Page 1006 - Politics
Modi won't be PM for long, says Sharad Pawar
With less than a week to go for the commencement of polling in the country, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar has upped the ante, stating that Narendra Modi will not be the Prime Minister for long.Addressing a rally here on Sunday, Pawar said, "The nation's mood towards Prime Minister Modi has changed. He is not going to stay for sure after this election."However, Pawar refuted assertions by a section of Opposition leaders that the ensuing Lok Sabha polls will be last in the country if BJP comes to power once again."Today in the whole country, we see a different situation and many experts say that if this continues, it would be the last election of this country. I personally don't accept this," he said. "Today if anyone is saying that this is the last election, then I won't agree to it. Politicians may be wrong but I won't accept that it is the last election of the country."Questioning the BJP-led NDA government's policy of "zero-tolerance" on terrorism, the NCP chief .
US presence in Syria unjustified, says Russia
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned the US' presence in Syria saying it was an "unjustifiable occupation" at a press conference on Sunday.
Will not let Rahul Gandhi come to power by supporting traitors, says Thackeray
Hitting out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his party's promise to abolish sedition law, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said Sunday that he will not be allowed to come to power by supporting "traitors". Thackeray was addressing an election rally at Kalmeshwar in support of Shiv Sena's Ramtek constituency candidate Krupal Tumane. He said the BJP, Shiv Sena and the Republican Party of India (RPI) have come together on one ideology for the love of the nation. "But, I want to ask why have Maha Aghadi come together who have conflicts between them. Who are these people? Our dream is for the country, what about you? Your dream is only power. Our prime minister will be Narendra Modi tomorrow also. And I want to ask the opposition to announce one name for the PM's post," said Thackeray. Thackeray also took a potshot at Congress' promise in its manifesto to abolish the sedition law. "Do you agree with this?... Anyone who commits treason should be hanged," he said. "If Gandhi thinks he
War of words break out between JD(S) leader and ex-Cong minister at press conference in Mysuru
A war of words broke out Sunday between a JD(S) leader and a former Congress minister at a press conference in Mysuru that was supposed to be a show of unity for the coalition partners in the Karnataka government. An argument broke out after former Congress minister Tanvir Sait said that some people were standing behind those sitting on the dais but JD(S) leader Narayana took objection to it and walked out of the press conference. The development unfolded in the presence of JD(S) state president H Vishwanath, ministers G T Deve Gowda, Sa Ra Mahesh, Piriyapatna MLA K Mahadev, T Narasipura MLA Ashwin Kumar, MLC Marithibbe Gowda and other senior functionaries of both the parties. The show of unity was aimed at sending across the signal that the Congress and the JD(S) have set aside their differences to fight the Lok Sabha election together in favour of Congress candidate C H Vijayashankar. A couple of days ago, differences cropped up between the allies when JD(S) workers raised pro-Modi .
I-T raids premises of MP CM's OSD, others; seizes cash
In a major crackdown on hawala money, Income Tax Department teams on Sunday carried out raids at over 50 places in Madhya Pradesh's Indore and Bhopal and New Delhi, including the residence of Chief Minister Kamal Nath's officer on special duty (OSD) Praveen Kakkar and seized a huge amount of cash.
Modi a seasonal bird, afraid of me: Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "seasonal bird" for coming to north Bengal only ahead of elections, and dismissed his claim that she was petrified, saying it was he who was scared of her.
Congress leaders in Mandya voice dissent over party support to JD(S) nominee
The growing discord among grass roots workers of the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition widened further over Mandya, with local Congress leaders openly defying the party leadership's decision to fight the LS polls together. Former chief minister Siddaramaiah had Sunday convened a meeting here with prominent Congress leaders from the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, including N Chaluvaraya Swamy, Ramesh Bandi Siddegowda, Narendra Swamy and Ganiga Ravi, to contain the exploding dissent in the party over its support to the JD(S) candidate in Mandya, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is the son of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. The Congress had intended to allay the JD(S) leadership's apprehensions that some of its leaders were working against Nikhil in a bid to finish off the chief minister's political base in Mandya and elsewhere. However, the meeting failed to achieve the desired result. The most vocal was Chaluvaraya Swamy, a former JD(S) MLA who is now with the Congress. Speaking to reporters ...
'Neither Modi, nor BJP leaders from Nagpur would become PM'
Senior Maharashtra Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not be elected again after elections. Addressing a rally here in Maharashtra, he also said the BJP candidate from Nagpur will also lose. Union minister Nitin Gadkari is pitted against Congress' Nana Patole from the Nagpur constituency in the Vidarbha region. The former chief minister further said that in view of the "anti-BJP wave" in the country, the ruling party will not win more than 150 seats. "I want to tell you that after May 23 (the date of counting for Lok Sabha elections), you will not see Narendra Modi as prime minister again nor will you see any other BJP leaders getting elected again," he said without taking name of Gadkari. Referring to Gadkari, Chavan said BJP leaders from Nagpur are hoping to become prime minister, but that will not happen as the party's candidate will lose against Patole. "There is an anti-BJP wave in the country. People are suffering due ..
US to designate Iran Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group
The Trump administration is preparing to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization," an unprecedented move against a national armed force that could have widespread implications for US personnel and policy in the Middle East and elsewhere. Officials informed of the step said an announcement could come as early as Monday, after a monthslong escalation in the administration's rhetoric against Iran, its support for militia groups in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen, as well as anti-Israel groups in the region and beyond. It would be the first such designation by any American administration of an entire foreign government entity, although portions of the Guard, notably its elite Quds Force, have been targeted previously by the United States. Two US officials and a congressional aide confirmed the planned move. They were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The designation, planning for which was first reported by the
Naveen Patnaik is B-team of Congress: Amit Shah
BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday claimed that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is B-team of the Congress party and said they will be coming together after the Lok Sabha elections."Congress was in power in Odisha for a long time. The state and the country could not witness development. Naveen Babu is B-team of Congress. After elections, they will be coming together," Shah said while addressing an election rally here."Narendra Modi government has given Rs 5,56,000 crore to Odisha. Did it reach to you? Naveen Babu's officers snatched all money which was meant to be spent for the development of Odisha," he said.Taking a swipe at the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief's lack of command over Odia language, Shah said, "Choose a CM who knows your language and talk with you in Odia. How will you understand the pain of people when after 19 years you cannot learn Odia?"Shah highlighted some major points of BJP's manifesto for Odisha released on Sunday."After we form the government, all the government ...
LS polls: In Maha's Nanded, it is Ashok Chavan vs Ashok Chavan
Nanded Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra will witness an interesting battle in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls. Here, an Ashok Chavan is fighting independently against Ashok Chavan of Congress.In a country where politicians are thought to be synonymous with corruption and being rich, the independent Ashok Chavan lives in a small hamlet named Nandu Tanda, which is approximately 55-km from Nanded city.Most of the homes in Nandu Tanda are occupied by the Nomadic Banjara tribals.Ashok Chavan lives under the shade with squats brick home in a very remote area from the main state highway.The independent candidate has listed his and his wife's occupation as 'labourer' and he doesn't even have a single piece of land in his name either.The property which he has declared in his election affidavit is a home, a truck and a bike with both the vehicles procured on loans. He has also declared cash of Rs 15,000 in his two separate bank accounts.Chavan and his wife Lakshmibai have shown their income as
Jaitley hits out at NGOs with tendency to ' exaggerate or misrepresent'
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday hit out at NGOs who claim to be 'well-meaning' but have a tendency to "exaggerate or misrepresent.""NGOs always claim to be well meaning. They have a tendency to either exaggerate or misrepresent. Those dealing with elections and electoral reforms have come out with two categories of reports," he wrote in his blog titled "The Choice of Political Funding - Cheque, Electoral Bonds or Blackmoney from Contractors and middlemen.""The first one says that since in its balance sheet the BJP declares much larger income, it should be assumed that it gets more donations than other parties. The second report says that BJP gets the lion's share of the electoral bonds," he added.The Union Minister said that it displayed a lack of understanding about how party's function."All parties need, on a pro-rata basis, the same amount of money depending on the number of seats they are contesting. The only question is 'What is their fund collection culture?' Do ...
Rahul challenges Modi to debate on corruption
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday again challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a debate on corruption.
Electoral bonds are legitimate, transparent: Jaitley
Terming electoral bonds a legitimate and transparent method of political funding, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said it masks the link between the party and the donor in the same way the electoral trusts brought by the UPA did.
DMK-Congress alliance opportunistic: Rajnath
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the Congress, rejected by the people of Tamil Nadu several decades back, is trying to return through the back door.
Cong demands revocation of ban on civilian traffic on J-K highway
The JKPCC Sunday demanded immediate revocation of a ban on movement of civilian traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, describing the order as "undemocratic and anti-people". The demand was raised by JKPCC president Gulam Ahmed Mir while addressing election rallies at Achabal in Shangus and Kokernag in Anantnag district. "We demand immediate revocation of a ban on civilian traffic on the Jammu Srinagar National Highway. The ban is undemocratic and anti-people," he said. Mir claimed that the prohibition order imposed on civilian movement on the highway twice in a week has caused huge inconveniences and created restlessness among the people and therefore, the order needs to be revoked forthwith to ensure people do not suffer. He alleged that the prohibition order is not in the interest of people, besides it will badly affect the business community both in Jammu and Kashmir regions. Referring to the upcoming parliamentary elections in the state, Mir asked the people to rise to ..
PM otherwise okay but turns hysterical during polls: Pawar
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, NCP president Sharad Pawar Sunday said while the former is otherwise "alright" but turns hysterical during elections. Advising his party workers not to criticise anybody at the personal level, Pawar quipped that that responsibility has been taken up by the prime minister. He was speaking to NCP workers at Daund in Pune district of Maharashtra. "I would like to tell you that do not criticise anybody at the personal level. When the prime minister of the country has taken up that responsibility, why should you get into that," he said sarcastically. Hitting back at Modi, who had said that Pawar was losing his grip over the party due to a rift in his family, the NCP chief said while his family is united, the country does not know whether the person (Modi) has anybody in his family or not. "How did Modi come to know about any fights in (my) family? We all live together lovingly. We all work in different fields. When I meet him ...
Rahul promises 'interest' waiver on education loans if voted to power
The Congress party will waive off interest on education loans having accumulated till March 31, 2019, if the party is voted to power in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday.In what comes as another lofty poll promise, Rahul said that the banks will not charge any interest from the students until they get a job or start earning through self-employment."The Congress government will forgive arrear interest on previous education loans till March 31, 2019," he said."Also, we will implement a single window system for education loans. Unless the student gets a job or starts earnings through self-employment, the bank will not charge any interest," Rahul said in a Facebook post.The seven-phase elections in the country are slated to begin on April 11 and will go on till May 19. The counting of votes will be held on May 23.
Andhra polls: Nara Lokesh's wife holds roadshow in Mangalagiri
Nara Brahmani, wife of Nara Lokesh and daughter-in-law of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandra Babu Naidu, on Sunday held a roadshow for her husband in Mangalagiri Assembly constituency.Telugu Desam Party has fielded Nara Lokesh from Mangalagiri constituency.Brahmani at first visited Mahakali temple at K R Konduru village and offered prayers for her husband's victory. She also offered prayers at a church.From there onwards, she met villagers at Penumuli and Chintalapudi and spoke with them for a while. Brahmani urged people to consider the efforts made by the TDP to develop the state. It is worth mentioning that Brahmani is a granddaughter of TDP founder N T Rama Rao and daughter of film actor and MLA Balakrishna. Brahmani, who is an entrepreneur, also works for the well-being of society through NTR Trust.Lokesh had filed his nomination paper on March 23 to contest from Mangalagiri constituency in Amaravati in the ensuing Assembly polls, while his father N Chandrababu Naidu will ...
PM Modi helps to develop Bihar, says Nitish Kumar
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for acting against terror and working for the common people.