Of four places where Rahul would be campaigning for party in Punjab on Monday and Wednesday, Bargari village has been strategically chosen by the party for a mega rally Of four places where Rahul would be campaigning for party in Punjab on Monday and Wednesday, Bargari village has been strategically chosen by the party for a mega rally Bargari, a village falling in Faridkot Lok Sabha constituency in Punjab, where the sacrilege of the holy book of Sikhs took place in 2015, is set to be the epicentre of the Congress campaign in Punjab with party president Rahul Gandhi scheduled to address a rally in favour of party candidate Mohd Sadiq there Wednesday. Of four places where Rahul would be campaigning for party in Punjab on Monday and Wednesday, Bargari village has been strategically chosen by the party for a mega rally. The Congress has been putting the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on the defensive on the issue of Bargari sacrilege and subsequent police firings in Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura. The Bargari sacrilege issue is resonating in the state, with Congress leaving no stone unturned to put SAD on the defensive over the issue. While Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the main opposition of ruling Congress in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, has suffered a setback due to splintering, Congress faces competition from Akalis here this election. The Congress has already weaved its narrative carefully around Bargari. After Chief Minister Amarinder Singh accusing Akalis of sacrilege, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal had hit back a few days ago, saying he had prayed that the clan of anyone who did sacrilege should be wiped out, and those who are playing dirty politics over the issue should also face the same fate. AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, it is learnt, may campaign for Amarinder’s aide Kewal Singh Dhillon in Sangrur. Earlier, she was scheduled to visit only Bathinda and Gurdaspur on Tuesday. Sources said she had to go to Shimla Tuesday morning, but may cancel Shimla and instead campaign for Dhillon, who is facing AAP’s sitting MP Bhagwant Singh Mann. Sources said Priyanka specially wanted to take out a road show in Gurdaspur against BJP pick Sunny Deol as the latter had taken out a road show in her mother Sonia Gandhi’s Rae Bareilly constituency in Uttar Pradesh.<doc-sep>PM Modi will hold rallies in Madhya Pradesh. (File) With election campaign is in its final leg this week, the war of words is escalating between political parties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a rally in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam, attack the grand alliance of opposition parties. "These 'Mahamilavati' people are saying 'hua toh hua', but the country is now saying 'mahamilavati logon ab bohot hua', enough is enough," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. His remark came after BSP chief Mayawati attacked him over his comments on Alwar rape case on Sunday. Here are the highlights of the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 May 13, 2019 15:48 (IST) "Behan Mayawati - She is firm on becoming a Prime Minister. Her governance, ethics and discourse stoops to an all-time low. Her personal attack today on the Prime Minister exposes her as unfit for public life," Arun Jaitley tweets. May 13, 2019 14:44 (IST) Watch: Rahul Gandhi addresses rally in Punjab's Ludhiana LIVE: Congress President @RahulGandhi addresses public meeting in Ludhiana, Punjab. #AbHogaNyayhttps://t.co/PX79fqpOIs - Congress (@INCIndia) May 13, 2019 May 13, 2019 14:43 (IST) "Enough Is Enough": PM Modi On Grand Alliance Prime Minister Narendra Modi today took a dig at the opposition parties coming together against the ruling BJP. "These 'Mahamilavati' people are saying 'hua toh hua', but the country is now saying 'mahamilavati logon ab bohot hua', enough is enough," PM Modi said at a rally in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh. #WATCH PM Narendra Modi in Ratlam,Madhya Pradesh: These 'Mahamilavati' people are saying 'hua toh hua', but the country is now saying 'mahamilavati logon ab bohot hua', enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/tOZRPMydSI - ANI (@ANI) May 13, 2019 Prime Minister Narendra Modi today took a dig at the opposition parties coming together against the ruling BJP. "These 'Mahamilavati' people are saying 'hua toh hua', but the country is now saying 'mahamilavati logon ab bohot hua', enough is enough," PM Modi said at a rally in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh. May 13, 2019 14:35 (IST) Congress star campaigner Navjot Singh Sidhu has been put on steroid medication and injections due to continuous speech damaging his vocal cords, news agency ANI reported. At the moment Mr. Sidhu is under the medication & in process of a quick recovery to return-back to campaigning at the earliest. Congress star campaigner Navjot Singh Sidhu has been put on steroid medication and injections due to continuous speech damaging his vocal cords, news agency ANI reported. At the moment Mr. Sidhu is under the medication & in process of a quick recovery to return-back to campaigning at the earliest. May 13, 2019 14:34 (IST) Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, for the third time, said today Sam Pitroda's hua to hua remark on 1984 riots was "wrong". "What Sam Pitroda said about 1984 is absolutely wrong and he should apologise to the nation for it. I told him this over the phone, I told him what he said was wrong, he should be ashamed and apologise publicly," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. May 13, 2019 14:29 (IST) Amit Shah's Challenge To Mamata Banerjee BJP chief Amit Shah today challenged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said: Mamata didi, I am chanting Jai Shri Ram here & leaving for Kolkata, arrest me if you have guts." #WATCH BJP President Amit Shah in Joynagar, West Bengal: Mamata didi, I am chanting Jai Shri Ram here & leaving for Kolkata, arrest me if you have guts. pic.twitter.com/gw7yg8bHHU - ANI (@ANI) May 13, 2019 BJP chief Amit Shah today challenged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said: Mamata didi, I am chanting Jai Shri Ram here & leaving for Kolkata, arrest me if you have guts."<doc-sep>‘Love will win’, was Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s message after casting vote in New Delhi on Sunday for the sixth round of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections in 59 constituencies across 7 states. “The election was fought on several issues – unemployment, farm distress, demonetization, Rafale… Narendra Modi used hatred in the campaign and we used love and I am confident love will win,” the president said after casting his vote in New Delhi constituency where party’s Ajay Maken is a candidate against BJP’s Meenakshi Lekhi and AAP’s Brijesh Goyal. Follow live updates here As many as 1.43 crore people are expected to vote on Sunday in a high-stakes triangular fight to elect Delhi’s seven Lok Sabha representatives, where BJP is looking to retain all seats, the ruling AAP trying to make its debut and the Congress attempting to regain its lost base. Watch | ‘Love will win’: Rahul Gandhi after casting his vote in Delhi Also read: Delhi votes with 6 states in round 6 of Lok Sabha polls, one more lap to go A total of 13,819 polling stations have set up at 2,700 locations in Delhi, with one model polling station in each of the 70 assembly segments. Seventeen polling stations are being staffed only by women. As many as 469 polling locations have been identified as critical and 60,000 personnel, including those of the Delhi Police, Home Guards and paramilitary are providing security. Also read: BJP vs AAP vs Congress: A triangular contest for 7 Delhi seats<doc-sep>Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday attempted to establish an emotional link with local voters by describing herself as a Punjabi ‘bahu’ (daughter-in-law), saying she felt at home in Punjab and among its people. While hailing the valour of Punjabis and their ability to remain happy in all circumstances, she launched a vitriolic attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi by asking the audience whether they wanted a Prime Minister who was using martyrs for political purposes or some one who was son of a martyr. “Do you want a Prime Minister who does politics of martyrs or want to make a martyr’s son (Rahul Gandhi) the Prime Minister?” she asked, addressing a rally in Bathinda in support of Congress candidate Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. The Congress leader urged people to teach a lesson to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for harassment meted out to them. While taking on Modi for “brazenly lying and cheating” to further his political interests, the Congress leader also criticised the SAD on the issues of sacrilege and mafia rule during their regime. Lambasting the Akalis, she said they had handed over the state to drugs, liquor, sand and transport mafias during their 10-year rule. If Punjab’s youth were being destroyed by drugs, it was because of the BJP and the Akalis, she said. Describing Punjab as the land of gurus and criticising the Akalis for instances of sacrilege, Priyanka said “those who destroyed Sri Guru Granth Sahib were destroying the soul of Punjab.” Priyanka, accompanied by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, appealed to people to strengthen the Congress with their votes in this “battle for the future of India” and to teach “arrogant” Harsimrat Kaur Badal, SAD candidate from Bathinda, a lesson for the Akali’s misdeeds. Pointing to the poor response to Modi’s Monday rally at the same ground, Priyanka hailed people for their befitting reply to the Prime Minister’s saga of false promises. Later at a rally in Pathankot, she reiterated Modi vs Rahul Gandhi topic by urging people to distinguish between a Prime Minister who does politics over martyrs and a son of martyr. Leading a road show atop a truck in support of Sunil Jakhar, party’s candidate for Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat, Priyanka said Modi was the biggest “abhineta” (actor) who had spent the last five years portraying and spreading lies and falsehoods. Stating that Modi had not even spared martyrs or ex-servicemen, she said, the Prime Minister was for politicising the sacrifices and services of ex-soldiers by claiming ‘one rank, one pension’ (OROP) scheme was a “gift” to them. Taking a pot shot at the BJP, Priyanka, in an apparent reference to actor Sunny Deol, asked the people if they wanted a “neta” (leader) or an “abhineta” and introduced Jakhar as the real “neta” of the people. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)<doc-sep>
Rahul Gandhi said Sam Pitroda should be ashamed of himself and seek apology from the country. (File) Rahul Gandhi said Sam Pitroda should be ashamed of himself and seek apology from the country. (File) As the BJP continues its attack on the Congress for Sam Pitroda’s “hua to hua” remarks over the 1984 riots, party president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the leader should be ashamed of himself and seek apology from the country. “What Sam Pitroda said about 1984 (anti-Sikh riots) was totally wrong and he should seek an apology from the country. I am saying this publicly and I also said the same to him over the phone. Pitroda ji, what you had said was completely wrong and you should be ashamed of yourself. You should seek a public apology,” Gandhi said while addressing a rally in Punjab’s Khanna. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was also present at the event where Gandhi sought vote for Congress candidate Amar Singh, who is pitted against SAD nominee D S Guru from Fatehgarh Sahib (reserve) constituency. The saffron party has stepped up offensive against the Congress over Pitroda’s remarks as the 1984 anti-Sikh riots is an emotive issue in Punjab which is going to polls on May 19. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped up his attack on the Congress over Pitroda’s remark. The remark reflects the arrogance of the opposition party, Modi said, addressing a rally at Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh. Modi said ‘hua to hua’ are not just three words but reflect the arrogance of the Congress. While they (Congress leaders) were saying “hua to hua”, the people of the country were saying “enough is enough”, Modi said. These ‘mahamilavati’ people are saying ‘hua toh hua‘, but the country is now saying ‘mahamilavati logon ab bohot hua‘ (enough is enough), he said.