prime Minister Modi said, “Congress’ Shehzada enjoys abusing Modi. People on social media are saying that this language is not right. People are getting upset about it. I am appealing to them that you don’t have to be sad. They are Naamdar and we are Kaamdar. Naamdars have been abusing kaamdars for centuries. I have come out from poverty if again I get abused, then let it be. Don’t waste your time.”

Prime Minister was responding to the language used by Rahul Gandhi against him.

“The moment I talked about X-Ray, Narendra Modi was in fear. He started trembling. Jaise hi usko dar lagta hai vo jhoot bolne lagta hai. (Whenever he is in fear, he starts lying). Sometimes he talks about China, then Pakistan. He is lying repeatedly. Is baar nahi nikalpaega (This time he won’t be able to escape),” Rahul Gandhi had said at a public meeting on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Modi said that for the Congress ‘Gandhi family’ comes before the development of the nation.

“Nothing is greater than the country for BJP. But for Congress, it is family first. Congress’ policy is to keep the one who makes the maximum contribution, hard work and dedication for the country at the back. Therefore, for so many years, Congress did not allow the demands of army personnel like One Rank-One Pension to be fulfilled. We implemented One Rank-One Pension as soon as the government was formed,” he said.

He also said that Madhya Pradesh became a ‘Bimaru Rajya’ during Congress’ rule.

“After filling the potholes of Congress, the BJP has given a new identity to Chambal and Madhya Pradesh. The people of Bhind, Morena and Gwalior, who have seen the dark period of the Congress, are experiencing the development that has taken place under the BJP government more,” the PM said.

“The people of Madhya Pradesh know that once you get rid of a problem, you should stay away from it. Congress party is such an anti-development party,” he added.

Prime Minister further mentioned that Congress accepted the partition of the country on religious lines.

“Congress still does not want to improve their habits. For them, it is the easiest way of success. They are playing games. They have made religion appeasement as their pawn and are now playing with the future of the country,” he said.

Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh are being conducted in four phases. The first phase of polling was held on April 19.

The next three phases will be conducted on April 26, May 7 and May 13. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

Madhya Pradesh has a total of 29 Lok Sabha constituencies, making it the sixth-largest state in terms of parliamentary representation. Out of these, 10 seats are reserved for SC and ST candidates, while the remaining 19 are unreserved. In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, the BJP secured a massive victory in Madhya Pradesh, winning 28 out of the 29 seats. Congress managed to win only one seat. (ANI)

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Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav will contest the general elections from Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency, the party said on Wednesday, just days after it declared Tej Pratap Yadav as its candidate from the seat.

The Party, in a post on X, said that the SP Chief will file his nomination from Kannauj Lok Sabha seat on Thursday.

“Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to file nomination papers as party candidate from Kannauj Lok Sabha tomorrow,” it said.

Tej Pratap, a former MP from Mainpuri and nephew of Akhilesh Yadav is also the son-in-law of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. He is married to Lalu’s daughter Raj Laxmi Yadav.

Tej Pratap is the grandson of late SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav’s brother Ranveer Singh. He was Mainpuri MP from 2014 to 2019.

Akhilesh Yadav served as Lok Sabha MP from 2000-2012. He resigned from the Kannauj parliamentary seat in 2012 after he became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. In 2017, his party was unable to form government in UP and he submitted his resignation to the Governor. He was elected Lok Sabha MP in 2019, and went on to be elected to the UP Assembly in 2022.

Following the UP Assembly polls, Yadav resigned as Lok Sabha MP and retained his state assembly seat.

In the 2019 general elections, the BJP emerged triumphant, securing 62 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, supplemented by two seats clinched by its ally Apna Dal (S). Mayawati’s BSP managed to secure 10 seats, while Akhilesh Yadav’s SP garnered five. Conversely, the Congress party secured only one seat. (ANI)

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