Stating that they were not backing any political party or individual, Vishwa Hindu Parishad International Working President Pravin Togadia has asked people to vote for candidates with a clean slate and stature in Lok Sabha elections.
“VHP has no political agenda and the organisation is not supporting anyone. We are with those who are credible and committed to protect the interests of millions of Hindus,” he said.
He said parties are forgetting the core issues of Ram temple, common civil code, Article 370 and cow slaughter and felt that people should check past performance of candidates as well as the parties before electing them.
“People should select only those who have honoured their commitments and are honest,” the VHP leader said.
Criticising the formation of Minority Development Corporation by the UPA with a financial allocation of Rs. 700 crore, he question its propriety and said that the majority population (Hindus) is deprived of such privileges.
“No one thinks of millions of Hindus living in poor conditions,” he charged.
“Are there not any poor Hindu students who also deserve financial assistance for studies,” he asked.
Evading a direct answer on his ‘strained’ relations with Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP’s PM nominee Narendra Modi, Togadia said since he is a VHP leader, his views are not separate from his party.
After threatening to “crush” the electronic media, home minister Sushilkumar Shinde did a U-turn, claiming he was referring to the social media and not journalism. Let us assume this is what Shinde has told to social media, but how will he crush them? It’s his party which always gets crushed here. He is messing with the social media; he is doing another blunder. In his clarification he said, he was referring to social media and the violence incited against students from the northeast in Hyderabad and Karnataka. He said his comments were not about journalism, but he had stoked a controversy by frightening to “crush” the electronic media, alleging a section of it was unnecessarily provoking the Congress by indulging in “false propaganda” against it. There are several channels which are loyal to Congress and some are loyal to BJP, even AAP also ruled headlines and remained in news for long time.
Blaming media is fine but crushing them is a somewhat weird comment by Shinde, which he cannot do. He always remains in controversy due to his unwanted statements. Now social media is questioning him, how is he going to crush social media, if he meant that? Commit blunder and claim it as being misquoted by media the next day is now fashion by politicians. Congress should crush it’s own ego and learn to accept freedom of speech.
Shinde, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Solapur, alleged that since the last four months, a section of the electronic media was “manipulating” news about him and his party. The video footage of his remarks along with his clarification was aired by news channels. The home minister also left no one guessing when he said that he had got inputs from intelligence agencies about a section of the media. Shinde’s remarks came against the backdrop of a series of opinion polls in the national and regional media which predicted a poor showing for the Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls while forecasting a big win for BJP under Narendra Modi.
If the message is bad, attacking the messenger policy is a futile action. It is amazing to know, how power corrupts the vulnerable. They forget that they live in a democracy. There is no difference between him, Lalu and Mulayam. When it suites them they will crush media. They will not award public ads to certain newspapers. This is another form of emergency. However, arrogant Congress should be taught a lesson for disgracing the 4th pillar of democracy. Congress if voted next time will behave like a dictator.
Meanwhile, surveys conducted by corporate media always have BJP as most preferable winner and Congress as the next. People of India have grown wiser. Opinion polls are proving to be false because Congress in 2004 and 2009 won the majority of seats but opinion polls had shown BJP as the favourite party. Congress will come again in LS election in 2014. Opinion polls have never come in true numbers. These opinion polls always project BJP as the winner. People should question the motive of these polls because opinion polls motivate people’s mind.
In 2004, initial pre poll surveys were predicting NDA to bag anywhere between 320-340 seats and this number got scaled down step by step as one approached closer to elections after a reality check by the Poll(fraud)sters, who were forced to swallow all their initial euphoria and finally by the time of exit polls, the lowest tally was predicted by the NDTV by Prannoy Roy which gave the NDA 235-250 seats. However, what the NDA finally got in those elections was just 182 seats. The story repeated in 2009 as well where the poll(fraud)sters once again were predicting a close race between the UPA and NDA.
In the present survey, a total of 14,142 people responded across 543 constituencies. That is an average of 26 people per constituency. There are no further details on gender, urban/rural, low/middle/high income, age and other parameters these 26 people belong to. Is this a good enough sample to predict the number of seats each party would win? Recently, all the polls predicted 6 to 8 seats for AAP in Delhi and gave 40 to 50 seats to BJP. People should stop believing the polls.
The surveys can predict certain trend if done by independent agencies. Some channels have a slant towards BJP. So, the survey is very much on predictable lines and even the so called experts sitting in the studios were mostly BJP supporters. So, it lacks credibility. The sample size of 14 thousand for an electorate as diverse as ours is not correct to say the least. We are seeing plenty of it in every TV channel today. We need regulation of broadcast media. Otherwise, this country will be in shambles. Anyways, people have become much smarter than the media and social network plays very vital role on controlling this mainstream media’s non-senses. Politicians should always refrain from commenting on irrelevant issues and attack on media.
Apparently trying to reach out to Muslims ahead of the crucial General Elections, BJP chief Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that his party will ask for forgiveness if it had ever committed any mistake in the past.
“If we have ever committed any mistake, I assure you that we will bow down and ask for forgiveness,” Rajnath Singh said.
The BJP chief was apparently referring to the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat, over which the party and the state’s Chief Minister and now its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has faced enough criticism.
Rajnath made these remarks while addressing ‘Narendra Modi’s Mission 272+ : Role of Muslims’ summit in Delhi.
Coming down heavily on the Congress and other rival parties, Singh said, “Only one riot is talked about, that is the 2002 riots. Weren’t there riots in Gujarat before that when Hitendra Desai was CM?
Singh continued by saying, “Those who accepted the country’s division, in real sense they are communal not us.”
Singh said that the BJP was not against Muslims and the community should not go by the propaganda against it. He asked them to vote for BJP this time for the sake of the nation.
“Try us once. We don’t come up to your expectations, don’t look at us ever again,” he said.
The BJP chief asked the Muslim community not to vote for electing a government but for a strong nation where brotherhood and humanity shall prevail.
The BJP chief concluded by saying, “We don’t do politics for the sake of attaining power, we do politics to build the nation.”
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad on Tuesday paraded nine MLAs who were part of a group that reportedly revolted against their party and blamed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for engineering a split in his party to save his minority government.
Speaking to reporter outside the Bihar Assembly, the RJD chief said, “We have just met the Assembly secretary with nine MLAs since the Speaker has run away. This proves that there is no split in the party. RJD will launch an agitation against the JD-U government for attempting to split my party. We will not spare anyone.”
While he went to the state assembly, there were reports of RJD workers pelting stones on Speaker’s house.
Lalu is also due to meet the state’s Governor and demand action against those who allegedly conspired to split his party.
Earlier, the RJD chief held an emergency meeting of his party legislators, which was attended by nine out of the 13 legislators who had reportedly revolted against the party yesterday.
The meeting was held at the official residence of former chief minister and his wife Rabri Devi.
After the conclusion of the meeting, the RJD chief said, “I am going to the Assembly and Raj Bhawan with my party MLAs.”
“I will not let go off this incident so easily,” Lalu said.
The RJD chief summoned party MLAs for an emergency meeting following reports of a rebellion in his party by 13 MLAs.
Concerned over reports of a rebellion in his party, the RJD chief arrived in Patna this morning from Delhi.
Shortly upon his arrival, Lalu accused state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of hatching a conspiracy to split his party to save his government, which is in a minority.
Lalu Prasad told reporters that Nitish Kumar has been offering lucrative posts to his party legislators to create fissures.
“Nitish Kumar is eyeing RJD legislators and offering them lucrative posts to split the party,” Lalu Prasad told media persons here.
Positing themselves as the real alternative to the Congress and the BJP, leaders of 11 parties today decided to contest the coming elections together, but kept the vexed issue of prime ministership, which has been the bane of Third Front experiments in the past, in abeyance.
Even before the alternative front could take proper shape, it suffered a setback of sorts, with Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal, or the BJD, and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) deciding to stay away from the meeting convened today to draw a common charter of programmes.
“AGP president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta’s mother is critically ill, but he called us up and asked us to go ahead. Mr. Patnaik informed us that he had some prior engagements, hence could not attend,” CPM general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters after the meeting.
The Third Front leaders vowed to work for the defeat of the Congress and the BJP in the national elections due by May. A four-point work programme was also finalized. These include strengthening the democratic framework of the country, ending corruption and ensuring an accountable government; establishment of a firm secular order; drafting a people-oriented developmental path; and setting up a true federal system.
“We are an alternative to both the BJP and the Congress. We resolved to present an alternative before the country,” Mr Karat said.
In a bid to water down the controversy over his threat to “crush” the electronic media, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has now said he did not mean “journalism” but “social media”.
“I have recording of my speech. I was referring to social media and the violence incited against students from the Northeast in Hyderabad and Karnataka. My comments were not about journalism”, he said on Monday night.
On Sunday, Shinde was heard threatening to “crush” the electronic media, alleging a section of it was unnecessarily provoking the Congress party by indulging in “false propaganda” against it.
Meanwhile, the BJP called Shinde’s remark as condemnable. “We are proud of the media of this country. How can the Home Minister use such language,” BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, “Congress is itself crushed under corruption and misrule and talks of crushing media.”
The outburst by Shinde, a Congress leader who hails from Maharashtra’s Sholapur district, came at a Youth Congress event here on Sunday evening.
Shinde, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Sholapur, alleged that since the last four months a section of the electronic media is “manipulating” news about him and his party and warned it would be “crushed” if this kind of reportage is not stopped immediately.
“What is happening in the electronic media largely I am aware of it. In the last four months, there have been efforts by the media to provoke us (Congress). We will crush such elements in the electronic media, which are indulging in false propaganda, if it did not stop” he said.
“I have the intelligence department under me. I know who is doing such things. I know what is happening. Some forces are behind this,” he added.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, on the first day of his Assam visit, interacted with tribal leaders here on Tuesday.
Speaking during the interaction, Rahul Gandhi said that he was in favour of decentralisation of power as well as decentralisation of funding of parties.
The Congress scion further told tribal leaders that he wants to “include you all in our choice for candidates” for the Lok Sabha polls.
“Not only your MLA but you can also choose you candidate for Lok Sabha polls,” Rahul said.
Security has been tightened in the city for the Congress vice president’s visit.
Rahul is also due to have a meeting with senior journalists.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday referred the issue of legalising euthanasia to a five-judge Constitution bench in response to a PIL on allowing a person not to continue with artificial medical support.
Based on the report of the larger Constitution bench, the apex court can decide whether a person afflicted with a terminal disease be allowed to refuse essential artificial medical support systems as he does not want to prolong his agony?
The order was passed by a bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam while hearing the PIL on allowing a person not to continue with artificial medical support. The Centre is vociferously opposing it and terming it as “suicide” which could not be allowed in the country.
The PIL, filed by NGO “Common Cause”, argues that when a medical expert opines that the person afflicted with terminal disease has reached a point of no return, then he should be given the right to refuse being put on life support system as otherwise it would only prolong his agony.
The petition was filed in 2008 when the apex court had issued notices to the Union Ministry of Health and Law and sought their response on the issue.
Opposing the plea of the petitioner, Additional Solicitor General Siddharth Luthra submitted that it cannot be permitted in Indian society and it would be against the law and medical ethics.
“There does not arise any question of allowing a physician to take away the life of a patient. Duty of a physician is to protect the life and not to take away the life,” Luthra said.
He said prayer made in the PIL is not tenable in law and it cannot be allowed through judicial exercise.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO, contended that those “at the end of their natural life span and likely to go into a state of terminal illness or permanent vegetative state, are deprived of their right to refuse cruel and unwanted medical treatment, like feeding through hydration tubes, being kept on ventilator and other life supporting machines in order to artificially prolong their natural life span”.
The petitioner contended that a person whose life was ebbing out should be allowed to die as the continuance of the life with the support system was an unnatural extension of the natural life span.
In a shocking incident, Devnarayan Patel, the City Superintendent of Police, shot his wife and two children before turning the service revolver on himself in the wee hours in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday.
Jagdalpur City Superintendent of Police Devnarayan Patel (40) shot himself with his service weapon after gunning down his wife Pratima (35) at his official residence in Shaket Colony in Jagdalpur at 2 am.
Son Aryan (6) and daughter Puja (11), who were also shot at, have been hospitalised, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Arun Dev Gautam told a news agency.
Patel’s wife Pratima died on the spot while the children sustained severe bullet injuries and have been admitted to Ramkrishna Care Hospital in Raipur, the IG said.
No suicide note has been recovered from the spot so far and prima facie nothing could be established as a reason behind the incident, the IG said, adding further investigations are on.
Patel was suspended on Monday following a verbal spat with Additional District Judge, Bastar, A Toppo on Sunday, the IG said.
Sources in the police department said Patel was apparently disturbed over his suspension which led him to take such an extreme step.
A local court dismissed an application against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu’s son Narayan Sai charging him with hurting the sentiments of Sikh community by donning a turban to evade arrest in a sexual assault case.
President of local outfit ‘Yuva Sikh Morcha’, Gagandeep Singh Bhatia, had filed an application in the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Manoj Kumar Ladia contending that by sporting a turban while he was absconding from Surat police searching for him, Sai had hurt the sentiments of Sikh community.
Gagandeep’s lawyer Indrajeet Singh Bhatia told that the court, while dismissing the plea yesterday, ruled that there is no legal basis in the complaint for trial of the case against Narayan Sai as Indian constitution permits each and every Indian citizen to wear a dress of his/her choice.
The court also observed Sai’s wearing a turban does not prove that this has hurt the sentiments of Sikh community, he said.
Bhatia also said his client had mentioned in his complaint that in a bid to save himself from being arrested in a rape case, Sai had worn a turban thereby disguising himself as a Sikh, which hurt the religious sentiments of the community and this sent a wrong message among public about Sikhs.
Following a complaint of alleged rape against Sai by a Surat-based woman, Sai had been on the run and on December 4 was apprehended by police from Haryana-Delhi border. Police had caught 40-year-old Sai reportedly in the garb of a Sikh man sporting a red turban after evading arrest for 58 days.
The father-son duo are facing cases of sexual assault.
Two Surat-based sisters had lodged complaints against Sai and his father of rape, sexual assault, illegal confinement and other charges during their stay in the Gujarat ashram.
Sai’s father guru Asaram has been lodged in the Central Jail in Jodhpur since his arrest in August 2013 on charges of sexually assaulting a minor girl in his ‘ashram’ there, besides being accused of raping a Surat-based woman.
Apparently trying to reach out to Muslims ahead of the crucial General Elections, BJP chief Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that his party will ask for forgiveness if it had ever committed any mistake in the past. 
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad on Tuesday paraded nine MLAs who were part of a group that reportedly revolted against their party and blamed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for engineering a split in his party to save his minority government. 
Positing themselves as the real alternative to the Congress and the BJP, leaders of 11 parties today decided to contest the coming elections together, but kept the vexed issue of prime ministership, which has been the bane of Third Front experiments in the past, in abeyance.
In a bid to water down the controversy over his threat to “crush” the electronic media, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has now said he did not mean “journalism” but “social media”. 
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, on the first day of his Assam visit, interacted with tribal leaders here on Tuesday.