Daily Bulletin: EC to examine Narendra Modi's Mission Shakti speech; PM to speak in rallies across north India; day's top stories

EC to examine Modi's Mission Shakti speech

After holding an "internal consultation", the Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday sought an active transcript from the government of the speech delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing India's entry in the league of countries that have sent anti-satellite missile to space.

A committee headed by the Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena will examine the prime minister's address on Mission Shakti for possible Model Code of Conduct violation. The timing of the speech was questioned by Opposition leaders, who have also alleged that Modi has chosen to dramatise the achievement for polltime gains.

File image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ANI

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Modi announced on Wednesday morning that India shot down a live satellite on a low earth orbit, demonstrating anti-missile capabilities in space, a feat achieved only by the United States, Russia and China in the past. "For every Indian, this is a matter of pride," he added.

Poll watch: PM to hold rallies in north India, Shatrughan to join Congress

Narendra Modi is set to begin active election campaigning on Thursday with rallies in Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, Rudrapur in Uttarakhand and Jammu in Jammu and Kashmir. All three seats go to polls in the first phase on 11 April.

BJP chief Amit Shah will address rallies at Koliabor and Teok in Assam's Jorhat district in a daylong trip to the state.

Newly anointed Congress general secretary for Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi has said that she is open to contesting elections. Priyanka has been campaigning at Amethi and is scheduled to visit Ayodhya on Friday.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will have a busy day in Haryana with five roadshows in a single day, at Jagadhri, Radaur, Ladwa, Indri and Karnal.

Bollywood actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who has been associated with BJP for about three decades, will join the Congress on Thursday and is likely to be fielded from Patna Sahib.

Goa deputy chief minister dropped, labelled 'most corrupt'

Goa Art and Culture Minister Govind Guade dubbed Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) MLA and Deputy Chief Minister Sudin Dhavalikar as one of the “most corrupt” persons in the state.

In yet more drama in the Goa Assembly, on Wednesday, Dhavalikar was dropped from the Goa cabinet, about a week after being sworn-in to the post. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant recommended the sacking of Dhavalikar from the cabinet, which was accepted by Governor Mridula Sinha.

Sawant had alleged that Dhavalikar was indulging in anti-alliance activities.

Pakistan asks for more information on Pulwama

Pakistan on Wednesday sought "more information and evidence" from India on the involvement of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in the deadly Pulwama terror attack and the presence of camps of the UN-proscribed terror outfit in the country.

Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria was called to the Foreign Ministry by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua and the "preliminary findings" on the "Pulwama incident" were shared with him, the Foreign Office said, referring the deadly terror attack as an "incident".

Naidu goes to court against EC order of cop transfers

The Chandrababu Naidu government in Andhra Pradesh has filed a writ petition at the High Court over the Election Commission of India's orders to transfer a few top cops in the state including the state's intelligence chief. The hearing is on Thursday.

The state government has also cancelled the transfer of the intelligence chief. Naidu has called the EC's decision "undemocratic and one-sided". The EC's orders follow a complaint filed by Telugu Desam Party's rival, YSR Congress Party, alleging that phones of the party's leaders are being tapped by top police officials in the state.

Naidu, Jagan rallies see similar accidents

In strange coincidence, both Naidu and YSRCP chief Jaganmohan Reddy's rallies on Wednesday saw serious accidents take place. A wall collapsed at Jagan's rally in Mandapet town, killing a woman and injuring 20, while Naidu's road show in Ananthpur saw 20 people injured after a wall gave away.

Apple acknowledges imperfections in butterfly keyboard

Apple added silicone membranes to its third-generation MacBook keyboards to prevent debris from getting in, but that has not fixed things completely. In response to a report, an Apple spokesman has now stated that the company was aware of a "small number of users" who were facing issues with their keyboards, and that the company was "sorry" for the problems.

CBI-ED team leaves for UK for Nirav Modi hearing

A joint team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) left for London on Wednesday night to attend the extradition hearing of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi who was arrested in London last week in connection with the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank loan default case, officials said.

The team includes Joint Director-level officers of the two agencies, said an official, adding that they would board a late night flight to London.

According to the official, the team is carrying copies of the chargesheets which the CBI and the ED have filed against Nirav Modi, his wife Ami Modi -- a US national, his uncle Mehul Choksi and others, along with some other necessary documents.

SEBI defers implementation of new royalty payment code

Regulator SEBI on Wednesday deferred implementation of revised norms pertaining to royalty payment by listed companies to related parties by three months.

Following the decision taken at the SEBI's board meeting here, the implementation of a provision of the amended norms would has been deferred till 30 June, 2019. They were to be implemented from 1 April this year.

Shareholders' approval would be needed for making royalty or brand payments to related parties exceeding 2 percent of the particular listed entity's consolidated turnover.

In a release, the watchdog said the decision has been taken in view of representations received on the matter.

IPL 2019: Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Mumbai Indians

Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore will look for their first win in the new season when they face Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians on Thursday. Both teams were defeated in their respective opening matches with Bangalore losing against Chennai Super Kings while Mumbai lost to Delhi Capitals.

The pitch at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium usually assists the batsmen so it is likely going to be a run fest on Thursday. It will be interesting to see if Mumbai's Jasprit Bumrah will feature in the match, considering his not-so-serious shoulder injury, which he suffered in the last match.

Working with Bryan Singer on X-Men was unpleasant: Sophie Turner

X-Men: Apocalypse star Sophie Turner is the latest actor to open up about her "unpleasant" working experience with director Bryan Singer, who is facing fresh allegations of sexual abuse by multiple men.

Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek has previously spoken about his differences with Singer while shooting for the Queen biopic. The director was fired for alleged unprofessional behaviour. Alluding to Malek's brief comment on the subject, Turner told Rolling Stone magazine, "Our time together was, like Rami said, unpleasant."