BJP’s all out support for Gorkhaland and Kamtapur

By Kumar Sarkar from merinews.com
THE BENGAL unit of the BJP seems to have overcome its initial inhibition about supporting the demands for separate states of Gorkhaland and Kamtapur carved out of the state. It has fallen in line with the central party high command after Jaswant Singh was nominated from the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat [...]

Money, muscle power on display in Sikkim Assembly polls

From the Assam Tribune
NEW DELHI, April 28 – Muscle and money power are both on abundant display in Assembly elections in Sikkim, with major political parties fielding 23 history-sheeters and 39 multi-millionaires, even though not a single woman is in the fray in the State.
Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW), [...]

Hema Malini whips up Gorkhaland frenzy

From Assamtribune.com
DARJEELING, April 27 – Chal Dhanno ! Aaj teri Basanti ki izzat ka sawal hai. Aaj Jaswant Singh ko jitana hai aur Gorkhaland pana hai!
The above morphed version of the legendary dialogue of cult Hindi movie Sholay fused to fit with the current political mood in Darjeeling was pouted today by the lead actress [...]

Karuna calls off fast after SL govt move to end combat ops

From PTInews.com
As the Sri Lankan Tamils issue threatened to erupt into a major election plank, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi went on a sudden fast demanding a ceasefire in the island but called it off six hours later following Colombo’s announcement that the combat operations have concluded.
In a surprise move, 85-year-old DMK patriarch went [...]

Too inexperienced to be PM: Rahul

By Shyama Sarkar from Merinews.com
RAHUL GANDHI will refuse to be Prime Minister if asked. He said this at a Press conference in Kolkata today. “I do not have the experience to be the Prime Minister right now,” he added when asked about his views if he was projected as a Prime Ministerial candidate. He said [...]

Shoe attack on PM in Gujarat, misses him

From PTInews
Ahmedabad, Apr 26 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today became the latest victim of a shoe attack during the current election campaign when a computer engineering student hurled a sneaker towards him while he was addressing his first poll rally in Gujarat but it fell way short of the target.
Shortly after the incident at [...]

Raman for integrated action on Naxalites

By Akshaya Kumar Sahoo from Asian age
April 21: Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh on Tuesday called for an integrated action plan by the Centre to end the Maoist menace in the country.
“If an integrated action plan envisaging coordinated efforts by the Maoist-affected states is not taken up, then it will be difficult to fight the [...]

In young India, politics remains a grey area

From Deccan Chronicle
Ever since the first House was constituted in 1952, women and young people have not fared too well when it comes to entering the Lok Sabha. All parties wax eloquent about having younger MPs and more women. Hav-ing younger people in Parliament, and more women, is likely to impact the issues that take [...]

SC rejects Dutt’s plea to contest LS polls

From DNAindia.com
New Delhi: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt’s plea to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections was on Tuesday rejected by the Supreme Court which refused to stay his conviction in connection with the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.
“We are not inclined to suspend his conviction,” a Bench headed by chief justice KG Balakrishnan said.
“It is not [...]

Morcha sways between Congress and BJP

THE GORKHA Janamukti Morcha was unable to decide who to support between the Congress and the BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls at its central committee meeting held in Darjeeling late yesterday.
The president of the Morcha, Bimal Gurung briefed members of the party central committee about the talks he had both with the [...]