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  • Jharkhand Assembly Polls: Amit Shah To Launch BJP Manifesto Ahead Of PM Modi’s Visit |

    Jharkhand Assembly Elections: A day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jharkhand, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will release the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) manifesto and address three rallies in the poll-bound state on Sunday. Union Minister Shah arrived in Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi on Saturday night.

    “Union Home Minister Amit Shah will release the “Sankalp Patra” for Jharkhand Assembly elections in Ranchi on Sunday. He will also address three rallies at Ghatshila, Barkatha, and Simaria Assembly constituencies during the day,” the BJP said.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Jharkhand on November 4 and address two rallies. Prime Minister Modi’s visit will be followed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is scheduled to hold a public meeting in Jamshedpur on November 5.

    Shah is likely to release 25 key points of the party’s manifesto to underline 25 years of Jharkhand’s formation and a 150-point document, marking the 150th birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, BJP leaders said.

    Amit Shah will release the party’s “Sankalp Patra,” said BJP’s Jharkhand election in-charge and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday.

    Announcing that PM Modi and Home Minister Shah will launch the BJP’s Jharkhand campaign, Union Minister Chouhan made a call for a “double-engine” government in the state, claiming the “development work came to a standstill” under the Chief Minister Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress government.

    Jharkhand will vote in the Assembly polls across two phases on November 13 and November 20, with counting on November 23. The BJP will be looking to reverse its 2019 Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha results.

    The party fell from 37 Assembly seats in 2014 to just 25 in 2019, losing out in tribal-dominated seats in particular. In the recent Lok Sabha polls, the NDA fell from 11 seats to eight but lost all Scheduled Tribe-reserved seats to the JMM and Congress. Recently, the BJP has been raking up the issue of conversions of tribals, besides attacking the ruling JMM government’s record on development and corruption to swing the polls back in its favour.

    With Amit Shah and PM Modi visiting the state in quick succession, the party’s campaign is likely to gain momentum. The JMM and the Congress, in the hopes of countering anti-incumbency, have been touting its welfare schemes, including the Maiyya Samman Yojna to grant women aged 18 to 50 Rs 1,000 per month in assistance.

  • ‘B’ In BJP Stands for ‘Betrayal’, ‘J’ For ‘Jumla’: Kharge Hits Back At Modi Over PM’s Poll Promise Dig At Congress |

    PM Modi vs Kharge: The war of words between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge continued on Friday after PM Modi took a swipe at the grand old party over its poll guarantees. 

    On Friday, the Congress launched a multi-pronged attack on the Prime Minister, with Kharge saying before pointing fingers, PM Modi should note that the “Modi Ki Guarantee” is a “cruel joke” on 140 crore Indians.

    The Congress national president took to X and launched a scathing attack on the saffron party. He stated that the ‘B’ in BJP stands for ‘betrayal’ while ‘J’ stands for ‘jumla’. In a post on X, Kharge said, “Narendra Modi ji, Lies, Deceit, Fakery, Loot and Publicity are the 5 adjectives which best describe your government! Your drum beating regarding a 100-day plan was a cheap PR stunt!”

    Besides Kharge, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, and Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal also slammed PM Modi, citing Congress’ track record in fulfilling its promises.

    “On May 16, 2024, you claimed that you took inputs from more than 20 lakh people for the roadmap for 2047. RTI filed in PMO declined to put forth details, exposing your LIES!” the Congress chief said in the post.

    Claiming to set the record straight, the senior Congress leader also highlighted the issue of the promise of “two crore jobs per year”.

    “Why is India’s unemployment rate at a 45-year high and why are stampedes witnessed wherever there are vacancies for a handful of jobs,” Kharge questioned.

    “Who is responsible for 70 paper leaks in 7 years and who snatched 5 lakh government jobs by selling stake in PSUs,” he further asked.

    Stating that ‘Bahut Hui Mehangai Ki Maar’, the grand old party chief asked, “Why have household savings plunged to a 50-year low? Why has the cost of a common thali increased by 52 per cent in just last year? TOP — Tomato prices have increased by 247 per cent, Potato by 180 per cent and Onion by 60 per cent.”

    “Who levied GST on essential food items such as Milk, Curd, Aata, Dal? Who is penalising the middle class through Long Term Capital Gains Tax by indulging in tax terrorism,” Kharge asked.

    Continuing his attack at the BJP, Kharge took a jibe at the saffron party over its promise of “Acche Din”

    “Rupee is at an all-time low. Is it in ICU or in Margdarshak Mandal? Your Govt has borrowed Rs 150 lakh+ crores in past 10 years, amounting to a debt of Rs 1.5 lakh on every Indian. MSMEs have been destroyed through DeMO + Flawed GST,” he said.

    “Clean chit to China post-Galwan, red carpet for Chinese investments and ruining relations with every neighbouring country,” Karge said in the post.

    Going all out against the PM Modi-led central government, he accused it of “snatching government jobs from SC, ST, OBC, and EWS communities by a 91 per cent increase in Casual/Contract hiring”.

    “JUMLA of doubling Income of Farmers by 2022. Refusing Legal Guarantee for MSP. GST on 35 Farm articles. Turning permanent recruitment to Armed Forces to a temporary one through Agnipath! Modi ji, before finger-pointing, please note that MODI KI GUARANTEE is a cruel joke on 140 crore Indians!,” the Congress chief said.

    Kharge’s remarks came after Modi on Friday said the Congress stands “badly exposed” in front of people for promising to them what the party knows it will never be able to deliver. Modi launched a fierce attack on the opposition party as he seized on Kharge’s comments that the Congress’ state units should make promises that are properly budgeted. He also said the developmental trajectory and fiscal health in the Congress-ruled states of Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana are going from bad to worse.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • UP Bypolls 2024: On CM Yogi Adityanath’s ‘Batenge To Katenge’, Samajwadi Party’s New Counter Slogan |

    Uttar Pradesh Bypolls: With the campaigning gaining momentum for the Uttar Pradesh assembly bypolls for nine seats, the BJP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) are leaving no stone unturned to woo the voters. However, the biggest challenge for the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party was to get a counter to Yogi’s ‘Batenge to katenge’ slogan which gained immense popularity in the recent polls. Yogi gave the slogan to counter Congress-SP’s caste-based political plank where the parties demanded caste census calling for ‘Jitani aabadi, utna haq’.

    Now, the Samajwadi Party has put up posters in Uttar Pradesh saying ‘Judenge to jeetenge’. Speaking to reporters recently, reacting to Yogi’s slogan of ‘batenge to katenge’, Akhilesh Yadav said, “This slogan has been given out of fear of the increasing power of the PDA (Picchda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak). We know in which lab this slogan was prepared. Then they looked for a suitable face and pushed CM Yogi in front. This time, PDA will connect people and win the election. BJP is scared of the increasing power of PDA.”

    “PDA परिवार वो है जो सामाजिक न्याय की लड़ाई को आगे बढ़ाना चाहता है, जो सामाजिक सद्भाव को आगे बढ़ाना चाहता है। “

    – माननीय राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष श्री अखिलेश यादव जी pic.twitter.com/G7NmGaXvI9
    — Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) October 30, 2024

    The nine assembly seats will be voted on November 13, and the votes will be counted on November 23. The nine seats are Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sishamau (Kanpur city), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj), and Kundarki (Moradabad).

    On the opposition’s caste and region politics, Yogi Adityanath said that those who want to divide have DNA of ‘Ravan’ in them. “Today when the attacks are happening, someone is dividing in the name of caste, some in the name of region and some in the name of language. The DNA of Raavan and Duryodhan is at work in these divisive elements,” said Yogi during a rally. 

    आज कोई जाति, कोई क्षेत्र और कोई भाषा के नाम पर बांट रहा है…

    इन बांटने वाले तत्वों में रावण और दुर्योधन का ही DNA काम कर रहा है… pic.twitter.com/M9gy63bCT8
    — Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) October 31, 2024

    The BJP leader further warned the public against giving any opportunity to the divisive element. CM Yogi said that if these elements would get another chance, they would start goondaism, anarchy, and riots.

  • Jharkhand Election 2024: Focus On Nine Seats With Close Margins; BJP, JMM Eye Booster Shot |

    Jharkhand Vidhansabha Chunav 2024: With the first phase of the Jharkhand assembly elections only a fortnight away, the political parties have upped their campaigning and efforts to woo the voters. Of the 81-member assembly seat, certain seats have witnessed a close encounter while some have been strongholds of either the BJP or the Congress. With 42 seats being the majority mark, the BJP and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) are working to gain an upper hand on seats which have traditionally witnessed a close contest. 

    These nine seats are Kodarma, Mandhu, Baghmara, Jarmundi, Deoghar, Godda, Simdega, Nala, and Jama. In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP had won five and the two seats each went to the JMM and the Congress. However, the Jharkhand Lok Sabha poll result gave an edge to the BJP-All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) alliance a lead in eight of these nine seats.

    The election to these seats has also become crucial because the voters are all set to witness a united fight between two blocs – NDA and INDIA. While AJSU, JDU, BJP and LJP are part of the NDA, Congress, JMM, RJD and Left constitute the INDIA bloc.

    In the 2019 assembly elections, the lowest victory margin in these nine seats was in Simdega where Bhushan Bara of Congress defeated Shradhanand Besra of the BJP by 285 votes. In Baghmera, the BJP narrowly edged out the Congress by 824 votes. In the constituencies it didn’t win, the BJP secured the second position in four of them. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), a partner of the JMM and Congress, was the runner-up in three constituencies, while the Congress and the AJSU each took second place in one constituency. Among the closely contested seats that the BJP managed to flip in 2019, it had placed as runner-up in three of them five years prior. This included Torpa, where the party narrowly lost to the JMM by just 43 votes.

    The assembly polls in Jharkhand will take place in two phases – the first phase on November 13 and the second phase on November 20. The counting of votes will take place on November 23.

  • ‘Too Busy With Bullet Train, People Left To Die’: Sanjay Raut Slams Railways Min Over Bandra Stampede |

    Mumbai Stampede: Following the stampede at Mumbai’s Bandra station, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday slammed Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the incident, claiming that he was too busy with the bullet train project while passengers in Mumbai were being ignored.
         
    The stampede incident happened on Sunday when nine people sustained injuries. Two of the injured were in a critical condition. The stampede took place after a rush to board a Gorakhpur-bound train at the Bandra Terminus in Mumbai on Sunday morning, as per officials.

    Speaking to reporters, Raut said, “Mumbai city gives maximum revenue to the Union government. Compared to it, we hardly get any facilities here for passengers.” “The railway minister is too involved with the bullet train project, and people are left to die because of the poor infrastructure as the railway minister is disconnected with their problems,” he asserted.

    The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, aimed at significantly reducing the travel time between the two cities, is currently under construction. Continuing his attack on Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Shiv Sena (UBT) MP said that the railway minister is always presented as highly educated and his association with premium institutes like IITs is highlighted, but he has failed to solve problems of the common people who are dependent on the railways for travel, Raut claimed.

    “Mumbai City not only gives maximum revenue but has the highest number of suburban passengers. However, the railway minister has not taken any steps to solve the problems,” the Rajya Sabha member charged.

    Raut also lashed out at the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Center over some of the railway accidents in the country during its tenure. “Since the third term of this new Union government has commenced, at least 25 major railway accidents have taken place,” he claimed. “What solution did the government provide to address them?” Raut asked. Who is responsible for so many people getting injured (referring to the stampede at Bandra station)? Is there not an onus on the railway minister? he sought to know.

    Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray trained his guns on the Railways Minister over the incident and raised questions on the minister’s ability to manage railway safety. “Wish the reel minister was a rail minister for once. The incident at Bandra only reflects how incapable the current Railways Minister is. The BJP has made Ashwini Vaishnav ji a Prabhari for BJP Maharashtra for elections, but every week there are some incidents and accidents that occur with the railways. It is such a shame that our country has been forced under such incapable ministers,” he said.

     

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • ‘Do You Want to Kill Me?’ Kejriwal Blames BJP For Attack On Him, Challenges Party For Polls |

     Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of the alleged attack on him during his ‘padyatra’ in west Delhi’s Vikaspuri a day ago. He also challenged the saffron party to prove its strength by contesting in polls against him.

    AAP also has claimed that Kejriwal was allegedly attacked by “BJP goons” during his ‘padyatra’ campaign.

    Attacking the BJP, the former Delhi Chief Minister said, “Yesterday, the BJP sent their goons to attack me in Vikaspuri.”

    “Do you want to kill me? If you have the strength, contest the elections,” he said while attacking BJP.

    The AAP leader urged voters not to support the BJP, claiming that the party would end all the free schemes he has implemented.

    “If you vote for the BJP by mistake, they will shut down your children’s schools and start sending you electricity bills of Rs 10,000. The people of Delhi have to decide whether they want to vote for those who work or those who stop work,” Kejriwal said.

    The ‘padyatra’ or foot march in Vikaspuri was part of a series of public rallies being conducted by AAP leaders across Delhi in the run-up to the assembly elections, likely to be held in February 2025.

    The ‘padyatra’ or foot march in Vikaspuri was part of a series of public rallies conducted by AAP leaders across Delhi in preparation for the assembly polls, expected to take place in February 2025.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Jharkhand Assembly Polls: Hemant Soren Files Nomination; Mocks Himanta Biswa, Calls Him A ‘Pravaasi’ CM |

    Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren who had filed his nomination for the upcoming assembly polls took a jibe at Assam CM & Jharkhand BJP co-in-charge of assembly elections Himanta Biswa Sarma by calling him as ‘Pravaasi’ CM who will not be seen in state once the assembly polls are over.

    Interacting with media on Thursday after filing his nomination Soren said, “Today, I have filed my nomination for the assembly election… ‘Pravaasi’ CM (Himanta Biswa Sarma) is here and not only him but all the so-called big leaders of their party are here. They are here for a few days; after that they won’t be found here. They are doing their work, I am doing mine…”

    Chief Minister Hemant Soren will contest from the Barhait Assembly constituency.

    Meanwhile, Kalpana Soren, the JMM leader and wife of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, filed her nomination as her party candidate from Gandey Assembly constituency on Thursday. Kalpana Soren is currently representing the Gandey constituency.

    She had won the constituency in a bypoll held in May this year by beating BJP’s Dilip Kumar Verma by a margin of 27,149 votes. The seat became vacant following the resignation of JMM MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad.

    Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has released its first list of 35 candidates for the upcoming assembly polls in the state which are to be held in two phases on November 13 and 20.

    On the other hand, Himanta Biswa Sarma who was in Jamshedpur as part of the poll campaign attacked the current government and said People will teach this govt (state) a lesson.
    “There is an environment of enthusiasm and excitement among the people. We will win all four seats of Jamshedpur with big margins. People will teach this govt (state) a lesson… NDA will form the govt under the leadership of PM Modi. It’s not my work to estimate the number of seats that we will win, I think we will win 81 seats,” said Himanta.

    The Assembly elections in Jharkhand will be held in two phases on November 13 and November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.

  • Is Congress Losing Credibility Among INDIA Bloc? Allies Take Charge Across Poll-Bound States – Analysis |

    Assembly Elections 2024: Two states are going to elect their next governments – Jharkhand and Maharashtra in the coming weeks. Both of these assembly polls are crucial given the results of the recent assembly elections of Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. While Congress lost Haryana to the BJP, it’s sitting outside the government in Jammu and Kashmir. The election results of these two states had put a serious dent in the Congress party’s winnability chances. 

    In Jammu and Kashmir, Congress contested 32 seats but could win only six seats. In Haryana, it contested 89 seats and won just 37 in a direct contest with the BJP. Soon after the election result, the INDIA Bloc was quick to raise questions on the Congress party’s strike rate in a direct contest with the BJP. The seat-sharing agreement between Congress and INDIA bloc allies reflected the fallout of the Haryana and J&K results. 

    Uttar Pradesh Bypolls

    Nine assembly seats are going to the bypolls in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress and the Samajwadi Party were locked in an intense seat-sharing deal. But the Samajwadi Party refused to buzz to the Congress party’s demand and finally, it was decided that the Samajwadi Party would contest all the seats on its own. However, Akhilesh Yadav gave a face-saver to Congress by saying that it’s INDIA Bloc’s united fight.

    Bihar Bye-elections

    In Bihar, where the RJD, Congress and Left parties are part of the Mahagathbandhan, the Congress has again scored a duck. Of the four seats up for bypolls, the RJD is contesting 3 and the CPI-ML has got one. Notably, this comes as the Congress party’s strike rate has been very low in Bihar. In the Bihar assembly elections in 2020, Congress contested 70 seats and managed to win just 19.  

    Jharkhand Assembly Elections

    In Jharkhand, the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has given 29 seats to the Congress out of the 80. It’s the only state where Congress has been given a respectable seat share by the allies. However, it again leaves the Congress dependent on the allies for government formation. 

    Maharashtra Assembly Polls

    In Maharashtra, the Congress was trying to contest around 110 seats citing its improved performance in the Lok Sabha polls. However, regional parties like Shiv Sena-UBT and the NCP-Sharad Pawar did not buzz and after marathon meetings, the parties agreed to Shiv Sena-UBT’s proposal of contesting below 100 seats. Now, all three big parties will contest 85 seats each, leaving the rest of the seats for Samajwadi Party, PWP, CPI(M), CPI, and AAP.

    Congress Being Pushed To The Wall

    Once the largest party in the country, Congress is increasingly being pushed to the back seats across big states. INDIA bloc allies are forcing the grand old party either to sit out or sit back when it comes to seat sharing. Be it in West Bengal or Tamil Nadu, the allies took control of the polls by bagging the majority shares of the seats. The same is happening across other states where the Congress has failed to perform in a direct contest against the BJP. While Congress has displayed a maturity by playing second fiddle in these polls, the party will suffer in the long-run as the allies will bcome stronger, leaving less space for Congress.

  • Jharkhand Election: BJP Releases First List Of 66 Candidates, Fields Champai Soren From Saraikella |

    BJP released the first of 66 candidates list on Saturday for Jharkhand Assembly Polls. The saffron party has nominated state chief Babulal Marandi from Dhanwar, Lobin Hembrom from Borio, Sita Soren from Jamtara, former CM Champai Soren from Saraikella, Geeta Balmuchu from Chaibasa, Geeta Koda from Jaganathpur, Meera Munda from Potka.

     

    BJP releases the first list of 66 candidates for the #JharkhandElection2024

    Party’s state chief Babulal Marandi to contest from Dhanwar, Lobin Hembrom from Borio, Sita Soren from Jamtara, former CM Champai Soren from Saraikella, Geeta Balmuchu from Chaibasa, Geeta Koda from… pic.twitter.com/uXhfDpfTxq
    — ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2024

    The BJP is going to contest on 68 of the 81 assembly seats in the state, leaving the rest for its allies.

    The party aims to oust the JMM-Congress alliance from power in the upcoming two-phase polls, which are scheduled to be held on November 13 and 20.

    BJP will contest the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections along with their allies including All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Janata Dal (United) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), the party said, ANI reported.

    As per the current agreement, AJSU will likely to contest on 10 seats, JDU on 2 seats and LJP will contest the lone seat of Chatra and BJP will contest on remaining 68 seats.

     

    The 81-seat Jharkhand Assembly elections are set for November 13 and 20, with vote counting scheduled for November 23. 

    In Jharkhand, approximately 2.60 crore voters are eligible to participate, including 1.31 crore male voters and 1.29 crore female voters. Notably, there are 11.84 lakh first-time voters in the state.

  • ‘Symbol Of Negativity’: Row In Uttar Pradesh After Akhilesh Yadav ‘Stopped’ From Paying Tribute To Jayaprakash Narayan |

    Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of erecting tin sheets before the main gate of Lucknow’s Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) to stop his entry. He criticised the BJP, stating that “every action of the BJP and its government is a symbol of negativity.” Yadav alleged that the BJP government is trying to stop him from paying tribute to Jayaprakash Narayan.

    Huge number of protestors gathered at Akhilesh Yadav’s residence as police barricades and heavy security were put in place. Yadav alleged that the BJP government is trying to hide something by erecting tin shades. He alleged that the JPNIC is not under construction as being claimed by the state government.

    In a letter dated October 10, the LDA mentioned that JPNIC is a construction site with haphazardly spread materials and potential insect infestations due to rain. “JPNIC is a construction site where construction material is spread haphazardly, and there is a possibility of many insects due to rain,” the LDA said.

    Yadav expressed concern that barricades were set up around JPNIC to prevent Samajwadi Party members from garlanding the statue of Jai Prakash Narayan on his birth anniversary.

    भाजपाई लोग हों या इनकी सरकार, इनका हर काम नकारात्मक का प्रतीक है। पिछली बार की तरह समाजवादी लोग कहीं ‘जय प्रकाश नारायण जी’ की जयंती पर उनकी मूर्ति पर माल्यार्पण करने न चले जाएं, इसीलिए उन्हें रोकने के लिए हमारे निजी आवास के आसपास बैरिकेडिंग कर दी गयी है।

    – भाजपा ने श्रद्धांजलि… pic.twitter.com/oqAO6g8Qu8


    — Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) October 11, 2024

     

    Yadav shared a video on X and said, “Preventing someone from bowing or paying homage is not a sign of civilized people.”

    किसी को नमन करने या श्रद्धांजलि देने से रोकना सुसभ्य लोगों की निशानी नहीं। pic.twitter.com/4Co28qyahN
    — Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) October 10, 2024

    Yadav visited the JPNIC with party workers on Thursday night to commemorate the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan, which is celebrated on October 11.

    “BJP holds ill-will and animosity towards every freedom fighter like Jai Prakash Narayan ji who took part in the freedom struggle of the country. It is the guilt within the BJP colleagues who did not take part in the freedom struggle of the country that does not allow them to pay tribute to the revolutionaries even on their birth anniversaries,” the post read.

    ये है भाजपा राज में आज़ादी का दिखावटी अमृतकाल
    श्रद्धांजलि न दे पाए जनता इसलिए उठा दी गयी दीवार

    भाजपा ने जो रास्ता बंद किया है, वो उनकी बंद सोच का प्रतीक है।

    भाजपा जय प्रकाश नारायण जी जैसे हर उस स्वतंत्रता सेनानी के लिए अपने मन में दुर्भावना और दुराव रखती है, जिसने भी देश की… pic.twitter.com/kYaHiX1B1n
    — Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) October 10, 2024

    Narayan formed the first non-Congress government in the country by uniting the entire Opposition against the Congress party during the Emergency. He is remembered for leading a rainbow coalition of Opposition parties in the mid-1970s against then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, calling for ‘Sampoorna Kranti’ (total revolution).