Page 1037 - Politics
ED chargesheet an election stunt: Congress (Lead, correcting headline)
The Congress on Friday termed as "rehashed insinuations, lies, and cheap election stunt" the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) act of mentioning names of some party leaders in their supplementary chargesheet in the AgustaWestland case and said a "panic-stricken" Modi Government will not be able to change its "exit date and fate."
Guj: Modi biopic hero Vivek Oberoi in BJP star campaigner list
Actor Vivek Oberoi, who is playing the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a yet-to-be-released biopic, is among the 40 star campaigners for the ruling BJP in Gujarat. Other actors on the star campaigner list include Union minister Smriti Irani as well as Hema Malini and Paresh Rawal, both sitting Lok Sabha MPs, the latter opting out this time. The obvious names on the list, submitted to the Election Commission by the BJP, are PM Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah, who is fighting the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Gandhinagar. The Omang Kumar-directed biopic, titled PM Narendra Modi, is facing legal hurdles with the opposition Congress complaining to the Election Commission about the timing of its release against the backdrop of the April-May Lok Sabha polls. The Congress, as well as other opposition parties, have claimed that the film is less a biopic and more a hagiography and will give undue mileage and advantage to the BJP in the general elections. A Congress .
Adityanath does not know anything: Akhilesh
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday mocked Yogi Adityanath for his "Muslim League is a virus" remark, wondering whether the Uttar Pradesh chief minister has been affected by one and said the firebrand Hindutva leader "does not know anything". "He talks of virus. He doesn't know anything. He only knows how to betray people," Yadav told reporters when asked about the remark. In a tweet this morning, Adityanath said "Muslim League is a virus" and the principal opposition party, the Congress, has been affected by it. He urged people to "think" about the consequences of the Congress wining the general election. "This virus will spread in the entire nation." Mocking the chief minister, Yadav wondered whether Adityanath "has got it (the tweet) written by a virus". "Does he have one?" he asked. The Congress, too, has retorted that it was Adityanath who has a "virus" and that it would be "eradicated" in the election starting April 11. By Muslim League, Adityanath was apparently ...
Cong hurting armed forces' morale by seeking AFSPA review: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused the Congress of hurting the morale of the armed forces by seeking a review of the AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing a rally in Dehradun, Modi termed the Congress' manifesto a "Dhakosla patra" and alleged that the grand old party had plans to trample and suppress the "honest' and "tax-paying" middle classes. The Congress is committing a "sin" by promising to revoke the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and do away with the sedition law just for votes, Modi said .
Khattar blames Nehru for Kashmir problem
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday hit out at the Congress over its poll promise of reviewing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) and repealing the sedition law. The Haryana chief minister blamed the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the Kashmir problem. Calling the Congress' poll manifesto a "Dhakosla patra" (sham manifesto), Khattar, addressing a public meeting at Kaimri in the district, questioned the opposition party's promise of reviewing AFSPA. He said after the Pulwama terror attack in February, which left 40 CRPF personnel dead, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given a free hand to the defence forces to give a befitting reply to the militants. He said, today, anyone who looks at India with an evil eye is made to pay in the same coin. On the other hand, the Congress is promising to review AFSPA and repeal sedition law, he said. "They said they will repeal the sedition law. Those who raise slogans like 'Bharat tere tukde tukde honge'
Modi cites media reports to target Ahmed Patel in chopper deal
Alleging that Congress and corruption have an "unbreakable" relationship, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday cited media reports to suggest that the names of Gandhi "family" and senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel had emerged in the AgustaWestland chopper deal scam in the context of kickbacks.Addressing a rally here, he said that during the Congress rule, "corruption would accelerate while 'vikas' (development) was on ventilator."Modi referred to the scams in the Bofors gun deal as well as the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal along with scams in 2G spectrum allocation, coal block allocation, Commonwealth Games and said "be it land, sky or water, there is no resource in the country which the Congress has not looted."He alleged that "it's difficult to find any weapon deal today in which there are no reports of commission taken by the Congress."During his speech he referred to the deportation to India from UAE of Christian Michel, a British national who is an alleged middleman in the .
Security cover of 919 'undeserving' persons withdrawn in J-K
Security cover of 919 "undeserving" persons of Jammu and Kashmir has been withdrawn since Governor's Rule came into effect last year, freeing 2,768 police personnel and 389 vehicles, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced Friday."In a major step, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has withdrawn security cover from 919 undeserving persons, since Governor's Rule (20th June, 2018) in the State, thereby freeing 2,768 police personnel and 389 vehicles," a press release by the Ministry stated.Among those whose security cover has been withdrawn include 22 separatist leaders of the state, it added.The decision was taken by the Jammu and Kashmir government on directions of the Home Ministry to review security cover of the individuals on a "case by case in-depth review" by Jammu and Kashmir State Security Review Coordination Committee (SRCC).The press release further said: "It was observed by the Centre that many undeserving persons managed to get security cover resulting in lack of State ...
Chandrababu Naidu holds protest against I-T raids on TDP candidates; slams PM
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is on a protest in Vijayawada over reported I-T raids on Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidates and supporters on Friday.He is holding the protest at the Ambedkar statue in Vijayawada. Speaking to the media, Naidu slammed the Prime Minister for engaging in vendetta politics."Raids are being conducted on TDP leaders on instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Once elections are announced everything has to be conducted under the guidance of the Election Commission. All parties should have equal opportunity. They cannot support one party and suppress another. This is a violation of fundamental rights and the spirit of elections," he said.Naidu further hit out at the Prime Minister stating, "I am warning the Prime Minister, this is very bad, totally unwarranted. If you do this, you will have to pay a heavy price in future. Who are you? You are the outgoing Prime Minister. Let me also request the officers - don't listen to him. If you do,
Face off: Chinese official gives Seoul mayor portrait of rival
A visiting Chinese official sought to impress Seoul's powerful mayor with a gift of a hand-drawn portrait on Friday - only to present him with a picture of a controversial rival. Ma Xingrui, governor of the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, had a meeting Friday with Park Won-soon, the South Korean capital's top official and seen as one of the country's strongest prospective presidential contenders. After talks on economic co-operation between the city and the province, and the much-disputed issue of air pollution - which many South Koreans blame on China - Ma handed over a package. Park unwrapped it to reveal an image of Lee Jae-myung, governor of the neighbouring province of Gyeonggi, who harbours presidential ambitions of his own. Park and Lee are both members of the South's ruling party, and both worked as human rights lawyers before entering politics. Local media have often portrayed them as rivals, but Lee has run into controversy over allegations he forcefully ...
Shah asks Rahul to clear stand on Omar Abdullah's demand for
BJP president Amit Shah Friday challenged Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to make his stand clear on National Conference Omar Abdullah's demand for a separate Prime Minister in Kashmir. Abdullah had recently made a statement that ''Kashmir must have a separate Prime Minister.....Can a country have two Prime Ministers. The Congress is silent on this'', Shah said at an election rally in this central Assam town. ''I want to ask Rahul Baba whether Congress supports this statement of Abdullah. I know he does not have the courage to say anything on this as it requires the guts to speak on it'', he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will form the government again but if in any case, ''we are in the opposition and they plan to materialise Abdullah's proposal, then 'hum jaan ki baazi laaga denge' (we will put our lives at stake) and not allow it at any cost'', he said. ''Kashmir will always remain a part of the country and we cannot allow it to have a separate Prime Minister'', he ..
Police firing victim's father enters poll fray in Gandhinagar
The father of a Dalit youth killed in police firing at Thangadh in Gujarat in 2012, has filed his nomination from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, where BJP chief Amit Shah is in the fray. Velji Rathod, father of Mehul Rathod, one of the three youths killed in police firing in Thangadh village in Surendranagar district, Friday said by contesting the election against Shah, he wants to send out a message that the BJP-led government has delayed justice to the victims' families. Rathod filed his nomination as an independent candidate on Thursday. Three Dalit youths - Pankaj Sumra, Prakash Parmar and Mehul Rathod - were killed on the intervening night of September 22 and 23, 2012, when police opened fire to control the clashing members of Dalit and OBC Bharwad communities. The state government had ordered a probe into the incident and a report had been submitted by the then principal secretary of social justice and empowerment department, Sanjay Prasad. However, the report has
For peace, Pakistan must stop exporting terror: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said peace will be possible in India's neighbourhood only if Pakistan stopped exporting terror.
BJP led Central govt hurdle in Odisha's growth: Patnaik
BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday accused the BJP led Central government of blocking development of Odisha and criticised national party leaders for visiting the state only during the election time. Patnaik said this while addressing a series of election meetings at Kalimela and Mathili under Nabarangpur Lok Sabha constituency and Jeypore under Maoist-hit Koraput Lok Sabha seat. "The BJP led Central government has been blocking development of Odisha. The Centre has stopped financial assistance for development of the KBK region and also stopped scholarship for scheduled caste students," Patnaik said. He claimed that the Polavaram project will adversely affect the livelihood of the tribal people living in Malkangiri district. The state government has been opposing the Polavaram project in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh as certain areas of Malkangiri district will be submerged. Though the chief minister did not take name of any leader, he said: "Where was
TDP leader in T'gana Mandava Venkateswara Rao to join TRS
Former minister and senior TDP leader in Telangana Mandava Venkateswara Rao would soon join the TRS. The decision came after TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao met Venkateswara Rao at the latter's residence, TRS sources said on Friday. Venkateswara Rao had been a five-time MLA and an influential leader from the Nizamabad region. The TDP, once a major player in Telangana, has found its base substantially weakened after the exit of a number of leaders from the party over the last few years.
Pak PM Imran Khan takes dig at Bilawal for speaking in English in public forums
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken a swipe at Opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for addressing Parliament in English, saying this was an insult to the country's "90 per cent population" which cannot speak the western language. Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Hyderabad University here on Thursday, Khan said that despite Urdu being the national language, public speakers choose to speak in English. Bilawal delivers his speeches in English when addressing the parliament. This is patronising and insulting to the more than 90 per cent of Pakistanis who can't speak English, he was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune. The 30-year-old Oxford educated chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), on Thursday delivered a speech in English while addressing party supporters at an event to commemorate the death anniversary of PPP founder Zufliqar Ali Bhutto, the paper reported. We know the majority don't understand the language. Why do we then speak in English on ...
Former CPM MLA Gavit files papers for Dindori seat in Maha
Former MLA Jiva Pandu Gavit filed nomination for the Dindori Lok Sabha constituency in North Maharashtra as Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate Friday. The NCP has fielded Dhanraj Mahale from Dindori while the BJP's candidate is Dr Bharati Pawar, who joined the saffron party recently. Sitting BJP MP Harishchandra Chavan, who had won the seat thrice in a row, was dropped this time.
Akali Dal fields Parminder Dhindsa from Sangrur
The Shiromani Akali Dal Friday announced it will field former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat, a month after he had reportedly expressed reluctance to content the general election. Parminder Dhindsa, sitting MLA from Lehragaga in Sangrur and former finance minister, had last month apprised the party leadership of not desiring to contest the Lok Sabha polls as he was a sitting legislator. He, however, had said he would abide by the party's decision. His father, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, a Rajya Sabha MP and a former Union minister, had reportedly asked him not to contest the polls and had also said that he would not campaign for him if he decided to fight elections. Veteran Akali leader Sukhdev Dhindsa had last year resigned from the SAD's core committee and as its secretary general citing health reasons. Ever since he quit the posts, Sukhdev Dhindsa had been staying away from the party's activities. It was Sukhdev Dhindsa who had reportedly sought
Ahead of election Israeli polls forecast Netanyahu win
Final authorised opinion polls published Friday just days ahead of the Israeli general elections showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heading for a fifth term in office, leading a right-wing coalition. The polls revealed the rival centrist Blue and White list led by former military chief Benny Gantz was running virtually neck-and-neck with Netanyahu's Likud ahead of Tuesday's vote. But while most polls saw Gantz's list as scooping slightly more votes than Likud, neither party was predicted to win more than 25 percent of seats in parliament. And the polls were unanimous in forecasting that Likud would be able to build a viable ruling coalition to beat off Gantz's challenge. None gave a figure for undecided voters, although the number is reportedly high enough to swing the outcome. "Past polls have shown that nearly one out of every six-seven voters makes a decision only in the last two days before the elections, and it isn't clear what will be the dynamic of the coming few days," ..
No anti-incumbency, there is pro-government wave: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rejected the claims of anti-incumbency against his government ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and said that for the first time there is pro-government sentiments in the country.
AAP likely to release manifesto for LS polls on April 25: Sources
The Aam Aadmi Party is likely to release its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on April 25, according to sources in the party. Polling for the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi will be held in the sixth phase on May 12. The manifesto, which will list out its agenda for the general elections, will focus on its endeavour to get full statehood for Delhi, a source said. The document has been prepared by a seven-member team headed by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. The ruling AAP in the national capital is fighting the Lok Sabha elections on the agenda of granting full statehood to Delhi. The Congress, with whom the AAP is yet to forge an alliance in the national capital, has already released its manifesto which promises full statehood to Puducherry but has no mention of Delhi on the issue. The BJP is likely to release its manifesto on April 8.