Page 1178 - Politics

AIADMK goes to EC against DMK's Kanimozhi

The ruling AIADMK Tuesday lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer here, alleging cash distribution by the DMK during the poll campaign of party candidate Kanimozhi in Tuticorin, which was refuted by the main opposition party. The AIADMK's election wing deputy secretary and MLA I S Inbadurai, in his complaint, alleged that a video clip showing distribution of cash by a DMK leader during the campaign trail of Kanimozhi has "gone viral." DMK's Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi is contesting the polls from Tuticorin Lok Sabha constituency. She has already filed her nomination papers. The clip, which was made available to the media, ran for 41 seconds and shows Kanimozhi accepting the greetings of people. The video shows a leader standing next to her purportedly distributing cash to women who performed 'aarti' to her. The cash distribution is a criminal offence and also against the Model Code of Conduct and hence Kanimozhi's nomination papers should be rejected and action .

Delhi Congress to hold "Aay Pe Charcha" meetings to play up Rahul Gandhi's mega poll sop

The mega poll sop of providing Rs 72,000 each annually to five crore families belonging to the poorest category by Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be played up the party's Delhi unit through "aay pe charcha (discussion on income) meetings in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls. Delhi Congress president Sheila Dikshit termed the announcement as an "extraordinary step" and said she was getting congratulatory phone calls from people who are appreciating the sop "hugely". "This is an extraordinary step which will benefit the people below the poverty line in the country. It is the first time that such a step has been taken in the world," she told reporters. In a big-bang poll promise, Congress President Rahul Gandhi 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 Lok Sabha polls, and asserted it will be the final assault on poverty. Gandhi had said 20 per cent or five crore

AAP to step up campaign, window open for Congress

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will intensify its Lok Sabha election campaign in Delhi on all seven seats but hinted that it could still ally with the Congress -- if the latter was in agreement.

Cong concedes there is dissidence in some LS seats over JDS

Conceding that the ruling Congress-JDS alliance is facing dissidence in some Lok Sabha constituencies, the Congress' Karnataka unit Tuesday expressed confidence about resolving differences by making both party workers understand the need to defeat "communal BJP." With transfer of votes between the Congress and the JDS crucial for them to outperform the BJP, there is worry in both parties that the dissidence may hamper their prospects. Agreeing that there was disgruntlement in two to three places like Mandya, Tumkur and Hassan, coalition coordinationchief and Congress leader Siddaramaaih said it was common in an alliance and when there were aspirants from both parties. "There is some amount of disgruntlement in Tumkur as the sitting MP did not get the ticket from the Congress, becausethe seat went to the JD(S)," he said at a twitter interaction organised by the Karnataka PCC. "We are talking to workers there, also disgruntled leaders there. I have confidence that we will .

Dadra and Nagar Haveli Cong chief resigns ahead of LS polls

Former Dadra and Nagar Haveli MP Mohan Delkar of Congress, who had represented the seat six times in the past, Tuesday resigned from the party and announced to contest as an Independent candidate. Delkar, who heads the Congress unit in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, said he took this decision after consulting his supporters and common people. He had lost to BJP's Natubhai Patel in the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections on the party ticket. He Monday announced to contest as an Independent candidate after seeking views of his supporters. The BJP has renominated sitting MP Natubhai Patel from the Dadra and Nagar Haveli constituency, which is reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidate. The Congress is yet to announce its nominee. "I have decided to contest as an Independent, as the region is facing various issues pertaining to its development. I am doing this after taking into consideration the sentiments of people and my supporters here," Delkar told ...

BJP's Surya files papers for Bangalore South, as state unit is

BJP's Tejaswi Surya Tuesday filed his nomination for Bengaluru south constituency, as his choice took the party state unit by surprise with the widow of union minister Ananth Kumar being denied the ticket. The party sprang a surprise by giving the ticket to 28-year-old Surya, an advocate and the Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha general secretary, belying expectations that Tejaswini Ananth Kumar would be its choice for the constituency that her husband represented six times. As Surya filed the nominations to take on senior Congress leader B K Hari Prasad, he was accompanied only by one MLA Uday Garudachar and Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar, with other lawmakers from Bangalore South conspicuous by their absence. The announcement of Surya's name in the wee hours of Tuesday surprised the state leadership itself as the Karnataka unit had recommended only the name of Tejaswini Ananth Kumar. "We had sent only one name. It was changed in Delhi," said state BJP ...

Army Chief Bipin Rawat begins 2-day visit to Southern Command

Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat along with other top commanders of the army on Tuesday began their two-day long visit to the Southern Command.On the day one, the Chief of Army Staff was briefed on the operational preparedness of Southern Command by Lieutenant General SK Saini, AVSM, YSM, VSM, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command.The Chief of Army Staff is also scheduled to attend the Validation Exercise and the closing ceremony of Africa-India Field Training Exercise (AFINDEX-19) as the Chief Guest at Aundh Military Station, which is culminating on March 27, the second day of his two-day visit.The closing ceremony will also be attended by the other senior Army officials from the participating nations including the Defence Attaches.Army Chief Bipin Rawat will also interact with the contingents of the participating nations from Africa and India as well as the Defence Attaches of these countries.

1,290 nominations for LS polls, Assembly by-polls in TN

Curtains came down on Tuesday for filing of nominations for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and the by-elections for 18 assembly seats in Tamil Nadu.

BJP wipes out terrorists, doesn't feed 'biryani': Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday accused the Congress of being soft on terrorists while his Bharatiya Janata Party was "proactive and aggressive".

PDP offers legal assistance to JKLF, Jamaat

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday offered legal assistance to the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and the local Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) organisations.

Goyal dubs Cong govt in Pody as non-performing

Union Minister Piyush Goyal Tuesday dubbed the Congress-led government in Puducherry as a non-performing government which has let down people without ensuring development and providing basic amenities. "The Union Territory has all the resources for development and potential to reach the peak of development. But the present government here has stopped all developmental programmes and has done nothing for the progress and development of Puducherry," Goyal said. Addressing a meeting of BJP workers to introduce ally All India (NR) Congress' nominee K Narayanasamy fielded from the sole Lok Sabha seat here, Goyal said the NDA government was committed to developing the Union Territory and to take care of the people here. "The government here is however a non-performing administration with a non-performing Chief Minister," he said and described the alliance, comprising the BJP, AIADMK, AINRC and PMK, as powerful. Around four thousand jobs had been surrendered by the present ...

Cong wants 'jugaad' govt and 'contract prime minister': Naqvi

Senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Tuesday claimed the Congress wants a "contract prime minister" under a jugaad government headed by it, while the people of the country want a government with a clear mandate led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing a rally -- Vijay Sankalp Sabha -- in Uttar Pradesh's Amroha as part of the launch of BJP's Lok Sabha poll campaign, the Minority Affairs Minister also said Congress knows it cannot win and so it wants a PM who can be remote-controlled. The people of the country don't want a prime minister on "rotation and contract" for six months and then another PM for the next six months, Naqvi was quoted as saying by a statement from his office. The Congress wants a "contract prime minister", but the country needs a "perfect prime minister", he said. The entire nation knows Modi is a "perfect prime minister". He stands for progress, prosperity and safety of the country, Naqvi claimed. The country witnessed that the Congress during its 10 years

LS polls: Samawadi Party names three candidates

Samajwadi Party Tuesday declared list of its three candidates including Anand Sen from Faizabad Lok Sabha seat. The party has announced Anand Sen from Faizabad, Hemraj Verma from Pilibhit and Devendra Yadav from Etah as its candidates, a party spokesman said here. The party had earlier declared list of 20 candidates including one from Madhya Pradesh. SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav is contesting from Mainpuri, party president Akhilesh Yadav from Azamgarh, Dimple Yadav from Kannauj, Dharmendra Yadav from Badaun, Akshay Yadav from Firozabad, Mohd Azam Khan from Rampur.

Rahul Gandhi will take final decision on alliance with AAP: Shiela Dikshit

With speculations on possibility of an alliance between Congress and the AAP, senior Congress leader and former chief minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit has thrown the ball into the court of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying that a final decision on the issue will be decided by the party president.Delhi Congress Chief Sheila Dikshit had written a letter to Gandhi last week stating that a coalition with AAP would "harm" the Congress Party in the long run."When a decision will be taken then we will inform the media. Ultimately the decision is to be taken by Rahul Gandhi as he is the party president, everyone will abide by what he decides," she said while talking to ANI.Earlier in the day, Congress leader PC Chacko also made a similar statement."Yesterday, we had discussions with the Congress president, senior leaders of Delhi in my presence. The discussions are now over. The party president will take a final decision today. We will not delay the decision. We will announce it as ...

BJP's Rajendra Gavit joins Shiv Sena

Rajendra Gavit, the Bharatiya Janata Party's sitting Member of Parliament from Palghar Lok Sabha seat, joined the Shiv Sena on Tuesday.He was welcomed in the party by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.Gavit will be Shiv Sena's candidate from Palghar.Gavit had joined the BJP in May 2018 from the Congress ahead of the by-polls, which he won defeating Shiv Sena by 29,572 votes.The seat was previously held by sitting BJP MP Chintaman Wanaga. The election was necessitated after his death.

Desperate Congress leveling bogus charges, using abusive language: Prakash Javadekar

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday slammed the Congress saying that its leaders are desperate to return to power and hence, levelling "bogus charges" against the NDA government.Earlier in the day, Congress said that its minimum income guarantee initiative, NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana), is not a "top-up scheme" but assures Rs 72,000 to 20 per cent of India's poorest families.Responding to a question on Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala's allegation of BJP being "anti-poor", Javadekar told ANI: "Congress is desperate and levelling bogus charges, using abusive languages and giving promises which can never be fulfilled."He added, "This shows their desperation as if they know certainly that they are not winning the election. Therefore, they are showing this nervousness. In that nervousness, they have decided to use abusive language about the Prime Minister and the BJP. Also, they have decided to give false facts. The fact of the matter is that everything that Surjewala said ...

AAP failed to fulfil its pre-poll promises: Rajnath Singh

Hitting out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday said the AAP government has "failed" to fulfil its pre-poll promises and asserted that it cannot form the government every time by fooling the people. Addressing the party's 'Vijay Sankalp Sabha' in northeast Delhi parliamentary constituency, Singh said the Narendra Modi dispensation always does what it says. Hours after Singh's comments, Kejriwal hit back at the Home Minister, saying he should not not be "lying like his boss". "Hamari kathni aur karni mein antar nahi hota hai. (There is no difference between what we say and what we do). Four-and-a-half years ago, AAP leaders had made big promises. They promised to make Delhi the most beautiful city in five years. "They had promised to give Delhiites facilities which they had been deprived of and had even promised a government that would be impeccable and corruption free. But everybody knows what is the truth of the Aam Aadmi Party," Singh ..

Adityanath questions Rahul's minimum income poll promise

Targeting Congress president Rahul Gandhi's Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY), Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday questioned if India's grand old party had done anything for the poor when in power at the Centre for 10 years."Congress president Rahul Gandhi said they will give Rs 72,000 per year to the people. I ask him--you were in power at the Centre for 10 years from 2004 to 2014. Why didn't you do any work for the poor during that time," he asked, while addressing an election rally."PM Awas Yojana, Saubhagya Yojana, PM Kisan Sammman Nidhi, Start-Up India, Ayushman Bharat, PM Mudra, and so on. Why did all these things come after Modi ji became Prime Minister? These all works had not been done because the Congress was insensitive towards the poor," he said.Rahul on Monday announced to implement NYAY, under which 20 per cent of the poorest families of the country will be entitled to up to Rs 72,000 per year.Adityanath hit also out at the parties questioning air strikes by the Indian ...

Prominent BJP leaders not contesting Lok Sabha polls

For the last few decades, they were the BJP's prominent faces and voices in the Lower House of Parliament but now their voices would not be heard in the 17th Lok Sabha which is to be constituted after the May 23 results.

PM, Shah, Rahul, Sonia to campaign in Tripura

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi among leaders who will campaign in Tripura next week, party sources said on Tuesday.