Page 1158 - Politics
Pak seeks 'further evidence' from India on Pulwama terror attack
A month after India gave it a dossier on Pulwama terror attack, Pakistan on Wednesday sought "further information and evidence" to take forward the process of investigation to establish the link to the attack in this country.Pakistan Foreign Ministry said here that it shared "preliminary findings" with India after examining the dossiers which were submitted in the wake of the ghastly February 14 terror attack, the responsibility for which has been claimed by Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)."The Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Foreign Secretary and the findings on the Pulwama incident were shared with him," Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement.India gave the dossier to Pakistan after the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan promised to act if "actionable evidence" was provided."Pakistan has acted with a high sense of responsibility and extended full cooperation. We do so in the interest of .
Andhra defies EC, cancels intelligence DG's transfer
Defying the Election Commission of India, the Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday cancelled its earlier order transferring Director General (DG), Intelligence, A.B. Venkateswara Rao.
NYAY to be implemented in phases: Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram, Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister, here on Wednesday, said the minimum income guarantee (MIG) scheme, announced by his party, will be implemented in phases, after the Congress comes to power at the Centre.
Anti-Satellite technology will be deterrent in event of space war: Experts
The anti-satellite missile capability demonstrated by India on Wednesday will be a deterrent in the event of a war where space may be the theatre of action with countries seeking to down enemy satellites, experts explained. "The message goes strong and loud that if any of our satellites is harmed, we possess the capability of destroying yours (the adversary)," said Ajay Lele, senior fellow with the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA). The former Air Force officer and other experts said India has possessed the anti-missile technology for several years but needed the political go-ahead to actually test it in live conditions. They said the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) received the green signal to prepare for the test two years ago, which came to fruition on Wednesday. In 2012, India conducted simulated tests, establishing the capability but the then Manmohan Singh-led UPA government had not given permission for a live test, likely over concerns that a ...
India, Australia to hold bilateral exercise AUSINDEX in April
India and Australia are set to further deepen defence and strategic relationship with the third edition of the biennial, bilateral exercise AUSINDEX 19 from April 2 to April 16 at Vishakhapatnam. The upcoming exercise will focus on anti-submarine warfare and will see Australia's largest defence force deployment in India.Australia's High Commissioner to India, Harinder Sidhu said: "This exercise is part of the strong and growing Australia-India strategic partnership. Australia and India are working together to promote peace and prosperity based on our shared values and interests in a stable, secure, rules-based and inclusive Indo-Pacific.""Australia clearly sees India in the top tier of our international relationships. With both countries having extensive maritime zones in the Indian Ocean and significant maritime capabilities, it makes sense for Australia and India to do more together to ensure the Indian Ocean remains free, open and inclusive," the High Commissioner added.More than ..
LS polls: BJD announces list of 9 candidates, fields Anubhav Mohanty against Jay Panda in Kendrapara
Odia film star Anubhav Mohanty fielded against BJP's Baijayant 'Jay' Panda from Kendrapara seat was the highlight of Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal's (BJD) list of nine candidates announced on Wednesday for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.Panda had won from the Kendrapara seat on BJD's ticket in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. However, he was suspended from the party for his "anti-party activities" in January last year and he ended his over 18 years of association with BJD on May 28. He joined BJP on March 4.Besides Mohanty, BJD has fielded Pinaki Mishra from Puri, Arup Mohan Patnaik from Bhubaneswar, Debashish Marandi from Mayurbhanj, Rajashree Mallick from Jagatsinghpur, Nalin Pradhan from Sambalpur, Rabindra Kumar Jena from Balasore Sarmishta Sethi from Jajpur and Manjulala Mandal from Bhadrak.BJD has also released a list of 36 candidates for Odisha Assembly election.The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections will begin from April 11 and counting of votes will take place on May 23.Odisha
Pre-certification mandatory for social media ads by parties and candidates: Raj CEO
Rajasthan chief electoral office Wednesday said it is mandatory for candidates and political parties to get their advertisements for electronic and social media pre-certified by the poll panel. Additional Chief Electoral Officer Jogaram said advertisements to be published in e-papers also require pre-certification. He asked all officers to remain alert and monitor paid news and fake news. Jogaram said any website can write a blog in favour of any candidate or party, but if it is presented as advertisement, it is necessary to get a certificate.
Mamata to address 100 rallies in 14 days
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee will kick off her poll campaigning from April 4 and will address nearly 100 rallies across the state in 14 days. "I will start poll campaigning from April 4 and will continue it till May 17. I will address nearly 100 rallies. I will also address rallies in Assam," Banerjee said while releasing the TMC's manifesto for Lok Sabha polls. TMC sources said, she will be addressing at least two rallies in each of the 42 constituencies of the state. Banerjee said she will visit Andhra Pradesh on March 31 to campaign for the ruling Telugu Desam Party as a mark of opposition unity. Several other opposition leaders will also be going to Andhra Pradesh to campaign for Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and the TDP. Banerjee and Naidu share a cordial relationship and the Andhra Pradesh chief minister had taken part in the January 19 mega opposition rally organised by TMC here. Naidu had come to ...
Spoke to Adavaniji, really sad over how he and Joshiji have
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday criticised BJP for its "ill treatment" towards party veterans L K Adavani and Murli Manohar Moshi and said it is "really sad" to see the way the party is treating its founding members. She also wondered whether this is the way to pay "guru dakshina" to the "guru" (mentor). "Today I spoke to Adavaniji in the morning. I enquired about his health. He said he felt good that I had called him. "It is really sad to see the way BJP is treating its founding members. Murli Manohar Joshiji, Advaniji were the pillars of the BJP. Now he has been left out and how. I don't want to say much more as it is the internal matter of their party," Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said. Both Advani and Joshi have been denied tickets by BJP for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in their states. "Is this the way to pay guru dakshina to your guru (mentor) ?" Banerjee said in an apparent dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The ...
BJP announces 3 more LS candidates for Gujarat; Union minister among 3 MPs benched
The BJP Wednesday announced three more Lok Sabha candidates for Gujarat, dropping a Union minister and two other sitting MPs and bringing in fresh faces. With Wednesday's announcement, the party has declared more than 350 candidates so far for the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls starting from April 11. The party has denied tickets to its veterans, including Murli Manohar Joshi, L K Advani, Shanta Kumar, B C Khanduri and Kalraj Mishra, apparently on the grounds of their age and grooming younger leaders in their place. The BJP has so far announced candidates for 19 out of 26 constituencies in Gujarat. The state will go to polls on April 23, in the third phase of the April-May parliamentary elections. It has dropped Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines Haribhai Chaudhary, who is an MP from Banaskantha in north Gujarat, along with Porbandar MP Vitthal Radadia and Prabhatsinh Chauhan, MP from Panchmahal in south Gujarat. In Banaskantha, the BJP's nominee is Parbat Patel, Minister of ...
It's advantage BJP in Karnataka over Congress-JD-S (Dangal 2019)
Riding on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the "achievements" of the NDA government, the BJP is upbeat on winning more seats than the Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) combine in Karnataka in the 2019 general elections.
Rahul to be in Haryana on Friday
Congress president Rahul Gandhi will join the party's 'parivartan yatra' in Haryana on Friday, state unit leaders said. Rahul will be touring the northern belt of the state and will hold a public meeting at Jagadhri/Yamunanagar on Friday afternoon, a party leader. He will hold a roadshow in Radaur in Yamunanagar, a public meeting in Ladwa in Kurukshetra district, a roadshow in Indri and a public meeting and a road show in Karnal, which is the constituency of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. On the second day of the 'parivartan yatra' on Wednesday, Congress leaders continued to attack the Bharatiya Janata Party. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda claimed the BJP government had distressed all sections of society and people of the state were awaiting the polls to teach them a lesson. The Congress kicked off its six-day 'parivartan yatra' in Haryana on Tuesday, with senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and Hooda asking the people to vote out the Modi and Khattar ...
Suspended Punjab AAP MP tops the chart
Punjab's Fatehgarh Sahib MP Harinder Singh Khalsa has topped among the 13 lawmakers with the fund utilization over the allocated amount as high as 97.23 per cent under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) in the past five years.
Kumaraswamy slams Modi over "Mission Shakti"
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Wednesday questioned whether the success of the A-SAT was a major achievement of the Modi government and charged the Prime Minister with seeking votes "using the works done by someone else." "Is it a major achievement (of Modi government)? There is a team of scientists in the country specifically for that purpose.They do their job in a routine manner, irrespective of whichever government is in power. So using somebody else's work, should anyone seek votes? It is the contribution of citizens who are experts in some specialised fields," the chief minister said. India Wednesday shot down a satellite revolving at the lowearth orbit, thereby joining the league of developed nationswhich have achieved this feat, about which the prime minister made the announcement in his televised address to the nation. In an apparent bid to downplay the achievement, Kumaraswamy said "Did Narendra Modi shoot the anti-satellite? It is the scientists who .
Cong makes all out bid to pacify rebels against Gowda to
With two days left for withdrawal of nominations for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, Congress leaders are making all attempts to pacify the party's rebel candidates against former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, the ruling alliance's nominee in Tumkur. Defying the electoral arrangement under which Tumkur was allotted to JD(S), sitting Congress MP S P Muddahanumegowda filed his papers on Monday both as party candidate and also as an independent. K N Rajanna, another Congress leader and former MLA, has also filed his nomination from Tumkur as an independent candidate, opposing Gowda. Both leaders are upset against Congress' decision to cede the Tumkur seat to JD(S), despite the party having its sitting MP there. Pradesh Congress Chief Dinesh Gudu Rao expressed confidence about solving the issue amicably. "We are confident that it will be fine. I'm talking to him (Muddahanumegowda), I have hundred per cent faith that there won't be any problem," he ...
Facebook apologizes for axing Kashmir from India
After mentioning Kashmir separately along with India and a few other countries in a blog post, Facebook on Wednesday apologized for the "mistake".
Sitting MLA, 3 ex-legislators of Congress quit in Odisha
One more sitting MLA and three former legislators of the Congress in Odisha Wednesday resigned from the party protesting selection of candidates for the Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Jacob Pradhan, sitting Congress MLA of G Udaygiri seat in Kandhamal district, quit the party a day after filing nomination as an Independent candidate from the same seat. The party denied ticket to him this time and fielded Shyamaghana Pradhan from G Udaygiri. Three former MLAs of tribal dominated Kalahandi district alleged that the party was selling tickets to candidates with the highest bidding. They said, "There is no consideration for eligible candidates." Gobardhan Das, Kumar Mani Sabar and Jugaram Behera sent a single resignation letter to Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik. "We had been working to strengthen the Indian National Congress for two decades. However, we were ignored and sidelined by the party during selection of candidates for the ...
Goa CM justifies dropping his deputy Dhavalikar from Cabinet
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant Wednesday claimed he had to drop his deputy and MGP MLA Sudin Dhavalikar from the Cabinet as he "failed" to adhere to the common minimum programme of the coalition government. He rejected suggestions that the BJP had engineered a split in the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), whose two MLAs joined the saffron party in a dramatic turn of events in the early hours of Wednesday. Talking to reporters, Sawant said coalition partners had worked out a common minimum programme (CMP) while forming the government under his leadership after the demise of Manohar Parrikar on March 17. The MGP, which won three assembly seats in the 2017 polls, was one of the key allies in the BJP-led government in the coastal state. However, Sudin Dhavalikar "failed" to adhere to the common minimum programme of the coalition government, he claimed. "One of the conditions in the common minimum programme was that no alliance partner would contest the Shiroda assembly ...
4,426 cases of poll code violation filed in Maha since Mar 11
More than 4,400 FIRs have been registered in Maharashtra since March 11 in connection with violation of the model code of conduct which is in force for the next month's Lok Sabha polls, an official said Wednesday. The model code of conduct (MCC) came into force on March 10 when the Lok Sabha election schedule was announced. These cases, numbering 4,426, have been filed by the Election Commission (EC) flying squads and also the excise department across the state, said the official from the office of the state CEO. The largest number of cases pertained to defacement of public property and liquor stocks that were being transported without licence, he said. In some cases, liquor was seized in dry areas like Chandrapur district in Vidarbha, the official said. The office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has constituted three flying squads for each assembly constituency in the state and they are accompanied by video recording teams. Each flying squad has at least five ...
India shoots down live satellite to demonstrate anti-satellite missile capability; 4th country to enter elite space power club
India shot down one of its satellites in space on Wednesday with an anti-satellite missile to demonstrate this complex capability, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced, making it only the fourth country to have used such a weapon. Declaring India has established itself as a global space power after the success of the operation 'Mission Shakti', Modi said the missile hit a live satellite flying in a Low Earth Orbit after it traversed a distance of almost 300 km from earth within three minutes of its launch. Modi said the space mission in which scientists including from the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organistion(DRDO) were involved gave the country a 'new strength' and was an effort to secure a 'fast growing India'. "A strong India can be a guarantor of peace in the region and beyond. Our strategic objective is to preserve peace, not prepare for war." The announcement was made by the prime minister in a broadcast to the nation on television, radio and social media ...