Page 1175 - Politics
Jagan offered Rs 1500 Cr to Cong if it made him AP CM:Abdullah
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah Tuesday alleged that YSR Congress president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had offered to pay Rs 1,500 crore to the Congress if it made him the Chief Minister of then united Andhra Pradesh. Abdullah levelled this allegation while campaigning for the Telugu Desam Party, along with its president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, at Kadapa, hometown of the YSR Congress chief, in AP. Jagan Mohan Reddy, according to the National Conference leader, made the offer soon after the death of his father (former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy). "Jagan once came to my house when AP was united. I want to remind him that he told me he was ready to give Rs 1,500 crore if the Congress made him the Chief Minister," Abdullah claimed. "Where did the money come from? Does he have a treasure hidden inside the earth," the former Chief Minister wondered, adding the money "must have been looted." "If he comes to you now and
3 UP cabinet ministers get LS tickets so far
The BJP has so far given Lok Sabha tickets to three Uttar Pradesh cabinet ministers, a move seen as the party's recognition of the work done by these ministers. Names of two state cabinet ministers -- Rita Bhauguna Joshi (Allahabad) and Satyadev Pachauri (Kanpur) -- were announced by the party in its 10th list of candidates on Wednesday. The saffron party had in its first list named another state cabinet minister, S P Singh Baghel, as it candidate from Agra (SC). "The party took the decision to increase the role of the cabinet ministers based on the demand of the party workers and the performance of these ministers," state BJP spokesperson Chandra Mohan said. Joshi is the minister for women, family, mother and child welfare, besides tourism in the council of ministers headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Pachauri is the minister for khadi village industries, sericulture, textile, micro, small and medium enterprises, export promotion. Baghel is the minister for animal husbandry, ..
IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman returns to his squadron in Srinagar
Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was captured by Pakistan last month and returned to India two days later, has gone back to his squadron in Srinagar though he is on a four-week sick leave, official sources said Tuesday. They said Varthaman preferred to stay with his squadron in Srinagar than going to his family home in Chennai while on leave. The IAF pilot went on leave around 12 days ago after security agencies completed a nearly two-week debriefing after his return from Pakistan. Varthaman could have gone to his family home in Chennai to spend time with his parents. But he chose to go to Srinagar where his squadron is based," the sources said. After his four-week sick leave period, a medical board will review his fitness to help the IAF top brass decide whether he can return to fighter cockpit as desired by him. He was captured by the Pakistani Army on February 27 after his MiG-21 Bison jet was shot down in a dogfight with Pakistani jets during an aerial combat. He downed an
Parties backing out on promises in manifesto should be held accountable: Badal
SAD patriarch and former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal Tuesday batted for a law to hold parties accountable if they back out on promises made in their election manifesto. "A law should be framed so that parties which back out from promises in poll manifesto are held accountable," Badal told reporters here. He said there are examples when parties made tall promises to the people before the polls, but fail to fulfil these later. "People are misled by such promises," the veteran leader, a five-time chief minister, said. Hitting out at Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, the Akali leader said, "Before the (Punjab assembly) polls, Amarinder Singh promised on the holy Gutka Sahib that he will do this and that. He promised jobs to each family, waive debt of farmers, but once Congress got the votes and came to power, these promises were forgotten." Badal alleged that the ruling Congress in Punjab has betrayed each and every section of the society. "Farmer loans have not been ...
Modi 'only' PM to give befitting reply to Pak: Shah
BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday said Narendra Modi was the "only" prime minister who had responded strongly to terror activities in Pakistan, likening the Centre's response to the US action against terrorism. "We attacked on Pakistan without any delay after the Pulwama attack, while the Opposition leaders were insisting for negotiation, Shah said at a 'Vijay Sankalp' rally in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad district. The Bharatiya Janata Party chief alleged that the Opposition was insulting the soldiers who died in the Pulwama attack by asking questions on the number of casualties in the Balakot airstrike. "When the country was celebrating after air strikes at terrorist camp, the Opposition here was grieving like Pakistan," he said in an apparent reference to the Balakot airstrike. He asserted that the BJP-led NDA would win 74 of the state's 80 Lok Sabha seats. It had won 73 in 2014. Pointing out that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati were ...
"Desperate" Cong coming out with fake documents: Sitharaman
Taking a swipe at the Congress, Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman Tuesday said out of "desperation" it was coming out with fake, ficticious, manufactured documents and allegations to attack the BJP in the coming polls. Sitharaman's response was to a query on the Congress and other opposition parties releasing a video purportedly showing a "BJP leader" exchanging old notes after demonetisation on a commission of 40 per cent. They, however, did not vouch for the authenticity of the 30-minute footage. Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal-- accompanied by senior leaders from his party as well those from the RJD, Loktantrik Janata Dal, National Conference and TDP -- alleged the video was filmed by some journalists in Ahmedabad. Sitharaman, who was in Thiruvanathapuram to launch the poll campaign of former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan, told a press conference here that her party had rebutted every allegation of the Congress with "substantive
We never laid claim on any sitting seat of allies : Paswan
Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan Tuesday sought to come clean in the face of the controversy over Union minister Giriraj Singh's Nawada seat being alloted to his party asserting that the LJP had never laid any claim on its own on a sitting seat of its allies, the BJP and the JD(U). At no point of time did we insist on laying claim on any of the sitting seats of our allies the BJP and the JD(U). But when JD(U) expressed the desire to contest Munger, which was our (LJP's) sitting seat, we had simply requested that since our MP from that seat was a Bhumihar we should be compensated with some other constituency where the caste had a sizeable presence," Paswan told reporters here. JD(U) is fielding its chief Nitish Kumar's close aide Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan from Munger which is at present held by LJPs Veena Devi, the wife of mafia don-turned-politician Suraj Bhan Singh. The two seats that we could have considered were Begusarai and Nawada. Chirag (Paswans ...
Economy not to take off if poor in villages don't have toothpaste, soap, shampoo: Rahul
The economy will not take off if the poor people in villages cannot afford toothpaste, soap, shampoo, and new shirts, said Congress president Rahul Gandhi here while addressing an election rally.In the same vein, he said that the villagers should also have Bolero cars, an observation made in an apparent reference to the affluence of urban rich who own all types of cars."Unless there is money in the villages, unless you see Bolero in the villages, unless toothpaste, soap, shampoo, new shirts are seen in the houses of poor people in the villages, the engine of the economy of India will not set in motion," said Rahul.Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul said that the current Central regime had ruined the economy by doing away with MGNREGA scheme that was the source of income for the poor in villages."Prime Minister Modi never understood MGNREGA, which even a school going child understands. It was not all about digging pits. It gave employment to crores of people and money came ..
India gives Mahatma Gandhi's sculpture to Croatia as part of birth celebrations
To celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary, India has offered a sculpture of the father of the nation to Croatia during President Ram Nath Kovind's official visit."This year marks the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation and a global icon of peace and non-violence. To mark this special occasion in Croatia, we have offered a bust of Mahatma Gandhi to the Government of Croatia for public display," Kovind said during a joint presser with his Croatian counterpart Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic here on Tuesday.Along with exchanging Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), Kovind was also bestowed with Croatia's highest civilian honour, the Grand Order of the King of Tomislav, during the President of India's first ever visit to the Balkan country.MoUs were exchanged between India and Croatia in the field of tourism amongst other things. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) chair for Sanskrit and Hindi language was also established with the University
UPS Madan new Maharashtra chief secretary
Senior bureaucrat and incumbent Maharashtra Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) UPS Madan will be the next Chief Secretary of the state. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed Madan's appointment with PTI. Madan will succeed incumbent chief secretary D K Jain, who was on extension. Jain, who was due to retire in January this year, was given an extension for period of three months. Jain, who has been appointed as a member of the Lokpal, left for Delhi this evening. Madan, an IAS officer of 1983 batch, had servedas Commissioner of the MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority) which is headed by the chief minister. He had also worked as the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra.
Cong did nothing for poor during its 10-year rule: Adityanath
Hitting out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his minimum income scheme announcement, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Tuesday asked why the party didn't do anything to uplift the poor during the 10 years when it was in power. In a big-bang poll promise, Gandhi had on Monday announced that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in the Lok Sabha polls beginning next month. Addressing a 'Vijay Sankalp Sabha' (victory pledge meeting) here, Adityanath asked Gandhi why the Congress-led UPA government had not done anything to bring happiness into the lives of poor people during its 10-year term from 2004 to 2014. He also heaped praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre for introducing various welfare schemes to benefit the poor. He claimed that Modi, unlike the Congress, is sensitive towards the needs of the poor. Adityanath accused Congress leaders of
No contest for BJP nominee in Arunachal's Aalo East seat
BJP candidate from Aalo East assembly constituency, Kento Jini, is set to be elected unopposed, after nomination papers of his lone rival Minkir Lollen of the Congress was found invalid on Tuesday. Additional Chief Electoral Officer Kanki Darang said the official announcement would be made after April 28, the last date of withdrawal of candidature. Altogether 198 candidates remained in fray for 60 assembly constituencies, after scrutiny of papers on Tuesday. The nomination papers of 13 candidates were found invalid during scrutiny for various reasons, Darang said. There are 24 independents in the race to contest the the assembly polls. For the two Lok Sabha seats in the state, all the 12 nominations were found valid, including five from Arunachal East Parliamentary constituency and seven from the Western seat. The ruling BJP has fielded 60 candidates, while the opposition Congress has pitched 49. The JD(U) would contest in 16 assembly seats followed by the National ...
BJP's Vijay Goel to interact with youngsters near Delhi University
Senior BJP leader and Union minister Vijay Goel will interact with youngsters near Delhi University on Wednesday, seeking their support to re-elect BJP in the coming Lok Sabha polls. Goel accompanied by his supporters will meet youths at Vishwavidyalay metro station near the varsity, said a statement from his office. "Crores of youth benefitted by initiatives taken by Modi government," he said, adding that it is fully committed to meet the aspirations of the youth power of the country. He would also meet and interact with women, senior citizens and other sections of the society in the coming weeks to inform them about "successful" initiatives of the Modi government that benefit them directly, said the statement.
Priyanka to visit Ayodhya, Amethi, Raebareli
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to visit Ayodhya and the Gandhi family bastions of Amethi and Raebareli in her next leg of campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, beginning Wednesday. The party has planned a 50-km road show in Faizabad-Ayodhya on Friday, during which she is expected to address two meetings, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee secretary Rajendra Pratap Singh told PTI. She will stop at over 30 other points during the road show, interacting with people, according to the schedule worked out so far. The party is yet to announce if Priyanka Gandhi will visit any temple in Ayodhya, the town where the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site is located. Former Faizabad MP Nirmal Khatri said the local unit of the party will try to get her to visit a temple in the town. Earlier this month, she had taken the river route to visit parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency Varanasi. In Amethi on Wednesday, she will ...
JDS names candidates for Bijapur and UK
Former Prime Minister H DDeve Gowda-led JD(S) Tuesday finally announced the candidates for Bijapur and Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha constituencies. Sunitha Devanand Chavan has been named for Bijapur and Anand Asnotikar for Uttara Kannada, Gowda said in a release. Both constituencies will go to polls in the second phase on April 23. Sunita is the wife of Devanand Chavan, party MLA from Nagthan and Anand Asnotikar is a former BJP Minister who had lost as JD(S) candidate from Karwar in 2018 assembly polls. Both Sunita and Asnotikar, who will contest as joint candidates of the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance, arepitted against Union Ministers Ramesh Jigajinagi in Bijapur and Ananth Kumar Hegde in Uttara Kannada respectively. The Congress and JD(S) as per the seat sharing agreement had decided to contest for 20 and 8 Lok Sabha seats respectively out of total 28 seats in the state. However, the JD(S) on Monday gave Bangalore North seat toits partner Congress on not finding a suitable
Actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada joins BJP, to fight elections from Rampur
Former Samajwadi Party MP and actor Jaya Prada joined the BJP on Tuesday and was fielded as the party's candidate from Rampur constituency to take on her bitter rival and SP nominee Azam Khan. A two-term Lok Sabha member from the SP, she is a close associate of Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh, who was expelled from the regional party and has since come close to Hindutva fountainhead Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she described him as a "brave" leader in whose hands the country is "safe". Noting that she started her political journey with the Telugu Desam Party and was its Rajya Sabha MP before joining the SP and being elected to Lok Sabha from Rampur, 56-year-old Jaya Prada told reporters that joining the BJP is a "significant" moment in her life and she would now work dedicatedly for the saffron party. Welcoming her into the BJP, its general secretary Bhupendra Yadav said she needed no introduction and added she was impressed with the Modi ...
EC withholds papers of 2 candidates from Shillong
The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday withheld nomination papers of two candidates from the Shillong Lok Sabha constituency in Meghalaya.
Mamata flays move to release Modi biopic before polls
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday claimed that the decision to release "PM Narendra Modi" biopic just ahead of the general elections in the country has a clear political motive.
BJP, Cong key contenders in second phase of LS polls in Assam
Altogether 60 candidates have filed papers for five Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam for the second phase of Lok Sabha polls in the state, with the BJP and the Congress emerging as the major contenders in at least four of the seats. Tuesday was the last date for the filing of nomination for the second phase of election, scheduled on April 18. Among the five seats, Karimganj (SC) registered maximum number of nominees at 19, followed by Silchar with 14 candidates, an election office spokesperson said. The other three constituencies that will go to polls on April 18 are Autonomous District (ST), Mangaldai and Nowgong. In Karimganj (SC) parliamentary constituency, the major players are sitting MP of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Radheshyam Biswas, BJP's Kripanath Malla and Congress candidate Swarup Das, poll analysts said. In Silchar, BJP's Rajdeep Roy is set to pose a tough challenge to sitting Congress MP Sushmita Dev, they said. The candidates of the two
Denied poll ticket, Odisha BJP Vice President Subash Chouhan resigns
Disgruntled after being denied a party ticket for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, BJP leader Subash Chouhan resigned from the primary membership of the party on Tuesday.Chouhan was recently appointed the vice president of the party's Odisha unit.He was seeking his candidature from Bargarh Lok Sabha constituency, the seat he unsuccessfully contested on the BJP ticket in the 2014 general elections.Odisha goes to polls in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29. The state will vote simultaneously for 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly seats.The Bharatiya Janata Party won one seat in the last general elections.