Thousands rally for press freedom after Hong Kong editor stabbed

Thousands of protesters rallied outside the Hong Kong's government headquarters on Sunday to condemn a knife attack on a former newspaper editor and voice support for press freedom amid growing concern over Beijing's influence in the media.

Protests in Hong Kong demanding Press freedom over editor's stabbing. Reuters.

Kevin Lau Chun-to, who until recently had been chief editor of Ming Pao, a Chinese-language newspaper known for its investigative reports, was stabbed in the back and legs several times by a man in a helmet on Wednesday. The assailant rode off on a motorcycle with an accomplice. No one has been arrested in connection with the attack.

Dressed in black and wearing blue ribbons, symbolizing press freedom, protesters carried a large banner with the words "They can't kill us all". Other banners and placards read "freedom from fear" and "protect press freedom".

While the police have not established a motive for Lau's stabbing, suspicions have spread that powerful individuals from mainland China or pro-Beijing allies opposed to the city's push for full democracy may have had a hand in the attack.

"We're not going to bow to the intimidation," said Shirley Yam, vice-chairwoman of the Hong Kong Journalists' Association, one of the organisers of the protest. "That's the strong message we want to send whoever it is that the Hong Kong media is going to stand firm and do whatever's best for press freedom and the right for our citizens to be informed."

Organisers put the number of demonstrators at 13,000, while police said there were 8,600 at the peak.

Lau left the intensive care unit of the hospital on Saturday, although his wife said his recovery would take time. "The reality is the wounds he suffers are deep and serious. His road to recovery will be a long and winding one," his wife Vivien said in a statement.

A week ago, some 6,000 people protested in the Asian financial centre demanding that the city's leader uphold media freedoms.

In recent years, Hong Kong journalist and rights groups have warned of mainland Chinese propaganda officials influencing newsrooms, deepening ties between Hong Kong media bosses and Beijing, greater censorship, and the dismissal of influential liberal journalists.

Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997, is a freewheeling capitalist hub which enjoys a high degree of autonomy and freedom, but Beijing's Communist Party leaders have resisted public pressure for full democracy.

Political Interference
Lau was recently replaced at Ming Pao by a Malaysian Chinese journalist with suspected pro-Beijing leanings, causing a revolt in the paper's newsroom where journalists suggested the publication's independence might be undermined.

The new editor, Chong Tien-siong, attended the protest on Sunday and was quoted in local media as saying he was impressed with the turnout, and hoped police could find the culprits soon.

The United States and European Union have expressed concern over the assault on Lau. Diplomats in Hong Kong said it underscored fears that the city's freedoms were being eroded, concerns echoed more broadly across the city.

"It seems there is more interference from the Hong Kong SAR government and the central government in Beijing. Political interference seems to be more serious nowadays," said Ip Kin-yuen, legislative councillor who represents the education sector.

The Hong Kong section of the U.S. Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, which was released on Thursday, identified "limitations on freedom of the press, self-censorship and incidents of violence against the media" as areas of reported concern.

Media outlets have periodically been subject to attacks in Hong Kong. The offices of a small independent media outlet were recently ransacked and a car rammed the front gate of the home of Jimmy Lai, publisher of Hong Kong's popular anti-Beijing newspaper, the Apple Daily.

Asked by reporters about concerns China would seek to limit the scope of elections for Hong Kong's next leader in 2017, a senior Chinese government spokesman said Beijing and Hong Kong both wanted to see universal suffrage for that vote.

"We hope all sides in Hong Kong can rationally and pragmatically discuss this issue and form a consensus," said Lu Xinhua, spokesman for the largely ceremonial advisory body which advises parliament and whose annual session opens on Monday.

Beijing's top representative in Hong Kong in September ruled out open nominations for candidates to become its next leader.

Reuters

One arrested in connection with Bodh Gaya blasts

Patna: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday detained three people in connection with the serial blasts in Bodh Gaya last year. However, after quizzing them, the NIA released two and arrested one, police said.

Site of an explosion inside the Mahabodhi temple complex at Bodh Gaya in Bihar. Reuters.

The three were detained in Arwal district, Superintendent of Police Safiul Haque said. Mohammad Irfan, a resident of Avgila village, was arrested, while Rajnandan and Ranjan were released after interrogation.

Ten bombs exploded at Bodh Gaya's Mahabodhi temple on 7 July last year, injuring two Buddhist monks. Three live bombs were later found and defused.

IANS

Govt gets application for ‘NaMo Tea Party’ trademark

New Delhi: As BJP moves ahead with its 'chai pe charcha' initiative to amass support for its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, efforts are underway by some of his supporters to actually register a trademark for 'NaMo Tea Party'.

Modi at the inaugural 'chai pe charcha'. PTI

An application for registering 'NaMo Tea Party' as a trademark has been submitted to the government by a grouping with the same name.

The 'Chai pe Charcha' (discussion over tea) campaign was first launched by BJP to counter a jibe made by a Congress leader at Narendra Modi (NaMo) for selling tea in his earlier years. The trademark application has been filed by Ahmedabad-based Shailesh Tiwari, who calls himself convenor of 'Namo Tea Party' movement.

When contacted, Tiwari told PTI over phone that the logic behind the move to get 'NaMo Tea Party' trademark is to ensure that the idea is not taken by anyone else. There is no commercial motive behind the application, he added.

"The sole motive is to get Narendra Modi elected as Prime Minister by propagating Gujarat development model," he said.

Tiwari added that 'NaMo Tea Party' movement is a grouping of professionals and was formally started in May 2013. It is estimated to have thousands of volunteers.

The trademark application was filed on February 6 under the category of 'personal and social services rendered to meet
the needs of individuals', according to information available with the Controller General of Patents Design & Trade Marks.
The patents office comes under the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

Tiwari said BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi is mentoring the grouping. As per its website, 'NaMo (Narendra Modi) Tea
Party' is a grassroots movement for good governance.

Modi has been Chief Minister of Gujarat since 2001.

PTI

LIVE BJP rally: My secularism not votebank politics, says Modi

 

15: 15 hours: Their secularism Vs Our secularism.

People are complaining about electricity, about employment,  people are demanding water for their fields -- for everything, the solution that parties that have ruled Uttar Pradesh is secularism, Modi alleges.  "The Muslim man is nothing more than one vote for  these parties that shout from the rooftops about secularism," he says.

While the number of applicants for the annual Haj yatra subsidy far outstrips the available quota, while Uttar Pradesh, with its 32,000-strong quota for the Haj travel sees barely about 35,000 applicants every year. "If Muslims were better off , more of them would apply," Modi says.

That opens up the floodgates -- he has a comparison between "their secularism" and "our secularism". While the so-called secular parties believe secularism is a votebank, ours believes in India first; he says. "Theirs believes in divide and rule, ours is to join people. Theirs is a election slogan, for us it is an article of faith."

Having mocked Sriprakash Jaiswal earlier over the coal scam, Modi also hits out at Union Minister Salman Khurshid who called him "impotent". "The minister travels around the world, but cheats the disabled," Modi says, a reference to an NGO for disabled people run by Khurshid's wife, which faced allegations of misappropriation of funds.

15:07 hours: Samajwadi Party govt has no time for development, only for votebank politics

The Samajwadi Party government wanted not only lions from Gujarat, they also wanted Amul, Modi tells the crowd. The silk saree of Benares, the carpet of Mirzapur, the leather of Kanpur, the locks of Aligarh, the shoes of Agra -- nothing has been done for these brands that could be great winning ideas for Uttar Pradesh. "But the Samajwadi Party government is so caught up with its votebank politics that it has no time for these concepts," Modi charges.

He cites the example of the kite-manufacturing industry of Gujarat, a traditional occupation of poor Muslim artisans. It was a Rs 35 crore to Rs 40 crore industry when Modi took charge as chief minister, he says. "We have breathed life into this kite industry too -- it is now a Rs 500-crore industry."

15:00 hours: First target is Samajwadi Party and Netaji as Modi begins speech

The BJP's route to Delhi will have to be through Uttar Pradesh -- that's a point often repeated by psephologists, media, politicians and others. Modi says as much today. Only, he attributes it to Vajpayee, who had once said the road to Delhi passes through Lucknow.

With its 80 Lok Sabha seats, a stellar performance in the northern state will give the BJP the fillip it needs to inch closer to the 272 mark in Lok Sabha.

He takes a dig at Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had a rally in Allahabad barely an hour ago. "Netaji says Modi should not compete on the subject of the size of crowds at a rally -- this means Netaji has admitted defeat," Modi says. That Mulayam has also had to give up the politics of votebanks and talk about development in his speech today is another indication of the Samajwadi Party having accepted vanquishment, Modi continues.

As the crowds squeal every time he refers  to the wrestler-turned politician as 'Netaji', Modi continues to take offence at the UP government's comparisons with Gujarat. "Gujarat gets 24 x 7 electricity, 365 days a year Netaji," he drawls. No riots, no curfew, well in control crime, he rattles off, in comparison to the 100-plus riots only since Akhilesh Yadav took charge as chief minister .

The country does not accept the rule of goondagardi, he tells Netaji.

14:45 hours: Each of the eight rallies has been better than the previous , says Modi

It's a sea of saffron I can see, the Gujarat chief minister says. "And the heat of the election is still to begin. But before that, this popular support is an indication that there is a BJP storm coming."

14:40 hours: Kalyan Singh welcomed into BJP, he pays Rs 5 membership fee

Before he ends, Rajnath Singh welcomes Kalyan Singh  back into the BJP. "I assure you he will not just be a member of the party -- he will be given some big responsibility," Singh says, waving a five-rupee coin that Kalyan Singh has paid as membership fee.

14:30 hours: Even a diamond has to go through pain to get its shine: Rajnath

Rajnath Singh, having made an impassioned plea to Muslims only last week to give the BJP "one chance at least", is making a case for Narendra Modi as the wronged victim of wilful politicla vilification. "No political leader has been wrongly targeted as much as Narendra Modi has," he says.

"But even a diamond has to go through so many processes before it gets its shine," he says.

14:10 hours: Murli Manohar Joshi, tipped to vacate his Varanasi seat for Modi, speaks 

Narendra Modi, accompanied by BJP President Rajnath Singh, are at the venue. The dais is busy with floral tributes, two separate giant garlands from different units of the BJP have been presented to the two leaders.

The crowd is cheering Modi, but other speeches are yet to conclude. Speaking next is Varanasi MP Murli Manohar Joshi, who is tipped as being among those likely to step aside if Modi wishes to contest from Uttar Pradesh.

"Congress, BJP, SP -- all mausere bhai (cousins)," he says, before launching into an attack on the series of corruption scandals that have hit the UPA-2 regime. .

13.50 hours:  Modi's chopper draws the attention of cheering crowds

All eyes are on a bright red helicopter making its way to the venue. Senior leader Uma Bharati is speaking: "You have to look at me," she pleads. "Modiji will be arriving here shortly anyway," she says.

The speaker on the dais continues about the grain at Re 1 per kilo, but nobody is paying much attention. "You're not listening to me," she chides. "You have to look at me. I will leave as soon as I finish my speech."

13.20 hours: "Visionary, loh purush, vikas purush will be PM,' says Kalyan Singh 

Kalyan Singh is introduced as the man who promised to give up his life in the service of Lord Ram, who would not give up his commitment to his principles on the subject. Expectedly, the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh starts his speech with a 'Jai Shri Ram, Jai Jai Shri Ram'.

Parties with  just nine seats from UP in Lok Sabha are dreaming of the PM's seat, he drawls. "But the people of the country have decided. It will be a visionary, the Loh Purush, the Vikas Purush, who will occupy that seat," he continues.

13.10 hours: Gen V K Singh, Dr Udit Raj address crowds

Former Army chief General V K Singh, one of the BJP's newest members and expected to be given a ticket from Rajasthan, is now addressing the crowd. He starts with the refrain made familiar by Modi: "Bharat Mata Ki Jai", and then also the one used by the Aam Aadmi Party, for good measure: "Inquilab Zindabad!"

The crowd is restive, a few lakh people are present and Dalit leader Dr Udit Raj has already spoken.

"Make sure you go home and get as many people as you can to promise to cast their vote," Gen Singh says.

12.50 pm: Congress questions source of funds for rallies

Meanwhile, amid meticulous preparations for the lakhs expected to attend the Modi rally in Lucknow today, the Congress has alleged that the BJP has spent about Rs 320 crore for the Gujarat chief minister's rallies in Uttar Pradesh alone.

"BJP which has claimed that it has made elaborate arrangements, including that of transportation, lodging, food, campaign and other arrangements, must tell that from where these funds are being arranged," senior Congress leader and MLA Akhilesh Pratap Singh told PTI.

Singh alleged that 29 trains have been arranged for Modi's rally in Lucknow today which would themselves cost around Rs 5 crore.

12.20 pm: Modi's speech in Lucknow about to begin

The backdrop of the stage where the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will shortly address what is being pegged as a likely record turnout of supporters in Lucknow has a giant photograph of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. A departure from the more common backdrops featuring a phalanx of either freedom fighters former or current leaders, the symbolism of the Lucknow rally's stage decor is not to be missed.

BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi. PTI

Lucknow, the Lok Sabha constituency formerly represented by Vajpayee, has been plastered with posters and banners of Modi, who is not expected to break the suspense on whether he may contest simultaneously from a seat in Uttar Pradesh just yet. But alongside the BJP's loh-purush, the local unit of the BJP appears to have been instructed to use Vajpayee's photographs liberally too.

This will be his eighth rally in Uttar Pradesh in the past few months, and DNA has reported that he has until now covered Kanpur, Jhansi, Bahraich, Agra, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Meerut, all Parliamentary constituencies, until now.

The Indian Express reports that none of the previous UP rallies has had Vajpayee's photographs on the main stage backdrop, but state party president Laxmikant Bajpai said 345 hoardings and 1,500 cut-outs of "different leaders including Atal" will be used in Lucknow.

 

 

Jaya to kick off poll campaign from Kancheepuram on 3 March

Chennai: Having stolen a march by announcing her party candidates well ahead of Lok Sabha elections, AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa will launch her whirlwind campaign tomorrow from the temple and silk district of Kancheepuram.

Even as her major rivals DMK, DMDK and BJP are still scouting for partners, Jayalalithaa is setting out on a gruelling over a month-long electioneering in the first phase covering 19 of the 40 Lok Sabha constituencies at stake, including one in neighbouring Puducherry.

During her campaigning, Jayallithaa, who has been aspiring for a major role for her party and herself in the national level since trouncing the DMK in the 2011 assembly polls, will drum up support from the electorate for an impressive haul. Jayalalithaa has sewed up an alliance with CPI and CPI-M but the seat sharing exercise was yet to be completed.

Jayalalithaa. AFP.

Though AIADMK has announced candidates for all 40 seats, she has said her party would withdraw the nominees from the seats that are allocated to the Left. AIADMK had won nine seats in the 2009 elections and in the upcoming polls Jayalalithaa is eyeing to sweep all the 40 seats so that her party could have a big say in the next government to be formed at the centre.

With this in mind, she had promised in the AIADMK manifesto, released last week, to extend populist schemes like distribution of free mixies, grinders, fans, milch cows and goats across the country if her party was elected to be a part of the next government. The AIADMK supremo is expected to make the performance of her three-year old government as one of the main planks and highlight the populist schemes such as low-cost eateries (Amma canteen), mineral water (Amma Water) and Amma Pharmacies to the woo the voters.

Sri Lankan Tamils issue and attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen by the island navy are other major issues Jayalalithaa was expected to take up. The first phase campaign, being launched even before the Election Commission announcing the calender for the polls, would cover several regions of Tamil Nadu, including Chidambaram, Nagapattinam and Kanyakumari in the south and end on April 5.

PTI

7-phase Lok Sabha election likely to begin April second week

New Delhi: Polling in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections is likely to commence in the second week of April and may be spread over seven phases, the longest so far, highly placed sources said today. The probable dates for the commencement of polling are between April 7 and 10, the sources in the Election Commission told PTI while emphasising that the poll schedule was still being "fine tuned".

As of now, the plan is to have voting, involving over 81 crore voters, in seven phases but efforts are on to reduce that to six phases. The 2009 polls were held in five phases from April 16 to May 13. The much-expected announcement of the schedule is expected in the middle of this week. The Model Code of Conduct for governments and political parties will come into force from the date of announcement.

However, the Election Commission has ruled out advancing the schedule or compressing it to avoid the summer heat, a demand put forward at the all-party meeting convened by the Commission last month. The term of the current Lok Sabha expires on June 1 and the new House has to be constituted by May 31.

Along with the Lok Sabha polls, Andhra Pradesh, including the regions comprising the newly-carved out Telangana, Odisha and Sikkim will go to polls to elect new assemblies. Highly placed sources in the Commission said finishing touches were being given to the schedule. Consultations with the Union Home Ministry, state governments, para-military forces and Chief Electoral Officers of states have already
been completed.

Voters queue up to cast their votes. AFP.

There was speculation that the announcement may be slightly delayed for the Centre to promulgate some of the ordinances it plans to bring out against corruption and on some other issues but there is no confirmation of it. If a six or a seven-phased schedule is finalised, it would be the first time the country would witness elections over such a long period.

The sources said that the attempt is to "maximise" use of forces and the polling days. In the first phase, polling is expected to be held in some of the naxal-hit states and in some North-East states. For the first time in parliamentary polls, a system of paper trail for electronic voting will be introduced in some constituencies on a trial basis.

There have been demands that a paper trail should be in place so that a fool-proof record is created and controversies avoided in case of a dispute or an election petition filed in courts. In a bid to create a level-playing field, the Model Code of Conduct bars governments in the Centre and in the states from making any kind of announcements regarding new schemes or promises so as to lure voters.

The Commission has also issued guidelines to political parties asking them to explain the rationale of financing the promises they make in their election manifestos. The guidelines that followed Supreme Court directions in this regard have now been made part of the Model Code. An estimated 81.4 crore voters will be eligible to vote in the coming elections after 9.71 new voters have been added to the rolls since the last elections.

From the coming elections, candidates in a Parliamentary constituency in bigger states can spend up to Rs 70 lakh on their campaign, up from Rs 40 lakh in 2011. In the 2009 elections it was Rs 25 lakh. Another first in the Lok Sabha elections will be the introduction of "None of the Above" (NOTA) option in voting, which was put in vogue in the assembly elections a few months ago.

The electoral rolls are ready after being updated with January one this year as the cut-off date. A total of 1.1 crore poll personnel, half of them being security forces will be deployed for the smooth conduct of polls and to ensure that they are free and fair. Poll officials said the database of the civilian staff to be deployed for conducting polls has been prepared and at least 5.5 million civilian staff would be deployed.

The list of central government employees to be deployed for poll duty as micro observers in sensitive polling stations has also been prepared. About 8 lakh polling stations have been set up across the country keeping in view the convenience of both the voters and the poll staff.

Preparations have been made for deployment of around 12 lakh electronic voting machines with the addition of another 2.5 lakh new EVMs which it had ordered with various public-sector companies. During the 2009 polls, there were 714 million voters against 671 million voters in 2004 Lok Sabha polls.

The Commission favours a multi-phased election for a country of India's size and electorate because it is better that there is "complete satisfaction" of voters. Otherwise, it can lead to "discontentment" in case of any shortcomings, they said. Some states will be accorded special treatment due to their being affected by extremism. The EC sources said the Commission has not conducted any election in a single go in one phase after 1971 as the size of the electorate in the world's largest democracy has grown considerably over the years.

The officials also said that the entire poll process takes around three months time. But there is a limit of six weeks time from the announcement of the schedule to the first date of poll in view of the Supreme Court direction that the Model Code of Conduct inhibiting government decisions cannot be an unduly long period.

They said the Commission has to give around two weeks' time for government formation before the term of the Lok Sabha or a state assembly expires. In the states of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim, which will have assembly polls along with the Lok Sabha polls, the Commission will place two EVMs alongside for voters to vote in both the elections.

Andhra Pradesh has 42 Lok Sabha constituencies and a 294-member Assembly. Out of this, 25 Lok Sabha constituencies and 175 Assembly constituencies will remain with the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh, while Telangana will have 17 Lok Sabha seats and 117 Assembly seats.
Odisha will also elect its 147-member assembly while Sikkim has a 32-member state assembly. The terms of Andhra Pradesh assembly is till June 2, that of Odisha is till June 7, and of Sikkim till May 21.

PTI

Shakeel Ahmed offers to give up claim on seat to save alliance

New Delhi: With his party's talks with Lalu Prasad's RJD for a tie-up in Bihar coming under strain, Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed, who was eyeing a Lok Sabha seat in the state, today said he was willing to forego his claim on it to save the "secular" alliance.

The remarks came even as party sources said that back channel talks with Nitish Kumar's JD(U) have also begun. There is a view that Congress talking to JD(U) again may be a pressure tactic to make RJD fall in line as it is playing hard ball.

Shakeel Ahmed. AFP

AICC general secretary Ahmed, who had won the Madhubani seat in 2004, was keen to contest this time but RJD is not inclined to spare it as its leader Abdul Bari Sidiqqui, who was the runner-up from Madhubani in 2009 Lok Sabha elections, is no mood to leave the seat.

Ahmed had come third from the seat won by BJP's Hukumdeo Narai Yadav in last Lok Sabha polls.

"When the issue is big and stakes are high for national interest, individuals do not matter. Any secular alliance should not break due to my claim. I am a disciplined soldier of the party and will abide by whatever decision is taken by the party," Ahmed said.

His remarks came after he met the party's Screening Committee Chairman for Bihar elections P C Chacko.

Congress had fought the 2004 Lok Sabha election in alliance with RJD and Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP and the alliance had won 29 of the 40 Parliamentary seats.

Congress had won three seats then including Madhubani, Sasaram and Aurangabad. In 2009, Congress fought alone as its alliance for Lok Sabha polls broke with RJD and LJP.  The party won only two seats retaining Sasaram and losing the other two. The other seat it won was Kishanganj.

While Paswan has aligned with BJP this time, RJD has asked Congress to decide on its offer of contesting 11 Lok Sabha seats.

PTI

Kejriwal to inspect development in Modi’s Gujarat

Kicking off day two of his three-day 'jhaadu-chalao' campaign, Arvind Kejriwal arrived in Kanpur ready to do battle as he addressed crowds at Ram Lila Maidan on Sunday.

Kejriwal launched a tirade against RIL and Mukesh Ambani and read out two numbers he claimed belonged to their Swiss bank accounts. Repeating his allegations about gas pricing, Kejriwal said: "Modi is using a helicopter owned by Mukesh Ambani. Some people have sent me photographs too," he says.

"Now if Mukesh Ambani asks for a further hike in gas price, can Modi refuse?" he added.

Battle begins from UP. Agencies.

Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi no different, he said. "Rahul is in one pocket of Mukesh Ambani, Modi in the other," he says, demanding why no FIR has been registered against Priyanka Gandhi's husband Robert Vadra even in Rajasthan where there is now a BJP government. "Has Vadra also come to some setting with Modi?" he said.

"There is no Modi wave -- it's the badmaashi of TV channels," Aam Aadmi Party convenor and former chief minister of Delhi, speaking at a rally in Kanpur, denied that there is any Narendra Modi wave in India. "That is just the badmaashi of these television channels," he said.

Kejriwal also questioned the source of funding for BJP's grand rallies. "Rs 50 crore is being spent on each rally by Narendra Modi. They turn the stage into Lal Qilla," he said. "If you vote Modi to power it will be like getting out of the well and falling into the ditch -- that's your choice between a Manmohan Singh government and a Narendra Modi government," he added.

Kejriwal said that the existing parties were only interested in dividing up voters.

"I have heard that during Akhilesh Yadav's stint, there has been 101 communal clashes. These parties flare up people's sentiments. Then the Muslims go and sit either on Mulayam Singh Yadav's lap or the hold the Congress hands, and Hindus fall back on BJP. This way we remain divided and the parties keep looting us," said Kejriwal.

He also chose to comment on the contentious Babri Masjid issue cleverly dealing with it in the way of a personal anecdote. Talking about his maternal grandmother or naani (and you can never go wrong with daadi-naani anecdotes in India) he said, how she was not happy about the demolition of Babri Masjid. "When the Babri Masjid was demolished, I asked my naani, you must be very happy, your Ramji's mandir will be built now. To which she said, I don't want my mandir when it is built by destroying someone's masjid," says Kejriwal.

He also took a dig at Modi's 'development plank'. "You must have heard that there is a lot of development in Gujarat. I am asking, how do you know there is development in Gujarat? Because the media has told you. I am visiting Gujarat 5 March onward to see what development has happened. If there is indeed development, we can use the knowledge to bring about progress in other states. Otherwise, the lies should also be exposed," says Kejriwal.

Modi’s UP battle cry: BJP is the real secular party

Narendra Modi today launched a scathing attack against SP, BSP and Congress, saying they were misleading the people under the veil of secularism to hide their failures.

"Though heat of elections is yet to be felt, there is a wave in favour of BJP due to which "sabka vinash" (SP, BSP and Congress) is certain. For them secularism is all about vote bank to mislead the people," the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate told a massive rally in Lucknow.

BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi. PTI

"They are misleading the people by wearing the veil of secularism to conceal their failures," the Gujarat Chief Minister said.

Hitting out at the SP government on the issue of communal violence, Modi asked SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to explain as to why so many riots had taken place in Uttar Pradesh.

"In the past one year of your son's (Akhilesh's) rule, more than 150 riots have taken place in UP, while there was not even a single riot in Gujarat in the last 10 years. Not even a curfew was clamped there. Don't compare Gujarat with UP on development," he said.

Accusing SP, BSP and Congress of using secularism as a tool to grab power, Modi said that for BJP secularism was about uniting people and ensuring development. "Secularism to the BJP is about putting India first. Secularism is article of faith for us. It is to unite people and do development. For them its a tool to grab power and an election slogan," the BJP leader said.

Taking on the SP supremo, Modi claimed that Mulayam in his address in Allahabad had conceded defeat. "Netaji (Mulayam) has conceded defeat in his address in the SP rally by saying that he cannot compete with the crowd at my rally. By talking about development, Mulayam has been forced to leave his old ways and discuss development," he said.

"I have been talking about politics of development for past 10 years and I am happy that he too has started talking about it," Modi said.

He said instead of giving false facts about Gujarat, it would have been better if he (Mulayam) would have given an account of work done by him in UP.

"He is spreading lies about Gujarat. He should first visit Gujarat and see that electricity is available there 24 hours, 365 days while in UP there is no power. In UP, there is reservation as far as distribution of electricity is concerned. Areas of Netaji are getting power, while other places do not have power," he said.

On the law and order front, Modi alleged that "due to hooliganism of SP leaders, crimes have been taking place right under Mulayam's nose. "There were over 20,000 cases of atrocities against women in UP alone. In Kanpur, medical students were manhandled by aides of an MLA and later lathicharged by the police and faced brutality by them due to which doctors in the entire state are agitating," he added.

"The politics of hooliganism will not be tolerated anymore. These misdeeds say everything and I do not need to elaborate," Modi said.

He said that there were two camps in Samajwadi Party - one 'Samaj Virdohi Party' and another 'Sukhwadi Party, which is engaged in fun. Had Ram Manohar Lohia been here, he would had been pained, he said.

PTI

Kejriwal rally LIVE: Will visit Gujarat on 5 March, says AAP chief

4.25 pm: Kejriwal rakes up communalism issue

Coughing furiously, Kejriwal, now sounding like a seasoned politician sought to rake up the communalism issue. He said that the existing parties are dividing the voters up. "I have heard that during Akhilesh Yadav's stint, there has been 101 communal clashes. These parties flare up people's sentiments. Then the Muslims go and sit either on Mulayam Singh Yadav's lap or the hold the Congress hands, and Hindus fall back on BJP. This way we remain divided and the parties keep looting us," said Kejriwal.

He also chose to comment on the contentious Babri Masjid issue cleverly dealing with it in the way of a personal anecdote. Talking about his maternal grandmother or naani (and you can never go wrong with daadi-naani anecdotes in India) he said, how she was not happy about the demolition of Babri Masjid. "When the Babri Masjid was demolished, I asked my naani, you must be very happy, your Ramji's amndir will be built now. To which she said, I don't want my mandir when it is built by destroying someone's masjid," says Kejriwal.

Clever? Sure!

16.10: Media said I am indulging in drama, says Kejriwal

"It was four degree centigrade when I sat on the overnight dharna, media said that I am doing drama, I dare them to sit on the roads all night in that cold show us how you can fake such things," says Kejriwal.

Then he took a dig at Modi's 'development plank'. "You must have heard that there is a lot of development in Gujarat. I am asking, how do you know there is development in Gujarat? Because the media has told you. I am visiting Gujarat 5 March onward too see what development has happened. If Modi ji wants me to visit specific places, if the media wants to suggest places I shall go visit them. If there is indeed development, we can use the knowledge to bring about progress in other states. Otherwise, the lies should also be exposed," says Kejriwal.

16:00 hours:  Rahul Modi, all in Ambani's pockets

In a dramatic announcement, Kejriwal read sout two numbers purported to be the Swiss bank account numbers of the Ambani brothers. Modi must bring home the black money in Swiss accounts, he says.

Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi no different, he says. "Rahul is in one pocket of Mukesh Ambani, Modi in the other," he says, demanding why no FIR has been registered against Priyanka Gandhi's husband Robert Vadra even in Rajasthan where there is now a BJP government.

"Has Vadra also come to some setting with Modi?" he says.

15:40 hours: "There is no Modi wave -- it's the badmaashi of TV channels"

Aam Aadmi Party convenor and former chief minister of Delhi, speaking at a rally in Kanpur, denies that there is any Narendra Modi wave in India. "That is just the badmaashi of these television channels," he says.

Arvind Kejriwal.

Kejriwal is also continuing his tirade against RIL and Mukesh Ambani: He repeats his allegations about gas pricing, and then adds: "Modi is using a helicopter owned by Mukesh Ambani. Some people have sent me photographs too," he says. "Now if Mukesh Ambani  asks for a further hike in gas price, can Modi refuse?"

Rs 50 crore is being spent on each rally by Narendra Modi. "They turn the  stage into Lal Qilla," he says. "Where is this money from?"

If you vote Modi to power, he says, it will be like getting out of the well and falling into the ditch -- that's your choice between a Manmohan Singh government and a Narendra Modi government," he says.