Lok Sabha Election 2019 Updates: Modi, Mamata in Bengal tomorrow; Amit Shah eyes over 30 seats for NDA in TN

Some Congress friends conspired against removal of AFSPA, says Omar Abdullah

Welcoming as “better late than never” the Congress poll promise of amending the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said earlier “some friends” in the grand old party had “conspired” against scrapping the controversial law when he had demanded so during his tenure as the chief minister.

“I wish they would have mentioned this issue (in the manifesto) earlier when I was the Chief Minister. At that time, when I demanded AFSPA’s removal, some Congress friends had conspired against it. I do not want to name them. But, I got support only from (former Union minister P) Chidambaram,” he said.

ANI

Puducherry CM thanks Rahul for promising statehood for UT in Congress manifesto

Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy expressed gratitude to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for promising in the party’s manifesto that it would procure full statehood for the Union Territory, if elected to power after the Lok Sabha polls.

Addressing reporters at the party office in Puducherry, Narayanasamy said, “The specific announcement in the manifesto that the Congress would procure statehood for Puducherry now a Union Territory shows that the party and its leader have concern for the welfare of the people here.”

He further said, “The demand for statehood had been raised for years together as the present constitutional status of Union Territory had been standing in the way of getting sufficient grants from the Centre and most of the time the plea had fallen on deaf ears.”

PTI

Congress manifesto ‘bundle of lies’, says Adityanath​

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Tuesday dismissed the Congress manifesto as a “bundle of lies” and also targeted the Opposition over its handling of national security. “It is a bundle of lies and the party has expressed its failure over 55 years in its 55-page manifesto,” he said.

PTI

EC writes to civil aviation ministry, Railway Board over ’lackadaisical approach’ towards enforcing MCC

Election Commission of India writes to secretary of Ministry of Civil Aviation and Railway Board’s chairman over ’noncompliance of lawful instructions and lackadaisical approach towards enforcing the model code of conduct’. On 27 March, the poll panel had written to Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Civil Aviation, asking them why have the pictures of Narendra Modi had not been removed from rail tickets and Air India boarding passes even after Model Code of Conduct had come into effect.

BJP will win over 30 seats in Tamil Nadu, says Amit Shah 

BJP party president Amit Shah declared at his public address in Sivaganga that the NDA alliance under the leadership of Narendra Modi will win over 30 seats in Tamil Nadu.

Modi, Mamata to launch poll campaigns in West Bengal tomorrow

The battle of Bengal is all set to heat up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee kickstarting their campaign on Wednesday in the state that sends third largest number of Lok Sabha members to Parliament.

While Modi will address a rally at Siliguri, Banerjee​ will hold her first public meeting for the general elections in the state at Dinhata, both in north Bengal.

Political circles are agog that a war of words are on the cards with Mamata Banerjee deciding to hold her public rally on the same day the Prime Minister will commence his campaign in the state.

PTI

Amit Shah takes dig at Karti Chidambaram in Sivaganga

Addressing a rally in Sivaganga, BJP chief Amit Shah said, “In their manifesto, the Congress has announced that all should get bail and no one should be put behind bars. Probably, it’s meant for Karti Chidambaram.”

Priyanka Gandhi to accompany Rahul to Wayanad for filing of nomination on Thursday

According to reports, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will accompany Congress president Rahul Gandhi to Wayanad in Kerala for filing of his nomination from the parliamentary constituency. Rahul will file his nomination from Wayanad on 4 April.

Loan waiver only first step in relief for farmers, says Congress

Speaking at the Congress press conference, senior leader Jairam Ramesh said, “We have promised that farm loan waiver is the first step. But we want to move from karz maafi (loan waiver) to karz-mukti (loan-free).”

P Chidambaram hits out at Jaitley, says Congress manifesto implementable by wise govt

Hitting out at Arun Jaitley over his remarks on the Congress manifesto, P Chidambaram said, “I can say that it (promises in manifesto) is unimplementable by a BJP government. Why do you think it can’t be done by a future government? Congress sets ambitious goals, but these are achievable with wise and competent government.

Arun Jaitley’s jibe at Rahul; ‘I seem to have read the manifesto more than Congress president’

At the BJP press conference on Congress manifesto, Arun Jaitley said, “Rahul Gandhi said that we will fill 28 lakh jobs. The next sentence of Congress manifesto says 20 lakh jobs are of them are in the state government. He must at least read what he is saying.”

“I seem to have read the manifesto more than Congress president,” he further said, taking a dig at Rahul.

P Chidambaram address press conference on Congress manifesto

**"**What is here in these 54 pages is what we heard from the people of India. We believe this is the narrative which the people want to hear and which the people want to be addressed by the future government. We are confident that the Congress will have the capacity to implement this manifesto over the next 5 years. We think our economy will be stronger, and poverty will be considerably reduced," former finance minister P Chidambaram said at a press conference.

Jaitley hits out at Congress over NYAY scheme

On Congress’ NYAY scheme which said that the growth in economy will help Centre fund it, Arun Jaitley said, “This is such a plan that I will buy a chicken, it will give the egg, which will create thousands of chickens, then I will become a millionaire.”

“I kept reading on this NYAY scheme very carefully. In 80s, Rajiv ji and Indira ji did fiscal blunder. They need to find Manmohan Singh to save the country from debt trap,” he further said,

Congress’ promise on AFSPA will empower terrorists, says Jaitley

On Congress’ promise to review AFSPA, Arun Jaitley said, “The dilution of AFPSA was opposed by Congress and now the current leadership is now advocating for it. It will empower terrorists and their supporters."

Congress manifesto has ideas which will divide India, says Jaitley

Claiming that the Congress manifesto has ideas which will divide India, Arun Jaitley said, “They are moving forward on the agenda of the Nehru-Gandhi family’s historic blunder on Jammu and Kashmir.”

He further added, “They are saying the law of sedition will be removed, the party which wants this does not have the right to get even a single vote.” He also claimed that the Congress wanted to scrap sedition law in its bid to save the separatists.

Arun Jaitley slams Congress over manifesto

Union minister Arun Jaitley said, “When out of ignorance he makes unimplementable and dangerous promises, I’m sure the country will not be in a mood to oblige him for implementing the kind of promises in this manifesto. Some of the ideas are positively dangerous. Even though there was a drafting committee, It appears that some of the important points have been drafted by the Congress president’s friends in the tukde tukde gang when it deals with Jammu and Kashmir.”

Amit Shah slams Congress for promise to review AFSPA

Addressing a rally in Tuticorin, BJP chief Amit Shah said, “In their recent manifesto, the Congress has proposed to tone down AFSPA in J&K. Do they want to demoralize the forces and their personnel?”

South India ‘feels hostility’ from Modi, standing from Wayanad to express support for people: Rahul

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday claimed people in South India “feel hostility” from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he decided to contest from Wayanad in Kerala to send out the message that he stands with them. 

“There is a feeling in South India, a very strong feeling in South India, that they are not being carried (along) by the current government. South India feels hostility from Mr Narendra Modi, they feel that they are not being included in the decisions of the country,” Rahul said.  

PTI

Ex-navy chief Admiral L Ramdas writes to EC over Adityanath’s ‘Modi ki sena’ remark

Ex-navy chief Admiral L Ramdas has written a letter to the Election Commission on Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath referring to the Indian Army as ‘Modi ki sena’ during a public rally in Ghaziabad on 30 March, ANI reported.

Earlier, PTI had quoted Ramdas as saying, “The armed forces do not belong to any one individual, they serve the country. Till the polls get over, the Chief Election Commissioner is the boss. I am going to approach the Election Commission in this regard.”

Omar Abdullah, Gautam Gambhi spar on twitter 

Ex-Cricker and BJP leader Gautam Gambhir engaged in a Twitter war with former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah. 

Omar Monday said his party will strive hard for restoring the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir that could include having a separate ‘Sadar-e-Riyasat’ (President) and ‘Wazir-e-Azam’ (Prime Minister). Gambhir slammed these comments advising Omar to take a nap and some strong coffee. Omar hit back with some sage wise in turn. He asked Gambhir to stick to his area of expertise and not lecture him on matters he does not understand.  

BJP appoints Ananth Kumar’s wife as state Karnataka unit president 

In what appears to be a compromise formula, Tejashwini Ananth Kumar has been appointed the vice-president of state unit after the party denied her ticket from Late Ananth Kumar’s traditional constituency Bengaluru South. Instead of Tejashwini, the BJP picked Ananth Kumar’s political prodigy Tejaswi Surya, causing some heartburn to the former’s supporters. 

In this backdrop, the new position seems to be a bid to pacify the agitated section and prevent any split in the party just before the elections.

Congress defends promise to review AFSPA, says move only after consulting forces

With the BJP wasting no time in latching on to Congress’ promise to review AFSPA, the grand old party has found itself on the defensive moments after the release of its manifesto. Party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that the Congress will only move forward with it after due consultation with the security forces.

Congress had Bofors and now BJP has Rafale, says Mayawati in Odisha Rally

“The Bofors scam during the Congress regime and the Rafale scam during the BJP regime shows that both these parties do not have any interest in strengthening our security forces,” Mayawati said while addressing a rally in Bhubaneswar. 

BJP corners Congress for stating it will review AFSPA in manifesto 

The Congress party promised in its manifesto to re-look at the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act, opening a floodgate of criticism from BJP and its supporters. The act gives security forces immunity from prosecution in  war zone and gives them substantial power to conduct operations in such areas. 

But the announcement to review the act gave BJP the ammo against party it had been looking for. Here’s what the party’s I-T cell head said. 

Shiv Sena, BJP bound by Hindutva, says Uddhav Thackeray 

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said his party and the BJP are bound by Hindutva and the two decided to enter into a pre-poll alliance after overcoming differences that soured their ties in the past.

In an interview to Sena MP Sanjay Raut in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, Thackeray said he agreed to the alliance after BJP president Amit Shah came to him twice to sort out the issues. “…You ask me why did we agree to an alliance again. The whole world is a witness. BJP president Amit Shah came to me not once, but twice. And when the alliance was charted out, we put forth the problems of people. Even the chief minister was present when all this happened,” Thackeray said.

‘Don’t doubt our capability to deliver on promises,’ says Sam Pitroda

Sam Pitroda, Indian Overseas Congress Chief on party’s election manifest said, “Don’t underestimate our ability to deliver, we’ll deliver. We promised we’ll deliver. We’ve delivered in past  and we’ll deliver in future. Who created telecom jobs?How did we get from 2 mn telephones to 1.2 bn?”

Rahul Gandhi dares PM to debate on national issues 

Rahul Gandhi repeated his dare to prime minister Narendra Modi for a debate on issues of national importance. “Who is he scared of, I challenge him to come and have a debate with me on any issue,” Rahul said.

Rahul Gandhi promises to allocate 6% of GDP to education sector

In Congress manifesto, party president Rahul Gandhi has promised to allocate 6 percent of the GDP to to the education sector and an accessible healthcare setup.

Party’s manifesto website crashes moments after release

Congress party’s manifesto website has crashed moments after its release. The party said that the issue was caused due to “heavy traffic” and the website would be back up shortly. 

Congress promises to withdraw Citizenship Bill in current form

The Congress party has promised to immediately withdraw the widely resented Citizenship Amendment Bill introduced by the BJP-led government against the wishes of the people of the North Eastern States. It also promised to ensure that no citizen of India is denied inclusion in the final National Register of Citizens.

Gareebi pe waar, 72,000, Congress’ new poll slogan 

Elections more often than not become a war of words, with political leaders harping on catchy wordplay which makes their campaign narratives rememberable for the voters. This year we heard prime minister Narendra Modi latchin on to the ‘chowkidar’ narrative to put focus on his incorruptible image. “Ek taraf mazboot chowkidar, dusri taraf daagdaro ki bharmaar," the prime minister coud be heard saying at his rallies. 

The Congress, meanwhile, has come with its own slogan: Gareebi pe waar, 72,000

Congress promises to review AFSPA, repeal sedition law 

The Congress manifesto promised a re-look at the the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 in order to strike a balance between the powers of security forces and the human rights of citizens and to remove immunity for enforced disappearance, sexual violence and torture. The party also promised to repeal the sedition law stating that it has become redundant.

Freedom vs divisiveness, Congress manifesto sets narrative for 2019 polls

“Will India be a free and democratic country and will the Indian people be free from fear, free to live and work and pray and eat and love and marry according to their wishes, free from poverty and free to pursue their ambitions? Or will India be governed by a pernicious ideology that will trample upon people’s rights, institutions, conventions and the healthy differences that are the essence of a multi-cultural country?” the party’s manifesto stated.

‘Why is Modi afraid of facing the media,’ says Rahul Gandhi

Speaking to reporters, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, “You all drill me with questions but are afraid of taking on Modi ji. Why don’t you ask him some questions?”

“He has never ever addressed a press conference so far, why don’t you ask him why is he so afraid of talking to media,” Gandhi said.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi promises 150 days of employment under MGNREGA 

“PM had spoken about MGNREGA. He mocked and said it is a bogus and useless scheme. Today everyone knows how much it helped the country. So now we want to guarantee jobs for 150 days, instead of 100 days, under the scheme,” Rahul Gandhi said.

PM can’t hide behind hollow narratives, says Rahul Gandhi 

When asked about his decision to contest from a smaller seat Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi said that the narrative has been set and it is about  the real issues like unemployment, GST and healthcare. “The prime minister is trying to hide behind hollow narratives, but he can’t do that anymore.”

Wanted manifesto to reflect the voice of the people: Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi said that he had instructed Congress manifesto committee to not put any lies in the manifesto unlike what the BJP does. “When we started the process for drafting the Congress manifesto one year ago, my first instruction to them was that don’t make it behind closed doors and secondly, don’t put anything that is a lie in it.”   

“I don’t want a single thing in the manifesto that is a lie because we hear the PM speak a lie every day,”  said Gandhi.

Congress promises separate agrarian budget in poll manifesto 

Rahul Gandhi has said that the Congress, if voted to power, will start a separate agrarian Budget. He claimed that the party will ensure that non-payment of loans by farmers is no longer deemed a criminal offense.