Page 1149 - Politics
China to 'eliminate poisonous influence' of ex-Interpol chief
China has said it is investigating other public security officials to "thoroughly eliminate the poisonous influence" of former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei, who is facing possible graft charges. Meng -- who had also served as vice minister of public security -- has been expelled from the Communist Party and his official positions while his case was handed over to prosecutors. He had vanished last September during a visit to China from France, where Interpol is based, and was later accused of accepting bribes. The Public Security Ministry said in a lengthy statement late Wednesday that it held an internal meeting that "stressed that it is necessary to completely and thoroughly eliminate the poisonous influence of Meng Hongwei". It said that Meng's expulsion was "all his own doing" and that he had used state assets to support his family's extravagant lifestyle, echoing a party anti-graft watchdog statement announcing his expulsion on Wednesday. All party cadres involved in Meng's case ...
Kumaraswamy dubs raid on JD(S) leaders as politically motivated
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said on Thursday that the income tax raid on JD(S) leaders overseeing the electioneering of his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy in Mandya and nephew Prajwal Revanna in Hassan was "politically motivated" and he would stage a demonstration against it in Bengaluru along with Congress leaders. "I am going to stage a demonstration in Bengaluru. Let the whole nation see how the income tax department is being misused. These raids are politically motivated," a visibly upset Kumaraswamy told reporters in Mysuru. The pre-dawn raids at 15 to 20 places triggered an angry backlash from Congress as well as JD(S) leaders. More importantly, the raids were on people who were monitoring the electioneering of the two belonging to the Gowda family, including state minor irrigation minister C S Puttaraju and his nephew Ashok, who is a district Panchayat member in Mysuru. Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Prajwal Revanna are testing political waters for the first time under the ...
BJP's Dharambir Singh in Haryana utilized 100% funds
BJP MP Dharambir Singh from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh is the only MP in Haryana who utilised his 100 per cent funds under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) in the past five years.
LS polls: Nomination of over 900 candidates accepted in TN
The nomination of over 900 candidates for the April 18 Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu have been accepted, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Satyabrata Sahoo said Thursday. Karur, where senior AIADMK leader and Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai is facing Congress candidate S Jothimani, has the highest number of accepted nominations at 43, Sahoo said. Further, over Rs 50 crore in cash and gold and silver jewels valued around Rs 69 crore have been seized since the model code of conduct (MCC) came into force, he said. "A total of 1,587 nominations were filed for the (39) Parliamentary constituencies.. 655 of them were rejected following scrutiny and 932 were found to be valid," Sahoo told reporters here. While Karur has the maximum valid nominations at 43 it was the lowest in the Nilgiris reserved constituency at 10. Elections to 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu are scheduled in a single phase polling on April 18. The AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), DMK-led ...
UK leader Theresa May makes final push on EU divorce deal
British Prime Minister Theresa May is making a final effort to save her European Union withdrawal deal after her promise to quit failed to win over lawmakers from Northern Ireland. May pledged Wednesday night that she would stand down if the deal were approved, in hopes of blunting opposition from lawmakers who have criticized her leadership. While some opponents, including former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, quickly said they would back May's deal, Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party said it remained opposed because of concerns it treats the province differently from other parts of the UK. Parliament later rejected eight alternatives in a series of "indicative votes." Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay said the outcome showed May's deal was "the best option" as he appealed for lawmakers to support the agreement.
Kuwait, India agree on exemption of entry visas
An agreement signed by the governments of Kuwait and India on mutual exemption of entry visa for diplomatic, official and "special" passports has been implemented from February 19, diplomatic sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said here.
China won't support US draft to blacklist Azhar
China on Thursday indicated that it won't support the unilateral draft resolution circulated by the US to the UN Security Council (UNSC) to declare Masood Azhar, chief of the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), as an international terrorist and slammed Washington for its move.
Suspended AAP leader Harinder Singh Khalsa joins BJP
Suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Harinder Singh Khalsa formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here on Thursday.Khalsa joined the party in the presence of Union Ministers Arun Jaitley and Hardeep Singh Puri.Khalsa, who belongs to the SC community, had won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Fatehgarh Sahib seat on AAP's ticket. However, he was suspended from the party in 2015.Before joining AAP in 2014, Khalsa was a part of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).Heaping praises on Khalsa for his contribution to the society, Jaitley said that Khalsa's father Gopal Singh Khalsa was long associated with Dalit icon BR Ambedkar."He has played a key role in raising issues concerning the lower-class people in both national and international platforms," Jaitley said.The Union Minister informed that Khalsa will not contest the impending Lok Sabha elections and will only contribute to the party.Meanwhile, Khalsa said: "I would like to express my gratitude to Arun Jaitley and Hardeep Singh ..
LS polls: 18 nominations for Puducherry accepted, 19 rejected after scrutiny
Returning officer for Puducherry Lok Sabha constituency T Arun on Thursday said that 18 out of 37 nominations were found to be in order at the end of scrutiny of papers."As per the Election Commission, yesterday was the last day of filing nominations from Puducherry Parliamentary constituency. After scrutiny, 18 candidates have been selected out of 37 filed nominations," Arun told ANI.He also informed that as many as 19 nominations were rejected.The scrutiny process was held under the concerned EC officials."Three candidates have been nominated from state and national political parties, seven from registered national and political parties and eight independent candidates," Tarun added.The nomination of the candidates has been published and sent to the EC office.As by-election to the Thattanchavady Assembly seat would be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha poll on April 18, 10 out of 11 nominations filed were found to be in order after scrutiny.
EC issues notification for phase 3 of LS polls
The Election Commission Thursday issued notification for phase three of the Lok Sabha elections to be held on April 23 in 115 seats spread across 14 states. All seats in Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Puducherry will go for polling in this phase. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal will head for voting in all the seven phases of the general elections. According to the Election Commission, the parliamentary constituencies going to polls in the third phase in Uttar Pradesh include Moradabad, Rampur, Sambhal, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Badaun, Aonla, Bareilly and Pilibhit. Jhanjharpur, Supaul Araria , Madhepura Khagaria in Bihar and Surguja (ST), Raigarh (ST) Janjgir-Champa (SC), Korba , Bilaspur, Durg and Raipur in Chhattisgarh will head for voting in the third phase. The Anantnag seat in Jammu and Kashmir will also go for polls in this phase. While the nominations begin Thursday, the last date for filing of filing papers is April 4 and scrutiny of ...
Mumbai NE seat: Sena MLA says ready to contest poll if needed
Amid uncertainty over the candidature of sitting BJP MP Kirit Somaiya from Mumbai North East Lok Sabha seat, Shiv Sena MLA Sunil Raut Thursday said he was ready to contest the election from the constituency if there was a need. The Shiv Sena has been vehemently opposing the candidature of Somaiya, as it is miffed with his consistent criticism of party chief Uddhav Thackeray. There are reports that Somaiya had recently sought time for a meeting with Thackeray and Sena MP Sanjay Raut. However, both of them had reportedly refused to meet him. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Sunil Raut, brother of Sanjay Raut, said there will be no opposition to any candidate, apart from Somaiya. "Due to the allegations levelled by Somaiya against Thackeray in the last 3-4 years, not only Shiv Sena, but the people of the constituency and all Marathi-speaking people are opposing him. Even if he is given a ticket by mistake, I assure you that the BJP will lose the seat," he said. He added ..
Will contest as Independent from Mumbai North-East if BJP fields Kirit Somaiya: Sunil Raut
Shiv Sena MLA Sunil Raut has said he would contest from Mumbai North-East "no matter what."Speaking to ANI, Sunil, the brother of Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut, said he would contest as an Independent candidate if BJP fields Kirit Somaiya."I will contest Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai North-East constituency even if Kirit Somaiya is given a ticket by the BJP. I will go independent if needed. I am 100 per cent sure that I will contest from this seat no matter what," he said.It may be noted that the BJP and Shiv Sena are yet to reach a consensus over Somaiya's candidature from the Mumbai North-East Lok Sabha constituency.As per the seat-sharing pact between the two political parties, the BJP will fight on the Mumbai North-East seat. However, the Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena has been opposing Somaiya's candidature.Polling in Mumbai North-East parliamentary seat in Maharashtra will be held on April 29 in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections and the counting of votes will take ...
EC considering holding by-election in TN on three vacant seats
The Election Commission on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that it is considering holding by-elections in Aravakurichi, Ottapidaram and Tiruparankundram Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu, within "reasonable time".After taking note of the poll body's statement, the apex court bench comprising Justice S A Bobde and Justice S Badul Nazeer disposed of the plea filed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) seeking directions for the poll panel to notify by-elections and publish schedule of polls in three constituencies, along with other by-elections to be held on April 18.At present, the Ottapidaram constituency is represented by disqualified AIADMK MLA Sundararaj, while Aravakurichi is represented by Senthil Balaji, an AIADMK legislator who is now with the DMK.Thiruparankundram legislator A K Bose died last year.
Modi & Rahul Gandhi set to raise poll fever in Telangana
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing on Friday an election rally in Telangana, where the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) is on a high after last year's splendid victory in the Assembly polls. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Telangana, the BJP won only one seat -- Secunderabad -- out of the total 17 in the state. The Amit Shah-led outfit also fared poorly in the Assembly polls in December, securing only one seat in the 119-member House as the TRS juggernaut rolled on in the state. The Congress is the main opposition in Telangana, where the party won 19 Assembly seats. But the Congress is in a turmoil as ten MLAs have announced their decision to quit the party since the beginning of this month and join the TRS, which now appears to have the momentum ahead of the April 11 Lok Sabha election. D K Aruna is the BJP candidate in Mahabubnagar, where Modi is addressing the rally tomorrow. A former Congress MLA and Minister, she joined the BJP last week. The BJP also got
Cong govt sat on Rafale deal, eyeing kickbacks
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday blamed the previous Congress-led governments for the delays in acquiring military hardware, claiming that the party was more focused on commissions from defence deals. Addressing a rally in Uttarakhand's Rudrapur, he alleged that the Congress sat on the deal for the Rafale fighter jet as it was eyeing the malai (commission, kickbacks) from it. He said the Congress focus has been was on malai, not on national security. Earlier in the day, Modi addressed a rally in Meerut, kicking off his election campaign in Uttar Pradesh.
Appoint election commissioners through collegium system: Ex-CEC
Former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi Thursday suggested that there should be a collegium system to appoint election commissioners on the lines of selection of judges, chief information commissioner and chief vigilance commissioner. Talking to PTI, he said fingers have been raised against the Election Commission recently and that this will not happen if the appointment of election commissioners is done through a collegium system. "It is unfair on them (Election Commissioners) also even if they are doing things bonafide and if somebody raises finger, it is demoralising," Quraishi said. Election Commissioners are currently appointed by the government. "So, there should be a collegium system for such appointments, through consultations at Collegium like it happens in Judiciary, CIC and CVC," he said. The former chief election commissioner said time had also come to debate the first-past-the-post electoral system. According to him, there was a referendum in the United Kingdom ..
Trinamool's Nusrat mingles with supporters, sings (Dangal 2019)
Popular Bengali actress Nusrat Jahan, fielded by West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress from Basirhat for the Lok Sabha polls, is drawing huge crowds during her election campaign.
We will 'remonetise' what Modi 'demonetised', says Rahul Gandhi
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the 'Nyay' scheme will remonetise what Prime Minister Narendra Modi demonetised and asserted that his party's anti-poverty programme has thrown the BJP into total disarray In an exclusive interview to PTI ahead of the 17th general election beginning April 11, Gandhi said the 'Nyay' scheme has the twin objectives of giving money to the 20 per cent poorest families in India and remonetising the economy "damaged" by demonetisation. "What the PM has done over the past five years is to remove all money from the economy with failed policies like demonetisation and a poorly executed Gabbar Singh Tax (GST). Informal sectors have been badly hit. "The aim of the 'Nyay' scheme is two-fold. First is to guarantee a minimum income to the bottom 20 per cent families. The second is to remonetise the economy that has been demonetised by Modiji," Gandhi said. The Congress chief said there is a reason why the party christened the scheme 'Nyay', which ...
Army conducts cycling expedition for J-K youth
As part of its efforts to reach out to the youth in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Army Thursday conducted a cycling expedition in the hilly Reasi district, a defence spokesperson said. The expedition comprising 15 local youths and five army men was flagged off from Reasi sports stadium by Brigadier J S Shekhawat, the deputy general officer commanding of the Counter Insurgency Force (Uniform). He said the team of enthusiastic youths covered Baradari Bridge, Salal Dam, Thanpal Bridge, Radkhad, Arnas, Narlu Bridge, Kanthan, Salal Kotli, Jyotipuram, Gran More, Reasi Market and Talwara. "The Army has a tradition of fostering the spirit of adventure and sporting activities. It has undertaken various adventure activities for the local population in the region. In consonance with Army's ongoing efforts to educate young minds, the Indian Army conducted this cycling expedition for enthusiastic local youth," he said. He said the cycle expedition was a befitting platform to showcase support of ...
Modi flays opposition over surgical strikes, Mission Shakti
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday attacked the opposition parties for raising questions over India's air strikes against Pakistan and its capabilities in the space.