The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance released its manifesto for the February 20 Punjab polls on Saturday, promising a slew of sops for various sections, including 75 per cent reservation in all government jobs for youngsters from the state, an unemployment allowance, 35 per cent reservation for women in government jobs and massive infrastructure development.
The incumbent Congress could win only 18 seats, with Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi losing both seats he contested -- Chamkaur Sahib as well as Bhadaur.
At many places, where the voters had entered booths before 6 pm and were standing in queues, they were allowed to cast their votes.
This was Channi's first meeting with Shah after becoming the chief minister of the state.
According to farmer union leaders, peasants from various places including Sangrur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Bathinda districts were headed towards Singhu and Tikri borders.
The Haryana Police closed the Ambala-Patiala highway after protesters gathered at the Shambhu border point with adjoining Punjab. The ruling Congress also held protests in Punjab, with the state unit chief Sunil Jakhar participating in one near the Shambhu border.
The Congress is banking on decisions like reducing electricity tariff and fuel prices, taken during current CM Charanjit Singh Channi's 111-day tenure.
Sukhdev mortgaged his house and shop to raise Rs 1,80,000 demanded by the travel agent in return for a job in Iraq. Today, his family says he is clearing bomb-shells, working 16-18 hour shifts of forced labour. Sahim Salim reports on the families of Sikh youths trapped in Iraq who have put everything at stake to bring their sons back.
In spite of his trying hard he is unable to connect not only with ordinary voters but with most party colleagues as well, observes Virendra Kapoor.
Rejecting the plea for death penalty, the apex court in its order said, 'It's just a murder; that's it.'
Mann, 48, is a two-time MP from Sangrur and is the party's state unit chief.
Here are some of the key farmer leaders who fronted the protests.
The documentary captures the pain and helplessness the migrant labourers and their families are feeling, as they long to return to their villages after losing their means of livelihood in cities due to the lockdown over the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The agency has booked 23 Army personnel and civilians, including relatives of officers, for allegedly demanding bribe and facilitating bribery, they said.
'The Badals have made the Akali Dal a family enterprise and undermined the Sikh faith. They have no right to call themselves Akalis. We have approached the Election Commission to register ourselves as the Akali Dal with a different nomenclature. We will impress on people's minds that we are the real Akali Dal' Sai Manish reports on the fight for supremacy over the Akali Dal.
Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu said government facilitates freedom fighters and gives pension but revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh are not even give the status of a martyr leave aside any financial support to their families.
Vadra was asked to join the investigation at the tax authority's office but as he cited COVID-19 restrictions, a team of officials visited his premises in Delhi's Sukhdev Vihar area.
A sackful of coins totalling Rs 1.75 lakh, certificates of fixed deposits of Rs 8.77 lakh and Rs 96,000 in bank savings accounts found at his home.
At present, there are 18 Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
"On martyrdom day, I pay my respects to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru who sacrificed their life for the nation," PM said in a statement.
Behind the movement are shock-workers functioning quietly to ensure that a seemingly spontaneous, apolitical, grassroots mobilisation sustains itself without dribbling into chaos or violence. Sai Manish lists some of them.
Farmers said the government should have formed a committee of farmers and others before the laws were enacted by Parliament.
Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said business over hunger will not be allowed in the country and once again demanded a law on minimum support price (MSP) for crops along with the repeal of new contentious agri-marketing laws.
Eleven rounds of talks have been held over the contentious farm laws but the impasse continues as the farmer unions remain firm on their demands -- the repeal of the three laws and legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price.
Tractors carried the flags of the unions, some sported the tricolour, and also posters with slogans of 'Kisan Ekta Zindabad', 'No Farmer, No Food' and 'Kaale Kanoon Radd Karo'.
Rejecting a plea for death penalty, Delhi High Court on Friday enhanced the sentence for Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal from life imprisonment to 25 years without remission for the murder of Nitish Katara and 5 more years for destruction of evidence in the case.
Farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar, who is a member of Sankyukt Kisan Morcha, said on Sunday that farmers have waterproof tents but they cannot protect them from biting cold and waterlogging.
Kathak queen Sitara Devi died at a hospital in Mumbai on Tuesday. She was 94. Born in 1920 in Kolkata, Sitara Devi drew from the themes, poetry and choreography collected by her father in her choreographies. She also got inspired from the environment around her -- whether it is a town or a village.
The protesting students clashed with cops after were they stopped at the varsity gate and prevented from carrying out their march.
Already tractor rallies have been held in places like Nawanshahr and Gurdaspur as a build-up to the proposed January 26 event, farmer leaders said. More are planned over the next two days.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, various states have announced partial or complete lockdown and also there is increased focus on social distancing to curb the spread of the deadly virus which has infected over 400 people in the country.
Sardar Udham sets a great standard which, Utkarsh Mishra believes, would be emulated by other film-makers who want to make movies of this genre.
The minister said the lyrics of the song did not make any mention of the large number of freedom fighters who launched an armed struggle to free the country.
"They are calling us dramabaaz. What happened yesterday by stopping migrants and interacting with them on the road and wasting their time? Aren't they dramabaaz?," she quipped.
The only business that the House could transact was laying of official papers on the table of the House.
Namdhari has been expelled from the party following his arrest in connection with the Chattarpur farmhouse shootout in which controversial liquor baron Ponty Chadha and his brother Hardeep were killed, state BJP chief Bishan Singh Chufal said.
This is for the first time that Vadra's associates have been linked to alleged commissions received in defence deals by the ED.
Sacked Uttarakhand minority panel chief Sukhdev Singh Namdhari has been booked on charges of murder in liquor baron Ponty Chadha's shootout case, the Delhi police told a court on Thursday, which extended the police custody of the politico by three more days.
The other deceased were Sandeep Singh, a resident of village Rajasansi, and Kuldeep Singh.
As many as 14 cases were lodged against sacked Uttarakhand Minority Commission chief Sukhdev Singh Namdhari in various parts of the state, a senior police official said on Saturday. "From murder to bullying his rivals into submission to establishing his monopoly in the mining business, there were 14 cases lodged against the former state minority panel chief, who is in custody now," Inspector General (law and order) Ramsingh Meena said.
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