Page 1084 - Politics
Oppn acting like spokespersons of Pakistan: Modi at rally in
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lambasted the opposition parties for seeking proof of military operations against terror camps and remarked they appear spokespersons for Pakistan more than political parties representing India. Addressing his maiden rally in Bihar after announcement of Lok Sabha polls, Modi said the electorate must decide whether they want the madadgars (helpers) of Pakistan to be in power..those who are out to destroy the morale of armed forces by seeking proofs. He also hit out at National Conference leader Omar Abdullah for advocating restoration of the post of Prime Minister in Jammu and Kashmir, saying can any country have more than one PM. I would like the Congress and the RJD, which are part of the same mahamilavat gang, to come clean on the issue. The PM has been mocking mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) of opposition parties as "mahamilavat" (highly adulterated). "They appear more like spokespersons for Pakistan than political parties ...
Congress insulted Ambedkar, don't vote for it: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday attacked Congress for insulting the Indian Constitution's prime architect B.R. Ambedkar while the his BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government honoured him.
Nothing will be done or allowed to change constitutional position on Kashmir: Congress manifesto
The Congress has promised in its manifesto for the April-May parliamentary election that nothing will be done or allowed to change the constitutional position on Kashmir and that enforcement of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Jammu and Kashmir will be reviewed if the party is voted to power. In the 55-page document, titled 'Hum Nibhayenge' (Congress will deliver), released on Tuesday, the party dedicated separate sections to Jammu and Kashmir and Northeastern states. Elaborating its vision for Jammu and Kashmir, the party said it has stood witness to the developments in the state since the instrument of accession was signed on October 26, 1947. Affirming that the whole of Jammu and Kashmir is part of India, the party said it also acknowledges the unique history of the state and the unique circumstances under which the state acceded to India that led to the inclusion of Article 370 in the Constitution of India. "Nothing will be done or allowed to change the constitutional ...
EC expresses 'serious displeasure' over Air India's failure to respond to show cause notice
The Election Commission on Tuesday expressed "serious displeasure" over Air India's failure to respond to its show cause notice for using boarding passes with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photo on them and the airline's "lackadaisical approach" towards enforcing the Model Code of Conduct. In a letter to Civil Aviation Secretary P S Kharola, the poll panel said that Air India has failed to respond to its notice despite lapse of deadline two days ago. "The Commission expresses its serious displeasure over the non-compliance of the Commission's lawful instructions and lackadaisical approach towards enforcing the Model Code of Conduct," the poll panel said in its letter dated April 2, 2019. The EC said that its displeasure should also be conveyed to Air India chairman and managing director Ashwani Lohani for "the lapse of the organization". The strongly worded letter said,"The Commission has further directed that action taken against the officer incharge be reported to the Commission ...
Farooq dares Centre to 'even touch' articles 370, 35A
Heightening the electoral pitch of his party, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday dared the Modi government to "even touch" articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution which provide special status to the state.
Cong manifesto bundle of lies: Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Tuesday dismissed the Congress manifesto as a bundle of lies and also targeted the opposition over its handling of national security. Referring to the Pulwama terror attack and the retaliatory air strike by India, at a meeting of BJP's youth workers here, he said the statements by the opposition parties are helping Pakistan which is highlighting them at the international level. On the Congress manifesto released earlier in the day, he said, "It is a bundle of lies and the party has expressed its failure over 55 years in its 55-page manifesto." "Opposition is making negative statements on Pulwama and Balakot and Pakistan is drawing advantage from such remarks by presenting them at the international level in its favour, the chief minister said. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had adopted a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism. Adityanath said during the UPA government's 2004-2014 tenure, several terror attacks were termed Hindu ...
MIM stood by Hindu women abandoned by husbands: Owaisi
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday said his party stood by Hindu women who were abandoned by their husbands.
EWS issue to be tabled before K'taka cabinet after polls: Official
The 10 per cent quota for the 'economically-weaker' section in general category is yet to take off in Karnataka, with a senior official saying it will come up before the state cabinet after polls, but the BJP has accused the Congress-JDS government of dragging its feet on the issue. Social worker Babulal Bhandari, who has floated a an organisation called the Karnataka Economically Weaker Section Welfare Association, said the National Testing Agency had made the provision for 10 per cent reservation in the mains of the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) and the JEE Advanced. "The EWS certificates are not being issued in Karnataka due to which eligible students are not able to avail the benefit. While it is being given in other states, in our state it is not implemented. It is an injustice to the Karnataka students," Bhandari alleged. Karnataka chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar told PTI that once the elections are over, it will be presented before the cabinet. After the cabinet nod, an order ...
Pondy CM thanks Rahul for promising statehood for UT in Cong
Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy Tuesday expressed gratitude to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for promising in the party's manifesto that it would procure full statehood for the Union Territory, if elected to power after the Lok Sabha polls. The manifesto was released in Delhi today by AICC. Addressing reporters at the party office here, Narayanasamy said, "the specific announcement in the manifesto that the Congress would procure statehood for Puducherry now a Union Territory shows that the party and its leader have concern for the welfare of the people here." He said, "the demand for statehood had been raised for years together as the present constitutional status of Union Territory had been standing in the way of getting sufficient grants from the Centre and most of the time the plea had fallen on deaf ears." Noting that 70 percent of the budgetary requirements of Puducherry were met through Central grants in the past, the senior Congress leader claimed that now
Indian American educator passes away in US
Indian American educator Pramod Vyas has died in Los Angeles, his family announced. He was 88. His son Rohit Vyas, renowned Indian American TV journalist, confirmed the news of his death on Monday. Vyas was born in Kampala, Uganda. He is the author of Dawning on the Capitol: US Congress and India, a study of the United States Congressional attitudes towards India. He did his post graduate degree from MS University in Vadodara. He went on to receive a doctorate in international relations from American University in Washington, where he also served as a lecturer. He worked with Congressman Emanuel Celler, who co-sponsored the Hart-Celler Act of 1965. The act led to opening doors for highly educated South Asians to emigrate to the US. His career in the field of international public relations spans five decades. During that time, he played a critical role in handling crisis communication during the Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984, one of the world's worst industrial disasters. He also served ..
MP govt withdraws security cover to RSS office, reinstates it
Almost a decade after security personnel were deployed outside the RSS office in Bhopal, the Congress government withdrew them Monday, only to rescind the decision a day later. The security personnel were withdrawn after the Kamal Nath-led government said they will be deployed on election duty elsewhere. The decision did not go down well with Congress candidate from Bhopal Digvijaya Singh, who tweeted his disapproval Tuesday. "Its not at all proper to remove security provided to the RSS office in Bhopal. I request Chief Minister Kamal Nath to immediately provide adequate security," Singh said. The chief minister has issued directives to reinstate the security outside the RSS office, an official said.
PM, Mamata to launch poll campaign in West Bengal Wednesday
The battle of Bengal is all set to heat up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee kickstarting their campaign Wednesday in the state that sends third largest number of Lok Sabha members to Parliament. While Modi will address a rally at Siliguri, Banerjee will hold her first public meeting for the general elections in the state at Dinhata, both in North Bengal. Political circles are agog that a war of words are on the cards with Mamata Banerjee deciding to hold her public rally on the same day the Prime Minister will commence his campaign in the state. Banerjee, who was earlier scheduled to begin her campaign meetings on April 4 in North Bengal, has preponed it by a day to address the rally at Dinhata in Coochbehar constituency, which goes to polls in the first phase. West Bengal has a total of 42 Lok Sabha seats, the third largest number after Uttar Pradesh's 80 and Maharashtra 48. After a good performance in last year rural ...
Pak could be blacklisted by FATF due to 'lobbying by India', says Qureshi
Pakistan could be blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) due to "lobbying by India", Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said as he estimated that the country could suffer USD 10 billion loss annually if it remains in the watchdog's grey list. In June last year, the Paris-based FATF had placed Pakistan on the 'grey list' of countries whose domestic laws are considered weak to tackle the challenges of money laundering and terrorism financing. The FATF is working to curb terrorism financing and money laundering and has asked Pakistan to reassess the operation of banned terrorist outfits in the country. Pakistan is under intense international pressure to rein in terror groups like the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) after the Pulwama terror attack. "The Foreign Office is calculating the annual loss if Pakistan is pushed in the black-list by the FATF as India is lobbying for this," Foreign Minister Qureshi told reporters at the Governor's House here on Monday evening. He said the .
Include food, health, housing in fundamental rights list:
The CPI(ML) Liberation manifesto on Tuesday advocated amending the Constitution for recognising the Right to Work, Right to Health, Right to Housing and Right to Education as fundamental rights. The party's general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya also came down heavily on Narendra Modi government's "anti-poor" policies while releasing the party manifesto. Demanding an allocation of 10 per cent of GDP for education, the ultra-Left party also made a strong pitch for "scrapping" the Defamation Act and Official Secrets Act. He, however, had a word of appreciation for the Minimum Income Guarantee Scheme saying, "we are in favour of the scheme if the ongoing welfare schemes meant especially for the poor are not withdrawn." Pointing out that money will not be a problem for running the scheme, he suggested an increase in corporate tax and imposition of one per cent of wealth and inheritance tax on the super rich. The CPI( ML) Liberation, he said, would try to ensure that the NDA
Guj LS poll: 7 BJP, 2 Cong candidates file nominations
Seven BJP and two Congress candidates Tuesday filed nominations for the April-May Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat. Sitting BJP MP Mohan Kundariya filed his nomination for Rajkot seat in the presence of chief minister Vijay Rupani, a BJP press release said. Others who filed their nominations from the BJP included MPs Naran Kachhadiya for Amreli seat, Poonam Maadam for Jamnagar seat, Dr KC Patel for Valsad, Mansukh Vasava for Bharuch and Prabhu Vasava for Bardoli. Ramesh Dhaduk, who has replaced sitting BJP MP Vitthal Radadiya from Porbandar seat, also presented his candidature to election authorities in the presence of Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani, the release informed. The Congress candidate for Vadodara seat, Prashant Patel and the party's nominee for Bardoli seat, Tushar Chaudhary, also submitted their nomination papers to the authorities Tuesday, said a release from the Gujarat Congress. Except for Mehsana, Ahmedabad East and Surat Lok Sabha seats, the BJP has ...
4 Manipur parties to support Congress in LS polls
Four political parties in Manipur, here on Tuesday, announced that to "save democracy and India" they would support the two Congress candidates in the Lok Sabha polls in the state.
Algeria: Skepticism greets president's planned exit
Algerian protesters and opposition leaders are cautiously welcoming President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's planned departure, but say it doesn't go far enough. Former Prime Minister Ali Benflis and a moderate Islamist movement are among leading voices criticizing the move because it would leave the country's secretive, distrusted power structure in place. A standoff is also intensifying between Bouteflika's entourage and that of the powerful army chief, who turned against the president amid mass protests over Bouteflika's 20-year rule. Bouteflika bowed to mounting pressure Monday and announced he will step down by the end of his term April 28, according to his office. Protesters fear it will pave the way for a hand-picked successor instead of a truly democratic change of power. Students are holding protests in Algiers on Tuesday, and demonstrators are already planning for new nationwide protests Friday.
Stop promoting terrorism: Rajnath tells Pak
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday asked Pakistan to stop promoting terrorism from its soil and warned India would exert so much pressure that Islamabad will be forced to take action against terror activities. At the same time, Singh said India was ready to offer assistance to Pakistan if it alone is not able to stop terror activities from its soil. Addressing an election rally here, the senior BJP leader said earlier India was considered a weak nation, but that notion has now changed in the entire world after Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014. "India is no longer a weak country and has emerged a strong nation," he said. You have seen in Uri (September 2016), some terrorists from Pakistan killed 17 of our soldiers in their sleep and after that (terror attack) our Prime Minister took a decision. And our soldiers crossed the Line of Control and launched a surgical strike on terror launch pads and eliminated them (terrorists), Singh said. Referring to ...
We want pre-1953 Constitutional relationship with India: Omar
The National Conference will fight for the restoration of the pre-1953 Constitutional relationship between Jammu and Kashmir and India, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Tuesday.
Kamala Harris' campaign raises $12m for 2020 bid
US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris, who is of Indian and Jamaican descent, has announced that her campaign raised $12 million in the first quarter of 2019 from more than 218,000 individual contributions.