Electoral Bonds Data A Setback To BJP? What PM Modi Said

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday rejected the suggestion that the electoral bond issue caused a setback to his government, saying no system is perfect and any shortcoming could be improved upon.

He also said those who are "dancing" over the matter will repent it.

"Tell me what have we done that I should see it as a setback? I firmly believe that those dancing over it (bond details) and taking pride in it are going to repent," he told Thanthi TV in an interview when asked if the electoral bond details have caused a setback to the ruling BJP.

The Prime Minister said it is due to the electoral bond system put in by his government that the sources of funding and its beneficiaries could be found out.

If a trail is available today, it is because of the presence of bonds, he said, asking if any agency can tell about the sources of funding and their beneficiaries for the polls before 2014, the year he came to power.

"No system is perfect. There can be shortcomings which could be improved upon," he said.

Opposition parties have cited the revelations following the Supreme Court order, which brought all information related to electoral bonds in public domain while terming the anonymous funding practice unconstitutional, to attack the government.

Many firms facing criminal probes have turned out to be big buyers of these bonds.

In the interview, PM Modi asserted that one should not see politics in everything he does, saying that he works for the country and Tamil Nadu is its big strength.

If votes were his main concern, then he would not have done so much for the northeast states, the prime minister said, noting that his government ministers have visited the region for over 150 times and he himself has gone there more times than all other prime ministers together have.

"Just because I am a politician does not mean I work only to win elections. Tamil Nadu has huge potential which must not be wasted," he said.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance connects different sections of society and represents aspirations of people, he said, adding that the votes it will received in Tamil Nadu will not be anti-DMK but pro-BJP.

He said, "People have witnessed the works we have done over the past 10 years. Tamil Nadu has decided that this time it will be the BJP-NDA." The BJP worked for Tamil Nadu even when it did not have a single municipal candidate there, he said.

PM Modi also praised Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai, saying he is attracting the youth. They think if money and corruption were the motivations for him, then he could have joined the DMK, the prime minister said.

"Viksit Bharat means that every corner of the country should be a recipient of development. I believe that Tamil Nadu has the potential to become the driving force behind our dream of a Viksit Bharat," he said.

PM Modi regretted the politicisation of Tamil language, a swipe at opposition parties which have often accused the BJP of undermining regional languages, and said as the state's cuisine has been globalised, its dialect should be similarly promoted.

"The politicisation of the Tamil language has been detrimental not only to Tamil Nadu but also to the country," he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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3 Congress Leaders Of Assam Quit Party, Join BJP Ahead Of Elections

Three Congress leaders of Assam, including a state committee general secretary, resigned from the party on Saturday and joined the ruling BJP.

Two of them were known to be close associates of the party candidate from Jorhat, Gaurav Gogoi, who is the deputy leader of opposition in the outgoing Lok Sabha, while the third was a top leader of the Charaideo district party unit.

Manash Borah, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) general secretary, in his resignation letter to the party national president, said he was quitting to explore new opportunities.

"I believe it is time for me to explore new opportunities and avenues for welfare of the people and the state I represent," Manash Borah, who was also a member of the All India Congress Committee, said.

APCC secretary Gauravv Somani, in his resignation to the state party chief, said one of the primary reasons for his decision was "unsatisfactory leadership presently within the Assam Congress, which has regrettably failed to effectively address the pressing issues faced by the people of the state".

Leader of Charaideo district Congress committee Anuj Barkataky also quit the party and joined the BJP.

Manash Borah and Anuj Barkataky are sons of former Congress ministers in the state, and along with Somani, were key leaders in Gogoi's campaign in the Jorhat constituency.

State BJP president Bhabesh Kalita, cabinet ministers Pijush Hazarika and Jayanta Mallabaruah and other senior party leaders were present at the joining ceremony at the party headquarters here.

Speaking to reporters later, Manash Borah said the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had attracted him to the party.

Criticising the Congress, he claimed that it has lost touch with the roots, and decisions were taken by a handful of people in closed rooms.

"We want to work for the people and hence, have decided to join a party connected with the people," Manash Borah, who had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Guwahati on a Congress ticket, added.

Meanwhile, another senior Congress leader Kishore Bhattacharya has also reportedly quit the party and is likely to join the BJP soon, sources said.

A number of key Congress leaders have resigned from the party in the months leading to the general elections.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Recovery Of Rs 135 Crore From Congress As Per Income Tax Laws: Report

The Congress lost income tax exemption in 2018-19 due to extensive use of cash in the electoral process, sources said, justifying that Rs 135 crore tax recovery from the party was consistent with the provisions of the Income Tax Act.

Based on incriminating material seized by the Income Tax Department during search operations, specifically in April 2019, reflecting extensive use of cash in the electoral process, assessments of the party were reopened for seven years (AY 2014-15 to AY 2020-21), sources said.

Following the assessment, demand was raised in 2021, and communications to pay demand were sent many times, they said, adding that stay applications filed by the assessee were rejected during the proceedings.

Subsequently, even after 33 months of the assessment order and 10 months of the Commissioner Income Tax (Appeal) order, when the assessee had not complied with the demand raised, recovery proceedings under Section 226(3) of the Act were undertaken, sources said.

As a result, recovery proceedings to an extent of around Rs 135 crore of outstanding demand were initiated as per provisions of the Act, as the plea for stay was rejected by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) and Delhi High Court.

Accordingly, recovery of Rs 135 crore has been made as per provisions of the IT Act, 1961, sources said.

However, the recovery process has not gone down well with the principal opposition party, as Congress has termed the action by the Department as "tax terrorism".

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP-led Centre on Friday of misusing institutions like the income-tax department, ED and CBI to subvert democracy and belittle the Constitution, and asked why is the I-T department being used as a weapon to harass the principal opposition party.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also hit out at the BJP, accusing it of indulging in "tax terrorism".

However, sources said the action by the Tax Department was taken as the Congress did not get a reprieve from the ITAT and Delhi High Court in this matter.

An ample number of opportunities were given to the Congress to reply, especially with respect to various observations of the Delhi High Court, and after considering all the replies filed by the party, the department has completed the assessment of seven years, they noted.

In another matter related to the assessment year 1994-95, sources said the demand of Rs 53 crore raised by the department is pending before the Supreme Court.

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"When Fools Try To Fool Others...": Smriti Irani Attacks Rahul Gandhi

Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani launched a scathing attack on the Congress, accusing it of peddling division along lines of religion, gender and caste.

Speaking at the Times Now Summit, she emphasized that while the opposition fixates on issues of caste and religion, the BJP remains steadfast in its commitment to development, focusing on crucial areas such as health, infrastructure and education.

"What is Mr Gandhi offering you? He is offering you division based on religion, gender, caste. He wants you to regress so that somebody could give him one shot at being the king of the day," she said, referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi repeatedly raising the issue of caste census.

Ms Irani didn't mince words, asserting, "When fools try to fool others, they only end up manifesting how foolish they truly are." 

Drawing a sharp contrast between the agendas of the BJP and the Congress, Ms Irani said, "The opposition is asking you to fight about caste, religion, and what is BJP talking about - development." 

The BJP leader also seized upon the Congress' strategic decision to announce Mr Gandhi's candidature from Wayanad, questioning the party's commitment to its traditional strongholds of Amethi and Raebareli.

By choosing to contest from Wayanad, Ms Irani argued the Congress revealed its hesitancy to fully invest in regions where it once held sway, referring to Amethi where Mr Gandhi lost to her in the 2019 polls.

She challenged the Congress' ability to stand independently in battleground constituencies, suggesting that their reliance on alliances signalled a lack of confidence in their own capabilities.

Highlighting the track record of the two parties, Ms Irani pointed out that the Congress had dismissed governments 84 times, whereas the BJP had never resorted to using constitutional instruments to dismiss a government.

She also underscored Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forward-looking vision for India, contrasting it with the apparent inability of the Congress to get its own house in order.

"PM Modi talks about what we will be as a nation in 2047, and the Congress cannot get its own act together in 2024; that is the difference," Ms Irani remarked.

She cited the example of the Congress' reluctance to announce a candidate from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, a move she characterized as unprecedented in the Indian political history.

Ms Irani also took aim at individual leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, alleging financial improprieties and accused him of diverting funds meant for public welfare into election campaigns.

Addressing derogatory comments against actress and BJP's Mandi candidate Kangana Ranaut by Congress leader Supriya Shrinate, Irani criticized what she termed the party's "political strategy" of character assassination and sexualized attacks when faced with dissenting voices.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Arvind Kejriwal's Wife Reaches Probe Agency Office To Meet Him

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife, Sunita Kejriwal, reached the office of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Tuesday evening to meet the AAP chief.

The Rouse Avenue Court on Friday remanded Mr Kejriwal to six days of ED custody in the money laundering case related to the alleged liquor policy scam case till March 28, following his arrest on March 21.

Earlier on Saturday, March 23, Sunita Kejriwal met CM Kejriwal at the ED's office.

Meanwhile, the BJP has been demanding that Mr Kejriwal relinquish the chief minister's post after his arrest in connection with the liquor policy case. However, the AAP has maintained that he will run the government from ED custody.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that CM Kejriwal has issued a second order from the ED custody, asking him to address the shortage of medicines and diagnostic tests at mohalla clinics and hospitals in the national capital.

Mr Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate in relation to the excise policy case.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities and money laundering in framing and implementing the Delhi Excise Policy 2022, which was later scrapped.

While Mr Kejriwal was not named in the FIRs registered by the ED or the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Delhi excise policy case, his name first found a mention in the ED's chargesheet, wherein the agency claimed that he allegedly spoke to one of the main accused, Sameer Mahendru, in a video call and asked him to continue working with co-accused and AAP communications-in-charge Vijay Nair.

Nair was among the first people to be arrested by the CBI in the case, in 2022. Subsequently, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh were arrested in connection with the case.

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Court Appoints Committee To Look Into Preservation Of Great Indian Bustard

The Supreme Court has recently appointed an expert committee to look into the preservation of the Great Indian Bustard which is "non-negotiable" and "need for sustainable development in the context of meeting the international commitments of the country towards promoting renewable sources of energy".

A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra passed the order observing while dealing with a matter relating to protecting the Great Indian Bustard (GIB).

The court has sought a report from the committee by July and listed the matter for the second week of August 2024.

"We are of the view that it will be appropriate if an expert committee is appointed so as to balance both the need for the preservation of the GIB, which is non-negotiable and the need for sustainable development, more particularly, in the context of meeting the international commitments of the country towards promoting renewable sources of energy," the court in its March 21 order stated.

During the course of the hearing, the Court has underscored the importance of taking proactive measures to protect the GIB.

"There is no dispute in regard to the fact that the GIB is seriously endangered as a species. At the same time, it has emerged in the course of the hearing that there is no adequate basis to impose a general prohibition in regard to the installation of transmission lines in an area as wide as over 88,000 square kilometres," the court order read.

The committee includes the Director, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun; Hari Shankar Singh, Member, the National Board for Wildlife; Niranjan Kumar Vasu, Ex-Principal Chief Conservator of Forest; B Majumdar, former Chief Wildlife Warden and Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Maharashtra; and Devesh Gadhavi, Deputy Director, The Corbett Foundation, among others.

The committee will determine the scope, feasibility and extent of overhead and underground electric lines in the area identified as priority area in the reports of the Wild Life Institute of India in the States of Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The committee will also look into the need for adopting conservation and protection measures for the GIB, as well as other fauna specific to the topography and desert features and identify the measures to be adopted in the priority areas to ensure the long-term survival of the GIB.

It will also look into the identification of suitable alternatives in the context of sustainable development in the matter of laying long future power lines, which should balance the protection of conservation and the protection of the Great Indian Bustard together with the arrangement of power lines in a manner that would facilitate the fulfilment of the international commitments made by India for developing renewable sources of energy.

"The injunction which has been imposed in the order dated April 19, 2021, in respect of the area described as the potential area shall accordingly stand relaxed subject to the condition that the Expert Committee appointed by this Court may lay down suitable parameters covering both the priority and potential areas," the court said.

The Committee shall be at liberty to impose any additional measures, both in regard to the priority and potential areas, if it considers it appropriate, including considering the efficacy and suitability of installing bird diverters on existing and future power lines, the court clarified.

Earlier, a three-judge bench had directed the concerned authorities to convert the overhead cables into underground powerlines.

The court's order had come on a plea seeking to protect two species of birds, including the Great Indian Bustard.

According to the petition, the existence of overhead power lines is stated to have become a hazard due to which the said species of birds in collision are getting killed.

According to the petitioners, overhead power lines are the biggest threat to the survival of the GIBs.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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BJP Picks Kerala Chief K Surendran To Take On Rahul Gandhi In Wayanad

Announcing candidates for the remaining four seats in Kerala, the BJP on Sunday fielded its state chief, K Surendran, in the high-profile Wayanad constituency against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Scholar and former vice-chancellor of Sree Sankara Sanskrit University, K S Radhakrishnan, and actor-turned-politician G Krishnakumar will contest from the Ernakulam and Kollam constituencies, respectively.

T N Sarasu, former government college principal, would seek electoral luck from Alathur in the northern Palakkad district.

The BJP is striving to break decades-old bipolar politics dominated by the Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M)-led LDF in Kerala.

The party had earlier announced the candidates for 12 seats. Its ally BDJS will contest four seats in the state.

With the surprise candidature of Mr Surendran in Wayanad, a traditional Congress bastion, the BJP is trying to give a fitting reply to its opponents by fielding a strong candidate against Rahul Gandhi. CPI's Annie Raja is the candidate of the state's ruling Left in the constituency.

Mr Surendran, the face of the saffron party's fierce agitations against the entry of young women into Sabarimala years ago, has been serving as the president of the state unit of the BJP since 2020.

Hailing from Ulleyeri in Kozhikode district, Kunnummel Surendran, who began his career as Wayanad district president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, had unsuccessfully contested from Pathanamthitta in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Though he was fielded from Konni in the assembly bypoll in the same year, he couldn't make it.

Known as a close confidant of Union Minister V Muraleedharan, Surendran lost the Manjeswaram constituency by a mere 89 votes in the 2016 Assembly polls.

A well-known scholar, writer, orator, and academician, K S Radhakrishnan joined the BJP in 2019.

He served as the vice-chancellor of Sree Sankara Sanskrit University in Kalady and the chairman of the state Public Service Commission during the tenures of the Congress-led UDF governments in the state before beginning his political career.

He unsuccessfully contested from the Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Fifty-five-year-old G Krishnakumar is an actor-turned-politician and is currently a national council member of the BJP.

In 2021, Krishnakumar contested on the BJP ticket to the state assembly from Thiruvananthapuram.

T N Sarasu, a former government college principal who hit headlines over her confrontations with the Left student union, will contest from Alathur to take on sitting MP and Congress leader Remya Haridas and State Devaswom Minister and senior CPI(M) leader K Radhakrishnan.

Kerala's 20 Lok Sabha constituencies will go to polls on April 26.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Pallavi Dempo 1st Woman To Contest Lok Sabha Polls On BJP Ticket From Goa

The executive director of Dempo Industries, Pallavi Dempo, is the first woman candidate in the BJP's Goa poll history. The BJP today declared Ms Dempo's candidature from South Goa in its latest list of 111 candidates for the uupcoming general elections.

A Goan entrepreneur and educationist, Pallavi Dempo has a graduate degree in chemistry and a postgraduate degree in business management (MBA) from MIT, Pune.

The 49-year-old entrepreneur oversees the media and real estate arm of Dempo Industries as its executive director.

The South Goa seat is currently represented by Congress leader Francisco Sardinha and the BJP has won this constituency only twice since 1962.

The South Goa constituency, spread across 20 assembly segments, changed hands among the Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party, United Goans Party, and Indian National Congress. The BJP won this seat in 1999 and 2014 but couldn't retain it.

Ms Dempo's husband Shrinivas Dempo is a noted industrialist who heads the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industries (GCCI).

The Dempo family has adopted government high schools under the Rural School Adoption Programme to provide vocational training to girls.

Pallavi Dempo is the president of the Indo-German Educational and Cultural Society which contributes to the cultural enrichment between Germany and Goa.

She is the trustee of Moda Goa Foundation, a fashion and textile museum started by Wendell Rodricks and has served as a member of the academic council affiliated with Goa University from 2012 to 2016.

Besides being a member of various other organisations, Pallavi Dempo is also part of the managing committee of the Goa Cancer Society and serves on the core committee of All India Management Association's Women's Council - AIMA Aspire.

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Rs 15.78 Crore Cash, Liquor Worth Rs 23.37 Crore Seized In Karnataka

The Election Commission on Saturday said Rs 6.13 crore cash was seized in the last 24 hours in the run-up to Lok Sabha elections taking the total amount of cash seized in Karnataka to Rs 15.78 crore since the Model Code of Conduct came into force on March 16.

The general elections in Karnataka will be held in two phases on April 26 and May 7 for 28 constituencies.

According to EC officials, since the MCC came into force, the flying squads, static surveillance teams and police authorities have seized Rs 15.78 crore cash, Rs 17.3 lakh worth of freebies, 7.41 lakh litres of liquor worth over Rs 23.37 crore, 66.34 kg narcotic substances worth over Rs 65 lakh and precious metals valued at over Rs 43 crore.

They have also registered 496 FIRs with regard to seizure of cash, liquor, drugs, precious metal and freebies, while 72,627 arms have been deposited, 836 arms were impounded, eight arms licences have been cancelled, 4,175 cases were booked under preventive sections of CrPC, out of which 4,826 persons were bounded over.

The Excise Department has booked 552 heinous cases, 430 cases for breach of licence conditions, 29 NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act) and 1,815 cases under Section 15 (a) of Karnataka Excise Act 1965 and also 329 different types of vehicles have been seized.

In a statement, the office of Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka said the police department has seized 5.36 crore in Bangalore Rural parliamentary constituency. It also seized 203 kg of sandalwood worth over Rs 30 lakh in Bellary parlimentary constituency.

Meanwhile, nearly Rs 16 lakh cash was seized in Mysore parliamentary constituency while Rs 26 lakh cash was seized in Bellary parliamentary constituency. 

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"Ensure Level-Playing Field": INDIA To Poll Body After AAP Chief's Arrest

Following the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the INDIA bloc on Friday submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission of India urging its intervention in the "targeting of opposition leaders" by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party through the "misuse of central agencies".

The representation to the ECI was made by Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, Abhishek Singhvi, NCP (SCP) leader Jitendra Awhad, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O Brien and several other leaders.

The INDIA bloc in its memorandum, has urged the poll body to ensure that any further raids, investigations, and arrests are first vetted and approved by the Commission or a committee set up under it.

It also urged the Election Commission to take immediate action, including the launch of investigations against all those individuals and officers who have misused their offices to harass the leaders of the opposition.

"Take any other steps necessary to ensure the constitutional mandate of a level playing field and to prevent political parties in power from misusing the State machinery against the leaders and political parties contesting elections in a democratic setup," the memorandum submitted to the poll body read.

The memorandum further pointed out the recent action taken by Central agencies against NCP (SCP) leader Rohit Pawar, TMC leaders-- Shankar Adhya, Sujit Bose, Tapas Roy, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, AAP leader ND Gupta, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, TMC leader Mahua Moitra. It also mentioned the freezing of the bank accounts of Congress by the Income Tax department.

The memorandum letter submitted to the poll body by the INDIA asserted that "arrests, of individuals holding Constitutional posts are clearly intended to have a stifling and deleterious effect on the democratic functioning of the affairs of their respective states, as well as the parties themselves".

The letter further read, "It is a move that is deliberately designed to demotivate and demoralise the members of these parties and the opposition at large. These arrested individuals, one of whom is the National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party, and the other is the Working President of Jharkhand, Mukti Morcha, are elected leaders of our country who have championed the cause of those on the margins of our society, including our brothers and sisters belonging to the tribal communities."

"Their arrests are meant to send a message straight to the voter. That the ruling regime will not countenance any real opposition to its electoral ambitions," it added.

Alleging that the BJP is freezing the Congress bank accounts ahead of the polls, the letter stated that these "malafide and egregious acts of freezing bank accounts followed by forceful recoveries have been done with the intention of disadvantaging the principal opposition party from running an unfettered election campaign for the Lok Sabha".

"The entire nation is witness to the unrelenting, blatant and illegal deployment of Central Agencies by the Party in Power to target, suffocate and intimidate the opposition parties," it added.

The Rouse Avenue Court on Friday sent Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to ED custody till March 28. The agency had sought 10 days of remand.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) arrested Kejriwal on Thursday in connection with the alleged Delhi Liquor scam case. The AAP chief was produced before the court of Special Judge Kaveri Baweja.

After meeting the Election Commission, Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said that a level playing field is needed for elections, but the ruling party is not allowing that, which has had an impact on free and fair elections.

"Almost every opposition party is here. This incident happened late at night (arrest of Delhi Chief Minister). We had a detailed discussion with the Election Commission. This isn't about an individual or any party but it relates to the basic structure of the constitution. When a level playing field is needed for an election and you do not let the field be leveled by misusing agencies, it impacts free and fair elections and ultimately democracy," he said.

Arvind Kejriwal's arrest came days after the ED arrested K Kavitha, Bharat Rashta Samithi (BRS) leader and daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in connection with its investigation into money laundering charges linked to the now-scrapped excise policy.

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Centre Launches Helpline To Help Applicants Seeking Citizenship Under CAA

A helpline for people seeking Indian nationality under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 became operational on Thursday for providing assistance and information.

Anyone who needs assistance in applying for citizenship can make free calls to the number '1032' between 8 am and 8 pm from anywhere in India.

"Helpline Number 1032 for CAA-2019 becomes operational. For assistance and information, applicants can make free calls from anywhere in India. Helpline is available from 8 am to 8 pm," a home ministry spokesperson said.

A mobile application for applying for Indian citizenship under the CAA already became operational on March 15.

Earlier, the Home Ministry launched a portal for eligible people to apply for Indian citizenship under the CAA.

The rules for implementation of the contentious CAA, 2019 were notified on March 11, paving the way for granting of citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

With the issuance of the CAA rules, the Modi government will now start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India till December 31, 2014. These include Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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19-Year-Old Brain Dead Student's Organs Give New Lease Of Life To 3

In a first for AIIMS Jodhpur, a Class 12 student declared brain dead after suffering severe injuries in a road accident gave a new lease of life to three people after his family decided to donate his organs, officials at the facility said on Wednesday.

A kidney and the liver of 19-year-old Vikram were allocated to AIIMS Jodhpur itself and another kidney to the SMS Hospital in Jaipur. His lungs will go to a listed patient at the Medanta hospital in Gurugram, they said.

"This made Vikram a silent hero of this remarkable tale of organ donation as he gave a new life to three people," Medical Superintendent Deepak Jha said.

The procedure was initiated with the consent of Vikram's family members after he was declared brain dead, he said, adding that Vikram met with a fatal accident on Monday while returning home after appearing in his senior secondary board examination.

A green corridor was established with the help of the administration and police to transfer the kidney to SMS Jaipur. The dispatch was carried out around 12.30 pm from the AIIMS campus on Wednesday.

"Today, AIIMS Jodhpur has not only achieved a milestone but has also reaffirmed the remarkable potential for good that exists within the human spirit with the support of the administration," Jha added. 

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Lok Sabha 2024: Mainpuri, Mulayam Singh's Stronghold - Samajwadi Party Dominant Since 1996

Mainpuri in western Uttar Pradesh has long been a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party. With its predominantly rural landscape, the constituency has witnessed over 20 elections since 1952. Its politics was dominated by the late Mulayam Singh Yadav, a wrestler turned politician, and his legacy, now carried forward by his daughter-in-law, Dimple Yadav.

Mainpuri KYC

Electorate and Voter Turnout

The electorate of Mainpuri is predominantly rural (87%), while the remaining 13% is urban. Among the rural voters, Hindus constitute 90% of the demographic makeup. Scheduled Castes (SC) form a significant portion of the electorate, accounting for 20.5%.
 

Mainpuri MP

Mulayam's Mainpuri

For decades, Mainpuri has been synonymous with the dominance of the Mulayam Singh Yadav family. The late Mulayam Singh Yadav, who served as the Chief Minister of UP for three terms and as Defence Minister, was a towering figure in Indian politics, won the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat five times.

Mainpuri Turnout

Historical Significance

Mainpuri's politics is marked by pivotal moments and influential leaders. From the victories of the Congress in the early years to the emergence of Mulayam Singh Yadav as the undisputed leader, the constituency has witnessed a transformation in its electoral dynamics.

In 1952, Congress's Badshah Gupta became the first MP of Mainpuri. From then to 1984, the seat saw three more candidates until Balram Singh Yadav, a close aide of Mulayam Singh, solidified his grip on Mainpuri, winning the seat multiple times.

Uday Pratap Singh, who held the seat for two consecutive terms and vacated it in 1996 to make way for his protégé, is another stalwart who helped Mulayam Singh make Mainpuri his political stronghold. After winning the Lok Sabha polls, Singh became the defence minister of the country.
 

Mainpuri Trivia

The Rise of Dimple Yadav

Dimple Yadav, the wife of Mulayam Singh Yadav's son Akhilesh Yadav - who heads the Samajwadi Party - is the current MP from Mainpuri. Despite initial setbacks, in which she was defeated by Congress's actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar in the 2009 Ferozabad by-elections, in 2012, after Akhilesh Yadav was appointed Chief Minister of UP, she became the first woman from Uttar Pradesh to be elected unopposed in a Lok Sabha by-election, and the second person after Purshottam Das Tandon's election from Allahabad West in 1952.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, she was defeated by the BJP candidate Shubat Pathak by a wafer-thin margin. In the 2022 by-elections from Mainpuri, after the death of SP's Patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, she won the election by a margin of 2.88 lakh votes.

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Ex-officer jailed for 20 years for torture of black men

Hunter Elward is the first of six Mississippi officers to be sentenced after two men were tortured in their home.

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Cara Delevingne's LA mansion gutted by fire

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KTR Meets Sister K Kavitha At Probe Agency's Delhi Office Under Court Order

BRS leader K T Rama Rao Sunday met his sister K Kavitha, who is in the Enforcement Directorate custody in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy case, at the agency office on Sunday.

Ms Kavitha, 46, was arrested from her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad on Friday and was brought to Delhi. She was produced before a special PMLA court the next day, which sent her to ED custody until March 23.

While sending Ms Kavitha to the ED custody, the court had allowed some relatives whom the court has named in its order, including brother KTR and husband Anil D, to meet her for half an hour every day between 6-7 pm during her remand period.

Official sources said KTR met Ms Kavitha as per this permission granted by the court.

Ms Kavitha, a member of the Telangana Legislative Council and daughter of former state chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was on Saturday produced before Special Judge for ED cases M K Nagpal.

The ED had sought her custody for 10 days.

It is alleged Ms Kavitha is a key member of the 'South Group', which has been accused of paying Delhi's ruling AAP kickbacks of Rs 100 crore in return for a big share of liquor licences in the national capital.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"PM's Andhra Arrival Like Bhagirath Bringing Ganga To Earth": Pawan Kalyan

Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief Pawan Kalyan praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday for his visit to the state of Andhra Pradesh, drawing a parallel between PM Modi's arrival and the mythological tale of King Bhagiratha bringing the River Ganga to Earth for his ancestors' salvation.

A day after the Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Modi reached Andhra Pradesh and addressed a public rally of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan at Chilakaluripet town in Palnadu district.

The NDA rally, named "Prajagalam," marks the first NDA election meeting in Andhra Pradesh in the run-up to the simultaneous Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha polls scheduled for May 13.

"PM Narendra Modi's arrival in Andhra Pradesh resembles how Bhagiratha brought Ganga to Earth. Modi has come here to support us and save us from undemocratic rule," Pawan Kalyan said while addressing the rally.

"In 2014, with the blessings of Tirumala Sri Venkateswara, the NDA saw victory. In 2024, with the blessings of Vijayawada's goddess Kanaka Durga Devi, the NDA will form the government. Under PM Modi's leadership, the country is growing. Modi has introduced digital payments. However, YSRCP is not interested in digital payments," he said.

"CM Jagan is a businessman who has looted sand and earned money through liquor. Once again, PM Modi will assume power thrice," he added.

Labelling a serious allegation on the ruling government, the JSP Chief said, "Andhra Pradesh has become the capital of Ganja in the country. Andhra Pradesh turned into the new drug capital of the country."

BJP has allied with TDP and Jana Sena Party to contest the Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh jointly.

As per their seat-sharing arrangement, the BJP will contest six Lok Sabha and 10 assembly seats, while the TDP will fight for 17 parliamentary and 144 state seats. Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena has been given two Lok Sabha seats and 21 assembly seats.

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Bear bounds past cars in latest Slovakia attack

A 49-year-old woman and 72-year-old man are hospitalised during the attack in Liptovský Mikuláš.

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Obligation To People Let Down During Partition: Minister Defends CAA

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday boldly addressed criticism on the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and questioned the global understanding of historical events, adding that the government has an obligation to the people who were let down at the time of partition.

"I am not questioning the imperfections or otherwise of their democracy or their principles or lack of it. I am questioning their understanding of our history. If you hear many comments from many parts of the world, it is as though the partition of India has never happened. And there were no consequential problems which the CAA is supposed to address," he said.

"If you take a problem, remove all the historical context from it, sanitize it and make it into a political correctness argument and say, I have principles and don't you have principles. I have principles too and one of my principles is obligation to who were let down at the time of partition," he added.

The Minister firmly defended the implementation of CAA and slammed the critics to reevaluate their own policies before accusing India of introducing policies on the basis of some faiths.

Mr Jaishankar highlighted similar instances, including the Spectre amendment for a particular ethnicity from Vietnam and the fast-tracking citizenship of Hungarians after the Hungarian revolution, as well as Cubans in the 1960s.

"I also have a problem when people don't hold up to mirror to their own policies. so if you say, you are picking some faiths and not some other faiths. I will give you some other examples of it. Have you heard the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, which is about Jews from the Soviet Union. You would ask why only Jews. There was the Lautenberg Amendment which is about Christians and Jews in 1999 Soviet Union," he said.

"There was a spectre amendment, which was about a law, which was about a particular ethnicity from Vietnam who had a fast track to citizenship because they had fought alongside the Americans. There were fast-tracking Hungarians after the Hungarian revolution. Thus fast tracking of Cubans in the 1960s. If you were to ask me, have other countries, other democracies fast tracked on the basis of ethnicity, faiths, and social attributes," he added.

Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 enable persons eligible under CAA-2019 to apply for the grant of Indian citizenship and applications are to be submitted in a completely online mode for which a web portal has been provided by the government.

The Centre notified the rules for implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act on March 11.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees who had sought shelter in India before December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in three neighbouring countries--Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, of six minority communities there.

The CAA removes legal barriers to rehabilitation and citizenship and gives a dignified life to refugees "who have suffered for decades".

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Siege after US gunman kills three in Pennsylvania

Police are at the scene in New Jersey after a suspect shot dead three people in nearby Falls Township.

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Hungary's Orban vows surge to right in US and Europe

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Sandeshkhali Women Meet President Murmu, Demand Central Forces Deployment

Six women from West Bengal's Sandeshkhali met President Droupadi Murmu here on Friday and demanded that central security force personnel be deployed in the area for the protection of women.

Addressing the media shortly after meeting the President, one of the women who has travelled with her toddler said she fears for her life when she returns home.

"I don't know what will happen when I return, we have been threatened that if we speak there will be repercussions," she said in an emotional tone.

She even collapsed after the press briefing.

Another woman said they have demanded deployment of central forces in Sandeshkhali to ensure their protection.

According to her, the President said that she is looking into the issue seriously.

The six women demanded justice in their memorandum to the President.

They came here with some RSS members and social activist Parth Biswas who called the situation in Sandeshkhali "very dire".

"Sheikh Shahjahan's modus operandi was to grab land of the poor people, then inundate it with salt water so that the land turns infertile and then use it for pisciculture," Biswas, who also heads NGO Center for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Support and Research, said.

He said 11 women from Sandeshkhali reached out to his organisation and six out of them have travelled to Delhi.

These six women would be holding a protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday and Biswas called on the Dalit leaders to join the protest.

Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24-Parganas district has been tense with a large number of women in the locality accusing TMC strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of "land-grab and sexually assaulting" them under coercion.

Sheikh, who had been absconding since January 5 when a mob attacked Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers during a raid at his residence in connection with an alleged ration scam, was arrested in the last week of February.

 

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"I'm In Heaven": Murder Accused Hosts Social Media Live From UP Jail

A purported video of a murder accused lodged in Bareilly Central Jail hosting a live video on a social media platform has surfaced and a probe has been ordered into the matter, police said on Thursday.

Action will be taken against whoever is found guilty in the investigation, they said.

Asif is accused of shooting a public works department (PWD) contractor Rakesh Yadav (34) to death on December 2, 2019, in the Sadar Bazar Police Station area of Shahjahanpur.

Another accused Rahul Chaudhury was also accused of having killed Yadav and the duo are currently lodged in Bareilly Central Jail.

A video of a murder accused lodged in prison went viral on social media, Deputy Inspector General (Prison) Kuntal Kishore said.

In the 2-minute-long video, Asif is heard saying, "I am in heaven and enjoying it." On seeing the video on social media, the victim's brother met District Magistrate Umesh Pratap Singh on Thursday and gave him a complaint letter.

He said in the letter that the murder accused were getting special facilities in the jail. He said that the two accused had been hired from Meerut to kill his brother.

DIG Kishore told PTI over the phone that he had seen the video. "A probe in the matter is underway. After investigation, legal action will be taken against whoever is found guilty," he said.

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Major internet outages reported across Africa

Outages have been reported in South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ghana and Burkina Faso.

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Birth Of 3 New Cubs Increases Tiger Population In Sariska Reserve

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupendra Yadav on Wednesday took to social media to announce "Exciting news coming from Sariska Tiger Reserve."

A tigress residing in the Sariska Tiger Reserve has given birth to three cubs, which has increased the number of tigers in the country.

Yadav posted on X, "Tigress ST 12 has been camera-trapped with 3 new cubs in Talvriksh Range. This takes the number of adult tigers to 25 and cubs to 8 in Sariska. My best wishes for a flourishing wildlife in the state of Rajasthan."

Exciting news coming from Sariska Tiger Reserve!

Tigress ST 12 has been camera trapped with 3 new cubs in Talvriksh Range.

This takes the number of adult tigers to 25 and cubs to 8 in Sariska. My best wishes for a flourishing wildlife in the state of Rajasthan. pic.twitter.com/TV9p3AcCv0

— Bhupender Yadav (मोदी का परिवार) (@byadavbjp) March 13, 2024

Notably, Sariska National Park is located in the Alwar district of Rajasthan. It is one of the most famous national parks in Rajasthan which is beautifully located amidst the Aravali Hills. It is one of the most visited national parks in the country. It is located only at a distance of about 107 kilometres from Jaipur.

This national park occupies more than 800 square kms of the forest area. With the help of Jeep Safari, tourists get the opportunity to explore the dense jungle of Sariska and also get the opportunity to spot a large number of wild animals in their natural habitat including the Royal Bengal Tiger. By Jeep Safari of Sariska National Park, tourists enjoy the thrilling experience of spotting various animals in their natural habitat.

Earlier in February, the first All Odisha Tiger Estimation (AOTE) report 2023-24 conducted by the Odisha Forest Department reported an increase in the number of tigers in Odisha.

As per the report, of the 30 tigers, a total of 27 unique adult tigers were camera-trapped in Odisha during the AOTE exercise, and evidence of another three adult tigers were also found in the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), which have not been camera-trapped.

The 27 tigers included 14 males and 13 females. It has 11 usual colour morph tigers (seven females and four males), 13 pseudo melanistic tigers (seven females and six males), and eight tiger cubs.

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Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra Given Six-Month Extension

The government on Tuesday granted a six-month extension in service tenure of Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who was scheduled to retire at the end of next month, according to an official order.

The decision was taken by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr Kwatra, a 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, took charge as the foreign secretary on April 30, 2022.

According to the order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved extension in service of Shri Vinay Mohan Kwatra (IFS:1988) as Foreign Secretary for a period of six months beyond 30.04.2024 i.e. up to 31.10.2024 or until further orders, whichever is earlier, in public interest, in terms of provisions of FR 56 (d)." 

Under the Fundamental Rule (FR) 56 (d), the government can give extension in service to the defence secretary, foreign secretary, home secretary, Intelligence Bureau director, RAW chief, CBI director, Enforcement Directorate chief, for such period or periods as it may deem proper on a case-to-case basis.

Mr Kwatra, a career diplomat with over 34 years of experience, served as the Ambassador of India to France from August 2017 to February 2020, before diplomatic posting to Nepal.

He also held the position of a Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) for two years between October 2015 and August 2017.

Mr Kwatra headed the policy planning and research division of the Ministry of External Affairs between July 2013 and October 2015 and later served as the head of the Americas Division in the Foreign Ministry where he dealt with India's relations with the United States and Canada.

He served as Minister (Commerce) in the Embassy of India, Washington from May 2010 till July 2013.

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Bands pull out of SXSW festival over Gaza conflict

The Texas festival lists the US Army as one of its sponsors, which some artists have objected to.

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Ukraine hits back at Pope's 'white flag' comment

The Pope angers Kyiv by urging it to "have the courage to raise the white flag" in talks with Russia.

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Delhi Traffic Police Issues Advisory For Dwarka Expressway Inauguration

Traffic movement will be regulated in many areas of Dwarka on Monday for inauguration of the Dwarka Expressway, according to an advisory issued by the Delhi Traffic Police.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the expressway in Dwarka Sector-25 and traffic movement will be regulated in the area from 8 am to 2 pm, the advisory, issued on Sunday, stated.

The advisory has urged commuters to avoid Dhulsiras Chowk, Sector 8-9 crossing, Carmel Chowk Sector-20, Janki Chowk near Sector-23 police station and Pochanpur flyover Sector-23 Chowk.

Other routes where traffic will be regulated are near the Transport Authority office, Sector-21 metro station and the Pacific Mall cut, Golf Course Road to Dhulsiras Chowk and Bamnoli, and Bharthal Chowk to Dhulsiras Chowk and Chhawla Road.

Those going to the railway station, hospital and ISBTs are advised to plan their travel in advance, the advisory stated.

"The general public and motorists are advised to keep patience, observe traffic rules and road discipline," it added.

The police have also asked people to avail of public transport to help decongest roads and urged them park their vehicles in designated lots.

The Delhi Traffic Police has also advised the public to follow its website or social media for updates or call 8750871493, 1095/011-25844444 for more information.

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Sharad Pawar Declares Supriya Sule As Candidate From Baramati Seat

Sharad Pawar, who heads the NCP (SP), on Saturday declared MP Supriya Sule as their candidate from Maharashtra's Baramati Lok Sabha seat, amid speculation that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar could be fielded from there.

The octogenarian leader made the announcement during a rally organised by the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi in Bhor tehsil of Pune district. Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena (UBT), an MVA constituent, was also present at the event.

The Election Commission will announce the Lok Sabha poll schedule on March 14 or March 15, said Sharad Pawar. The Election Commission has allotted “man blowing turha (a traditional trumpet)” symbol to his outfit.

“The elections will decide the future of our country. Nobody was so anxious about the future of the country so far, but now a change is needed. Today, PM Modi is not paying any attention towards farmer suicides. Instead, he is focussing all his attention only on Gujarat,” he said.

The NCP founder also accused the government of misusing its power.

“PM Modi is giving us which guarantee? Neither black money was brought back nor any work is being done. Today, farmers are agitating but PM Modi is not paying any attention. Inflation and unemployment have become serious problems in our country.

“If you think the situation should be in control, now is the time. When you go to cast your vote, press the ‘tutari' (his party's symbol) button. Today, I declare Supriya Sule as our candidate for the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency,” he said.

During his address, Sharad Pawar turned to Bhor MLA Sangram Thopte of Congress saying he would back the legislator. Sangram's father Anantrao Thopte, who represented Bhor in the assembly six times before a shock defeat in 1999, was known as one of Pawar's rivals within the Congress when the latter was with the grand old party.

“Sangram Thopte, whatever work you will do for your tehsil, state or country, I'll always support you. We had different paths earlier but now that you are with us, I'll show you real development,” he said. Congress is one of the partners in MVA.

On March 1, Sunetra Pawar had met Congress veteran Anantrao Thopte at his home in Bhor. Sangram Thopte, however, had denied that the meeting had any political significance.

There has been speculation that the Ajit Pawar-led NCP could field Sunetra Pawar from Baramati.

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Centre Says Probe On In Spanish Tourist's Gang-Rape Case, Several Arrested

Days after a woman from Spain was allegedly gang raped in Jharkhand, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said the matter is "under investigation" and several people have been arrested.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this in response to a query on the case at his weekly media briefing here.

The tourist from Spain was allegedly gang raped in Jharkhand's Dumka district, police had said on March 2.

"As you know, the matter is under investigation. Several people have been arrested," Jaiswal told reporters.

In his response, the spokesperson also said, "And, you would have also see that the High Court of Jharkhand, suo motu has taken action on this particular matter." Some reports refer to the act of cognisance by the court.

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Swedes cheer end of long wait to join Nato

Many in the Nordic country say they feel safer despite growing tensions between the military alliance and Russia.

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BJP MLA From Bengal's Matua Belt Mukut Mani Adhikari Joins Trinamool

In a jolt to the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Mukut Mani Adhikari, a BJP MLA from the Matua belt in Bengal's Nadia district, joined the Trinamool Congress today and participated in a rally in Kolkata.

Mr Adhikari, who represents the Ranaghat Dakshin constituency for the BJP, expressed his dissatisfaction with the party's decision to field sitting MP Jagganath Sarkar again from Ranaghat.

"I think the TMC is the only platform where you can work for the masses. So I have decided to join them," he said.

During a TMC rally in Kolkata, Mr Adhikari was spotted walking alongside Abhishek Banerjee, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew, further solidifying his move to the ruling party.

"BJP4Bengal leader and MLA Mukutmani Adhikari joined our party and marched in our rally on the eve of #InternationalWomensDay. When BJP leaders leave their anti-women party and extend support, you know that you are on the right side of history. Standing tall for women's rights through thick and thin!" Trinamool posted on X.

This shift is not an isolated incident. Mr Adhikari is the eighth MLA to switch to the TMC since the announcement of the assembly poll results in May 2021.

Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition, highlighted allegations of domestic violence against Mr Adhikari, painting him as an ironic choice for a TMC rally celebrating International Women's Day.

"Look who is walking in the TMC Procession alongside Bhaipo, to observe International Women's Day !!! Mukutmani Adhikari - Ranaghat South MLA. He was accused of domestic violence by his wife. The FIR was filed by his wife on the 11th day of their marriage. Certainly qualifies as the 'poster boy' of TMC's rally to honour women," he posted on X.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Shankudeb Panda attributed Mr Adhikari's departure to his aspirations for a Lok Sabha ticket from the Ranaghat parliamentary constituency.

Ranaghat holds significance due to its large Matua community representation, similar to the Bongaon area in North 24 Parganas district.

The Matua community's cohesive voting behaviour has made them a crucial voting bloc, especially regarding the BJP's stance on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Following the BJP's defeat in the 2021 assembly polls, the state unit has been striving to maintain party unity, especially after several prominent figures, including Babul Supriyo and Arjun Singh, as well as seven legislators, switched allegiance to the TMC.

Despite initial success with 77 seats, the BJP's tally was reduced to 75 after losing two seats in the bypolls.

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Netflix hits make Adam Sandler the best-paid actor

Sandler's lucrative deal with the streamer saw him appear in and produce three films last year.

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Ex Mayawati Party MP Gets 7 Years In Jail In 2020 Kidnapping Case

An MP/MLA court here on Wednesday sentenced former MP Dhananjay Singh to seven years of imprisonment in a 2020 kidnapping and extortion case.

Presently with the Janata Dal (United), Dhananjay Singh was reportedly preparing to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Jaunpur. But the conviction now makes him ineligible under the Representation of the People Act to contest election.

Additional Sessions Judge Sharad Kumar Tripathi, who held Dhananjay Singh and his associate Santosh Vikram guilty in the case of kidnapping of Namami Gange project manager Abhinav Singhal on Tuesday, also imposed a fine of Rs 75,000 on each of them, District Government Counsel (Criminal) Satish Pandey said.

Satish Pandey said that Muzaffarnagar resident Abhinav Singhal had filed a case against Dhananjay Singh and his partner Vikram on May 10, 2020, at Line Bazar police station under IPC sections of kidnapping, extortion, conspiracy and others.

According to the FIR, Vikram, along with two associates, kidnapped Abhinav Singhal and took him to the residence of Dhananjay Singh where the former MP came with a pistol and abused him and pressured him to supply low quality material. On refusal, he threatened Abhinav Singhal and demanded extortion, it was alleged.

The former MP was arrested in this case and later got bail from the Allahabad High Court.

The district government counsel said that on the basis of CCTV footage, call details record, WhatsApp messages and statements of witnesses, the crime was proved against the accused.

As soon as the sentence was pronounced, hundreds of Dhananjay Singh's supporters gathered in the court premises got dejected.

Dhananjay Singh had plans to contest on the Jaunpur Lok Sabha seat on NDA constituent JD-U ticket. However, after the BJP declared former Maharashtra home minister Kripashankar Singh as its candidate from that seat, he got disappointed.

The former MP was reportedly trying to get a ticket from the Samajwadi Party.

Dhananjay Singh, who served as the member of Parliament in the 15th Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014 as a Bahujan Samaj Party member, is described as 'Purvanchal Bahubali'.

In 2011, BSP president Mayawati expelled him from the party on charges of anti-party activities.

Recently, Dhananjay Singh had, through a post on 'X', indicated his plans of contesting the coming Lok Sabha elections from Jaunpur seat.

He had won elections for the first time in 2002 from the Rari Assembly seat as an independent candidate. 

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Court Commutes Death Sentence Of Rape-Murder Convict To 30-Year Jail Term

The Allahabad High Court has commuted the death sentence given to a man, who was convicted of raping and murdering a three-year-old girl in 2021, to 30-year jail term.

Commuting the death penalty, the court observed that the convict had no criminal history so "chances of his reformation" cannot be ruled out.

The bench comprising Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Syed Aftab Husain Rizvi partly allowed the criminal appeal of Dinesh Paswan who was awarded death sentence by the district court of Fatehpur.

Advocate Tanisha Jahangir Monir appearing for Paswan submitted that the appellant was falsely implicated merely on the basis of suspicion. The case is of circumstantial evidence, the chain of which is incomplete, the advocate said.

"Place of incident was not fixed as the body of the deceased was not found at the alleged place of occurrence (the rented room of the appellant), admittedly (as per mother of the deceased) the body was found at her maternal grandparents' house, where the inquest was conducted," argued Monir.

After hearing the parties concerned, the court in its recent order said, "The offence is of a very heinous nature and committed in a gruesome manner." However, the court commuted the death sentence while observing, "The age of the accused as recorded in his statement under Section 313 CrPC on December 8, 2021 was 25 years, so the accused is a young person. It is also established from the evidence on record that he is married, having a child. There is neither any criminal history to the credit of the appellant-accused nor he is a previous convict so chances of his reformation cannot be ruled out. These are the mitigating circumstances." An FIR was lodged by the mother of the child at Khaga police station of Fatehpur alleging that Dinesh Paswan enticed her daughter away to his room and committed the heinous crime and murdered her.

Paswan was awarded the death penalty on January 18, 2022 by the district court.

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Dinosaur-age 'nightmarish' sea lizard fossil found

Scientists believe the species hunted the oceans 66 million years ago with "teeth like knives".

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Study 'Open Jail' Concept, Come Up With Scheme: Court To UP Government

The Allahabad High Court has directed the state government to study the 'open jail' concept being followed in other states like Rajasthan and Maharashtra and come up before it by March 29, 2024 with a scheme or proposal to serve the cause.

The Lucknow bench of the high court passed the order on February 28, taking up a suo motu public interest litigation in pursuance to a prisoner's complaint.

In its order, the bench of Justice A R Masoodi and Justice B R Singh also asked the state to apprise it of the schemes, if any it has, about the dependents of prisoners, who were sole bread earner of their family and in whose absence, their family is forced to suffer from acute financial hardship, especially their children who are deprived of fundamental education and health cover.

The bench asked the state counsel Anurag Verma to apprise the additional chief secretary (home) as well as the director general (prisons and jail reforms) of the court's order for making necessary compliance so as to evolve a complete reformative mechanism in the larger interest of convicts to serve the cause.

The bench also appointed advocate S M Royekwar to assist it in the matter.

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US airman pleads guilty to Pentagon documents leak

Jack Teixeira was accused of one of the highest-profile national security breaches in years.

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Supreme Court Judge On Rising Pendency Of Bail Pleas In Top Court

The number of bail pleas in the Supreme Court is steadily rising since it is not being granted in the district courts or even the high courts, Justice Bhushan R Gavai said on Sunday.

Every Supreme Court bench hears at least 15 to 20 bail matters each day, the top court judge said at an event where the 'bhoomi pujan' of a new court building was held in Pune's Pimpri Chinchwad.

"These days the situation is such that bail is not granted in the district courts. It has become a challenge to get bail even in the high courts. Therefore, the pendency of bail matters in the Supreme Court is going up," he said.

Asserting that judges have the courageous and unbiased nature of Ramshastri Prabhune, the revered Chief Justice of the Maratha Empire in the latter half of the 18th century, Justice Gavai said, "Why should we fear to grant bail? Even after spending nine-10 years in jail before the trial is over, if judges don't consider the bail plea, we should think about the current system," Justice Gavai asserted.

Speaking on the occasion, Supreme Court judge Justice Abhay Oka said disputes related to marriages were on the rise and there was a need to increase the number of family courts nationwide.

"This has become a serious issue, particularly in cities. There are 10-15 cases filed for one marriage dispute. There is a need to increase the number of district, sessions, and family courts," he said.

Advising the legal fraternity to avoid "pujas" (rituals), Justice Oka said they should start work by bowing before a copy of the Constitution.

"As we complete 75 years of adopting the Constitution, we should start this practice to show respect and to implement its values," he said.

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Navalny mourners form long queue to lay flowers

Hundreds of people line up to pay their respects at the Russian opposition leader's grave in Moscow.

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Will Continue To Protest Peacefully, Says Farmer Leader Baldev Sirsa

Asserting that farmers will continue to protest peacefully in support of their demands, senior farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa on Saturday said for how long the government will keep the roads blocked, ultimately they will have to resolve the issue.

"Is there anything for which there is no solution? The demands on which we are agitating are old ones," 82-year-old Sirsa said.

The government should give a legal guarantee of a minimum support price (MSP) for crops, he said. "If farmers don't get even an MSP for their produce, where will they go?" he asked.

"If loans of thousands of crores of rupees of corporates can be waived, why not that of farmers and farm labourers?" he further said.

He said the farmers have been protesting in a peaceful manner at Shambhu and Khanauri border points along the Punjab-Haryana borders for past several days.

"We are not the ones who have blocked roads. If the Haryana government has put up barricades to prevent our 'Delhi Chalo' march, we have been sitting peacefully and continuing our agitation," he told reporters.

"For how long will they block roads? But we will continue to protest peacefully. We walk on the path shown by our gurus. We already set an example of peaceful agitation for 13 months at Delhi's borders (against now repealed farm laws)," he said.

The demand of a legal guarantee for an MSP and other demands are not of Punjab farmers alone, he said.

Meanwhile, Sirsa thanked United Sikhs, an NGO, for providing medical and legal aid to the farmers.

Director, United Sikhs, Punjab, Amritpal Singh said many farmers were injured during the protest recently and the organisation decided to provide medical aid and deployed three ambulances at the protest site.

Farmer leaders Manjeet Singh Rai and Jaswinder Singh Longowal had on Friday asserted that their 'Delhi Chalo' agitation will continue till their demands are met, saying they will announce their next course of action on March 3 after a prayer meeting for a farmer who died during clashes with security personnel in Khanauri.

The next announcement will be made after the final prayers at Shubhkaran Singh's native village Balloh in Bathinda district, they had said.

Shubhkaran Singh was killed and around 12 police personnel were injured in clashes at the Khanauri border point on the Punjab-Haryana border on February 21.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) are spearheading the 'Delhi Chalo' march by farmers to press the government to accept their demands.

The march was put on hold for two days after Shubhkaran Singh was killed on February 21. Two days later, the farmer leaders said the protesters would continue to camp at Khanauri and Shambhu on Punjab's border with Haryana till February 29.

Earlier, the farmer leaders had rejected the BJP-led Centre's proposal for procuring pulses, maize and cotton at an MSP by government agencies for five years, saying it was not in favour of the farmers.

In the fourth round of talks with the farmer leaders on February 18, a panel of three Union ministers had proposed that government agencies would buy pulses, maize and cotton at the MSP for five years after entering into an agreement with farmers.

The farmers are also demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Failure Of Police Intelligence Evident: Karnataka BJP Chief On Cafe Blast

Targeting the Congress administration following the explosion at the city's popular eatery Rameshwaram Cafe on Friday, Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra said the government's "callousness" and the failure of police intelligence is evident in this incident.

The BJP state chief accused the government of downplaying such crimes and said it "is pushing the state into this chaos, making it a safe haven for antisocial elements.

"Deeply troubled to hear about the blast at Rameswaram Cafe in Bangalore. Praying for a swift recovery of all the injured in the incident. State govt should order a detailed enquiry and spare no efforts in apprehending the perpetrators," Vijayendra posted on social media platform X.

Vijayendra said the failure of police intelligence is also evident in this incident.

"We strongly urge the police to conduct a thorough probe and eradicate these elements from the core without yielding to any political pressures," he added.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and BJP leader R Ashoka claimed that the bomb blast at Rameshwaram Cafe was yet another glaring example of the "deteriorating law and order situation" in Karnataka ever since the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Congress government came to power in the state.

"Wherever the Congress comes to power, the terrorists and anti-national elements feel emboldened because of its policy of unabashed and unbridled appeasement," he alleged.

"The Congress government should first ensure 'guarantee' of safety and security to the people of Karnataka," he said, taking a dig at the government's 'poll guarantees' of welfare schemes.

Earlier in the day Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the incident should not be politicised and everyone should cooperate, as he assured that strict action would be taken against those involved.

Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to give a free hand to the police and investigating agencies to conduct the probe and give clear answers to people of Bengaluru about the incident.

"At first, they tried the narrative of cylinder blast. Now, they are trying the narrative of business rivalry. Why can't the Congress government allow the investigation agencies to do their job? Why preempt? Why prompt? Vote Bank compulsions?" he posted on X.

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