Page 1147 - Politics
Article 35A constitutionally vulnerable, hampering development in J&K: Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Thursday said Article 35A, which restricts non-permanent residents to buy property in Jammu and Kashmir, is "constitutionally vulnerable" and also hampering economic development of the state. The statement comes amidst the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pressing for early elections to the state assembly in the state. The state is under President's rule and the Union Cabinet takes all policy decisions related to the militancy-hit state. In a blog, Jaitley said the seven-decade history of the state of Jammu and Kashmir confronts changing India with several questions. "Was the Nehruvian course, which the state had embarked, a historical blunder or was it the correct course to follow? Most Indians today believe that it is the former. "Does our policy today have to be guided by that erroneous vision or an out of box thinking which is in consonance with ground reality?" Jaitley questioned. The senior BJP leader and in-charge of the party's campaign committee for .
Amidst China threat, Taiwan seeks to buy F-16 jets, M1 tanks from US
As China steps up its pressure, Taiwan has submitted a request to the United States for purchasing F-16 jets and M-1 tanks to enhance its military capabilities, according to the island's President Tsai Ing-wen.This comes after the US Defence Intelligence Agency highlighted that China had modernised its military to improve its ability to fight regional conflicts, according to CNN."Beijing's longstanding interest to eventually compel Taiwan's reunification with the mainland and deter any attempt by Taiwan to declare independence has served as the primary driver for China's military modernization," the report by the US Agency stated.The Taiwanese President said that the US weapons would "greatly enhance our land and air capabilities, strengthen military morale and show to the world the US commitment to Taiwan's defence."China, on the other hand, has opposed this development. Beijing "firmly opposed to US arms sales to Taiwan and US military contact with Taiwan," China's Defence Ministry .
US reconnaissance aircraft monitors India's ASAT missile test: Plane spotter Aircraft Spots
A US Air Force's reconnaissance aircraft went on a mission from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to monitor India's first test-fire of an anti-satellite missile, according to Aircraft Spots, which tracks movements of military aircraft. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced that India successfully test-fired an anti-satellite missile by shooting down a live satellite, describing it as a rare achievement that puts the country in an exclusive club of space super powers. The test made India the fourth country in the world after the US, Russia and China to acquire the strategic capability to shoot down enemy satellites. "USAF RC-135S 62-4128 CHAOS45 departed Diego Garcia at 2330Z for a mission in the Bay of Bengal to monitor #India's ASAT anti-satellite missile test," Aircraft Spots, a plane spotter based in California, said in a tweet. It also said that a UN aircraft was also involved in refuelling the spy plane. "USAF KC-135Rs FRESH53 & 54 provided tanker support and ...
Arjun Munda kicks off poll campaign in Jharkhand
Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda on Thursday launched his election campaign as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from the Khuti Lok Sabha seat.
Syria calls Trump recognising Israel's claim over Golan Heights a 'dirty deal'
Syria on Thursday described US President Donald Trump's proclamation recognising Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights as a "dirty deal" between him and Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu which will "not change anything on the ground". Syria's Ambassador to India Riad Kamel Abbas also said his country would welcome if India wants to play a more pro-active role in Syria or in the Middle East peace process. "This dirty deal which happened between Trump and Netanyahu, happened for their personal benefit. Mr Trump got clearance from his department on the Russian issue and Prime Minister Netanyahu got guarantee to win elections," Abbas said at a press conference here. He said the Syrian government condemns this "dirty declaration" and it "will not change anything on the ground". Abbas said Syria condemns the declaration and will make "all efforts -- political or in any other way -- to turn back this territory to itself". Asked what these measures could be, the Syrian envoy said they .
NSUI writes anti-Modi slogans on main road outside college in Jammu
Hours ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first election campaign rally here, the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress, Thursday wrote anti-Modi slogans on the main road outside a college here. However, another student of the same college came out with a brush and white paint and erased the graffiti, saying "we should respect the post of the prime minister and I would have done the same if the slogans were directed against (Congress president) Rahul Gandhi". "Go Back Modi and Chowkidar Chor Hai" were found written on the main road leading to the main entrance of M A M PG College on Canal Road here. The prime minister will address the first election campaign rally in the Akhnoor area on the outskirts of the city. "We have written the slogans to lodge our protest against the prime minister who had failed to fulfil his 2014 election promises to the country. He had talked about empowerment of women by giving 33 per cent reservation, raised the ...
Thai Election Commission faces criticism in vote count
Thailand's Election Commission held a sudden news conference Thursday to release full preliminary results of the country's recent general election, though some of the data was inconsistent, adding to concerns over the management of the nation's first poll since a military coup. The commission, appointed by the legislature hand-picked by the junta that took power in 2014, has faced mounting pressure to speed up the count of Sunday's vote and to address concerns about potential irregularities. The U.S., European Union, Australia and others have called for the commission to address such concerns. Thai social media users have been less diplomatic, making hashtags such as "CheatingElection19" and "ECBusted" trend. The latest preliminary results, which the commission said were based on a count of all votes, showed that Palang Pracharath, a party allied with the ruling junta, won the most votes. The commission announced earlier that the main anti-junta party, Pheu Thai, had won the most ...
Kerala BJP to use Sabarimala as election issue
The Kerala unit of the BJP on Thursday made it clear that one of its Lok Sabha election campaigns will be the Sabarimala issue.
Russia says 'not threatening anyone' in Venezuela
The presence of Russian troops in Venezuela does not present a threat to anyone, the foreign ministry said Thursday after US President Donald Trump demanded that Russia remove its troops from the crisis-stricken country. The United States and more than 50 other countries recognise Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president while Russia, along with China, backs beleaguered socialist leader Nicolas Maduro. Russia's deployment of troops and equipment to bolster Maduro has ratcheted up already high international tensions as the Trump administration is pushing hard for regime change amid mounting chaos in the once-rich country. "Russia is not changing the balance of power in the region, Russia is not threatening anyone unlike citizens in Washington whom I have just quoted," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told journalists. She referred to Trump's comments on Wednesday that "Russia has to get out" of Venezuela as well as to statements by US Secretary of State
IPFT rejects BJP demand to exit Tripura LS contest
Setting aside speculations, ruling BJP's junior ally IPFT in Tripura on Thursday remained firm on contesting the Lok Sabha polls "to achieve a separate state for tribals".
83 pc Lok Sabha MPs are 'crorepatis', 33 pc have criminal cases: ADR report
At least 83 per cent of 521 sitting MPs are 'crorepatis' and 33 per cent of them have criminal cases against them, according to a report by election watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The ADR, an NGO working in electoral reforms, has compiled the report after analysing self-sworn affidavits of the 521 MPs out of 543 members elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2014 elections. "Out of the 521 Sitting MPs analysed, 430 (83 pc) are crorepatis. While 227 of them are from BJP, 37 are from Congress, 29 from AIADMK, among others," the report said. The average assets per sitting MP for Lok Sabha 2014 elections are Rs 14.72 crore. While 32 sitting MPs have declared more than Rs 50 crore worth of assets, only two sitting MPs have declared assets less than worth Rs 5 lakh. At least 33 per cent sitting MPs have declared criminal cases against them in the affidavits. "While 106 of them have declared serious criminal cases including cases related to murder, attempt to murder, communal ...
Priyanka gets local leader weighed in 'laddoos' instead herself
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wriggled herself out of her party workers demand to get herself weighed in 'laddoos', making the local leader who had planned the event to sit on the scales instead. After day-long meetings with partymen in her brother Rahul Gandhi's Parliamentary constituency Wednesday, Priyanka Gandhi arrived at the residence of local leader Fateh Bahadur around midnight, where the host had the weighing scales ready. She, however, turned down the request by her party workers to sit on them against 'laddoos' and instead got the host to sit on them, much to the amusement of onlookers. She also got a promise from the partymen to work harder not just for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections but also for the 2022 assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress general secretary is on a three-day visit to the state and will visit to Ayodhya Friday. District Magistrate Ram Manohar Misra, meanwhile, said a complaint has been received against Fateh Bahadur and ...
Kamala Harris lands diverse slate of S Carolina endorsements
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is rolling out a slate of endorsements in the critical early primary state of South Carolina. The California senator's campaign tells The Associated Press she's announcing support Thursday from a trio of black legislators: Pat Henegan, A.J. Moore and Darrell Jackson. Also backing Harris are former gubernatorial candidate Marguerite Willis and Berkeley County Democratic Chairwoman Melissa Watson. All five will serve as co-chairs of Harris' South Carolina campaign. Harris is among a sprawling field of Democratic presidential contenders building a base of support in South Carolina, home to the first primary in the South and the first test of candidates' appeal with a primarily black Democratic primary electorate.
Poll battle 2019: Electioneering hits new low in UP, leaders resort to personal attacks
With electioneering for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls gaining steam in Uttar Pradesh, political leaders are increasingly resorting to personal attacks on their adversaries. If the maverick BJP MLA from Bairia, Surendra Singh hit the headlines for his remarks against BSP supremo Mayawati, Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Shrikant Sharma hit a new low by making indecent comments on Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. The Bairia MLA had said Mayawati gets facials done and her hair coloured even though she is 60-years-old. He also reportedly made offensive remarks against UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Haryanvi singer-dancer Sapna Chaudhary, evoking widespread criticism from political parties and social media users. A media agency quoted him as saying that both Sonia Gandhi and Sapna Chaudhary used to work as dancers. "Rahul's mother (Sonia Gandhi) was also in the same profession in Italy and his father made her his own. He (Rahul Gandhi) should also take the family tradition forward and make Sapna ..
50 European Parliament members write to PM; complain against AFSPA, pellet guns in J&K
Fifty members of the European Parliament have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding an end to use of pellet guns for crowd control and the repeal of laws like AFSPA and PSA in Jammu and Kashmir. "We, the undersigned, in our capacity as elected Members of the European Parliament, are writing to you to express our grave concern about the past and ongoing human rights violations against people in Kashmir, as reported in a recent OHCHR1 report," the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) said in a joint letter, dated 25 March, to the Prime Minister. The members cited the case of a 19-month-old pellet victim from Shopian district, Hiba Nisar, who was injured in November last year. "We particularly note the tragic case of 19-month old child who was gravely injured by a pellet gun (BBC report). We are concerned that the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act 1990 (AFSPA) and the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act 1978 (PSA) give security forces virtual immunity .
Russia 'not threatening anyone' in Venezuela: foreign ministry
Russia's military presence in Venezuela does not present a threat to anyone, Moscow said Thursday after US President Donald Trump demanded that Russia remove its troops from the crisis-stricken country. "Russia is not threatening anyone unlike citizens in Washington," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told journalists after referring to statements by White House officials.
'Sarab' and 'sharab': Modi gets flak from SP, Cong for using liquor analogy to attack oppn
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday used wordplay to attack the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal and Bahujan Samaj Party alliance, saying the first letters of the three parties spell 'sarab', prompting a furious reaction from the opposition at the comparison with alcohol. Terming the SP-RLD-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh 'mahamilavat' (adulterated), Modi compared the opposition parties to 'sarab' -- the Hindi word for liquor is 'sharab'. "The first letters of these three parties stand for 'sarab' which is bad for health," Modi said while launching the BJP's rally from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh and called upon people to be wary of the "concoction". But between 'sarab' and 'sharab' is a world of nuance. While the Congress asked Modi to apologise for comparing the parties to liquor, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav accused him of spreading the "intoxication of hatred", saying he didn't know the difference between 'sharab' and 'sarab' (mirage). Alleging that Modi had lowered political ...
Tough fight for BJP Minister on RSS chief's home turf (Dangal 2019)
Chandrapur in Maharashtra may not be considered very significant in national politics but it has become a matter of pride for outgoing MP and Union Minister Hansraj Ahir as it is the hometown of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and a part of the BJP's Vidarbha stronghold.
EC probes use of Parrikar's ashes for poll campaign
The Goa Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Thursday asked collectors to probe and send a detailed report into a series of ceremonies held by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to immerse the ashes of late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in rivers across the state's 40 constituencies.
Only Modi can protect the country's borders : Amit Shah
BJP president Amit Shah Thursday said only Prime Minister Narendra Modi can protect the borders of the country, not the Congress party and its chief Rahul Gandhi. He also criticised the Congress for asking proof of the casualty in the air strike at Balakot in Pakistan and claimed that India under Modi has become the third country in the world after the US and Israel to take revenge of its soldiers' blood. "Should we not take revenge of our soldiers' blood? The Congress cannot protect the country's border. Only Narendra Modi and BJP can do that," Shah told an election rally here. India under the leadership of Modi took revenge of the blood of the soldiers after the Uri and Pulwama attacks by Pakistan-based terror elements, the BJP president said. "In 10 years of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh government, our soldiers' heads were chopped off. But there was no reply from India side," he alleged while campaigning for BJPs ally AGP's Monimadhab Mahanta who is contesting ...