+ , 1. $#2 #2 2 VRGR '%&((!1#VCEB R BP A"'!#$#1!$"#0$"T utqBVQWBuxy( "-"!.*/$ .%#%.#2 -./01 3.40 7 /!!)+!* +3.)4+)+/0*&!.& 3!3+"*)+/&3 .!-/0-3"@&( /&)-/3)!+()* *)"/0*)03* "/).08)*/ 63!+0& *0+&)+*&!+!*+*)--5 &7"/)0&+-!)83! .!/*).3 /5.!*)).0)5().) 9-" +,:; "" <=> 9) + ! ) ) )% 0 .*12.34( ./5 !" Digvijay has been a bitter # critic of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the ideological guide of the BJP, and had allegedly linked it to the 2008 Mumbai terror attack $ R carried out by Pakistani ter- rorists. !(.!-/0 The BJP also decided to field KP Yadav from Guna, a etting the stage for an epic seat held by senior Congress Sbattle in Bhopal, the BJP on leader Jyotiraditya Scindia who Wednesday fielded Sadhvi is contesting from there. The Pragya Singh Thakur, facing BJP has named Raj Bahadur trial in Malegaon blast case, in Singh and Ramakant Bhargav Lok Sabha elections, against as its nominees from Sagar and Congress heavyweight and for- Vidisha respectively. mer Madhya Pradesh Chief External Affairs Minister Minister Digvijay Singh. Sushma Swaraj had won from Out on bail, Sadhvi joined Vidisha in 2014 but she is not the BJP only hours before the fighting polls this time due to party announced her name as health reasons. its candidate from Bhopal. This Born in Bhind district of is being seen as a clear attempt Madhya Pradesh, Sadhvi has by the BJP to bring the had a long association with the Hindutva plank at the centre Sangh Parivar. A post-graduate stage of polls in the State, in history, she worked with the where the BJP had won 27 out RSS student wing Akhil of 29 seats in 2014 LS polls. Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad “I will contest the election and Durga Vahini, women’s from Bhopal and win. Former wing of the Vishwa Hindu Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Parishad. Chouhan is with me,” Sadhvi Arrested in the 2008 * said after emerging out of the Malegaon blast case, she was BJP office at Bhopal. given a clean chit by the In a way, the face-off National Investigation Agency between Digvijay and Sadhvi (NIA), but the trial court sented by the AIADMK, fol- will also be seen as a battle refused to discharge her from !(.!-/0 lowing recovery of huge between the hardcore Hindutva the case. amount of cash allegedly from represented by the likes of !" # # # The court dropped the he second phase of Lok an associate of a DMK leader. Sadhvi and equally dyed-in- # $ % ! # $ % charges under the Maharashtra TSabha polls for 95 seats will The EC also announced the-wool “secularism” propa- Control of Organised Crime decide the fate of several stal- postponement of polling in gated by the likes of Digvijay. people’s court by fielding several accused, including A senior BJP leader said Hindutva” faces of the Act (MCOCA) against her, warts, including Union Tripura (East) Lok Sabha seat At a rally in Odisha, BJP Sadhvi against Digvijay, he Swami Aseemanand, in the party decided to field Congress. and she is now being tried Ministers Jitendra Singh, Jual to the third phase on April 23, president Amit Shah on said, accusing the Congress of Samjhauta Express blast case, Sadhvi, who joined the party Also being a high-profile under the Unlawful Activities Oram, Sadananda Gowda and saying the prevailing law and Wednesday described Digvijay defaming India by coining Shah attacked the Congress and hours before her candidature seat as the Madhya Pradesh Prevention Act. She was grant- Pon Radhakrishnan, former order situation there is not con- as the “creator” of “saffron ter- terms like “Hindu terror” and said people of Bhopal will pun- was announced, against capital, it can help rally support ed bail by the Bombay High Prime Minister HD Deve ducive for free and fair polls. ror” phrase. The BJP has decid- “saffron terror”. ish Digvijay and Congress pres- Digvijay as the latter has been for the BJP across the State and Court in 2017. Gowda and DMK’s Dayanidhi The stake is high for the ed to take the matter to the Referring to the acquittal of ident Rahul Gandhi. one of the most visible “anti- even outside, he added. Continued on Page 4 Maran, A Raja and Kanimozhi. AIADMK which had swept Altogether 1,600-odd contes- the polls in 2014 and has gone tants are in the fray from 11 from one internal crisis to States and the Union Territory another after the death of its of Puducherry. supreme leader J Jayalalithaa. Thirty eight of the 39 Lok The party has formed a strong Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu will alliance with PMK and DMDK !(.!-/0 Modi took to twitter in the go to polls and bypolls will be to take on the might of DMK- morning to express anguish held in 18 Assembly con- Cong-Left alliance, which is s many as 50 people died over the loss of lives in the rain stituencies. The Election expected to win at least two Aand several others injured in Gujarat and announced Commission cancelled the third of the 39 seats, as per var- due to unseasonal rain, dust relief. Soon afterwards Madhya polling in Vellore Lok Sabha ious opinion polls. storm and lightning in Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal seat, which is currently repre- Continued on Page 4 Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Nath hit out at the Prime Maharashtra and Gujarat. It has Minister, accusing him of being !(.!-/0 caused damage to property, concerned only about his home wheat crops, mango, and pota- State Gujarat. elhiites woke up to a pleas- toes and vegetables in north, The PMO in a tweet later Dant Wednesday morning, central parts of the country. said, “PM @narendramodi has with the temperature drop- It is estimated that proper- expressed grief at loss of lives ping following overnight rain ties and crops worth several due to unseasonal rain and that returned in the afternoon. hundred crores have been dam- storms in MP, Rajasthan, The maximum temperature aged. Several cattle were also Manipur & various parts of the settled at 29.5 degrees Celsius, killed in rain-related incidents. country”. seven notches below the sea- According to the India ) # ) “An ex gratia of 2 lakh son’s average, the minimum Meteorological Department ' * ) $ % each for the next of kin of those temperature was recorded at (IMD), unseasonal rain, thun- who lost their lives due to 19.0 degrees Celsius, three derstorm, lightning and high Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram unseasonal rain & storms in notches below the normal, a speed wind were caused by Haryana, Punjab and Bihar. An and Tripura, and Odisha are MP, Rajasthan, Manipur & Met department official said. active Western Disturbance amber colour warning indicates likely to get rain and thunder- various parts of the country has The Met office has forecast (WD) over eastern Iran that is that authorities have to remain storm on Friday. been approved from the PM’s overcast skies for Thursday moving towards east-north- alert for any weather-related Several parts of north and National Relief Fund. 50,000 along with the possibility of eastwards across Afghanistan, exigency. The situation is central India have been wit- each for the injured has also light rain and thundershowers. Pakistan and northwest India. expected to remain the same in nessing thunderstorms, dust been approved,” the PMO said. “The maximum and minimum According to IMD, the next two-three days in storms, lightning and heavy Union Home Minister temperatures are likely to hover Uttrakhand, Punjab, Haryana, North-East and southern parts rain since Sunday. Rajnath Singh said the at 33 and 18 degrees Celsius Chandigarh, Bihar, Gangetic of the country. According to reports, Government is closely moni- respectively,” the Met said. & ' $ West Bengal and Delhi-NCR As per IMD, Kerala, Rajasthan witnessed the max- toring the situation in rain-hit The humidity oscillated on Wednesday witnessed squall Telangana, Sikkim, Karnataka, imum casualties with 21 peo- areas and is ready to provide all between 82 and 54 per cent. (wind speed reaching 60-70 Assam, Jharkhand, Meghalya, ple killed in overnight rain- possible assistance to States The Safdarjung observatory, ! #$ kilometres per hour) accom- West Bengal, Arunachal related incidents followed by affected by rain and thunder- recording of which is consid- panied with hail and Pradesh and Puducherry may Madhya Pradesh where 15 storm. Officials of the ered the official figure for New Delhi: An Indian Crested Porcupine was rescued by Wildlife SOS after it was hit by a vehi- lightning. witness rain, thunderstorm were killed. 10 people were Agriculture Ministry said the Delhi, received 1 mm rain till cle in Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi on Tuesday night. The porcupine sustained injuries The IMD has issued an with gusty wind on Thursday, killed in Gujarat, three were assessment of loss of crops is 8.30 am after which it record- on its hind legs and is currently under observation. Wasim Akram, Deputy Director-Special amber-coloured warning for while West Bengal, Andhra killed in Maharashtra. being carried out. ed traces of rainfall till 5.30 pm. Projects, Wildlife SOS, said, “We are thankful to JNU students for taking quick action that helped parts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Prime Minister Narendra Continued on Page 4 Continued on Page 4 save the animal’s life.” Detailed report on P3 O P % & N O ' !(.!-/0 liamentarians they keep meet- When asked about AAP ! ' ing and declined to state any- leader Sanjay Singh meeting " # fter a fresh round of dis- thing about the meeting. him, Azad said as Member of Acussion for the Congress- “Alliance talks between Parliament we keep meeting !(.!-/0 AAP alliance in Delhi and AAP and Congress has been each other so nothing new neighbouring States of Haryana called off following disagree- should be read about.