Sonia skips Maha rallies due to health reasons
Mumbai: Congress president Sonia Gandhi has called off her Maharashtra visit on Sunday due to health reasons, party sources said. She was scheduled to address campaign rallies in Nandurbar and Dhule in north Maharashtra and another one in Mumbai. The Mumbai rally was addressed by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi. NCP President Sharad Pawar was also present. At Nandurbar and Dhule rallies, the Congress president has deputed Ghulam Nabi Azad and Raj Babbar.
Cong is a mother-son party, says Ramdev
Mumbai: launching a frontal attack on Nehru-Gandhi family, Yoga guru and supporter of Narendra Modi, Baba Ramdev on Sunday criticised the Congress, calling it a party of ‘Maa-Beta’ (mother and son). “Supreme Prime Minister is Sonia and her son Rahul Gandhi. Yeh maa-beta party desh ko chala rahe hain,” he said, while addressing a press conference here. Exuding confidence that BJP-led by Modi would get a thumping victory, Ramdev said the time has come to bid adieu to Congress. “Congress will get only 40-50 seats. There is not only a Modi wave, but there is a Modi storm which will make big trees fall. I feel that most corrupt leaders from the Congress will flee from the country after the elections,” he said.
Godrej, Parekh, Kotak support Milind Deora
Mumbai: Some of the top business leaders and trade associations came out in support of the Union Minister of State for Telecom and sitting MP from Mumbai South, Milind Deora, who is seeking a third term from the constituency. Chairman of the Godrej group Adi Godrej, HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh and Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Bank Uday Kotak issued a joint statement here extending support to Deora’s candidature. “His parliamentary and ministerial performance is good and we have been witness to his integrity, hard work and dedication to his profession. We support his candidature from South Mumbai as an individual,” the statement said.
Case against Geelani for election boycott call
Srinagar: A case has been registered against hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani under the Unlawful Activities (prevention) Act for allegedly calling for a boycott of elections. Geelani had given the alleged boycott call during a press meet on Friday last. “A case under Section 13 of Unlawful Activities Act has been registered against Geelani in police station Budgam,” a police spokesman said. Geelani had said during the press conference that people have a right to stay away from polls just like they have the right to vote. He had also called for “civil curfew” on April 24, 30 and May 7 when voting will be held for three lok Sabha constituencies of Anantnag, Srinagar and Baramulla, respectively.
Netas turn blind eye to voteless UP widows
Vrindavan: Most of the widows of Vrindavan are deprived of voting right. living in pitiable conditions as one can find them begging on the streets or waiting for meals outside ashrams, these hapless women want that the political candidates should come and see their conditions and let them have a say in the election process. Manju Roy, who lives in the Government ashram, was waiting for her turn to get some rice and dal outside Radhe Shyam Ashram at 8 A.M. When she came to know that Hema Malini is contesting elections from Mathura, she wanted the actress to come and see their plight. “Hema Malini is a big star. Please tell her to visit us and see how we live. We want to vote but who will arrange voter IDs for us,” Roy says.”We somehow managed to get Aadhar cards for some of them so that they can avail benefits like widow pension but none of them have voter identity cards,” Santosh Chaturvedi, the manager of Maitri ashram, told PTI. According to Maitri ashram, there are over 10,000 widows living in Vrindavan and most of them are from West Bengal. Some of them are in their late eighties and get a measly amount of `3 and 100-gm of rice for performing bhajan kirtans at various ashrams. less than 10 per cent have found place in widow ashrams run by the Government or NGOs.