Yashwant takes a dig at Jaitley, EC issues showcause notice to Rahul
Delhi
Dubbing Union finance minister Arun Jaitley as ‘economically illiterate,’ former Union minister Yashwant Sinha has said the economy of the world’s largest democracy is being run by economy illiterate people. Criticising the policy planning of the Centre, the veteran BJP leader said the condition of the Indian economy was ‘serious’ and needed immediate reforms. Sinha was in Lucknow to campaign for the SP-BSP coalition’s Lucknow Lok Sabha candidate Poonam Sinha, wife of Shatrughan Sinha. Clarifying that he had nothing against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sinha emphasised that he was only concerned about issues confronting the nation.
The Election Commission on May 1 issued a showcause notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his alleged remarks that the Narendra Modi government has enacted a new law which allows tribals to be shot at. Citing his speech made in Shahdol and Madhya Pradesh on April 23, the commission pointed at a provision of the model code which bars allegations to be levelled against political opponents.
The Congress is happy as the process of designating Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist has concluded successfully, senior party leader P Chidambaram said on May 2, while also asking why Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan wants Narendra Modi to continue as India’s Prime Minister. Reacting to the development, Chidambaram said Azhar was released in 1999 by the BJP government after the hijack of an Indian Airlines aircraft. “Masood Azhar masterminded the Mumbai terror attack in 2008, the process to name him as a global terrorist was started by a Congress/UPA government in 2009.” “We are happy that the process has concluded successfully in 2019. But why does the Prime Minister of Pakistan want Mr Modi to continue as Prime Minister of India?” the former home minister said in a series of tweets.
Uttar Pradesh
The ‘Modi is winning’ narrative is heard more because those voting against him are silent. The Muslims are quietly watching the campaign, ready to support en masse whoever is in a position to beat the BJP. The Yadavs and Jatavs — core voters of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) — are transferring their votes to whoever is contesting as part of the alliance between the two parties. In spite of being a bastion of the Gandhis, Raebareli is still a rundown town from the past century. It shows no signs of life or aura typical of a high-profile seat. People here go about their lives at a leisurely pace, unaffected by the buzz in adjoining Lucknow or the political frenzy in Varanasi. Yet, it continues to reject the BJP. It is this quiet, enigmatic, caste-obsessed second India that should worry the BJP.
West Bengal
Asserting that the ‘fascist’ Narendra Modi government is on its way out, TMC MP Derek O’Brien says a front of regional political parties will come to power at the Centre after the Lok Sabha elections and his party will play the ‘most important’ role in government formation. He, however, did not confirm or deny if Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be a contender for the Prime Minister’s post if the anti-BJP front comes to power.
Jammu and Kashmir
Midnight arrests and cordon and search operations (CASO) by security forces, may keep voters away on election day (May 6) in Pulwama — the terror-hit district in Anantnag constituency. In a joint operation, the Jammu & Kashmir police along with the Indian Army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) detained about 38 people from five different villages in south Kashmir. People were taken into custody under the Public Safety Act, a preventive detention law where the accused maybe confined to prison for indefinite periods without trial. The Pulwama police confirmed that the arrested people — mostly youths — will be released only after the elections. The arrested hail from from Murran, Kangan, Gudoora, Newa and Parigam villages in Pulwama.
