Delhi Police has asked Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to join the probe on May 1 in connection with Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s doctored video being circulated on social media, official sources said on Monday. According to sources, the police served notices to five people, including Reddy, who posted the video on X. Reddy, who is also the Telangana Congress chief, has been asked to appear with his mobile phone allegedly used for posting the fake video on X, according to sources. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 April,2024 06:52 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesThe Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a petition that had sought directions to disqualify Prime Minister Narendra Modi from contesting elections for six years for allegedly seeking votes in the name of deities, saying the plea was “thoroughly misconceived”. Justice Sachin Datta said the plea was “devoid of any merits”. Petitioner Anand S Jondhale, a lawyer, had urged the court to take action against Modi for allegedly seeking votes in the name of gods and places of worship, saying this amounted to violating the model code of conduct and committing an offence under the Indian Penal Code and Representation of the People Act. The Lok Sabha polls are currently being held in the country. The high court said the petition is thoroughly misconceived on multiple reasons, including that once the petitioner submitted a complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on April 10, there was no occasion for him to invoke the extraordinary jurisdiction of this court even before the disposal of the complaint by the commission. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 April,2024 06:48 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesThe Congress on Monday attacked the BJP over the alleged harassment case involving grandson of JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, with party leader Priyanka Gandhi asking whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will remain silent on the matter. The opposition party also asked why the BJP went ahead with its alliance with the JD(S) when a BJP leader had written to the party’s Karnataka unit president, exposing the presence of a pen drive full of “sleaze videos of Prajwal Revanna”. Congress supporters stage a protest In a post on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, “The leader with whom the PM gets photographed by placing his hand on his shoulder. The leader for whom the PM himself campaigned 10 days ago. Praised him on stage. Today, that leader of Karnataka is absconding from the country.” “Just hearing about his heinous crimes committed is heart-wrenching. This ruined the lives of hundreds of women. Modi ji, will you still remain silent?” the Congress general secretary said. TMC’s Sushmita Dev slams BJP TMC leader Sushmita Dev on Monday slammed the BJP over the alleged harassment case involving Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, and criticised the BJP for backing the accused. Dev accused the BJP of hypocrisy. She said the scandal “goes to the top”. Agencies ‘Scandal has shaken conscience of India’ All India Mahila Congress President Alka Lamba on Monday accused the BJP and JD(S) of silence over the alleged harassment case and said the horrifying case of violence against women has shocked the nation. “More than 3,000 videos of women being brutalised by Revanna have shaken the conscience of India,” she said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 April,2024 06:43 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesIn a major blow to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, its Indore Lok Sabha seat candidate Akshay Kanti Bam withdrew his nomination on Monday, a fortnight before polling in the constituency. After withdrawing his nomination, Bam reached the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office here. In a photo released by the BJP on social media, Bam was seen along with MP Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda, state cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya and other party leaders. Bam is set join the BJP, party sources said. Monday is the last day for withdrawal of nomination in the Indore Lok Sabha seat, where polling will be held on May 13. Indore Collector Ashish Singh confirmed that Bam has withdrawn his nomination. Bam, accompanied by local BJP MLA Ramesh Mendola, reached the collector’s office and withdrew his papers. On his way back, he left in a car with Mendola, ignoring questions from mediapersons. Mendola is a trusted associate of Vijayvargiya. Collector Singh said, “Three candidates, including Congress’ Bam, withdrew their nominations today as per the due procedure. The process has also been videographed.” Vijayvargiya posted a picture on his X account in which Bam was seen sitting in a car with him along with Mendola. The minister said Bam was welcome to join the BJP. “Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Indore Akshay Kanti Bam is welcome to the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party national president JP Nadda, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and state president VD Sharma,” Vijayvargiya said. Threat to democracy: Congress As its Indore Lok Sabha seat candidate Akshay Kanti Bam withdrew his nomination, the Congress on Monday said there is a “threat to democracy” and wondered if there is a free and fair poll when the Election Commission “looks the other way” while candidate after candidate is being “intimidated”. The Congress’ Indore Lok Sabha seat candidate Bam withdrew his nomination on Monday, a fortnight before polling in the constituency. After withdrawing his nomination, Bam reached the BJP office in Indore. Monday is the last day for withdrawal of nomination in the Indore Lok Sabha seat, where polling will be held on May 13. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 April,2024 06:34 AM IST | Indore | AgenciesHooghly is both a river, and a fluid constituency in south Bengal, that’s changed its colours, from red (CPM), white, blue (TMC), to saffron (BJP)—all within a decade and a half. Until which time, Hooghly, like much of West Bengal was, more or less, the land of the Left. Mamata Banerjee’s TMC—besides having supporters inherited from the Congress, that Mamata broke away from, in 1998—it is widely believed, also poached cadre from the CPI (M). Especially once the Left Front government fell in 2011, after 34 years of the longest rule of any elected communist government in the world. There are zero MLAs from both the Left and the Congress in the current Bengal Assembly. What about the BJP? They went from two to 18 seats, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, in Bengal. And from three to 77 in the 2021 Assembly elections. The latter was seen as drubbing, only by those who can’t read numbers, or the writing on the wall. BJP workers Gautam and Rumeli at work None of which adorned a lotus as late as 2019; zero seats in 2009. Which is why we’ve showed up at the suitably air-conditioned district headquarters of the BJP in Hooghly, three hours north of Kolkata. Simply to check on what’s it like to be among new members of an old party, chilling on saffron chairs, with a fairly festive spirit in the air as lunch is getting cooked—anybody can drop in to eat—and campaign managers brief karyakartas/volunteers from the podium, mainly about stuff to distribute to crowds at the “road show” with the BJP candidate, Locket Chatterjee. The roadshow, essentially a drive-through the constituency, that nobody in the office has a road map for, is about to commence. Locket is delayed by over two hours for her scheduled party meeting. Which is barely a concern, going by Bengal Standard Time. Soon as she enters in a saffron saree, Locket locks herself in a room, with her associates. There is no way to figure out when she will emerge. Facebook is the battleground That gives us infinite time to chit-chat with party’s pramukh/high level workers—listening to younglings explain how much they have fun at work, as buddies Gautam and Rumeli play the fool behind their computers. Revealing to us how the campaign for their constituency, that goes to polls on May 20, really takes place inside those machines. Rather than as much on-ground, in the heat, anymore. The BJP district headquarters from in the Hooghly constituency in south Bengal Gautam says, “On the ground, there are all of 10-15 people from our end. But sitting incessantly on their computers, there are over 250 party workers for the constituency, cutting videos, making reels, relaying messages, round-the-clock, for Locket-ji.” Besides, he says, there are 15 people, whose job it is to make phone calls to presumably older constituents, generally keeping in touch, with info on upcoming events. A poster at the party office, branded, ‘NaMo for new voters’, with the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has a phone number to place a missed call, for help with elections. “The actual battleground is Facebook,” Rumeli says. She instantly adds, “No; can never take you there,” once we request a possible peek into this virtual war room, that is usually spread across homes in Hooghly. The playlist currently getting curated are of Locket, 49, interacting with women folk—"these are emotional videos of Locket-ji hugging ladies, taking children in her arms, etc. The idea is to take on [TMC’s] Mamata [Bannerjee], who’s seen as popular among women,” Gautam says. Women in Bengal are entitled to a monthly dole of Rs 1,000—something, locals say, BJP has promised to up, thrice over, if elected. Locket, like the younger Rachana Banerjee, fielded by TMC, opposite her, used to be a Bengali/Tollywood film actor. Locket left, chuck it! Those who’ve followed Locket’s work onscreen describe her as being known for “boudi”/bhabhi (non-lead) roles. She was with the TMC until 2015, before switching over to BJP and winning the Hooghly seat in 2019, where she’s seeking re-election. In the following Assembly elections of 2021, TMC won all the Vidhan Sabha seats within Hooghly. According to a Kolkata political analyst, “Mamata’s electoral math hinges mainly on M-M, i.e. Mahila (Women), Muslim votes. Added to the mix is the voting split between Bengalis and non-Bengalis. “The latter supposedly veering towards BJP, which is anyway perceived as the only counter to TMC, with the decline of Congress, and decimation of the Left.” Hooghly has a considerable non-Bengali population for the fact that it’s also an industrial town. The constituency drew national headlines because of Singur in Hooghly district, where Mamata stalled Tata’s Nano factory from coming up in 2008. That Singur land has returned to being an agricultural plot. Locket has been promising a Tata factory in the elections. Nano doesn’t exist anymore. As for volunteers at her party office, practically everyone spoken to strongly sees Modi as the sole message. Which is why someone like young Sanu tells us he joined politics—likewise, recommended by friends, relatives, acquaintances, “the brother, already in the BJP”, in Sanu’s case. Meanwhile, as the sun is about to set, Locket, also the general secretary of BJP in Bengal, is still locking herself behind closed doors, switching rooms. She’s aware we’ve been waiting for her, through the day—lowering our request, in terms of her time, to five minutes, eventually. “Yes, yes,” she says, each time. Only to step out, finally—rushing to her car for the planned roadshow, and passing on her phone number for an interview instead. She’s placed her supposedly scripted soundbite for a Bengali news channel, already. Her media manager says she didn’t wish to meet, because we’d named her associate for reference, who she’s no more on good terms with: “What! How’re we supposed to know?” Anyway. Locket’s left the building. No call thereafter. Our phone generously buzzes with images and video of her roadshow, by her campaign manager.
30 April,2024 05:14 AM IST | Hooghly | Mayank ShekharPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said political rivals who are unable to take on the BJP-led government are now misusing technology to spread fake videos on social media. At an election rally in Karad in Satara district, Modi raised concerns about the misuse of social media and technology and warned "there is a plan to create a big incident in next one month". Modi spoke of the emergence of fake videos created using artificial intelligence (AI), and asked people to remain vigilant and report any instances of fake videos to the authorities. “Opponents are using AI to distort quotes of leaders like me, Amit Shah and J P Nadda to create social discord. By using technology, these people are making fake videos in my voice, which is creating danger. If you see any fake video, inform the police,” he said. “There is a plan to create a big incident in next one month. I am making these allegations with a lot of seriousness. Games are being played to create social tension so that some untoward incident takes place,” Modi claimed. “It is our responsibility to save the society from such fake videos. I request EC to take stern action against those behind such fake videos,” he said. The PM cautioned citizens against forwarding such videos as the laws are strict, adding that he did not want innocent people to become victims of it. Asserting that the 21st century was a technology driven one, Modi said he was a supporter of technology and had used social media to know about people's aspirations and wishes as well as gain first hand information on whether benefits of welfare schemes were reaching the masses. “But recent incidents (of misuse of technology) are disturbing. These will make any person who loves democracy hang his head in shame,” Modi said. Abrogating Article 370 from Jammu-Kashmir was a guarantee he had given and he had fulfilled it, the PM said. "I want to ask those who are speaking lies about reservations and misleading the people that weren't Dalits and Adivasis living in J-K entitled to reservations. Why was the Constitution not implemented there? Because vote bank politics was being played," he said. By removing Article 370, the Constitution drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar was implemented in J-K and Dalit and Adivasi brethren are now getting benefits of reservations, the PM said. The Constitution does not allow reservations on the basis of religion but the Congress declared Muslims as OBCs overnight and accommodated them in the 27 per cent quota for the segment, the PM said. "The Congress wants to implement this model across the country after they come to power. Till I am alive, I won't allow any change of Constitution and religion-based reservation. I have the blessings of the people,” Modi said. Modi said the Congress kept families of soldiers deprived of “one rank one pension” scheme for 40 years but his government fulfilled that guarantee. During NDA rule, the Navy unveiled epaulette designs having the imprint of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj [replacing the colonial Nelson's Ring], he added. Modi said the public health system would be strengthened by setting up more AIIMS campuses in the country. Speaking about his government's decision to provide free ration to 80 crore people, the PM said tonnes of food grains used to rot in government godowns when the Congress was in power. Despite this, the Congress was not ready to give it to the poor and the Supreme Court had to intervene to set things right, he said. The Congress was insensitive while in power and is now uneasy when the Centre is distributing food grains to the poor, the PM asserted. Attacking the Congress over wealth redistribution and inheritance tax, Modi said that party would "conduct house searches, X-ray your properties and seize them". "Their intention is to loot your property and redistribute it among their favourite vote bank," the PM said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 April,2024 05:08 AM IST | Satara | AgenciesIn the midst of the controversy surrounding Janata Dal (Secular) sitting MP and candidate Prajwal Revanna in the alleged "obscene videos" case, his uncle and party leader HD Kumaraswamy stated that he is unconcerned about Revanna's situation and that if he has made mistakes, he must face the legal consequences. Kumaraswamy emphasised that distributing pen drives with the claimed films is also a serious violation because it tarnishes women's reputations, reported ANI. "The government has already announced the formation of SIT. Now, it is the responsibility of the government and the SIT. I am not bothered about Prajwal Revanna, if he has made any mistake, then according to the law, he has to face it. If he has done anything illegally, then he has to face it. That is my demand. I don't want to protect him as our family member. Regarding the circulation of these pen drives, who has done it? That is also a severe offence. It is the responsibility of SIT to find out who is responsible for circulating these pen drives and for assassinating the character of some innocent women. They have circulated those pen drives to finish our alliance and reduce our winning chances. It is not going to affect the election of candidates," he told ANI. According to the report, Kumaraswamy alleged that just before the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, opposition leaders colluded to circulate the pen drives because they knew they couldn't win the Hassan seat. "Three days before going to the polls, some sections of our opposition groups, particularly some Congress leaders, including one BJP leader, colluded. On the Hassan seat, after the unsuccessful campaign and internal backstabbing, they knew that there was no success for them. So before going to the polls, they decided to circulate some pen drives about Prajwal Revanna, whether they are fake or genuine, I do not know. They tried to malign him, Dewegowda and our family. They wanted to destroy our image. For that reason, they misused the power of the government. One of the ministers, particularly that senior minister, is in the background of this with some BJP leaders in Hassan. Let us see and wait for the results from the SIT," Kumaraswamy told ANI. Regarding Congress leader Priyank Kharge's statement accusing the BJP of helping Prajwal Revanna flee the country, Kumaraswamy further told ANI, "I, myself, even don't know about it. He is a grown boy and he went without giving any information. If this government fails to bring him back, then we will take the responsibility. Why are they blaming the BJP and PM Modi? We will not run away and we are ready to face everything. We request the concerned authorities take the necessary actions if he is wrong,"
29 April,2024 08:57 PM IST | Bengaluru | mid-day online correspondentA massive fire broke out in a pipe warehouse located on the Delhi-Agra Highway on Monday, police officials said. Fire tenders have rushed to the spot to douse the fire, they added. "Massive fire broke out at a godown filled with plastic pipes close to the highway. Fire tenders have been called. Efforts are on to control the fire. There is no report of any casualties in the incident. People have been evacuated. We want to control the flames and ensure that property loss is minimal. People are being isolated from the spot," Senior Superintendent of Police of Mathura, Shailesh Pandey said. Further details are awaited. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
29 April,2024 05:37 PM IST | Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) | ANIThe Supreme Court on Monday stayed a Calcutta High Court order directing the CBI to probe into the role of West Bengal government officials in a teacher recruitment scam. The top court was hearing a plea by the West Bengal government against a high court order invalidating the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff made by the School Service Commission (SSC) in state-run and state-aided schools. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra said it will hear the matter on May 6. "We will stay the direction which says the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) will undertake further investigation against officials in the state government," the bench said. Calcutta High Court had said the CBI would undertake further investigations with regard to the persons involved in the state government approving the creation of supernumerary post to accommodate illegal appointments. If necessary, the CBI will undertake custodial interrogation of such persons involved, it had said. Challenging the order, the state government, in its appeal filed before the top court, said the high court cancelled the appointments "arbitrarily". "The high court failed to appreciate the ramification of cancelling the entire selection process, leading to straightaway termination of teaching and non-teaching staff from service with immediate effect, without giving sufficient time to the petitioner state to deal with such an exigency, rendering the education system at a standstill," the plea said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
29 April,2024 05:34 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIThe Delhi High Court on Monday said the decision of Arvind Kejriwal to continue as the Chief Minister after his arrest is "personal" but it does not mean that the fundamental rights of school-going children would be trampled upon. The high court also said that Kejriwal's absence cannot allow students to go through the first term without free text books, writing material and uniform in MCD schools. The high court said that a chief minister's post in any state, leave alone a buzzing capital city like Delhi, is not a ceremonial post and it is a post where the office holder has to be virtually available 24*7 to deal with any crisis or natural disaster like flooding, fire and disease. "National interest and public interest demands that no person who holds this post is incommunicado or absent for a long stretch of time or for an uncertain period of time. To say that no important decision can be taken during a model code of conduct is a misnomer," a bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora said. The court was dealing with a PIL by NGO Social Jurist, represented by advocate Ashok Agarwal, highlighting the non-supply of educational material and other statutory benefits to students in the MCD schools even after the commencement of the new academic session. The high court said as the students of MCD schools are entitled for free text books, writing material and uniform in accordance with their constitutional and statutory rights, and the schools are going to close for summer vacations shortly, the MCD Commissioner is directed to incur the expenditure required for fulfilling the obligations forthwith without being constrained by the expenditure limit of Rs 5 crore. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
29 April,2024 05:30 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIThree persons were injured after a fire broke out at the zonal office building of a public sector bank in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district on Monday, an official said. They were rescued from the smoke-filled three-storey office building in Baripada, but they were in unconscious condition at that time, he said. The injured were admitted to PRM Medical College and Hospital here and their condition is stated to be stable, the official said, adding that others who were in the office came out safely. Two fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blaze, first spotted around 1 pm, assistant fire and emergency services officer Bhabendra Nath Dey said. It was suspected that the fire broke out at the Bank of India's zonal office canteen, located on the third floor of the building, he said. It took almost three hours to douse the blaze, the official said, adding that an investigation has been initiated and the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Firefighters faced difficulties in conducting the operation as thick smoke engulfed the office building, he added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
29 April,2024 05:27 PM IST | Baripada (Odisha) | PTIADVERTISEMENT
