Page 1112 - Politics
Modi, Rahul to campaign in Telangana on Monday
Campaigning for next month's elections to all 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana will gather further momentum with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi addressing election rallies in the state on Monday.
Guj-based Bharatiya Tribal Party to contest 20 LS seats
The Bharatiya Tribal Party will fight from 20 Lok Sabha seats spread across Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Union Territory Daman and Diu, its chief Chhotubhai Vasava said Sunday. The BTP, which was founded on the eve of the 2017 Assembly polls in Gujarat, had managed to win two seats in the 182-member House. Vasava won from Jhagadiya while his son Mahesh is the MLA from Dediapada. The BTP also won the Sagwara and Chorasi Assembly seats in the 2018 Rajasthan polls. Speaking to PTI, the BTP founder said, "I will contest from Bharuch Lok Sabha seat as it has a sizable presence of tribals. Apart from Jhagadiya and Dediapada, represented by the BTP, tribals are present in large numbers in Ankleshwar, Bharuch, Vagra, Karjan and Netrang assembly constituencies as well." "The BJP and the Congress are dividing tribal votes for selfish interests. We want to protect tribal interests and represent them in Parliament," he added. "We will ...
Model code for a longer duration hinders development: Haryana minister
A Haryana minister said on Sunday the model code of conduct enforced for a longer duration hinders development. Anil Vij, the health and sports minister in the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government, pointed out that apart from the Lok Sabha polls, the assembly and panchayat elections were due in the state later this year and the code of conduct would again come into effect, leaving little time for undertaking development works. "Such a long duration of model code of conduct hinders development. In Haryana, Lok Sabha polls are scheduled in the sixth phase, which is on May 12, but all works have already come to a halt," Vij tweeted. The model code came into effect with the announcement of the poll dates by the Election Commission on March 10. "In view of the Vidhan Sabha polls in the state later this year, the model code will again come into effect. Afterwards, there are the panchayat polls. The Election Commission should discuss this issue with all parties," Vij tweeted. The Bharatiya
Israel reopens Gaza crossings closed for days after rocket strike
Israel reopened its crossings with the blockaded Gaza Strip on Sunday after having kept them closed for nearly a week following a rare long-distance rocket strike from the Palestinian enclave, an official said. The Erez crossing for people and the Kerem Shalom crossing for goods reopened Sunday morning, a spokeswoman for COGAT, the defence ministry unit that oversees the crossings, told AFP. They were closed on Monday after the rocket fire that wounded seven Israelis and led to Israeli retaliatory strikes across the Gaza Strip, another serious flare-up between the two sides. Hamas announced an Egyptian-brokered truce that ended the exchange of fire. The reopening also comes after tens of thousands of Palestinians protested along the Gaza border with Israel on Saturday, marking the one-year anniversary since demonstrations and clashes erupted there. Four Palestinians were killed on Saturday during protests and clashes, but unrest was limited and fears of mass bloodshed were averted ...
Stage set for Naidu, Mamata, Kejriwal's Vizag rally
In yet another show of opposition unity, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu along with his West Bengal and Delhi counterparts, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal respectively, will address an election rally here on Sunday as part of their campaign against Prime Minister Narndra Modi for the coming Lok Sabha polls.
Rahul Gandhi attacks PM Modi for failing to deliver on 2014 poll promises
Congress President Rahul Gandhi has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's behaviour betrays a "sense of panic" and hit out at him for presiding over a "failed" economy and not delivering on poll promises. In an interview to PTI, Rahul Gandhi said PM Narendra Modi is more of a "Publicity Minister" than a Prime Minister and is "floundering because of his arrogance". On his own prospects of becoming the prime minister should the post Lok Sabha election result scenario permit, Rahul Gandhi said it would be arrogant for me to comment on the issue and that the people are the masters and they will decide. Accusing the prime minister of pushing a particular narrative in the media through the PMO, Gandhi said the PM will not be able to deflect from real issues. Castigating the PM for failing to deliver on 2014 election promises and presiding over a failed economy, Gandhi charged, Mr Modi's arrogance and thirst for power, his obsession with self-promotion even when that promotion is filled ..
Rahul senses loss in Amethi, so shifting seat to Kerala: BJP
Stepping up attack on Congress President Rahul Gandhi for his decision to contest from Amethi and Wayanad in Kerala, Mohsin Raza, the lone Muslim Minister in Yogi Adityanath government on Sunday said that he has sensed his defeat from Uttar Pradesh.
Rahul to contest LS polls from Wayanad, Amethi (2nd Lead)
In a major decision, the Congress on Sunday announced that party President Rahul Gandhi will also contest the Lok Sabha polls from Wayanad in Kerala, apart from his present constituency of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
Rahul's contest from Wayanad a fight against Left: Ker CM
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Sunday said Congress President Rahul Gandhi's contest in Wayanad in the state could only be seen as a move to fight the Left parties and not the BJP and asserted that the LDF would defeat him in the April 23 Lok Sabha elections. There was no need to attach any special importance to the Congress President contesting from the state and Gandhi was just one among the 20 candidates of the opposition UDF, who are trying their luck from Kerala, he said. "If Gandhi's fight is against the BJP, he should have contested against the saffron party. In Kerala, the fight is between LDF and UDF in the elections," Vijayan told a meet-the-press programme at the Press Club here. He was reacting to the announcement by Congress that Gandhi would contest from the hilly Wayanad, considered a fortress of the party, in addition to the Gandhi family's pocket burrow Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh in the polls. "The present move can only be seen as a fight ...
Rahul Gandhi to contest from Wayanad in Kerala along with Amethi
In a bid to improve the Congress' position in south India, party president Rahul Gandhi will contest from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala besides his traditional stronghold of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. Veteran Congress leader from Kerala and former Defence Minister A K Antony made this announcement at a press conference here Sunday, saying Gandhi had consented to fighting from Wayanad following requests from the party's state unit. The decision is seen as an attempt by the Congress to consolidate its electoral base in south India, especially Kerala which has 20 Lok Sabha seats. Tamil Nadu has 39 Lok Sabha seats and Karnataka has 28. "This is a message to the southern states that they are deeply valued and respected. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has said he will represent Amethi but will also represent southern states as they are an important part of India's way of life, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said. He said Gandhi has said Amethi is his 'karmabhoomi' ..
Ukrainians vote in presidential election
Ukrainians voted on Sunday in the first round of the country's presidential election, with incumbent leader Peter Petro Poroshenko seeking re-election and a surprise front-runner, comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Rahul Gandhi fled to Kerala as he fears Amethi will seek account of work: Shah
BJP chief Amit Shah Sunday ridiculed Congress president Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, saying he has "fled" to Kerala fearing that Amethi voters will seek an account of work done by him and his party over the years. Shah was speaking at his first election meeting in western UP, where voting will be held on April 11. The saffron party had won all eight Lok Sabha seats in the region in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. "Rahul Gandhi has fled to Kerala as he fears that Amethi voters will seek an account from him," the BJP chief said. Shah also said, "The Congress had given clean chit to Pakistan terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba in Samjhauta Express bomb blast case, sent Swami Aseemanand and other innocent persons to jail, and had put a tag of terrorism on Hindus.
AAP to stress its 'great work' in Delhi during LS campaign
The Aam Aadmi Party will stress on its "great work" and reiterate its demand for full statehood for Delhi during its campaign for the 2019 general elections that would comprise 280 rallies and 3,000 gatherings, a minister has said.
Gathbandhan like group photograph to abuse Modi: former SP leader Amar Singh
The SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh is like a group photograph of people who have come together to abuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will not manage more than seven of 80 seats in the state, says former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh. The 'gathbandhan' of the three parties in Uttar Pradesh is afraid of Modi, Singh said, recalling an old Hindi film song "Sathi haath milana saathi re" (let's all join hands) to mock the alliance. BJP president Amit Shah would act as kingmaker in the elections, Singh, whose close aide Jaya Prada joined the saffron party recently, told PTI. "As Modiji says, where is the gathbandhan (alliance)? They are afraid of Modiji and doing 'Saathi hath milana re'. Now where is Mamata (Banerjee)? Where is the Left and the Congress? Rahul (Gandhi) says Mamata or BJP are one and the same for Congress. This gathbandhan is a group photograph to abuse Modi," Singh said. Asked about the alliance's electoral prospects in the state, which goes to the polls over ..
RJD MLA refers terrorist Masood Azhar as 'Sahab'
Bihar RJD MLA Haji Subhan on Sunday referred Masood Azhar, chief of terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeI), as 'Masood Sahab' in the presence of party leader Tejashwi Yadav."Prime Minister Modi did not speak against China even after it vetoed a proposal to declare Masood Azhar 'Sahab' as an international terrorist," he said while addressing a public rally here.On March 12, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had also addressed JeI chief as "Masood Azhar ji". Addressing Congress workers meeting in New Delhi, Rahul attacked the BJP saying, "These people with 56-inch chest, you would recall, in their previous government, the current National Security Advisor Ajit Doval went in an aircraft with Masood Azhar ji and handed over Masood Azhar there in Kandahar."At today's public rally, Subhan took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying: "China is making Rs 50,000 crore from India every year. No leader is making efforts to stop this. Not only that, even the construction of the statue
LS polls: Rahul Gandhi promises 'special status' to Andhra if voted to power
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday promised 'special category' status to Andhra Pradesh, if voted to power in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections."Giving special status to Andhra is not only a commitment made by Congress and Manmohan Singh ji. It is a commitment made by the country to Andhra Pradesh. It is our commitment that we will give special status to Andhra Pradesh the moment we come to power in Delhi," said Rahul Gandhi while addressing a public rally in Vijayawada.Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not fulfilling his commitment of providing special status to the state, Rahul said: "Mr Modi has been Prime Minister for five years and he has not fulfilled this commitment. Frankly, I am surprised that the parties in Andhra Pradesh are not aggressively pushing Mr Modi to give the state what was promised."Rahul, who has recently introduced his NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana) to assure Rs 72,000 to 20 per cent of India's poorest families, said: "I and Congress party will deliver
BJP announces 4 Lok Sabha candidates from Gujarat, fields 3 new faces
Central Election Committee of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday released its 13th list of candidates for the forthcoming general elections.In three of the four seats announced today, BJP has fielded fresh faces for the parliamentary polls.While incumbent MP from Junagadh seat, Rajeshbhai Chudasma will contest again from his constituency, BJP has announced new faces for Patan, Anand, and Chota Udaipur constituencies.It has fielded Bharatsinh Dabhi Thakur from Patan, Miteshbhai Patel from Anand and Geetaben Rathva from Chhota Udaipur.In addition to these parliamentary candidates, BJP has also announced Jasabhai Barad as its candidate for the bye-election on the Talala legislative assembly.Polls for 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will be held in a single phase on April 23. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.
PM Modi's speech in Kurnool was full of lies: Chandrababu Naidu
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra, saying latter's speech in Kurnool was "full of lies".In an open letter to Prime Minister Modi, Naidu wrote: "You attacked self-respect of Andhraites on the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) formation day. Your comments hurt our sentiments. They are full of utter lies. You wished our development stops. Every single Andhraite is furious over your egoistic comments.""You (Prime Minister Modi) say you are the first Prime Minister to visit Kurnool. You don't know history. Kurnool gave PV Narasimha Rao as Prime Minister for the nation. We are unfortunate that a traitor like you came to Kurnool," he said.Prime Minister Modi, who addressed a public rally in Kurnool district on Friday, accused Naidu of putting stickers of welfare schemes which have been introduced by the central government."People of Andhra know whose safes are being stashed with the ill-gotten money from these scams. When your Chowkidaar ...
Kerala CM says Rahul fighting against Left not BJP, vows to defeat him
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday said, Congress president Rahul Gandhi contesting from Wayanad constituency in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections was a challenge to the Left and not a battle against the BJP.The chief minister also vowed that the CPI(M) will defeat Rahul.This comes hours after Senior Congress leader AK Antony announced that Rahul Gandhi will be contesting from Wayanad parliamentary constituency in Kerala in addition to Amethi in Uttar Pradesh."Rahul Gandhi is fighting in one of the 20 constituencies (in Kerala) and does not need to be seen as any different. We will fight him. He should have contested from a constituency where the BJP is contesting; it's nothing but a fight against Left," Vijayan said here in a press conference.Speaking to ANI, former general secretary of CPI (M) Prakash Karat also expressed similar sentiments and said: "To pick a candidate like Rahul Gandhi against Left means that Congress is going to target the Left in Kerala. This is ...
LS polls: Mayawati calls Chandrashekhar Azad a BJP 'mole'
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP supremo Mayawati termed controversial Dalit youth leader Chandrashekhar Azad as a BJP 'mole' on Sunday."The BJP tried hard to help Bhim Army chief Chandrasekhar join the BSP as its mole but failed in its conspiracy. It is very imperative in the national interest to dislodge autocratic, despotic anti-Dalit, OBC & minorities BJP from power. Pls ensure no vote goes waste. My Appeal," she tweeted.The four-time state Chief Minister appealed people to vote in the Lok Sabha elections to defeat the ruling BJP which she dubbed as 'despotic, autocratic, casteist and communal'."With the ill-intention of dividing Dalit votes & taking advantage, the BJP has conspired to field Bhim Army chief Chandrasekhar from Varanasi LS seat. This organisation was formed under BJP conspiracy & with its anti-Dalit mindset, it is now indulging in despicable politics," she further tweeted.Chandrashekhar has announced to contest Lok Sabha elections from ..