Manmohan's brother joins BJP; family shocked.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's-brother Daljeet Singh Kohli Friday joined the BJP in the presence of its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

Kohli, a a textile exporter in Amritsar for past sixteen years, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) when Narendra Modi came here to address a rally in favour of senior party leader Arun Jaitley, who is contesting from the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat.

Narendra Modi hugged him and said, "Today, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's brother Daljeet Singh has joined the BJP. This will further boost our strength. I extend my heartfelt welcome to him.We are not a party of mere membership. We build relations".

He was presented a siropa (robes of religious honour) in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and BJP’s Amritsar candidate Arun Jaitley.

Addressing the rally, Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal said Kohli is hurt by the treatment Dr. Singh received at the hands of Gandhi family.

Daljit, in his interview to a renowned newspaper, said he was disappointed at the way his brother was sidelined and his policies ignored by his party.

“My brother is an honest man, he served country with full dedication and honesty for ten years but Congress leaders never gave him a free hand and rather interfered in his and his government's functioning," said Daljit.

He added he joined BJP because he liked Arun Jaitley’s vision and he believed that Modi had the capacity to take all communities and parties together. He said he is likely to contest elections on BJP ticket soon.

Reacting to the development, Dr. Singh’s other younger brother Surjit Singh Kohli, who also lives in Amritsar, said he was heartbroken at the development. He suspected that Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal and revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia could be behind this move.

He said he had no clue till Thursday morning about Daljit joining BJP and emphasized that all brothers had cordial relationship for years.

He added it was a very sad moment in his life.

The party leaders refused to comment on the issue saying they first need to study the exact relationship of Daljit Singh to the prime minister and what led him to join the BJP.

Sources in PMO said Manmohan Singh's family is shocked at the development. His intentions are not known but he is free to pursue his political career. They further added that the Prime Minister and Kohli have not been in touch for long.

The sources said,” Manmohan Singh is the only son and has six sisters. Daljit Singh is a stepbrother of the Prime Minister. Manmohan Singh's mother died at an early age”.

The BJP and the Akali Dal are ruling partners in Punjab, as well as the constituents of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

Kohli had remained apolitical even after his elder brother Manmohan Singh became prime minister in 2004 and got a second term in 2009.

Manmohan Singh had studied in Amritsar after his father's family migrated here from western Punjab in Pakistan following the partition in August 1947.

Hema misleads EC: AAP

Aam Aadmi Party accused BJP candidate from Mathura Lok Sabha seat Hema Malini of forging details in her nomination papers.  In his complaint to Election Commission, AAP supporter from Delhi DK Tyagi stated that BJP candidate hid the fact that she converted to Islam at the time of her marriage with Dharmendra. Her name was then changed to Ayesha.

He also alleged that bollywood actress provided wrong information about her qualification in her papers. She claims to have done doctorate while she could not even pass high school. AAP demanded cancellation of her nomination on the basis of People Act 2010.

On the other hand, DM Vishal Chouhan made it clear that EC will not be dealing with the issue as none of the parties raised objections in the first place and normal procedure was initiated therefore, applicant has to appeal in the court. 

Amethi is all we want

Battle between Congress’ Rahul Gandhi, BJP’s Smriti Irani and AAP’s Kumar Vishwas goes on hard in Amethi. Constituency which never received any attention has now become center of attraction. All eyes are on May 7 when it goes to polls.

Since 1980, Amethi has been electing a Congress candidate as its representative in the parliament except in 1998, when BJP’s Sanjay Singh was the MP for a year. In 1999, Amethi again elected Congress’ Sonia Gandhi and from 2004 onwards, Rahul has been the MP.

While some people believe Aam Aadmi Party has bleak prospects in Amethi as people are happy with even a mere road connecting their villages and a few hours of power supply, others believe Amethi deserves to be at par with urban cities. They need economic growth, better roads, employment and corruption free administration.

Amethi’s Lok Sabha seat comprises four towns, two municipal councils and multiple villages.

Why not Rahul this time?
Seeing the roads, one can easily make out the money spent on Amethi’s infrastructure during Rahul’s tenure as its representative. Factories started with loads of money remain shut. Unemployed youth is forced to migrate to metropolitan cities.

It is hard to believe that it’s the constituency of Rahul Gandhi, Vice President of Congress which is leading the alliance at centre.

Having built psychological and emotional bond with the Congress party over the past three decades, some people still want to re-elect Rahul in 2014 General elections. BJP and AAP candidates seem to have little or no impact on them. Candidature of Kumar Vishwas and Smriti Irani tend to have no influence on their pre determined decisions.

Why not Smriti Irani?
In a male dominated country like India, especially the rural areas, women tend to follow husbands decision.
Smriti Irani, now the universal bahu, may try to influence women but ultimately decision is taken by the men of society. In an effort to win women hearts, she raises kitchen related issues like expensive oil, vegetables, flour etc.

“In a country where guest is treated like God (Atithi Devo Bhava), arrival of him gives tensions to the people in Amethi as they can’t afford to serve him”, said Irani in one of her rallies.
She may win applause from women listening to her but these women have little say in their own decisions.

And finally, why Kumar Vishwas?With his home shifted in Amethi, Aam Aadmi candidate Kumar Vishwas has built place in people’ hearts. He set up his base in Amethi much before Election Commission’s elections announcement. He assured people of his availability all time for their grievances.

He was the first one to challenge Rahul Gandhi. He charged Gandhi Scion of misusing the funds allocated for Amethi’s growth during his tenure “Growth cannot be seen in Amethi. It looks as backward as ever. Where has Rahul been for past 10 years”, questions Kumar Vishwas.