C M Y K RNI Regn. No. MPENG/2004/13703, Regd. No. L-2/BPLON/41/2006-2008 O O !"! #"$%& '('('!" )* " some of the comments and people from different sections Former Chief Ministers barbs by party’s senior leaders of society and held several Siddharamaiah, Oomen he Congress Working gave opportunities to ruling rounds of consultations with Chandy, Tarun Gogoi and TCommittee (CWC) on parties to embarrass the them across the country, to Harish Rawat will attend the Monday is likely to take the Congress. The Congress lead- include their views in the man- meeting. Priyanka Gandhi final call on AAP-Congress ers will discuss pros and cons of ifesto. It has also launched an Vadra and Jyotiraditya Scindia, alliance in the national Capital aligning with the AAP. While online portal to seek views and who took charge last month as and also strategise on how to the opinion within the expectations of people from AICC general secretary UP run the party’s campaigns in Congress is divided on this the grand old party ahead of east and UP west respectively, Opposition-ruled States like issue, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar the Lok Sabha polls. The top will also be present. West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh is actively involved in getting party leaders have promised to The party also released its without annoying its prospec- the two parties together. make the manifesto a com- ninth list of 10 candidates for tive post-poll allies. The issue has divided prehensive document that will the Lok Sabha elections, field- Sources said the Congress Delhi Congress unit between include views of all sections. ing former Finance Minister P leadership will also give a final two camps — one led by for- “The contents of the man- Chidambaram’s son Karti shape to the party’s manifesto mer Chief Minister Sheila ifesto will be discussed at the Chidambaram from Sivaganga which may include among Dikshit and another by former CWC to be chaired by in Tamil Nadu. Karti is facing others populist programmes Union Minister Ajay Maken Congress president Rahul. Top trial in corruption cases, like employment guarantee and AICC Delhi incharge PC Congress leaders, including including the INX media schemes, loan waivers to farm- Chacko. Sources said the AAP, former Prime Minister money laundering case. ers, and welfare schemes for which wrested power from Manmohan Singh, senior Former NCP leader Tariq youth and women voters. Congress four years ago, is The other issue that the poll campaign in Malda. Congress leaders Sonia Anwar was nominated by the The CWC, which is the keen to take on BJP in an party may discuss was the The party manifesto for Gandhi, Ahmed Patel, AK party for the Katihar Lok apex body of the grand old alliance with the Congress nature of campaign to be run the Lok Sabha election is being Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, P Sabha seat in Bihar, which he party, will also discuss possible despite conflicting utterances by in Opposition-run States. framed by a committee head- Chidambaram, Mallikarjun currently represents. The party star campaigners for the party by senior leaders of both the The need to do this was felt ed by P Chidambaram, which Kharge, Ambika Soni and also fielded its former general this country. The people will in the General Elections. parties. Delhi has seven Lok after Rahul Gandhi’s vitriolic has some other members too. Anand Sharma, will be present secretary BK Hariprasad from teach a bitter lesson to the polit- Sources said there could be gag Sabha seats, all represented attack on Chief Minister The Congress has already at the meeting,” said a AICC the Bangalore South con- ical parties who are raising orders to certain leaders as by BJP now. Mamata Banerjee during his launched an exercise to involve leader. stituency in Karnataka. questions about Pulwama attacks and subsequent Indian action,” Shah said while addressing a rally in Agra. Incidentally, all the top leaders of the BJP referred to P Pulwama attack and Pakistan in their addresses. Rajnath too accused some Opposition par- he Bharatiya Janata Party on ties for questioning Armed TSunday began its Lok Sabha forces in the wake of the IAF air Pakistan’s internal issue and campaign in a big way in Uttar strike inside Pakistan after (be) rest assured it’s not Modi’s Pradesh with senior party lead- Pulwama terror attack. India where minorities are ers, including party chief Amit “Some leaders are asking subjugated, it’s Imran Khan’s amajwadi Party president Shah, holding Vijay Sankalp ral- how many people were killed Naya Pak where white colour SAkhilesh Yadav will contest lies across the State invoking in that attack. This is ques- of our flag is equally dearer to from Azamgarh Lok Sabha nationalism in the context of tioning as if whether air strike us.” seat in Uttar Pradesh, which Modi Government response to had actually happened or not,” “I hope you’ll act with was represented by his father the Pulwama terror attack. he said. Yogi even equated same diligence when it comes Mulayam Singh Yadav. Union Home Minister one of the candidates in to rights of Indian minorities,” While the 79-year-old SP Rajnath Singh addressed a rally Saharanpur as damaad (son-in he said. patriarch will contest from in Lucknow from where he is law) of Azhar Masood and war of words erupted on Swaraj, in her response to “safe seat” Mainpuri, the party seeking re-election, while Chief asked people to defeat the O ASunday between External Chaudhary, said she had only on Sunday made a volte face Minister Yogi Adityanath candidates who talk the lan- Affairs Minister Sushma asked for a report from the and included its founder chief Akhilesh, Azam, Dimple addressed a gathering in guage of terrorists. Swaraj and Pakistan’s Pakistan Ajay Bisaria on the Indian High Commissioner Mulayam Singh Yadav’s name Yadav and Jaya Bachchan Saharanpur, the constituency Uttar Pradesh, a home to Information Minister Fawad reported abduction of the girls in Islamabad about the kid- in its list of “star campaigners”, among others, besides Ram that will go to polls in first phase 22 crore people, sends maxi- Chaudhary over reports of and their forcible conversion to napping and forced conversion a day after leaving him out of Gopal Yadav himself. on April 11. Another Union mum 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha. abduction of two Hindu Islam. of two minor Hindu girls to it. Also, the SP announced that At present, the SP patri- Minister Mukhtar Abaas Naqvi In 2014 election party, with its teenaged girls and their forcible Pakistan Prime Minister Islam. senior leader Azam Khan will arch represents Azamgarh addressed a meeting in Rampur. ally Apna Dal, 73 seats were conversion to Islam on the eve Imran Khan has ordered a “This was enough to make contest from Rampur. constituency. He had repre- “In this election won with the BJP bagging 71 of Holi in the Sindh province. probe into the matter. you jittery. This only shows The list released by senior sented Mainpuri three times Opposition is defaming the constituencies. This year the In a tweet, Swaraj sought a Responding to Swaraj’s tweet, your guilty conscience,” she SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav earlier in 1996, 2004 and valour of Indian Army. This is party has set a target to win 74 report from Indian envoy in Chaudhary said, “Maam its said. included the names of party 2009. not acceptable to the people of seats. O their number to just 264. This included. The EIA consultant variety of bustard is found in of the project is M/s Enviro Central environmental the four States — Gujarat, Infra Solutions Pvt Ltd, Apanel has spiked the Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan Ghaziabad. National Highway Authority of and Maharashtra. The EAC also noted that LM India’s proposal to construct The proposed project is a the land acquisition for the the Rs 1078.40-crore 211-km- part of Delhi-Mumbai proposed alignment was long eight-lane road (newly Expressway under Bharatmala approximately 336.72 ha out of declared NH 148N) connect- Pariyojana as per the guide- which 41.82 ha is forest land. NO ing Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam lines of the Ministry of Road, Approximately 2,438 number district to Vadodara in Gujarat. Transport and Highways. The of trees are likely to be cut. It said the road may threaten length of the proposed align- For want of requisite infor- the habitat of the highly endan- ment is 31 km which is locat- mation, the panel deferred its gered Lesser Floricans in the ed within 10 km radius from nod to the project and sought adjoining Sailna Khamor the boundary of Sailana cumulative impacts of the pro- Wildlife Sanctuary in Ratlam Kharmor Wildlife Sanctuary. ject activities on the habitat of district. Curiously, while deliberat- wildlife, such as Lesser Florian, In a meeting held recent- ing the proposed project at its direct loss of habitat at inter- O ly, the Expert Appraisal recent meeting the EAC mem- section locations particularly Committee (EAC) of the bers found that plans pertain- on account of damage to the Union Environment Ministry ing to air, water, noise and soil Sanctuary, in the Environment existing vegetation due to con- sought detailed information on quality monitoring locations Impact Assessment struction activities and trans- the impact of the project on the along the proposed alignment (EIA)/Environment port and degradation of habi- smallest agro-grassland bus- were not submitted. Also, even Management Programme tat quality due to construction tard which are in the danger of though the proposed align- (EMP) report, details of sanc- activities and construction becoming extinct from India.