Lok Sabha Election LIVE updates: Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha has reacted sharply to Narendra Modi's dig at a recent rally.
Lok Sabha Election LATEST updates: Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha has reacted sharply to Narendra Modi's dig at a recent rally. Modi had mocked the Congress' claims that surgical strikes took place during the UPA regime, asking if they were only on paper, or in video games.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his rally in Rajasthan's Sikar, said that previous governments had given the water which was "India's right" to Pakistan. "I promise you that once the Modi government is formed on 23 May, the water that is going to Pakistan today will go to the Indian field," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress over former prime minister Manmohan Singh's statement that surgical strikes had been carried out several times in the UPA government's tenure. "Now the Congress is claiming that there were six surgical strikes in their tenure. What kind of strikes were these that the handlers of the terrorist didn't know, Indians themselves didn't know," he said.
The Congress on Friday said the banking system was in tatters as the number of wilful defaulters had doubled during the last five years of the Narendra Modi government.
Calling the government a "suit-boot aur loot ki sarkar", Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a tweet, "The banking system is in tatters. Wilful defaulters have doubled in five years. 5090 creditors have increased to 11000 creditors."
He also claimed that wilful defaults had increased by 308 percent in terms of value. "At the time when Modi government is leaving, the wilful default amount stands at Rs 1,21,700 crore," the Congress leader said.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday hit out at 'Mahagathbandhan', saying that their leaders aspire to become prime minister, even as they are contesting on just 37-38 seats.
In an interview with ANI, Adityanath said, "At least 272 seats are needed to become the prime minister. Only the BJP has this capacity. Those who are contesting on just 37-38 seats, will they become prime minister?"
"Those times are gone. People now want a stable government," he said when asked about HD Deve Gowda, who was made the prime minister in 1996 when the United Front — a conglomeration of non-Congress and non-BJP regional parties — decided to form the government.
Mayawati, the BSP supremo, last month had said that she would use her experience as former Uttar Pradesh chief minister "if we get an opportunity." When asked about Mayawati's claim that the next prime minister would be from Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath said, "Modi ji is from Uttar Pradesh. He contested the last election from Varanasi and is seeking re-election from the seat which is in Uttar Pradesh. This is good that she supports us. I thank Mayawati Ji for supporting Modi Ji."
Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa and slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the BJP's 'chowkidar' campaign. He said, "First he (Modi) said that make me prime minister, then he became chowkidaar. People thought he will become chowkidaar of poor people, farmers and others but he became a chowkidaar of few industrialists.”
Addressing the United Nations' listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a blistering attack on the Congress and said that when India progresses, the Congress is upset. "They were questioning the listing of the terrorist they address with 'ji', they were questioning why it happened only in the year of an election.
"They are feeling bad that a chaiwalla is accomplishing the work that they were not able to for 70 years. If Congress workers come asking for votes even by mistake, give them a handkerchief and tell them to wipe their tears," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a rally in Rajasthan's Hindaun, extended solidarity and pledged the Centre's support to the governments of the eastern states, in view of Cyclone Fani. "The Centre has promised a relief fund to the states, so that can deal with this serious situation," he said.
Opposition leaders will hold a meeting to deliberate on the prime ministerial candidate after 19 May, which will be the last phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha election, reports said. CNN-News18 reported that the 'mahagathbandhan' is likely to finalise on a leader in the strategy meeting.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who is contesting the ongoing Lok Sabha election from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh along with Kerala's Wayanad, addressed a 'letter' to the people of the constituency, saying that they were "his family". Amethi will vote in the fifth phase of the election, scheduled for 6 May.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear next week a review plea filed by 21 Opposition leaders seeking an increase in random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs in the ongoing general elections.
The apex court had on April 8 directed the Election Commission to increase random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs in five polling booths per assembly segment from one booth.
Opposition leaders led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has sought the review of the apex court's order, saying the "increase from 1 to 5 is not a reasonable number and does not lead to satisfaction desired by this court".
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to visit West Bengal's Kharagpur to monitor the situation of Cyclone Fani, which made landfall in Odisha on Friday morning, reports said. Mamata will be in the coastal city on Friday and Saturday. All her political campaigns scheduled for the two days have been cancelled.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after a day's break on Thursday, will be campaigning in Rajasthan. The prime minister is expected to address rallies at Hindaun, Sikar and Sam. The first rally is expected to begin at noon.
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, too, will be in Rajasthan with a rally scheduled in Bharatpur. Before that, Rahul is expected to address a meeting of Congress workers at Rewa in Madhya Pradesh at 11.45 am. The state, incidentally, is where BJP chief Amit Shah campaigned through Thursday.
On Friday, Shah is scheduled to campaign at Koderma, Khunti and Ranchi in Jharkhand, and at Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too will be in Uttar Pradesh, touring Mahrajganj, Halor, Osah, Gudha, Bachhrawan. Johwa Sarki, Gurubaxganj, Achleshwar and finally, Raebareli.
On Thursday, Rahul campaigned in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. He slammed the NDA government and said that if Congress were to come to power at the Centre, the party's government will not work for a handful of top businessmen, calling them Modi's “masters”.
"We will not run the government for 15 people because they are not our 'malik' (masters),” he told a public meeting at Chomu in Jaipur district. “These are Narendra Modi's “masters”, he said, naming industrialists like fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi.
“Polling in most states is over and the result is clear. PM Narendra Modi is going to lose the elections and the Congress government of the farmers and the youth is about to come in,” he said. “You are our masters and we will do what you will order,” he told the gathering.
In Uttar Pradesh, Rahul said that his party's primary aim in the state is to defeat the BJP and where it does not have a strong candidate, it is giving help to the Samajwadi Party or the Bahujan Samaj Party. The Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati-led parties have formed an alliance for the General Election without the Congress.
Rahul's remarks echoed the views of his sister and party general secretary in-charge eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who had said on Wednesday that her party has fielded candidates either with prospects of victory or having potential to damage the BJP's chances.
