Page 1145 - Politics
Pakistan wants 'chowkidar' to be defeated, says Modi
Accusing the Congress, PDP and the National Conference of being biased against the Jammu region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday claimed that Pakistan wanted him to lose the Lok Sabha elections.
SP names 5 more candidates for Lok Sabha polls
The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Thursday named five more Lok Sabha candidates in Uttar Pradesh.
Shah vows safe borders, end to infiltration in Assam
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Thursday kick-started the Lok Sabha campaign in Assam making strong pitch for safer borders and an end to infiltration.
CM leads Cong-JDS protest against IT dept after statewide
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Thursday led a protest by the Congress-JDS ruling alliance in front of the Income Tax department here in a furious response to a statewide pre-dawn IT crackdown on his partymen and others. Raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and waving party flags, the Congress and JD(S) activists gathered within hours after the IT raids with the help of CRPF personnel at 15 to 20 places including Bengaluru, Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan and Shivamogga. Congress and JDS activists who tried to storm the Income Tax office were arrested and later released as the protest on the ever busy Queens Road resulted in chock-a-block with hundreds of vehicles stuck in the traffic jam. The ruling alliance was particularly angry as they alleged that the IT raids were carried out on JD(S) leaders overseeing the elections of Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy in Mandya and nephew Prajwal Revanna in Hassan. Taking on the Modi government in the first ...
Don't need BJP's certificate of patriotism: Priyanka (2nd Lead)
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday said she has been given the key task of strengthening her party in the Uttar Pradesh - even beyond the Lok Sabha elections - and ensure it comes back to power in the 2022 Assembly polls.
Four candidates in fray for lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland
The election to the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland will be a four cornered contest while the by-poll to the Aonglenden Assembly constituency will witness a straight fight between the ruling NDDP and Congress candidates, an Election official said Thursday. None of the four candidates have withdrawn their nomination for the Lok Sabha election on Thursday, the last date for withdrawal of candidature while two candidates have withdrawn their candidature for the by-poll to state Assembly seat, the official said. The candidates in the fray for the Lok Sabha seat are INC nominee K L Chishi, PDA consensus candidate and NDPP nominee Tokheho Yepthomi, NPPs Hayithung Tungoe and Independent Dr M M Thromwa Konyak, he said. Four candidates Alemjongshi Longkumer of Congress, Sharingain Longkumer of ruling NDPP, Toshipokba Longkumer of NPF and O Tinu Longkumer of NPP had filed nominations for the bypoll to the Aonglendem seat. District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner of ...
In Haryana, Congress likely to bet on party veterans to take on BJP
For Haryana's 10 Lok Sabha seats, the Congress is considering names of its senior state leaders, including that of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, to take on the BJP which swept the last elections by winning nine seats in the state, party insiders have said. In the national polls of 2014, Congress won only the Rohtak seat with Deepinder Singh Hooda holding on to his family stronghold. According to sources within the party, Kumari Selja's name is being considered for the Ambala seat and state unit chief Ashok Tanwar is likely to fight from Sirsa. Both of them have been MPs from these seats in the past. Capt Ajay Singh Yadav is frontrunner for the Gurgaon seat and industrialist Naveen Jindal may fight the polls from Kurukshetra, they said. Karan Singh Dalal's name is being considered for Faridabad, however he faces a tough fight from former party MP from the seat Avtar Singh Bhadana, who recently returned to the Congress after quitting the BJP. Sources said the Congress ...
EU 'needs yes' on Brexit after UK MPs vote no
The EU on Thursday urged London to provide a way forward on Brexit, taking note that the British Parliament had failed to agree a fresh solution to the UK's divorce from the bloc. "The European Commission takes note of the indicative votes in the House of Commons last night. This is part of an ongoing political process in the UK, which we fully respect," EU spokesman Margaritis Schinas said. "We counted eight 'no's last night, now we need a 'yes' on the way forward," he added. Schinas was referring to the parliament's unprecedented step on Tuesday of voting a choice of alternate solutions to the near-dead divorce deal May reached with Brussels after 17 months of talks. But none of the eight options secured a majority and another vote has been set for Monday on some of the proposals. A proposal to hold a second referendum -- a popular idea with EU supporters -- came second while those promoting a cleaner break finished near the bottom. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told ...
Article 35A discriminatory, constitutionally vulnerable: Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said the "surreptitiously included" Article 35A of the Constitution had given the Jammu and Kashmir government the right not just to discriminate between residents of the state and other Indian citizens but also between two state citizens on the basis of declaring some as permanent residents while leaving out others.
Digvijaya made Rahul Gandhi a 'misleader': Chauhan
Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chauhan, here on Thursday, took a pot shot at Digvijaya Singh, the Congress candidate for the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, saying he made Congress President Rahul Gandhi a "misleader".
Lakshman Seth joins Congress, to contest LS poll from Tamluk
Former CPI(M) MP Laxman Seth Thursday joined the Congress along with his supporters, WBPCC President Somen Mitra said. He told PTI that Seth has been nominated by the Congress to contest the Lok Sabha election from his home turf of Tamluk constituency. Seth had won thrice from Tamluk when he was in the CPI-M but was expelled from the party in March 2014 for anti party activities. He had then floated his own outfit - the Bharat Nirman Party and had joined the BJP in 2016. The saffron party expelled him in 2018. "I had discussion with Congress high command about Seth's joining the party and being nominated for Tamluk seat for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Rahul Gandhi has cleared Seth's candidature from Tamluk seat," Mitra said. Seth had initially wanted to join TMC, which was not granted by chief minister Mamata Banerjee. He had then requested to join Congress, which allowed him.
Local issues to overshadow national polls in TN?
With 18 Assembly constituencies falling under 13 Lok Sabha constituencies set to go for bypolls, local issues will have an impact on the voting pattern in electing the parliamentarians in Tamil Nadu, said political leaders.
Gunfire rocks Comoros as opposition and government face off
Gunfire rocked the Comoran capital Thursday after police arrested a defeated presidential hopeful who was named head of an opposition transitional authority hoping to unseat President Azali Assoumani. An aide confirmed the arrest of former military colonel Soilihi Mohamed who came third in Sunday's poll which the opposition said was rigged by the government. Civilians deserted the streets of Moroni and taxis stopped collecting passengers, an AFP correspondent saw, following the crackle of gunfire around the Kandani military base. Police earlier broke up a women's protest march and arrested 12 demonstrators. Comoros has had a volatile political history since independence and has endured more than 20 attempted coups, four of which were successful. The opposition has flatly rejected Azali's victory as the angry mood threatened to spark a new political crisis on the Indian Ocean archipelago. Mohamed had previously said that the opposition "will use all peaceful means to oust the ...
Cong sat on Rafale deal, eyeing kickbacks: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday blamed the previous Congress-led governments for the delay in getting the Rafale military aircraft, saying the party sat on the deal as it was eyeing kickbacks. Launching the BJP's poll campaign in Uttarakhand from Rudrapur, the prime minister said the Congress cared more for malai (commission) than national security. He pitched the BJP as the party that stood for the armed forces, saying the Congress governments cared little for what they sought modern weapons, bullet-proof jackets and the one rank, one pension scheme that his own government has implemented. He said the deal for the French military aircraft was mooted during the term of Atal Bihari Vajpayee government but the following Congress-led governments of delayed the acquisition. They sat on it for 10 years because they were not getting the malai, he charged at the Rudrapur rally. The Congress has criticised the new Rafale deal signed by the Modi government, claiming it is costlier and ..
Tej Pratap Yadav quits RJD student wing
Upset over being sidelined in the party and the family, Tej Pratap Yadav, elder son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, on Thursday resigned as patron of the RJD student wing ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, dealing a blow to Bihar's main opposition party.
Shah slams Congress over illegal immigration in Assam, lauds
BJP chief Amit Shah Thursday accused the previous Congress government in Assam of settling illegal immigrants in the state, as he applauded the Narendra Modi government for securing the country's frontiers and avenging Indian soldiers killed by Pakistan-backed terror groups. Addressing two election rallies in the northeastern state, Shah asserted, let alone infiltrators "not even a bird" will be allowed to enter Assam illegally if the BJP secures a second term at the Centre. He said only Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP can ensure security of the country and not the Congress or its president Rahul Gandhi. "In his five years in office, Modi brought in a lot of development. But most of all he ensured the security of the country and its borders. Under his leadership, India avenged the blood of our soldiers killed in Uri and Pulwama attacks by Pakistan-based terror elements," Shah told election rallies in Kaliabor and Teok. The BJP president claimed the way the ...
Kazakhstan new president to visit Russia first
Kazakhstan's new president will visit ally Russia on his first foreign visit, his office said Thursday, days after predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev suddenly quit the post he held for three decades. Nazarbayev, who had ruled the energy-rich Central Asian nation since before it gained independence with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, announced his shock resignation in a televised address last week. Career diplomat and political loyalist Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, 65, took over from Nazarbayev but signalled in his first speech after inauguration that his predecessor would retain a decisive role in decision-making. The 78-year-old, who has the constitutional status of "Leader of the Nation" as well as a life-time position as chief of the security council, is known for careful diplomacy that privileges key partners Russia and China while maintaining cordial ties with the West. The announcement of Tokayev's forthcoming visit to Russia on April 3 will therefore be viewed as a ...
Should we throw bombs or hold talks with those who kill our jawans, asks Amit Shah
BJP president Amit Shah on Thursday slammed the Opposition and questioned whether India should throw bombs or hold talks with those who attack the soldiers and kill them."For 10 years, before NDA came to power, Congress did not take any action against the terrorists who kept on killing our jawans. However, we carried out a surgical strike after the Uri attack. Similarly, when the Pulwama terror attack took place, we destroyed a terror camp by air strike in Pakistan. The perception of the world about India has changed today because of Narendra Modi," Shah said while addressing a rally here.He added, "Earlier there were only two countries - US and Israel - which used to take revenge of attacks on their soldiers. Prime Minister Modi has now added India to that list. But, Rahul Gandhi and his allies raised questions as to why we are throwing bombs and not holding talks with Pakistan. Should we throw bombs or talk to those who kill our jawans?"Shah promised that the NDA will throw out ...
J-K: JeM terrorist killed in Handwara encounter
A terrorist belonging to the proscribed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) was on Thursday killed in an encounter in Handwara area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, police said.The slain terrorist has been identified as Danish who was involved in several terror attacks and many cases were registered against him, the police added.After a tip-off, security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Yaroo area in Handwara this morning. Soon the search party was fired upon and subsequently, an exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists started.
BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha meets Rahul Gandhi, will join Cong in April
Actor-turned-politician and rebel BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha on Thursday met Congress President Rahul Gandhi here and said he will join the Congress during the auspicious period of Navaratri that begins on April 6.The development came after the actor, a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was denied party ticket from Patna Sahib parliamentary constituency in Bihar. He is currently the sitting Member of Parliament from the seat."Democracy within the BJP does not exist any longer. Dictatorship prevails instead. That's why I have decided to join the Congress Party during the auspicious period of Navaratri," Sinha, who described himself as a great admirer of Nehru-Gandhi family, told reporters here.Sinha also said he would contest from the same seat. "In every situation, the location will be the same Patna".Bihar Congress in-charge Shakti Singh Gohil said that Sinha would work as the 'star leader and star campaigner' of the party.Sinha was elected twice, in 2009 and 2014, from .