Page 109 - Politics
BJP Govt returned to power as Modi was a "very big salesman":
The Congress party leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Monday said the BJP returned to power as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a "very big salesman" and Congress failed to gain grounds in the 2019 general election as it could not market its products. He charged the BJP government has developed "political plagiarism" syndrome and is only a "travesty of truth", saying it only tries to highlight its achievements ignoring the foundation laid down by his party. Chowdhury was speaking on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address. Invoking former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, Chowdhury in his one-and-a-half hour long speech listed out the achievements under Congress Government and accused BJP of just renaming 19 of the 23 schemes of the Congress party. "This Government has developed a new syndrome called political plagiarism... Congress party has been contributing to growth (since Independence), but one morning you ...
Tgana Cong urges Rahul Gandhi to continue as party chief
Asserting that Congress chief Rahul Gandhi "proved his mettle" in fighting for farmers' interests, working class and others in the Lok Sabha polls,the party's Telangana unit Monday urged him to continue in the post. AICC in-charge of party affairs in Telangana R C Khuntia said that in the last election, Rahul Gandhi had proved he has the courage and capacity to fight the NDA government and Modi, for the interest of the working class, farmers, common people, youth, students and women. The Telangana unit's demand was for him to continue in the post and a resolution to this effect was passed at the partys state core committee on Sunday, he told reporters. Stating that the need of the hour was fight unitedly, he said leaders should refrain from giving contradictory statements'. Dismissed reports that there would be a change in state Congress leadership, he said there was no basis to it. "There is no question of discussing about nomination of the new president. We have already
RBI Dy Governor Viral Acharya, who brought to light differences with govt, quits
Viral Acharya, the RBI Deputy Governor who had in October last year brought to light tensions with the government over independence of the central bank, has resigned six months before the scheduled end of his term in the office. Acharya, 45, who was the only Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank on the six-member interest rate-setting monetary policy committee, resigned from his position "a few weeks" back citing "unavoidable personal circumstances", the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a brief statement. In his resignation, he expressed inability to continue beyond July 23, 2019, it said. The RBI, which had previously not disclosed the resignation and was forced to do so following a media report, said: "Consequential action arising from his letter is under consideration of the Competent Authority". Acharya had in a hard-hitting speech in October last year brought to light a growing rift between the BJP-led government and the RBI headed by the then Governor Urjit Patel. A staunch ...
Cong moves Gujarat HC, seeks expulsion of its MLA Alpesh Thakor
The Gujarat High Court on Monday admitted a petition of the state Congress seeking a directive to Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi to take an early decision on its demand to expel Alpesh Thakor as an MLA. After admitting the petition filed by Congress chief whip in the Assembly Ashwin Kotwal, a division bench of Justices SR Brahmbhatt and AP Thaker issued notices to Trivedi and Thakor, and kept further hearing on June 27. In the petition, the Congress also demanded that till the Speaker takes a final call, Thakor must not be allowed to exercise his rights as a legislator. The petition stated that though the Congress, through an application in April, had urged Trivedi to expel Thakor as an MLA, no decision has been taken yet by the speaker, which compelled the party to approach the High Court. On April 25, Gujarat Congress leaders led by Kotwal had approached Trivedi seeking expulsion of Thakor as a legislator claiming that he was no longer with the party and that he was involved in .
UK falling behind in race to engage with India, warns UK Parliament inquiry
The UK is falling behind in the global race to engage with India because it has failed to adjust its strategy to fit India's enhanced influence and power on the world stage, a new UK parliamentary inquiry report concluded on Monday. 'Building Bridges: Reawakening UK-India ties', released to coincide with the first-ever India Day in the Houses of Parliament to mark the launch of UK-India Week 2019, called for a reset of ties through better visa and immigration policies for Indian tourists, students and professionals as it accuses the UK government of missed opportunities in the bilateral relationship. "The UK is falling behind in the global race to engage with a rising India...The story of the UK's recent relationship with India is primarily one of missed opportunities," the report said. "There are certain practical steps the government must take to reset its relationship with India, in particular making it easier for Indians to visit the UK and to work or study here," it noted. On the
Russia says new US sanctions on Iran are 'illegal'
Russia on Monday denounced as "illegal" new economic sanctions that the United States is preparing to impose on Iran. "We consider these sanctions illegal," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a briefing. Tensions between Washington and Tehran have flared since Iranian forces on Thursday shot down a US drone, the latest in a series of incidents including attacks on tankers in sensitive Gulf waters. US President Donald Trump on Friday called off a planned retaliatory strike at the last minute, tamping down the threat of military action. He said Washington would instead place "major additional sanctions on Iran on Monday". Last year, Trump unilaterally pulled the US out of a landmark 2015 deal meant to curb Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. Russia is one of the world powers that negotiated the deal with Tehran and has harshly criticised US moves to undermine the agreement.
Vijay Wadettiwar appointed as Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly
Senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar was appointed as the new Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Monday.Wadettiwar is a senior leader of the Congress in Maharashtra and was the State Minister of Water Resources in the state government.The post fell vacant after Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, now a minister in Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis government, stepping down from the post in March, post his son Sujay Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil joining the BJP to contest the Lok Sabha elections.Patil quit the Congress earlier this month and was sworn in as Cabinet minister in a recent reshuffle.
Modi government has compliment addiction: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury targeted the Narendra Modi government on Monday saying it resorts to "manipulation" and has "compliment addiction", and accused BJP members of being more concerned about praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi than about welfare of people.Participating in the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's Address, Chowdhury said BJP leaders had made allegations against top Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi during the Lok Sabha elections and challenged the government to arrest them."Those whom you labelled thieves, why are they not in jail...Why is Sonia Gandhi out, why is Rahul Gandhi out? We have the courage to fight," he said.BJP leaders had alleged during the Lok Sabha election campaign said the Congress leadership was out on bail with regards to alleged corruption charges.Chowdhury said BJP had raked up controversies like 2G spectrum sale and coal scam but was not raising them now because the issues have lost ...
Cong slams govt over BSNL, MTNL losses
The Congress on Monday hit out at the Centre over state-owned telecom firms MTNL and BSNL reeling under losses, alleging that the Modi dispensation was helping private telecom companies at the cost of public sector undertakings. Both state-run telecom firms BSNL and MTNL have been reporting losses since the time they were asked to pay auction determined spectrum price in 2010 for all the circles where they operate. "Problem is not with #BSNL & #MTNL. Problem is malice of BJP government to help pvt telcos at the cost of PSU's," Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted. He alleged that the BJP government did not allot BSNL and MTNL 4G and all private telecom firms are pumping in finance but BSNL is barred from taking loans. There has been zero capital investment by government and no investment in towers, he alleged. "Each countrymen must also think-: 1. In Congress government in 2013-14 MTNL posted a Net Profit of Rs 7,838 crore. In BJP government in 2019, MTNL is ...
14 IS terrorists killed in northern Iraq
As many as 14 Islamic State (IS) terrorists were killed in a joint operation by the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service and US-led coalition in country's northern province of Kirkuk, the Iraqi military said on Monday.The operation was carried out to hunt down IS remnants in the southern part of the provincial capital city of Kirkuk, around 250 kilometres north of Baghdad, the media office of the Joint Operations Command said in a statement, according to Xinhua news agency.Although the Iraqi government had declared victory over Islamic State in December 2017, the IS terrorists are still active in rural areas of central and northern parts of the country and carry out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces.
Iran says new US sanctions will have 'no impact'
The new economic sanctions that the United States is preparing to impose on Iran will have no "impact", a spokesman for the Islamic republic's foreign ministry said Monday. "We really do not know what (the new sanctions) are and what they want to target anymore, and also do not consider them to have any impact," Abbas Mousavi said at a press conference in Tehran. "Are there really any sanctions left that the United States has not imposed on our country recently or in the past 40 years?" he added. Tensions between Washington and Tehran flared after Iranian forces on Thursday shot down a US drone, the latest in a series of incidents including attacks on tankers in sensitive Gulf waters. US President Donald Trump on Friday called off a planned retaliatory strike at the last minute, tamping down the threat of military action. He said Washington would instead place "major additional sanctions on Iran on Monday". Last year, Trump unilaterally pulled the US out of a landmark 2015 deal meant .
Coongress may have chief outside Gandhi family in future: Punia
The chances of Congress having a President ouside the Gandi family is a possibility and can happen in future, party leader P L Punia said on Thursday."Congress President outside Gandhi family is a possibility and can happen in future too. Gandhi family have the eligibility to bring the country together," he said.On June 20 Punia had said, "Rahul Gandhi is working president. He is the one who will decide whether he will be the President of the party or not. He is our party President and he will remain so in the future."Chhattisgarh Congress in-charge, PL Punia and other leaders from the state will meet Congress President Rahul Gandhi, sources said on Monday.
Funding not a constraint for defence preparedness: Rajnath
Funding will not come in the way of the country's defence preparedness and there will be no compromise on it, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh assured the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Replying to queries during Question Hour, the minister said the government will not allow any compromise on the defence preparedness due to capital constraints. "We have taken precaution that there is no shortcoming on the country's defence preparedness in any way by way of budget constraints. We will not compromise on India's defence preparedness.," the minister assured the members. He said as far as country's defence preparedness is concerned, "we will not allow any adverse impact on it due to fund constraints". In reply to another supplementary, Rajnath Singh said in absolute terms, the defence budget has increased in the last few years. In 2019-20, he said, one-third (32.19 per cent) of the total capital expenditure of central government is being spent on defence which is the highest among all .
No possibility of mid-term polls in Karnataka: Siddaramaiah
The ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition coordination committee chief Siddaramaiah Monday ruled out any possibility of mid-term polls to the Karnataka assembly. "No, there won't be any mid term poll," he told reporters in Mysuru, days after former prime minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda had sent alarm bells ringing in the Congress after he spoke of such a possibility. In a sign of growing tensions in the coalition, Gowda last Friday said he has no doubt that there would be mid-term polls to the state assembly, but had backtracked later, saying he had spoken about urban local bodies election. Gowda had also said he did not know how long the government, headed by his son H D Kumaraswamy, would continue and it was in the hands of the Congress. Hitting out at state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa, Siddaramaiah said the former chief minister was"dreaming" about the collapse of the coalition government and him forming a ministry in the state. "No one can respond to his (Yeddyurappa's) dreams ..
Abhinandan's moustache should be made national moustache: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday proposed in the Lower House that the moustache of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman should be given the status of 'national moustache'.A day after Balakot airstrikes, on February 27, Varthaman, flying a MiG-21 Bison, was chasing Pakistani F-16 fighters which had transgressed into the Indian airspace, and in the process, his plane crossed over to the Pakistani side and was shot down. He ejected safely but was taken into custody by the Pakistan Army upon landing. Before his plane was shot, he had hit a Pakistani F-16."Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman should be awarded and his moustache should be made national moustache," Varthaman said while speaking on the floor of the house.Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced the release of Varthaman, calling it a "peace gesture". He was handed over to the Indian authorities through the Wagah-Attari border at around 9:20 pm on March 1.After Varthaman's returned to ...
UDF stalls Kerala assembly over NRI businessman's suicide
The opposition UDF Monday stalled proceedings in the Kerala assembly, demanding registration of a case against a local municipality chairperson for allegedly refusing to grant an NRI businessman the ownership certificate for an auditorium, leading to his suicide. Besides registering the case against ruling CPI(M) leader and municipality chairperson P K Shyamala for abetting the suicide of the businessman, the Congress-led UDF members also urged the Left government to take necessary steps to grant the ownership certificate at the earliest. The 49-year-old Nigeria-returned entrepreneur, Sajan Parayi, who had spent about Rs 16 crore for the auditorium, committed suicide by hanging himself at his home on June 18 after the CPI(M)-ruled Anthoor municipality refused to grant him the ownership certificate for his dream project, citing minor technicalities. As Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan remained silent over both these demands, stating that a probe is on into the matter, the opposition ...
District Congress Committees in UP dissolved ahead of bye-elections
All the District Congress Committees in Uttar Pradesh was dissolved on Monday following the party's debacle in the Lok Sabha elections and constituted a three-member discliplinary committee to go into complaints of "gross indispline" during the polls.The decision by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) came after the proposals were submitted by general secretaries' in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and West, Jyotiraditya Scindia, respectively."The Congress has also deputed a two-member team to oversee election preparations and management of all Vidhan Sabha seats of UP East and West where by-elections are taking place," an AICC press release said on Monday.In the reconstitution, Priyanka has representation youth upto 50 per cent. She has also directed that there should also be equal participation of Dalit and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).The release said the party has also constituted a three-member Disciplinary Committee to examine complaints of "gross ...
Nadda seeks opposition support to run Rajya Sabha smoothly
BJP working president J P Nadda Monday sought cooperation of the Opposition to run the House smoothly, saying disruptions affect them the most. Initiating a debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address in Rajya Sabha, Nadda said the government wants not just 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' (development and cooperation of all) but also 'Sabka Vishwas' (everybody's trust or faith). Nadda said, "We should agree to disagree in the House. But we should not disagree just for the sake of disagreement. I appeal. I need all of yours support. There were many disruption in the House in the past. This (disruption affects) the opposition the most." Outlining the direction of newly formed Modi 2.0, he told the House that this government would work toward improving ease of living in the next five years to further reach out to the commoners in the country. During his address, Nadda said while in Opposition, he had got the award of best parliamentarian. He said the government's ...
BJD candidates & BJP nominee file papers for RS bypoll
Two ruling Biju Janata Dal candidates and one BJP nominee on Monday filed their nomination papers for the by-election to the three vacant Rajya Sabha seats of Odisha. While BJD's Amar Patnaik and Sasmit Patra filed their nomination papers for two Rajya Sabha seats in presence of party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, BJP candidate Ashwini Vaishnab also submitted his papers with the returning officer. The chief minister had earlier named BJD's IT Cell Chairman & spokesperson Amar Patnaik and spokesperson Sasmit Patra as the regional party candidates for the by-polls to the two Rajya Sabha seats. The BJD president had also announced his party's decision to support BJP candidate and former bureaucrat Ashwini Vaishnab for the third vacant seat from Odisha. The three seats fell vacant after BJD's Achyuta Samanta, Pratap Keshari Deb and Soumya Ranjan Patnaik resigned from Rajya Sabha after being elected to Lok Sabha and State Assembly in the recently ...
Georgia ruling party chief announces electoral reform after protests
Georgia's ruling party leader on Monday announced sweeping electoral reform, in line with the demands of anti-government protests that have gripped Tbilisi since last week. "Georgian Dream proposes a large-scale political reform," Bidzina Ivanishvili, the leader of the ruling Georgian Dream, told a news conference. "We propose that parliamentary polls in 2020 be held under proportional system," and there will be no threshold for parties to enter parliament, the powerful oligarch added. Thousands of anti-government protesters have been rallying since Thursday in the Georgian capital, demanding reforms to the country's electoral system. Opposition groups say the existing electoral law favours the ruling party. Protests erupted after a Russian lawmaker addressed Georgia's parliament from the speaker's seat, a controversial move in a country that fought a war with Russia in 2008 and whose ties with Moscow remain fraught. The rallies have quickly morphed into a broader movement against ...