Heena Sharma Blog

Whatever the final position of various parties turns out to be, it is evident that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has suffered severe body blows in the three Hindi heartland states it rules with substantial majorities – Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It is too far behind in Chhattisgarh and will most likely not form the next government. The trends as of noon on the counting day show the Congress in the lead in the other two states as well, although these races are quite tight. Rajasthan would likely see a Congress government, though with a smaller majority than it expected. If at all the BJP wins Madhya Pradesh, it would do so by the proverbial skin of its teeth. That should come as no surprise (except to diehard BJP supporters) as all opinion surveys and most exit polls had predicted this outcome. ALSO READ: Election results LIVE: Congress stumped out of Mizoram, MNF wins 12 seats It would be tempting to attribute this result to the anti-incumbency factor

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Friday alleged that Dassault Aviation paid Rs 2.84 billion to Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as the "first installment of kickbacks" and claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi was having "sleepless nights" fearing action if a probe was conducted into the Rafale deal . He also alleged that CBI chief Alok Verma was removed as he wanted to investigate the deal. There was no immediate reaction from the government and Ambani on the fresh charges made by Gandhi. However, they have previously rejected all allegations made over the Rafale deal. Dassault Aviation CEO ric Trappier has said the reason Ambani's firm was given the offset contract and not state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was that it had land for the project, he said, alleging the land was purchased by Ambani's company with the money that Dassault gave.       "Dassault gave Rs 2.84 billion to a loss-making company with a valuation of Rs

Top political leaders on Wednesday paid homage to India's third prime minister Indira Gandhi to commemorate her 34th death anniversary. "Tributes to our former Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary ," tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress President Rahul Gandhi also took to the micro-blogging site to remember his grandmother "with a deep sense of happiness." "Remembering Dadi today with a deep sense of happiness. She taught me so much and gave me unending love. She gave so much of herself to her people. I am very proud of her," his tweet read. The Congress President, along with his mother and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, also paid floral tributes to the 'Iron Lady' at her memorial Shakti Sthal. Indira Gandhi, who was hailed as one of the tallest world leaders, was assassinated by her own Sikh bodyguards at her residenc

Congress President Rahul Gandhi Friday courted arrest after staging a protest outside the CBI headquarters in New Delhi against the move to divest CBI Director Alok Verma of his powers and send him on leave. Earlier addressing the gathering Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue. He also accused him of destroying institutions including the CBI, the Election Commission and the Enforcement Directorate. Senior Congress leaders, including Ashok Gehlot, Ahmed Patel, Motilal Vora, Veerappa Moily and Anand Sharma, took part in the march that culminated in a demonstration ahead of the CBI headquarters. Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav, CPI leader D Raja and TMC's Nadimul Haque joined the protest. The Congress' protests in the national capital were replicated in other parts of the country. State Congress leaders led demonstrations in their regions against what the Congress described as the "illegal, unconstitutional and ill

A day after NCP chief Sharad Pawar predicted a change of government at the Centre after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls , Union minister Ramdas Athawale countered him saying the NDA will continue to occupy power with Narendra Modi as the prime minister. "I believe the current government will continue after the 2019 general elections. The NDA will be in power under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi," Athawale said in a statement. "The so-called unity of the opposition is not happening, hence such distractive messages are being circulated," the Minister of State for Social Justice added. Pawar had Tuesday claimed that Narendra Modi will not be the prime minister after the next year's Lok Sabha polls, and that there will be change in government at the Centre and in Maharashtra. "There will be change in government in Delhi and Maharashtra. No single party can provide an alternative. I do not think Narendra Modi will be prime minister after the L

CBI Director Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana have been "divested of all powers" amid an ongoing spat between them. In a tweet, Gandhi said, "CBI Chief Alok Verma was collecting documents relating to the Rafale scam. He was forcibly sent on leave". "The Prime Minister's message is very clear that whoever comes near Rafale (issue) will be removed, wiped out," he charged. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, however, has dismissed as "rubbish" allegations that Verma was removed because he wanted to look into the Rafale fighter jet deal . He said the government's decision to remove Verma and Asthana is based on the Central Vigilance Commission's recommendations. The Congress has been alleging massive irregularities in the Rafale deal. The government has vehemently rejected all allegations. Read Complete Article Business Standard

Firing a fresh salvo at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal , Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleged on Thursday that he was a "corrupt man" who helped Anil Ambani pocket Rs 300 billion in the purchase of the fighter aircraft. Gandhi demanded an investigation against the prime minister. The Congress president also described Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's trip to France as part of a "huge cover-up" by the government. His attack at the government came a press conference following a report in the French media that Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale, had to choose Ambani's firm Reliance Defence as its offsets partner in India as a trade-off for getting the deal. The government has been insisting that it had no role in the Dassault's choice of Reliance Defence. Dassault Aviation said in a statement that it has "freely chosen to make a partnership with India's Reliance Group". Read Complet

Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa Wednesday strongly defended the government's decision to procure only 36 Rafale fighter jets against the original proposal of 126 aircraft, saying there have been similar "emergency" acquisitions in the past. The Air Force is reeling under a severe shortage of fighter aircraft at a time India faces security challenges from two nuclear-powered neighbours, the air chief marshal said, adding that the purchase of 36 Rafale jets (two squadrons) will help the force deal with the situation. One squadron of fighter jets comprises 16-18 aircraft. "Whenever the government felt the air power element of the defence forces is likely to be in a disadvantageous position, it has gone in for emergency purchases of the aircraft under the umbrella of the inter-governmental agreement," Dhanoa said, addressing a seminar on IAF's force restructuring. ALSO READ: Here's how the IAF is quietly making prepa

The death toll in the current phase of monsoon fury in the southern state has touched 79 Current Affairs News : Congress president Rahul Gandhi spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and requested him to increase the deployment of Army and Navy in flood-hit Kerala and give special financial assistance to the state. Gandhi spoke to the prime minister over phone and announced it on Twitter. He noted that the tragedy is unparalleled in Kerala's history and the state is in "great pain". Expressing concern over the flood situation in Kerala, he took to Twitter to make a fervent appeal to people for help by contributing to the chief minister's relief fund. The death toll in the current phase of monsoon fury in the southern state has touched 79. Read More >> Kerala Floods Rise in flood waters in Periyar River due to the rains and opening of all shutters of all major dams including Mullaperiyar, Cheruthoni, part of Idukki res

Gandhi was severely criticised by BJP leaders for hugging Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the no-confidence motion against the government last week Politics News : A day after Rahul Gandhi said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs step back on seeing him as they fear he might hug them, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Thursday took a jibe, saying the leaders might be divorced by their wives if they embrace the Congress president as "Section 377 hasn't been scrapped as yet". Dubey said BJP MPs can hug Gandhi only when the Congress president gets married. "Why should we hug him. Section 377 hasn't been scrapped as yet. And our wives will also give divorce to us. If Rahul Gandhi gets married, then we will hug him," he said.   The IPC's Section 377 criminalises sex among people of the same gender. On Wednesday, at an event, Gandhi said the BJP's MPs take "two steps back" on seeing him fearing he might embrace them. Gandh

Former Defence Minister AK Antony rubbishes Centre's claim of secrecy clause in the deal while Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad terms Rahul Gandhi's allegations "falsehood". Politics News : The Congress party on Monday fielded former defence minister A K Antony in the Lok Sabha to demand the Narendra Modi government make public the price at which Rafale fighter jets are being purchased. Countering Antony’s charges, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad termed it a “collective singing of falsehood” to defend Congress president Rahul Gandhi . Prasad said Gandhi was “prima facie guilty of breach of privilege for misleading” the Lok Sabha. The Congress chief had raised the issue of the price of Rafale in the Lok Sabha on Friday, during the debate on the no-confidence motion against the government. In the discussion, Prime Minister (PM) had termed Rahul’s accusations “childish”. Some of the members of parliament (MPs) of the BJP have also moved a privilege

The mention of the Rafale deal triggered noisy protests from the ruling party MPs Current Affairs News : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said French President Emmanuel Macron had told him that there was no secrecy pact with India on the Rafale jet deal, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had lied to the nation about it. "I personally met the French President and asked him if there was a secrecy pact with India. He told me that no such pact was signed between the two countries. He said he had no hesitation in saying this and that I can tell this to my country," Gandhi thundered in the Lok Sabha. Gandhi said the price per plane during the UPA regime was Rs 520 crore (Rs 5.2 billion) but when Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to France and "with some magic" powers, the price per plane increased to Rs 1,600 crore (Rs 16 billion). "Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is here. She said s

In Mandsaur and Pipliyamandi towns, nearly 225 km from Indore, elaborate security arrangements have been put in place to prevent a rerun of last year Current Affairs News: An uneasy calm prevailed in Mandsaur town on Tuesday on the eve of Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s public rally to mark the first anniversary of the police firing that killed five farmers here last year. While plummeting onion prices triggered the protests in June 2017, the discontent of farmers this year has been due to the sharp drop in garlic rates – a key intercrop during the lean harvest season. In Mandsaur and Pipliyamandi towns, nearly 225 km from Indore, elaborate security arrangements have been put in place to prevent a rerun of last year. “I will ,ake a quiet dash for the exit after the rally gets over. Who knows what might happen once the leaders leave the venue,” said Noor Mohammed, as he sipped his cup of tea at a stall in Pipliyamandi. Pipliyamandi, near Mandsaur town, was the