Election Commission issues notice to Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi:  The Election Commission has issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi on a complaint by the BJP that he had falsely blamed the party for communal violence in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh.

In rallies in states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh that are headed for elections, the Vice-President of the Congress had accused the BJP of practicing "the politics of hatred" and of instigating communal riots in places like Muzaffarnagar.

"BJP felt that unless there is a Hindu versus Muslim situation in Uttar Pradesh, they would not do well. So, they set this fire," Mr Gandhi alleged, adding that it was the Congress which had "doused the fire".

The BJP says that Mr Gandhi's remarks violate the model code of conduct for elections.

The party's six-page complaint to the poll panel also included Rahul Gandhi's allegation during a rally in Indore that Pakistani agencies were trying to reach out to young Muslims whose families had been affected by the Muzaffarnagar riots.

Need Sardar Patel's secularism, not votebank secularism: Narendra Modi

Ahmedabad:  Narendra Modi's riposte to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in their fierce Sardar Patel duel came from the site where he is building the world's tallest statue in honour of India's "iron man" today. (Modi's dream project: 10 things to know about world's tallest statue)

Addressing a farmers rally before inaugurating the statue on Sardar Vallabhai Patel's 138th birth anniversary, the Gujarat Chief Minister said, "By aligning Sardar Patel with one party you are demeaning him," referring to Dr Singh's assertion at a public function on Tuesday that Sardar was a Congressman. (PM, Narendra Modi join tug-of-war over Sardar Patel's legacy)

"I am proud and happy that I belong to a political party to which Sardar Patel was attached," Dr Singh had said, as his Congress and Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party do battle over Sardar Patel's legacy.

The PM had also said, "Sardar Patel was totally secular, and believed in the unity of India," seen as a swipe at Mr Modi, who is accused by the Congress of being a "divisive leader."

Mr Modi, who is the BJP's candidate for PM and hopes to replace Dr Singh in Delhi next year, said today that he concurred with the Prime Minister that Sardar Patel was "a true secular."

But, he added, "We need Sardar Sahab's secularism, not vote-bank secularism." The Gujarat Chief Minister pointed out that the "secular Patel who united India...had no hesitation rebuilding the Somnath Temple."

The Sardar statue will be built on an island called Sadhu Bet on the river Narmada in Gujarat, the home state of both Sardar Patel and Mr Modi. Twice the size of the Statue of Liberty in the US, it is seen as a not-so-subtle bid by Mr Modi and his BJP to appropriate the legacy of Sardar Patel, who was associated with the ruling Congress.

Mr Modi has used his ambitious project to undermine his chief rivals, the Gandhi-Nehru political dynasty that heads the Congress. Sardar Patel was first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's deputy and his Home Minister, but often at odds with him.(Modi's Patel statue project: Legacy, politics and controversy)

When he shared the stage with the PM on Tuesday, Mr Modi had said, "Every Indian regrets Sardar Patel did not become the first Prime Minister. Had he been the first Prime Minister, the country's fate and face would have been completely different."

This morning the Congress' Digvijaya Singh tweeted, "Sardar-Humility personified ! Modi-Conceit and Arrogance personified Sardar -United India Modi-Divides NDA BJP and Hindus and Minorities."

Odisha: Woman teacher set on fire, school inspector absconding

Bhubaneswar: In shocking news from Odisha, a 27-year-old woman teacher has been set on fire in the Rayagada district. She has sustained 90 per cent burn injuries and is critical.

She has been moved to Vishakapatnam for treatment. The main accused, the school inspector, is absconding. More than three months ago, the woman teacher had allegedly lodged a sexual harassment complaint against the school inspector but no action was taken. On Sunday night, she was threatened to withdraw the complaint. When she refused to do so, she was set on fire.

The school inspector and the district inspector of the school have been suspended and an assistant sub-inspector has also been suspended.

Bomb found at Patna's Gandhi Maidan, experts explode it

Patna: The National Security Guard's commandos today averted another blast at Patna's Gandhi Maidan by conducting a controlled explosion of a bomb found there.

The National Investigation Agency or NIA has taken over the investigation into the serial blasts, government sources said.

On Sunday, six people were killed and 83 injured in a string of crude bomb explosions that ended just before the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, addressed tens of thousands of supporters at the same public park in the heart of the city.

Just four days before the rally, the state's Intelligence Bureau had warned the Bihar Police in writing that Mr Modi was likely to be targeted at election rallies.

But Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has refuted allegations of major security lapses and has said that there were no intelligence inputs of a possible strike in Patna. 

Yesterday, when confronted with the intelligence bureau's note, the state's top cop, Ravindra Kumar, said that the warning was abstract and not specific.

Maharashtra: Teacher gets foot massage from students, suspended

A shocking incident has came to light from Akola in Maharashtra where a government school teacher for the specially-abled was suspended after a video showing students massaging her feet was made public.

It is being alleged that the teacher asked class VII students to give her a foot massage. The matter surfaced after a student with the help of a friend captured the visuals on a mobile camera.

Suspected Indian Mujahideen member Afzal Usmani rearrested, say sources

Mumbai: Suspected Indian Mujahideen operative Afzal Usmani has been re-arrested by Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad or ATS more than a month after he escaped from a crowded court in Mumbai on September 20, sources said.

A massive manhunt was on for Usmani who is accused of serial bomb blasts in Gujarat in 2008 that killed 57 and injured nearly 200.

The 37-year-old suspect had managed to give the cops a slip while he was brought to the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court along with 22 others from Taloja Central Jail in Raigad district to hear the charges against him.

It later emerged that that there were no Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras at the sessions court, which also houses the MCOCA court which tries hardened criminals, including terrorists.

Usmani's arrest in August, 2008 had helped the police in Maharashtra bust the Indian Mujahideen module in the state.

Home Minister Shinde at Bollywood event after Patna blasts, BJP asks why

Mumbai: The BJP has criticized Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde for attending a Bollywood event in Mumbai on Sunday evening, hours after serial blasts in Patna in and around the site of a Narendra Modi rally killed six people and injured over 80.

On Sunday evening, Mr Shinde, who has charge of the country's law and order, kept his date with the makers of the Hindi film Rajjo, which has reportedly been directed by Vishwas Patil, who belongs to the minister's village in Maharashtra. During the 45-minute event at a luxury hotel, the Home Minister launched the film's music and also posed for photographs with its lead star Kangana Ranaut.

Mr Shinde faced a barrage of questions as soon as he left the function and justified not changing his plans because of the blasts, saying he had immediately sent crack investigating teams to the spot and was in regular touch with his officials.

"Since the bomb blast at 9.30 am, I have been getting updates about the situation. I have spoken to the Chief Minister of Bihar a few times. In the afternoon itself I sent an NIA (National Investigation Agency) team and a bomb inquiry squad to Patna by plane," he told reporters.

The BJP refuses to buy the explanation. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, chief minister of election-bound Madhya Pradesh tweeted: "Home minister launching music when there were blasts in Patna. Now it's time for them to hear the music."

Another BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh said, "When the rally, hosting six lakh people, happened, when serial blasts happened, major havoc could have spread. But rather than controlling the situation, (Mr Shinde) was launching music. This has become a habit of the Congress Home Minister and other ministers. Instead of paying attention to good governance, they pay attention to their clothes and to music," said BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh.

The BJP has accused not only the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar, but also the Centre of being lax about security for the Patna rally of Mr Modi, who is the party's prime ministerial candidate for 2014.

Twitter is also abuzz with comments about Mr Shinde attending the Bollywood event so soon after a major attack.

AP: Truck falls into lake

     Markapuram (AP),Three persons were killed in Peddaviradu mandal in Prakasam district today when a truck carrying cement fell into a lake, police said.G Ramanjaneyulu, DSP Markapur, said the truck driver lost control of the vehicle trying to avoid collision with an auto-rickshaw coming from the opposite direction.

     Ten people were travelling in the truck. While a body was recovered and another two could be seen floating on the water, others were missing, the DSP said.A woman and a girl who were injured in the accident were admitted to a hospital.

Centre 'worried' over increase in infiltration

"Looking at last year's record, we are not worried. This year, however, we are worried because of the increased infiltration. I have been discussing this with my officers about the reasons behind the infiltration," Shinde said while addressing the troops in Samba.

    He is visiting the Jammu area in the wake of escalation of the ceasefire violations along the International Border and the Line of Control (LoC).

    136 ceasefire violations have been reported so far this year, the highest in the past eight years. Even yesterday, Pakistani Rangers opened fire at 10 border posts, injuring two persons.

    Because of these violations, the Union Home Minister will not able be go to any forward post and will have to confine himself to meeting BSF personnel in Samba district in this region.
  
He expressed government's "full support" for the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and said they have been granted the status of ex-servicemen like their counterparts in the defence services.  

    "The CAPF are not given the status of ex-servicemen like the defence forces. When I said this to the PM, he asked me to bring a note regarding this in the Cabinet. You all will be happy to know that CAPF have been granted the status of ex-servicemen," Shinde said.

    He also said that the Ministry is considering extending few more benefits to CAPF personnel.

    The Home Minister also sought to boost the morale of forces saying the government is aware of the hardships faced by them while guarding the country and will take steps to address their issues.

Muslim leaders say Rahul Gandhi's statement 'most unfortunate'

 Lucknow: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's statement that some Muslim youths from communal riot-hit Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh were in touch with Pakistan's intelligence agency has been slammed by prominent clerics of the community as "most unfortunate".

Maulana Saif Abbas Naqvi, a Shia cleric, said such statements not only painted the Muslim community in bad light but also strengthened communal forces. He said these were "grave insinuations" against millions of peace loving and patriotic Muslims in the country.

He also alleged that instead of understanding the plight and pain of the communal riot victims, the Gandhi scion was playing politics with them.

Shahar Qazi, Maulana Abul Irfan Miyan Farangi Mahali, called Rahul Gandhi's comment "most unfortunate" and demanded an immediate and unconditional apology from the Congress leader.

"It does not behove leaders of a national party like the Congress to make such cheap and hurtful statements against the Muslims...we are patriotic and would do anything for India" he said in a statement.

Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, senior vice-president of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, said anyone who cast aspersions on the integrity and loyalty of the minority community was doing great disservice to the country.

At an election rally in Indore on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi had made a sensational claim that singed by the riots and killings in Muzaffarnagar district of the state, many Muslim youth were in touch with Pakistan's intelligence agency. The communal clashes last month left 62 dead and 43,000 homeless.