Terming the spat between Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati as "part of democracy", Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Friday said the Congress leader's movement has "energised" the functioning of democracy.
The war of words between Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has put the state's political cauldron on the boil.
It was a quiet birthday for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who turned 78 on Sunday. President Pratibha Patil and Vice President Hamid Ansari sent flowers and wished the prime minister on the occasion. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati called up Dr Singh and greeted him. Among those who wished the prime minister on the occasion are Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj.
Police in Ghaziabad have booked Twitter, a news portal and six people for circulating a video in which an elderly Muslim man says he was thrashed and asked to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'.
Yadav, who is seeking a second successive term in office after stitching an alliance with Congress, in wilderness in the state for a long time, led a roadshow with Rahul through the city, but not before he had paid a visit to the 'Kashi Vishwanath' temple of Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of Varanasi.
Boosting the morale of their supporters and signalling unity, the two leaders atop the 'UP Vijay Rath' started the road show from the GPO park in Hazratganj after garlanding the statue of Mahatma Gandhi.
Despite both parties joining hands to fight the elections, they have fielded different candidates for the polls in this region.
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