Asserting that "state-sponsored infiltration" was a serious threat to Jharkhand, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said India was not a 'dharmshala' where anyone can come and settle.
Addressing an election rally in Ranchi, he accused the JMM-led ruling coalition of patronising infiltrators, and alleged that they were coming to the state, marrying tribal women by "trapping them in the web of illusion".
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday accused the Congress of trying to divide Hindus for vote bank politics and urged people to stay united to thwart such attempts.
He also raised concerns about rising Bangladeshi infiltration and warned that if unchecked, it would pose a grave threat to women in the state.
"Congress wants to divide Hindus for vote bank politics. 'Ek rahoge to safe rahoge' (You will be safe if you remain united)," Sarma, who is also the BJP's election co-in-charge for Jharkhand, said at a rally in Ranchi.
NCP chief and Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said leaders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stature generally do not hold campaign rallies in smaller places, and hence Modi would not be coming to Baramati.
Pawar is contesting the November 20 state assembly elections from his Baramati seat.
Asked by reporters why he did not invite Modi to hold a public meeting in his support, Ajit said when leaders like Modi campaign, their rallies are organised at district headquarters, and not at tehsil places.
Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Friday denied that he joined the BJP-led ruling alliance in the state to avoid investigation by the Enforcement Directorate, and also said he had never made any such admission. The case against him had been closed when he was part of the previous government and he and his colleagues sided with the BJP to ensure speedy development in their constituencies, he said.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi included the Ladki Bahin Yojana of the Mahayuti government after the scheme became a hit with masses, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Friday. Addressing a poll rally in Shivajinagar here, the CM also said if the MVA government was not brought down in 2022, the state could have gone back by 10-15 years.
Voters will get up to 20 per cent discounts in select shops, restaurants and multiplexes in Mumbai after showing the inked finger, Election Commission officials announced here on Friday. Assembly elections will be held in Maharashtra on November 20. The initiative, aimed at encouraging voting, was being undertaken after holding discussions with associations of traders, multiplex owners and restaurant owners, said an official.
In a no-holds-barred attack on the BJP, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday accused the saffron party of “squeezing the state like a lemon” for almost two decades and “smashing” the backbones of poor states.
He also charged the BJP-led Centre with "destroying" the federal structure of the country by creating "double engine governments" through "poaching of MLAs, MPs, and toppling governments".
"For the past few days, BJP and its allies in Maharashtra have been telling lies about Telangana govt. We did not pay much attention, but PM Modi has also started doing the same about Telangana (govt) and our guarantees. So, I thought if PM Modi doesn't stop lying, then we will not stop telling the truth," says Telangana CM Revanth Reddy
"Today, I have come here, not only to show what we have delivered, but also to invite leaders of Mahayuti to come to Karnataka. I am ready to send buses and arrange aircraft for them to come, meet, see what we have delivered and how people have been benefited through our guarantees," says DKS in Maharashtra
PM Modi is attending a Maha Yuti poll rally in Maharashtra's Akola
"The nature of Congress is to make different castes fight with each other. After Independence, Congress did not let different castes of SC community stay united. They divided SC and tribal communities into different castes," says PM Modi in Maharashtra
You have to decide the future of the entire country along with Maharashtra when you vote. I urge you make MY candidates win with a high margin. Ley us fulfill the dreams of a Viksit Bharat: Modi
"Here (in Maharashtra) all the BJP CMs and ministers are trying to bring back this 'tod fod' government (in the upcoming Vidhan Sabha election). However, this will never happen again. People have seen how they stole our MLAs to form the government. This is not a government formed on ideology,"
"This Congress believes in divide and rule and has opened a 'Nafrat ki Dukaan'. He is trying to divide the country. He insults India when he visits other countries. He says something else here but talks about abolishing reservation in the country when he visits America..."
"History stands witness that our brave warriors have always uprooted oppressors from this land. History shows that this land has always fought against the wrong, and in the coming time, history will also witness that the people here will uproot JMM, RJD, and Congress, and make BJP win," says BJP National President J P Nadda in Jharkhand's Bishrampur
In Karnataka, Rs 9,657 crore was allocated in the budget for Griha Jyoti Yojana, out of which Rs 5,164 crore has been spent.
We have given Rs 5,150 crore for the Shakti scheme that provides free bus facility to women in Karnataka, out of which Rs 2,709 crore have been spent so far.
Through the Grihalakshmi Yojana, we are giving Rs 2,000 per month to the female head of the household; the budget for which was Rs 28,608 crore, of which Rs 13,451 crore was spent.
We gave a budget of Rs 8,080 crore for Anna Bhagya, out of which we have spent Rs 2,582 crore. We have kept a budget of Rs 650 crore for Yuva Nidhi, out of which around Rs 108 crore has been spent.
"Our Constitution does not allow reservation based on religion but, Congress and JMM, for their vote bank, want to give 10 per cent reservation to Muslims. The Supreme Court has set a 50 per cent limit on reservation. So, where will they get the 10 per cent? They will have to reduce from some other category. They want to give reservation to Muslims by reducing reservations of SC, ST, Dalit, Adivasi, and OBC. Let me tell you that as long as BJP and Narendra Modi are there, we will not let Rahul Gandhi touch the reservation of backward," says Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Jharkhand
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday attacked the BJP-led Centre, alleging that its policies on demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST) were weapons to kill farmers, labourers and the poor in the country.
He also claimed that a battle is on in India between the ideologies of the BJP-RSS and INDIA bloc, who are believers of hatred and love, respectively.
The battle is also between violence and unity, he claimed.
“Policies of Narendra Modi are responsible for spreading unemployment in India. Demonetisation, GST are weapons to kill the poor, farmers and labourers,” he said while addressing a poll rally in Jamshedpur.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday claimed that Congress hates OBCs as it can not come to terms with the fact that a person from Backward Classes is at the helm of the country. Division among Dalits, Adivasis and Backward Classes suits Congress' politics, but due to their unity it is losing its support base, he said, speaking at a campaign rally here for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections and Nanded Lok Sabha by-poll. "It suits the Congress' politics if Dalits, Adivasis and Backward Classes are divided. Its game plan is to divide you into different groups and communities,'' he said. "Congress hates the OBCs because it cannot digest the fact that an OBC is the prime minister for ten years and working by taking everyone along,'' Modi said. "They want to divide the OBC communities into small castes and snatch the power of their unity. If it happens, Congress will snatch the reservation," he alleged.
"I gave whatever I could to Dhananjay Munde. Some people played a key role in splitting our party. They must be defeated," the NCP (SP) supremo said while addressing a poll rally for colleague Rajesaheb Deshmukh. "Once, Pandit Munde had come to me with his son Dhananjay and sought help. They got help from my side when they were in trouble. I made him (Dhananjay Munde) MLC, LoP in the Council, state minister. I wanted to give him leadership position in Beed. But people are being troubled here and that has to stop," Pawar said. Pawar said his party's Bajrang Sonawane won the Beed Lok Sabha polls (defeating BJP's Pankaja Munde) and the aim is to fully back him so as to end this "bullying". Parli has supplied electricity to the state and contributed to its development, but of late crime has been rising, Pawar said. "We have to change this situation. We have to take Beed district ahead in terms of development. We want to solve the issues of farmers, water scarcity, unemployment. Please vote for Rajesaheb Deshmukh," Pawar said.
Congress MLA brothers Amit Deshmukh and Dhiraj Deshmukh are pitted against their BJP challengers, including Congress stalwart Shivraj Patil Chakurkar's daughter-in-law Archana Patil Chakurkar, in Latur district for the November 20 elections.
The Deshmukh brothers are banking on the political legacy of their late father and ex-CM Vilasrao Deshmukh, a Congress bigwig from Latur district.
Former minister Amit Deshmukh will square off against Archana Patil in the Latur City segment while Dhiraj will take on BJP MLC Ramesh Karad in the Latur Rural seat.
The campaign centres around comparing Congress' contribution in developing sugar factories, district banks, institutions, and achievements under the erstwhile MVA government with the incumbent Mahayuti dispensation's work.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi of Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) is locked in a direct contest with the Mahayuti alliance comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP across all the six Assembly constituencies in Latur district.