INDIA’S
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‘Those not voting should be barred’ BJP leader L K Advani batted for introduction of compulsory voting in the country and said those failing to exercise their right to franchise should be barred from voting in future. "Not only compulsory voting, there should be some punishment for those who do not vote. In some countries, there is a fine, but in India there are many poor people.
ELECTIONS SPECIAL 2014 w w w . l e m a t i n a l . c o m
LE MATINAL, PORT-LOUIS, TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014
CASH IN TIFFIN BOXES
D
espite Election Commissions efforts to check bribing of voters, cash distribution seems to have begun on a large scale across Chennai in the build-up to polls on April 24.Voters in Central Chennai constituency, where former Union minister and DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran and AIADMK's S R Vijayakumar are contesting, have started receiving tiffin boxes containing Rs 2,000 from party cadres. And both parties have filed complaints accusing each other of luring voters with money. The poll panel has begun a probe and filed FIRs in one of the cases brought to their notice by AIADMK. Sources said the distribution of money began four days back. "This time, it is being arranged in a way that will prevent major cash seizures. Local leaders have assigned the job to people who are not directly connected to the party. Each of them is asked to distribute the cash to 50 families over a day or two. Even if he or she gets caught, it's difficult to trace it back to the party and the amount seized would not be considerable," said a police officer in the intelligence branch.Tamil Nadu has the dubious distinction of recording the highest number of seizures of money and gifts meant for distribution among voters over the past few elections.The EC has kept flying squads on their toes across the state. But enterprising party workers are finding loopholes and the poll panel, short on manpower, is finding it difficult to cover every corner. A welder in Central Chennai said he was surprised when a representative of a local self-help group knocked at his door and handed over a tiffin box with Rs 2 000 to him . — TOI.
MODI PLEDGES TO RID PARLIAMENT OF CRIMINALS B
haratiya Janata Party's (BJP's) prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi on Monday pledged to rid Parliament of criminals, asserting he would not even spare errant leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).Addressing an election rally in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, Modi said he would seek details of parliamentarians with criminal background if a BJP-led NDA government was voted to power. Modi added he would request the Supreme Court to open cases against them so that the guilty could be sent behind the bars. "Parliament se apraadhi saaf karne padenge… main aaya to inhe nahi chhodunga…chaahe BJP ya NDA ke kyun na hon (We need to rid Parliament of criminals… I won't let them off the hook if I'm elected to power… even if a member is from the BJP or the NDA)," an ANI tweet quoted him as saying. Modi's remarks came around a month after a controversy over inducting Karnataka leader B Sriramulu had gripped the BJP, with senior leader Sushma Swaraj voicing her resentment. According to non-government agency ADR, Sriramulu has eight cases against him. There are nine cases including that of cheating and forgery against former Karanataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa. Both are BJP candidates these elections. Modi also launched a scathing attack on the Samajwadi Party (SP)-led UP government over law and order.The Gujarat chief minister alleged the SP, opposition Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress did not care about the poor. A day after Rahul Gandhi slammed him over development in Gujarat, Modi said
the Congress vice-president was ignorant about poverty. "He doesn't know what poverty is… That is why he does poverty tourism." On Sunday, Smriti Irani had accused the Gandhi of inviting former British foreign secretary David Miliband to his constituency, Amethi, to exhibit poverty. Actor-turned-politician Irani is the BJP candidate for the seat. "People go… to see Taj Mahal, also click pictures and show them to relatives. Similarly,
I won't let them off the hook if I'm elected to power… even if a member is from the BJP or the NDA.
Furore after VHP leader Togadia warns Muslims
V
ishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Pravin Togadia is facing severe criticism on social network site Twitter for allegedly delivering a hate speech against Muslims in Bhavnagar, Gujarat.According to a report in The Times of India, Togadia on Saturday targeted Muslims buying properties in Hindu areas. He later joined a street protest outside a house bought by a Muslim businessman near Meghani Circle.In the politically charged atmosphere where the issues of communalism and hate speeches have triggered a big debate, the leader of saffron outfit VHP also reportedly gave a 48-hour ultimatum to the businessman and directed a gathering to attack the house if he did not "relent". Journalist Rahul Pandita tweeted, "If Togadia's speech does not qualify for legal action, I don't know what else does!" Twitter handle @rameshsrivats wrote on the micro-blogging site, "If Togadia has his way the whole country will be divided into Hindu areas, Muslim areas, and so on. Our society will become an Area Samaj." — TOI
Rahul bhaiya goes to see poverty," Modi said, firing a fresh salvo at Gandhi. Referring to his humble past, the BJP's PM nominee once again played the 'chaiwallh' card. "People are making fun of my childhood, my poverty. I am proud of the fact that I sold tea...at least I did not sell out the nation," an ANI tweet quoted him as saying. Calling for a change in UP, Modi said the state was stuck between 'baap-beta sarkar' (read the government of SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son chief minister Akhilesh Yadav) and 'Behenji ki sarkar' (read BSP chief Mayawati's government). — HT
Rahul Gandhi addressed his supporters during an election campaign rally in Mumbai.
Bollywood actor Sunil Shetty and Paresh Rawal during campaigning for Rawal in Ahmedabad.
ARVIND KEJRIWAL :
‘SONIA IGNORED AMETHI’ A am Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal made no bones about mocking Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi while campaigning in Amethi for Kumar Vishwas. “Soniaji came to Amethi after ten years, that too during polls. Where was she before? She urged people to vote for her son Rahul again. The people of Amethi should ask her where was Rahul for last five years,” Kejriwal said while addressing a crowd of a few hundred people. “Soniaji visiting Amethi to campaign proves AAP has made the Congress jittery,” he said. Turning his guns on the BJP, Kejriwal said, “The BJP has deliberately fielded Smriti Irani, a weak candidate, in Amethi. But the strategy would prove futile. Amethi’s people will teach both the Congress and the BJP a lesson and end dynasty politics here and everywhere else,” Kejriwal said at a road show. Kejriwal will himself take on Modi in Varanasi on May 12. With Kejriwal and Vishwas
challenging Modi and Rahul, respectively, against the backdrop of the AAP’s stunning debut in the Delhi assembly elections last year, all eyes are on the big-ticket fights in Varanasi and the Congress’ traditional stronghold Amethi. The AAP chief also accused the Congress of helping Robert Vadra, Priyanka Gandhi’s husband to grab farmers’ land in Haryana and Rajasthan. He claimed that people of Amethi will this time defeat Rahul by a margin of two lakh votes as they have got a best ‘would be MP’ in Kumar Vishwas AAP’s candidate from Amethi. “Till date people of Amethi had no option but the Congress. But now Kumar Vishwas is taking on the Congress crown prince, and is driving a change for accountability, for a clean and corruption free future,” he added. Women, however, didn’t seem to be impressed with Kejriwal. A group of was seen shouting slogans “Rahul Gandhi Zindabad, Delhi ka Bhagoda Wapas Jao (escapist of Delhi go back), and showing black flags to Kejriwal. — HT
Children welcomed Aam Aadmi Party chief, Arvind Kejariwal, during his campaign in Amethi.
BJP candidate, S. Irani, talking to a young Muslim boy at an election rally in Amethi.
Rahul : ‘Modi would have ousted Vajpayee’ S harpening his attack on Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the BJP leader would have "ousted" even Atal Bihari Vajpayee like party veterans Jaswant Singh and L K Advani had the former PM continued being in public life.The Congress Vice President took a dig at Modi for his statement at rallies asking voters to make him the "chowkidar" (watchman) of the country, saying the BJP PM candidate was a "chowkidar"
only to businessmen and had ousted senior leaders and "brought in Adani"."He (Modi) boasts of development in Gujarat but it was not a single man who changed Gujarat. It was the hard work of labourers and farmers who made Gujarat. "He wants to get the keys
(control) of the country in his hands but what happened in Gujarat? People gave him keys but he brought in (businessman) Adani," Gandhi said at a public meeting ."A group of Sikh farmers from Gujarat told me that their forefathers migrated from Pakistan to Gujarat and they put in their hard work
People gave Modi keys but he brought in businessman Adani...
and efforts to make the land allotted to them fertile. Now, Gujarat government officials have asked them to leave the state saying they were outsiders, he said, adding the same treatment was meted out to senior leaders in BJP. "L K Advani and Jaswant Singh were told 'you are outsiders go from here'. If Atal Bihari Vajyapee would be in public life today, he would also be asked the same thing," he said. — HT