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Sun, 05 May 2024

Modi offers prayers at Ram temple in Ayodhya

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22:02 Six of family killed in road accident in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur

Six members of a family were killed and two others injured after their car was hit by a vehicle in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur district on Sunday, police said.

The accident occurred on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near the Banas river bridge.

The family was on its way to offer prayers at a Ganesh temple in Sawai Madhopur, police said.

"Six members of a family were killed and two injured in the accident after an unidentified vehicle hit their car," sub-inspector at Bonli police station, Dharampal Singh, said.

Those killed in the accident are Manish Sharma and his wife Anita, Kailash Sharma and his wife Santosh, and Satish Sharma and his wife Poonam, police said.

The injured, Sharma's children Manan and Deepali, have been hospitalised, they said. -- PTI

Gangster-turned-politician Anant Kumar Singh, whose MLA wife recently crossed over from the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal to CM Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United, on Sunday walked out of jail on parole.

Singh, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Patna court a couple of years ago in a case under the stringent UAPA, has been released for 15 days, officials said.

He came out of the Beur jail, on the outskirts of Patna, in the early hours and reached his ancestral home in Mokama, about a 100 km away, in an ambulance.

A swarm of supporters greeted Singh, who had been disqualified in his fourth consecutive term as the MLA from Mokama following conviction, only for the seat to be retained by his wife Neelam Devi.

Slogans in praise of 'Chhote Sarkar', the epithet he enjoys on his home turf, rent the air even as Singh declared 'a victory by more than 4 lakh votes' for JD-U's former president Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan'.

A key aide of the CM, Lalan seeks to retain the Munger Lok Sabha seat, under which Mokama falls. Voting will take place in the constituency on May 13.

Interestingly, in 2019, Neelam Devi had contested against Lalan on a ticket of Congress, the RJD's junior ally in Bihar.

Singh, once known to be close to the CM, had by then burnt his bridges and in 2020 he contested the assembly poll on an RJD ticket.

Singh and his supporters had squarely blamed a 'conspiracy' by Lalan when grenades and rocket launchers were seized from his Mokama residence, leading to the UAPA case.

A couple of months ago, when Nitish Kumar pulled the plug on a short-lived alliance with RJD and returned to the BJP-led NDA, Neelam Devi switched sides.

RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari targeted the Nitish Kumar government over Singh's release from jail.

"Here is a government that itself seems to be on parole, what to speak of the release of one individual. All know how this government in Bihar was formed. Some favours have to be returned," remarked Tiwari.

The release of Singh, whose influence spreads beyond Mokama, is being viewed as an attempt to galvanise upper caste Bhumihars in favour of the National Democratic Alliance in Munger.

The RJD has fielded Kumari Anita, wife of dreaded gangster Ashok Mahto who is known to be a staunch critic of upper caste dominance in society and politics. -- PTI

IMAGE: Former Mokama MLA Anant Kumar Singh with his supporters after being released from the Beur central jail on a 15-day parole, at Mokama, in Patna on Sunday. Photograph: ANI Photo

Image only for representation

21:20 Around 100 SP workers booked for 'vandalising' Maharana Pratap statue

Around 90-100 unnamed Samajwadi Party workers have been booked in Mainpuri for allegedly vandalising a statue of Maharana Pratap and indulging in hooliganism, police said on Sunday.

According to residents, the incident took place Saturday after the road show of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, who was seeking votes for his wife Dimple Yadav, the party's candidate from Mainpuri.

Police took a suo motu cognisance of the incident and filed a case Saturday against 90-100 Samajwadi Party workers under charges of rioting, stoking religious hatred, disobeying orders of a public servant, and breach of peace, Kotwali Police Station SHO Fateh Bahadur Singh Bhadauria told PTI.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condemned the alleged vandalisation.

In a post on X in Hindi, Adityanath said, 'This kind of insulting and contemptuous behaviour of the Samajwadi Party leaders with the statue of national leader Maharana Pratap is highly condemnable. I condemn this act...' -- PTI

20:36 Modi offers prayers at Ram temple in Ayodhya

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday offered prayers at the Ram temple in Ayodhya before he began a roadshow in the holy town.

"This is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to the Ram temple in Ayodhya after the 'pran pratishtha' (consecration) ceremony held on January 22," VHP media in-charge Sharad Sharma told PTI.

The entrance gates to the temple were decorated with flowers, with 'Om' formed with yellow petals. Replicas of a bow and an arrow made using flowers were also seen at various places.

According to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, Ram Lalla seated in the temple wore a light pink attire on Sunday.

Voting in the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, under which the Ayodhya district falls, will take place in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20.

The prime minister embarked on the roadshow after offering prayers at the temple.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the BJP's Faizabad candidate Lallu Singh accompanied him.

People from different walks of life lined the road as Modi's motorcade passed through. -- PTI

20:26 EC orders transfer of Andhra police chief

The Election Commission on Sunday ordered the transfer of Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police K V Rajendranath Reddy with immediate effect, sources said.

The poll authority has asked the state government to submit by Monday names of three eligible Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in the rank of director general to fill the vacancy, the sources said.

The reason behind the poll body's action was not immediately known.

Elections for the 175-member assembly and the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh will be held simultaneously on May 13.

The votes will be counted on June 4. -- PTI

19:16 Cong spokesperson Radhika Khera resigns

All India Congress Committee spokesperson Radhika Khera on Sunday resigned from the party claiming that criticism over her visit to Ram Lalla in Ayodhya culminated in the denial of justice to her in the incident that happened at the Chhattisgarh Congress office.

Khera, the AICC's communication and media coordinator for Chhattisgarh, posted her resignation letter addressed to AICC president Mallikarjuj Kharge on her 'X' handle.

'For every Hindu, the birthplace of Lord Shri Ram holds great significance. While every Hindu considers his life successful just by seeing Ram Lalla, some people have been opposing it. The party to which I have given more than 22 years of my life, while working with full honesty right from NSUI to AICC's media department,' she stated.

'Today I have to face such intense criticism because I could not stop myself from visiting Ram Lalla in Ayodhya. The criticism to this noble work reached such a level that justice was denied to me in the incident that happened with me in the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress office,' Khera added.

Khera stated she was resigning from the primary membership of the party and her post.

Notably, an argument took place between Khera and Chhattisgarh Congress' communication wing chairperson Sushil Anand Shukla on April 30 in the party office in Raipur over the visit of senior leader Pawan Khera the next day, party sources had said.

A video purportedly of Khera had gone viral in which she claimed that she was insulted. -- PTI

Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara on Sunday said a Blue Corner notice has been issued and Interpol's help is being taken to bring National Democratic Alliance's Hassan Lok Sabha candidate Prajwal Revanna, who is facing sexual harassment cases, back to India.

A Blue Corner Notice is issued by the international police cooperation body to collect additional information from its member countries about a person's identity, location or activities in relation to a crime.

The minister said the Special Investigation Team formed to probe the sex scandal will decide on how to bring Prajwal back.

"Already Blue Corner notice has been issued. The Interpol will inform all the countries and locate him," Parameshwara told reporters in Bengaluru.

Appreciating the work of SIT, formed to probe the case, he said the team is doing its job and has acted as per law on the complaints it has received.

He recalled it has arrested the 'accused', apparently referring to Prajwal's father H D Revanna, who was apprehended in an abduction case.

Prajwal's father Revanna, a Janata Dal-Secular MLA, is also facing molestation and kidnapping charges, and has been arrested by the SIT on Saturday.

He was arrested by the sleuths of SIT on Saturday in the kidnapping case linked to sexual abuse allegations against his son Prajwal.

He was picked up soon after a court in Bengaluru rejected his anticipatory bail plea.

Explicit video clips allegedly involving the 33-year-old Prajwal, grandson of JD-S patriarch and former Prime Minister Deve Gowda, had started making the rounds in Hassan in recent days, following which the state government constituted the SIT to probe the sexual abuse allegations against the MP. -- PTI

16:48 Sandeshkhali 'mistruth' spread by BJP: Mamata

Alleging that the 'mistruth' about Sandeshkhali was spread by the BJP using money, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop 'shedding crocodile tears' as the 'conspiracy hatched by the saffron party' has come to the fore with the unravelling of a recent sting.

The TMC on Saturday released a video on social media, in which a man, who claimed to be a BJP mandal president in Sandeshkhali, was heard saying that Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, was behind the 'whole conspiracy'.

In the purported video, the authenticity of could not be independently verified by the PTI, the man was heard saying that Adhikari had asked him and other BJP leaders of the area to 'instigate three-four local women to level allegations of rape against three TMC leaders, including Shajahan Sheikh'.

Addressing an election rally in Bolpur Lok Sabha seat in support of TMC candidate and sitting MP Satabdi Roy, Banerjee said, "Blatant lies were invented by the BJP, which plotted a conspiracy by giving money to some people to tell lies."

"Did anyone ever imagine that BJP would stoop so low that it would spread canards on Sandeshkhali? Don't dishonour the mothers of West Bengal by leveling such heinous allegations. Don't dare try to disrespect women of the state by offering them money to level false allegations against our party," Banerjee said.

Accusing PM Modi of taking the words of 'few people' in his party on face value, she said that 'by seeing the reaction of BJP leaders to the video, it was apparent that they were scared'.

"However, if some people, including those from the TMC, committed any wrong, the party and the state government have always been quick to take disciplinary action against them, no matter how powerful they are," she asserted.

Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district had erupted in protests after women accused now-suspended TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his associates of sexual abuse and land grabbing.

He has been arrested and is now in CBI custody. -- PTI

15:45 Cong moves EC over Karnataka BJP ad

The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Sunday sought the Election Commission to initiate action against Bharatiya Janata Party's national president J P Nadda and other senior leaders for allegedly violating the model code of conduct by posting a video on social media intimidating members of SC and ST community not to vote for a particular candidate.

In a complaint to the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer, the Congress mentioned about a video uploaded on social media platform 'X' by the official account of Karnataka State Bharatiya Janata Party @bjp4karnataka which is operated by Amit Malviya, the head of IT cell on instructions of J P Nadda, BJP national president; B Y Vijayendra, BJP state president and social media incharge- Karnataka BJP on May 4 at 5.34 pm.

"The said video posted on social media featured animated characters of Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah. In the clip, SC, ST and OBC community are portrayed as 'eggs' in a nest and it also suggested Rahul Gandhi planting a big egg labelled as Muslim community. It is projected as though funds are being fed to the chick depicting the Muslim community, which then kicks out SC, ST and OBC community."

The letter also stated that nowhere in the Congress party manifesto has it been mentioned that allocations of funds to SC, ST and OBC community will be cut and the same will be diverted to the Muslim community.

"The BJP has been falsely accusing the Congress party of including Muslims in OBC category and with such false propaganda the saffron party has been soliciting votes during Lok Sabha elections," it alleged.

The KPCC further alleged that the video was posted on BJP's official X handle with an aim to garner votes in Lok Sabha polls.

"It is clear that the video social media post by them is to intimidate members of SC/ST community not to vote for Congress party by projecting that funds reserved for them will be usurped by Muslims," it said.

"The act of the accused person is to wantonly provocate rioting and promote enmity between different religions and is prejudicial to maintenance of harmony apart from intimidating members of SC/ST community not to vote for particular candidate and causing enmity against members of SC/ST community," the letter added.

The KPCC has urged the poll body to initiate suitable action. -- PTI

15:17 Cong replaces candidates in 5 Odisha seats

The Congress on Sunday changed its candidates in five assembly constituencies in Odisha while naming Akshaya Acharya from the Nilgiri assembly seat.

The party has nominated former minister and four-time MLA Debashish Nayak for the Bari assembly constituency replacing Arati Deo.

Nayak had joined the Congress on Saturday after the Bharatiya Janata Party denied him a ticket.

Nayak had joined the BJP in February from the Biju Janata Dal.

Nayak was elected to the state assembly from the Bari assembly seat in 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2014 on a BJD ticket.

Congress spokesperson Sudarshan Das has been nominated for the Jaleswar assembly constituency replacing Debi Prasanna Chand.

For the Athamallik assembly segment, the party has fielded Himanshu Chaulia in place of Bijayananda Chaulia while Sujit Mahapatra has been replaced by Uma Ballav Rath for the Puri assembly segment.

Sudarshan Sahoo is the new Congress nominee for the Athagarh assembly segment.

The party had earlier nominated Maheboob Ahmad Khan for the seat.

On Saturday, the party changed its Puri Lok Sabha constituency candidate Sucharita Mohanty after she returned the ticket due to alleged lack of funding from the party.

The Congress has nominated Jay Narayan Patnaik for the Puri Lok Sabha constituency.

With this list, the Congress party has announced candidates for 145 out of 147 Assembly segments in Odisha.

The Congress has left one seat for Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and another for the Communist Party of India-Marxist.

The Lok Sabha and assembly elections will be held simultaneously in Odisha in four phases from May 13 to June 1. -- PTI

Congress MLA from Madhya Pradesh's Bina assembly seat, Nirmala Sapre, joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the state on Sunday.

She is the third MLA to switch over from the Congress to the BJP since the model code of conduct came into effect following the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls in March.

Sapre joined the BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav during a public rally at Rahatgarh in Sagar district. Later, talking to reporters, Sapre said she had made several promises to the people of her constituency but was not able to fulfil them.

The Congress is currently out of power, she pointed out and claimed the opposition party does not have any agenda of development.

"I joined the stream of development under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav," she said.

The Election Commission announced the Lok Sabha poll dates on March 16.

On March 29, Kamlesh Shah, the MLA from Amarwara in Chhindwara district, quit the Congress and joined the BJP.

On April 30, MLA Ramniwas Rawat quit the grand old party and joined the BJP. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be filing his nomination papers from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat on May 14, Bharatiya Janata Party's city president Vidyasagar Rai said on Sunday.

On May 13, Modi will hold a roadshow in the constituency, and preparations for it are underway, he added.

"The route for the roadshow has been finalised. On May 14, Prime Minister Modi will file his nomination from the Varanasi seat," he said.

The Congress has fielded its Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Rai in Varanasi and the Bahujan Samaj Party Athar Jamal Lari.

Elections in Varanasi will be held on June 1 in the seventh and last round of the general elections. -- PTI

The Congress on Sunday said there were many discrepancies in the investigation conducted previously into Rohith Vemula's death in 2016 and asserted that its government in Telangana will leave no stone unturned to ensure justice for his family.

Police in Telangana have filed a closure report before a court in its probe into the death of Rohith Vemula, a student of the University of Hyderabad, claiming he was not a Dalit and died by suicide in 2016 as he feared that his 'real caste' would be discovered.

Congress general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal, said Rohith Vemula's death was a grave atrocity that completely exposed the 'anti-Dalit mindset' of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

'The Congress, including Rahul Gandhi ji, has stood with Rohith Vemula's family through this difficult period,' he said in a post on X.

As has been clarified by the Telangana Police, the closure report concerned was prepared in June 2023, Venugopal said.

'There were many discrepancies in the investigation conducted previously. The Congress government in Telangana will leave no stone unturned to ensure justice for Rohith's family,' he asserted.

The Congress came to power in the state last year by defeating the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS).

"Not only that, when we form a government at the Centre, we will pass a Rohith Vemula Act, specifically addressing the issue of caste and communal atrocities on campuses to ensure no student coming from socio-economic backwardness has to face the same plight as Rohith ever again," he said.

Venugopal's remarks came a day after Rohith Vemula's mother Radhika Vemula met Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad and urged him to see to it that 'justice' is done to the family.

Reddy assured her that an investigation would be conducted again into the University of Hyderabad student's suicide in 2016 and that justice would be done.

The chief minister assured that a fair and transparent investigation would be conducted further, Rohith Vemula's brother Raja Vemula said. Talking to reporters on Saturday evening at the University of Hyderabad, Rohith Vemula's mother Radhika Vemula took exception to the observation in the closure report that her son did not belong to the Scheduled Castes (SC).

"My son belongs to SC. I am a Dalit. How can police say that my son is not SC. Police don't enquire about caste (it is not their job). That is a false campaign," she had said.

She also found fault with an argument that Rohith Vemula died because he did not excel in studies.

Her son excelled in studies, she claimed.

Telangana DGP Ravi Gupta has already announced to conduct further investigation into the case in view of the doubts expressed by Rohith Vemula's mother and others on the closure report. -- PTI

The cost of air conditioning in school has to be borne by the parents as it is a facility being provided to the students, which is no different from the other charges such as laboratory fee, the Delhi high court has said.

A bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) against a private school charging Rs 2,000 per month for the air conditioning in classes and stated that such financial burden cannot be fastened on the school management alone and parents should be mindful of the facilities and their cost while selecting a school.

The petitioner, whose ward studied in class 9 in the private school, argued that the obligation to provide air conditioning facilities to the students rests with the management and it should, therefore, be provided by them from their own funds and resources.

Noting that the fee receipt duly records the entry of charges for air conditioning which is admittedly being provided to the students, the court opined that prima facie there is no irregularity in the charge levied by the school.

"The costs of air conditioning services provided to the children in the school have to be borne by the parents as it is a facility provided to the children and is no different from the other charges such as laboratory fee and smart class fee levied. The parents, while selecting the school, have to be mindful of the facilities and the cost of the facilities provided to children in school.

"The financial burden of providing such facilities cannot be fastened on the school management alone," the bench, also comprising Justice Manmeet PS Arora, said in an order passed on May 2.

The court observed that the Directorate of Education was also seized of the issue after it received complaints and the petition was not maintainable.

"We are, therefore, not inclined to entertain the present PIL and the same is dismissed," the court concluded. -- PTI

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday that the investigation into the killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar is 'not limited' to the arrest of three Indian nationals and is ongoing.

Trudeau said that it is important because 'Canada is a rule-of-law country'.

The Canada PM's remarks came days after three Indian nationals were arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing of Nijjar.

The Canadian police on Saturday released photographs of all three persons arrested in the last year's killing of Nijjar amid an ongoing probe into the alleged connections of the Indian government.

The police have not given any evidence of any link to India, as was being speculated in Canadian media.

India has repeatedly denied the allegations, terming them 'absurd and motivated'.

Giving an address at the Sikh Foundation of Canada's Centennial Gala event held at the Royal Ontario Museum on Sunday, Trudeau began by acknowledging the arrests made in connection to the case, emphasising that the investigation remains ongoing.

"I need to begin, somewhat awkwardly perhaps, but importantly, to acknowledge the arrests that were made in relation to the murder of Nijjar. As the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) stated, the investigation remains ongoing, as does a separate and distinct investigation, not limited to the involvement of the three people arrested yesterday," he said.

He highlighted Canada's status as a rule-of-law country with a robust and independent justice system.

"This is important because Canada is a rule-of-law country with a strong and independent justice system, as well as a fundamental commitment to protecting all its citizens. I know that many Canadians, particularly members of the Sikh community, are feeling uneasy and perhaps even frightened right now," Trudeau added.

Trudeau also reassured that every Canadian has the fundamental right to live safely and free from discrimination and violence. He urged them to 'remain calm... remain steadfast in our commitment to our democratic principles and our system of justice. This is who we are and what we do as Canadians'.

A day ago, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Canada has been issuing visas to people with links to organised crime despite warnings from New Delhi.

Jaishankar said some people in Canada, with 'pro-Pakistan leanings', have organised themselves politically and taken the shape of an influential political lobby.

He said he saw reports that three people have been arrested, and, the Canadian police have conducted 'some investigation'.

Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed as he came out of a Gurdwara in Surrey in June last year. -- ANI

An assistant sub-inspector was allegedly murdered by the sand mafia in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol on Saturday night.

The incident took place in Shahdol's Naudhiya when the ASI was ran over by the tractor after the police team reached the village to arrest an accused in connection with illegal sand mining.

The driver of the tractor has been arrested, said police.

Additional director general of police Sagar says, "ASI Mahendra Bagri and his team went to arrest the accused with a warrant, where the ASI was run over by a tractor. The driver of the tractor has been arrested and an inquiry is on. In the inquiry, it was revealed that the son of the owner of the tractor was also involved in it. He has also been arrested... An FIR has been registered under IPC section 302/34, 414, 379 and different acts of mining..." -- ANI

Representational image

10:23 Army chopper makes precautionary landing in Maha; all onbard safe

An Advance Light Helicopter of the Indian Army has made a "precautionary landing" at a farm in Maharashtra's Sangli district due to a technical issue in its engine, the police said.

Three Army personnel -- two pilots and a technician -- were on board at the time of the incident on Saturday morning, they said, adding that there was no casualty.

The helicopter, belonging to the Army Aviation Corps, was going from Nashik in Maharashtra to Bengaluru, a police official said on Saturday.

It made the precautionary landing at around 9.50 am on Saturday at a farm near Erandoli village in Miraj tehsil of Sangli district due to some technical issue, he said.

After a couple of hours, another chopper arrived with technical help.

The issue was later fixed and both the choppers subsequently took off, the official said. -- PTI

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

10:08 No need to capture PoK, its people....: Rajnath Singh

India will never give up its claim on Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir but it won't have to capture it with force because its people, on their own, would want to be part of India after seeing the development in Kashmir, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said.

In an exclusive interview to PTI, Singh asserted that the ground situation has improved significantly in Jammu and Kashmir and that a time will come when AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) will no longer be required in the Union Territory.

The defence minister, however, said the matter is under the domain of the Union home ministry and it will take appropriate decisions.

He said elections will also be held there definitely, but wouldn't give a timeline.

"I think India will not have to do anything. The way the ground situation has changed in Jammu and Kashmir, the way the region is witnessing economic progress and the way peace has returned there, I think demands will emerge from people of PoK that they should merge with India," he said.

"We will not have to use force to take PoK as people would say that we must be merged with India. Such demands are now coming," he said.

The defence minister asserted that "PoK was, is, and will remain ours".

Citing improvement in the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said assembly elections will be held there soon, but did not give a timeline.

"The way the situation is improving in Jammu and Kashmir, I think a time will come when AFSPA will no longer be required there. It is my view and it is for the Home Ministry to decide on it," he said. -- PTI

Senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee said his party was keen on an alliance with the Congress, for which he even went to meet Rahul Gandhi at his residence at 6 am.

Abhishek, the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and heir apparent to the party, asserted that Trinamool Congress candidates are the true representatives of the INDIA bloc in West Bengal.

"Had I not been serious, I would not have rushed to Rahul Gandhi's residence in Delhi at 6 am. We were willing to have an alliance with the Congress in Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal, and despite state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's barbs at our party for months, we did not react for a long time," he said on Saturday.

"We gave Congress time till December but we could not wait indefinitely as we had to make preparations. Till December 31, 2023, not a single spokesperson of our party, including Mamata Banerjee, reacted to what Choudhury was saying," he added.

Banerjee, the MP of Diamond Harbour, said the seat-sharing talks failed because of the state Congress' belligerence. -- PTI

India's foreign exchange reserves declined for the third week, after having risen for the seventh straight week to hit an all-time high of $648.562 billion.

As per the latest data released by the Reserve Bank of India, the country's foreign exchange kitty declined by $2.412 billion to $637.922 billion in the April 26 week.

India's foreign currency assets, the biggest component of the forex reserves, declined by $1.159 billion to $559.701 billion, the central bank's weekly statistical data showed.

Gold reserves during the week declined by $1.275 billion to $55.533 billion.

India's foreign exchange reserves, which had reached an all-time high are sufficient to cover 11 months of projected imports, according to the monthly economic review report of the department of economic affairs under the ministry of finance, released recently.

In the calendar year 2023, the RBI added about $58 billion to its foreign exchange kitty.

In 2022, India's forex kitty slumped by $71 billion cumulatively. -- ANI

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau/File image

09:27 Canada a rule-of-law country: Trudeau after Nijjar murder arrests

Canada is a "rule-of-law country" with a strong and independent justice system and a fundamental commitment to protect its citizens, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said, a day after three Indian nationals were charged with the murder of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.

Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, and Karanpreet Singh, 28, all Indian nationals residing in Edmonton have been charged on Friday with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

"This is important because Canada is a rule-of-law country with a strong and independent justice system, as well as a fundamental commitment to protecting all its citizens," Trudeau said about the arrests on Saturday at a Toronto gala celebrating Sikh heritage and culture.

"As the RCMP stated, the investigation remains ongoing, as does a separate and distinct investigation not limited to the involvement of the three people arrested yesterday," Canadian Broadcasting Corporation quoted Trudeau as saying. -- PTI

BJP's Vidisha candidate Shivraj Singh Chouhan/File image

08:48 Youth tries to grab mic of BJP's Vidisha candidate Shivraj Singh

A young man attempted to snatch the mic of BJP's Vidisha candidate Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday night when he was addressing an election meeting.

A viral video clip shows a youth trying to grab the microphone of Chouhan on the stage and security personnel overpowering him and whisking him away before he could succeed in his plan.

Chouhan can be heard saying, "No issue".

Vidisha goes to the polls on May 7.

Queried about the security breach when Madhya Pradesh's former chief minister was campaigning, Kotwali police station inspector Manoj Dubey said he too came to know about the incident through social media.

"We are gathering information about the incident which occurred in Madhav Nagar area of Vidisha. We will take appropriate action. The youngster has not been handed over to the police," he said. -- PTI

A man is rescued after the floods in Canoas, Brazil, May 4, 2024/Renan Mattos/Reuters

08:31 At least 56 killed due to torrential rains in Brazil

At least 56 people were killed due to torrential rains, followed by floods and mudslides in Brazil, forcing thousands of people out of their homes, reported Al Jazeera citing the government.

Rescue operations are underway as emergency responders race against time to locate survivors trapped amidst the debris of collapsed homes, bridges, and roads.

The surge in water levels in the state of Rio Grande do Sul is straining dams and threatening the metropolis of Porto Alegre, the country's civil defence agency said, according to Al Jazeera.

Governor Eduardo Leite declared a state of emergency as the region grapples with the aftermath of the catastrophic weather event.

"We are dealing with the worst disaster in [our] history," Governor Leite lamented, acknowledging the grim reality that the death toll is expected to rise further as rescue efforts continue, as reported by Al Jazeera.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pledged full support to the affected region, assuring that "there will be no lack of human or material resources" to alleviate the suffering caused by the extreme weather conditions. -- ANI

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08:21 Nominations of 301 candidates found valid in Maha after scrutiny for 5th phase

Nominations of 301 candidates have been found valid after scrutiny in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra that will go to polls in the fifth phase on May 20, officials said on Saturday.

After scrutiny, Dhule has 22 candidates, Dindori 15, Nashik 36, Palghar 13, Bhiwandi 36, Kalyan 30, Thane 25, Mumbai North 21, Mumbai North West 23, Mumbai North East 20, Mumbai North Central 28, Mumbai South Central 15 and Mumbai South 17.

Sunday is the last date of withdrawal of papers. -- PTI

Security forces conduct search operation in Poonch on Sunday morning/ANI on X

08:18 Search op underway after Poonch terror attack

Security personnel on Sunday morning conducted a search operation following a terrorist attack on an Indian Air Force convoy a day before, in which one personnel was killed, officials said.

According to the officials, the search operation was carried out to track the terrorists.

Security forces have laid down nakas and checking is going on in the area.

Additional forces of the Indian Army reached the Jarra Wali Gali

in Poonch on Saturday night.

The incident, which took place at Sanai village, resulted in the injured personnel being promptly transported to the Command Hospital in Udhampur, where unfortunately, one of them passed away due to his injuries.

Following the attack, the local Rashtriya Rifles unit initiated cordon and search operations in the vicinity, with support from the Army and the police, to track down the perpetrators. -- ANI

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