<b>BJP never commented on Jawaharlal Nehru's sherwani, says Hussain</b></br> Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi over his "suit-boot ki sarkar" jibe, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said such criticism shows that Congress has become "direction-less" even as it claimed that it had never commented on the clothes which former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru chose to wear. “When you have no issue to comment on, you start commenting on people's clothes," BJP national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said here. "Congress is trying to mislead the people by commenting on Prime Minister's clothes. Did we ever speak about the kind of sherwani Jawaharlal Nehru wore? We also did never discuss the clothes Congress president wears," he said. (Express Photo) (30/05/2015)
<b>Controversies occurred because I challenged status-quo, says Smriti Irani </b></br>HRD Minister Smriti Irani, who has been dogged by controversies, said this was happening as she was a "straight-talker" who challenged the status-quo in education sector which was being used as a source of "profit" by some people. Irani also rejected the charge of saffronisation of education and listed a number of initiatives by her to "empower" students and parents in decision-making, wondering if that was "saffronisation". (PTI) (30/05/2015)
<b>Monsoon progress sluggish; to miss forecast date </b></br> The onset of southwest monsoon over Kerala has been delayed from the date forecast by the Met department due to its "sluggish" pace. The normal date for onset of monsoon over Kerela is June 1. It also marks the official onset on rains in the country. This year, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted that it will hit the southern state on May 30. According to Skymet, a private forecasting agency, monsoon arrived over Andaman and Nicobar Islands on May 16, three days prior to the onset date. Since then, the advance has been slow. By May 21, the southwest monsoon advanced over Bay of Bengal touching southern parts of Sri Lanka. But here on, the monsoon stagnated for a week. (PTI) (30/05/2015)
<b>Heat wave toll goes up to 2207 </b></br>The death toll in the sizzling heat wave sweeping many parts of the country rose to 2207, with 202 more deaths being reported since yesterday from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha. The heat wave was witnessed in many parts of the country but Nagpur in Maharashtra recorded the highest temperature of 47.1 degrees celsius. Andhra Pradesh reported 146 more deaths today, raising the toll 1636 since yesterday. Prakasam district has recorded the maximum number of 333 deaths, followed by Guntur district (233), followed by East Godavari (192), Visakhapatnam (185), Vizianagaram (177), Nellore (163), Krishna (78), Chittoor (64), Srikakulam (60), Anantapur (56), Kadapa (38), Kurnool (34) and West Godavari (23). The highest maximum temperature of 47 deg Celsius was recorded at Jangamaheshwarapur. In Telangana, the toll due to the heat wave rose to 541 today, with 52 more deaths being reported during the last 24 hours. (PTI) (30/05/2015)
<b>Rahul Gandhi's Land Bill claims 'baseless', should do 'homework', says BJP </b></br> The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back at Rahul Gandhi for his attack on the Narendra Modi government over the land Ordinance, saying he should do his homework and not make "wild" and "baseless" allegations as it was Congress that had played "havoc" with the poor with its "garibi hatao" slogan. Seeking to turn the tables on the opposition party, BJP asked Rahul to first explain the "politics of money over bodies" in Congress-ruled Uttarakhand in the wake of allegations of swindling of funds meant for the victims of the natural calamity that struck the hill state in 2013. "Rahul should first give an account of the corruption by Uttarakhand government. Rahul does not do any homework and the making of baseless allegations has become a part of his politics," said Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. (30/05/2015)
<b>Ban on sale of beef will promote communal harmony, say BJP's Shahnawaz </b></br> Kicking up another controversy, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain asked Muslims to demand ban on sale of beef in their states to "promote communal harmony". "Decisions are taken by the government based on public sentiments. Each government wants that public sentiments should not be hurt. The Maharashtra government too has banned the sale of beef after taking public sentiments into account," Hussain told reporters here. "Muslims from other states should take cue from the Maharashtra government's decisions and come forward to demand ban on the sale of beef in their respective states. This will promote communal harmony," he said. (Express Photo) (30/05/2015)
Some celebrities have come under fire for endorsing brands misleading consumers.
<b>'Not me, Saifuddin Soz responsible for Vajpayee govt's fall' </b></br> Considered to be one of the persons responsible for the fall of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1999, former Odisha CM Giridhar Gamang claimed that it was not his but the then National Conference member Saifuddin Soz's cross voting that sealed its fate. “Vajpayee government lost the confidence motion by one vote for the cross voting of Prof Soz as he had gone against the whip of his party and voted against the motion," he told reporters here. Gamang, who announced his resignation from the primary membership of Congress, said he was being seen as the "bad" element due to a misconception that his vote ensured the defeat of Vajpayee government. "On April 17, 1999 there was voting on Confidence Motion moved by Prime Minister Vajpayee. The confidence motion was defeated by 269 to 270 votes. (30/05/2015)
