Month: May 2024

Congress leader Arun Reddy, who handles the ‘Spirit of Congress’ X account and is the national coordinator for social media of the party, has been sent to 3-day Police custody in connection with Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s doctored video case. After the IFSO unit of the Delhi Police arrested him late on Friday night, he was produced before the judge who sent him to 3-day custody.

In the doctored video, the Union Home Minister is purportedly heard saying that the BJP stands against the reservations in the country.

However, during his address at a public meeting in Congress-ruled Telangana, Shah said, “If the BJP forms the government here, we will withdraw the unconstitutional reservations to Muslims. We will ensure that the SCs, STs and OBCs get quotas as guaranteed under the Constitution.”

Congress MP Manickam Tagore who is the Telangana Congress in-charge alleged that the arrest was a misuse of power by the Union government.

In a post on X, Tagore said “Our Telangana colleague Arun Reddy, has been detained by Delhi Police for 24 hours with no information or FIR disclosed. We demand the immediate release of Arun. This authoritarian misuse of power by the regime is condemnable. #ReleaseSpiritOfCongress, #ReleaseArunReddy.”

On Tuesday, the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of Delhi Police issued summons to 16 individuals across seven to eight states in connection with the circulation of a ‘doctored’ video featuring Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The summons were issued under Sections 91 and 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), asking the persons concerned to join the investigation and provide relevant documents and electronic devices as evidence.

According to police sources, those summoned include six members of the ruling Congress in Telangana, including Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. They, along with other persons from several states, were asked to appear for questioning on May 1 at the IFSO unit in Delhi’s Dwarka.CrPC Section 160 allows police to summon a person for investigation, while Section 91 allows police to seek specific documents or gadgets to be presented as evidence.

The BJP’s Telangana unit filed a complaint against the CM and the Congress’ state chief, Revanth Reddy, at the Cyber Crime police station, accusing the party of fabricating and morphing the speech of Amit Shah.

The complaint stated that the Telangana Congress Pradesh Congress Party, on its official X handle, posted a ‘morphed’ and ‘fabricated’ video of Amit Shah. (ANI)

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Referring to the West Bengal teachers’ recruitment scam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday attacked Trinamool Congress and said that he would not “spare” those people who played with the future of your children adding that this is “Modi’s guarantee.”

Addressing a public rally in Bolpur in West Bengal, PM Modi bowed before all the mothers and sisters who had come here today for the rally.

“Today, I am seeing a different atmosphere here…I am here to seek your blessings. In 2014, you elected Modi not only to run the government or to show the power of the PM post. You elected me for the achievements of big targets,” PM Modi said.

Mentioning the West Bengal teacher recruitment scam, the Prime Minister said those who have caused distress among the youth must be punished.

“TMC is jeopardizing the future of your children by orchestrating a scam in teacher recruitment. Over 25,000 teachers were dismissed by the court. Those who played with the future of your children should not be spared! West Bengal teacher recruitment scam reveals the true character of TMC leaders. I will not spare those who looted the people of Bengal, this is Modi’s guarantee. I have requested the BJP Bengal to establish a legal cell and a social media platform to assist the youth who fell victim to this scam, those who became teachers based on their merit. I assure the youth of Bengal that those who have caused you distress will be punished,” the PM said.

PM Modi further asserted that TMC and Congress are only worried about their vote bank, therefore, they are spreading rumours regarding CAA which is meant to assist people who are left in the neighbouring country during partition.

“TMC and Congress are not concerned about your future; they only care about their vote bank. They don’t want us to provide justice to the communities that were left stranded after partition. They are spreading rumours about CAA, which is actually meant to aid the people, he added.

PM Modi termed the TMC government “undemocratic” by controlling all the institutions in the state and said that one can only “speculate how many more Sandeshkalis are concealed in Bengal”.

“Over the decades, West Bengal has endured a politics of violence. TMC has provided refuge to non-state actors and permitted them to commit atrocities against the people. TMC exerts complete control over the treasury, hospitals, and law and order. We can only speculate how many more Sandeshkalis are concealed in Bengal. TMC is digging the grave of democracy!” he said.

He further said that in their 10 years of governance, the INDIA bloc leaders did nothing but “scams and corruption.”

“In 2004, the people of the country gave a chance to the INDI alliance; but what did they do? The INDI alliance, in its 10 years of rule, did scams worth lakhs of crores. When the country had to expand its telecom network, they did 2G scams, when the country had to strengthen its forces, they did submarine and helicopter scams. When the country had to dominate the world of sports, they did a Commonwealth scam. TMC is also on the same path, they are doing scams in unthinkable ways… Ration scam, recruitment scam, coal scam, animal trafficking scam, and all scams were worth hundreds of crores,” the PM said while recalling the scams done by the INDIA bloc leaders during their regime.

“I want to ask you, can the INDI alliance, which works on the thought process of the past century, even think about the future? These people couldn’t introduce a new education policy in three decades,” PM Modi said.

Prime Minister Modi further expressed gratitude to a young girl who brought him his sketch in the state.

PM asked the volunteers to get the sketch from her and asked her to write down her address too so that he could write her a letter thanking her for the same.

The West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) teacher recruitment scam came into light after the arrest of Bengal BJP leader Partha Chatterjee, a Trinamool Congress leader who served as the education minister in Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet until his arrest on 23 July, 2022.

Polling for the remaining parliamentary seats will be held on May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. The results will be announced on June 4.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the TMC won 34 seats in the state, while the BJP had to settle for just 2 seats.

The CPI (M) won 2 seats, while the Congress bagged 4. However, the BJP came up with a much-improved showing in the 2019 polls, winning 18 seats against the TMC’s 22. The Congress’s tally dropped to just 2 seats, while the Left scored a blank. (ANI)

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday hit out at the Congress and Samajwadi party’s alliance in UP, likening their partnership to a reckless driver of a tractor.

“The alliance of Congress and Samajwadi Party is such, if you ask an inept person to drive a tractor, he will run over someone. ‘2 ladkon ki jodi yahi hai’, Yogi Adityanath said while addressing an election rally in Sambhal.

Training guns at the Samajwadi party, Yogi said that they had previously adorned mafias with garlands, targeted saints, and hindered efforts to ensure the safety of women and businessmen in the state.

Yogi Adityanath criticized the Congress party for continuously bringing up the idea of conducting a caste survey in India. He suggested that this tactic is aimed at creating differences among different communities and ultimately expanding reservations to Muslims.

“Reservations based on religion was the reason behind the partition of this country. Do Congress and the Samajwadi Party want the partition of the country? They say they’ll do a caste census, for what? They will divide people based on caste and induce a fight amongst them and then they’ll say to the people that first you need to resolve this issue, and by that time they will give your reservations to Muslims.” Yogi said.

The Indian National Congress, in its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections pledged to carry out a census across the nation to identify and assess various castes, sub-castes, and their socio-economic status. Additionally, they proposed amending the Constitution to lift the 50 per cent limit on reservations for marginalized communities, including scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and other backward classes.

Further, slamming the opposition alliance, Yogi Adityanath said, “Neither can they provide you security, nor can provide respect to the country, neither can they benefit the poor, nor do they respect your faith, then why would you even elect them?”

Uttar Pradesh is gearing up for another round of voting as the third phase of the ongoing general elections approaches. Scheduled for May 7, this phase will see ten Lok Sabha constituencies heading to the polls. These include Sambhal, Hathras, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Badaun, Bareilly, and Aonla. (ANI)

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The Supreme Court on Friday said that it may consider hearing on May 7 arguments on the interim bail of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal because of the upcoming 2024 general elections.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said that arguments on Kejriwal’s plea against arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and his subsequent remand in the excise policy case, may take some time, so it may hear arguments on the question of interim bail Kejriwal on Tuesday.

“We will post it on Tuesday morning itself. Mr Raju (Additional Solicitor General SV Raju representing ED) one more thing. If it is going to take time, it does appear it may take time, we may then consider the question of interim bail, because of the elections. We may hear on that part because of elections,” the bench said at the end of the hearing.

However, the bench also made it clear that it had not decided anything finally and that it was only informing all counsel that such a form of interim relief may be considered if the hearing is unlikely to conclude soon.

“We are not saying anything (on whether bail will be granted or not), we would like to consider grant of interim bail because of elections…. We may or may not grant. We are going to hear you. We must be open to you because neither side should be taken by surprise,” the bench said to ASG Raju and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for Kejriwal.

“One thing more. Please also take instructions. Because of the position he (Kejriwal) holds, whether he should be signing official files,” Justice Khanna told ASG.

During the hearing, the bench also asked about the dates of elections in Delhi.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kejriwal had challenged a Delhi High Court judgment that dismissed his plea against arrest by the ED and his subsequent remand in the excise policy case.

Kejriwal, while filing an appeal in the apex court had contended that his arrest after the announcement of the General Elections was “motivated by extraneous considerations”.

On April 9, the High Court dismissed his plea for release from jail and rejected his argument of political vendetta amid the looming Lok Sabha elections.

The High Court had said that Kejriwal’s absence from nine ED summons over six months undermined any claims of special privilege as Chief Minister, suggesting his arrest was an inevitable consequence of his non-cooperation.

Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering probe relating to alleged irregularities in the now-canceled Delhi excise policy 2021-22. (ANI)

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Turkey has halted all exports and imports to and from Israel, citing the escalating humanitarian situation in Gaza, announced the Turkish Ministry of Trade, Al Jazeera reported.

“Export and import transactions related to Israel have been stopped, covering all products,” the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

“Turkey will strictly and decisively implement these new measures until the Israeli Government allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”

The decision follows remarks by Israel’s foreign minister, who accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of violating agreements by obstructing Israeli imports and exports from ports.

“This is how a dictator behaves, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen, and ignoring international trade agreements,” Israel Katz posted on X.

Katz disclosed that he has directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to explore alternative trade options with Turkey, focusing on domestic production and imports from other nations.

In 2023, the trade volume between the two nations amounted to USD 6.8 billion.

Last month, Turkey imposed trade restrictions on Israel, alleging Israel’s obstruction of Ankara’s participation in Gaza aid airdrops and its military actions in the region.

When questioned about Turkey’s continued trade relations with Israel despite Ankara’s strong rhetoric, Erdogan responded last month by stating that Turkey no longer engages in “intense trade” with Israel, asserting, “That is done.” However, he did not explicitly state that Ankara had completely ceased all trade with Israel, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)

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After the Congress ended weeks of suspense around its choice of candidates from Raebareli and Amethi Lok Sabha constituencies, naming Rahul Gandhi and KL Sharma as its picks from the traditional strongholds; the Wayanad MP, along with his mother Sonia Gandhi and several Congress heavyweights, arrived at party’s mini-pocket borough on the last day for filing nominations for the fifth phase of the general elections on Friday.

A chartered flight with Rahul, his mother and several Congress top tuns landed at the Fursatgunj airfield ahead of his nomination filing from Raebareli. The Wayanad MP was flanked by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal, Robert Vadra, former Rajasthan chief minister and AICC member Ashok Gehlot, as he arrived at the airstrip.

Rahul and Sonia, the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party who resigned as the sitting Raebareli MP earlier and was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Jaipur, were pictured leaving the latter’s Delhi residence after the Congress formally announced its picks for its two UP strongholds earlier in the day.

According to party sources, Rahul will hold an elaborate roadshow in Raebareli before filing his nomination papers at noon. Ahead of his arrival at the Congress stronghold, hectic preparations were underway at the party office in Raebareli to accord him a rousing reception.

Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy also left for Raebareli on a special flight from Hyderabad’s Begumpet airport ahead of Rahul’s nomination filing.

A video clip showed the Congress’ Raebareli office being bedecked with petals ahead of Rahul’s arrival.

Rahul is pitted against Congress defector and three-time MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh in Raebareli. A sitting MP from Kerala’s Wayanad, he is also seeking a fresh term in the Lower House from the seat that polled in Phase 2 of the general elections on April 26.

Before Sonia, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had won Raebareli thrice. The constituency also elected Indira’s husband and Congress leader Feroze Gandhi twice in 1952 and 1957.

The BJP, meanwhile, took a dig at Rahul’s candidature from two seats, saying he was “running away from Wayanad” after “accepting defeat in Amethi.”

“Rahul Gandhi is losing Wayanad, which is why he is going to file nomination from Raebareli. He ran away to Wayanad after losing Amethi earlier (in the 2019 elections). Such is the state of affairs in the Congress these days that no one wants to contest Amethi, which had been one of their traditional strongholds. He will also have to run away from Raebareli just as did from Amethi, as the people will give him a befitting reply. He will lose Raebareli as well,” BJP national secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa told ANI on Friday.

In 2019, he contested both Wayanad and Amethi, losing the latter to Union Minister Smriti Irani.

Rahul represented Amethi in the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2019. His father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, too, was an elected member of Amethi in the Lower House from 1981 till his death in 1991. Sonia Gandhi contested elections from here in 1999 before passing the baton on to Rahul in 2004.

This time, however, the Congress named party loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi against incumbent MP Irani. Irani had earlier filed her nomination as an NDA candidate.

Congress party members expressed happiness over KL Sharma’s candidature from Amethi.

“There is no shortage of enthusiasm. KL Sharma has stood with the people here in their time of need over the 30-35 years. He has helped out people regardless of their political affiliation,” Raghav Ram Mishra, a Congress worker, said.

Shubham Singh, another Congress worker, said, “We stand in support of the decision taken by ‘Didi’ (Priyanka) and ‘Bhaiya’ (Rahul) to not contest Amethi. We are always ready to obey the high command’s decision. There were expectations that either of them would contest Amethi but we will try to convince the people and try to rally support for our candidate.”

UP Congress President Ajay Rai expressed confidence in the INDIA bloc forming the government, adding that Rahul’s candidature from Raebareli would “impact the results”.

“It was our demand for a long time that Rahul Gandhi contest from Uttar Pradesh. We are happy that Rahul Gandhi has been named our candidate from Raebareli and KL Sharma from Amethi. They have been among the people, serving them selflessly. This (Rahul Gandhi’s candidature) would turn the poll results in the state upside down. It is clear that INDIA will form the next government at the Centre. Rahul is a fighter and he won’t back off,” Rai said.

Both constituencies are traditional strongholds of the Gandhi-Nehru family, with its members holding these seats for decades. Rahul’s defeat in Amethi, once considered a Congress ‘pocket borough’ at the hands of Irani in the 2019 polls was seen as a significant blow to the party’s national prestige.

The Congress is contesting 17 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh as part of the seat-sharing deal with its ally partner, Samajwadi Party (SP). (ANI)

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Janhvi Kapoor is no longer hiding her romantic life with rumoured beau Shikhar Pahariya as at an event in Mumbai today, her ‘Shiku’ pendant again grabbed the eyeballs of netizens.

Janhvi’s fashion choices have always garnered attention, and this instance was no exception.

In the videos captured by Mumbai paps, Janhvi can be seen dressed in a black check short dress that she paired with high heels and pearl earrings.

However, her necklace grabbed the attention.

She adorned a delicate necklace bearing the name ‘Shiku’, a probable reference to Shikhar Pahariya.

She also posted series of pictures in the same outfit on her Instagram handle.

Recently, at a recent screening of the film ‘Maidaan’, wearing ‘Shiku’ necklace gave the subtle nod, which sent fans into a frenzy, reigniting discussions about the alleged romance between the two.

The ‘Shiku’ necklace not only caught the eyes of onlookers but also fueled speculation about the depth of her relationship with Shikhar Pahariya.

While neither Janhvi nor Shikhar has officially confirmed their relationship, glimpses into their alleged romance have surfaced from time to time.

Janhvi’s appearance on Karan Johar’s talk show ‘Koffee With Karan’ provided subtle insights into their bond, with the ‘Dhadak’ actor sharing endearing anecdotes about Shikhar’s presence in her life.

Moreover, her father Boney Kapoor’s public admiration for Shikhar further solidifies the speculation surrounding their relationship.

Shikhar Pahariya hasn’t shied away from expressing his affection for Janhvi either.

On her birthday, he took to Instagram to share intimate moments captured between them.

These gestures have only added fuel to the ongoing speculation about their alleged romance, captivating fans and media alike.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Janhvi will be next seen in ‘Mr and Mrs Mahi,’ which is set to hit cinemas on May 31 this year.

Janhvi was last seen in the 2023 romantic drama ‘Bawaal,’ directed by Nitesh Tiwari and co-starring Varun Dhawan. Her upcoming projects include pairing with Rajkummar Rao in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Mahi.’ She will also be seen in the Pan-India film ‘Devara’ which also stars Saif Ali Khan and NTR Jr in the lead roles.

She is all set to be seen in the action thriller film ‘Ulajh’.

Directed by National Award winner Sudhanshu Saria, the patriotic thriller film also stars Gulshan Devaiah and Roshan Mathew, of ‘The Poacher’ fame, in lead roles.

It also stars Rajesh Tailang, Meiyang Chang, Sachin Khedekar, Rajendra Gupta and Jitendra Joshi in pivotal roles. (ANI)

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Hema Malini and Dharmendra are celebrating their 44th wedding anniversary on Thursday. Bollywood’s Dream Girl treated fans with a glimpse of their celebration.

Taking to Instagram, Hema shared a photo featuring herself and Dharmendra.

The image captured Hema Malini holding Dharmendra’s hand as they smiled and posed for the camera.

Sharing the post, she wrote, “Our anniversary photos”.

Earlier today, Hema also dropped a video with a compilation of several unseen moments with Dharmendra created by her fans.

Along with a post, she wrote, “Our wedding anniversary today!44 years of togetherness,2 beautiful girls, lovely children surrounding us&drowning us with their love!Our fans &their limitless adulation! What more can I ask of life? Our eternal gratitude to the Almighty for this gift of happiness. Video by a fan.”

Wishing her parents on this special occasion, Esha Deol also posted an adorable picture of Dharmendra and Hema Malini.

“Happy anniversary to my papa & mamma. I adore you, I love you & I just want to hug you,” she captioned the post.

Dharmendra and Hema Malini got married in 1980 and have two daughters-Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. Hema is the second wife of the veteran actor. Dharmendra also has two sons Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol and two daughters with his first wife Prakash Kaur.

Dharmendra and Hema Malini first met in 1970, while shooting for the film Tum Haseen Main Jawan. The two played the lead roles in the film. Over the years, the two fell in love even though Dharmendra was a married man with four kids. However, the two finally tied the knot in 1980.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Dharmendra was last seen in Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon’s ‘Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya’. He will be next seen in Sriram Raghavan’s ‘Ikkis’.

Hema Malini is quite busy with her political stint amid the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. The BJP candidate is seeking re-election from Mathura, a constituency she has represented since 2014. She is contesting against Congress’s Mukesh Dhangar in the Mathura constituency. (ANI)

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Putting an end to all the speculations around Uttar Pradesh’s Kaiserganj seat, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday declared former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s son Karan Bhushan Singh as its candidate from the seat for the Lok Sabha elections.

The Kaiserganj constituency is currently held by BJP’s Brij Bhushan Singh, who is a three-time MP from the seat. He, however, has not been given ticket this time.

The seat had become a point of pondering for the BJP after Brij Bhushan was accused of sexual harassment of female wrestlers.

This sparked massive protests by several athletes including Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat.

The Delhi Police filed chargesheet in connection with the case against the former WFI chief in June last year.

The BJP also announced the candidature of Dinesh Pratap Singh from the Rae Bareli constituency.

Singh had also contested the polls from the same seat against Sonia Gandhi in 2019 and BJP has affirmed confidence on him.

Rae Bareli seat has been a Gandhi family’s stronghold. Congress’ former chairperson Sonia Gandhi retained the seat in 2019. She, however, won’t contest this time as she has been nominated to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.

Meanwhile, the suspense on Amethi and Rae Bareli — two Congress strongholds continues as Congress hasn’t announced its candidates for both seats.

In 2019, BJP’s Smriti Irani ended Congress’ stint from the seat by defeating Rahul Gandhi from Amethi.

BJP had announced its candidates for most of the seats in UP, but the announcement for the Kaiserganj constituency was awaited.

Both Kaiserganj and Rae Bareli will vote on May 20 in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

In the 2019 election, Brij Bhushan defeated BSP’s Chandradev Ram Yadav from a margin of over 2.5 lakh votes. (ANI)

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