NEW DELHI: With the PDP-BJP alliance in J&K stuck at a roadblock, the Congress on Monday charged the two parties with “violating” the mandate of the people by not forming the government in the sensitive border State — making it a rather rare instance of an opposition party egging the rival coalition on to the seat of power. The alliance has been in limbo after Mufti Mohammed Sayeed’s demise, so much so that J&K Governor N N Vohra, in a last-ditch attempt, has called PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and BJP State chief Sat Pal Sharma for a meeting on Tuesday to end the uncertainty.
Citing this political instability — the State has been put under President’s Rule yet again — Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the uncertainty and frequent flip-flop of the PDP was leading to a serious situation in the sensitive State. Read more
KOLKATA: Congress leaders from West Bengal on Monday met AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi and advocated an electoral alliance with the CPM-led Left Front (LF) to defeat the ruling Trinamool Congress in the State Assembly polls scheduled later this year. Among the leaders who conferred for more than two hours at Rahul’s residence, only party MLA Manas Bhuniya differed and wanted the Congress to contest alone without any tie-up with the LF. The West Bengal Congress think tank has submitted a detailed analysis advocating an electoral alliance with the Left parties and predicting a victory of the coalition to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and AICC State observer C P Joshi. Read more
CHENNAI: Amidst huge hype, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Coimbatore, one of the BJP’s pockets of influence in Tamil Nadu, for the first time after assuming the top post on Tuesday. He will fly in from Kozhikode past noon and spend a few hours in Coimbatore. Though BJP leaders have been burning the midnight oil to turn the event into a big success, the erstwhile allies of the NDA in Tamil Nadu don’t appear enthusiastic at a time when politics is in a state of flux ahead of the Assembly elections. While BJP leaders claim Modi’s visit will serve as a turning point in the run up to the elections, leaders of even smaller parties, who were with the NDA during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, are not planning to turn up at Coimbatore for the rally. However, a couple of leaders from caste-based organisations and a few more from the film industry could call on Modi. Read more