Top 10 news today: Rahul Gandhi in Punjab, Narendra Modi, Shobhaa De, Nepal earthquake, Mamta Banerjee, more

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Rahul takes a train to Punjab, meets farmers in mandi: Rahul Gandhi today took his fight against the contentious land acquisition bill to Punjab as he travelled by train to the grain bowl of the NDA-ruled state and met farmers to see their condition "with my own eyes". Dressed in a brown tee and jeans and sporting a stubble, the Congress Vice President reached Ambala in Haryana bordering Punjab this evening sitting in a general compartment of the Sachkhand express before he drove down to the local Anaj Mandi in Fategarh Sahib district. "I have been told that the situation is very bad. So I want to see it with my own eyes. "I am going to Punjab. I had also stated in my speech (in Parliament) that those who provide grains to the country, food to the country, from them their land is being snatched. This is wrong and we will counter it," Gandhi told reporters from his window seat earlier at the New Delhi Railway station from where he boarded the train. (PTI) (28/04/2015)

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Narendra Modi hails Jawaharlal Nehru, asks youth to imbibe his scientific temper: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hailed Jawaharlal Nehru and said the youth should take inspiration from him and imbibe his scientific temper. Chairing the 41st AGM of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) Society here, he said the institution should attempt to reflect the thoughts of India's great leaders such as Nehru on contemporary themes such as good governance, a PMO statement said. He said the youth of India could take tremendous inspiration from great leaders who made this nation. In particular, he emphasized the need for the youth to imbibe Pt Nehru's scientific temper, it said. (28/04/2015)

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SC stays Maha Assembly's privilege motion notice to Shobhaa De: The Supreme Court today stayed the breach of privilege motion notice issued against author Shobhaa De by Maharashtra Assembly Speaker for her tweets on the state government's decision to make it mandatory for multiplexes to screen Marathi movies during prime time. A bench of justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C Pant also issued notice to the parties concerned and sought their response within eight weeks on the plea of De. The socialite-columnist had moved the apex court against the notice issued by the Assembly Speaker following a complaint against her by a Shiv Sena law maker alleging that her series of tweets insulted Marathi language and Marathi speaking people. (PTI) (28/04/2015)

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NGT bans burning of waste in open, violators to be fined: Imposing a complete ban on burning of waste in open including garbage, leaves, plastic and crop residues, the National Green Tribunal today said violators will be fined Rs 5,000, in yet another significant order to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR. The order comes three weeks after the Tribunal banned plying of diesel vehicles which were more than 10 years old in the region. (Reuters) (28/04/2015)

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No bandh is observed in Bengal: Mamata Banerjee</br><br> "No bandh was observed in West Bengal today," was how state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the general strike called by the opposition parties to protest against alleged violence in the just-concluded civic polls. The Chief Minister accused the BJP and the CPI(M) of trying to drag the state backward. "No bandh has been observed (in the state). CPI(M), BJP and a media group, who harmed the state for 34 years, are trying to cause more damage. They are trying to drag the state backward," she told reporters. (PTI) (30/04/2015)

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Degree row: Oppn demands AAP minister's ouster: Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar today faced demands for his ouster amid a row over allegedly "fabricating" his law degree, but he rejected the charge of any wrongdoing and refused to step down. He said the controversy was a BJP ploy to sully the image of Aam Aadmi Party and contended that since no FIR had been registered against him nor any court had made any observation "there is no question of stepping down". (28/04/2015)

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No gag order on PM on foreign soil: Arun Jaitley: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attack on the UPA government abroad rocked Rajya Sabha today with Opposition forcing repeated adjournments but Finance Minister Arun Jaitley put up a strong defence saying "there is no gag order" on the PM on foreign soil. Members from Opposition and treasury benches had heated exchange of words on Modi's remarks during his recent visit to Canada that he wanted to "clean the dirt" of 60 years. (PTI) (28/04/2015)

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No bandh will be allowed in Bengal: Mamata Banerjee: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today opposed the bandh called by Left parties and BJP on April 30 and warned that the administration will take strong action against those participating in the shutdown. "In Bengal our stand is clear that there will be no bandh, no strike. We are against bandh and strike. Administration will take strong action against those who will go for bandh. We won't let them stop the growth of Bengal," Banerjee told reporters here. The West Bengal unit of BJP yesterday called a 12-hour statewide bandh on April 30, a day after the Left Front gave a similar call on that day to protest "terror and violence" by the ruling Trinamool Congress in the recently-concluded civic elections. (Reuters) (28/04/2015)

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A relative places a flower over a body of his family member, who died in Saturday's earthquake, during a cremation along a river in Kathmandu, Nepal April 28, 2015. (Reuters)