Prime Minister Narendra Modi has predicted a clean sweep for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections. He said that he does not believe that the present government led by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy will be voted back to power.
Modi’s comments came during an interview with Telugu news channel NTV. He said that the BJP and TDP are fighting the elections as partners in the NDA, and that the Janasena Party is also with them this time. Modi added that he is confident that the NDA will win a majority of Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh and form the next government in the state.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, claimed that the YSRCP, TDP, and Janasena are the ‘B’ team of the BJP in Andhra Pradesh. He said that the remote control of these three leaders is with PM Modi.
The elections to the 175-member Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled to be held on May 13, in the fourth phase of the general elections.
In other news, the Delhi High Court has stayed the operation of a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) order that had banned the sale and advertisement of Maggi noodles, manufactured by Nestle India.
The CCPA had ordered the ban on Maggi noodles in June 2015 after tests found that they contained excessive levels of lead. Nestle India challenged the order in the Delhi High Court, which stayed the operation of the ban in August 2015.
The High Court had directed Nestle India to conduct fresh tests on Maggi noodles and submit a report to the court. The company submitted the report in February 2016, and the court lifted the ban on Maggi noodles in April 2016.
The CCPA has now challenged the Delhi High Court order in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is yet to hear the appeal.
Nestle India has said that it is confident that the Supreme Court will uphold the Delhi High Court order and allow the sale and advertisement of Maggi noodles to continue.
