After calling BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi ‘impotent’ last month, senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid has once again made a controversial reference to the latter, which has irked the country’s main opposition party.

Reports on Wednesday quoted Khurshid as saying that Modi is like a nursery student with good marks who thinks he has PhD degree in connection with the post-Godhra riots.

“I don’t know of the Supreme Court giving a clean chit to Modi. A lower court has denied to issue a summons to him. It is like a nursery student who has scored good marks, and thinks of himself as the holder of a PhD,” Khurshid reportedly said.

Responding to the External Affairs Minister’s ‘nursery student’ jibe on its prime ministerial candidate, the BJP today hit back saying, Khurshid’s remarks expose his and the Congress party’s frustration over the Gujarat leader’s growing popularity.

“They (Congress) do not understand what to do with the growing popularity of Modi. They are in the depression of being lost. That is why they are making such comments. They are drowning themselves,”BJP’s Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

“What Salman Khurshid has said is rubbish,” added BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.

Khurshid had earlier questioned Modi’s claim of having received a clean chit in the 2002 Gujarat riot cases, and compared him to a nursery student.

Khurshid was indirectly admonished by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for calling Modi impotent.

“I do not appreciate this kind of comment…the kind of language, ” Rahul Gandhi had said.

At a rally in Farrukhabad on February 25, Khurshid had stoked a controversy by calling Modi “impotent” and insisted that he did nothing wrong as there was no other appropriate word to describe him in the context of the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Former Congress leader Jagdambika Pal and popular stand-up comedian Raju Srivastava on Wednesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of crucial Lok Sabha polls.

Describing Pal as a leader of high political standing, BJP chief Rajnath Singh said that his decision to join the BJP would go a long way in strengthening the party on the national stage.

“I welcome Jagdambika Pal and Raju Srivastav into the party,” Singh said on the occasion, adding, “Their entry will add strength to the party.”

Singh said that both Pal and Srivastava have been given significant roles in the party.

Srivastava said, “I want to work for my people. I have not joined the party anticipating an important post or responsibility.” He stressed that only BJP under Narendra Modi can give a stable and corruption free government in India.

On his turn, Pal said, “The decision to join BJP was delayed since I wanted to take the opinion of the people I had won from.”

“Only courts are empowered to give clean chit to anyone. Rahul Gandhi hasn’t given Modi ji clean chit only to create a misleading situation during polls,” Pal stated.

Former Congress MP and Uttar Pradesh unit Chief Jagdambika Pal had earlier this month resigned from the Lok Sabha as well as from the party, saying that the emerging leadership did not need leaders like him.

Pal, 63, has also been a three-time legislator and minister in the state.

Meanwhile, Raju Srivastava had on March 11 returned the Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha ticket to contest from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Srivastava returned the Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha ticket, saying he was not getting enough support from the local units of the ruling party.

Srivastava was given the party ticket in 2013 and had already started his election campaign.

Sources said Srivastava was unhappy with the local leaders who had refused to promote him and help him expand base. While the SP leadership, including party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, apparently asked him to continue with the party.

Associates of Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal are planning to kidnap a politician in the national capital to secure the terrorist’s release, a report said on Wednesday.

Security has been tightened here in the run-up to General Elections since a number of politicians are campaigning in the national capital without any security.

Bhatkal and his associate Asadullah Akhtar are presently in the custody of Maharashtra Police and being quizzed for their alleged role in a terror case there.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had last month chargesheeted Bhatkal, Akhtar, Manzar Imam and U Ahmed for their alleged role in the conspiracy and commission of major terrorist attacks at different parts in the country.

Bhatkal and Akhtar were arrested from the India-Nepal border in August 2013. He was in the Delhi Police list of 15 most-wanted terrorists involved in bombings across the country.

He is a key suspect in the 2008 serial bombings in Delhi’s Connaught Place, Gaffar Market and Greater Kailash areas, which claimed 26 lives and injured 133 people.

The Election Commission has signed up leading Bollywood actor Aamir Khan as its ‘national icon’ in the run-up to 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Aamir will be part of the EC’s voter awareness initiatives.

His main task would be to encourage more and more people to vote in the General Elections.

Aamir joins the league of four other ‘national icons’ – Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, boxer MC Mary Kom, badminton ace Saina Nehwal and former president APJ Abdul Kalam.

As per sources, the national icons will reach out to people through programmes such as systematic voter education and electoral participation (SVEEP), which aims at increasing voter turnout as also quality of electoral participation in terms of informed and ethical voting.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the centre to file a status report on a plea seeking withdrawal of Rs.5 denomination coins with the image of deity Mata Vaishno Devi embossed on the reverse.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice BD Ahmed and Justice Sidharth Mridul asked the ministry of finance to file a report within three weeks on the question of the government issuing coins with religious symbol embossed on them.

The PIL was filed by Nafis Qazi against the finance ministry and RBI and the court was told that secular democratic credentials of governance are damaged when the government issues currency with religious symbols.
It said the government, by bringing out coins at regular intervals with religious symbols such as figures of a deity or temple embossed on them, was indulging in anti-secular actions.

“These symbols undermine the secular character, a basic feature of the constitution,” said the advocate appearing for petitioner.

During the hearing, the bench questioned the government on issuing such coins, saying: “How can you do this? How can a state have a religious symbol? State should be completely blind to religion.”

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Rajeev Mehra, along with advocate Neeraj Chaudhary, appearing for the central government told the bench that the coins were issued under the Coinage Act to commemorate the occasion of silver jubilee of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.

Mehra said several other coins were issued under the Coinage Act and he will look into the matter and file the report.

The court, however, said there is no need to issue coins to commemorate any occasions. “You need not put symbol like 100 years of something, 50 years of something,” said the court while posting the matter for April 23.

Almost Rs 4 crore of unaccounted money suspected to be meant for use during the upcoming parliamentary polls was seized from four different locations on Wednesday, police said.

Superintendent of Police Shivhari Meena said the cash was seized during a drive to keep tab on unaccounted cash flow. He said that while Rs. 2 crore was found in the back of a van, police also seized Rs. 26 and Rs. 6 lakh from different vehicles.

The police official said another Rs. 1.35 crore was seized from a car on National Highway 24.

“In view of the parliamentary elections, we launched a drive to unearth unaccounted money. As per rules, one cannot carry more than Rs. 50,000 in cash,” Meena said.

“If somebody is found possessing more than the stipulated amount, he has to justify it through documents… So the drive proved successful when our team seized Rs. 4 crore in a single go,” he added.

LK Advani has been requested by his party, the BJP, to contest from Gandhinagar in Narendra Modi’s Gujarat again, despite the veteran leader’s reported interest in shifting to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh this time.

Senior party leader Sushma Swaraj has reportedly been asked to convey the decision of the BJP’s election committee to Mr. Advani, who skipped a meeting of the panel in Delhi today as details of his candidacy were being discussed. Ms Swaraj is on her way to Mr. Advani’s residence.

Mr. Advani, 87 and the BJP’s seniormost leader, is a five-term MP from Gandhinagar. But his already strained relationship with Mr. Modi, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, nosedived last year when he staged a protracted and public protest over the party’s decision to elevate Mr. Modi.

In recent speeches, Mr. Advani has denied any strain and has supported Mr. Modi, but he is reportedly worried about how much support he will get from local party workers in Mr. Modi’s Gujarat.

The BJP won a huge mandate in the Madhya Pradesh state elections four months ago. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is seen as someone Mr. Advani is close to and trusts. BJP workers in MP and the sitting MP Kailash Joshi had sought that the top leader contests from state capital Bhopal, where Advani posters sprang up in anticipation.

The Bhopal buzz gained ground after the party kept a decision on its candidate from there open while announcing nominees for other Lok Sabha seats in MP. But on Tuesday, the Gujarat BJP recommended, after a meeting at Mr. Modi’s residence, that Mr. Advani contest from Gandhinagar

Two school girls, 15 and 16 years old, were found dead in a water tank in Bangalore on Tuesday, a day after they were punished by teachers for playing Holi within the school’s premises.

The students who allegedly committed suicide were enrolled in Class 9 and 10 of a private school. On Tuesday, they were reportedly made to stand outside the principal’s office as punishment.

A security guard noticed bags and shoes near the water tank and alerted the police. The bodies were recovered after a search on Tuesday.

A four-month-old girl died today in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh after she was allegedly stepped on by a policeman during an argument with her father.

According to police, the incident took place four days ago at Habshipur village. A land dispute case had been filed against Yellaiah by his brother Parshu Ramulu in Dubbak Police station in the district.

As ASI Mohd Pasha reached Yellaiah’s house to question him, his wife Renuka tried to drive him away by saying that he was not at home.

An altercation ensued when the cop saw the man inside and caught him. During the argument, the policeman accidentally stepped on Yellaiah’s baby girl, who was sleeping on the floor, leaving her injured, police sources said.

After the incident, the police officer assured the parents of the best possible treatment.

However, the baby died in the morning today while undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

Following this, irate parents and villagers staged a dharna at the Dubbak police station with the body of the little girl demanding compensation and suspension of the cop in question.

A case will be registered against ASI Pasha soon based on the complaint filed by the parents of the baby, police added.

In an interesting contest, a couple will be pitted against each other in Muzaffarnagar in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Shahida Begum, wife of Kadir Rana, MP from Bahujan Samaj Party, filed her nomination on Tuesday from this constituency, as an independent candidate, officials said.

Interestingly, Rana is a sitting MP from Muzaffarnagar which will go to polls on April 10 and has been renominated by the party for the Lok Sabha elections. Rana had earlier announced that he will file his nomination on March 22. He had left Samajwadi Party in 2007 to join Rashtriya Lok Dal and then switched to BSP in 2009.

He was among the 10 persons chargesheeted by the SIT probing Muzaffarnagar riots for provoking communal tension with inflammatory speeches during a Muslim community panchayat.