‘Rajnath projecting himself for top job’

Patna: A day after BJP president accused him of being afraid of the Congress, RJD president lalu Prasad on Friday hit back at Rajnath Singh saying that he was trying to portray himself and not Narendra Modi as the real candidate for the top post. Singh was telling his fellow Rajput castemen that it was not Narendra Modi but he was the “real” candidate for the top post to sway them to vote for BJP, Prasad told reporters here. But, neither he nor Modi would be able to “befool” the people of Bihar who were intelligent enough to teach them the “ABCD of politics,” he said. The RJD chief also said “Rajnath Singh is a parrot tutored by RSS.”

Giriraj Singh gets relief from HC

Bihar: BJP leader Giriraj Singh, who recently hogged headlines for his reported hate speech during poll campaigns in Bihar and Jharkhand, got a major relief from the Ranchi High Court on Friday. Earlier, a local court of Bokaro in Jharkhand had issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against the BJP leader. Challenging the Bokaro court verdict, the Bihar BJP leader had appealed in Ranchi High Court for relief.

‘BJP now one-man party, won’t return’

New Delhi: Targeting Narendra Modi, expelled leader Jaswant Singh on Friday said the BJP has become a party of ‘one-man leadership’ or by ‘small coterie’ chosen by one personality. The former External Affairs Minister, who had been earlier expelled from the party in August 2009 for praising Pakistan founder MA Jinnah and returned almost a year later, ruled out taking any such step again. He, however, said he could support NDA on issues of “greater national good”. “BJP has not had, even in times of Vajpayee, a single man (leadership). Currently there is either one-man leadership or it is confined in a small coterie chosen by one personality. That is a choice which the BJP has made for itself,” he said.

Ponzi victims block train movements

Kolkata: Hundreds of people affected by the various Ponzi schemes floated by dubious financial firms Friday blocked suburban train movements along major routes of Sealdah north and south divisions. The blockades began from 4.25 am when agitated people sat on the tracks demanding their money back, disrupting train movement.

1.59l to vote for 4 ladakh candidates

leh: Jammu and Kashmir’s high altitude lok Sabha constituency of ladakh will witness a four-cornered contest with a direct fight between Congress and BJP candidates, with 1.59 lakh voters deciding their fate. A total number of 1,59,631 voters will exercise their voting rights at 531 polling stations for the ladakh Constituency, which goes to polls on May 7, Election department officials said. ladakh constituency which comprises of two districts of leh and Kargil, have 80,994 male and 78,637 female voters.          

Choice not limited to UPA, NDA: TRS

Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samiti on Friday said the choice for it is not essentially limited to NDA and UPA Government after the elections, indicating that it may sail with the third front even as it kept its options open. “We do see the possibility of us winning a significant number of lok Sabha seats as well which should allow us to play a key role in Delhi,” party leader and MlA KT Rama Rao, son of TRS supremo, said here. Asked if the TRS would support UPA or NDA, KTR, as he is popularly known, said he does not think it’s a bipolar country.