Assembly Election 2022: Decision to raise women's marriage age to 21 upsetting for some: PM Modi in Prayagraj

Ahead of assembly elections in five states next year, the BJP's top brass asked its MPs on Tuesday to focus on booth committees and mandals, sources said. These suggestions were given at a BJP parliamentary meeting held by party chief JP Nadda. 

After enrolling senior Congress leader and MLA Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi on Tuesday in the party, the BJP hinted that more leaders from the opposition camp will join the party in future before Punjab assembly polls. A senior BJP functionary said that many leaders from opposition parties have approached us wishing to join the party. "After giving thoughtful consideration to their request, some will be welcomed in the party. Many big names from other political parties will join BJP before assembly polls in coming weeks," he said.

PM to kick start multiple development initiatives in Varanasi on 23rd December

PM to kick start multiple development initiatives in Varanasi on 23rd December In an endeavour to strengthen the rural economy and help farmers of the region, PM to lay the foundation stone of ‘Banas Dairy Sankul’. The PM is likely distribute rural residential rights record ‘Gharauni’ to over 20 lakh residents of UP. 

Decision to raise women's marriage age to 21 upsetting for some: PM Modi's jibe at rivals

Taking a swipe at his rivals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the government is trying to raise the marriage age of women to 21 so that they can have time to study and progress, but this has upset some. Addressing a rally here in Uttar Pradesh, where assembly elections are due early next year, he also said 25 lakh of the 30 lakh houses given under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana are registered in the name of women in the state. This shows the government's commitment to "sacha (true) empowerment of women", Modi said.

All India Mahila Congress President Netta D'Souza on Tuesday called upon the women of the city to give Chandigarh in safe hands this time during the Municipal Corporation polls slated on December 24. Addressing the media here, she said Chandigarh, which used to be known for its beautiful landscape, is now leading in the country in crime against women.

Quoting the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data, she said the crime rate against women reported in the city gone up disturbingly high in recent years. As per NCRB -- 2020 report, Chandigarh has the highest rate of rape cases in the country with 75 per cent of the victims minors. Urging the women to vote for the Congress, she said the victory of Congress could lead to reduction in taxes. She charged the BJP-ruled civic body of misappropriating Rs 28 crore collected as Covid-19 cess from the people and Rs 200 crore received from the Central government as aid for Covid-19 victims.

Goa BJP Minister Vishwajit Rane on Tuesday publicly urged his father, Congress leader and former Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane, to "retire gracefully from politics" and not contest from the Poriem Assembly seat, from where he has been undefeated for nearly 50 years. He also said that in case his father does throw his hat in the ring once again on behalf of Congress, he would contest from the same constituency on a BJP ticket and win by a margin of nearly 10,000 votes.

Goans will not tolerate comparing local deity to a person: Goa CM 

Goans will not tolerate any comparison of a human being with the local deity Shantadurga, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Tuesday. Sawant was referring to comparisons made by a local Trinamool Congress leader Kiran Kandolkar of West Bengal Chief Minister and the party's founder to goddess Shantadurga, a local deity revered as an avatar of Goddess Durga.

Hailing the Adityanath government, PM Modi said, "In Uttar Pradesh now there is security, rights and opportunities (for women). I am confident that with the blessings of our mothers and sisters, no one will push the state back to darkness again. Come let's take an oath from this pious land of Prayagraj that Uttar Pradesh will progress."

Taking a swipe at his rivals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said women are happy with the government's decision to raise the marriage age to 21 but this has caused pain to some. Addressing a rally in Prayagraj, he also said that 25 lakh of the 30 lakh houses given under Prime Minister Awas Yojana are registered in the name of women in Uttar Pradesh. This shows the government's commitment to "sacha (true) empowerment of women", Modi said. "We are trying to increase the age of marriage of women to 21 years so that they can have time to study and progress. The country is taking this decision for its daughters. Everyone is seeing who is having problems with this...it has caused pain to some," he said. Some Samajwadi Party (SP) MPs made adverse comments on the issue recently.

BJP President JP Nadda Arrives in Goa for Two-day Visit

Prayagraj: PM Narendra Modi addresses public at the launch of 'Kanya Sumangala Yojana'; CM Yogi Adityanath, Mathura MP Hema Malini and others present at the event. "The state has worked for women empowerment. This scheme will benefit the daughters of state," says PM Modi

rayagraj: PM transfers Rs 1000 cr in bank accounts of various SHGs, also transfers money to over 1 lakh beneficiaries of Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Scheme,which provides assistance to girl child. He also laid foundation stone of 202 Supplementary Nutrition Manufacturing Units

PM Modi participates in a one of its kind program, being attended by over 2 lakh women. The program is being held as per the vision to empower women, especially at grassroot level, by providing them with necessary skills, incentives&resources. He will address the people shortly.

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami injured his hand while playing cricket at Abhimanyu Cricket Academy, this morning. CM and his team won the match against BJP Yuva Morcha: Chief Minister's Office

Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan on Tuesday claimed that the recent Income Tax raids on some of her party colleagues were linked to the ruling BJP feeling "jittery" ahead of the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. She also scoffed at the government's claim that the central agencies work independently, saying if "we are illiterate, uneducated" to believe it. Incidentally, Bachchan's daughter-in-law and actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also appeared before the Enforcement Directorate on Monday for questioning in a case linked to the 2016 'Panama Papers' global tax leaks case. Her statement was being recorded under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), official sources had said. Jaya Bachchan, however, made no direct remarks about the questioning of her daughter-in-law.

Senior Congress leader and former Punjab minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi on Tuesday resigned from the party, saying he was deeply hurt by the bickering and in-fighting within the state unit. Sodhi, who is the MLA from Guruharsahai, was the sports minister in the state government led by Amarinder Singh, who resigned from the post of chief minister in September and left the Congress in November. In his letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Sodhi said he was "deeply hurt by the bickering and in-fighting within the Punjab Congress".

PM Modi arrives in Prayagraj. He'll participate in a one of its kind program that'll be attended by over 2 lakh women today.

A photo of Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has stirred a new row just ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls. "The 'S' in "New SP" stands for 'Federalism?" UP Congress tweeted. Mulayam and Bhagwat met on Monday at the wedding reception in Delhi of Vice President Venkaiah Naidu's granddaughter. 

Goa Congress' former working president Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco joined the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Kolkata on Tuesday, ahead of the Goa Assembly polls due early next year. On Monday, Lourenco resigned as a member of the Goa Legislative Assembly as well as from the Congress, before heading to Kolkata. TMC's official handle on Tuesday tweeted, “Today, former @INCIndia Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco joined us in the presence of our Chairperson @MamataOfficial and our National General Secretary @abhishekhaitc. We extend a very warm welcome to him! Together, we shall work for the betterment of all Goans.” Lourenco, a two-term MLA from Curtorim Assembly seat, was recently elevated as the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee's working president.

Goa minister Vishwajit Rane on Monday said state Congress chief Girish Chodankar must apologise in 48 hours after the latter accused him of being involved in irregularities connected to land allotment in special economic zones (SEZs). Refuting the allegations, Rane, who hold the industries portfolio in the state cabinet besides health, said in a video message that he would file a defamation case against Chodankar if an apology was not received. “I have no role as far as SEZ is concerned. You (Chodankar) need to withdraw the statement, otherwise I will file defamation suit against you,” Rane said.

Senior Goa Congress leader Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco who resigned as an MLA on Monday morning ahead of next year's assembly election, reached Kolkata in the evening and is likely to join the Trinamool Congress. The working president of the Goa Congress was welcomed at the Kolkata airport by TMC MP Santanu Sen. Lourenco resigned as a Member of the Goa Legislative Assembly on Monday, reducing the Congress' strength to two in the 40-member House.

BJP president J P Nadda is coming on a two-day visit to poll-bound Goa on Tuesday. As per the schedule, Nadda will arrive in Goa at 2.30 pm. He will hold a meeting of BJP functionlaries in the party's Margao office in the south Goa district. Nadda will address two public meetings at Shiroda and Quepem, respectively, in south Goa. On Wednesday, the BJP president will hold a meeting at the party's office in Mapusa in North Goa. Later, he will release a report card of ten years of BJP government in Goa and flag off of a 'Sankalp' rath near BJP's head office in Panaji.

The full bench of the Election Commission (EC) arrived in Goa on Monday evening to meet senior government officials and take stock of poll preparedness in the coastal state. The EC team, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra, will review preparations for the upcoming elections to the 40-member Goa legislative assembly, the state's chief electoral officer, Kunal, told PTI. He said the team, which also consists of commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anoop Chandra Pandey, will be in Goa till December 22. On Tuesday, the full EC bench will meet representatives of political parties followed by a meeting with Goa's chief electoral officer and police officials. They will also meet officials from enforcement departments, he said.

Farmers have blocked rail tracks at several places in Punjab, demanding complete loan waiver and compensation to families whose members died during the course of the stir against the Centre’s farm laws. They also demanded the cancellation of police cases registered against farmers who protested the laws. The train movement was affected in the state due to their “rail roko” agitation, which started under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee. According to railway officials, over 55 trains were affected following the protest by farmers at Ferozepur, Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur. They said 27 trains were cancelled, 11 were short-terminated while 17 were halted.

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Monday wrote to the Centre, asking for obtaining presidential assent for two bills passed by the state Assembly in 2018 for ensuring stringent punishment for those involved in desecration incidents. Randhawa wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for ensuring assent to the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018 and the Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, which provide for life imprisonment for the sacrilege of holy books.

Congress MLA Navtej Singh Cheema has slammed Punjab minister Rana Gurjeet Singh for levelling "false" allegations against state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. Cheema asked Rana Gurjeet Singh not to question the “honesty” of Sidhu, stating the former cricketer has been working hard to strengthen the Congress in the state ahead of the Assembly elections. Cheema’s statement has come a day after Rana called Sidhu a “political mercenary” and accused his of creating fissures in the party. On the other hand, Cheema accused Rana of weakening the party in several Assembly constituencies in the Doaba region.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said the Prime Minister would inaugurate and lay foundation stones of various projects worth Rs 11,000 crore during his two-hour visit on December 27. Modi's proposed visit to the chief minister's home district Mandi is significant after the defeat of the ruling BJP in recent bypolls. The BJP lost Mandi Lok Sabha and all three assembly seats -- Fatehpur, Arki, Jubbal-Kotkhai -- in the October bypolls.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend a public meeting in Mandi on December 27 to mark the fourth anniversary of the Jai Ram Thakur-led government in Himachal Pradesh. State BJP president Suresh Kashyap claimed that one lakh people from all parts of Himachal Pradesh would participate in the rally.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday alleged that Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra cannot understand the importance of toilets and free gas connections for women. The UP assembly poll campaign in-charge made the allegation a day after Priyanka Gandhi reportedly said in Rae Bareli that free gas connections, oven and ration are being given to women for their votes. She also reportedly told women that toilet and gas connections alone will not do and they have to be empowered. "She (Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) says that toilets and gas cylinders do not empower women. She does not feel the pain and 'sharm' (humiliation) of those women who have to go in the open after the sunset or before the sunrise to answer nature's call,” said Pradhan in a statement. “She is not connected to the ground reality, and so she is talking like this," he added.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has accused rival parties of ignoring women, saying they started talking about them only after her party gave the slogan of "Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon" (I am a girl and I can fight). She said her party’s "one small initiative has awakened all political parties". The Congress has announced it will give 40 per cent of tickets to women candidates in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. "Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon" is one of the slogans it has given to underscore women power.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has accused the ruling BJP of “polluting” the country’s politics and said the outcome of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls will also decide the fate of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. The opposition leader claimed that there is a wave against the BJP, which runs the government in the state and the Centre. "There is a threat to democracy. By repeatedly lying, the BJP wants to present lies as truth. It not only polluted the rivers but also the politics of the country," Yadav claimed.

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has praised the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh saying it was just a “trailer” and the “real film” was yet to come. Gadkari made the remark addressing a public meeting after flagging off BJP's Jan Vishwas Yatra in Chandpur in Bijnor district. "We are not just ending hooliganism in Uttar Pradesh, we are also going to end poverty, hunger and unemployment. The five years that you saw was a trailer. The real film is yet to start. Give chance to the double engine of the BJP government in the state once again and sit in peace and see how miracles will happen," the minister said. He claimed ‘Ram Rajya’ was started in the country in 2014 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday inaugurated and laid foundation stones of road projects worth Rs 4,160 crore in Jaunpur and Mirzapur districts of Uttar Pradesh. While in Jaunpur, Gadkari laid the foundation stone for three national highway projects costing Rs 1,123 crore, he in Mirzapur inaugurated four national highway projects worth Rs 3,037 crore. "We are committed for the development of Uttar Pradesh. These road projects will give a boost to the development of state and provide better connectivity in the region," he said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday took a swipe at the BJP over the Uttar Pradesh government's move to introduce ‘happiness curriculum’ in primary schools, saying the Yogi Adityanath dispensation is copying the AAP government. Preparations are underway to implement ‘happiness curriculum’ in primary schools of Uttar Pradesh, on the lines of Chhattisgarh and Delhi, under a pilot project aimed at making students more sensitive towards nature, society and the country. The course is being developed keeping in mind the geographical and cultural conditions of Uttar Pradesh, state in-charge (happiness curriculum) Saurabh Malviya told PTI on Sunday.

Foolproof security arrangements have been made in Prayagraj for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on Tuesday. The Prime Minister will stay in Prayagraj for two hours as per the programme, during which the traffic movement will be diverted. The entire route has been sanitized and special vigil is being maintained at the venue. Prime Minister Modi will arrive in the holy city at around 1 p.m. at Bamrauli airport and the proceed to the parade ground by helicopter.

PM Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of 202 supplementary nutrition manufacturing units when he visits Prayagraj on Tuesday. The Prime Minister has already visited poll-bound Uttar Pradesh six times in the past month. He has been to Gorakhpur, Sultanpur, Varanasi, Jhansi, Greater Noida and Balrampur to unveil various projects. He was also in Lucknow for the directors general of police (DGPs) conference.

The Prime Minister will transfer Rs 20.20 crore to 1.01 lakh beneficiaries of Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Scheme under which conditional cash transfer is made to a girl's account at various stages, with each being entitled to Rs 15,000 in total.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Prayagraj on Tuesday to attend programmes related to women. The Prime Minister will transfer Rs 1,000 crore into the accounts of 1.60 lakh self-help groups (SHGs) and Rs 20.20 crore to 1.01 lakh beneficiaries of the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana on Tuesday.