Dispur (Assam) [India], March 22 (ANI): Assam Congress will be conducting dialogues with youths over job creation in all 43 constituencies on March 24 under the banner of ‘Congress’s 5 lakh Government Jobs Plan: A Conversation.’
The interactions are for the people to know that the party stands determined to clarify their questions and encourage them to understand the benefits they will receive with the guaranteed generation of 5 lakh Government Jobs when Congress comes to power in Assam, the party said.
“The interactions will be across all 43 Constituencies enlisted in the First Phase of polls in the State, candidates from these constituencies will be leading these interactions, addressing the grassroots questions and grievances,” said Congress.
These engagement and discourse driven initiatives will be under the banner of Congress’s 5 lakh Government Jobs Plan- A Conversation.
The Party’s candidates have invited all the individuals, from their respective constituencies, who have registered online for their Government Job Guarantees, to attend the interaction-based events.
As per last numbers, more than 1 lakh 40 thousand people from across constituencies have registered on the Party’s official website.
“Even those who have not registered for the online Job Registration Programme, are welcome to attend the interactive session to learn about the Party’s Job Guarantee Programme. Congress’ drive to take its Guarantees and plans to the ground are taking its Online Job Registration numbers to the next level,” it said.
The Party’s candidates will be holding continuous, in-person Q&A, engagement in their constituencies, with those who wish to gather more information and have their queries addressed on how the Party aims to provide 5 Lakh Government Jobs in the State.
Along with this, the Congress Party will also address the people’s questions about the Party’s Online Job Registration Programme and motivate, unemployed youth of the State to undertake the initiative of submitting their applications on the Party’s website.
The idea behind this engagement initiative is to inform the people of Assam, in a detailed manner as to how the Congress Party aims to execute and generate, its Government Job Guarantee Programme.
The assembly elections in Assam will be held in three phases starting from March 27 while the counting of votes will take place on May 2. (ANI)

Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 22 (ANI): Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan on Monday hit back at Bharatiya Janata Party’s Vanathi Srinivasan, his opponent from Coimbatore South constituency, saying that it was faulty logic, in the context of Indian politics, to call someone an “outsider”.
On Srinivasan’s “guest of Coimbatore” remark on Haasan, he said,” You cannot make such logic in politics, there’s no outsider, an Indian is an Indian. (Mahatma) Gandhi Ji isn’t a Gujarati, he’s my father.”
When asked who he will support in case of a hung assembly the MNM chief said, “Both All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam AIADMK and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) aren’t support-worthy. People should make a decisive move towards better politics which means not leaving the Assembly hung, please come and vote.”
“I want to uplift the poor. My target is to win the opportunity to serve the Constitution,” he further said.
“State Eligibility cum Entrance Test (SEET) is an alternative plan, instead of saying we will ban something that has been promulgated by Central govt which is not possible. It’s an empty promise by Mr Stalin when he says we will make it (NEET exam) disappear,” Haasan added.
On corruption charges against AIADMK, the actor-turned-politician said ” Corrupt ministers should be sent to jail. The police have to be more active to do that. Raids should be done for punitive reasons rather than for political reasons.”
MNM will be contesting 154 of 234 assembly seats. Of the remaining 80 seats, MNM’s two alliance partners — All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi (AISMK) led by R Sarathkumar and TR Paarivendhar’s Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK) — will contest 40 seats each.
Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu will be held on April 6 and the counting of votes will take place on May 2. (ANI)

By Gaurav Arora
New Delhi [India], March 22 (ANI): Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday defended Anil Deshmukh regarding a complaint by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on allegations of corruption against him, stating that the Maharashtra Home Minister was hospitalised between February 5 to 15.
Addressing media here, Pawar said, “If you see the former Commissioner’s (Param Bir Singh) letter, he mentions that in mid-February, he was informed by certain officers that they got such and such instructions from the Home Minister. From 5th-15th February, Deshmukh was admitted in the hospital because of coronavirus.”
Pawar also displayed a hospital slip which indicated that Deshmukh was in the hospital till February 15.
Pawar said, “So it’s clear Deshmukh was in Nagpur. CP is saying he was briefed the same day by the home minister. The second week of March, Parambir got the information he says. Why was he waiting the whole month to expose it? Yesterday I also suggested some senior officer should probe the case. I think it is clear who murdered (Mansukh) Hiran. In the investigation, it will be clear why they did this.”
He said, “ATS announced that two persons were arrested. ATS investigation is going in the correct direction and to divert the things allegation has been made now. The Truth is coming out now. I am convinced after seeing the document that on a particular day he was in Nagpur.”
The NCP chief was responding to questions over BJP’s Amit Malviya’s tweet that said Deshmukh had held a press conference on February 15, as opposed to the NCP chief’s statement that he was admitted to hospital at the time.
Pawar said, “Don’t want to say anything on this I have the document. The main and important thing is the Antilia case and who murdered. Why you people are diverting the issue.”
Meanwhile, Deshmukh said, “A few journalists were waiting for me at the hospital gate after I got discharged on February 15. I was feeling low and weak so I sat on the chair there and responded to their questions. Then I went straight to my car and went home.”
Singh on Saturday wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, alleging that Deshmukh had indulged in “malpractices” and asked suspended API Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month. (ANI)

Seoul [South Korea], March 22 (ANI): South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook is likely to visit India this week to hold high-level talks with defence Minister Rajnath Singh, sources told ANI.
South Korean media reported on Monday that Suh Wook is visiting the United Arab Emirates and India this week to expand exchanges.
“From Thursday to Saturday, Suh will visit India and meet with his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, to talk about working together on military technologies. Suh will take part in the opening ceremony of the Korea-India Friendship Park. The two countries agreed to build it in 2019,” the media outlet reported.
The likely visit from the South Korean defence minister follows US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin was on a three-day visit where he said that India is an increasingly important partner amid today’s rapidly shifting international dynamics adding that the ties between Washington and New Delhi are a “stronghold of a free and open Indo-Pacific region”.
India and South Korea had in December last year held consultations on issues related to bilateral cooperation and international issues of mutual interest including defence and security cooperation, Covid-19 response and coordination in multilateral forums.
Indo-Pacific region is largely viewed as an area comprising the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea.
China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and its efforts to advance into the Indian Ocean are seen to have challenged the established rules-based system.
According to South Korean media, observers have speculated that Seoul and New Delhi could address the Quad alliance comprising the US, Australia, India and Japan, which had held its first virtual summit on March 12. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 22 (ANI): Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday announced that the legal age to consume alcohol in the national capital will be 21.
“The legal age to drink in Delhi will now be 21. There will be no government liquor stores in Delhi,” Sisodia said while addressing a press conference here.
“No new liquor shops will be opened in the national capital,” he added.
Earlier, the legal age to drink in Delhi’s restaurants and bars was 25.
The legal age to consume alcohol differs from state to state in India. (ANI)

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], March 22 (ANI): West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday released the party’s election manifesto ‘Banglar Disha’ for the upcoming assembly elections in the state.
Chowdhury launched the manifesto at the party’s state headquarters in Kolkata.
The release of Congress’ poll manifesto comes a day after Bharatiya Janata Party unveiled its ‘Sankalp Patra for Sonar Bangla’. BJP’s manifesto was released by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Kolkata on Sunday.
Notably, the Left Front, the alliance partner of Congress for the West Bengal polls had released its manifesto on Saturday. Following this, there is a lot of speculation going on in the political arena as there has been no unified manifesto of the alliance.
The ruling Trinamool Congress took the lead in launching it’s manifesto first.
Elections to the 294-member state Assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.
The state is likely to witness a triangular contest this time with TMC, Congress-Left alliance and BJP in the fray. (ANI)