Congress will always take care of 'aam admi', says Rahul

Wardha, Apr1 : Criticising the previous NDA regime for inept handling of terrorism during its rule, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi asserted that the party would always take care of "aam admi" and the poor in the country.

Addressing a huge gathering at the launch of Congress poll campaign here, Rahul said the UPA government has fulfilled its election promises by providing job for 100 days to the labourers under Employment Guarantee Scheme.

The Congress-led government at the Centre launched mid-day meal scheme for school children and waived off crop loan and interest on farm loan to debt ridden farmers, particularly in Vidarbha region which faced agrarian crisis, he said.

The scion of Gandhi family did not spare the Opposition on electioneering and said, "Last time, BJP had coined a popular slogan "India Shining" but when we reached out to villagers, the rural population was not only surprised but was unaware of any such thing or feeling." Attacking Opposition for describing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a weak PM, Rahul said under the leadership of Manmohan Singh, the country has achievements on many fronts be it Nuclear deal with the US or Employment opportunities to the youth in the country.

READ MORE - Congress will always take care of 'aam admi', says Rahul

LS candidate Azhar pays visit to Moradabad

Moradabad (UP): Former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin, the Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Moradabad, paid his first visit to the constituency after his name was announced.

A large number of people stood on both sides of the road to get a view of the former skipper, who began a roadshow here.

READ MORE - LS candidate Azhar pays visit to Moradabad

Poojary, Dharam Singh, Kharge, Jaffer Sharief, Bangarappa to contest polls

New Delhi/Bangalore, March 31 : After several days of hectic parlyes in New Delhi on selecting candidates for the 15th Lok Sabha polls, the Congress on Saturday evening announced the list of candidates for 22 constituencies in Karnataka. The party high command has given tickets to almost all Congress veterans in the State. The party is expected to announce candidates to remaining six seats (total 28 seats in Karnataka) in a couple of days.

Two former Chief Ministers N. Dharam Singh and S. Bangarappa have been given tickets to contest the elections from Bidar and Shimoga constituencies, respectively, while former Union Minister B. Janardhana Poojary will enter the poll fray from Dakshina Kannada constituency.

While leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka legislative Assembly Mallikarjun Kharge has been asked to contest from Gulbarga reserve constituency, Congress veteran and former Union Railway Minister C. K. Jaffer Sharief will file his nomination papers to contest from Bangalore north.

Poojary, Dharam, Bangarappa

Sangliana, Kharge, Sharief

Tejaswini, Muniyappa

Former Bangalore City Police Commissioner and sitting MP, H. T. Sangliana, who recently quit the BJP and joined the Congress, has been given ticket to contest from Bangalore Central while Tejaswini Ramesh will contest from Bangalore Rural Constituency against former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (S). Both Tejaswini and Kumaraswamy belonged to Vokkaliga community and it is likely to be clash of titans.

Former Minister and Kuruba leader of Mysore H. Vishwanath has been given ticket contest from Mysore constituency while Union Minister for K. H. Muniyappa will try his electoral fortunes from Kolar reserve constituency. B. Shivaram will take on former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda in Hassan.

Candidates for other constituencies are: Belgaum - Amarasimha Patil, Tumkur- Kodanda Ramaiah, Chitradurga- Tippeswamy, Bellary - N. Y. Hanumanthappa, Bijapur- Prakash Rathod, Bagalkot - J.G. Patil, Koppal- Basavaraja Rayaraddy, Belgaum- Prakash Hukkeri, Dharwad - Manjunath Kunur, and Davanagere - S. S. Mallikarjunaiah.

The Congress has not announced candidates for six constituencies and they are- Bangalore South, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Chikkaballapur, Mandya, and Chamarajanagar.

The former Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Mallikarjun Kharge, who is sitting member of the Legislative Assembly, is contesting Parliamentary elections for the first time. He was elected to the assembly for the record 9 times.
Mr. Janardhana Poojarys selection was on the expected lines since there are good number of Billava community members in the district, which has faced communal clashes recently. S. Bangarappa, who recenlty quit the Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh, will take on B.S. Raghavendra, son of Chief Miniser B.S. Yeddyurappa in Shimoga. Mr. Bangarappa contesting third Lok Sabha election in five years. In 2004 he elected on BJP ticket and later quit that party and contested from SP. Now he is contesting from Congress again.

READ MORE - Poojary, Dharam Singh, Kharge, Jaffer Sharief, Bangarappa to contest polls

AGP has surrendered regionalism to BJP :Congress

Guwahati, Mar 31 : The ruling Congress in Assam today accused the opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) of surrendering its regionalism to BJP besides diluting its focus on price rise in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

" After its seat-sharing understanding with BJP, the AGP has surrendered its regionalism to the saffron party," Congress spokesman Himanta Biswa Sarma told media.

" During the last assembly poll the AGP manifesto was based on core regionalism. In their earlier manifesto the AGP had said the people were their high command and that they had no bosses. But this line has been dropped in their new manifesto," Sarma said.

"The AGP had earlier focussed on price rise, but this time is silent on it. By this we understand that they already know that price will rise if the BJP comes to power as it is a party of businessmen,"he said. Sarma also pointed out that the AGP was critical of all other parties save the (minority dominated) AUDF.

"The AGP, BJP and AUDF have a tacit understanding to defeat the Congress. Welfare of the people is not their concern".

READ MORE - AGP has surrendered regionalism to BJP :Congress

Oscar made Congress in-charge of Delhi, Ambika of Rajasthan

New Delhi, Mar 31 : Congress General Secretary Oscar Fernandes was today made in-charge of Delhi and Ambika Soni of Rajasthan, in place of General Secretary Mukul Wasnik.

”Since Mukul Wasnik is contesting the Lok Sabha elections, his assignments as in-charge general secretary of The AICC have been temporarily allocated to Ambika Soni and Oscar Fernandes,” AICC General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said in a statement.

READ MORE - Oscar made Congress in-charge of Delhi, Ambika of Rajasthan

Mukherjee has miraculous escape, again

Guwahati, March 31 : External Affairs Minister and senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee had a proverbial miraculous escape after his helicopter hit an air pocket when he was going from here to Silchar for an election rally Tuesday evening.

His chopper had an abrupt altitude fall probably due to the downward air current, but the pilot guided it to safety and flew back to Guwahati, Congress leaders here said.

“It was a close shave. Mukherjee visited the Kamakhya temple to offer prayers after returning here,” Assam Congress president Bhubaneswar Kalita told IANS.

Earlier in the evening, a bomb went off only a kilometre away from the venue of Mukherjee’s election rally minutes before he was to reach there. One person was killed and 16 others were injured in the explosion.

READ MORE - Mukherjee has miraculous escape, again

Margaret Alva, Veerappa Moily among Congress' LS candidates

New Delhi, Mar 31 : Alva will contest the election from Uttara Kannada constituency while Moily would contest the polls from Chikkballapur, both in Karnataka.

Former AICC general secretary Margaret Alva and AICC media department chief M Veerappa Moily are amongst the eight candidates, whose names were announced by the Congress to contest the Lok Sabha elections today.

Alva will contest the election from Uttara Kannada constituency while Moily would contest the polls from Chikkballapur, both in Karnataka.

In another major announcement, the Congress chose Suresh Patel to take on BJP's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani from Gandhinagar constituency in Gujarat.

Congress also decided to field Mahabal Mishra from West Delhi. With the announcement of Mishra's name, all seven candidates of the party for Delhi have been selected.

Other candidates include Bhavnaben Anil Patel from Navsari in Gujarat, Jai Prakash Hegde from Udupi Chikmaglur in Karnataka, Dhruv Narayan from Chamrajnagar in Karnataka and youth Congress leader Krishna Byre Gowda from Bangalore South.

READ MORE - Margaret Alva, Veerappa Moily among Congress' LS candidates

Congress predicts poll rout for AGP, BJP

GUWAHATI, March 31 – Castigating the BJP for its “communal politics”, Dr M Veerappa Moily, Congress Working Committee (CWC) member and in-charge Assam, today said that the party was vitiating the country’s political atmosphere through its communal agenda. “The BJP-led NDA has nothing to offer in the form of development, governance and security. Its agenda is not inclusive but divisive with its focus solely on polarizing voters on religious lines,” Moily said at a press conference.

Coming down hard on BJP leader and prime ministerial candidate LK Advani, Moily said that Advani had the habit of visiting a State and dividing it by poisoning the people’s mind. “The BJP will, however, find few takers this time, as people have seen through its bankrupt ideology. The national wave is against the BJP’s politics of hatred,” he said, adding that several of its allies had already deserted it.

Accusing the AGP, the main opposition in Assam, of surrendering before the BJP by entering into an alliance, Moily predicted that both the AGP and the BJP would meet their ‘Waterloo’ in the State in the coming polls. “This would be the end of AGP and BJP as far as Assam is concerned,” he said.

Reasoning that Assam progressed a lot with the UPA Government at Centre compared to the situation during the NDA rule, Moily said that sectors like flood control, health, education, power, etc., witnessed substantial investments while the GDP and per capita income too registered rapid growth.

On the infiltration front, Moily said that the BJP had never been sincere in checking infiltration and most of the initiatives including better border vigilance and updating of the NRC were started under the Congress regime.

Moily claimed that the Congress-led UPA alone was capable of providing a stable political, economic and social situation in the country, and that the BJP was a threat to democracy.

READ MORE - Congress predicts poll rout for AGP, BJP

Congress to field Candidates against RJD, LJP

Patna, Mar 31 : The Congress Party on Tuesday said that it would field its candidates in Bihar against the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo, Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan, who it considers as its biggest enemies in the coming general elections.

Agitated over the decision by the RJD and LJP to contest all the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, state PCC chief Anil Kumar Sharma said, "RJD and LJP have made Congress their enemy number one in the Lok Sabha elections in Bihar."

He accused the two parties of ditching the Congress to defeat the party’s nominees in the state and give advantage to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Sharma revealed that the Congress will field candidates against Lalu Yadav in Pataliputra constituency and against Paswan in Hajipur.

The party, however, failed to contest against Lalu in Saran, the filing of nomination for which ended on Monday.

Charging the RJD and LJP for playing ‘politics of opportunism’, Sharma said Lalu has put up his party’s state president Abdul Bari Siddiqui against Union Minister of State for Home and Congress candidate Shakeel Ahmed in Madhubani.

"It is meaningless to point out that it is bound to help Bharatiya Janata Party nominee Hukumdeo Narain Yadav in the parliamentary constituency," he said.

READ MORE - Congress to field Candidates against RJD, LJP

Sonia, Rahul Gandhi all set to campaign in East UP

Lucknow, Mar 31 : Congress president Sonia Gandhi and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Rahul Gandhi will be campaigning for party candidates in eastern Uttar Pradesh from April 3 onwards.

Uttar Pradesh will go to Lok Sabha polls in the first phase.

According to sources, Rahul Gandhi will be addressing election rallies at Maharajganj, Kushinagar and Robertsganj on April 3 and Sonia Gandhi would be campaigning for party candidates in Basgaon, Salempur and Varanasi on April 5.

Both Rahul and Sonia are likely to file their nomination papers from Amethi and Rae Bareilly constituencies on April 4 and April 6 respectively, sources said.

While Union Minister of state for small and medium industries Mahavir Prasad is contesting from Basgaon seat, senior party leader Bhola Pandey is contesting from Salempur.

Ramadhar Joseph, Harshvardhan and RPN Singh are contesting from Robertsganj, Maharajganj and Kushinagar seats respectively.

Sitting MP Rajesh Mishra would stand for the Varanasi constituency.

The elections in Uttar Pradesh would be held in five phases: April 16, 23, 30 and May 7 and May 13.

READ MORE - Sonia, Rahul Gandhi all set to campaign in East UP

BSP and BJP are hand-in-glove, says Congress

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Digvijay Singh Tuesday accused the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) of being hand-in-glove with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh.

“The manner in which the Mayawati government gave the BJP’s Pilibhit Lok Sabha nominee Varun Gandhi and his supporters a free hand to indulge in blatant vandalism and violence so as to create a riot-like situation in that town, clearly reflects some kind of connivance between the two parties,” Singh told reporters here.

“The action that followed subsequently by the same government against Varun was only a part of the cover-up and meant nothing as the damage was done.”

He sought to argue, “After all I have also been chief minister of Madhya Pradesh for 10 years during which I faced many such situations. Therefore, I know with experience that such situations need to be handled with a firm hand, which also required preventive arrests to be carried out; and at no stage did the Mayawati administration show any serious intention to prevent the violence.”

Accusing the BJP of “doublespeak”, Singh said: “Anyone with common sense could have easily anticipated what the BJP had up its sleeve when its leadership announced its decision to stage a court-arrest drama for Varun.”

According to him, “even BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani was not above the doublespeak habit.”

While he refused to comment on the reasons behind failure of talks between the Congress and Samajwadi Party, he made it loud and clear that the Congress would leave some seats for the Samajwadi Party.

“Just as they have spared a few seats for us, we would also reciprocate by leaving a few seats,” he said, adding that “we have already declared candidates for 56 of Uttar Pradesh’s 80 seats while some 10-15 more would follow.”

READ MORE - BSP and BJP are hand-in-glove, says Congress

Congress wants `big` win for Sonia

Rae Bareli: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will file her nomination for the parliamentary polls on April 6, but the groundwork to ensure that she surpasses her four million victory margin has begun with her children Priyanka and Rahul energising party workers and putting systems in place.


While Priyanka visited this constituency for two days earlier this week, brother Rahul, who is general secretary of the party and represents nearby Amethi in parliament, had been doing the rounds earlier.

Image: Congress President Sonia Gandhi gestures at the release of party manifesto for the coming Lok Sabha polls, at AICC headquarters in New Delhi.

'Early last year, Rahul Gandhi had appointed a party worker for every 50 families in all the villages of Rae Bareli and Amethi. We were given the task of mobilising them to come to the polling booth on the day of voting,' said Pawan Singh Patel, a party worker of Harchandpur block.

Priyanka, he said, stressed the same point during her visit. 'Priyanka instructed us to bring the maximum number of voters to the polling booth and ensure a record-breaking victory. During his frequent visits here, Rahulji always checks the register each worker has maintained (about the families) and makes sure he visits the maximum number of blocks,' added Sanjay Chaudhary of Lalganj block.


Image: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra waves to supporters at Bachrawan in Raebareli on March 23, 2009.

While her victory seems certain, party workers are trying to ensure that she gets a record margin of victory this time - the record for the maximum winning margin is held by the Communist Party of India-Marxist's Anil Basu who won West Bengal's Arambagh seat in the 2004 elections by a margin of 592,502 votes.

In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections,Sonia Gandhi's winning margin was 249,765 with a vote share of of 58.75 percent. Two years later, in the 2006 by-elections, this doubled to a victory margin of 417,858 and the vote share also went up to 80 percent. The by-elections were held after she quit as MP over the controversy of her holding an office of profit in the National Advisory Council.

Image: Women activists of Trinamool Congress paint a graffiti seeking vote for their electoral alliance Congress candidate Abu Hashem Khan Choudhury in Malda.

'Your main aim should be to motivate each and every voter of your block to come to the polling booth. This time, you should work to help Soniaji set a record,' Priyanka urged workers at a meeting here.

'Rae Bareli has over 1.2 million voters mostly comprising rural and semi-urban people. Most of the people have faith in the Congress since the time of Indira Gandhi and Firoz Gandhi,' said Akhilesh Pratap Singh, spokesperson of the Uttar Pradesh unit of the Congress.

Image: Congress leaders at the release of the party manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, at AICC headquarters in New Delhi.

READ MORE - Congress wants `big` win for Sonia

Sonia Gandhi among finalists for Time's 2009 list

NEW YORK: India's Congress party president Sonia Gandhi and industrialists Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani are among the finalists for Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2009 that also includes US President Barack Obama.

The first African-American President of the US is currently ranked 13th, while the top position is held by a person who goes by the name 'Moot', the founder of 4chan.org, a website for posting images and discussions anonymously.

Gandhi, who is leading the ruling Congress party's bid for a re-election in the coming Parliamentary polls, is ranked 43 -- ahead of Tata (102), the maker of the world's cheapest car Nano and Ambani (169), who the publication referred to as 'petrol prince.'

The 203 finalists include seven people of Indian origin. The four others are are cola-queen Indra Nooyi of Pepsico, movie moghul Ronnie Screwvala of UTV, public face for Washington's Troubled Asset Relief Programme Neel Kashkari, and Harvard-eductated management consultant Ram Charan.

Besides, Slumdog Millionaire-fame British filmmaker Danny Boyle, who hit the headlines with the Oscar-winning movie shot in Mumbai slums, is also among the finalists.

Time would publish the final list later in the year. In a continuing online poll on Time's website, Screwvala is currently top-ranked among Indians at 33rd overall place, Nooyi is at 89, Kashkari 187 and Charan 193.

The site of moot (pseudonym), the highest ranked person at present, is said to have been started in 2003 by a then 15-year-old student from New York City.

On Gandhi, 62, who has figured on Time's 100 most influential people list twice before, the publication said that the "the Italian-born head of India's most influential political party is beloved by her constituents, not only because of her family history (she came to power after her husband Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated) but also because of her efforts to combat poverty."

However, in a negative for her, the Indian National Congress party President "has been bogged down by a public spat with one of her rivals," it said, without specifying who her rival is.

Among those from outside India, the prominent names include US first lady Michelle Obama, former US President George Bush, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Finance Secretary Tim Geithner.

Sarah Palin, who ran for US vice-president's office, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's army chief Ashfaq Kayani, Tibetan leader Dalai Lama, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Hu Jintao and US treasury chief Ben Bernanke are among other finalists.

Besides, high-profile businessmen like Warren Buffett, Carlos Slim Helu, Rupert Murdoch, Steve Jobs, Jeff Immelt and Michael Bloomberg also find a place in the list.

There are celebrities from media, entertainment and sports such as Oprah Winfrey, Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Arnold Schwazznenger, Tiger Woods, Michael Phelps, Kate Winslet, Rafael Nadal, George Clooney, Tom Hanks and Jay Leno.

Interestingly, the finalists also include the alleged scamster Bernie Madoff and Thomas Beatie, who is popularly known as The Pregnant Man and has become a sort of icon in the transgender community with his second baby due in June.

About Obama, Time said: "He overcame the Clinton machine, the McCain brigade and America's racial history to win nearly 53 per cent of the vote and a shot at what's beginning to seem like the least enviable job in the world."

But, "for a guy whose campaign was renowned for order, Obama's Cabinet appointments have been a tad messy. But let's face it: he's the most powerful man in the world," it added.

For Michelle Obama, the publication said "she's using her status as First Lady to push for military-family rights and kids' health, and she may be the best thing to happen to sleeveless style since Clark Gable."

Among the Indians, Ratan Tata, who has been on Time's annual list once before, has been described as having "introduced the Tata Nano, the world's first USD 2,500 car. Set for release in India this spring, the 'people's car' could be a boon for low-income communities."

On the negative side, Nano's low price could make the cars too accessible, flooding streets with even more CO2-spouting vehicles, Time noted.

Naming 51-year old Mukesh Ambani as the "petrol prince", Time said the billionaire chairman of Reliance Industries steers one of the biggest conglomerates in India, with interests in not only oil, but also clothing and kitchenware.

However, he is still mired in a public spat with his billionaire brother, Time said, while advising him to "duke it out using pillows stuffed with USD 1,000 bills."

About the PepsiCo CEO Nooyi who has twice made to its annual list, Time said that as head of one of the world's most far-reaching food conglomerates "she has pledged to steer the US away from junk food and toward healthy eating.... (however) profits took a hit last year. And while healthful snacking is nice and all, there ain't nothing wrong with Funyons."

India-born Ram Charan has been described as a "management consultant to the stars" for working with companies like GE and Verizon and being "one of the world's most in-demand advisers, counselling Fortune 500 CEOs."

On a con-side, the way things are going, he may want to collect his fees upfront, Time said.

Time further said that Mumbai-based UTV Group CEO Screwvala "is hoping to export his Bollywood know-how to the US, partnering with such companies as Fox Searchlight and Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment."

At the same time, Kashkari has been described as the public face for TARP and is tasked with balancing the demands of outraged taxpayers and flailing bank owners."

READ MORE - Sonia Gandhi among finalists for Time's 2009 list

Congress says it may contest Lucknow seat

NEW DELHI - With the Supreme Court Tuesday refusing to suspend the conviction of Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt in a criminal case and enable him to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Lucknow, the Congress indicated that it could now field a candidate from there.

The apex court’s order has delivered a body blow to the Samajwadi Party (SP), which had given Dutt a ticket to fight the polls, causing much embarrassment to the Congress for the actor’s father, the late Sunil Dutt was associated with the party for a long time. His sister Priya is a Congress MP from Mumbai.

While the SP was yet to react to the court’s decision, the Congress said the Supreme Court’s verdict was final and that the party would now take a decision to field a candidate from the Uttar Pradesh capital.

It was the ‘respect for his father’ that the ‘Congress decided not to contest the seat,’ but now ‘the next decision will be taken on merit,’ senior Congress leader M. Veerappa Moily told reporters.

Dutt’s counsel Harish Salve told a television channel that it is an ‘order of the Supreme Court’ and said the decision was taken ‘considering the nature of the offence, this was not a freak case.’

He added: ‘There is no question of any recourse.’ Asked if he had spoken to his client, Salve said: ‘I don’t need to.’

A bench headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan refused to stay Dutt’s conviction, saying his case does not have parity with that of cricketer-turned-BJP parliamentarian Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had resigned his seat after his conviction in a case of unintentional killing.

Reacting to the verdict, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said: ‘It is the law of the land and it cannot be altered for anybody. Sidhu’s case was far different from Sanjay Dutt.’

Dutt, sentenced to six years in jail by a Mumbai anti-terror court, moved the apex court early this month seeking parity with Sidhu, whose conviction in a case of unintentional killing was stayed by the apex court in 2007 to enable him contest elections.

As per electoral laws, a person convicted for a criminal offence and sentenced to jail for more than two years is barred from running for elections.

READ MORE - Congress says it may contest Lucknow seat

Rahul Gandhi slams NDA for being Anti-Poor

Wardha (Maharashtra), Mar 31 : Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who addressed a rally here on Tuesday, slammed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for ignoring the poor of the country during its rule at the centre even as he asserted that his party's focus was on the common man.

"We (Congress) see India from common man's eyes. Our programmes are for the poor of India.

Our thinking is to take forward the poor of the country...

Our opposition does not see the world from the eyes of the poor," Rahul Gandhi said.

He criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) its "India Shining" campaign for the 2004 Lok Sabha polls and accused it of harping on the issue of privatisation at the cost of poverty alleviation.

"This is the thinking of big people. They fight for privatisation, stock exchange but do not reach your homes.

But if a leader reaches your home they ridicule him because they do not understand what the poor need," Rahul Gandhi said.

READ MORE - Rahul Gandhi slams NDA for being Anti-Poor

Congress heavyweights in Lok Sabha fray

BANGALORE, Mar 31 : Sending a message that tantrums won’t be entertained, the Congress high command released the list of candidates on Saturday. Warhorse C K Jaffer Sharief will contest from Bangalore North and H T Sangliana from Bangalore Central. Tejaswini Gowda will take on H D Kumaraswamy in Bangalore Rural.

The party announced candidates for 22 seats. Nominees for Bangalore South, Mandya, Chikballapur, Udupi-Chikmagalur, Uttara Kannada and Chamarajanagar are yet to be finalized.

The JD(S) announced a list of 16 and left Dakshina Kannada and Udupi-Chikmagalur to the communists. Former PM Deve Gowda is seeking re-election from Hassan. Though it has not worked out an alliance with the Congress, JD(S) is unlikely to field candidates in some constituencies or nominate a few weak ones.

The BJP has held back announcement of its candidates for Bangalore Rural, Chikballapur, Mandya and Bangalore North. It is trying to net disgruntled Congress leaders to be fielded here.

Giving the go-by to Rahul Gandhi’s suggestion of 30% tickets to youths, the Congress list includes Bangarappa (Shimoga), Dharam Singh (Bidar), Mallikarjun Kharge (Gulbarga) and Janardhana Poojary (Dakshina Kannada). It has rewarded Manjunath Kunnur (Dharwad), a BJP MP who voted in favour of N-deal.

READ MORE - Congress heavyweights in Lok Sabha fray

Andhra chief minister’s evangelist son-in-law stirs row

Evangelist Anil Kumar has started a political row by allegedly campaigning for his father-in-law and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy during religious gatherings.

Police said Anil Kumar has been accused of appealing to people at religious meets to pray for the victory of YSR and his ruling Congress party, an alleged violation of the model code of conduct.

Even as the election authorities were going through the tapes of his speeches, the seizure of a huge sum of money from some pastors attending his meeting in Karimnagar town Tuesday night has given a new twist to the row.

Police said some Bharatiya Janata Praty (BJP) activists thrashed the pastors staying at a lodge and seized over Rs.1 million from them. They alleged that the money was brought for distribution among voters. A case has been registered and investigations are underway.

“I request all of you to pray for the victory of my father-in-law,” Anil Kumar was quoted as saying at a meeting of pastors in Karimnagar district by Eenadu newspaper.

Addressing the Christian religious leaders from Adilabad and Karimnagar districts, he sought God’s blessings for his father-in-law, who is seeking another term as the chief minister. The local election officials recorded the entire proceedings and sent the tape to Karimnagar district returning officer Dayanand.

After analysing the tapes, the official will send his report to the chief electoral officer of the state. Authorities said they have received similar complaints from other parts of the state where Anil Kumar held congregations.
YSR’s son Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, an industrialist, is making his political debut by contesting from the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat.

Anil Kumar, who is the husband of YSR’s only daughter Sharmila, held a massive congregation there in December last year. The opposition parties had then questioned the source of funding for the grand Christmas celebrations.

The evangelist had told the congregation that he had experienced many miraculous changes in his own life after he adopted Christianity a decade ago.

Opposition parties said YSR, who had converted to Christianity himself, had been promoting his son-in-law to counter international evangelist K.A. Paul, who made sensational allegations against him.

Paul, founder of Gospel to Unreached Millions and Global Peace Initiative, had last year alleged that the chief minister was denying funds to his charity organisations as he had refused to provide money to the Congress party for the 2004 elections.

READ MORE - Andhra chief minister’s evangelist son-in-law stirs row

Congress Demands Arrest of BJP’s Karwar Candidate Ananth Kumar Hegde

BANGALORE, March 31:  TAKING a leaf from the arrest of BJP’s Pilibit candidate Varun Gandhi for his hate speech, the Congress party in Karnataka has urged the Election Commission to register a case against the saffron party’s Uttar Kannada candidate Ananth Kumar Hegde and arrest him for the alleged hate speeches with communal overtones. A Congress delegation led by Leader of the Opposition in the  state Legislative Council V S Ugrappa submitted a representation to Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) M N Vidyashankar and wanted the commission to register a case under the provisions of Sections 123 (3) (3A) and 125 of the Representation of People sAct 1951 and 171 (c) of the Indian Penal Code to ensure free and fair polling in the constituency. Speaking to reporters later, Ugrappa said the reported speeches of Hegde asserting that he was happy to seek the votes of the majority Hindu community and did not want the voters of minority communities of Muslims and Christians was a virtual repeat of the Varun Gandhi episode in the state. ``The BJP candidate seeks to create communal disharmony and disturbances, which are grave offences against the unity and integrity of the country," he said. The CEO said the coatal district’s Deputy Commissioner, who is also the Returning Officer,  has submitted a report and video clippings of Hegde’s speeches, which have been despatched to the Election Commission to take a suitable action. The commission had not yet taken a decision on the complaint against Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa’s election campaign in Dharwad district for violation of the model code of conduct by conducting election campaign beyond the permitted time of 10 pm, Vidyashankar said.

READ MORE - Congress Demands Arrest of BJP’s Karwar Candidate Ananth Kumar Hegde

Congress ‘comeback man’ dares BJP’s ‘decorated’ Young Turk

BIG FIGHT - ARUNACHAL

It will be one tough fight between 38-year-old sitting BJP MP Kiren Rijiju and 45-year-old former education minister Takam Sanjoy of the Congress in Arunachal (West) parliamentary seat. At least, that is how initial vibes from the polling field go. Based on past trends, it will not be a cakewalk for Rijiju, who secured 1,23,951 votes to defeat Kamen Ringu of the Arunachal Congress by 47,424 votes during the 2004 parliamentary polls. The young MP’s eye-catching exploits inside and outside the House, mostly highlighting the Chinese Army “incursions” into Arunachal territory, embarrassing the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, did little to add to his victory margin. Chosen the Best Young Parliamentarian, Rijiju had also initiated 91 debates, the highest by any of his peers, last year. A widely travelled man and member of Committee on Energy, Consultative Committee, under the ministry of tribal affairs and DoNER, Rijiju is raising issues closer to the heart during campaigning. “If voted to power, the top priority for the BJP will be implementation of a special financial package, formation of a labour welfare fund (LWF), and implementation of the Minimum Wages Act for nearly one lakh employees and workers in the state. My party does not toe the line of the ruling Congress in the state that failed to live up to the expectations of the employees who are unhappy with the government for not implementing the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission,” the articulate Rijiju observes. His supporters call him a catalyst of change, predicting that the parliamentary polls on April 16 and the subsequent Assembly polls will end “Congress hegemony” at the Centre and state. “Though I belong to the Nyishi community, I will vote for Rijiju and many Congress supporters like me will do the same,” said T.G. Tara, a resident. That remains to be seen because former education minister Takam Sanjoy, who also belongs to the Nyishi tribe and is from Palin area of Kurung Kumey district, is no pushover by any account. Sidelined within his own party circles, Takam had to claw back from the brink to earn a party ticket for his debut in the parliamentary polls. As adviser to chief minister Dorjee Khandu, Takam Sanjoy lost to the BJP’s Balo Raja, a low profile candidate from Palin Assembly constituency in 2004. A bété noire of former chief minister Gegong Apang, he was beginning to lose favour but a dramatic revolt by Apang’s own cabinet colleagues led by present chief minister Dorjee Khandu in 2007 revived his fortunes. With former chief minister and present Rajya Sabha member Mukut Mithi’s backing, Sanjoy pipped Arunachal Pradesh Youth Congress president Likha Saya, who was backed by Arunachal PCC president Nabam Tuki. Jarjum Ete, an activist and chairperson of the Arunachal Pradesh Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan and the sister of home minister Jarbom Gamlin, is also a contender. Though Sanjoy lacks Rijiju’s gift of the gab, he has the support of the ruling government that is out to ensure his victory. By his own admission, it is a “win-win” situation for him. “I have the support of all the MLAs and the electorate of 33 Assembly segments of the Arunachal West seat. I am pretty confident of a turnaround as the Congress government has earnestly striven for all-round development of the state. After receiving a sum of Rs 24,000 crore as the Prime Minister’s package, the state government initiated prompt measures to connect all the district headquarters of the state under the Trans Arunachal Highway, besides railway and air links. The government’s all out efforts for development in the education, health, agriculture and horticulture sectors for improving the standard of living is there for all to see,” Sanjoy said. Rijiju, too, appears wary of Takam on one count. “I don’t have the money and muscle power to unleash. I am pinning my hopes on the voters’ conscience. This is a battle between my performance and the Congress’s money and muscle power. I have people’s love and affection and I am sure I will have the last laugh.” Only time will tell.

READ MORE - Congress ‘comeback man’ dares BJP’s ‘decorated’ Young Turk

Congress tears into AGP-BJP

Veerappa Moily at the news conference on Monday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, March 31 : The Congress today predicted the end of the AGP and the BJP in Assam because of the combine’s divisive agenda.

Speaking to reporters at Rajiv Bhawan today, AICC leader in charge of Assam, Veerappa Moily, also posed three state-specific queries to the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani.

PCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita, AICC observers Mabel Rebello and Chandan Bagchi were also present at the news meet.

Railing without a pause against the combine, as if he were addressing a poll rally, Moily observed, “They have no agenda. They are bankrupt of ideas on development and unity. They are only indulging in divisive and communal politics by raking up the issue of infiltration. I see the end of the AGP and BJP in the ensuing elections. Only we can provide a stable and social solution to the state and country.”

Posing three queries to Advani, who had created quite an impact during his two-day campaign tour to Assam last week by raking up the sensitive issues of influx and security, Moily said: “What did he do to update the National Register of Citizens when he was the home minister? Secondly, what did he do to fence the Bangladesh border? Thirdly, what did he do to increase the number of foreigners tribunal? Now he talks about infiltration.”

Moily also ruled out Advani’s demand for televised debate with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by pointing out that the scope for such debates did not exist in a parliamentary form of government.

“Ours is not a presidential election like in the US. Here the Prime Minister is chosen only after elections. It is not for the Opposition party to dictate who will be the Prime Minister,” he said.

Despite his fusillade against the rival parties and praise for the Congress-led government in Assam, Moily was unconvincing on several issues.

When asked about Dispur’s failure to apprehend Independent legislators Jiten Gogoi and Kushal Duari who had created a ruckus in Kaziranga, to detect about 40,000 Bangladeshis who have gone missing in Assam and to execute 20,002 non-bailable warrants as pointed out by the Election Commission, he said the law will take its own course and the Election Commission will look into the warrant and Bangladeshi issue. The two MLAs are supporters of the Congress.

READ MORE - Congress tears into AGP-BJP

Congress Seeks Former Reang Rebels’ Help

Silchar, Mar 31 : The plan of the Hailakandi district Congress committee in south Assam to take the help of former Reang tribal militants for campaign ahead of Lok Sabha elections has raised the hackles of the administration and police in the district.

The former rebels of the United Liberation Front of Barak Valley (ULFBV) who had been waging an armed struggle for the uplift of the Reangs in the Barak Valley, particularly in Hailakandi and Karimganj districts since 2001, joined the mainstream early last year after surrendering their weapons.

The fear of the administration and the police follows intelligence reports that taking the help of former ULFBV rebels by the Congress is likely to pit the ULFBV against the United Democratic Liberation Army, another underground outfit still active along the boundary with Mizoram.

A senior police officer in Hailakandi, the district headquarters town, said a few additional companies of paramilitary forces would be rushed to the vulnerable Katlicherra block soon to keep an eye on the former militants of the ULFBV and the other outfit to maintain peace in the run-up to the election.

The ULFBV chief, Pauchau Ram Apeto, and his cadres are now getting monetary assistance from Dispur following a peace accord with the Tarun Gogoi government signed in Guwahati early last year.

Sources said the decision of the Congress to take the help of former ULFBV cadres for campaign in Hailakandi district was taken by the district Congress early this month at the behest of Assam excise minister Gautam Roy.

Hailakandi district Congress committee president Ashok Dutta Gupta said: “There is no harm in getting the support of the former underground elements in the Reang community. We were the ones who goaded them to come overground and they, fed up with the jungle life, responded to our appeal.”

Apeto, who had orchestrated the Reang insurgency in the district for seven years, said he would render all necessary assistance required by the Congress for electioneering as an act of gratitude to the party for setting in motion the surrender process last year.

The United Democratic Liberation Army, led by Dhainyaram Reang, 45, a one-time associate of Apeto, has started sending extortion notices to the plains people in Katlicherra block, the bastion of Roy.

The police have confirmed that Abdul Hasim Laskar, a rich farmer-cum-small businessman and resident of Nandagram village under Katlicherra, was told to pay Rs 1 lakh by the outfit which operates in Rajarthal, Gutguti and Bhaicherra — the former strongholds of the ULFBV.

Sources added that former underground activists of the Cachar Hill People Federation led by T. Sangkhum, a Hmar tribal, are also being wooed by the AGP-BJP combine and the Congress to garner their cadres’ support and use them in campaigning.

The gang joined the mainstream in the early nineties when Hiteswar Saikia was the chief minister of Assam.

READ MORE - Congress Seeks Former Reang Rebels’ Help

Mallika Sarabhai : MP Candidate from Gandhinagar for Lok Sabha 2009

The announcement by Mallika Sarabhai to contest the Lok Sabha elections of 2009 from Gandhinagar constituency, has been welcomed by a large spectrum of people from within Gujarat and from across the country, and from global Gujaratis.

Her campaign has received endorsement from many grassroots groups, activists and concerned individuals who believe with her that the time has come to bring change in the politics of our country.

Among the letters of support received from eminent personalities, a group led by Justice V R Krishna Iyer, has said, “We support the candidature of Ms Mallika Sarabhai, distinguished danseuse of international renown, for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections from Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Ms Sarabhai hails from the area, and enjoys considerable reputation among the artistic and cultural fraternity as well as ordinary citizens there. What is more significant, she has waged a spirited and consistent struggle on various fronts— judicial, social, cultural, political— against the forces of communalism and majoritarian extremism in the State since post-Godhara Gujarat carnage in March 2002.

Pitted against BJP leader L. K. Advani, Ms Sarabhai, we are confident, will, if elected, uphold the secular and democratic principle as enshrined in our Constitution. We believe that persons like Ms Sarabhai should be elected in large numbers to the Lok Sabha as they have much to contribute to Parliament and the country in terms of reinforcing our pluralistic ethos and ameliorating the conditions of the poor and the marginalised who contribute the teeming millions of our nation and represent the asli Bharat (real India).”

The letter is signed: Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer (Former Judge, Supreme Court of India), D. Bandyopadhyay (Former Secretary, Revenue, Government of India), Surendra Mohan (President, Secular Janta Dal), Prof. S. M. Dubey (Former Vice-chancellor, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong), Prof. Anant Kumar (Professor of Sociology, JNU, New Delhi), Prof. Arun Kumar (Professor of Economics, JNU, New Delhi), Vijay Pratap (National Convenor, Socialist Front), Praful Bidwai (Columnist), Anil Nauriya (Advocate, Supreme Court of India), Sumit Chakravartty (Journalist, editor, Mainstream), Suhas Borkar (Independent film-maker and social activist).

While supporting Ms Mallika Sarabhai’s candidature, Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer has stated, “values must matter in politics and public life. Enemy number one of the country today is communalism. He/she who opposes this force is a true patriot in shaping our grand tryst with destiny and our swaraj ordains for generations to come.”

Emphasising upon her reason for contesting the Lok Sabha elections, Ms Sarabhai said her candidacy is an invitation to a new mode of politics. “My campaign is as much about the process, the means, the culture and aesthetics of politics, as about raising issues that concern us as citizens,” she said

In this, she carries forward a legacy of the revered Sarabhai family of Ahmedabad, whose numerous contributions to the nation have brought in the best ideas and institutions, many of which were established by her father, Dr Vikram Sarabhai.

In the vision and mission statements outlined in her campaign website www.mallikasarabhai.in, she has specified that in addition to the task of reclaiming politics for the people, she will also focus on making Gandhinagar-Ahmedabad take lead in two areas: politics of the ethical and a knowledge corridor for the rest of the country, both of which were Gujarat’s contribution to the world not so long ago. Ms Sarabhai has also called attention to redefining development to mean equitable and social growth and not one that is measured by economic indicators alone.

Responding to the doubts raised by some groups and individuals regarding her experience outside of performing arts, Ms Sarabhai clarified that her experience with grassroots work for women’s empowerment, sustainable development and public health and motivating youth, was well known among the people who were involved in those areas of work themselves.

Ms Sarabhai’s candidature brings hope and gives a way forward in imagining an alternative view of politics and development and in putting faith in making it possible. This is evident from the outpouring of encouraging support and contributions, especially young people, from various parts of the world, via social networking platforms like Facebook and blogs on the internet.

Many eminent people have shown support by joining the online group “Friends for Democracy: Mallika Sarabhai for Lok Sabha” on Facebook, including acclaimed writer Sir Salman Rushdie, actor Irrfan Khan, author-historian William Darlymple, columnists, journalists, models, actors and the like.

READ MORE - Mallika Sarabhai : MP Candidate from Gandhinagar for Lok Sabha 2009

Congress prepares to translate "Jai Ho" song in four local languages

GUWAHATI: It will be "Jai Ho" all over for Tarun Gogoi in Assam, as the Congress there prepares to translate the Slumdog song into four local languages to sing peans in praise of the government’s work.

"The work of modification of the lyric has been handed over to a professional group. It will highlight the achievements of the Tarun Gogoi government in the state during the last eight years" Pankaj Bora, vice president of the Assam pradesh congress committee (APCC) told ET.

The modified Slumdog lyric will be available in Assamese, Bengali, Hindi and Sadri.

Mr Bora said that the party is planning to launch this publicity blitzkreig with 10,000 CDs. The song will of five minutes duration and the cassettes are being produced by APCC. "We have the copyright and accordingly it can be modified in different states to suit respective poll campaigns" Mr Bora said.

Similarly the BJP is also planning to counter the Congress in the state with its coordinator for the northeast, Harendra Pratap saying : "We will launch our campaign song in local languages also to air the failure of the UPA government".

With the poll dates in Assam coinciding with Bihu in spring, several music albums are expected to come up with political tunes. The local music industry expects over 200 Bihu song albums to be released soon, leading up to a total business of around Rs 3 crore.

According to Manas Robin, a noted singer cum composer, Bihu music albums with a political slant may sell well if they are professionally done. "People like to listen to different tunes" he said.

Pussycat Dolls - Jai Ho (Official Full Music Video) Feat. A R Rahman HQ

READ MORE - Congress prepares to translate "Jai Ho" song in four local languages

Assam Congress' Jai Ho jingle set to be aired

Guwahati, Mar 30 : The ruling Congress in Assam is all set to air its version of Oscar-winning song Jai Ho, the party's campaign theme for the Lok Sabha polls, wherein lyrics have been modified to highlight local issues.

" Local issues will be highlighted in the song, based on Jai Ho, which will be of five minutes duration to draw the attention of the voters,"a senior Congress leader told media at Rajiv Bhavan, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) headquarter here today.

"The audio cassette is being prepared by a local professional music group and very soon we will air it. The song will also be aired on FM radio channels in the state very soon,"he said. The cassette is being produced by the APCC.

"A similar version of the song will also be released on an all- India basis,"he said. The AICC has bought the copyright of"Jai Ho" from music company T-Series and is modifying the lyrics to suit its campaign in various states.

READ MORE - Assam Congress' Jai Ho jingle set to be aired

Congress and PMK to fight only in Puducherry

CHENNAI: Erstwhile allies Congress and the PMK may have ended up in rival camps for Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu but on the ground, they will be facing each other only in Puducherry.

The DMK did not give the Congress seats, which are allotted to PMK by the AIADMK, after the Ramadoss-led front left UPA to embrace the Jayalalithaa-headed alliance.

Congress' all out efforts to retain PMK in the UPA had come a cropper, as neither the PMK nor the DMK was inclined at being on the same side.

In Puducherry, the ruling Congress will field a candidate after a five-year gap. DMK allotted the seat to PMK in 2004 election, when DMK, Congress, PMK, MDMK and Left parties were on the same side of the fence.

PMK will face its friendly party, Viduthalai Chirutaigal Katchi (VCK) at Chidambaram (SC), where VCK leader Tol Thirumavalavan will be trying his luck for a second time. In 2004, he contested on his own and garnered more than two lakh votes to lose against PMK nominee E Ponnusamy.

Another seat allotted to VCK is Villupuram (SC), considered the PMK bastion. Tindivanam, the native town of PMK founder S Ramadoss, falls under the seat.

READ MORE - Congress and PMK to fight only in Puducherry

Congress banks on veterans in Karnataka

BANGALORE, Mar 29 - The Congress is banking on party veterans in Karnataka to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, in spite of young party general secretary Rahul Gandhi preferring a greater role of youth in the grand old party.

Two former chief ministers, two state party unit presidents, a former central government minister, all in their late sixties or early seventies, have been nominated for the polls to be held in two phases - April 23 and April 30.

The party has named candidates for 22 of the state’s 28 seats. The two former chief ministers in the list, released late Saturday in New Delhi, are S. Bangarappa who is seeking re-election from Shimoga and N. Dharam Singh from Bidar.

M. Mallikarjun Kharge and B. Janardhana Poojary, the two former presidents of the Congress’ state unit of Congress will contest from Gulbarga and Dakshina Kannada, respectively.

C.K. Jaffer Sharief, a former railways minister, has been given Bangalore North though he had been seeking Bangalore central seat which has gone to H.T. Sangliana, a former Bangalore city police commissioner.

Sangliana, contesting on a BJP ticket, defeated Sharief in the 2004 Lok Sabha poll. However, he split with the BJP and voted in favour of the trust vote sought last year by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Congress is returning the favour by preferring him to Sharief for the Bangalore Central seat.

The lone woman in the list is Tejaswini Gowda, who scored an upset win over former prime minister and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) president H.D. Deve Gowda in the Kanakapura Lok Sabha seat in the 2004 polls. Kanakapura has now become Bangalore Rural, after the redrawing of constituencies.

This time also she will face stiff competition but from Deve Gowda’s son and former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy who is seeking to enter Lok Sabha for the second time.

Kumaraswamy had won the Kanakapura seat in the 1996 polls but lost in 1998. He now represents Ramanagara assembly constituency in the state legislature. Ramangara is part of the Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituency.

Another former Bangalore city police commissioner P. Kodandaramaiah also got a ticket - from Tumkur. He is a close associate of former deputy chief minister Siddaramaiah, a popular backward class leader, who was in JD-S but crossed over to Congress on the grounds Deve Gowda was only interested in promoting his own family members.

There is interest in the Congress’ second list about whether two other former chief ministers S.M. Krishna and Veerappa Moily, will also be nominated.

Krishna is said to be interested in Bangalore South, now represented by BJP general secretary H.N. Ananth Kumar. However, Krishna has denied he is interested in contesting as he is a Rajya Sabha member with five and half years more for his six-year term to get over. Moily wants to contest from Chikkaballapur, which is also sought by a former Karantaka legislator.

In the first phase on April 23, voting will take place in 17 constituencies. The remaining eleven constituencies will go to polls April 30.

READ MORE - Congress banks on veterans in Karnataka

Congress announces three more Lok Sabha candidates from UP

New Delhi, Mar 29: The Congress has announced the names of three more candidates from Uttar Pradesh for Lok Sabha poll. With this, the number of candidates fielded by the Congress in the state has gone up to 56.

The Congress has also released the list of 22 candidates for Lok Sabha pools in Karnataka.

Former Chief Minister Dharam Singh and former Union Minister C.K. Jaffer Sherif, Senior Congress leader Janardhan Pujari and the Opposition leader in the State Assembly Mallikarjun Kharge are some of the candidates announced by the Party.

READ MORE - Congress announces three more Lok Sabha candidates from UP

PM sees scope for interest rate cuts

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday plenty of liquidity and low Inflation gave room for further interest rate cuts.

Speaking to top Indian businessmen, Singh also said there were encouraging signs in some sectors of the economy.

"With ample liquidity and low inflation, there is scope perhaps for a further moderation in interest rates," Singh said.

"While public sector banks have reduced the prime lending rates in the last three months between 150 and 200 basis points, other scheduled commercial banks are yet to respond in equal measure," he said.

Since October, the central bank has cut its key lending rate by 400 basis points. The Government has cut factory gate duties and service tax rates to protect growth and jobs.

But commercial banks have been reluctant to lend due to increased risk aversion.

Asia's third-largest economy is estimated to slow to 7.1 percent in 2008-09 from growth of 9 percent or more in previous years as the global slowdown hurts key sectors of the economy.

But Singh said the auto, steel, cement and farm sectors were showing some signs of revival.

"The auto sector after a difficult patch seems to be showing signs of recovery. Food grain production for 2008-09 is likely to be in excess of 228 million tonnes," he said.

"The rural demand for goods and services appears quite robust and the outlook in the agricultural sector gives room for optimism".

Singh said the government was closely monitoring sectors which were still facing difficulties.

"We are aware that a big push to infrastructure would have a counter-cyclical influence and have taken steps to ensure that this happens in 2009-10 and beyond," he said.

READ MORE - PM sees scope for interest rate cuts

No danger of deflation, says PM

NEW DELHI, March 27 – India’s economy would expand by 6.5 to 7 per cent in the current fiscal with revival seen in consumer spending and there was no danger of the country slipping into a deflationary mode, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today, reports PTI.

“I don’t see India is in danger of deflation (a phase marked by persistent and all round economic downturn)... I don’t see that we are facing a deflationary trend”, he said while talking to reporters here.

Noting that government had announced stimulus packages to boost economy reeling under the impact of global financial meltdown, the Prime Minister said, “Consumer durable goods are showing lot of improvement..Though there are some regressive trends.”

As regards growth in the current fiscal, he said, “We will still grow at 6.5 to 7 per cent.”

The Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) in its advance estimate of national income in February had projected a growth rate of 7.1 per cent for the current fiscal.

Answering questions on the feasibility of a common currency for the world, Singh said, “I have not seen any such proposal. It is too early to talk about common currency”.

Reacting to China’s proposal of a common currency, US President Barack Obama had said yesterday, “The dollar is extra-ordinarily strong right now...I don’t believe that there is a need for global currency”.

READ MORE - No danger of deflation, says PM

Singh confirmed as Congress PM candidiate

NEW DELHI, Mar 26 - The following is a snapshot of recent developments in India’s general election campaign. (Items are from own sources unless stated.)

* The head of India’s ruling Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would remain as prime minister if the party managed to form government after the election. She also hinted that her son, Rahul Gandhi, could one day become prime minister.

“Wait and see. There may be a vacancy,” Sonia Gandhi told a press conference. (All newspapers.)

* Congress unveiled a populist platform in its election manifesto, with promises of cheap food for families under the poverty line. (All newspapers)

WHAT THE NEWSPAPERS SAY.


“Populist vows in please-all manifesto” (the Times of India)

“As a response to the current economic downturn, Congress has opted to remain silent on economic reforms.” (The Economic Times)

READ MORE - Singh confirmed as Congress PM candidiate

Manmohan alone can provide stability: Sonia

Anita Joshua

‘There can be many claimants, but none can hold a candle to him’

— Photo: S. Subramanium

Our leader: In a gracious act highlighting the importance of Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi covers her own photograph on a copy of the party’s manifesto released in New Delhi on Tuesday. NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday made it clear that Manmohan Singh is the party’s prime ministerial candidate for the 15th Lok Sabha elections and maintained that there was no change in the position she took after the last general elections.
Ms. Gandhi made the assertion after releasing the party manifesto that packages the Congress as the only national party with a country-wide perspective that can strike a balance between national and regional interests by walking the “middle path.”
The manifesto pitches the “secular, liberal nationalism” of the Congress against the BJP’s “narrow communalism” and describes the Third Front as a “recipe for chaos.”
Among the key promises made are the enactment of a National Food Security Act that assures 25 kg of rice a month to every below poverty line family at Rs. 3 a kg and one-third reservation for women in central government jobs.
Ms. Gandhi said the nation needed stability, continuity and national unity and Dr. Singh alone could rise to the challenge. “There can be many claimants for the post, but no one can hold a candle to him.”
Confident that the Congress would do well at the hustings despite problems with some allies, she pointed out the party had new allies in West Bengal besides the old ones in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
As for problems with allies in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, she said: ``We decided to fight on our own only after we couldn’t come to an understanding with the RJD and the Samajwadi Party.”
About reports of the PMK leaving the UPA, she maintained that it was part of the ruling coalition as of date.
On whether the Congress would support the Left parties or take their support to form a government, she was non-committal; saying, “Let’s wait for the elections.” She was only slightly less vague to a question on Rahul Gandhi taking charge of the party with a “wait and see” response.
Drawn into responding to a BJP observation that its Pilibhit candidate Varun Gandhi’s communal comments were a manifestation of the Congress culture, she shot back that no sane person who knew history would ever attribute such a view to the party.

READ MORE - Manmohan alone can provide stability: Sonia

YSR kicks off Congress campaign in Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad, March 26 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Wednesday launched the Congress' election campaign in the state.

After garlanding statues of national leaders in the city and offering prayers at a temple, a 'dargah' and a church, he reached Chevella in the neighbouring Ranga Reddy district, where he kicked off the campaign by addressing a public meeting.

YSR, as the chief minister is popularly known, has an emotional attachment with Chevella and during last five years he launched every tour and new programme from this place.

It was from here that he had launched the successful 'padyatra' (walk) in 2003 as the then opposition leader. During the 64-day long walkathon, he covered 1,600 km to know the people's problems. The next year saw the Congress party coming to power with a massive majority.

'This place is close to my heart. I have come here to seek your blessings for another yatra,' he told people at the rally.

Under the first phase of 'Jaitra yatra', as the election campaign has been christened, the chief minister will cover five districts till March 31.

At the launch of the campaign, he was accompanied by Minister for Mines and Geology P. Sabita Indra Reddy, whom he considers as his younger sister.

Indra Reddy tied a 'rakhi' (traditional band tied by sister on her brother's wrist) on his hand. Describing YSR as 'people's star', she said no film star was a match for him.

YSR is leading his party's campaign for the next month's assembly and Lok Sabha elections though the campaigning by the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is dominated by film stars and family members of party founder N.T. Rama Rao.

Film star Chiranjeevi is leading the campaign of his Praja Rajyam Party.

While launching the campaign, the chief minister sought another term for the Congress on the basis of its performance during last five years.

He listed out the schemes implemented by his government including free electricity to farmers, Rs.2 a kg rice, building of houses for poor, waiver of farmers' loans and 'Arogyasri' or community health insurance scheme.

YSR alleged that TDP was misleading people with promises. 'Why Chandrababu Naidu did not implement any scheme for people's welfare during his nine-year rule,' he asked and claimed that the Congress had fulfilled all the promises it made in 2004.

READ MORE - YSR kicks off Congress campaign in Andhra Pradesh

Manmohan a top leader, has achieved hell of a lot: Rahul

Puducherry, March 26 : A day after Congress president Sonia Gandhi endorsed Manmohan Singh's name as the prime ministerial candidate if the ruling coalition again came to power, her son and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Wednesday said Manmohan Singh had achieved a 'hell of a lot' and had both toughness and grit.

Rejecting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani's charge that he was a weak leader, Rahul Gandhi said: 'I guess, if he is a weak prime minister, he has achieved a hell of a lot.

He also said Manmohan Singh was a 'first class gentleman' and considered him to be 'one of the top leaders' of the country.

Addressing a press conference, he said: 'Let us not go back very far. During the (negotiations on) US deal, the prime minister showed tremendous grit, will and toughness. These are easy things to say. If he is a weak prime minister, he did not buckle in front of terrorists in Kandahar.

'He has achieved a lot for the country. I do not think he is weak. As a young leader of the Congress, he has my full support.'

Gandhi added: 'He has kept the country faster than it has ever grown. He has brought massive pressure on our neighbour over the Mumbai issue and he has given us a strategic deal (with the US) which the previous government had not done.'

A war of words broke out Tuesday between the prime minister and Advani. While Manmohan Singh challenged the BJP leader's ability to be prime minister, Advani hit back by again calling him weak.

But Rahul Gandhi avoided making any comments on Advani. He only said: 'He is a senior leader. I can't make comments about him. I am a youngster. I can only make comments about my leader.'

'I have had the pleasure of working with Manmohan Singh. I consider him to be one of the top leaders we have in the country. He is a first class gentleman. I don't think he is weak in the least,' Rahul Gandhi, who is meeting Youth Congress leaders here, said.

Rahul expressed his surprise over the allegedly inflammatory speeches of cousin Varun Gandhi, a BJP candidate from Uttar Pradesh, that attracted a strong reprimand from the Election Commission, which even asked the party not to field him the elections.

'I am surprised by his views. Life is full of surprises,' he said.

'Those are his views. I have my views. I don't carry hate and anger with me. Hatred and anger blind you,' Rahul Gandhi said.

He and Varun Gandhi are the grandsons of former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi and greatgrandsons of Jawaharlal Nehru.

Asked about his taking charge as the prime minister, he laughed: 'I remember you were raising this issue even during the last elections in 2004. The press loves to raise this issue.'

He added that he was doing all he could to get more youngsters in the party and 'I enjoy my job.' Gandhi said the 'doors to politics' were 'open to youngsters.'

He admitted that the Congress had declined considerably in Uttar Pradesh, though he expressed hope that it would do well in the coming elections.

'We have declined considerably in UP. (But) I am optimistic about the situation. The people of UP are coming to the conclusion that the options that they have tried are not working,' Gandhi said and added: 'The state can not be run the way it is being run and has been run.'

READ MORE - Manmohan a top leader, has achieved hell of a lot: Rahul

I am not fond of LTTE, it killed my father: Rahul

Puducherry, March 25 : Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Wednesday said he was not 'particularly fond' of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers because they killed his father Rajiv Gandhi.

He told a press conference here: 'The LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) is a terrorist group. I am not particularly fond of LTTE myself. It killed my father.'

A LTTE woman suicide bomber assassinated former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi at an election rally near Chennai in May 1991. India outlawed the LTTE the next year.

Gandhi, however, said that India was doing its best to protect Tamil civilians caught in the conflict between the LTTE and the military in Sri Lanka's north. 'We are trying to help the situation there,' he said.

READ MORE - I am not fond of LTTE, it killed my father: Rahul

Manmohan Singh to be Congress' PM candidate: Sonia

New Delhi, Mar 24 : Making it clear in unmistakable terms, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today said Manmohan Singh is the party's Prime Ministerial candidate and ducked questions whether her party would do business with the Third Front in the post-poll scenario.

In significant comments at the Congress manifesto release, she indicated that Rahul Gandhi could assume"leadership" when she said"wait and see. There may be a vacancy".

She was asked whether her son had any chance of leading the party if not the government in the near future.

On his part, the Prime Minister made a stinging attack on BJP's PM candidate L K Advani for his oft-repeated criticism that he was a"weak" Prime Minister.

" Whether I was weak or strong Prime Minister, the actions of our government will speak volumes.....But when I look at the record of Advani, all I can discover is the prominent role in destruction of Babri Masjid. What else he had done afterwards as a contribution to the national welfare?", he said.

Asked whether Rahul could become the Prime Minister, Gandhi, who was flanked by Singh and another senior party leader Pranab Mukherjee, took out the manifesto and pointed to Singh's image on its cover and asked" Have you not seen this?"

READ MORE - Manmohan Singh to be Congress' PM candidate: Sonia

Highlights of Congress Party's Manifesto 2009

The Congress manifesto, released Tuesday, has many promises:

*25 kg wheat or rice for Rs.3 a month


*Maximum possible security to each and every citizen

*Highest level of defence preparedness and also take further steps for the welfare of the defence forces and their families


*Acceleration in the process of police reforms


*To take the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme forward

*Enactment of a National Food Security Act


*Health security for all

*Comprehensive social security to those at special risk

*Implementation of a nation-wide skill development programme 

*Expand schemes for improving well-being of farmers and their families

*Democratised and professionalised functioning of cooperatives

*Greater impetus to the empowerment of weaker sections of society. 

*Elected panchayat institutions to be made financially strong 

*Connect all villages to a broadband network in three years time

*Give special focus to the small entrepreneur and to small and medium enterprises 

*Maintain the path of high growth with fiscal prudence and low inflation

*Introduce the goods and services tax from April 1, 2010.

*A completely new look to urban governance

*A new deal to our youth to participate in governance


*Protection of India’s natural environment and steps to rejuvenate it


*A massive renewal of science and technology infrastructure

*To pursue judicial reforms to cut delays in courts


*To continue to be sensitive to regional aspirations

*Energy security for the country

*To pursue an independent, pro-India foreign policy


*To intensify the involvement of overseas Indians in development

READ MORE - Highlights of Congress Party's Manifesto 2009

Manmohan Singh slams Advani

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday criticised Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate L. K. Advani for calling him a weak leader.


“Let me say that whether I was a weak Prime Minister or the strong Prime Minister, actions of our government speak volumes for themselves.

I know Advani is making this charge again and again, and when I look at his record, all I can discover is the prominent role that he played is the destruction of Babri Mosque. What else has he done afterwards as a contribution to national welfare,” Singh told reporters on the occasion of releasing of manifesto of the Congress.

The Prime Minister also said that Advani in his tenure of Home Minister, failed to control western Gujarat riots and could not prevent military attacks on Parliament and Red Fort.

“When Advani was the Home Minister of the country, the attack on parliament took place. His government mobilized Indian troops for 12 months without getting any result, they rolled them back with thousands and thousands of crores of loss.

Parliament was attacked, Lal Qila (Red Fort) was attacked, Indian Airlines plane was hijacked and the terrorists were rewarded by being made the honoured guests.

This is the record of Advani. He was the home minister, who presided over the massacre that took place in Gujarat. The country must reflect whether this is a person who is fit to hold the office of the Prime Minister,” he said.

Prime Minister also alleged that endorsement of the inflammatory speech of Varun Gandhi by BJP is a reflection of its communal agenda.

“The BJP is dividing our people on the basis of the communal lines and the most recent shameful instance of this is their endorsement of the line that its young leader Varun Gandhi has taken with regard to his speeches that he made in Pilibhit,” Singh said.

India will hold elections between April 16 and May 13, in which 714 million people will cast their votes.

READ MORE - Manmohan Singh slams Advani

Manmohan Singh lashes Pakistan, says to take concrete steps to fight terrorism

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday urged Pakistan to take concrete steps to fight terrorism and bring perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks to justice.

“We expect Pakistan to bring all the culprits to justice. We have made important diplomatic efforts, which have succeeded so far.

For the first time, Pakistan has admitted that its own citizens have been involved in these horrible acts.

We expect Islamabad to take the next sequential steps and ensure that justice is done and the culprits are punished.

I can’t say that I am fully satisfied with the way the process is moving, but we still believe that diplomacy should be given a chance. No purpose is served by promoting war hysteria,” Singh told reporters here.

Earlier in March, India replied to the 30 questions raised by Pakistan over last November’s Mumbai attacks. Pakistan raised the questions in response to a dossier of evidence provided by India.

India said the dossier pointed to Pakistan-based militants being behind the attacks that killed 166 people in Mumbai.

READ MORE - Manmohan Singh lashes Pakistan, says to take concrete steps to fight terrorism

Congress Promises Affirmative Action, Food Security Act

New Delhi, March 24 : Promising such populist steps like affirmative action in the private sector and a right to food act, the Congress party Tuesday said its economic policy will focus on inclusive growth, middle path and low inflation if voted back to power.

“The Indian National Congress will put in place measures to ensure that the momentum of growth is maintained,” said the party’s election manifesto that was released here by its chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“The focus of the new measures will be to stimulate demand in the domestic economy and to ensure that there is more purchasing power in the hands of the people and more liquidity in the hands of companies.”

The party said it will also follow the middle path, striking a balance between globalisation and indigenous development, the needs of urban and rural India, regulation and entrepreneurship, organised and unorganised sector, and new and traditional industries.

“Balance, or the middle path, has always been the hall-mark of the policies of the Indian National Congress,” the manifesto said, adding: “This balance is needed now more than ever.”

The 33-page document said the Congress was fully aware that the world economy faced the worst crisis in 50 years. “This crisis has been caused by a failure of financial markets in the USA and in other developed countries.”

Yet, the manifesto said, Indian economy had shown considerable resilience under the most adverse international circumstances, as an outcome of the policies of successive Congress governments.

It said the average rate of economic growth during the tenure of the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led regime was just 5.8 per year, compared to 8.5 percent during the five year tenure of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

It said 2008-09 was a difficult year for the Indian economy and that growth will be around 7 percent. “That is why our immediate priority is to revive the economy and restore the high growth witnessed in the first four years of the Congress-led UPA government.”

The party also said that it was deeply committed to pursuing affirmative action for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in private sector, and that a national debate had already been initiated on this issue.

“It also pledges to carve out a reservation for the economically weaker sections of all communities without prejudice to existing reservations for the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward castes.”
The other promises toward economic development made in the manifesto include:


-Massive renewal of our extensive science and technology infrastructure
-High growth with fiscal prudence and low inflation
-Goods and services tax from April 1, 2010
-Energy security for our country
-Steps to protect India’s natural environment and rejuvenate it
-Connecting all villages to broadband network in three years
-Intensifying the involvement of overseas Indians in development
-New look to urban governance
-Nation-wide skill development programme
-Special focus on small entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises
-New schemes for improving well-being of farmers

READ MORE - Congress Promises Affirmative Action, Food Security Act

Sonia Starts Bharat Nirman Rally from Davanagere

Davangere (Karnataka), March 23: Congress president Sonia Gandhi Monday ridiculed the Third Front saying it has as many PM aspirants as the number of parties it constitutes and charged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with seeking votes by dividing the people.

Launching the party's campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from this Karnataka town, Sonia Gandhi, in her first comment on the Third Front, mocked at it, saying "as if a communal and anti-people party like the BJP is not enough, we have now one more morcha (front) whose whereabouts are anybody's guess".

"We don't know to whom and which party the Third Front belongs, where they come (from) and when they meet. There are as many PM (prime minister) aspirants as many parties in the Third Front," she said, addressing the crowd in Hindi from a prepared text. 

"A country like India cannot survive with such parties. We need stability, experience and competency like Manmohan Singh," Sonia Gandhi told the cheering crowd, estimated by Congress leaders at between 200,000 and 300,000.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

"In the past people have seen when a non-Congress government comes to power, the country weakens and instability reigns," she asserted.

Her comment on the Third Front came 11 days after it was launched on March 12 by the Left, Telegu Desam Party, Janata Dal-Secular and other parties at a rally near Tumkur, around 60 km from Bangalore.

Sonia Gandhi, who was wearing a cream colour cotton sari, was harsh on the BJP. 

She raised the pitch of her voice, particularly while attacking the BJP, Hindutva forces and the Third Front. 

The crowd cheered her when she spoke about the works of former prime ministers, Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and the waiver of farmers' loan by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

Attacking Hindutva forces, she said: "We are seeking mandate by not dividing people and poisoning them with hatred, as some parties indulge in." 

On terrorism, Sonia Gandhi said: "We have not spared any effort to fight terror. Congress was not the government to release terrorists from jail and escort them to Afghanistan. In fact, my mother-in-law and husband died for the country fighting terrorism." 

Taking on the first BJP government in Karnataka, she said: "This party has come into power only for money's sake."

She said Karnataka was known for peace, harmony and brotherhood. "After this government came, it vitiated the atmosphere by interfering in the personal lives of people, creating fear psychosis among the minority communities, dividing people on religious lines.

"Since BJP came to power in Karnataka, there is no democracy, no personal freedom, no progress and no development. 

"Whatever is happening in Karnataka since BJP came to power is an insult to the teachings of social reformer and poet Basavanna (14th century). He must be surely hurt. So also another poet Kanakadasa and sufi saints.

Whatever is happening in Karnataka is against the saying of sufi saints and Kanakadasa."

She told the crowd "the outcome of this general election will have an impact on the country's future and every Indian.

"We are seeking a renewed mandate from the people on the basis of programmes like National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, mid-day meal for children, welfare schemes, including health schemes for adivasis, women and children. UPA is the first government in the country to waive farmers debt to the tune of Rs. 71,000 crore (Rs.710 billion), giving fresh lease of life to farmers," she said in her 15-minute speech. 

The rally, which started an hour behind schedule, went on for an hour.

There was no translation of Sonia Gandhi's speech into Kannada.

Third Front 'bunch' of power hungry leaders

Sonia Gandhi today dubbed the newly-formed Third Front as a group of leaders 'dying' to become Prime Ministers and people cannot depend on them to take the country towards the path of progress.

Speaking after launching 'Bharath Nirman Rally,' nationwide election campaign of the party for the coming Lok Sabha elections, she said, ''The Third front is a group of politicians who all want to become Prime Ministers. This is not the way India can make progress.

Every party in this group has one or more leaders who want to become the Prime Minister. People should be careful about this group.'' She said both the Third Front and the BJP-led NDA had no face to seek votes and only Congress-led UPA could help the country to prosper.

Stating that the country needs a leadership who could take it forward, she said only the Congress had the ingredients to take the country on the path of development. People should consider the contributions made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA during the last five years and decide who was the best to rule them, she added.

''Third Front has no vision or an idea of what is progress and development. This group is nothing but a hotch potch,'' she said.

READ MORE - Sonia Starts Bharat Nirman Rally from Davanagere