ED names Kejriwal
Criticizing RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, Modi said, “The champion of the fodder scam from Bihar is now saying that the entire reservation should be given to Muslims, depriving Dalits, tribals, and backward classes.”
He accused the Congress of attempting to give reservations based on religion and claimed they had done so in Karnataka by classifying all Muslims as OBC overnight, thereby taking away a significant portion of OBC reservations.
“The Congress insults the constitution. Dr. Ambedkar opposed giving reservation based on religion but Congress is giving reservation based on religion. Congress has turned Karnataka into a laboratory of appeasement,” Modi said.
Invoking Lord Ram, Modi said, “Beyond Ram’s work, now it is time for national work (‘rashtra kaaj’). I am asking you for 400 ‘paar’ to protect your rights.”
In Barabanki, the main contest is between Congress’s Tanuj Punia and BJP’s Rajrani Rawat. Barabanki will vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20.
Meanwhile, the Congress hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his “learn from from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath where to run bulldozers” remark and claimed that the CM’s “bulldozer” is against reservation for Dalits, tribals and backward classes.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh cited an article on Adityanath’s website to claim that it reflected the RSS’s anti-reservation mindset.
In a post in Hindi on X, Ramesh said, “The outgoing Prime Minister today said that the INDIA Janbandhan should learn from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath where to run the ‘bulldozer’. See how Yogi’s ‘bulldozer’ is against the reservation system for Dalits, tribals, and backward classes!”
“The Prime Minister should clearly say that he is supporting Yogi because of his views on reservation. This is the secret behind his slogan of ‘400 paar’. He wants to do this so that with a majority of 400 seats in the Parliament, he can amend Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution and snatch the right of reservation from Dalits, tribals and backward classes,” Ramesh alleged.
The Congress leader claimed that the BJP wanted to carry out the decades-old conspiracy of the RSS to end Ambedkar’s Constitution and draft a new Constitution based on ‘Manuwadi thinking’.
In a video, Ramesh demonstrated where the stated article was on the UP CM’s website and said it might not be available for long. He cited portions of the article which he said reflected an antireservation mindset.
SC
of all polling stations be uploaded immediately after the polls.
“Direct the Election Commission to provide tabulated polling station-wise data in absolute figures of the number of votes polled as recorded in Form 17C Part- I after each phase of polling in the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections and also a tabulation of constituency-wise figures of voter turnout in absolute numbers in the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” the NGO said.
It said the plea was filed to ensure that the democratic process is not subverted by electoral irregularities.
“The voter turnout data for the first two phases of the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections
published by ECI on April 30 has been published after 11 days of the first phase of polling... on April 19 and four days after second phase of polling... on April 26.
“The data, as published by the ECI in its press release dated April 30, 2024 shows a sharp increase (by about 5-6 per cent) as compared to the initial percentages announced by ECI as of 7 pm on the day of polling,” the plea said.
The petition said the “inordinate” delay in the release of the final voter turnout data, coupled with the unusually high revision of over five per cent in the poll panel’s press note of April 30, 2024 has raised concerns and public suspicion regarding the correctness of the said data.
The non-release of the absolute number of votes polled coupled with the “unreasonable delay” in the release of votes polled data has led to apprehensions in the mind of the electorate about the sharp increase between initial data and data released on April 30, it said.
“These apprehensions must be addressed and put to rest. That in order to uphold the voter’s confidence it is necessary that the ECI be directed to disclose on its website scanned legible copies of Form 17C Part- I (Account of Votes Recorded) of all polling stations which contains the authenticated figures for votes polled, within 48 hours of the close of polling,” it said.
minister, AAP leaders and others.
Additional Solicitor General S V Raju told the Supreme Court on Thursday that Kejriwal played a key role in the formulation of the now-scrapped excise policy.
“We have direct evidence that Kejriwal stayed in a sevenstar hotel, whose bills were partly paid by an accused in the case,” he said, adding that Kejriwal, as the national convenor of the AAP, was vicariously responsible for the alleged scam.The ED had earlier claimed that AAP, being a political party, is defined as an association or a body of individual citizens of India under the Representation of the People Act, and hence it can be categorised as a “company” as contemplated under section 70 of the PMLA.
As Arvind Kejriwal was “incharge of and responsible” for the said company i.e. AAP during the time of offence, he and his party “shall be deemed guilty” of offences mentioned under the anti-money laundering law and liable to be prosecuted and punished, it had said.
The excise case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor
V K Saxena had recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities. Subsequently, the ED registered a case under the PMLA.
Taking cognisance of a CBI FIR lodged on August 17, 2022, the ED filed its money laundering case on August 22, 2022, to probe the alleged irregularities.
The complaint against Gangopadhyay was supported by a viral video clip from a public meeting held on May 15, 2024, in Haldia, where his contentious comments were recorded.
The voting in Tamluk is scheduled for May 25, during the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
According to the English translation of his remarks, as presented by TMC in its complaint, Gangopadhyay said: “Mamata Banerjee, how much are you being sold for? Your rate is 10 lakhs, why? Because you’re getting your makeup done by Keya Seth? Mamata Banerjee, is she even a woman? I keep wondering sometimes.”
TMC contested that the remarks are “a clear portrayal of his indecent behaviour and his misogynistic mindset”. The party also wrote: “It is unfortunate that Mr. Gangopadhyay having held a prominent position in the Judiciary, has chosen to attack the dignity of women, especially a woman holding a position of power with the sole intention to further his political propaganda and to stay relevant during the current period of Lok Sabha election, 2024”.
Trinamool told the EC that “such an attempt to defame the Hon’ble CM and to outrage her modesty through the said remark(s)/statement(s), is in complete contravention to the provisions of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (“IPC”), including Sections 354, 503, 504, 506 and 509 of IPC and it also violates the MCC”.
It demanded that the EC should initiate criminal proceedings against Abhijit Gangopadhyay for contravening the provisions of the IPC. It also requested imposing a complete ban on, “Mr. Abhijit Gangopadhyay from holding and attending any public meetings, public rallies, public processions, road shows, interviews, public utterances in media”.