Page 1085 - Politics
Cong manifesto aimed at 'balkanisation' of India: BJP
The ruling BJP Tuesday dubbed the election manifesto of the Congress "dangerous and unimplementable", saying it was aimed at "balkanisation" of India. Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, Finance Minister and senior party leader Arun Jaitley said the Congress does not deserve "even a single vote" for its promises, such as doing away with sedition law. He also said even tokenism has not been done on farm loan waiver in the five states where the Congress is in power. Jaitley alleged that though the Congress had set up a drafting committee, it appears that some important points related to Jammu and Kashmir were drafted by party chief Rahul Gandhi's friends in 'Tukde Tukde' gang.
Tejaswini appointed Karnataka BJP VP after being denied LS
The BJP Tuesday appointed union minister Ananth Kumar's widow Tejaswini as the state unit vice-president in an apparent placatory move after denying her the ticket to contest from Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency, which her husband had represented. Tejaswini was sulking after the BJP announced political greenhorn Tejasvi Surya as the Bangalore South candidate, leaving her supporters angry and agitated. "I am very delighted to announce that @Tej_AnanthKumar has been appointed as state vice president of @BJP4Karnataka. Wishing her all the very best," Karnataka BJP Chief Yeddyurappa tweeted. BJP announced the ticket to 28-year-old Surya, withjust hours left for the deadline for filing of nominations forthe first phase of polls in Karnataka. Maintaining an unbroken record, Ananth Kumar had won the Bangalore South seat six times. The decision had led to disappointment among late Ananth Kumar's supporters and some state leaders, as it waswidely expected that the BJP would
WB Cong slams Karat for comments against Rahul Gandhi
West Bengal Congress chief Somen Mitra Tuesday criticised CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat for his comments against Rahul Gandhi, saying it showed the fragility and nervousness of the Left parties. The Congress had on Sunday announced that the Gandhi scion will be contesting from Kerala's Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in addition to the Amethi parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh. A miffed Karat had accused the Congress of losing the plot before the Lok Sabha elections and said that the Left parties would work towards defeating the AICC president in Kerala-- the last bastion of the Left. "This statement from Prakash Karat is extremely amateur and highlights fragility and nervousness of the Left Parties. It gives an impression that he is speaking more like a BJP leader," Mitra told reporters here. Mitra said Rahul Gandhi was a three-time MP from Amethi Lok Sabha seat and in a democracy anyone can contest from anywhere. "Who is Karat to stop us from contesting. Is the seat their property?" ..
Cong will win Patiala Lok Sabha seat: Preneet
Former Union minister Preneet Kaur exuded confidence that the Congress would win the Patiala seat in the Lok Sabha elections and alleged that the opposition was harping on negativity as they did not any positive agenda. Preneet, who is the wife of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, is also hopeful of getting a ticket to contest from the Patiala seat, considered a stronghold of the Congress. "The Aam Aadmi Party has disintegrated and is in disarray and the Akali Dal has too many factions. Moreover, a lot of development has taken place in Patiala city and we all have worked hard as a party in the city and district. So we are confident that the party will win from this seat," she said. She said development would be her poll plank if she is fielded from Patiala constituency and lambasted the previous SAD-BJP regime for allegedly neglecting the district for ten years. Replying to a question on accusations of the Akali Dal and the BJP that the Punjab government reneged on poll promises,
Former chairman of China's Xinjiang region arrested for graft
A former chairman of the government of China's troubled northwest region of Xinjiang, an ethnic Uighur, has been arrested for graft, national prosecutors said Tuesday. Nur Bekri was the regional government's chairman for seven years until 2014 -- a period that was marked by a spate of deadly violence in the region, including riots. Bekri later served as head of the National Energy Agency and deputy director of the country's top economic planning office. His arrest was announced in a short statement by the Supreme People's Procurate (SPP). It is among the most high-profile cases in President Xi Jinping's sweeping campaign against corruption in the Communist Party, which has ensnared 1.5 million officials. In Xinjiang, authorities have stepped up a security clampdown in the name of combatting terrorism and separatism, detaining as many as one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities in internment camps, according to estimates cited by a UN panel. Bekri had last month been been
Thai army chief sends warning to critics of the monarchy
Thailand's influential army chief has warned that the military will strongly fight any moves that threaten the country's system of a constitutional monarchy with the king as head of state. At a news conference on Tuesday, Gen. Apirat Kongsompong appeared to be targeting intellectuals supporting the Future Forward Party, which according to preliminary figures ran a strong third in the March 24 general election. Party co-founder Piyabutr Saenkanokkul used to be part of the Nitirat Group, legal scholars who had sought reforms in Thailand's lese majeste law, which carries stiff prison terms for people found guilty of defaming the monarchy. There has been a strong online campaign since the election to discredit the Future Forward Party and its chief, Thananthorn Juangroongruangkit, with unsupported allegations that it opposes the monarchy.
Battleground UP: Fragmented opposition gives BJP an edge (IANS Special)
A thoroughly fragmented opposition in Uttar Pradesh seems to be giving a definite advantage to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.
Patrol vessel Vijit's Vietnam visit enhances defence, maritime ties
An Indian Coast Guard ship has docked at the Vietnamese port of Danang, signalling growing defence and maritime cooperation between the two countries. The patrol vessel ICGS Vijit, which arrived at the port on Monday, is on a 4-day goodwill visit during which the Indian maritime officers will hold wide-ranging talks with their counterparts in Vietnam. The ship is used for patrolling and policing maritime zones, search and rescue operations, maritime surveillance, anti-smuggling operations, pollution response against oil spillages and external fire-fighting. The port call by the ship "reflects the strong bilateral ties and growing defence and maritime cooperation between India and Vietnam, the Indian Embassy in Hanoi said. The ship's visit seeks to enhance maritime cooperation between the two coast guards, friendship between the two nations and positively contribute to the security and stability in the region and the world at large, it said. The Indian officers, headed by Commandant T .
Congress unveils manifesto, focuses on war on poverty
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday promised to provide Rs 72,000 a year to the poorest families and fill 22 lakh government vacancies if his party won the Lok Sabha battle and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of wrecking the economy.
Some 'Congress friends' conspired against removal of AFSPA, says Omar Abdullah
Welcoming as "better late than never" the Congress poll promise of amending the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said earlier "some friends" in the grand old party had "conspired" against scrapping the controversial law when he had demanded so during his tenure as the Chief Minister."I wish they would have mentioned this issue (in the manifesto) earlier when I was the Chief Minister. At that time, when I demanded AFSPA's removal, some Congress friends had conspired against it. I do not want to name them. But, I got support only from (former Union Minister P) Chidambaram sa'ab," he told ANI."If the Congress has mentioned this in their manifesto, I welcome it... It's better late than never. If they had done this before 2014, we would have worked to lift ASFPA from certain parts of the state," he added.The Congress, which released its election manifesto earlier today, promised that if the party came to power after the ensuing ...
Massive disaster relief bill stalls in US Senate
The US Senate has blocked billions of dollars in disaster relief for states across the country as Republicans and Democrats clashed over President Donald Trumps opposition to sending more food and infrastructure help to Puerto Rico.
BJD govt did not cooperate, 'chowkidar' transformed Odisha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday slammed the Naveen Patnaik government of Odisha for "not cooperating" with the Centre for the speedy development of the state and said he used central schemes as a tool for the welfare of the Odiyas. "The government in Odisha did not cooperate with us. Despite its indifference, we did our best in launching development projects in the state," Modi told an election rally in this backward Odisha town in Kalahandi district once known as the state's "hunger zone". This chowkidaar (watchman) has "taken advantage of Central schemes to ensure welfare of the Odiyas", he said. If the BJP had formed government in Odisha after the 2014 election, the state would have witnessed speedy development in all sectors, he asserted. Calling upon people to vote for the double-engine government of the BJP at the Centre and in the state, Modi said Odisha should repeat the history created by Uttar Pradesh in 2017 and Tripura in 2018 when the saffron party was .
BJP chief Amit Shah hits out at Kanimozhi, Karti Chidambaram
BJP president Amit Shah Tuesday charged Congress nominee Karti Chidambaram contesting from Sivaganga Lok Sabha seat and DMK's Kanimozhi seeking election from here with being tainted by corruption. Addressing a poll rally here, he hit out at National Conference leader Omar Abudullah for his "Prime Minister for Jammu and Kashmir," line, and asked the people whether they supported the Kashmir leader's remarks. "Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, we will never compromise on the Kashmir issue," he said. The party chief alleged the candidates nominated by Congress and DMK - the likes of Karti Chidambaram, Kanimozhi and A Raja (from Nilgiris) - were tainted by graft. Shah, seeking votes for his party candidate and State unit chief Tamilisai Soundararajan said "when BJP-led government returns to power," at the Centre it would continue contributing even more for the growth of Tamil Nadu. Shah said though BJP's Pon Radhakrishnan alone had won from Kanyakumari in 2014 .
Fully prepared to meet challenge of ceasefire violations by Pak: BSF DG
BSF DG Rajni Kant Mishra said Tuesday that his force is fully prepared to meet any challenge posed by Pakistan which is continuously violating the ceasefire by targeting forward areas along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. He said the Indian forces are giving a befitting response to the unprovoked mortar shelling and firing by the Pakistan Army, while maintaining that there was no ceasefire violation along the International Border (IB) in the state. Talking to reporters after the wreath-laying ceremony of Inspector T Alex Lalminlun at the BSF frontier headquarters here, Mishra said all the 365 days of the year pose a challenge for the border guards. "We have accepted the challenge and are prepared for it," the director general said when asked about the preparations of the BSF along the IB and the LoC in view of the upcoming five-phased Lok Sabha polls, scheduled to begin in the state on April 11. The BSF DG, who arrived on a two-day visit to Jammu on Monday to review security situation, .
TRS sitting pretty in India's largest constituency Malkajgiri (Constituency Profile)
Malkajgiri, the largest Lok Sabha constituency in the country in terms of voters, will see a three-cornered contest but the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) appears to be sitting pretty.
Amid LS hype, bypolls hold key to Goa's political stability
While India gears up for the Lok Sabha polls to install a new set of rulers in the Delhi durbar, in Goa, bypolls to three assembly constituencies which are also scheduled for April 23, may well decide the future of the BJP-led coalition government.
Suspense over Vellore LS poll after cash seizure
With a large amount of cash being seized by the Income Tax (IT) Department from a cement godown in Vellore district that belongs to a DMK official, suspense continues over whether the Lok Sabha polls for the Vellore seat in Tamil Nadu will be held as scheduled on April 18 or will be postponed.
Biden camp steps up defense as 2nd woman raises complaint
Aides to Joe Biden are stepping up their defense of the former vice president as he faces scrutiny over past behavior toward women. Biden spokesman Bill Russo blasted "right wing trolls" for conflating images of Biden embracing colleagues and friends in his official capacity during swearing-in ceremonies with uninvited touching. The move Monday came on a day when a second woman said Biden had acted inappropriately, touching her face with both hands and rubbing noses with her in 2009. The allegation by Amy Lappos, former aide to Democratic Rep. Jim Hines of Connecticut, followed a magazine essay by former Nevada politician Lucy Flores, who says Biden kissed her on the back of the head in 2014. The developments underscored the challenge facing Biden should he run for president in 2020.
Cong, AAP candidates file nomination for South Goa LS seat
Congress leader Francisco Sardinha and Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Elvis Gomes on Tuesday filed their respective nominations for the South Goa Lok Sabha seat. Sardinha is a former Member of Parliament, while Gomes, who quit the Goa government service in the run-up to 2017 state Assembly polls to join politics, is AAP's state convener. Sardinha, 73, filed his nomination papers before South Goa district election officer Ajit Roy in Margao town. He was accompanied by Congress MLAs Digambar Kamat and Isidor Fernandes along with a large number of supporters. After filing his nomination, Sardinha expressed confidence of winning the seat. "The people of South Goa are looking for a change and there is already a 'Congress wave'," he claimed. Later in the afternoon, 56-year-old Gomes also filed his nomination papers before Roy and told reporters that this time people will vote for AAP. Gomes, who was AAP's chief ministerial candidate in the 2017 state Assembly polls, had lost his ...
PM rousing communal tension in country: CPIM to EC
CPI(M) has moved the Election Commission accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to rouse communal passions in the country and using national broadcaster Doordarshan for electoral purposes. CPI(M) Politbureau member Nilotpal Basu in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora has listed a slew of complaints against the BJP over what it termed were violations of the model code of conduct by the leaders of the saffron party, beginning from the PM's address to the nation last month announcing that India had shot down a live satellite using anti-satellite missile technology. "Another blatant attempt by the Prime Minster Narendra Modi himself to rouse communal passions by implicitly referring to the outcome in a NIA Court, by equating the accused to the entire Hindu community in an election meeting in Wardha," he said. An NIA court recently acquitted Swami Aseemanand and three others in the 2007 Samjhauta train bomb blast case. A total of 68 people, mostly Pakistanis, were