Electoral Bonds Scrapped: Modi Expresses Regret, EC Seizes Record Inducements
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed regret over the Supreme Court’s decision to scrap the electoral bond scheme, claiming that it has pushed the country towards black money in elections. In an interview with ANI, Modi stated that the scheme should also be viewed as a success story as it revealed the sources of political party funding.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has accused Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of visiting southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu, to compensate for potential losses in their traditional strongholds in the north. Stalin emphasized that the purpose of the upcoming election is to determine who should not come to power rather than who should.
The Election Commission (EC) has reported the largest seizure of inducements, including drugs and cash, in the history of elections. Even before polling begins for the Lok Sabha elections, the EC has seized ₹4,650 crore, surpassing the amount recovered in the 2019 elections.
The Madras High Court has directed the EC to explain its rationale for insisting that denial of pre-certification for election advertisements can only be challenged before the Supreme Court. The EC’s counsel has been granted time to take instructions after senior counsel R. Shunmugasundaram argued that the EC has no right to take away the writ jurisdiction of the High Courts.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has stated that the Narendra Modi-led government has ended the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the 1,600 km India-Myanmar border to thwart a “conspiracy” to change the demography of Manipur. “No matter how hard anyone tries, we will not let anyone divide Manipur,” he said at a campaign rally in support of the BJP’s Inner Manipur candidate in Imphal.
A senior official of the Taliban’s ‘Justice Ministry’ has stated that the Taliban is in “continuous contact” with Hindus and Sikhs who were forced to flee Afghanistan and had their homes taken by warlords. The official said the Taliban will respect the property rights of minority communities and are “particularly committed” to defending the rights of Hindus and Sikhs in the country.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has announced that he will step down on May 15 after two decades at the helm and hand power to his deputy Lawrence Wong. Mr. Lee, 72, will formally advise the city-state’s president to appoint Mr. Wong, who is currently deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, to succeed him.
Israel’s European allies have urged the administration to show restraint over Iran’s weekend missile and drone attack, calling on Israeli leaders to step away from “the edge of the cliff” of escalation in West Asia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war Cabinet, which is empowered to decide on the country’s response, was set to convene on April 15 afternoon.
Former England spinner Derek Underwood, who gave a torrid time to the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, has passed away at Kent on April 15. He was 78. Underwood, a practitioner of slow left-arm orthodox spin, was highly regarded by his contemporaries because of his pin-point accuracy.
In the Indian Premier League (IPL), Sunrisers Hyderabad registered a well-crafted 25-run victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a high-scoring affair. Travis Head’s maiden T20 hundred (102, 41b, 9×4, 8×6) and Heinrich Klaasen’s pillaging 67 (31b, 2×4, 7×6) drove Sunrisers to a record-breaking 287 for three.
