11 am: Congress President Rahul Gandhi will meet leaders of the party’s Delhi unit later on Monday to discuss alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party, the Hindustan Times reports. Both parties have repeatedly said they are not interested in a tie-up, however, reports have leaders have been mediating talks.
10.45 am: Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav accuses the BJP of mistreating Dalits. “It is unfair to expect those whose parent organisation is the RSS, the world’s most casteist organisation, to practice equality,” he says.
Tejashwi Yadav✔@yadavtejashwi
बीजेपी को पिछड़ों दलितों से दिली नफ़रत है। जिसका कर्ता-धर्ता RSS जैसा विश्व का सबसे बड़ा घोर जातिवादी संगठन हो उससे समता और बराबरी की अपेक्षा करना ही बेईमानी है।
ashutosh✔@ashutosh83B
बिहार में बीजेपी पिछड़ों दलितों की राजनीति छोड पूरी तरह से सवर्ण राजनीति करने लगी है । @yadavtejashwi @manojkjhadu @BJP4India https://www.satyahindi.com/bihar/bihar-bjp-candidates-are-more-from-upper-caste-101846.html …
10.16 am: In the backdrop of the BJP’s Main Bhi Chowkidar campagin, Congress general secretary
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra✔@priyankagandhi
उत्तर प्रदेश के शिक्षामित्रों की मेहनत का रोज़ अपमान होता है, सैकड़ों पीड़ितों नें आत्महत्या कर डाली। जो सड़कों पर उतरे सरकार ने उनपर लाठियाँ चलाई, रासुका दर्ज किया। भाजपा के नेता टीशर्टों की मार्केट्टिंग में व्यस्त हैं, काश वे अपना ध्यान दर्दमंदों की ओर भी डालते। #Sanchibaat
claims BJP ministers are “busy marketing t-shirts” instead of listening to the grievances of teachers in Uttar Pradesh. She says the “shiksha mitras”, or contractual teachers, of the state are humiliated everyday and many of them had killed themselves. Those teachers who protested were beaten up, she says.
“BJP’s ministers are busy marketing t-shirts, I wish they would pay attention to those who are facing struggles,” Vadra says.
Her comment comes a day after Narendra Modi tweeted about “Main Bhi Chowkidar” t-shirts.
Chowkidar Narendra Modi✔@narendramodi
The #MainBhiChowkidar programme on the 31st will look even better with the attractive merchandise!
Have you ordered yours?
NaMo Merchandise✔@namomerchandise
Phir Ek Baar, NaMo Chowkidar!
India is showing its support for NaMo Again with Main Bhi Chowkidar T-shirts!
Get your own at http://bit.ly/namo_again or on the NaMo App at http://nm4.in/dnldapp
10 am: Akbaruddin Owaisi of the AIMIM on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should also mention “Chowkidar” on his Aadhaar card and passport, not just Twitter. “[We] want a PM not a chaiwala, pakodewala…If Modi is interested, he should come to me, I will offer him a chowkidar’s cap and a whistle,”
ANI✔@ANI
AIMIM’s Akbaruddin Owaisi in Hyd y’day: I’ve seen on Twitter ‘Chowkidar Narendra Modi’.He should also mention ‘Chowkidar’ in his Aadhaar card, &passport.Want a PM not a ‘Chaiwala’,’Pakodewala’…If Modi is interested,he should come to me,I’ll offer him a Chowkidar’s cap&a whistle
quoted Owaisi as saying.
9.40 am: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Sunday claimed that if the Congress wins the upcoming elections “by mistake”, Pakistan will “celebrate Diwali”, reports PTI. “While this is not going to happen, but when the results [of the elections] are announced on May 23 and [if] the Congress wins by mistake, then Diwali will be celebrated in Pakistan because they [Congress] are all associated with it,” the report quoted him as saying.
9.32 am: Biju Janata Dal announces nine candidates for Assembly polls in Odisha, reports PTI. Assembly elections in the state is scheduled to be held along with the Lok Sabha polls in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29.
9.27 am: Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy says a few people in Congress tried to create “speed breakers” for candidates of his party, Janata Dal (Secular), reports ANI. “No matter how much they back stab my candidates, JD(S) workers and I won’t do the same,” he says. “Country is important for me.”
The Janata Dal (Secular) and the Congress run a coalition government in Karnataka and will fight the Lok Sabha elections together.
ANI✔@ANI
Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy in Mandya yesterday: Few people in Congress tried to create speed breakers for my candidates. I won’t let JDS workers do the same. Country is important for me. No matter how much they back stab my candidates, JDS workers and I won’t do the same.
8.52 am: BJP General Secretary says Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is a key person for the party in the Northeast and is even above Amit Shah for matters related to the region, reports PTI.
8.50 am: Actor turned politician Kamal Haasan says he will not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, reports the Hindustan Times. “All candidates are my faces,” says Haasan. “I am proud being the chariot puller than being the chariot”.
Also read: Lok Sabha elections: Kamal Haasan will not contest polls, says he will work for his candidates
8.30 am: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman criticises the Opposition and Congress for politicising the Balakot air strike in Pakistan after the terror attack in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, reports PTI. The government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party gave freedom to the armed forces to act and they delivered, she said. “If only a similar deterrent action was taken after Mumbai attack… [and] I have enough reasons to believe that armed forces did tell the government at that time, ‘if you want us to do something, we are ready but we want you to take the call’,” she says at an event in Hyderabad on Sunday, according to ANI.
Read more here: Opposition questioning armed forces by asking government for proof of air strike, says Nirmala Sitharaman
8.22 am: Here are the top updates from Sunday:
- Congress fielded former finance minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram from Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu. He is an accused in the INX Media money laundering case and the Aircel-Maxis scam.
- Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav will contest from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. Party leader Azam Khan has been fielded from Rampur.
- BJP chief Amit Shah said the Opposition has no prime ministerial candidate. “No one is willing to fight the elections,” said Shah at a rally in Agra.
- Bharatiya Janata Party MP Subramanian Swamy on Sunday made a casteist comment when he said that he cannot be a chowkidar (watchman) because he was a Brahmin.
- Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday announced that she will contest from Anantnag seat in Jammu and Kashmir.
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