State Other Financial News

Indian National Congress on Wednesday distanced itself from the allegedly racist remarks made by Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda on how people in the South «look like Africans and those in the East look like Arabs and those in the East look like Chinese.» "...Analogies drawn by Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India's diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable. Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from these analogies," said Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh on social media platform X. Sam Pitroda in an interview with The Statesman said that «We have survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together, leaving aside few fights here and there. We could hold a country together as diverse as India, where people on the east look like Chinese, people on the West look like Arab, people on the North look like white and maybe people on the South look like Africans.»

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday said the DMK regime burdening people by borrowing about Rs 3.5 lakh crore is its 'achievement' that marked its 3 years in office and the public would soon prove that it is an «anti-people» government. Slamming Chief Minister M K Stalin for asserting that he has proved through deeds that his party-led government has delivered, Palaniswami accused the DMK government of being an «idle regime» and not useful for the people. Palaniswami, also the leader of opposition, alleged that the DMK government has done no good for the people and did not fulfill assurances that would be beneficial to the people and the Stalin-led regime deceived the people. «Burdening people by borrowing Rs 3.5 lakh crore in about 3 years is the DMK government's achievement,» Palaniswami alleged in a statement.

AAP) in Punjab, former Amritsar Deputy Mayor, Avinash Jolly resigned from the party and joined the BJP in Amritsar on Tuesday amid ongoing Lok Sabha elections. In a post on X, BJP National Secretary Narinder Singh wrote, «Avinash Jolly, former deputy mayor (Amritsar) along with hundreds of supporters joined BJP at Amritsar, Punjab.» In Punjab, voting for its 13 seats will take place in a single phase, the seventh and final phase on June 1 will see voting in Gurudaspur, Amritsar, Khadoor Sahib, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nandpur Sahib, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot, Firozpur, Bathinda, Sangrur, and Patiala constituencies.

Indian Americans favour a third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his government's policies are transforming India, an influential community leader has said. Indians are part of the deep economic growth of the United States and they've been working hard to contribute to the economic growth, Indian-American Democratic fundraiser Ajay Jain Bhaturia said, underling that when they see similar economic growth happening back in India, they feel very proud of it. «I think the majority of Indian Americans want Prime Minister Modi to come back. It's a sense of pride for them that when India shines, they shine,» Bhaturia told PTI in an interview.

Kapu community voters and anti-incumbency coupled with his personal charisma are what Janasena chief Pawan Klayan hopes to see him through the hustings in the Pithapuram assembly segment, while his opponent, the YSR Congress party's nominee Vanga Geetha, largely depends on her track record to defeat the actor-politician. Pithapuram shot into limelight after the segment was allotted to Janasena as part of seat sharing agreement of NDA and Kalyan, who belongs to the dominant Kapu community of the region, announced his candidature from it. The move forced the ruling YSRCP to field its sitting Kakinada Lok Sabha member Vanga Geetha, who also belongs to the same forward community, to take him on. The seat allocation to Janasena did not go down well with the supporters of former TDP legislator from the segment SVSN Varma and they raised a hue and cry.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said that under the reign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "British Raj-like conditions" are prevailing in the country, with the government policies only benefiting billionaires. «British Raj-like conditions are prevalent in the country. The policies of the Modi government are not being made keeping in mind the poor but have been made to benefit the billionaires. International reports show that today the condition of inequality in India is worse than British rule,» Priyanka Gandhi said on Tuesday while addressing Congress workers in the Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh, where her brother and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is contesting. «All the institutions which strengthen democracy are being weakened, be it media or Parliament. Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru had fought against the British to strengthen the rights of the people, little did they know that a day would come in independent India when the government would be bent upon depriving the people of their rights,» she added.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday that the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has been transformed into the Modi Code of Conduct and if Prime Minister Narendra Modi wins and comes to power, no one will have any right in the country. People will be thrown out of the country, she said, and warned the minorities about NRC.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court order that stayed the Calcutta High Court verdict of cancelling more than 25,000 school jobs, and said she is «very happy and mentally relaxed» after getting justice in the apex court. The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the Calcutta High Court order invalidating the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff made by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) in state-run and state-aided schools.

BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday said the decision to replace him as the chief minister of Haryana with Nayab Singh Saini was not a sudden one and he had suggested this to Prime Minister Narendra Modi more than a year ago. Khattar said the Congress leaders have been spreading falsehood about the leadership change in Haryana.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Tuesday accused PDP president Mehbooba Mufti of opposing the withdrawal of the controversial AFSPA from Jammu and Kashmir when he was the chief minister.

JDS State President HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday sought a CBI probe into the alleged crime on women in Hassan including the leak and widespread circulation of explicit videos ahead of the April 26 polls even as the special investigation team (SIT) awaited arrival of Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna in connection with the case.

BJP in Haryana amid the Lok Sabha elections, three Independent MLAs on Tuesday announced that they have withdrawn their support to the Nayab Singh Saini-led government in the state. The three MLAs — Sombir Sangwan, Randhir Gollen and Dharampal Gonder — also said that they have decided to extend support to the Congress during the elections.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday accused Uddhav Thackeray of doing «dogli rajneeti» (double-faced politics) and alleged that his predecessor was plotting an attack on his house while pretending to be making a peace offer for his return to the Shiv Sena after they split nearly two years ago. Shinde, who now heads the «real» Shiv Sena, also said Uddhav was totally opposite to the party founder Balasaheb Thackeray and was only interested in furthering his self-interest, unlike his father who always stood by his party's workers and never went back on his words.

Narendra Modi on Tuesday hit out at RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav over his remarks favouring reservation benefits to Muslims and said the INDI alliance wants to snatch all quotas of SC, ST and OBCs and give them to their "vote bank" as part of a deeper conspiracy. Yadav's statement that he was in favour of extending reservation benefits to Muslims has triggered a political slugfest.

YSR Congress Party chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday alleged that TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu along with BJP state president D Purandeswari was stalling the distribution of welfare schemes in Andhra Pradesh. He made this allegation at Rajanagaram in East Godavari district during a public meeting as part of his election campaign.

Delhi BJP leaders and workers staged a protest near the Aam Aadmi Party headquarters at the DDU Marg here on Tuesday over the NIA probe recommended by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena in the alleged funding received by the party from a banned terrorist organisation 'Sikhs For Justice'. The protesters, who raised slogans against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, were stopped by the police at a barricade.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday alleged that the BJP workers was trying to loot booths in the state's Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency and detaining people from opposition parties in police stations. «In Mainpuri, BJP people are trying to loot booths. They are detaining opposition people in police stations,» Yadav said without giving details.

third phase of voting commenced for 18th Lok Sabha polls on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on casted his vote at Nishan Higher Secondary School in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The Prime Minister was welcomed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah when he arrived at Nishan Higher Secondary School. «Today is the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections. I appeal to everyone to cast their vote in this democracy. The election campaign will run for three to four weeks more. I always cast my vote here in Gujarat. (Union Minister) Amit Shah is contesting the election from here as a BJP candidate. I came here yesterday from Andhra Pradesh and need to go to Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana (today),” said PM Modi after casting his vote. Along with rising temperature in the country, PM Modi urged the voters to drink more water. „It will be good for your health and will also give you energy...,“ said the PM.

Uttar Pradesh, including high-profile Mainpuri, in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Over 1.89 crore voters will seal the fate of 100 candidates in parliamentary constituencies of Sambhal, Hathras (SC), Agra (SC), Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Budaun, Aonla and Bareilly, where polling began at 7 am and will go on till 6 pm, according to the Election Commission. It is an important phase for Uttar Pradesh's Yadav family. The Samajwadi Party's (SP) Dimple Yadav is aiming to retain the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, which she won in the bypolls following the death of her father-in-law and party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 began on Tuesday morning in 93 constituencies across 11 states and Union Territories (UTs). In Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar cast his vote at Gangubai Kate Zila Parishad Prathamik school, booth no. 224 Katewadi at Baramati constituency. Baramati is witnessing a star-studded fight in these elections. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar is the candidate of the BJP led Maha Yuti alliance while his sister Supriya Sule is the Maha Vikas Aghadi candidate. The constituency is considered to be the pocket borough of the Pawar family with Sharad Pawar having represented it multiple times after first being elected to the seat in 1984. However, with a fight within the Pawar family, this seat has become a symbol of the larger fight in Maharashtra. Speaking to reporters after casting his vote the Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said that the elections are for the development of Baramati and other constituencies in Maharashtra.

Amethi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 7 (ANI): Union Minister and BJP candidate from Amethi Lok Sabha seat Smriti Irsaid that people in the constituency have understood that development is possible when the leader has good character and the government has clarity in its policies. «The people of Amethi have accepted me as their family. I am a voter in Amethi now. The people have understood that if the government is clear with its policy and the leader has good character, then a lot of development is possible in very little time,» Smriti Irani told ANI here on Monday. «The Congress leadership is preparing to conduct an analysis of their loss in Amethi after the declaration of the results,» she added.