BJP’s fresh salvo at Kejriwal over his house’s renovation

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Sonia Gandhi To Address Poll Rally In Karnataka Today

Bengaluru (PTI): Ex Congress chief Sonia Gandhi would address an election rally in Hubballi on Saturday, her first campaign meeting for the Assembly elections in Karnataka. The Congress candidate in Hubballi-Dharwad Central is former CM Jagadish Shettar, who joined the party after being denied ticket to contest the elections by the BJP. The BJP has fielded Mahesh Tenginkai from here. The fight between Shettar and Tenginkai has become a prestigious battle of sorts for the ruling BJP and the Congress.

EX-DY SPEAKER OF LS CHARANJIT SINGH ATWAL JOINS BJP

New Delhi (PTI):

Former Lok Sabha deputy speaker

Charanjit Singh Atwal joined the BJP here in the presence of its president JP Nadda on Friday, in a boost to the party ahead of the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll on May 10. Atwal (86), who recently re- signed from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), was the deputy speaker of Lok Sabha from 2004-2009. His son Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal is the BJP candidate from Jalandhar. Iqbal Singh Atwal was also with the Akali Dal before he joined the BJP last month.

CONG PEAKED EARLY, BJP CAMPAIGN HITTING RIGHT CHORD AT RIGHT TIME: BL SANTHOSH

New Delhi (PTI): Senior BJP leader BL Santhosh has said the Congress campaign in Karnataka peaked early while his party’s electioneering is hitting the right chord at the right time and has put it on course to win a majority. Speaking on a ‘Twitter Space’, the key BJP general secretary in charge of the party organisation described Bajrang Dal as a “nation-building force” and slammed Congress for equating it with the banned outfit PFI, which he blamed for killing several of his party’s workers. “Hindu and terrorism, they do not go together at all. Hindu and extremism both words cannot walk together.... They (Congress) have given us an issue and we will be raising them,” he said amid aggressive campaign by the BJP led by PM Narendra Modi to corner the opposition party over the issue.

Ex-Kerala CM Oommen Chandy admitted to Bengaluru hospital

Bengaluru (Agencies): Two-time former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy, who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer in Bengaluru, was admitted to a hospital in Bengaluru on Friday for viral pneumonia. His son, Chandy Oommen posted this in- formation in his social media account, and asked all to pray for his health.

Since February, the former chief minister has been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bengaluru. He has not been keeping well since 2019, and had undergone laser surgery for a throat ailment at a hospital in Germany.

In The Courtyard

SUPREME COURT TO HEAR PLEA AGAINST PROMOTION OF 68 GUJ JUDICIAL OFFICERS

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on May 8 a plea challenging the promotion of 68 Gujarat lower judicial officers, including Surat Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Harish Hasmukhbhai Varma who had convicted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case, on the ground of allegedly disregarding the “merit-cum-seniority principle”. A bench fixed the plea for hearing on Tuesday.

GOOGLE TO BLOCK DEFAMATORY VIDEOS 7 OF FAMILY GET BAIL IN ASSAULT CASE

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has directed internet giant Google to block or take down from YouTube certain “defamatory” videos, which targeted major brands including ‘Catch’ by alleging that Indian spices contain urine and cow dung.

Mumbai: A court in Thane district has granted prearrest bail to seven members of a family in a case of attempt to murder, in which a worker of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) was attacked and casteist slurs were hurled at him.

EX-HPSSC SECY’S CUSTODY EXTENDED

Hamirpur: A court on Friday extended the judicial remand of a former secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Staff Service Commission till May 17 in connection with the Junior Office Assistant (Information Technology) paper leak case.

GUJ HC GRANTS BAIL TO 3 IAF OFFICIALS

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat high court on Friday granted bail to three Indian Air Force (IAF) officials, who were sentenced to life imprisonment by a special CBI court last year for the custodial death of a cook in Jamnagar in 1995.

Thiruvananthapuram (ANI): BJP’s cultural forum ‘Tapasya’ organised a special screening of the film ‘The Kerala Story’ in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district on Friday.

BJP arranged the special screening on Friday morning at 11.20 at Aries Plus Theatre in Thiruvananthapuram.

Censor Board member and state secretary Tapasya, GM Mahesh said that all have the right to expression and added

“WILL SHOW FILM TO GIRLS TO SAVE THEM FROM LOVE JIHAD” that the movie ‘The Kerala Story’ tells facts so let people of Kerala watch and evaluate. “BJP supporters watched the movie dur- ing the special screening. Let Kerala society watch and evaluate the

Lucknow (PTI): Amid the ongoing controversy over the movie “The Kerala Story”, an Uttar Pradesh BJP leader, party’s secretary Abhijat Mishra, on Friday said he will show the film to 100 girls and urged others to do the same to save girls from ‘love jihad’.

HC: WON’T STAY RELEASE OF ‘THE KERALA STORY’ movie. It tells the facts. All have the right to expression and why

Kochi (PTI): The Kerala High Court on Friday refused to stay the release of the controversial multi-lingual film ‘The Kerala Story’ and said the trailer does not contain anything offensive to any particular community as a whole. A bench passed this order on Friday.

New Delhi (PTI):

BJP on Friday fired a fresh salvo at Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal amid the row over the Rs 45 crore expenditure on his residence, comparing him with the likes of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in terms of “luxury” linked to their “palaces”.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi played videos of Kejriwal’s old statements in which he presented himself as a crusader against leaders spending public money on expensive lifestyles, including big houses, and luxurious cars.

Trivedi hit out at Kejriwal, quoting his 2013 tweet in which he had targeted the then Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit for allegedly having 10 ACs in her house when so many people lived in slums. He accused the AAP leaders of playing an “important role” in creating a crisis of credibility in Indian politics and claimed that it is the conduct of the likes of him that causes distrust among people about the political class. Trivedi said government agencies will do their job as per the law but Kejriwal’s party should provide “political and moral” answers. Kejriwal’s luxurious palace unveils so many truths about him. The way and extent of the luxury Mr. Kejriwal’s palace possesses seem similar to Saddam Hussein’s and Kim Jong Un’s palaces one has heard.

—Sudhanshu Trivedi, BJP spokesperson

No alternative to NCP chief Pawar, says Shiv Sena (UBT)

Mumbai (Agencies):

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut on Friday welcomed the Nationalist Congress Party decision rejecting its President Sharad Pawar’s resignation.

“It was on anticipated lines... There’s no alternative to Pawar Saheb... The NCP committee’s decision is correct,” said Raut, soon after the Maha Vikas Aghadi

(MVA) ally’s turmoilridden party’s move.

He said that Pawar is the most respected and nationally accepted leader and all the Opposition parties in the country want him to continue in his post.

“All parties are clear on this, he is a uniting force... Pawar Saheb must continue as NCP President, at least till 2024 polls,” urged Raut.

He reiterated that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was making attempts to destroy all Opposition parties and force them to merge with it, using pressure tactics of different kinds.

“First the BJP broke up the Shiv Sena, then the NCP was being targeted similarly with the fear of the central investigating agencies... This cannot work in a democracy,” he pointed out.