What to Watch Out ForAfter mega roadshow, PM Narendra Modi to file nomination from Varanasi today
A day ahead of his nomination filing, PM Narendra Modi on Thursday took his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi by a storm with a mega roadshow. He was joined by UP CM Yogi Adityanath and other senior BJP leaders.
Thousands of people thronged the narrow streets to watch the Prime Minister’s convoy cover a seven-kilometre stretch from Benaras Hindu University, where the PM garlanded the statue of founder Madan Mohan Malviya, till the Dashashwamedh Ghat.
The PM will be filing his nomination papers at 11.30 am today.
A show of strength: Soaring the political temperatures, Modi was joined by BJP President Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, party's state president Mahendra Nath Pandey and other senior BJP leaders in the temple town.
Several National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, will accompany Modi during his nomination filing.A damp squib: Meanwhile, after weeks of stoking speculation of a Priyanka Gandhi versus Prime Minister Narendra Modi poll battle, the Congress has decided to field its old guard and five-time MLA Ajay Rai from the all-important constituency of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
Rai had come a distant third to the PM and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal in the 2014 elections.
The party’s decision came as a disappointment to many considering the numerous insinuations by Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The hype was started by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra nearly a month ago, when she first teased the contest during an interaction with party workers. Since then, repeated statements from her that a decision would be taken by her brother Rahul Gandhi have only led to the excitement reaching a fever pitch, only to end in a hoax.Here Rasheed Kidwai argues why the ‘tamasha’ around Varanasi was not good for the Congress’ image.What You May Have Missed
SC appoints ex-Judge AK Patnaik to lead judiciary inquiry into claims of fixers in sexual harassment case against CJI Ranjan Gogoi
The Supreme Court on Thursday set up a judicial inquiry panel led by former judge AK Patnaik to examine the claims of lawyer Utsav Bains about ‘fixers’ trying to frame CJI Ranjan Gogoi in a sexual harassment case.
The bench made it clear that the committee will work separately from the other panel which was set up to look into the allegations of harassment.
The Central Bureau of Investigation, Intelligence Bureau and Delhi Police were also asked to assist the committee in the probe.The hearing: During the hearing the bench, comprising Justices Arun Mishra, Rohinton Nariman and Deepak Gupta, said that it not allow the “rich and powerful" to run the country country. “Every day we hear of bench fixing. Can [the] Registry be allowed to be managed by muscle and money power," Justice Arun Mishra is said to have asked.
The apex court said that on the completion of inquiry, Justice (Retd) Patnaik will file a report in a sealed cover before the court after which the matter will be heard again.Read about the hearing here.The second panel: Meanwhile, Justice Indu Malhotra will replace Justice NV Ramana in the three-member panel constituted for an in-house inquiry into the sexual harassment charges levelled against the CJI a former Supreme Court staffer.
Justice Ramana recused himself from the panel after the complainant objected his presence on the grounds that he was a “close friends of the CJI and like a family member to him".
In a letter to Justice Bobde, the complainant had also raised question over the presence of only one woman apex court judge — Indira Banerjee — in the panel to examine her allegations against the CJI which is not in accordance with Vishaka Guidelines.Read Justice Ramana’s response here.
The reconstituted panel, which includes justices SA Bobde and Justice Indira Banerjee, is slated to meet today.Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary resigns over Easter bombings as death toll touches 360
Over 250 veterans have once again written to President Ram Nath Kovind and the Election Commission, seeking an end to the politicisation of the armed forces in the Lok Sabha elections. The letter, which was originally signed by 156 people, states the concerns of the forces “which have caused considerable alarm and disquiet". In the letter, the veterans objected to the practice of political leaders claiming credit for military operations like cross-border strikes, and cited the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s “Modiji ki sena" remarks. The letter comes just two weeks after 150 veterans wrote to President Kovind expressing their discontentment over the same matter.EC lifts suspension of officer who checked PM's convoy in Odisha, but bars him from poll duty
The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday revoked its suspension order of Mohammed Mohsin, who was removed from the post of general observer for checking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s helicopter in Odisha’s Sambalpur earlier this month. Mohsin, a 1996 batch IAS officer from Karnataka cadre, was however debarred from taking up any election duty till further orders. The EC also asked the Karnataka government to initiate a disciplinary action against the officer. The poll panel had suspended Mohsin a day after he allegedly violated its instructions that SPG (Special Protection Group) protectees should not be checked.Giriraj Singh booked for violating Model Code of conduct after controversial remark
Union minister Giriraj Singh was on Thursday booked for violating the model code of conduct by making controversial remarks against the Muslim community at a rally in Begusarai a day ago where BJP national president Amit Shah, among others, was present. A video shows the BJP candidate from Begusarai saying, "In Begusarai too, many can be seen spewing venom wearing bade bhai ka kurta and chhote bhai ka pyjama." Singh was referring to the long shirts and short trousers that are usually associated with devout Muslims. The FIR was lodged under relevant sections of the Representation of People Act and the Indian Penal CodeNews18 Election Lab : Kanhaiya Kumar raised highest amount in online crowdfunding followed by AAP's Atishi, shows data
The transparency in political funding has long remained a contentious debate. The debate has spiked as the Supreme Court is hearing a petition challenging the introduction of electoral bonds to finance political parties. Moreover, electoral bonds have been mired in controversy ever since its introduction in Budget 2017-18. However, for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, many from different political parties are walking the talk and have started to explore the newer way of finding the money for their election campaigns through crowdfunding. This includes Aam Admi Party candidate Atishi and Communist Party of India’s Kanhaiya Kumar. Read Akash Gulankar’s analysis on the amounts of money the candidates raised through crowdfunding. On Reel
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