Page 107 - Politics
Kolkata: BJP holds protest against TMC government
BJP on Monday held a protest here against the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government for its alleged failure in discharging of its constitutional duties."The main reason for our agitation and demonstration in West Bengal is the failure of the elected government in the state to discharge its duties," Mohan Rao, South Kolkata district president of BJP said."Today, BJP workers are under attack from the ruling dispensation. They are entering our homes and attacking us. They are also misbehaving with women," Rao added.The South Kolkata district president also contended that BJP is under oath to establish "a democratic set up" in the state."Our protest is part of an oath to establish a democratic setup in West Bengal. The people of West Bengal have given the answer in the first instalment to Mamata Banerjee in the Lok Sabha polls by defeating the TMC in many place."In the polls marred by violence in West Bengal, BJP made deep inroads into the Trinamool Congress territory winning 18 Lok .
Army punishes Lt Gen over allegations of misusing govt funds
"The Lt Gen was awarded a censure after a Court of Inquiry probed allegations of misuse of government funds for buying equipment worth RS 10 lakhs for personal use," defence sources said here.The officer was awarded the punishment on the day of his retirement from service last month, the sources said.The case against the officer started after a Court of Inquiry was ordered by the Army Headquarters under a senior Lieutenant General to probe the corruption charges against the officer after complaints were received that he had misused government funds for buying equipment worth over Rs 10 lakh for personal use.After the complaints reached Army headquarters, a high-level Court of Inquiry headed by a Principal Staff Officer of Army Chief General Bipin Rawat was ordered.PSOs are the senior most Lt Gens in the Army posted at the headquarters for assisting the Army Chief in day to day functioning of the force.Ever since Gen Bipin Rawat has taken over as the Chief of the Indian Army, he has ...
Ex-ISI chief Durrani files contempt case for not removing his name from no-fly list
Former ISI director-general Asad Durrani on Monday filed a contempt case against the interior secretary for failing to follow court orders for the removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL) after he authored a controversial book with ex-RAW chief Amarjit Singh Dulat. The release of the book 'The Spy Chronicles' sparked accusations of treachery against Durrani after his candid views on the Mumbai terror attacks and various matters of regional and global concern came under intense public scrutiny. Durrani filed a petition against Major (retd) Azam Suleman Khan in the Islamabad High Court, Samma TV reported. On February 27, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani had given the secretary a month to make a decision on the removal of Durrani's name from the no-fly list, the petition says. He was supposed to take a decision by March 27 but he did not, the petition said, seeking launching of contempt proceedings against the secretary for failing to follow the orders. Durrani's name was put on .
One year passed, CBI yet to respond to Assam CM's letter on
Assam minister Chandra Mohan Patowary Monday said Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had written to the CBI around a year ago asking it to probe illegal trading of coal, known in the state as "coal syndicate", but the agency is yet to respond to it. Over 100 persons, including government officials, have been arrested in 2018-19 for their alleged involvement in the "coal syndicate", said Patowary, the state's commerce and industry minister. "The CM had written to the CBI for a probe on syndicate about a year ago. The CBI has not responded yet. May be they will respond, as it is from the CM's Office," Patowary said at a press conference here. The opposition Congress had demanded a CBI enquiry into the scam claiming that the Coal India Limited was involved in it and it was be beyond the state CID's mandate. Since February last year, the CID of Assam Police is investigating illegal coal trading in the state. "In 2018-19, around 300 coal laden trucks with no proper documents ..
Akhilesh betrayed his father & uncle for power, now he has been punished by Mayawati: BJP
Hours after Mayawati announced her plans of going solo in all future elections thus ending the SP-BSP alliance, the BJP took a swipe at Akhilesh Yadav, saying he has been "punished" by the BSP supremo as he "betrayed" his father and uncle for power. Uttar Pradesh BJP spokesperson Harish Srivastava said the SP-BSP alliance was an opportunistic coming together of the two parties just for the Lok Sabha polls. "BSP chief Mayawati sought votes from the Dalits and marginalised them. She cannot think about anyone beyond her family. Her history is full of betrayals. On the other hand, Akhilesh Yadav had termed corruption and nepotism as socialism. He should have thought 100 times before joining hands with Mayawati for opportunistic and selfish politics," Srivastava said in a statement. He said the BJP "saved" Mayawati's life and honour, established her in politics and made her chief minister. But she has been "disloyal to the BJP...how can she be loyal to the SP?" The English proverb 'as you .
Credit for CM's village stay programme goes to entire
The credit for Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's 'Grama Vastavya' (overnight stay in villages) outreach programme goes to the entire coalition government, not JD(S) alone, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said Monday. 'Grama Vastavya' is aimed at taking administration to the people. "This is coalition government, the Chief Minister is not alone for JD(S), he is Chief Minister for the entire state. If he does grama vastavya will it (credit) go only to JD(S)? It will go to entire government," Parameshwara, who is from the Congress, said. Speaking to reporters here, he said, "We are taking the administration to people, it is not taking Janata Dal to people." 'Grama Vastavya' is a popular programme that Kumaraswamy had launched during his first stint as Chief Minister heading the BJP-JD(S) coalition government in 2006-07. During his previous stint, Kumaraswamy used to spend the nights at villagers' houses as part of the initiative. This time, however, he has ...
Stop issuing advisories, will co-operate: Trinamool to govt
Participating in the Motion of Thanks to the President's address to the joint session of Parliament, TMC's Saugata Roy said if the government stops issuing advisories to the state, the party will co-operate with Centre."Many people ask me why AITC is not attending the dinner called by the Prime Minister and why we are not attending the meeting on one nation one election. If the Home Minister keeps sending advisories and expects us to attend their meetings, it will never happen," he said in Lok Sabha.He also said if the government stops sending advisories, the party will co-operate with it."Sending advisories is against federalism and they are violating the principle of cooperative federalism," Roy said.Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of violating the basic spirit of the Constitution, he said the word 'secularism' does not find a mention in the Presidential speech and neither does the name of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of the country."That is because of RSS. ..
HAL has concrete orders to build Su30, LCA, Tejas and Chetak helicopters: Rajnath
The HAL has concrete orders to manufacture Su30 MKI, Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, Dornier, Advanced Light Helicopter, Chetak, Cheetal helicopters among others and defence services have paid the aerospace major Rs 8,140 crore in the last six months, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Monday. Arrears of Rs 868.14 crore are outstanding with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for its contractors, he said. "The present capacity available in HAL is adequate to fulfil the existing orders, projects in hand. Currently, HAL has firm orders to manufacture platforms like Su-30 MKI, LCA, DO-228 (Dornier), ALH, Chetak and Cheetal helicopters," Singh in a written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha. He said that as and when required the HAL borrows from banks to meet its working capital requirements. Just before the polls, the Congress had launched an offensive against the government alleging that Dassault Aviation, the makers of Rafale fighter jet, overlooked the PSU and gave the offset contract .
Turkey unafraid of US sanctions over S-400 deal: Minister
Turkey said Monday it does not fear US sanctions over its decision to buy a Russian missile defence system that has frayed ties between the NATO allies. The United States has given Turkey a deadline of July 31 to drop the purchase of the S-400 system, or face sanctions and removal from its F-35 fighter jet programme. "Regardless of whatever sanctions there may be, whatever the messages from America, we've bought the S-400," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara. He said Turkey was working on the date for the system's delivery, which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said would be in the first half of July. "If there's an attack on Turkey tomorrow, we cannot expect NATO to protect us because NATO's capacity would only protect 30 percent of Turkey's airspace," Cavusoglu said. Turkey will no longer allow other countries to dictate its defence purchases, he said. Relations between Washington and Ankara have deteriorated over multiple issues, including the S-400 deal .
TMC MLA, party leaders join BJP
Trinamool Congress MLA Wilson Champramary and several other party members, including president of a local body from Dakshin Dinjapur, joined the BJP on Monday as the saffron party continued to poach on the leaders of the West Bengal's ruling party. The TMC leaders joined the BJP at the latter's headquarters in the presence of its senior leaders, including Mukul Roy, its West Bengal president Dilip Ghosh and its national general secretary Kailash Vijarvargiya, who is in charge of its state affairs. Champramary, a three-term MLA, represents Kalchini constituency in the state's assembly. Roy described the TMC leaders joining the BJP as an "earthquake", saying almost all members, including its chairperson Lipika Roy, of a local body joined the party. Several TMC MLAs have joined the BJP after the saffron emerged as a strong challenger to the state's ruling party by winning 18 Lok Sabha seats of the total 42 there.
Iran plays down threat of new US sanctions
Iran on Monday played down the threat of new US sanctions as Washington was expected to tighten punitive measures on Tehran in a standoff sparked by the US withdrawal from a nuclear deal. Tensions have flared after Iranian forces shot down a US drone Thursday, the latest in a series of incidents including attacks on tankers in sensitive Gulf waters that have raised fears of an unintended slide towards conflict. Both the US and Iran have repeatedly said they want to avoid going to war, but the spiralling tensions saw US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo travel Monday to meet with Saudi leaders to build a "global coalition" against the Islamic republic. Tehran says the drone violated Iranian airspace and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has backed the claim with maps and coordinates -- allegations dismissed by Washington. US President Donald Trump claimed he called off a planned retaliatory military strike on Iran at the last minute, tweeting that Washington would instead place "major
J&K BJP opposes talks with Hurriyat
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday opposed a dialogue with the Hurriyat Conference, claiming that any talks with the separatists at this stage would be counter-productive and a retrograde step. "The Joint Resistance Leadership (a body of separatists groups) should publicly acknowledge the undisputable status of Jammu and Kashmir and it being an integral part of India. They should also commit their loyalty to Constitution of India and seek talks only under its ambit," state BJP spokesperson Anil Gupta said in a statement. Gupta said any talks with the JRL or the Hurriyat at this stage without them publicly accepting these pre-conditions would be "counter-productive and a retrograde step". The comments come after Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq called for a tripartite talk between the Kashmiri leadership, New Delhi and Islamabad for resolution of all issues, including Kashmir. Governor Satya Pal Malik had said on Saturday that the Hurriyat had softened its stand and ..
Criticism as Turkey puts 16 on trial for anti-govt protests
Prominent philanthropist Osman Kavala and 15 others went on trial in Turkey Monday accused of organizing anti-government protests in 2013, with defendants and rights groups calling the charges baseless and aimed at silencing civil society activities. The prosecutor claims the defendants, many of them active in civil society, "attempted to overthrow the government" of then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, through organizing and financing an "uprising." The charge carries a life sentence. Erdogan is now Turkey's president. Protests began in 2013 to protect the small Gezi Park in central Istanbul from development but quickly transformed into wider anti-government demonstrations across Turkey. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse mostly peaceful protesters, leading to widespread criticism of how Turkish authorities handled the protests. Among the 16 are Kavala, in pre-trial detention for 20 months, and Yigit Aksakoglu, who works for an early childhood education ...
Maha Assembly polls: Rahul to meet Cong leaders on Jun 27
Congress president Rahul Gandhi will discuss the party's preparations for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections with state leaders in Delhi on June 27. Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar told PTI that AICC general secretary Mallikarjun Kharge has informed the state leaders that the meeting with Gandhi is scheduled on June 27. Apart from Wadettiwar, state congress president Ashok Chavan and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Balasaheb Thorat will also attend. Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly is likely to be held in October this year. The ruling BJP-Shiv Sena, which together won 41 out of the state's 48 Lok Sabha seats, have set a mission to win 220 Assembly seats.
Mayawati says BSP will fight all polls alone, gets flak from 'ally' SP and other parties
BSP president Mayawati on Monday declared her party in the future will contest all elections "small and big" on its own, signalling the end of the Bahujan Samaj Party-Samajwadi Party alliance forged for the Lok Sabha polls. The BSP chief, known to have made and broken many an alliance in her political journey, said her party had adhered to the 'gathbandhan' dharma in the interest of the country but was now forced to do a rethink. Hours after Mayawati announced her plans to go solo in future elections in a series of tweets, a senior SP leader made a caustic reference to "malkin" (woman owner) of the alliance and accused her of weakening the fight for social justice. The RLD, a minor partner in the grand alliance, said it had nothing to do with Monday's developments and its alliance was with the SP not the BSP. Mayawati's announcement came a day after she held a meeting with party workers to review the BSP's performance in the recent Lok Sabha polls. "Everyone is aware that forgetting .
Suspected mastermind of Ethiopia attacks shot dead: State TV
The security chief of Ethiopia's northern Amhara state, suspected of being behind a coup bid in the region and of possible links to the assassination of the army chief, has been shot dead, state media reported Monday. "Asaminew Tsige, who has been in hiding since the failed coup attempt over the weekend has been shot dead" in the regional capital Bahir Dar, state broadcaster EBC reported. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office had named Asaminew as the chief suspect in an "attempted coup" in Amhara that left the region's president, top adviser and attorney general dead on Saturday. A few hours later in what the government said appeared to be a co-ordinated attack, the army chief Seare Mekonnen was killed by his bodyguard. However, details of links between the two attacks and their ultimate motive have not been made clear. Asaminew was only last year released from almost a decade in prison over a 2009 coup plot under an amnesty. Analysts describe him as a hardline Amhara nationalist who ...
Russia extends Western food embargo to end of 2020
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday extended Moscow's embargo on food products from the West to the end of 2020, continuing its retaliation against sanctions over Ukraine. A decree signed by Putin and posted on an official government website says the embargo on produce, dairy, meat and most other foods will now stretch to December 31, 2020. Moscow in August 2014 banned most food imports from the European Union, the United States and other countries after they imposed sanctions over its annexation of Crimea and support of east Ukraine's separatists. In late June, EU leaders agreed to extend their punishing economic sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine for a further six months. The Western sanctions, as well as Moscow's own embargo, have affected the Russian economy, pushing up food prices but also giving a boost for some domestic producers.
DAVV VC out as MP govt invokes special provision
The Madhya Pradesh government Monday invoked a special provision in the view of allegations of mismanagement and irregularities at the Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV), which has effectively unseated its vice chancellor Narendra Dhakad. The move came after the government evaluated the varsity's functioning in the wake of various complaints, officials said. The state Higher Education Department has invoked section 52 (for bettering administration of varsity in certain circumstances) of the MP Vishwavidyalaya Adhiniyam (Act) 1973, they added. Reacting to the development, Dhakad said he carried out his job with responsibility and fairness. "I am open to a probe against the charges levelled against me," he said. The government action has been welcomed by the NSUI and the ABVP, the students wings affiliated to the Congress and the BJP, respectively.
Biden: Congress should immediately make 'Dreamers' citizens
Weighing in on immigration before first Democratic debates, Joe Biden is proposing that Congress grant immediate citizenship to more than 800,000 US residents who were brought to the country illegally as children. The former vice president and Democratic polling leader introduced some of his immigration priorities Monday in a newspaper op-ed that blisters President Donald Trump for an "assault on the dignity" of the Latino community through policies and rhetoric designed to "scare voters" in 2020. "Trump repeatedly invokes racist invective to describe anyone south of the Rio Grande," Biden writes, assailing him for "actions that subvert our American values and our ability to lead on the global stage." Biden, who launched his 2020 campaign in April, calls for streamlining the asylum system for migrants and spending more on electronic security at borders instead of building Trump's proposed US-Mexico border wall. And he blasts Trump's latest threats of mass deportation and his decision .
Cong calls Modi "very big salesman", BJP asks it to respect
BJP and opposition members traded barbs during a debate in Lok Sabha on the President's address on Monday, with Union minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rivals to respect people's mandate and the Congress calling Modi a "very big salesman". The ruling BJP chose Sarangi, who has hit headlines for his humble life style, to intiate the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address, and his an hour-long speech was high on its praise for Modi's leadership and nationalism pitch, drawing jeers from opposition benches. The debutant MP from Odisha wondered if those who do not believe in 'Vande Mataram' slogan have any right to live in India and asserted that "tukde-tukde" gang will not be tolerated in the country. Criticising Modi is like hitting one's head against the Himalayas, he said and took a dig at the opposition for allegedly seeking proof of Balakot air strike, asking if people "seek proof from their mother for ...