Modi government exploiting quota issue for Muslims for electoral gains, claims Congress

Modi government exploiting quota issue for Muslims for electoral gains, claims Congress Congress leader Supriya Shrinate on Sunday claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi was reading from his 2019 script for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and also accused him of misleading people over quotas for Muslims. The BJP has been saying the Congress wanted to snatch quotas of SCs, STs and OBCs and give them to Muslims as part of its appeasement politics. Shrinate, the head of the Congress' social media and digital platforms, claimed PM Modi, in an interview in 2022, had said BJP governments in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have already given reservation to Muslims as OBCs. ''After serving as India's prime minister for 10 years, we thought he would now face the people and present his report card and seek votes on his government's achievements. Instead, he is reading the same poll script of 2014 in 2024. He is not talking about anything except Congress and its leaders. So what was our PM doing these ten years?'' she questioned. She claimed the 2024 polls will be a repeat of 2004 when BJP's 'India Shining' campaign failed and the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was voted out of power. ''Modi is spreading lies about reservations being given to Muslims in Congress-ruled Karnataka. This reservation was given by H D Deve Gowda when he was chief minister based on a survey conducted in 1974. And today, Deve Gowda's party JD(S) is BJP's ally. The Congress government has not implemented it. This reservation has been there for the last three decades,'' she said. On the rape and other allegations against JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, Shrinate claimed Modi sought votes for him in Mysuru despite being aware about the issue. ''Modi sought votes for Revanna, who is no less than a monster. Was he not aware of his misdeeds? Modi knew everything because local BJP leaders had already warned the top BJP leadership about Revanna,'' she alleged. Instead of speaking about Muslims, the PM should speak about the other three 'M's, namely mahila (women), mehengai (price rise) and Manipur violence, the Congress leader said. ''My leader (Rahul Gandhi) went to Manipur twice and tried to bring peace. But Modiji did not get time yet to visit Manipur, where violence is still taking place,'' she said. People are silent but they are voting against the BJP since they know it will change the Constitution and end reservations after getting 400 Lok Sabha seats, Shrinate claimed. Modi is trying to divert attention by speaking about Muslims, Pakistan and Muslim League during rallies, but the Congress will ensure the polls are fought on issues concerning people, such as unemployment, inflation, corruption, wealth inequality and partnership based on the population. Accusing Modi of spending Rs 6,500 crore for building his own image, Shrinate said the poor had become poorer while the wealthy have flourished in the last 10 years. It does not suit BJP to talk about Hindu dharma or cows because the party has taken money from beef exporters through the electoral bonds scheme, she alleged.

Madhya Pradesh: One cannot bring development to region while in Congress, says MLA Nirmala Sapre after joining BJP

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Madhya Pradesh: Shahnawaz brutally kills his sister-in-law and two toddler nieces over a minor argument; puts the girls bodies in sacks and throws them in a pond

Shahnawaz reportedly got into a minor argument with his sister-in-law and he killed her by striking her with a steel rod and then stabbed her with a knife.

IAF soldier killed in Poonch was to return home in MP village for sons bday

Bhopal: Corporal Vicky Pahade, who was killed in a terror attack in Poonch region of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, was supposed to return home to celebrate his sons birthday on May 7. The slain soldier hailed from Madhya Pradeshs Chhindwara district and was a resident of Nonia-Karbal village. Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Kamal Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

Madhya Pradesh cop run over by tractor used by sand mafia

Madhya Pradesh cop run over by tractor used by sand mafia

Mesmerizing Moments: Unforgettable Highlights

Mesmerizing Moments: Unforgettable Highlights Following are the top stories at 1.25 pm: NATION: DEL24 RAJNATH-INTERVIEW-LD CONSTITUTION **** BJP govt will never change Preamble of Constitution, reservation will remain: Rajnath New Delhi: The BJP government will never change the Constitution or end reservation, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, accusing the Congress of creating ''fear psychosis'' and resorting to spreading misinformation for ''vote bank'' politics. **** DEL14 RAJNATH-INTERVIEW-POK **** No need to capture PoK by force; its people will themselves want to join India, Rajnath feels New Delhi: India will never give up its claim on Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK) but it won't have to capture it with force because its people, on their own, would want to be part of India after seeing the development in Kashmir, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said. **** DEL22 RAJNATH-INTERVIEW-CHINA **** Talks with China going on well: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on eastern Ladakh border row New Delhi: As the military standoff between India and China drags on along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the talks between the two sides are going on well and indicated hope for a resolution of the lingering row. **** DEL13 JK-FIRING-OPERATION **** Poonch attack: Operation to flush out terrorists enters second day Jammu: The operation to track down the terrorists behind the attack on an Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district entered its second day on Sunday. **** ELX9 ELECTIONS-MP-DIGVIJAYA-INTERVIEW **** PM Modi's political history based on 'Hindu-Muslim dispute': Digvijaya Singh Rajgarh (MP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi's political history is based on the ''Hindu-Muslim dispute'' and he should do some soul-searching as to who is benefiting from it, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has claimed. By Manish Shrivastava **** ELX6 ELECTIONS-GJ-MUSLIM CANDIDATES **** 35 Muslim candidates contesting LS polls in Gujarat; none fielded by Cong Ahmedabad: Thirty-five Muslim candidates are contesting the Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat but the Congress has this time broken its tradition and not fielded a single person from the community in the state. By Kumar Anand **** ELX10 ELECTIONS-MH-MUMBAI NORTH CENTRAL **** Mumbai North Central LS seat: BJP's Nikam takes on Cong's Gaikwad in 'mini Mumbai' Mumbai: If Mumbai is ''mini India'', then the Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha seat is ''mini Mumbai'', home to film stars and celebrities living in posh areas like Bandra and Khar as well as migrants and labourers living in the bylanes of Kurla. **** ELX11 ELECTIONS-MP-VIDISHA-TOURISM **** LS polls: High-profile Vidisha has huge tourism potential, but lacks promotion, say historians Vidisha (MP): Vidisha's links with former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, late BJP stalwart Sushma Swaraj and Madhya Pradesh ex-chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan may have brought it under the spotlight from time to time, but the town has the potential to create its identity as a tourist destination, according to historians. By Manish Shrivastava **** ELN2 ELECTIONS-AS-CANDIDATES-CROREPATI **** 15 'crorepati' candidates in third phase of LS polls in Assam Guwahati: Altogether 15 candidates out of the 47 in the fray for the four Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam going to the polls on May 7 are 'crorepatis', with the richest being AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal contesting from the Dhubri seat. **** BOM3 MH-CHOPPER-PRECAUTIONARY LANDING **** Army chopper makes precautionary landing in Maharashtra's Sangli; no casualty Sangli (Maharashtra): An Advance Light Helicopter of the Indian Army has made a ''precautionary landing'' at a farm in Maharashtra's Sangli district due to a technical issue in its engine, police said. **** LEGAL: LGD2 DL-HC-SCHOOL-AIR CONDITIONING **** Parents should bear cost of air conditioning facility in school: HC New Delhi: The cost of air conditioning in school has to be borne by the parents as it is a facility being provided to the students, which is no different from the other charges such as laboratory fee, the Delhi High Court has said. **** FOREIGN: FGN2 CANADA-TRUDEAU-NIJJAR-ARRESTS **** PM Trudeau touts Canada as a 'rule-of-law country' after arrest of three Indians in Nijjar murder case Toronto: Canada is a ''rule-of-law country'' with a strong and independent justice system and a fundamental commitment to protect its citizens, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said, a day after three Indian nationals were charged with the murder of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. ****

Madhya Pradesh Cop Crushed To Death By Tractor Involved In Illegal Sand Mining

The victim, Mahendra Bagri, an Assistant Sub Inspector from Shehdol, was fatally crushed on Saturday evening while attempting to stop the tractor from transporting the sand

Police Officer Killed by Tractor-Trailer Engaged in Illegal Sand Mining in Madhya Pradesh; Two Arrests Made

Police Officer Killed by Tractor-Trailer Engaged in Illegal Sand Mining in Madhya Pradesh; Two Arrests Made An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) has been crushed to death by a tractor-trolley used for transporting illegally mined sand in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district, a police official said on Sunday. Two persons have been arrested in connection with the incident which took place on the intervening night of Saturday-Sunday in Badoli village under Beohari police station limits, 90 km from the district headquarters, Superintendent of Police Kumar Prateek told PTI. ASI Mahendra Bagri, posted at the Beohari police station, was going along with two colleagues to arrest a person in some case. On the way, they saw a sand-laden tractor-trolley coming towards their direction and tried to stop it, the official said. Bagri and the other policemen gave a signal to the driver to stop the tractor carrying the illegally mined sand. But he did not stop and the vehicle ran over the ASI, the police official said. After the incident, the driver jumped from the tractor and ran away. The speeding vehicle went out of control, collided with a culvert and overturned, Prateek said. Driver Raj Rawat and Ashutosh Singh, who was piloting the vehicle, were later arrested. The vehicle owner, Surendra Singh, is absconding, he said. A case was registered against the accused on charges of murder and illegal sand mining under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Mines Act, the official said. Additional Director General of Police, Shahdol zone, DC Sagar told reporters that a reward of Rs 30,000 has been announced for anyone providing information that would help the police to arrest Surendra Singh. 'Piloting' in Shahdol is used to refer to moving ahead a vehicle while seeing the road is clear and no checking is being done by authorities. In November last year, a local revenue department official was crushed to death by a tractor-trolley used for transporting illegally mined sand from the Son river in Gopalpur area of Shahdol district.

Madhya Pradesh: CM Mohan Yadav visits BSF jawans injured in Datia accident

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Madhya Pradesh Cop Run Over By Tractor Used For Illegal Sand Mining

A policeman was run over by a tractor which was being used for illegal sand mining in Madhya Pradesh, the police said.

Madhya Pradesh: Sand mafia mows down an ASI under tractor in Shahdol

PM Modis political history based on Hindu-Muslim dispute: Digvijaya Singh

Rajgarh (MP), May 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modis political history is based on the Hindu-Muslim dispute and he should do some soul-searching as to who is benefiting from it, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has claimed. Singh, who has been fielded by the Congress from Rajgarh Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh, also said that he was not satisfied with the recent Supreme Court ruling on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister spoke to PTI while [] The post PM Modis political history based on Hindu-Muslim dispute: Digvijaya Singh appeared first on Daily Excelsior .

Chambal Ravines: Caste Dynamics Persist Despite Diminished Banditry

Chambal Ravines: Caste Dynamics Persist Despite Diminished Banditry Madhya Pradesh's Chambal region, once the staple for Bollywood's dacoit and gunslinger dramas, is also a massive caste cauldron where change is seeping in due to modernisation, say a section of people. The Gwalior-Chambal region, which is in the northern part of the state, borders Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and has three seats, namely Gwalior, Morena and Bhind, which is reserved for Scheduled Castes. A part of the Chambal region is in Shivpuri district and falls under Guna Lok Sabha seat. Gwalior, Morena and Bhind (SC) Lok Sabha seats are dominated by Other Backward Classes with a sizable population of SCs. Of the 24 assembly constituencies falling under these three Lok Sabha seats, the Congress had won 13 and the BJP 12 in the November 2023 elections, which was otherwise swept by the ruling party. Of the eight assembly segments of Gwalior and Bhind Lok Sabha seats, the BJP and the Congress won four each, while in Morena, the score was five in favour of the Congress and four for the BJP. The three assembly seats in Shivpuri were swept by the BJP. Bhuvnesh Singh Tomar, a professor at Centre for Studies in Journalism and Mass Communication in Gwalior's Jiwaji University, told PTI that caste sentiments were rooted even when the Gwalior-Chambal region was infested with bandits, dacoits or ''baghis'' (rebels) as these outlaws loved to call themselves. ''Casteism in politics is not new. It always existed in the Chambal region, except on occasions when towering leaders, like those from the Scindia family, contested. But a lot of social changes have taken place in the past three decades due to increased road connectivity and modernisation,'' Tomar said. Over the last two decades, the Dalits and backwards have become assertive and are playing a dominant role in politics, he said. ''The last two Lok Sabha elections in this area were held around the narrative set by the BJP. The indication this time is not clear as campaigning is very low-key. BJP candidates were looking weak earlier as the party fielded leaders from Gwalior and Morena, who lost polls earlier,'' he said. However, a strong organisational set-up and the Narendra Modi effect will benefit BJP candidates, Tomar claimed, adding that several leaders from the Congress, including sitting party MLA from Vijaypur (Morena LS seat) Ramniwas Rawat have joined the ruling dispensation. Devesh Sharma, a Morena-based lawyer, claimed caste politics had managed to segregate society, government offices, markets etc in the past three to four decades. ''Caste came first and then nationalism for the people of this region, which inspired so many films due to its ravines and bandits. These bandits used to influence politics in rural areas earlier but those days are long gone,'' he said. KK Mishra, media advisor to state Congress chief Jitu Patwari, told PTI that his party will win half the Lok Sabha seats in the Gwalior-Chambal region. ''Gwalior-Chambal region has traditionally supported the Congress and we will win half the seats here. The BJP knows this fact and will try to manipulate the elections through EVMs. The BJP is ahead only in publicity,'' Mishra alleged. The Congress is on very strong ground as was evident in the assembly polls results, he pointed out. However, state BJP spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi told PTI that his party would win all the Lok Sabha seats in the region. ''The BJP has gone to the voters on the guarantees of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the developmental works done by him as well as welfare schemes for the poor. We don't contest on the basis of caste or religion like Congress,'' he claimed. Chaturvedi further claimed that the people are aware that the Congress wants to snatch the quota of OBCs and give it Muslims on the basis of religion like they did in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The ravines along the river Chambal, which runs through Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and gives the region its name, was infested with dacoits, though the last major gang, led by Rambabu Gadariya, ended some 15 years ago. Among the blockbuster films that had Chambal and its bandit lore as base include ''Sholay'', ''Mera Gaon Mera Desh'', ''Gunga Jumna'', ''Mujhe Jeene Do'' and ''Bandit Queen''. According to a BJP leader, the Gwalior Lok Sabha seat has 46 per cent OBCs and 20 per cent SCs, while STs form 5 per cent of the population. The rest are from the general category. The seat was represented by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1971. Jan Sangh stalwart and BJP founder member Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia won from Gwalior seat in 1962 on a Congress ticket, while her son Madhavrao Scindia was elected five times, four times from on a Congress ticket and once on the ticket of the Madhya Pradesh Vikas Congress, a party founded by him. The population profile in Morena Lok Sabha seat is 44 per cent OBCs, 20 per cent SCs, 6 per cent STs and the remainder in the general category. Madhya Pradesh assembly speaker Narendra Singh Tomar, a former Union minister, was elected from Morena in 2009 and 2014. He was chosen as MLA in the 2023 assembly polls. In Bhind, 43 per cent voters belong to the OBC segment, 23 per cent are SCs, 21 per cent are from the general category and 1 per cent are STs. Vijaya Raje Scindia was elected from Bhind LS seat in 1971. Her daughter Vasundhara Raje Scindia, former Rajasthan chief minister, incidentally, faced defeat from this seat in 1984 at the hands of Congress' Krishna Singh Judeo, who is part of the royal family of Datia.

Updated: Revised News Schedule

Updated: Revised News Schedule National news schedule for Sunday, May 5 NATIONAL **** Lok Sabha elections related stories and other political developments NCR *** Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai to address 'Delhi Tamil Samagam' at Talkatora Stadium BJP press conference Stories related to Lok Sabha elections *** NORTH **** PM to address poll rallies in Etawah, Sitapur and hold roadshow in Ayodhya Rajnath Singh to campaign in Lucknow Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to hold roadshow in Kharar Campaigning ends for third-phase seats in UP **** SOUTH ****Election related developments Andhra Pradesh Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh to address poll rallies Telangana: Rahul Gandhi, Amit Shah to address election rallies EAST **** PM Modi to reach Odisha on a 2-day tour. BJP president JP Nadda to release party manifesto for twin polls External Affairs minister S Jaishankar to attend meetings in Cuttack and Sambalpur. Bengal: Mamata Banerjee to address rallies in Bardhaman Durgapur, Birbhum, Bolpur Abhishek Banerjee to address two rallies at Krishnanagar and Malda North Third phase campaign end stories from Bengal, Bihar and Assam Poll-related stories from states *** WEST ****BJP president J P Nadda to address poll rally at Surajpur in Surguja Lok Sabha constituency of Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai to address press conference in Raipur Chhattisgarh Congress president Deepak Baij's press conference Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate to address press conference in Ahmedabad Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav to campaign in Vidisha, Guna and Rajgarh Lok Sabha constituencies. Sharad Pawar to address last campaign rally in Baramati in support of his daughter Supriya Sule Congress leader Girish Chodankar to address press conference in Panaji ***

Rajgarh constituency: Digvijaya Singh back in electoral race; eyes to snatch turf from BJP's Rodmal Nagar

This time, Congress has pitted Digvijaya Singh against two-time BJP's Rodmal Nagar, who has been winning the elections since 2014. Even before the release of Congress' official, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh had announced that he would be the party's Lok Sabha candidate from Rajgarh, marking his return to the seat after more than three decades.

Heat rises, political divide sharpens in MPs nine seats

BHOPAL : After a lower polling compared to the 2019 polls in the first two phases, the ongoing Lok Sabha elections move into the third phase into Madhya Pradeshs Gwalior-Chambal region infamous for lower voter turnout, extremely high summer temperatures and politics divided sharply on caste lines. Four of the nine seats which will vote on May 7 are Gwalior-Chambal regions seats, including Guna, Bhind-SC, Morena and Gwalior, which saw a close contest between BJP and Congress in the 2023 assembly polls. Four seats, Vidisha, Rajgarh, state capital Bhopal and Betul-ST form part of the central MP, which emerged as the best region for the BJP in state polls, while one seat Sagar forms part of the Bundelkhand region. All nine seats were won by BJP. The May 7 contest will see three political bigwigs, including two former CMs Digvijaya Singh and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, returning to their home parliamentary seats after 33 and 20 years respectively, while union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia who won the Guna seat four times between 2002 and 2014, before losing it in 2019 to a BJP first-timer, is contesting to wrest his seat. In Rajgarh, 1984 and 1991 winner and 1989 loser Digvijaya Singh is faced with the uphill task of retaining the central MP seat against second-time sitting MP Rodmal Nagar, who won the seat defeating Singhs loyalist Mona Sustani (now in BJP) by 4.31 lakh votes in 2019. Singh is particularly banking on his old links across the constituency spread in three districts as well as the high anti-incumbency against the sitting BJP MP. In the adjoining Vidisha constituency (a saffron citadel), five-times winner Shivraj Singh Chouhan (he won in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004) is not just eyeing the sixth win from the seat spread in four districts (including Chouhans home district Sehore), but is actually targeting highest winning margin in the country against Congress septuagenarian Pratap Bhanu Sharma. In Rajgarh and Vidishas neighbourhood, union minister and four-times former Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia is making all possible efforts across the eight assembly segments-strong Guna constituency to regain his lost glory from the seat, where he suffered shock defeat against own protg and first-time BJP candidate Dr KP Yadav by 1.25 lakh votes in 2019. Contesting for the first time as BJP nominee, Scindia faces a Yadav caste candidate Rao Yadvendra Singh Yadav, who hails from an old BJP family. The three other seats of Gwalior-Chambal region are turning out to be a real challenge for the ruling BJP, whose candidates, including first-time sitting MP Sandhya Rai (Bhind-SC) and ex-MLAs Bharat Singh Kushwah (Gwalior), Shiv Mangal Tomar (Morena) are not just faced with anti-incumbency, but also apprehensive of their own cadres. The Congress candidates from these three seats, including sitting MLA Phool Singh Baraiya (Bhind-SC) and ex-MLAs Nitu Sikarwar (Morena) and Pravin Pathak (Gwalior) are hoping to succeed based on the right caste balance and differences within the BJP. In Bhind, the BSP candidate and 2019 Congress loser Devashish Jariaria and in Morena the BSP candidate Ramesh Garg may damage the poll prospects of Congress and BJP candidates respectively. In the state capital Bhopal, however, the BJP seems to have an edge, owing to the recent assembly polls performance (it won 6 out of the 8 assembly segments), as its candidate former Bhopal mayor Alok Sharma takes on Congress Bhopal rural district president Arun Srivastava, who is banking on his clout among the 2 lakh plus Kayastha voters. But Srivastava has a mountain to climb in the constituency, which has been a BJP bastion since 1989. The Betul-ST seat is set to witness a rerun of the 2019 polls, as the first-time BJP MP DD Uike takes on Congresss Ramu Tekam. Uike who defeated Tekam by 3.60 lakh votes in 2019, still seems to be in a strong position owing to better grassroots connection with voters in the constituency spread in three districts. Sagar seat of Bundelkhand region which is spread in two districts, Sagar and Vidisha and is being won by the BJP since 1996 has new BJP face Lata Wankhede taking on Congresss high-flying and wealthy candidate Guddu Raja Bundela, who hails from a politically powerful Bundela Kshatriya family of adjoining UP. While Vidhan Sabha speaker Narendra Singh Tomars loyalists Bharat Singh Kushwah and Shiv Mangal Tomar are in the fray from Gwalior and Morena seats respectively despite losing previous assembly polls, three Shivraj Singh Chouhan loyalists, among them Alok Sharma, Late Wankhede and Rodmal Nagar are in fray from Bhopal, Sagar and Rajgarh seats respectively. A breakup of 2023 assembly poll results reveals that out of the 72 assembly segments forming the nine LS constituencies going to polls on May 7, the BJP won 50, while the Congress emerged winner in only 22 assembly segments. In the four seats in the Gwalior-Chambal region, the contest was closer, as the BJP won 18 seats and the Congress 14.

28 Madhya Pradesh police personnel injured as their bus overturns in Datia

Madhya Pradesh police personnel injured as their bus overturns in Datia

NDTV Election Carnival: Will BJP Win Karnataka Or Will Congress Make A Comeback?

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Voting in two phases of the Lok Sabha elections is done. Parties are campaigning in full swing for the third phase on May 7. NDTV's Election Carnival reached Karnataka's Gulbarga on Friday after passing through several states. The 'carnival' has so far traveled 5,800 kilometers from Delhi to Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra to gauge the mood of the people and understand the atmosphere on the ground. In Karnataka, the election voltage is high over the 'sex scandal' involving former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda's grandson and MP from Hassan Prajjwal Revanna.

Rs 54.43 lakh worth liquor seized in Nandyal

Kurnool: Nandyal police seized Goa-made liquor worth Rs 54,43,200 and apprehended two people along with a truck near the Gajulapalle check post on Friday. The arrested persons were identified as Jithendra Rajkumar Gidwani from Pune, Maharashtra, and Rajesh Meena from Nagada village in Ujjain district, Madhya Pradesh. During a raid at the Gajulapalle check post near Anjaneya Kottala village, police discovered 43,200 (180 ml) bottles of Royal Blue malt whisky from Goa. The liquor, packed in 900 boxes and concealed beneath cattle feed, was being transported in a truck from Goa to Vijayawada via Nandyal. The police seized the illegal liquor, the truck, two mobile phones, and arrested the two people. Nandyal DSP Ravindranath Reddy, Nandyal rural CI N. Sivakumar Reddy, sub-inspectors G. Nagendra Prasad, K. Mallikarjuna, Nagarjun Reddy, and others participated in the operation.

Rahul Gandhi's Entry Into Rae Bareli Poll Fray Violated His Sister's Rights: MP CM

Rahul Gandhi's Entry Into Rae Bareli Poll Fray Violated His Sister's Rights: MP CM Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's filing nomination from Rae Bareli constituency is akin to him snatching the rights of his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her husband, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav alleged on Saturday. Addressing a rally in the Guna Lok Sabha constituency, Yadav claimed Rahul ran away to Kerala (Wayanad constituency) from Amethi (Uttar Pradesh) after facing defeat. ''There is the sea ahead (in Kerala), otherwise it is not clear where Rahul would have gone,'' Yadav quipped. Rahul Gandhi had said he would contest from Amethi while his sister will be in the fray from Rae Bareli, Yadav said. ''Smriti Irani (Union minister and BJP candidate) was sitting in Amethi and calling Rahul but he developed cold feet by the time he reached Uttar Pradesh,'' Yadav said, a day after Rahul filed his nomination from Rae Bareli seat, currently represented by his mother Sonia Gandhi. Yadav claimed Rahul's brother-in-law (Vadra) had put up posters in Uttar Pradesh that he was ready to contest. '''Ye Apne Jija Ke Nahi Huye'! He (Rahul) filed the nomination from Rae Bareli by snatching the rights of his sister,'' the chief minister said. In a veiled jibe at Madhya Pradesh Congress stalwarts Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh, Yadav dubbed them ''Rahu and Ketu'' who are playing different roles. ''All problems are arising from these two planets. One of them is from Chhindwara and another is from your (Guna's) neighbour (Rajgarh LS seat),'' he said. Digvijaya Singh is contesting from the Rajgarh Lok Sabha constituency. Guna constituency goes to polls on May 7.

MP: Kuno Cheetah Strays Into Rajasthan, Rescued in Challenging Condition

The major threats facing cheetahs are habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, depleting prey and the illegal pet trade. (Photo: Pixabay) The major threats facing cheetahs are habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, depleting prey and the illegal pet trade. (Photo: Pixabay) Bhopal: A cheetah from Kuno National Park in Sheopur district in Madhya Pradesh, which had strayed into Rajasthan, was on Saturday rescued under challenging condition, a forest officer said. The male cheetah, Pavan, wandered into Rajasthan through Chambal river bank and was spotted in the Kased village under Karoli district in the neighbouring state by the local villagers, official sources said. Rajasthan forest officials alerted Kuno authorities about it, leading them to launch a rescue operation. Male cheetah Pavan was rescued from Karoli district in Rajasthan under challenging conditions involving a ravine and a huge crowd of onlookers, a release issued from the office of the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (ACCF) and Director Lion Project here said. The cheetah had to be handled physically in order to prevent it from falling into the ravine as it cornered at the crest of the ravine after darting amid a gathering of an enormous crowd nearby, the release said. The animal is being shifted to Kuno National Park and going to be released in the wild, a forest officer of the park said. Pavan was free ranging in Kuno National Park and crossed the inter-state boundary amid the human dominated landscape early on Saturday morning. Considering the safety of the animal and of the people, a decision was taken to rescue Pavan, the release said. Eight cheetahs from Namibia and 12 cheetahs from South Africa were brought to Kuno National Park under cheetah introduction project two years ago. The park now has 27 cheetahs including 14 cubs.

If I don't ask questions then what is use of opposition: Congress' Jitu Patwari after multiple FIRs against him

If I don't ask questions then what is use of opposition: Congress' Jitu Patwari after multiple FIRs against him After facing backlash from the Bharatiya Janata Party over his recent remarks, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari said on Saturday that if he doesn't ask questions, then what is the use of an opposition? The new CM Mohan Yadav got three FIRs registered against me in five days. I went to Bhind and an FIR was registered. A girl was raped, and when I met her family, an FIR was registered against me. You said that farmers will be given the right price, gas cylinder will be given at Rs 450. If I don't ask you questions what is the use of an opposition? Patwari asked. Meanwhile, an FIR was registered against Jitu Patwari over his derogatory remarks in Dabra town in Gwalior on the complaint of BJP leader Imarti Devi. Patwari allegedly made objectionable remarks against former Congress MLA Imarti Devi, using wordplay with the term 'imarti', a popular sweet. Notably, she had joined the BJP along with Scindia in March 2020. Notably, another case was registered against the Madhya Pradesh Congress chief under Section 188, on the complaint of the election agent of the BSP candidate Devashish Jarariya, over Patwari's verbal attack on him during a rally on April 23. Jitu Patwari had accused Jarariya of being a BJP agent in the said rally. Earlier, lambasting PCC Chief Jitu Patwari for his derogatory remark against a Dalit woman BJP leader, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Friday that the Congress doesn't respect women and has a habit of using and throwing away. Scindia told ANI that the remarks by Jitu Patwari reflect Congress' real thinking towards women. I had never dreamed that Jitu Patwari and Congress could use such despicable words. Such words should not be used for any woman. This reflects what Congress's real thinking is towards women. They have the habit of using and throwing away, be it a worker, a tribal, a Dalit, or a woman, he said. (ANI)

MP LS Polls: In 2 LS Constituencies in MP, Raja Saheb Digvijay and Maharaj Scindia Fight for Pride

Bhopal: It is fight for pride for Congress veteran Digvijay Singh and Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in their respective Lok Sabha constituencies of Rajgarh and Guna in Madhya Pradesh, in this poll. For, they are yet to come to terms with the ignominious defeat they had suffered in their respective constituencies in the last LS polls and a win this time would alone salvage their pride. Two-time chief minister Mr Singh, famously known as Raja of Raghogarh, had lost to BJPs Pragya Singh Thakur, a greenhorn in politics then, in Bhopal LS seat in 2019 by a margin of over 3.60 lakh, leaving him stunned. Mr Singh, in fact, was taken aback when he was declared a candidate for his home turf, Rajgarh, by Congress. At this age, it is beyond my capacity to contest polls. Congress workers will fight the poll for me in every booth, 77-year-old Mr Singh had said while addressing his first meeting of Congress workers in Rajgarh after he was declared the candidate by the party. Since then, he has been campaigning in the nook and corner of the constituency, mostly by holding foot marches, a traditional Congress style of campaigning, local journalist Arun Srivastav said. It was no easy task for Mr Singh to reconnect to the people in his home constituency since he last fought the polls in this seat in 1991. He is now working hard not only to reconnect to his old acquaintances, some of whom have grown too old to recollect the past memory, but also to the younger generation by reminding them of his acquaintances with their parents and grandparents. Pehchanteho mujhe? has been his pet question to his electorates, old and young, when he campaigns in their areas. He also reminds them that it may be his last election. Mr Singh first contested from the Rajgarh LS seat in 1984 and won the polls. He however lost the polls in the seat in 1989 and then retained it in 1991 LS polls. He is pitted against incumbent MP in the constituency Rodmal Nagar of BJP. Stakes are also high for Mr Scindia in this poll in Guna LS constituency, which has remained with his family for the past 37 years barring in 2019 polls when he suffered a shocking defeat from BJPs K P Yadav, once his close aide. Mr Scindia has focused on the seat soon after November, 2023 Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh were over. He is seen connecting with his electorate by invoking his familys long association with them, besides projecting the developmental works he has undertaken in the constituency. Yadav community forms the sizable population in the constituency. BJP has deployed chief minister Mohan Yadav and the former MP Mr Yadav to campaign for Mr Scindia to placate the Yadav community after denial of ticket to the sitting MP. BJP has also carpet bombed the constituency with its star campaigners such as Union home minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, former Union minister Uma Bharti, and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Congress will support cow killing, impose Aurangzebs jizya tax, Yogi Adityanath says in Madhya Pradesh

U.P. CM also alleges that the Congress wanted to dent the reservation of OBCs and SCs, claiming that the party it in Karnataka

Male cheetah rescued from Rajasthan's Karoli district

Male cheetah rescued from Rajasthan's Karoli district A male cheetah Pawan was rescued from Rajasthan's Karoli district under challenging conditions after after straying from Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh and crossing into Rajasthan, said an official statement on Saturday. The animal is being shifted to Kuno National Park and will be released in the wild. Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Director Lion Project in a statement said, With an enormous crowd of onlookers and the animal cornered at the crest of the ravine after darting, the animal had to be handled physically to prevent it from tumbling over the ravine. After the successful rescue, the animal is being shifted to Kuno National Park and will be released in the wild. It is notable that Pawan was free-ranging in Kuno and crossed the inter-state boundary moving amidst a human-dominated landscape early today morning. Considering the safety of the animal and the people, a decision was taken to rescue Pawan. Kuno National Park management extends its gratitude to the staff of the forest and police department of Rajasthan for their support in the operation, the statement added. (ANI)

Kareena appointed UNICEF India Ambassador

UNICEF India on Saturday announced Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan as its new National Ambassador. The Crew star, who has been associated with UNICEF India since 2014, will support the not-for-profit organisation in furthering every child's right to early childhood development, health, education and gender equality, a press release said. Kareena had earlier served as a Celebrity Advocate for UNICEF India. There are few things as important as the rights of children, the future generation of this world. I am honoured to continue my association with UNICEF now as India's National Ambassador, the 43-year-old actor said in a statement. I will strive to use my voice and influence for vulnerable children and their rights, especially around early childhood, education and gender equality. For every child deserves a childhood, a fair chance, a future, she added. Besides Kareena, UNICEF India has also appointed its first-ever Youth Advocates, who are peer leaders and champions on issues like climate action, mental health, innovations and Girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The four advocates are Gauranshi Sharma from Madhya Pradesh on right to play and disability inclusion; Kartik Verma from Uttar Pradesh on climate action and child rights advocacy; singer Nahid Afrin from Assam on mental health and early childhood development; and Vinisha Umashankar from Tamil Nadu is a budding innovator and STEM pioneer. These youth advocates are part of UNICEF's global programme and join a cohort of more than 93 youth advocates who have been appointed across the globe and are driving change on issues concerning children and young people, UNICEF India said. UNICEF India Representative Cynthia McCaffrey said she is delighted to welcome Kareena Kapoor Khan as the National Ambassador. She has brought energy and impact through her support to several national and global campaigns. She joins as UNICEF India National Ambassador together with our four Youth Advocates to the UNICEF family. We look forward to working with her and the four youth advocates to continue advocating for child rights, she added.

Yogi Adityanath Accuses Congress of Planning to Implement Jizya Tax

Lucknow: Ut tar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath criticized the Congress party, accusing them of intending to implement the Jizya tax, originally imposed by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb on non-Muslim minorities. Adityanath made these remarks while addressing a public meeting in Madhya Pradesh's Ashoknagar district on Saturday, where he was campaigning for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Jyotiraditya Scindia for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Adityanath referred to the Congress manifesto, highlighting its proposal for an inheritance tax, which he likened to Aurangzeb's Jizya tax. He stated, Even a civilized Muslim family does not name their son Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb was the most cruel Mughal king. Aurangzeb had imposed a tax named Jizya tax. Today, Congress also talks about the Jizya tax in its manifesto. He criticized the Congress further, claiming that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized respecting inherited property, the Congress proposed an inheritance tax in its manifesto. Adityanath asserted that Congress intended to implement the Jizya tax and questioned whether Indians would accept it. Moreover, Adityanath alleged that the Congress aimed to reduce reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Scheduled Castes (SC), citing the party's manifesto. He accused Congress of reducing OBC reservations in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh during their respective governments. Responding to Adityanath's remarks, Congress leader Pawan Khera challenged the accuracy of his claims and asked Adityanath to cite the page number in the manifesto where the Jizya tax proposal was mentioned. Khera emphasized that Yogis, like Adityanath, should speak the truth. The Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh are being conducted in four phases. The first two phases were held on April 19 and April 26, while the remaining two phases are scheduled for May 7 and May 13. Vote counting is set for June 4. Malaysia Teams Up with MWL to Host Big Religious Conference in Asia Maruti Swift vs. Tata Tiago EV: Features and Price Comparison BJP's Post-Election Strategy: Focus Shifts to West Bengal

Archaeological Investigation to Uncover Truth about Bhojashala

Dhar: The Paramara dynasty holds a significant position in Indian history, not only for their political achievements but also for their contributions to art and architecture. Between the 10th and 13th centuries, this dynasty ruled over a substantial part of Central India, with their capital in Dhar, present-day Madhya Pradesh. King Bhoja, the most celebrated ruler of this dynasty, was a great patron of art and architecture. During his reign in the early to mid-11th century, a temple dedicated to Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, was constructed in Dhar. The temple became an important center of education, attracting pilgrims from distant places. However, like many Hindu temples of the medieval period, it also faced destruction at the hands of Islamic invaders. In recent times, there has been a renewed interest among the Hindu community to revive their glorious past, which was obscured by dynastic politics. Recent archaeological excavations conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India at Kashi Vishvanath have revealed that a structure adjacent to it was built by destroying a Hindu temple. In a similar context, the High Court of Madhya Pradesh has ordered the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a scientific investigation at Bhojashala. According to archaeological records, Bhojashala, situated in Dhar, was originally a temple of Saraswati built by King Bhoja in the 11th century. Various historical documents, including the Indian Archaeology Review of 1984-85 and the Corpus Inscription Indicarum Volume-7, provide evidence supporting this claim. The discovery of Hindu sculptures and remnants of a temple during archaeological excavations in 1987 further substantiates this claim. Contrary to claims that Bhojashala is a mosque, the presence of Paramara-style pillars bearing Hindu sculptures inside the complex, along with architectural ruins of temples used for constructing graves, suggests otherwise. These remains have been colored green to hide their identity as temple remnants. Under the guidance of Prof. Alok Tripathi, a team of archaeologists will examine the inscriptions present on the ruins inside Bhojashala and the nearby Dargah. The information gleaned from these inscriptions will help in dating the structure at Bhojashala. Archaeologist KK Lele has pointed out that two pillars at Bhojashala contain inscriptions meant for teaching grammar. Additionally, archaeological excavations will be conducted inside the Bhojashala complex using scientific methods. The presence of an adhisthana (platform) indicates that the original temple was destroyed and a new structure was built using its ruins. Carbon dating, although limited to organic substances, may provide valuable insights if charcoal or ash is recovered during excavation. Once the archaeological investigations are complete, a detailed report will be submitted to the High Court. This report will provide valuable evidence supporting the claim that King Bhoja constructed a temple of Vagdevi in Dhar, which was later destroyed by Islamic invaders. Similar to the restoration work at Ayodhya, Bhojashala is expected to regain its old glory with the help of archaeological excavations. Relief from Scorching Heat Expected as Rainfall Forecasted for UP and Bihar Afghan Consul General Zakia Wardak Resigns Amid Rs 18 Crore Gold Smuggling Allegations Nepal Decides to Print New Rs 100 Currency Note with Controversial Map

Marital rape not recognised, says HC; quashes unnatural sex case registered against man by wife

Madhya Pradesh High Court quashes FIR against man accused of unnatural sex with wife, citing legality of act

Cheetah Strays Out Of Kuno National Park, Rescued

A cheetah strayed out of the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh and was spotted in a village in Rajasthan's Karauli on Saturday, a forest department official said.

Sagar Lok Sabha Seat: BJP Has Clear Edge But Can Congress Spring A Surprise in This Madhya Pradesh Constituency?

Rajbahadur Singh of the BJP is the incumbent MP here but the party has given the ticket this time to Lata Wankhede while Guddu Raja Bundela from the Congress is the other top contender

Sumitra Mahajan Expresses Surprise Over Congress Candidate's Withdrawal from Indore Race

Sumitra Mahajan Expresses Surprise Over Congress Candidate's Withdrawal from Indore Race Former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has expressed surprise over the last-minute exit of the Congress Indore Lok Sabha candidate, calling it unfair and stressing that voters have the right to decide in a democratic set-up. In a major setback to the Congress in Indore, its candidate Akshay Kanti Bam took back his nomination on April 29, the last date for withdrawal of nominations, and joined the BJP. In an interview with PTI, Mahajan said, I was surprised to know about the withdrawal of the nomination of the main opposition party (Congress) candidate in Indore... This should not have happened. There was no need for this development as it was written on the wall that nobody can defeat the BJP in Indore. The commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh has been a stronghold of the BJP. Mahajan had represented the constituency eight consecutive times since 1989. She said, The Congress candidate (Bam) should not have done this in the elections. In a way, he also betrayed his party (Congress). But why should I use such words?'' Mahajan claimed she was unaware of the circumstances that led to such a situation. The 81-year-old BJP leader, popular as Tai, said, I don't know what actually happened. If all this has been done by our people, then it is wrong. There was no need to do it. If the Congress candidate has done it on his own, I will also tell him that he should not have done it. She said candidates should contest polls if they have filed nominations. Democracy is all about going to the people and obtaining their decision about what they want. That's why elections are held, she said. Mahajan said that after the first electoral change of its kind in the history of Indore Lok Sabha seat, some educated people from the city called her up to say that they would press NOTA (none of the above) option as they did not like what BJP did. I explained to them that BJP has done nothing in this regard and that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party is sticking to its core ideology and our candidate (Shankar Lalwani) is in the fray, so they should vote for BJP instead of NOTA,'' Mahajan said. In 2019, BJPs Shankar Lalwani defeated his nearest rival of Congress, Pankaj Sanghvi, by 5.48 lakh votes. BJP has renominated Lalwani from Indore, which has the most number of eligible voters in the state at 25.13 lakh. The BJP has given a slogan of victory by a margin of 8 lakh votes here. Just a week before the Indore development, the BJP candidate in Gujarats Surat, Mukesh Dalal, was declared the winner after Congress nominee Nilesh Kumbhani's nomination was rejected and other candidates dropped out of the contest. Mahajan said she was not aware of what had happened in Surat as she was not present in the Gujarat city at that time. On Congerss Rahul Gandhi contesting from Rae Bareli instead of Amethi, Mahajan said, Is it not worth that Gandhi is working hard by touring the whole country? If he is changing his Lok Sabha seat, then let him change. Thats good. Mahajan said Gandhi should look at the entire nation from the right perspective so that when he sits in the opposition, he has a good knowledge of the basic issues and he can speak for the country. On the questions raised by the opposition over her party's election slogan of Abki Baar, 400 Paar, Mahajan said, When a student studies diligently throughout the year and believes that he has to pass in the first division, then why should we find his statement strange. Aiming less is a crime. Mahajan claimed that based on the countrys development, the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and the enactment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the BJP will adopt the slogan of winning over 400 Lok Sabha seats this time.

Rainfall Alert: Meteorological Department issues yellow alert of heavy rain for 4 days, know when the weather will worsen

Madhya Pradesh Weather News: People of Madhya Pradesh, who are suffering from the scorching heat, are getting relief from the heat wave soon. The Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert of heavy rain. Know when the weather will deteriorate? Madhya Pradesh Weather Update: Once again there is heavy rain in Madhya Pradesh. According to [] The post Rainfall Alert: Meteorological Department issues yellow alert of heavy rain for 4 days, know when the weather will worsen first appeared on informalnewz .

International Election Observers to Witness India's Electoral Process

International Election Observers to Witness India's Electoral Process Representatives of election management bodies from 23 countries, including Australia, Russia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, are here to observe the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. Seventy-five delegates will visit six states in small groups to witness the elections and preparations related to it in various constituencies. The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday described the visit of the foreign delegates as a first in terms of scale and magnitude of participation. Beginning Saturday, the programme seeks to familiarise them with the nuances of India's electoral system as well as the best practices being used. Election management bodies of Bhutan, Mongolia, Australia, Madagascar, Fiji, the Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Moldova, Tunisia, Seychelles, Cambodia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Chile, Uzbekistan, Maldives, Papua New Guinea and Namibia are participating in the programme. Members of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and media teams from Bhutan and Israel will also participate. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu will address the delegates on Sunday. The delegates will visit Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to observe the polls. Members of international poll bodies are invited to witness elections in the country. Similarly, representatives of the EC are also invited by other countries during polls there.

Madhya Pradesh High Court Quashes FIR Against Man Accused Of Unnatural Sex By Wife

The order was issued on Wednesday and its details were uploaded on the HC website on Thursday.

75 International delegates from 23 countries arrive to watch worlds largest elections unfold

Hyderabad: As a beacon of electoral integrity and transparency, the Election Commission of India (ECI) exemplifies its commitment to conduct general elections of the highest standards, offering a golden bridge for global Election Management Bodies (EMBs) to witness democratic excellence first-hand. The ECI continues fostering international cooperation by organising the Election Visitors Programme (IEVP) during the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The event will be a first in terms of the scale and magnitude of participation. 75 delegates representing various EMBs and organisations from 23 countries namely - Bhutan, Mongolia, Australia, Madagascar, Fiji, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Moldova, Tunisia, Seychelles, Cambodia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Chile, Uzbekistan, Maldives, Papua New Guinea and Namibia will take part in the event. Members from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), and media teams from Bhutan and Israel will also participate. Beginning May 4, the program seeks to familiarise foreign Election Management Bodies (EMBs) with the nuances of Indias electoral system as well as the best practices used by the largest democracy in the world. After addressing them by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, the delegates will embark on visits to six statesMaharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradeshin small groups to observe polls and related preparedness in various constituencies. The programme will end on May 9, 2024, according to Anuj Chandak, Joint Director, ECI.

MP: Cong demands action against ex-CM for MLA allegedly 'threatening' police for silencing Chouhan

MP: Cong demands action against ex-CM for MLA allegedly 'threatening' police for silencing Chouhan A BJP legislator in Madhya Pradesh lost his cool and allegedly threatened a policeman after he switched off the mic of former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during a public rally citing the model code of conduct. As a video of the incident, which took place on Thursday night, went viral on social media, the Congress filed a complaint with the Election Commission, demanding action against the ex-CM for flouting the model code. Sub Divisional Magistrate Chandrashekhar Shrivastava said that no action has been taken so far. Eyewitnesses said the controversy began when a police official switched off the mic while Chouhan was addressing a gathering at Mandideep in Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency. The BJP has nominated the former chief minister from Vidisha, which will go to polls in the third phase on May 7. According to the eyewitnesses, the police official switched off the mic saying it was 10 pm, the deadline for daily campaigning. Chouhan took a pause and said there was still some time left before the deadline by pointing to his watch. In the meantime, Bhojpur MLA Surendra Patwa lost his cool, saying he was also keeping track of the time. He then screamed at the police official: Aisi jagah fikvaunga ki pata bhi nahi chalega (will get you thrown to such a place that you wont even know). Mahendra Singh Thakur, the policeman who switched off the mic, refused to speak on the controversy. JP Dhanopia, state Congress in-charge of election-related issues, said his party has complained to the Election Commission. He said a case should be registered against Chouhan for the violation of the model code of conduct. Chouhan addressed the public rally after 10 pm and the BJP MLA threatened and abused the police official, he said. Rubbishing Congress allegations, state BJP spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi told PTI, The mic was switched off ten minutes before 10 pm. The officials are admitting this fact. The BJP and its leader always follow the model code of conduct. He said the Congress doesn't respect the EC and habitually makes false allegations.

Anticipated above-normal Southwest monsoon brings hope for India's agricultural sector: Geojit report

Anticipated above-normal Southwest monsoon brings hope for India's agricultural sector: Geojit report Multiple meteorological organizations are anticipating abundant rainfall during this year's southwest monsoon season in the Indian subcontinent. According to Geojit insights, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) expects above-normal rainfall, with the total from June to September anticipated to be 106 per cent of the long-period average. Private forecaster Skymet Weather Services and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Climate Centre have echoed similar forecasts. Last year, the southwest monsoon ended with a 6 per cent deficit of the long-period average, mainly due to El Nino, resulting in wide spatial and temporal variations in rainfall distribution. However, regions that generally receive good rainfall experienced shortages, while dry regions like West Rajasthan and Saurashtra-Kutch received bountiful rainfall. Out of the total 36 meteorological subdivisions, 7 subdivisions, including Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura, experienced deficient rainfall. The forecast of normal monsoon rains this year comes as a relief at a time when agricultural output is declining, and food inflation remains high, exacerbated by dwindling water levels in reservoirs. Slow growth in agriculture is mainly attributed to declining farm output, with food grain production expected to decline by six percent in 2023-24. The deficient monsoons last year and warmer, drier weather due to El Nino have left considerable impact on water levels in reservoirs across the country. Currently, reservoir storage stands at 31 per cent of the total live storage capacity, significantly lower than the 10-year average. With the summer approaching its peak, the situation in southern India, where reservoir levels are critically low, has worsened, increasing the threat of drought. Apart from affecting standing crops and agricultural productivity, dwindling water levels could impact other sectors as well. The prediction of normal monsoons this year brings hope for boosting the production of kharif crops such as rice, soybean, sugarcane, and pulses, cooling down food inflationary pressures, and replenishing water resources. However, the arrival, distribution, intensity, and departure of the monsoon remain crucial factors that will impact agricultural production and productivity. Skymet expects good rainfall in southern, western, and northwestern parts of the country, with Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh expected to receive adequate rainfall. However, eastern states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal may face the risk of deficit rainfall during peak monsoon months, impacting kharif crops heavily dependent on early rainfall. Additionally, heavy showers during the latter half of the monsoon season may pose a threat to standing crops across the country. (ANI)

Madhya Pradesh High Court Rules Marital Rape Not Recognized Under Indian Law

Jabalpur: In a recent ruling, the Madhya Pradesh High Court dismissed a case filed by a wife against her husband over allegations of unnatural sex. The court emphasized that in India, marital rape has not been legally recognized. According to the court, as long as a valid marriage exists and the wife is not below the age of fifteen, any sexual activity between a husband and wife, regardless of the wife's consent, does not constitute rape. Marital rape not recognized, clarifies High Court Justice GS Ahluwalia highlighted Exception 2 of Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), stating that marital rape is not considered a criminal offense. The court noted that even with the recent amendment to the definition of rape, which now includes specific acts like insertion of penis in certain body parts, such acts committed within marriage do not amount to rape. The court deliberated on whether sexual activity between spouses can be termed as marital rape, especially when they are living together. It emphasized that in such cases, the wife's consent does not affect the legality of the act. Hearing plea to dismiss the case The High Court was examining a petition filed by the husband to dismiss the case lodged by his wife, accusing him of unnatural sex. Arguments presented The husband's legal representative argued that unnatural sex between spouses is not punishable under Section 377 of the IPC. It was also highlighted that the wife did not initially raise these allegations, suggesting they were added later to strengthen the case. Opposing the husband's plea, the wife's counsel contended that unnatural sex within marriage is indeed a criminal offense under Section 377, and the charge sheet filed by the police is valid. Importance of consent The High Court stressed the significance of consent in determining whether an act falls under Section 377. However, it reiterated that under the current legal framework, as per the amended definition of rape, sexual acts between spouses are exempt from prosecution, provided the wife is above fifteen years of age. Marital rape remains unrecognized The court concluded that under prevailing laws, allegations of marital rape cannot be substantiated. Consequently, it quashed the FIR against the husband, asserting that the accusations did not constitute an offense under Section 377 of the IPC. Read Other news: New Rape and Kidnapping Cases Filed Against JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna and HD Revanna in Sex Tapes Scandal Modi Government's Stance on SC/ST Reservations Praised by Dalit Leader Delhi High Court rejects Delhi government's circular on private schools not to hike fees without permission

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Big Names Face Critical Tests

The Lok Sabha elections for 2024 are in full swing, with Phase 3 set to take place on May 7th. This phase encompasses 95 seats across 12 states and Union Territories. Among the contenders are notable figures such as Union Home Minister Amit Shah, rebel BJP leader KS Eshwarappa, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Dimple Yadav, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Supriya Sule. The key players in Phase 3 hail from prominent political parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Congress, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), among others. Let's take a closer look at some of the top contenders: Amit Shah: Union Minister Amit Shah seeks re-election from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat. He faces competition from Congress' Sonal Patel. The BJP has maintained a stronghold on this seat since 1989, with Shah securing victory in 2019 by a significant margin. Dimple Yadav: SP candidate Dimple Yadav is contesting from the 'Mainpuri' constituency in Uttar Pradesh, a stronghold of her party. Following the passing of SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, Dimple Yadav won the seat in a bypoll. She now faces BJP candidate Jaiveer Singh in a bid to uphold Mulayam's legacy. Jyotiraditya Scindia: Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia represents the BJP in the Guna Lok Sabha constituency of Madhya Pradesh. He goes head-to-head with Rao Yadvendra Singh of the Congress, aiming to reverse his defeat in the 2019 polls. Shivraj Singh Chouhan: Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the BJP's candidate from Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency. Chouhan, a five-time MP from Vidisha, competes against Pratap Bhanu Sharma of the Congress. Supriya Sule: NCP leader Supriya Sule, daughter of Sharad Pawar, contests from the Baramati seat in Maharashtra. Her candidacy sparks interest as she faces Sunetra Pawar, wife of Ajit Pawar, who recently joined the BJP-led NDA. The constituencies participating in Phase 3 cover a wide geographical spread across India, including states like Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, along with Union Territories like Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu. The Election Commission reports a total of 1,351 candidates vying for seats in this phase, with Gujarat and Maharashtra leading in the number of nominations. Notably, Osmanabad constituency in Maharashtra and Bilaspur seat in Chhattisgarh witness significant participation, indicating the intense competition characterizing Phase 3 of the Lok Sabha elections 2024. BJP's Post-Election Strategy: Focus Shifts to West Bengal Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mega Campaigning in Ayodhya: All You Need to Know PM Modi Vows Justice for Victims of the West Bengal Teacher Recruitment Scam

Huge crisis of drinking water in 170 urban bodies of Madhya Pradesh

Not getting drinking water every day in districts, crisis will increase as heat increases Municipal bodies have not yet received amount Government will have to plan to supply water on alternative days Kanhaiya Lodhi, Bhopal Scorching heat is slowly increasing in the state and is sure to intensify in the month of May. As the... The post Huge crisis of drinking water in 170 urban bodies of Madhya Pradesh first appeared on Central India's Premier English Daily .

Unnatural Sex With Wife Is Not Rape, Says Madhya Pradesh High Court

The Madhya Pradesh High Court quashed an FIR against a man filed by his wife accusing him of having unnatural sex with the observation that it was not an offence in law as she was married to him.

Patwaris juice & sugar syrup jibe lands MP Congress in soup

BHOPAL : A video of Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari making an off-the-cuff remark in response to a question about Imarti Devi, a loyalist of BJP leader and Guna Lok Sabha candidate Jyotiraditya Scindia, went viral on Thursday night, landing him in soup. In response to a query about Imarti urging voters to support Congress candidates in Gwalior-Chambal region, Patwari had said, Dekho aisa hai ab Imartiji ka ras khatam ho gaya, jo andar chaashni hoti hai, unke liye mai kuch baat nahi karoonga (The juice in Imarti Devi is no longer there. I wont talk about the sugary syrup anymore). This set off a political slugfest in the state, with Patwari apologising for his deregatory remarks ahead of the third phase of Lok Sabha polls on May 7. Patwari clarified that his intention was not to hurt anyones feelings and that his statement was being twisted and presented out of context. Yesterday, I was questioned about an audio clip there. At that moment, my intention was only to avoid that question. The remark I made in that context is being twisted and presented out of context, he said in a clarification. Imarti Devi ji is my elder sister, and an elder sister is just like a mother. So, I will only say that my context was only to avoid the questionStill, if anyones feelings have been hurt in any way, I express regret and apologise, Patwari added. There was no negativity in my mind, nor was my intention to make fun. The only intention was to avoid the question. I apologise, and my context was misunderstood, the Congress leader said. Imarti Devi lodged a complaint against Patwari, leading to the Congress leader being booked under IPC section 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) and the provision of the SC and ST Act, 2015, at Dabra police station in Gwalior. While condemning Patwaris statement, the BJP leader demanded that the Congress leadership sack him as the state Congress chief. Dubbing Patwaris remarks as anti-women and anti-Dalit, MP minister Krishna Gaur claimed that the state Congress chiefs remarks exposed what Congress and its leaders feel about women.

Congress consumed by internal strife, facing loss of credibility: Scindia

Congress consumed by internal strife, facing loss of credibility: Scindia The Congress is heading towards its end and is like a ''termite'' gnawing at itself, Union minister and BJP Guna Lok Sabha seat candidate Jyotiraditya Scindia has said. The Congress has become ideologically bankrupt and nobody wants to stay with it. While the party has not fielded candidates on many seats, some of its nominees have withdrawn from the poll race, Scindia told PTI in an interview. The scion of the erstwhile royal family of Gwalior severed his 18-year-long ties with the Congress in 2020 and joined the BJP. In a coordinated rebellion, Scindia quit along with 22 Congress MLAs loyal to him, leading to the collapse of the then 15-month-old Kamal Nath-led Madhya Pradesh government and the BJP's return to power in the state. Hitting out at the Congress over its allegation that the BJP will change the Constitution if it returns to power, Scindia said the party that imposed Emergency in the country is now giving lessons on the Constitution. ''The Congress has become bankrupt in terms of ideology, human resources... Nobody wants to stay with the Congress and there is no honour and respect for anyone in the party,'' Scindia told PTI on his way from Guna to Shivpuri amid hectic electioneering. ''The party that used Article 356 (to impose President's rule) 91 times to dismiss elected governments, the party whose prime minister had changed the chief minister before going to Andhra Pradesh, the party which had imposed Emergency in the country is now giving us lessons on the Constitution. ''The party which defeated its own candidate Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in the elections is giving sermons to the country on the issues of Dalits and the Constitution, it should look at its track record. The Constitution is the BJP's scripture and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has clarified that no one has the courage to change the Constitution,'' he added. Addressing a rally in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind on April 30, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed that if the BJP returns to power at the Centre, it will ''tear apart'' and ''throw away'' the Constitution which grants rights to the poor, Dalits, Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes. Scindia claimed the Congress is headed towards its end. ''It was not clear (till Friday) who is contesting from Amethi and Rae Bareli. The (Congress) candidates from Indore and Surat Lok Sabha seats have withdrawn from the race. There are no candidates on many seats, while on many others, they have not been declared yet. The Congress is now heading towards its end and is like a termite which is gnawing at itself,'' he said. The Congress on Friday announced the candidature of Rahul Gandhi from the Rae Bareli seat, held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for the last two decades, and that of Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, from Amethi. Asked about the dip in the voter turnout in the first two phases of the Lok Sabha elections as against 2019, Scindia said the lotus (BJP's poll symbol) will bloom in all 29 parliamentary constituencies in Madhya Pradesh as people have complete faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. The voter turnout stood at 66.14 per cent in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections and at 66.71 per cent in the second phase, according to the Election Commission. In 2019, a voter turnout of 69.43 per cent was recorded in the first phase and 69.64 per cent in the second phase. Scindia is contesting the polls from Guna seat for the sixth time. He won four of the last five elections but lost the seat to sitting BJP MP and his former confidant K P Yadav in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Yadav defeated Scindia by a margin of over 1.25 lakh votes. This is the first time in his political career that Scindia (53) is contesting as a BJP candidate from Guna, which was earlier represented by his late father Madhavrao Scindia and late grandmother Vijayaraje Scindia. The Union civil aviation minister is pitted against the Congress' Rao Yadvendra Singh. Guna goes to polls in the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls on May 7. Interestingly, both Scindia and his father had defeated Singh's late father Rao Deshraj Singh Yadav as Congress candidates from Guna in the 1999 general elections and the 2002 Lok Sabha bypoll. Guna Lok Sabha constituency comprises eight assembly seats -- Shivpuri, Kolaras, Pichhore, Bamori, Guna (SC), Ashok Nagar (SC), Chanderi and Mungaoli spread across three districts (Guna, Ashoknagar and Shivpuri). In the 2023 Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, the BJP won six seats and the Congress two. There are 18,83,202 voters in Guna, including 9,80,683 men, 9,02,471 women and 48 third gender persons.

Scindias fight to reclaim lost Guna glory

BHOPAL: When Jyotiraditya Scindia lost the royal family bastion Guna in Madhya Pradesh to his protg-turned-rival KP Yadav in 2019, it was largely attributed to his arrogance. Then, Scindia was an influential Congress leader and Yadav had just switched sides to join the BJP to emerge as a giant killer. Cut to 2024, Scindia is fighting to reclaim his lost glory on a BJP ticket while the Congress has taken a leaf out of the BJPs book by fielding Rao Yadvendra Singh Yadav, a former leader of the saffron party. Guna has been synonymous with Gwaliors erstwhile royal Scindia family and Scindia has won four times in 2002, 2004, 2009 and 2014 on Congress ticket. According to party insiders, when Scindias candidature was announced on March 2, there was considerable unease among party workers as well as the dominant Yadav voters over the denial of ticket to sitting MP K P Yadav. The Yadavs are clearly siding with Rao Yadvendra Singh Yadav. To complicate matters, Yadav is the son of former BJP MLA Rao Deshraj Singh Yadav, a sworn adversary of the Scindia family. This makes Yadav acceptable even to non-Yadav BJP voters, said a senior BJP worker. While Yadav voters are still opposed to Scindia, the other castes, including Lodhis, Kirars, Raghuvanshis, Vaishya, Brahmin, Kshatriyas, and tribals are said to be backing the Union minister. Scindia has his work cut out. The scarcity of drinking water in many parts of the constituency, particularly in tribal-dominated areas, also remains a concern for the Scindia camp. Recently, a video went viral which showed Scindias wife being confronted by women raising their water woes. Since his humiliating defeat in 2019, Scindia has been frequently crisscrossing the 18.83 lakh voters-strong constituency. He visited Guna many times after joining the BJP in March 2020 and also after becoming Union minister in the Narendra Modi government. According to analysts, the unique combination of Modis image and the royal familys goodwill may work in favour of Scindia. Scindia has also got former BJP chief ministers Uma Bharti and Shivraj Singh Chouhan to campaign for him to ensure the support of Lodhi-Kirar castes to counter the opposition of Yadavs.

Madhya Pradesh | Reclaiming the citadel

Madhya Pradesh Reclaiming the citadel

Unnatural sex with wife not rape, consent immaterial: HC

Madhya Pradesh HC ruled unnatural sex with wife isn't rape, even non-consensual. Case involved IPC 377, 506, exceptions, wife's age, dowry harassment, living separately, wife's accusations, amended definition. Marriage details were considered.

What is the mood among Madhya Pradesh voters? Ground report

What is the mood among Madhya Pradesh voters Ground report

Nadda Reviews BJP Poll Preparation In MP, Asks Party To Increase Polling

BJP national president J P Nadda late on Thursday night reviewed measures undertaken by the party here to improve polling percentage in the final two rounds of Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh, scheduled to be held on May seven and May 13. Mr Nadda who had made an unscheduled visit to Bhopal after addressing a poll rally in Sironj falling under Sagar Lok Sabha constituency in the state on Thursday night here discussions with the senior leaders of the party here on the poll preparations in the remaining 17 LS seats those are scheduled to go to the polls in the third and four phase polling, a senior BJP functionary said. He reviewed measures being undertaken by the party to boost voting in the third and final phase polling in the state. It was just an informal discussion, he added. The first and second phase polling in Madhya Pradesh in which total 12 LS polls went to polls had witnessed a sharp drop in polling by 7.32 percent and 10.05 percent respectively, prompting the Central leadership of BJP to prod its state leadership to increase voting in the third and final phase polling in the state. Mr Nadda has also reviewed poll preparations in half-a-dozen seats viewed as challenging for the party. In a related development, state BJP president Vishnu Dutt Sharma has held a meeting of senior party leaders here to chalk out a strategy to increase vote share of the party by ten percent in the third and fourth phase polling in the state. He asked the booth level committees and panna pramukhs (block unit heads of party) to pull up their shocks and initiate measures to increase voting in the coming two phases of elections. Mr Nadda also reviewed preparation by the party in the seats of those going to polls in the final two rounds of elections in the state. He left for Delhi from Bhopal on Friday morning.

Rajgarh constituency of Madhya Pradesh Lok Sabha election 2024: Date of voting, result, candidates list, main parties, schedule

Sagar constituency of Madhya Pradesh Lok Sabha election 2024: Date of voting, result, candidates list, main parties, schedule

Guna constituency of Madhya Pradesh Lok Sabha election 2024: Date of voting, result, candidates list, main parties, schedule

Gwalior constituency of Madhya Pradesh Lok Sabha election 2024: Date of voting, result, candidates list, main parties, schedule

Gwalior, a bastion of historical significance, anticipates a high-stakes election between BJP and INC. The electorate's concerns drive the campaigns, shaping the region's political landscape with each election.

Bhind constituency of Madhya Pradesh Lok Sabha election 2024: Date of voting, result, candidates list, main parties, schedule

Deputy collector accused of rape; arrested

Deputy collector accused of rape; arrested A deputy collector has been arrested by police in Madhya Pradesh's Barwani district for allegedly raping a woman government employee. The woman, who works with the revenue department, had filed a complaint on April 29 claiming that Abhay Singh Kharadi, currently posted in Ujjain, raped her on several occasions in 2016, said a police official. Kharadi was acting as Barwani Sub Divisional Magistrate at the time. He was arrested from Bhopal on Thursday night, said Barwani Women Police Station in-charge Alka Monia, adding that further investigation is underway.

Heatwave to Persist for Two More Days in Eastern and Southern Peninsular India

Heatwave to Persist for Two More Days in Eastern and Southern Peninsular India The record-breaking heatwave spell affecting east India and parts of the southern peninsular region continued unabated on Friday, with temperatures settling above 44 degrees Celsius in at least 13 places. Intensely hot conditions prevailed in parts of Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Maximum temperatures settled in the range of 43-46 degrees Celsius in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra and 40-43 degrees in parts of Gangetic West Bengal, Marathwada and north interior Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh sizzled at 46.3 degrees Celsius, the highest maximum temperature in the country on Friday. The mercury settled at 44.6 degrees Celsius in Odisha's Boudh, 45 degrees in Khammam (Telangana), 46.2 degrees in Cuddapah (Andhra Pradesh), 43.4 degrees in Erode (Tamil Nadu), and 44.6 degrees in West Bengal's Kalaikunda. The IMD said the ongoing heatwave spell in east and south peninsular India will continue until May 5-6 and abate thereafter. The Met office on Wednesday said above-normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country in May and a significantly high number of heatwave days expected over the northern plains, central region and adjoining areas of peninsular India. April witnessed record-smashing maximum temperatures in east, northeast and southern peninsular India, prompting health warnings from government agencies and some states to suspend in-person classes in schools. A number of stations recorded their highest-ever April day temperatures. Five active western disturbances led to rainfall, thunderstorms and hail storms over north and central India at regular intervals in April, preventing heat waves. IMD data shows that heat waves this April were far worse than in 2023, the warmest year on record so far. This trend is likely to continue in May, with around eight to 11 heatwave days predicted over the south Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Marathwada and the Gujarat regions. The remaining parts of Rajasthan, east Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and some parts of Chhattisgarh, interior Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, north interior Karnataka and Telangana may record five to seven heatwave days during the month. Normally, the northern plains, central India and adjoining areas of peninsular India experience around three days of heat waves in May. India witnessed two spells of heat waves in April -- from April 5 to 7 and April 15 to 30. The IMD attributed the prolonged heatwave spell over east, northeast and south peninsular India in April to the absence of thunderstorms and an anticyclone at lower levels over the west central Bay of Bengal and the adjoining eastern coasts of India. This caused the sea breeze to cut off over Odisha and West Bengal on most days. The weather office said south peninsular India recorded an average maximum temperature of 31 degrees Celsius in April, the second-highest since 1901. The mean temperature (28.12 degrees Celsius) in April in east and northeast India was the highest since 1901, it said. The IMD said above-normal maximum temperatures have become frequent over south peninsular India since the 1980s. The region recorded 12.6 mm rainfall in April -- the fifth lowest since 1901 and the second-lowest since 2001. According to IMD data, the number of heatwave days this April was the highest in 15 years in Gangetic West Bengal and nine years in Odisha. Odisha also experienced the longest heatwave spell (16 days) in April since 2016. Amid the prevailing but weakening El Nino conditions, the IMD had earlier warned of extreme heat during the April-June period, coinciding with the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections. Hundreds of thousands of voters had to cope with the searing heat when they stepped out to exercise their franchise in the second phase of the elections on April 26. Polling for 94 constituencies across 12 states will take place on May 7. The weather office had earlier expected four to eight heatwave days in different parts of the country in April against a normal of one to three days. Ten to 20 heatwave days are expected against a normal of four to eight in the entire April-June period.

MP: PCC Chief Jitu Patwaris Offensive Comment Against BJPs Dalit Woman Leader Stirs Row, FIR Filed

Bhopal: State unit Congress chief Jitu Patwaris purported offensive comment against a Dalit woman leader of BJP has sparked political row with BJP declaring to launch an agitation across Madhya Pradesh in protest against it. A purported video in which Mr Patwari was heard making unsavoury remarks against senior BJP leader and former minister Imarti Devi has gone viral on social media, triggering a huge political row here. The Congress leader made the purported statement while talking to the media persons in Gwalior on Thursday night. Ms Devi filed an FIR against Mr Patwari in Dabra police station in Gwalior district in this connection. Mr Patwari on Friday came out with a clarification saying that his statement was misinterpreted in the media and he treated Ms Devi as his elder sister. Taking strong exception to Mr Patwaris remarks, state BJP president Vishnu Dutt Sharma on Friday said that this reflected the dirty mindset of Congress leaders towards women. He declared that BJP would show black flags at Mr Patwari wherever he goes in the state as a mark of protest against his offensive comment against Ms Devi who is a Dalit woman. BJP on Friday staged protests in front of Mr Patwaris residence in Indore and also showed black flag at him at Betual in the state while he was campaigning for the local Lok Sabha candidate of Congress Ramu Tekam. Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is seeking election from Guna Lok Sabha constituency, on Friday slammed Mr Patwari for his the disrespectful comment against Ms Devi and said that the people would give a befitting reply to it in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the state. He said that disrespecting women is the Congress culture. Ms Devi also slammed Mr Patwari for giving a comment of low taste against her and demanded the state government to take action against him for this.

Wave of change prevailing across country, days of Modi govt numbered: Sachin Pilot

Jirapur: Senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Friday said a wave of change was prevalent across the nation and the days of the Narendra Modi government were numbered. Addressing polls rallies in Rajgarh district in Madhya Pradesh, he said the Union government was resorting to vendetta politics against the opposition. The days of the BJP Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

MP: Priest booked for sexually abusing minor boys in ashram

In a shocking revelation, Madhya Pradesh police booked a priest and a caretaker for allegedly sexually abusing minor boys at an ashram in Ujjain. The Ashram priest identified as Acharya Rahul Sharma was booked on Wednesday, May 1. The Acharya (Hindu religious teacher) who had previously helped a rape victim in 2023 in Ujjain is Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

FIR Against Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Over Remarks Against BJP Leader

In 2020, then Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath referred to former cabinet minister Imarti Devi as an item and now more off-the-cuff remarks about Ms Devi have placed the state Congress chief Jitu Patwari in a major political storm.

Pilot: Modi government's grip loosening, signs of change in the air

Pilot: Modi government's grip loosening, signs of change in the air Senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Friday said a wave of change was prevalent across the nation and the days of the Narendra Modi government were numbered. Addressing polls rallies in Rajgarh district in Madhya Pradesh, he said the Union government was resorting to vendetta politics against the opposition. ''The days of the BJP are numbered as a wave of change is prevailing across the country from Kerala to Udhampur. Earlier, the BJP was speaking of crossing 400 seats but now has gone silent since it knows it is on a sticky wicket,'' said Pilot, who was here to campaign for veteran Congressman Digvijaya Singh. The Union government did not fulfil its promises in the past 10 years and had failed to address issues like price rise, unemployment, farm distress, black money and corruption, the former Rajasthan deputy chief minister said. ''They are pursuing vendetta politics. Two chief ministers are in jail (referring to Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren) and the Congress' bank accounts have been frozen. They have created an atmosphere of fear in the country. To quell the voice of the people, 147 MPs were suspended in a day and thereafter bills were passed (in Parliament),'' he claimed. He said the Modi government promised to double the income of farmers and drive out infiltrators but apart from giving advertisements, nothing concrete had been done on the ground, he claimed. The previous UPA government brought Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act to generate massive employment in rural areas, Right to Information (RTI) and Right to Education (RTE) for all round progress of the country, while now the Congress has promised Rs 1 lakh to poor women annually, he said. ''A frightened BJP is spreading lies that the Congress, if it is voted to power, would snatch away people's mangalsutra, buffaloes and give it to others,'' Pilot added. Digvijaya Singh is up against two-time sitting MP Rodmal Nagar of the BJP in Rajgarh.

Unnatural sex by a man with his wife is not rape, absence of consent irrelevant: MP High Court

The Madhya Pradesh HC affirmed that as long as a wife resides with her husband in a valid marriage and is not below fifteen years of age, any sexual intercourse or act by the husband with his wife does not qualify as rape.

Case Against Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief For Remarks Against BJP Leader

Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari was booked for his alleged derogatory remarks about state BJP leader Imarti Devi, which sparked controversy and prompted criticism from Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and other leaders from BJP.

Heat wave conditions likely in TN during next 3 days; Nandyal recorded highest maximum temperature of 46.2C on May 2

Heat wave conditions are likely to continue over East India till May 5 and over south Peninsular India till May 6 and abate thereafter. Meanwhile, heavy to very heavy rainfall spell accompanied with thunderstorms and gusty winds very likely over Northeast India on May 5 and 6, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. On Thursday, the highest maximum temperature of 46.2C was reported at Nandyal (Rayalaseema) over the country. On the same day, maximum temperatures were in the range of 43-46C in some parts of Odisha and Rayalaseema, in isolated pockets of Telangana, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu; in the range of 40-43C over many parts of Gangetic West Bengal; in some parts of Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada and Gujarat; in isolated pockets of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Madhya Pradesh and North Interior Karnataka. These are above normal by 4-7C in some parts of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu; in isolated pockets of Assam & Meghalaya, north Odisha, east Bihar, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rayalaseema and South Interior Karnataka. According to the IMD, maximum temperatures in the range of 44-47C likely to continue over Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam, Telangana and Rayalaseema till May 3 and decrease thereafter. Heat wave conditions very likely in some pockets over Gangetic West Bengal; at isolated pockets over Telangana, Interior Karnataka, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu during next 3 days; over Kerala, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim on May 3; Odisha, Bihar on May 3 and 4; Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada on May 4 and 5 and over West Rajasthan on May 7. Hot and humid weather very likely to prevail in isolated pockets over Coastal Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal and Kerala and Mahe during next 4-5 days; Assam & Meghalaya, Tripura, Saurashtra and Kutch on May 3 and 4 and Konkan during May 3 to 5, 2024. According to Skymet, the first pre-monsoon spell of May is expected between May 9 and 11. The intensity and spread of activity will be large to cover parts of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan. The southern parts, the private weather forecaster added, will have a large spread of pre-monsoon thunderstorms, simultaneously covering different pockets. Heat-struck regions of Rayalaseema, Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu will be relieved of oppressive conditions. Severe thunderstorm activity is likely over South Interior Karnataka, Southern parts of Andhra Pradesh and farther parts of Kerala bordering Tamil Nadu.

MP Congress Leader Apologizes for Inflammatory Remarks About BJP Leader

MP Congress Leader Apologizes for Inflammatory Remarks About BJP Leader Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari on Friday expressed regret after his alleged derogatory remarks about state BJP leader Imarti Devi sparked a controversy, prompting criticism from Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. It started after an audio clip went viral on social media in which a woman can be heard supporting the Congress candidates from the Bhind and Gwalior Lok Sabha seats, with the claim that the voice was of Imarti Devi, a former MLA from Dabra in Gwalior district. Imarti Devi, however, denied that it was her voice in the audio clip and termed it a conspiracy. Asked about the piece of audio and the ex-MLAs denial, Patwari allegedly made some offensive remarks using wordplay with the term imarti, a popular sweet. BJP leaders, including Scindia, called it an insult to women. These are not just his words, but the mentality of the entire Congress party. Insulting Dalits, especially women, has become the norm of this party. Babasaheb Ambedkar has inspired the women and Dalits of the country to fight for their respect, Scindia wrote on X late on Thursday night. Scindia, the BJP candidate from Guna Lok Sabha seat, shared a video of Patwaris remark and said Dalit brothers and sisters of Madhya Pradesh will take revenge for the cheap comment about Imarti Devi. Around 3 am on Friday, Patwari took to X to express his regret over the comment. One of my statements is being distorted and presented in the wrong context. My intention was only to avoid answering the question. Imarti ji is like my elder sister. An elder sister is like a mother. I express my regret if anyone is still hurt, Patwari said. Imarti Devi was among the Congress MLAs who had joined the BJP along with Scindia in March 2020, triggering the collapse of the Kamal Nath government in MP. She lost both elections from the Dabra assembly seat as a BJP candidate after 2020.

MP BJP MLA's Daughter Detained by Lokayukta in Bribery Case

MP BJP MLA's Daughter Detained by Lokayukta in Bribery Case The daughter of a BJP MLA in Madhya Pradesh was arrested for allegedly seeking and accepting a bribe from a businessman, a Lokayukta official said on Friday. Amangang Nagar Parishad president Sarika Khatik (40), who is the daughter of BJP's Hatta MLA Uma Khatik, was held on Thursday, Sagar-based Lokayukta Inspector Roshani Jain told PTI. ''One Raghvendra Raj Modi lodged a complaint with us on April 29 stating Sarika Khatik had demanded Rs 40,000 from him to clear his bill of more than Rs 1,30,000. The next day he provided us with a recording to back his claim. We arrested her while she took Rs 30,000 during a trap on Thursday at her office in the Nagar Parishad,'' Jain said. She was charged under Prevention of Corruption Act and released on bail on the spot, the Lokayukta inspector added. In a video, the complainant Modi alleged the accused was seeking commission to clear his bills ever since she became president of the rural civic body. ''Initially, she demanded a commission of Rs 5,000, which I paid. Eventually she started demanding 10,000 per month, which I was unable to pay. Of the Rs 40,000 bribe she had sought, I had paid Rs 10,000 two days ago,'' he claimed. However, Khatik told PTI she had fallen prey to a political conspiracy, though she did not name the persons who were trying to frame her. ''For one and a half years, they have been after me. These people have orchestrated protests against me. The complainant had kept the money (Rs 30,000) on my table saying he was going to the city and would collect it later,'' she claimed.

On Camera, BJP MLA Threatens Cop For Turning Off Shivraj Chouhan's Mike

A police officer in Madhya Pradesh faced the wrath of a BJP MLA for turning off Shivraj Singh Chouhan's mike in line with the poll panel's Model Code of Conduct during an election rally in Madhya Pradesh.

I am not minister, leader for you but member of your family, says Jyotiraditya Scindia in MP's Guna

I am not minister, leader for you but member of your family, says Jyotiraditya Scindia in MP's Guna Election campaigning for the third phase of Lok Sabha elections has now reached its final stage and the candidates are leaving no stone unturned to woo the voters. While campaigning in Guna, Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Guna parliamentary seat Jyotiraditya Scindia said that he was not a minister, a leader for the public but a member of their families. Scindia made the remark while addressing a public gathering in Bamori in Guna district on Thursday evening. Former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is also a candidate from Vidisha parliamentary seat for Lok Sabha elections 2024, also reached there to campaign in support of Scindia. Addressing the public, Scindia said, I am not a minister and not a leader for you. I am a member of your family. The blood that flows in my veins is the same blood that flows in your veins. Every generation of the Scindia family has always sacrificed for you. Especially for the development and progress of this region. Therefore, I am saying that you and I have a connection of heart. Meanwhile, expressing concern over the low voter turnout in the first two phases of Lok Sabha elections in the state, Scindia also appealed to the public to exercise their franchise as much as possible. Speaking at the occasion, former CM Chouhan said, he came to seek the support of the public for Jyotiraditya Scindia and also gave credit to the Ladli Bahna Yojana, which played a game-changer role in the recent state assembly election, to Scindia. Today (May 2), I have come to seek your support for my friend, colleague and brother Jyotiraditya Scindia. If I was able to make the government the fourth time in the state and made 'Ladli Bahna Yojana' then it was because of Scindia ji. He was the one who toppled the dishonest government led by Kamal Nath and decided to bring Mama (referring to himself) to take care of the CM post, Chouhan said. The veteran BJP leader also came down hard on the Congress During the recently concluded assembly polls, the Congress party had dreamt of returning to power in the state, their many leaders had got their suits stitched dreaming of becoming ministers. But I said Mama is still alive. He further hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that under his leadership India would become Vishwa Guru. The way the country is growing today under the leadership of the Prime Minister is amazing. Under the leadership of PM Modi, India will become Vishwa Guru, no one will be able to stop it, he added. Furthermore, slamming the Congress party, he said that nothing was left in Congress and now even their candidate is snapping ties with the party. Recently on Monday, a Congress nominee from Indore parliamentary seat Akshay Kanti Bam withdrew his nomination and switched his sides to the saffron party. Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh are being conducted in four phases. The first phase of polling was held on April 19 and the second phase was concluded on April 26. The next two phases will be conducted on May 7 and May 13. The counting of votes will be held on June 4. A total of nine parliamentary constituencies- Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Guna, Sagar, Vidisha, Bhopal, Rajgarh and Betul- will go to the polls in the third phase on May 7. On the other hand, eight constituencies - Dewas, Ujjain, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Dhar, Indore, Khargone and Khandwa- will go to the polls in the fourth and last phase in the state on May 13. With 29 Lok Sabha constituencies, Madhya Pradesh ranks sixth among all states in terms of its representation in the Lower House. Of these, 10 seats are reserved for SC and ST candidates, while the remaining 19 are unreserved. (ANI)

Elderly Tourist Dies in Jammu and Kashmirs Pahalgam

SRINAGAR: An elderly tourist died after falling unconscious in the Pahalgam area of South Kashmirs Anantnag district. An official said that a domestic tourist, Mahasukh Panchmiya (77), son of Nikal Chand Panchmiya, a resident of Indore, Madhya Pradesh, fell unconscious during sightseeing in Pahalgam, Anantnag. He was transferred to PHC Pahalgam for treatment, where doctors [] The post Elderly Tourist Dies in Jammu and Kashmirs Pahalgam appeared first on Kashmir Life .

Here's What 2024 Lok Sabha Elections Schedule: Seven Phases from April 19 to June 1

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are set to unfold in seven phases, spanning from April 19 to June 1, with results expected on June 4. The Election Commission has revealed the schedule, highlighting that April 19 will witness the highest number of constituencies, totaling 102, while the fifth phase, on May 20, will see the lowest number at just 49. Here's a breakdown of the election phases across different states: Single Poll Date (22 states): Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Ladakh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman & Diu. Two-phase Voting (4 states): Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tripura, Manipur Three-phase Voting (2 states): Chhattisgarh, Assam Four-phase Voting (3 states): Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand Five-phase Voting (2 states): Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir Seven-phase Voting (3 states): Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal The Lok Sabha Election 2024 schedule is as follows: Phase 1 (April 19): 101 Seats Phase 2 (April 26): 89 Seats Phase 3 (May 7): 94 Seats Phase 4 (May 13): 96 Seats Phase 5 (May 20): 49 Seats Phase 6 (May 25): 57 Seats Phase 7 (June 1): 57 Seats Each phase covers various states and Union Territories, ensuring a comprehensive electoral process across the nation. In the first phase on April 19, a total of 102 seats will be contested across several states and Union Territories: Arunachal Pradesh: Arunachal West, Arunachal East Assam: Sonitpur, Kaziranga, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur Bihar: Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada, Jamui Jammu & Kashmir: Udhampur Madhya Pradesh: Sidhi, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Mandla, Balaghat, Chhindwara Maharashtra: Ramtek, Nagpur, Bhandara-Gondiya, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Chandrapur Manipur: Inner Manipur Meghalaya: Shillong, Tura Mizoram: Mizoram Nagaland: Nagaland Rajasthan: Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa, Nagaur Sikkim: Sikkim Tamil Nadu: Thiruvallur, Chennai North, Chennai South, Chennai Central, Sriperumbudur, Kancheepuram, Arakkonam, Vellore, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Arani, Viluppuram, Kallakurichi, Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Tiruppur, Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Pollachi, Dindigul, Karur, Tiruchirappalli, Perambalur, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Sivaganga, Madurai, Theni, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukkudi, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari Tripura: Tripura West Uttar Pradesh: Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur, Pilibhit West Bengal: Cooch Behar, Alipurduars, Jalpaiguri Chhattisgarh: Bastar Uttarakhand: Tehri Garhwal, Garhwal, Almora, Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar, Hardwar Andaman & Nicobar: Andaman Nicobar Islands Lakshadweep: Lakshadweep Puducherry: Puducherry These elections aim to engage citizens in the democratic process, allowing them to exercise their right to vote and shape the future of their nation. Congress Announces Candidates for Lok Sabha 2024, Rahul Gandhi to Contest from Rae Bareli Congress KL Sharma to Contest against BJP's Smriti Irani in Amethi Trinamool Congress Accuses Congress Leader of Promoting BJP Agenda

BJD being run by bureaucrats, outsiders in CM's office trying to capture Odisha: Pradhan

SAMBALPUR: Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal is facing public revolt for the first time and a caucus of outsiders in the chief minister's office wants to capture the state, BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has claimed. The Education Minister, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Sambalpur, also dismissed the speculation that there were any attempts from BJP to enter into an alliance with the BJD. In an interview with PTI, Pradhan, who is returning to the electoral fray after 15 years, said, he Odia identity is under threat and this election is all about that identity. BJD is being run by a group of bureaucrats...the caucus in the chief minister's office which has few non-Oriya officers, they all came together and thought let's exploit the inability of the chief minister, let's create a vacuum from back door and their intention is to capture the state. This is a very dangerous trend and this is what public is angry about besides their inaction on the ground, Pradhan said in a veiled jibe at Patnaik's close aide VK Pandian. The minister said this is the first time the so far popular CM is facing the heat from the public. BJD is facing public revolt for the first time...we have been fighting with them for long, we fought elections together too in the past. But 2024 election is a new type of election for them ..it is the most difficult election they would be facing, he said. The Assembly and general elections are being held in Odisha simultaneously. Naveen Patnaik will become the longest serving chief minister of India if his party wins the upcoming Assembly polls. He is already the longest serving CM of Odisha. Pradhan, however, said Patnaik's more than two-decade rule has brought little to the people of the state in way of solid development. Since last 24 years, Patnaik has been the in-charge of the state as chief minister but on all the fronts, be it social structure, infrastructure, economy, employment generation this government has been an utter failure. The lack of basic facilities causing large scale migration from the state. They do not have any vision or political will power they do not have any commitment to society, there is a huge anger among youth, women, tribals, different sections of society.. this is going to reflect in voting behaviour, people will teach them a lesson, there will be befitting response, he said. When he was asked about how the BJD was able to secure a mandate for five consecutive terms if there are so many issues, Pradhan said, kabhi to sabr ka bandh tutata hai (the patience crosses its limit at one point). 2024 election will be a real test of his popularity...soon BJD will not be seen in the state even by using binoculars. Pradhan, 54, also denied any talks of an alliance between BJP and BJD ahead of elections. There was no 'buzz' for alliance from our side...we had no compulsions for an alliance with them...on several national issues various parties have supported us but it is not mandatory that we will fight elections with them together, he said. Asked whether he would be the BJP's CM face if the party comes to power in Odisha, Pradhan said, here has been no decision yet and it will be decided by the party later only about who will be given the responsibility but I am confident that the Chief Minister will be from BJP. The BJP leader filed his nomination from Sambalpur on Thursday. Polling in the state is scheduled in the sixth phase of the general election on May 25. The high-profile Sambalpur constituency, which is the epicentre of western Odisha, is gearing up for a heated contest between Congress's Nagendra Pradhan, Dharmendra Pradhan, and BJD's Pranab Prakash Das. Nagendra Pradhan had won the constituency on a Biju Janata Dal ticket in 2014 polls. Dharmendra Pradhan is contesting an election after a gap of 15 years. He had last contested an election in 2009 after the end of BJP-BJD alliance. He lost the assembly poll that year. He was elected to the Odisha Assembly in 2000 and to the Lok Sabha from Deogarh seat in 2004. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar in 2012 and again in 2018 from Madhya Pradesh. Asked about the opposition's allegations that BJP will change the Constitution if voted to power, Pradhan said, Congress is scared...their leadership has been re-launched and repackaged several times and they have faced defeat only. They are making all attempts now like using deepfake videos, misutilising AI, making such statements but public knows their deeds and Congress existence is in danger.

Express train searched for 40 minutes in Bhopal after passenger spots suspicious object

Manish Arora, a resident of Delhi was travelling in Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express and pulled the emergency chain at Mathura Junction so that his mother could finish breakfast before alighting on the platform. (Photo: File I Representational) Manish Arora, a resident of Delhi was travelling in Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express and pulled the emergency chain at Mathura Junction so that his mother could finish breakfast before alighting on the platform. (Photo: File I Representational) Bhopal: A Jammu-bound train was searched for 40 minutes at Rani Kamalapti station in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal on Friday morning after one of the passengers claimed that there was a suspicious object onboard, an official of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) said. The Pune-Jammu Tawi Jhelum Express was searched at Rani Kamalapati station around 9 am, but the information turned out to be a hoax, RPF commandant Prashant Yadav said. One of the passengers onboard the train informed the ticket checker about the presence of a suspicious object, following which the train was halted at Rani Kamalapati station, he said. However, nothing suspicious was found during the search, which lasted for about 40 minutes, and the train left for its destination at 9.40, the official said. The passenger is being interrogated, he added.

My remark on BJP leader Imarti Devi twisted, misrepresented: Jitu Patwari

Bhopal : Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari on Friday claimed that his remark on...

PM Modi to hold k poll rallies in Khandwa, Khargone on May 7

Bhopal: Khandwa and Khargone, situated in Madhya Pradesh, are set to become the focal points of political fervor as Prime Minister Narendra Modi gears up for consecutive rallies in these crucial constituencies on May 7th. These rallies hold significant importance in swaying electoral support towards the party candidates, particularly with the looming fourth phase of... The post PM Modi to hold k poll rallies in Khandwa, Khargone on May 7 first appeared on Central India's Premier English Daily .

Shah deepfake probe: Political leaders skip police summons

NEW DELHI: Not even a single member of any political party on Thursday appeared before Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police special cell in connection with the sharing of Union Home Minister Amit Shahs fake video, officials said. We have asked some of the leaders from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and one person from the Northeast. But no one turned-up for questioning on Thursday, a senior police officer said. The Delhi Police is likely to serve a second notice to the members of the Telangana Congress in connection with the uploading and sharing of the fake video of Shah. The four members of the Telangana Congress, who were supposed to appear before the office of the IFSO, did not come on Wednesday. We will again ask them to appear before the IO (investigating officer), as they did not come on Wednesday, an officer said. The summonses were issued to Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and four Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) members, Shiva Kumar Ambala, Asma Tasleem, Satish Manne and Naveen Pettem, under sections 91 and 160 of the CrPC. According to the police sources, if a person is served notice under section 160/91 of the CrPC, the person can either make a physical appearance before the IO or send a legal representative. According to police, about 22 people from various parties in Jharkhand, UP, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have been served notices in connection with the case On Wednesday, Reddys lawyer appeared before Delhi Police and asserted that his client had nothing to do with creating or posting the doctored video. Noida man held for sharing Yogi deepfake A man was arrested on Thursday by the Special Task Force of UP Police for allegedly posting an AI-generated deepfake video of CM Yogi Adityanath, officials said. The purported video was used to spread misleading information and anti-national narrative, the police said.

Kerala: Climate change reality gets heatwave check

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Valerian Isaac, a traditional fisherman from Anchuthengu in Thiruvananthapuram, is deeply concerned about the impact of climate change on his livelihood and the overall quality of life. He used to enjoy his summer with the sea cooling down when folks in the town sweltered in the heat. The situation however has changed dramatically. The sea has warmed up significantly. Consequently, the fish have migrated to cooler waters away from the coast. Previously, we relied on good winds and occasional rains to alleviate the heat. But this summer has proven to be the toughest yet, Isaac said. With the dwindling catch, only a handful of fishermen dare to venture out into the sea in his area. And they are not the only ones suffering. Adverse weather has also affected autorickshaw drivers, tour operators, vegetable vendors and those in the construction sector. As the government considers imposing further restrictions on operations between 11am and 3pm, the livelihoods of even more sectors hang in the balance. Isaac, like many others, had not heard of the term El Nino, a climate phenomenon responsible for warming the sea surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean and often cited as a primary cause of harsh summers. However, he, along with the rest of the populace, has become acquainted with the term heatwave in recent times. Its sudden appearance in the vocabulary coincided with its confirmation in Palakkad on April 26, the day of the general elections. Such weather was once considered unusual, mostly associated with the traditional hot regions of the country. The India Meteorological Department first issued a heatwave alert in Kerala in 2016, the warmest year on record for the state, primarily focused on Palakkad. This year, the focus has again been on Palakkad which experienced scorching temperatures throughout April, with Thrissur following suit. Subsequently, heatwave alerts were issued for Kollam, Kozhikode and Alappuzha, as temperatures in these districts deviated from the norm significantly. A majority of those belonging to the fishing community in Perumathura in Thiruvananthapuram are spending their time under the shade of coconut palms. The reason being the roofs of their homes are made of asbestos and tin sheets, which increase the heat Weather experts assert the situation is similar across south and east India. An Asia-wide heatwave map published by international weather agencies depicts most countries in the region coloured in red. The temperature rise is attributed to global warming induced by climate change. The impact of El Nino exacerbates the situation, said D Sivananda Pai, senior scientist and ADGM of India Meteorological Department. According to him, the dry weather in Kerala has increased the temperature. In Palakkad, the relative humidity is now in the 30-40% range in comparison to the normal 60-80%. Thats why the temperature remains high. The condition is worse for people living in more humid areas as high moisture content does not help reduce body temperature, he said. Like this year, 2016 too was an El Nino year. While it was the warmest year in recent history, the damage, technically, was limited to a heatwave alert in Palakkad. What makes the conditions worse than 2016 is the absence of summer rain, especially in the northern districts, and the land use and land cover changes because of urbanisation, said Rajeevan Erikkulam, a meteorologist with the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority. Weather experts pointed out the situation is likely to improve by the second week of May when summer rains are expected to be more regular. The El Nino effect is expected to be neutral during the time of monsoon, but the experts have a warning the next El Nino year could be much worse than 2024. What is heatwave? Qualitatively, heatwave is a condition of air temperature that becomes fatal to human body when exposed. Quantitatively, it is defined based on the temperature thresholds over a region in terms of actual temperature or its departure from normal. Criterion for declaring heatwave Heatwave is considered to be in effect if the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40Celsius or more in the plains, at least 30Celsius or more in hilly regions, and 37 Celsius or more in coastal regions. The departure from normal is 4.5 to 6.4Celsius. If the above criteria is met in at least two stations in a meteorological sub-division for at least two consecutive days, a heatwave is declared on the second day. A woman carrying a pedestal fan on a two-wheeler in Kochi. With mercury level going up, residents are opting for various methods to beat the scorching heat Heatwave prone states Heatwave generally occurs over the plains of northwest India and central, east and north peninsular India from March to June. It covers Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Sometimes, it occurs over Tamil Nadu and Kerala too. Impact of heatwave Water stress Health problems Livelihood problems Heatwave in Kerala First alert - Palakkad, in 2016 First alert - Kozhikode - 2020 First confirmation this year - Palakkad, on April 26 First alert in Alappuzha - April 30 Reasons for heatwave Global warming El Nino Absence of summer rain Urbanisation Number of days above 40 degrees Celsius in April in Kerala 2024 - 16 (15 in Palakkad) 2023 - 3 2016 - 14 1989 - 8

Mama, Maharaja & Raja make MPs Round-3 battle of bigwigs

The third phase of Lok Sabha elections is an important round for Madhya Pradesh. It will determine the political future of three prominent figures Jyotiraditya Scindia, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Digvijaya Singh. Scindia, who serves as the Union aviation minister, is back in Guna attempting to regain the family seat following his unexpected defeat to former aide K P Yadav in 2019.

Hyderabad: Man Held with Rifle, Bullets

Hyderabad : Jeedimetla police arrested one Vamsi Krishna Goud of Quthbullapur for carrying a country-made rifle and three bullets. His suspicious behaviour attracted attention, police said. Goud had acquired the firearm illegally from one Vishal Yadav on Facebook, said to hail from Madhya Pradesh. Jeedimetla detective inspector D. Vijay said that Yadav had borrowed Rs.30,00 from Goud and did not return it. Upon being pressed for the money, he allegedly gave Goud the weapon and told him to sell it and take the repayment. Goud told the police that he had no idea about Yadav's occupation and had impulsively agreed to sell the weapon to get his money back.

Shivraj looks upon Vidisha to re-enter national politics

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Bhopal: Sixty five is not the age to press the refresh button in ones career. But, sexagenarian BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan, a four-time chief minister, is bold enough to reset his goal in life at his current age to re-enter national politics. The never-say-die leader looks upon Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency, considered one of the saffron citadels in the country, in Madhya Pradesh to enter the lower house of the parliament after a gap of two decades in this poll by dumping his dream of clinging to state politics till my last breath. I accept whatever responsibility the party assigns to me, has been his constant refrain in his election addresses in Vidisha. Chouhan, known as a fitness freak, was replaced with two-time MLA Mohan Yadav as chief minister after BJP won a landslide victory in the November, 2023 Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh. He was then kept in the dark about his future role by the BJP high command, leaving him frustrated. I would rather die than ask anything for me from Delhi (referring to BJP high command), he used to say while waiting for his suitable rehabilitation by the party. The party has then fielded him in Vidisha LS seat to move him to Delhi from state politics. I want to take him (Mr Chouhan to Delhi) with me, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently said while addressing an election meeting in the state where Mr Chouhan was present. Chouhan wasted no time to begin preparations for the polls as soon as he was declared candidate from Vidisha by BJP and started touring the constituency as if he is making debut in electoral politics. He had represented Vidisha LS seat five times earlier. Congress has fielded former MP Pratap Bhanu Sharma, a Brahmin, in the seat considering the sizable population of the community in the constituency. Willy Chouhan has created a ripple in Congress by successfully wooing the party veteran and former Union minister Suresh Pachouri, considered the Brahmin face of the grand old party in Madhya Pradesh, to join BJP to nip in the bud any move by it to play Brahmin card to wrest the seat from BJP. Around 2,000 Congress activists in Vidisha subsequently joined BJP following Mr Pachouris footsteps. Vidisha LS seat near Bhopal has always been considered a BJP stronghold, represented even by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1991) and Sushma Swaraj (2009 and 2014). The seat has remained with BJP since 1967 barring in 1980 and 1984 Lok Sabha polls when the incumbent Congress candidate was elected from the constituency. Besides the profile of the seat, Chouhan enjoys considerable influence over the women voters for undertaking various welfare schemes for them when he was the chief minister. Chouhan is eyeing the biggest victory in the polls in the state in Vidisha, a close aide of the BJP leader said.

MP LS polls: Opposition wants reservation based on religion, BJP will not allow it to happen: J P Nadda

Bhopal: BJP national president J P Nadda on Thursday said that the INDIA bloc wants to introduce religion-based reservation to snatch the quotas of Dalits, tribals and other backward classes (OBCs) and give them to the minorities. Addressing a poll rally in Sironj falling under Sagar Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh, Mr Nadda said that the Opposition has a design to rob the Dalits, tribals and OBCs of their reservation quota and give it to the minorities. But, as long as PM Modi ji is there, as long as BJP is there, such a design will not be allowed to succeed. We will never allow the reservation for Dalits, tribals and OBCs to be affected, he said. Mr Nadda hit out at INDIA bloc saying that it was formed to save the corrupt leaders from being punished and they have nothing to do with the people. He also termed the Opposition bloc as a conglomeration of corrupt political dynasties. When Modi ji says root out corruption, they (the Opposition) say save the corrupt, he said. Highlighting achievements of the Narendra Modi government in the last ten years, he said that 25 crore people in the country were lifted out of poverty during the period. He said that the country became the fifth largest economy in the world during the period and Mr Modi would make the country the third largest economy after he won the third term as PM. He said that the Centre has undertaken various welfare schemes to benefit the weaker sections in the society. Mr Nadda said that under the BJP rule in Madhya Pradesh, the state has transformed from a Bimaru (laggard) state into a developed one. Mr Nadda later arrived in Bhopal late in the evening and held a meeting of senior BJP leaders in the state to review preparations for the third phase and four phase polling in the state, scheduled to be held on May seven and May 13. He is scheduled to spend the night here.

My father didnt inherit wealth but martyrdom from Indira Gandhi: Priyanka

Modi cant understand this point, says the Congress leader at a rally in Madhya Pradeshs Morena

No Political Affiliation in Amit Shah's Alleged Fake Video Case as No Witnesses Appear

No Political Affiliation in Amit Shah's Alleged Fake Video Case as No Witnesses Appear Not even a single member of any political party on Thursday appeared before Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the special cell of the Delhi Police in connection with the sharing of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's fake video, the officials said. ''We have asked some of the leaders from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and one person from the Northeast. But no one turned-up for questioning on Thursday,'' a senior police officer said. The Delhi Police is likely to serve a second notice to the members of the Telangana Congress in connection with the uploading and sharing of the fake video of Shah. The four members of the Telangana Congress, who were supposed to appear before the office of the (IFSO), did not come on Wednesday. ''We will again ask them to appear before the IO (investigating officer), as they did not come on Wednesday,'' an officer, privy to the investigation said. The summonses were issued to Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and four Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) members -- Shiva Kumar Ambala, Asma Tasleem, Satish Manne and Naveen Pettem -- under sections 91 and 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). According to the police sources, if a person is served notice under section 160/91 of the CrPC, the person can either make a physical appearance before the IO or send a legal representative. On Wednesday, Reddy's lawyer appeared before the IO and asserted that the Congress leader had nothing to do with creating or posting the doctored video of Shah's speech. According to police, about 22 people from various political parties in the states of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have been served notices in connection with the case and they have been asked to appear before the police on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The special cell of the Delhi Police had on Sunday registered an FIR after the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which is under the ministry of home affairs (MHA), filed a complaint about the doctored video of Shah where his statements indicating a commitment to abolish quota for Muslims on religious ground in Telangana were changed to make it seem that he was advocating scrapping of all reservations.

Soaring temperatures scorch Eastern and Southern India: Nandyal records sweltering 46.2 degrees Celsius

Soaring temperatures scorch Eastern and Southern India: Nandyal records sweltering 46.2 degrees Celsius Intense heat swept through east India and parts of the southern peninsular region on Thursday, testing power grids and prompting the Kerala government to order closure of educational institutions till May 6. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said heat wave to severe heat wave conditions scorched parts of West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and coastal Andhra Pradesh. At least 17 places in these states recorded temperatures above the 44-degree Celsius mark. The mercury settled at 46.2 degrees Celsius at Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh, 45.3 degrees at Palwancha in Telangana, 44.3 degrees at Karur Paramathi in Tamil Nadu, 45 degrees at Bolangir in Odisha, and 44.3 degrees at Kalaikunda in West Bengal. As Kerala continued to reel under punishing heat, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan directed the closure of educational institutions in the state until May 6. The IMD said the ongoing heat wave spell in east and south peninsular India will continue till May 3 and abate thereafter. The Met office on Wednesday said above normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country in May and a significantly high number of heat wave days expected over the northern plains, central region, and adjoining areas of peninsular India. April saw record-smashing maximum temperatures in east, northeast, and southern peninsular India prompting health warnings from government agencies and some states to suspend in-person classes in schools. A number of stations recorded their highest ever April day temperature. Five active Western Disturbances led to rain, thunderstorm, and hail storms over north and central India at regular intervals in April, preventing heat waves. IMD data shows that heat waves in April this year were far worse than in 2023, the warmest year on record so far. This trend is likely to continue in May, with around eight to 11 heat wave days predicted over south Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Marathwada, and Gujarat regions. The remaining parts of Rajasthan, east Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and some parts of Chhattisgarh, interior Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, north interior Karnataka, and Telangana may record five to seven heat wave days in the month. Normally, the northern plains, central India, and adjoining areas of peninsular India experience around three days of heat waves in May. India saw two spells of heat waves in April from April 5 to 7 and April 15 to 30. The IMD attributes the prolonged heat wave spell over east, northeast, and south peninsular India in April to the absence of thunderstorms and an anticyclone at lower levels over the west central Bay of Bengal and the adjoining eastern coasts of India. This caused the sea breeze to cut off over Odisha and West Bengal on most days. The weather office said south peninsular India recorded an average maximum temperature of 31 degrees Celsius in April, which was the second-highest since 1901. The mean temperature (28.12 degrees Celsius) in April in east and northeast India was the highest since 1901, it said. The IMD said above normal maximum temperatures have become frequent over south peninsular India since 1980s. The region recorded 12.6 mm of rainfall in April, which was the fifth lowest since 1901 and the second lowest since 2001. According to IMD data, the number of heat wave days this April was the highest in 15 years in Gangetic West Bengal and nine years in Odisha. Odisha also experienced the longest heat wave spell (16 days) in April since 2016. Amid the prevailing but weakening El Nino conditions, the IMD had earlier warned of extreme heat during the April-June period, coinciding with the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections. Hundreds of thousands of voters had to cope with the searing heat when they stepped out to exercise their franchise in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 26. Polling for 94 constituencies across 12 states will take place on May 7. The weather office had earlier expected four to eight heat wave days in different parts of the country in April against a normal of one to three days. Ten to 20 heat wave days are expected against a normal of four to eight in the entire April-June period.

'My father inherited martyrdom, not wealth': Priyanka hits back at PM Modis jibe on Rajiv Gandhi

BHOPAL: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent inheritance tax jibe aimed at her father and former PM Rajiv Gandhi, asserting, It was not wealth, but the spirit of shahadat (martyrdom), which my father inherited from his mother. At a poll rally in Madhya Pradesh's Morena, the Congress leader fired back at the Prime Minister while campaigning for party candidate Nitu Sikarwar. PM accused my father of being a traitor and having scrapped a law just to inherit his mothers wealth. But not PM Modi, only you all present here who sent their children to guard the countrys borders can understand that my father (Rajiv Gandhi) didnt inherit money and wealth from his mother (Indira Gandhi). He inherited the spirit of martyrdom, she said. ' ' , , , , , : @priyankagandhi , pic.twitter.com/sh9Inf7KJR Congress (@INCIndia) May 2, 2024 Priyanka emotionally recounted the 1991 assassination of her father, adding that Modi will not understand the sacrifices made by her family. I was only 19 years old when I brought home pieces of my fathers body draped in the national tricolour. I was angry at the country then for not having saved my father, who sacrificed his life for the country, she said. Now, Im 52 and stating this fact publicly for the first time. But slowly, I realised that one only gets angry with someone he or she loves. How can I narrate how much we love our country when PM Modi terms by father a deshdrohi (traitor) on the public stage? the Congress leader continued. Last week, while addressing a rally in Morena, Modi had accused Rajiv of abolishing inheritance tax after coming to power to avoid taxation on the wealth inherited from his mother, Indira Gandhi. Listen with your ears wide open about the sins the Congress has committed. I want to put forth an interesting fact. When sister Indira Gandhi passed away, there was a law by virtue of which half of the wealth used to go to the government. There were talks then that Indiraji willed her wealth in her son Rajiv Gandhi's name, Modi had told the gathering. To save the money going to the government, the then-PM Rajiv Gandhi abolished the inheritance tax, the prime minister had claimed, as he tried to double down on his wealth redistribution and inheritance tax charge at the Congress. Immediately responding to Modi's remarks against Rajiv Gandhi, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had said that every time he opens his mouth to speak, the prime minister provides fresh evidence of his meanness, pettiness, and his steadfast adherence to lies. Should we fear inheritance tax? Hard truths and the Chidambaram-Jaitley dalliance with it Meanwhile, during Thursday's poll campaign, Priyanka escalated her criticism of the prime minister, claiming that Modi can only discuss dynastic politics and not their patriotic spirit, which she insisted can never be erased from our hearts. When Modiji utters nonsense about a woman like Indiraji, when Modiji, after seeing this feeling of patriotism, only sees dynastic politics, he cannot understand this sacrifice, Priyanka said in a voice choked with emotion. Let him call us traitors, evict us from houses, and burden us with cases. He got my brother ousted from Parliament, burdening him with so many cases and forcing him to move from one state to another to face court trials in those cases. Let him (Modi) do whatever he wants to do with us, even kill us, but the spirit of patriotism can never be erased from our hearts, the Congress leader added. While maintaining that the preaching of Hinduism formed the basis of Mahatma Gandhis movement against British rule and also the foundation of the Congress, Priyanka lashed out at the BJP and accused the saffron party of using religion to hide their non-performance on public issues. We are all religious. My grandmother, Indira Gandhi, taught me how to perform puja and I accompanied my father (Rajiv Gandhi) to the temples. My mother, who hails from abroad, learned Indian traditions in this country and has taught me about Hinduism. It is all about truth and the eternal spirit of Satyamev Jayate. But those in power today raise emotive issues of religion at the time of polls to hide their non-performance on public issues, the Congress leader said. BJP targets Sam Pitroda's inheritance tax remark; Congress distances itself, calls it Modi's 'malicious' campaign

Maharashtra: 26-year-old man arrested for raping woman in Navi Mumbai

A Madhya Pradesh man was arrested for allegedly raping a woman from Navi Mumbai, the police said

TS HC Confirms Life Imprisonment of Suris Killer

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Thursday upheld the sentence of life imprisonment of Malisetty Bhanu Kiran, alias Bhanu, in the killing of Gangula Suryanarayana Reddy, alias Maddilacheruvu Suri, a faction leader from Anantapur district, who had played a key role in the 2005 killing of the then MLA Paritala Ravi. Kiran was a close aide of Suri, whom he gunned down in January 2011. The Nampally court had in 2018 found Kiran guilty in the murder of Suri and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Challenging the same, Kiran approached the High Court. The bench of Justice K. Lakshman and Justice P. Sree Sudha heard the petition and on Thursday confirmed the trial courts order. Kirans contention was that there was no direct evidence to prove that he had killed Suri and that most of the witnesses had given contradictory statements, with many them turning hostile. Public prosecutor Palle Nageswara Rao said that Bhanu planned the murder and executed it when travelling with Suri in Hyderabad. Suri was sitting next to the driver and the only person in the rear seat was Kiran. He shot Suri from behind. The injuries on the right lower side of Suris head and the neck conclusively proved that it was Kiran who had pulled the trigger. After the offence, Bhanu fled to Madhya Pradesh where he changed his name to Mukesh Kunjam and secured an Aadhaar card on that name. The Madhya Pradesh police had booked Kiran for leading a dubious life with a fake identity. The gun that kiran used in the crime belonged to his private security person Man Mohan Singh Bhadauria, who was awarded five years jail in the same case, the public prosecutor said.

Shri Ram Janki Mandir public or private: Madhya Pradesh HC remands matter back to Jabalpur collector, details

Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur remitted a matter back to the Collector for further assessment of whether Shri Ram Janki Mandir, located in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, is a private or public trust.

Denied Sexual Favours, Man Rapes Woman At Hotel Near Mumbai: Police

A 26-year-old man from Madhya Pradesh has been arrested for allegedly raping a woman residing in Navi Mumbai, police said on Thursday.

India Emerges as a Global Tourism Powerhouse, Set to Join Top 10 Markets: Airbnb CBO

India Emerges as a Global Tourism Powerhouse, Set to Join Top 10 Markets: Airbnb CBO India is one of the ''fastest-growing markets'' for online accommodation hosting platform Airbnb and the country has the potential to be among its top 10 global markets in the coming years, according to its Chief Business Officer Dave Stephenson. The company is investing in India to tap the opportunity of a rapid rise in tourists travelling to foreign destinations as well as domestic places that are rapidly growing post-pandemic and where 90 per cent of its first-time bookers are Gen Zs. ''It (India) is one of our growth markets and we see a huge opportunity for growth in India in the future. In India, nights booked grew by almost 30 per cent YoY (Year-on-Year) in 2023 compared to 2022, which is a positive sign,'' Stephenson told PTI. For Airbnb, India is going to be ''a large travel market'', where it has seen a ''strong desire'' among the ''Indian travellers to venture overseas as well as explore domestic destinations, especially those off the beaten path'', he said. Though, Stephenson did not any specific growth numbers but said India is a ''focus area'' and ''is one of our fastest-growing countries''. When asked as whether India figures among Airbnb's top 10 markets globally, Stephenson replied in negative. Further he said, ''It should be one of the top 10 markets. It is getting to be a large travel market and we definitely think it can be. That would be the goal.'' Airbnb is investing specifically in India, where a number of tourists travelling to foreign destinations as well as domestic places are on the rise post-pandemic and is supporting them to stay in its range of ''inexpensive homes all the way to luxe homes''. It has witnessed a whopping 75 per cent jump in international group travel bookings from India, where families/friends are going abroad for vacations. It has added features like the collaborative wishlist, where it is helping these groups find a perfect place. ''Indians are inspired by Cricket and Bollywood, and they want to explore the world. If they stay domestically, they are going to places like Goa and enjoying. But also, if they have the opportunity to travel abroad, they love to go to Italy and places that they're inspired by from the movies,'' he said. Currently, 90 per cent of its first-time bookers are Gen Zs. Moreover, Airbnb is supporting the inbound flow of international travellers coming to India. Airbnb is ''working closely with the government in their vision to make India one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in the world'', Stephenson said. It has partnered with the Ministry of Tourism and curated a dedicated microsite which spotlights heritage stays across India. It has also partnered with state governments of Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Maharashtra, among others, to promote lesser-known destinations and conduct capacity-building workshops, he said. It is supporting individual homeowners to share their home, or a second home, enabling them to earn money out of their properties. ''We have supported over 85,000 jobs and contributed over USD 920 million dollars to the GDP of India just through our Airbnb activities,'' he said, adding, ''When people stay in Airbnb, they support the economy, the economies of the host and community they stay in versus staying in a hotel where the profits can go off to some corporation.'' Airbnb on Wednesday unveiled Icons, a new category of extraordinary experiences hosted by the greatest names in music, film, television, art, sports, and more. Among 11 global such Icons, it has selected the home of Chennai-based home of Bollywood actor Janhvi Kapoor, where she had spent her childhood, for a stay. 'Live like Bollywood star Janhvi Kapoor' in India, offers stay in the home, which was owned by late actor Sri Devi, it said. This summer international destinations such as Milan (Italy), Amalfi (Italy), Tokyo (Japan), Rome (Italy) and Frankfurt (Germany) are trending in Airbnb search lists. According to Airbnb, Bollywood films and social media influencers have continued to contribute towards the growing popularity of Europe and Japan. Besides, Goa, Varkala in Kerala, Varanasi, Delhi and Kochi are among such domestic destinations, it added.

Telangana Congress Members to be Re-summoned by Delhi Police in Amit Shah's Fake Video Case

Telangana Congress Members to be Re-summoned by Delhi Police in Amit Shah's Fake Video Case The Delhi Police is likely to serve a second notice to the members of the Telangana Congress in connection with the uploading and sharing a fake video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the officials said on Thursday. The four members of the Telangana Congress, who were supposed to appear before the office of the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO), did not come on Wednesday. ''We will again ask them to appear before the IO (investigating officer), as they did not come on Wednesday,'' an officer, privy to the investigation said. The summonses were issued to Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and four Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) members -- Shiva Kumar Ambala, Asma Tasleem, Satish Manne and Naveen Pettem -- under sections 91 and 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). According to the police sources, if a person is served notice under section 160/91 of the CrPC, the person can either make a physical appearance before the IO or send a legal representative. On Wednesday, Reddy's lawyer appeared before the IO and asserted that the Congress leader had nothing to do with creating or posting the doctored video of Shah's speech. According to police, about 22 people from various political parties in the states of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have been served notices in connection with the case and they have been asked to appear before the police on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Special Cell of the Delhi Police had on Sunday registered an FIR after the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which is under the ministry of home affairs (MHA), filed a complaint about the doctored video of Shah where his statements indicating a commitment to abolish quota for Muslims on religious ground in Telangana were changed to make it seem that he was advocating scrapping of all reservations.