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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  The threat to Baba Ramdev’s head and Snoopgate gets curiouser
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The threat to Baba Ramdev’s head and Snoopgate gets curiouser

Election Round-up brings to you daily commentary on what the world is saying about the Lok Sabha polls

In a fresh twist to the ‘snoopgate’ episode, the woman who was tailed by Gujarat police allegedly on the orders of Modi, on Tuesday moved the SC along with her father for restraining the Centre and state govt from going ahead with their Commissions of inquiry. Photo: AFPPremium
In a fresh twist to the ‘snoopgate’ episode, the woman who was tailed by Gujarat police allegedly on the orders of Modi, on Tuesday moved the SC along with her father for restraining the Centre and state govt from going ahead with their Commissions of inquiry. Photo: AFP

There was cheerful news from Hoshiarpur on Wednesday, reports the DNA. “Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate from Hoshiarpur constituency in Punjab, Bhagwan Singh Chauhan, on Tuesday declared a reward of one crore rupees for beheading yoga guru Baba Ramdev over his alleged anti-Dalit remarks targeting Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi."

Is there a yoga remedy for headlessness? Let us hope it does not come to that.

Zee News reports that there may be a spot of bother for Narendra Modi in Gujarat. “The Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat has forwarded an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member’s complaint seeking cancellation of BJP prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi’s candidature from polls, to returning officers of Vadodara and Ahmedabad, for further action. The AAP complaint had sought cancellation of Modi’s candidature from 2012 assembly and 2014 Lok Sabha polls in connection with his marital status."

Meanwhile there are some puzzling developments in the Snoopgate case, according to DNA. “In a fresh twist to the ‘snoopgate’ episode, the woman who was tailed by Gujarat police allegedly on the orders of chief minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court along with her father for restraining the Centre and state government from going ahead with their Commissions of inquiry."

And there is even better news for Modi. The Financial Express writes about a commerce and industry ministry report that “showcased the Gujarat model of land acquisition as the best practice, which can be emulated by other states with some modifications, to improve the business environment. The report on ‘Best Practices to Improve the Business Environment Across States/UTs in India’, prepared by consultancy firm Accenture on behalf of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, also talks about the best practices in Karnataka and Maharashtra on issues related to labour management and trade and investment facilitation system."

We also noticed a couple of headlines from Bihar.

First the BJP has revealed that dozens of the JD(U) MLAs have been in touch with the party and even campaigned for BJP candidates to the Lok Sabha. In Livemint: “More than 50 JD(U) MLAs are in touch with us. They have openly supported us and worked for our candidates in this Lok Sabha polls. They are not happy with the way things are in Bihar now," senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters before leaving for campaigning."

Meanwhile Nitish Kumar’s arch-nemesis is also being given the cold shoulder. “RJD president Lalu Prasad remained absent from Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s rally for the second time on Monday, lending credence to reports that the Congress had requested him to stay away from its top leaders during the poll campaign," reports India Today.

But onwards to the cynosure of all political eyes: Uttar Pradesh.

Somnath Bharti has been booked for violating both the IPC and the RPA, reports the Indian Express. “Former Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti was Tuesday booked for overstaying in Amethi in violation of section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 126 of the Representation of People’s Act (RPA). AAP workers allege late Monday night, police reached Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Amethi candidate Kumar Vishwas’s rented home and announced that those who were not registered as voters in Amethi should leave the house by 11pm."

Will Varun Gandhi reclaim his father’s legacy in Sultanpur, wonders DNA. “The election heat has affected his campaigning as he has already been engaged in verbal warfare with his rivals. His cousin Priyanka Gandhi in April had said that Varun had ‘gone astray’ to which the Sultan of Sultanpur-as he is being touted by his campaigning-replied that Priyanka Gandhi had ‘crossed the lakshman rekha of decency’. Varun Gandhi’s Sultanpur campigning wraps up on 6 May. The BJP doesn’t have a great record in Sultanpur winning only when the region was swept by the Hindutva storm. Only time would tell if Gandhi would be successful as he tries to claim a part of his father’s legacy."

The BJP has everything to play for in the last 2 phases of polling in UP, writes the Indian Express. “That’s the first challenge Modi faces as Uttar Pradesh prepares for the last two phases — of the 33 seats that go to the polls on 7 and 12 May, the BJP won only four in 2009. Even as Brand Modi makes inroads, the party loses visibility and the Hindutva sentiment weakens as one moves away from areas associated with saffron symbols. Of the four seats it won in 2009, Varanasi and Gorakhpur are staunch Hindu seats, while the other two, Bansgaon and Azamgarh, are neighbouring constituencies. The BJP has not won Faizabad, the other symbolic seat, in the last four elections."

Out at the NY Times’ India blog, there is a love letter of sorts to a very important piece of electoral equipment: “Thanks to a device that is the size and shape of a mini piano keyboard, India can boast that the country’s voters, all 814.5 million of them in 543 constituencies, can cast their ballot electronically, even in areas that have just one person."

The Washington Post, on the other hand, writes about the Gandhi dynasty’s declining fortunes. “As voting in national elections enters its final phase, Gandhi’s Congress party lags behind in most polls. Now reputedly in poor health, Gandhi has said she would like to step down in a few years. But her dimple-cheeked son, Rahul, 43, has shown little aptitude to take over."

Ouch.

And finally, the National Advisory Council has just met for the last time in the UPA2’s tenure. The Business Standard is on it: “Hailing the contribution of NAC, the Prime Minister said its role has been “legendary" as many policies of the government had key inputs from the body. “The inputs provided by the NAC contributed to the policy changes which are far-reaching," he said."

Not a sentiment shared by the Congress Party’s staunchest critics.

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Published: 07 May 2014, 04:14 PM IST
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