Page 1217 - Politics
Cong says appointment of DyCMs in Goa violated model code
The Congress on Saturday accused Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant of violating the Model Code of Conduct by appointing deputy chief ministers. State Congress leader Trajano D'Mello submitted a complaint in this regard to the Election Commission of India. The BJP-led Goa government issued an order on March 20 appointing Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party's Sudin Dhavalikar and Goa Forward Party's Vijai Sardesai as deputy chief ministers. After the death of Manohar Parrikar, Sawant was sworn in as the new chief minister on March 19. The next day, Varsha Naik, under secretary, General Administration, issued the order announcing the appointment of Dhavalikar and Sardesai -- both BJP allies -- as deputy CMs. The state Congress, in its submission to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, said the government should not have announced any decision which could influence voters after the Code of Conduct came into force. The EC should "immediately set aside" the order appointing ...
Yogi to kick off BJP's UP campaign on Sunday
With less than 20 days to go for the Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to kick off its poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.
Situation changes, location remains the same: Shatrughan
The irrepressible Shatrughan Sinha may have lost the BJP's nomination from the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat to Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. But is he sulking about it? Far from it!
Fashion designer Agnimitra Paul joins BJP in Bengal
Well-known fashion designer Agnimitra Paul joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here on Saturday.
Gowda ends suspense, to contest from Tumkur
Ending days of suspense, Janata Dal (Secular) Saturday said its National President and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda will contest the Lok Sabha poll from Tumkur. The 85-year-old JD(S) patriarch had earlier expressed doubts about contesting the polls, saying he was thinking about his "usefulness" in the national capital. "Former PM and JDS National president Sri H D Deve Gowda will contest from Tumkur Parliamentary constituency as JD(S)-Congress combined candidate," JD(S) Spokesperson Ramesh Babu said in a statement. Gowda will file his nomination on March 25, he said, adding that JD(S) and Congress leaders will be present on the occasion. Gowda ceded the Hassan seat that he had been representing to his grandson Prajwal Revanna. Amid doubts about Gowda contesting the polls, as he had earlier indicated he would not, there was speculation that he may contest from Bangalore North. Though there was pressure within JD(S) for their party supremo to contest from Bangalore
Mamata regime one-person show, did nothing: Rahul
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of running the entire state according to her whims.
Cong in Ker wants Rahul to fight LS polls from Wayanad;Its out
The Congress in Kerala has suggested party chief Rahul Gandhi's name for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, a party bastion in the state. AICC General Secretary Oommen Chandy Saturday said the KPCC has requested Gandhi to contest from Wayanad but he has not yet commented on the proposal. Reacting to the proposal by the Kerala unit, ruling CPI-M and BJP said it was due to "apprehension" of Gandhi's defeat in his Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asked the Congress to clarify what message it was sending out by asking Gandhi to contest from the state, saying it would mean he would be fighting the "main political force" Left front and not BJP. The Congress earlier this month had announced that Rahul Gandhi will contest from his bastion Amethi and Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareli, also in Uttar Pradesh. The move by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) comes after similar pleas by party state units in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu asking Rahul Gandhi to contest .
'France pursuing Azhar global terrorist status with EU'
With China putting on hold the efforts in United Nations Security Council (UNSC), spearheaded by France with UK and US, to declare terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad's chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist, France has again taken the initiative on the issue and has approached to European Union for the purpose.
BJP releases 2nd list of candidates for LS polls
The BJP Saturday announced the names of its 64 more candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, including party's senior leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Patna in Bihar and national spokesperson Sambit Patra from Puri in Odisha. With these 64 names, the party has announced the name of its 249 candidates so far for the parliamentary polls which will held in seven phases beginning from 11 April and ending on 19 May. The counting will take place on 23 May. The names for the first two phases has been cleared by the BJP's central election committee (CEC), headed by its chief Amit Shah and including Prime Minister Narendra Modi Out of the 64 names, 47 were announced in two different lists issued by the party on Saturday, while the names of its 17 candidates were shared with media by the BJP in a joint press conference with its allies in Patna. These names include 23 nominees for Andhra Pradesh, six candidates for Maharashtra and Telangana, five for Odisha, three for Uttar Pradesh .
Russian protesters rally against Kremlin policies
Several thousand supporters of Russia's Communist Party rallied in Moscow against government policies, with some attacking President Vladimir Putin who they said was personally responsible for entrenched corruption and rising prices. The Communists had called on Russians to take to the streets across the country to protest the latest raft of repressive laws and falling living standards. The Moscow rally featured both young and elderly protesters and was led by veteran Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov, 74. Similar protests took place in other cities across the country. "I looked at Putin's historical rule and realised that he has not done anything good for the country over the past 20 years," said one of the Moscow protesters, Sergei Tereshin, blaming Putin for corruption and rising poverty. "I cannot trust such a leader," said the 25-year-old engineer. Critics say the Kremlin is ramping up a crackdown on dissenters to counter a fall in Putin's approval rating amid mounting economic ..
Vice Admiral Karambir Singh appointed as next Navy Chief
Vice Admiral Karambir Singh was appointed as the next chief of naval staff, succeeding Admiral Sunil Lanba who retires on May 30, the defence Ministry said Saturday. Vice Admiral Singh, who is at present serving as the Flag Officer Commanding in Chief (FOC-in-C) of the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, will be the first helicopter pilot to become Chief of Naval Staff. He will take charge as Navy Chief on May 31, the defence ministry said. Before taking over as FOC-in-C Eastern Naval Command in October 2017, Singh also served as Deputy Chief as well as Vice Chief of Naval Staff. The government made the selection following a merit-based approach and did not go with the tradition of appointing the senior most eligible officer to the post, official sources said. Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command Vice Admiral Vimal Verma, who is senior to Singh, was among the contenders for the top post, they said. Besides Verma, the other contenders for the Navy Chief's post ...
Mamta government a one-person show, says Rahul
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of running the entire state according to her whims.
BJP names new candidate for Kairana, the seat it lost last year
The BJP Saturday declared names of three more Lok Sabha candidates for Uttar Pradesh, including from Kairana where the party lost face in a crucial bypoll last year. The party did not give the ticket to Mriganka Singh, who lost the Lok Sabha bye-elections for Kairana in May last year to a joint opposition nominee. Instead, the Bharatiya Janata Party has nominated Pradeep Chaudhary, a two-time MLA. "Pradeep Chaudhary is the sitting BJP MLA from Gangoh assembly constituency, which falls in Saharanpur district but comes under the Kairana parliamentary constituency," UP BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak told PTI. The BJP renominated Bhola Singh from Bulandshahr (SC) constituency and Yashwant Singh from Nagina (SC) seat. They currently hold the two seats. Mriganka Singh, who has been denied a ticket, is the daughter of Hukam Singh, the BJP MP whose death led to the Kairana bypoll. She was defeated by Tabassum Hasan who fought on the Rashtriya Lok Dal ticket, backed by the ...
Anti-Brexit protesters mass in British capital for rally
Hundreds of thousands of pro-Europeans from across Britain were expected to march through London on Saturday calling for another referendum on EU membership with the country mired in political paralysis over Brexit. Opponents of Britain's departure from the European Union will gather near Hyde Park from noon (1200 GMT) before converging on Westminster in what organisers are calling the "Put it to the people march". Speakers including Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and opposition Labour deputy leader Tom Watson will then address the crowds at a mass rally outside parliament. "Brexit is a complete and utter mess," Khan said on the eve of the event. "I'll be marching on Saturday with people from every part of our country -- from every walk of life -- to demand that the British people get the final say." The protest -- set to be one of the largest in the capital in decades -- comes after EU leaders this week granted a delay to Brexit, prompting Prime ...
K Surendran is BJP candidate in Pathnamthitta
Ending the suspense over its candidate in Pathanamthitta,where the Sabarimala shrine is located, BJP Saturday announced the name of K Surendran, state general secretary who will try his luck from the constituency. The BJP, while announcing its first list of 184 candidates on Thursday, including 13 from Kerala, had left out only Pathanamthitta constituency. In the list released by the party Saturday, Surendran's name was included. The saffron party, which is seeking to open its account in Lok Sabha from Kerala in the April 23 polls, is contesting 14 of the 20 seats in the state, leaving five to its allies -- BDJS (Bharat Dharma Jana Sena) and one to Kerala Congress led by P C Thomas. The party, which had spearheaded the agitation over the CPI(M) led LDF government's decision to implement the Supreme Court's verdict, allowing women of all age groups to offer prayers at the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa late last year, is pinning hopes on Pathanamithitta constituency. BJP ...
Won't contest Lok Sabha elections: Shah Faesal
Former IAS officer Shah Faesal said on Saturday that his recently launched party won't contest the Lok Sabha elections.
Stop sending 'love letters' to Pakistan, Cong's swipe at PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi should stop sending "love letters" to Pakistan which continues to sponsor terrorism against India, said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala here on Saturday."Modi ji secretly wrote a love letter to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Pakistan's National Day. In the letter, Modi ji forgot to discuss the terrorists sent to India by Pakistan and its ISI," said Surjewala here at a press conference."When you (PM Modi) wrote a letter to Imran Khan, did you ask him to stop the terror activities, which are funded by Pakistan," he asked Prime Minister Modi.Reminding Prime Minister Modi of his statement where he had asked the UPA government to "stop sending love letters" to Pakistan, Surjewala said: "It is now Prime Minister Modi to stop sending love letters to Pakistan." He also reminded Modi of his words--"Pakistan needs to be talked to in the language it understands."Imran Khan on Friday took to his Twitter handle to disclose that he received Prime ...
HIGHLIGHTS AT 5 PM
Following are the top PTI stories at 5.00 PM: DEL7 POL-MODI-GRAND ALLIANCE Efforts of regional parties to form grand alliance with Cong reprehensible:PM New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday dubbed as "reprehensible" efforts of regional parties to form a grand alliance with the Congress, saying socialist ideologue Ram Manohar Lohia would be "horrified" as most of these parties claim to be his followers. DEL19 PM-KISAN SCHEME PM-Kisan scheme: About 4.74 cr farmers to get second installment from next month New Delhi: About 4.74 crore small and marginal farmers registered under the PM-Kisan scheme before the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for general election came into effect on March 10 will get the second installment of Rs 2,000 each in their bank accounts, a senior government official said Saturday. DEL6 PREZ-LD LOKPAL-OATH Prez administers oath of office to Lokpal chief Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind Saturday administered the oath of ...
Ex-IAS officer Shah Faesal's party not to contest LS elections, urges people to vote
Former IAS officer Shah Faesal on Saturday said his recently formed party, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM), will not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, but asked the people to vote in large numbers for electing the "right candidates". "We have had several meetings of the core group of our party over the past few days and we have decided that we will not contest the Lok Sabha elections this time," Faesal told reporters here. The former IAS officer said the main reason for not contesting the polls was to focus more on the mass contact programme. "The unanimous view was that we are a party still in the stages of infancy and that we should also focus on mass contact programme. This was also our response to those elements who were accusing us of being stooges of the Centre for dividing votes in the current elections," he said. He said it will be communicated in due course of time as to which party or candidates the JKPM cadres will support. Faesal, however, said people ...
Vice Admiral Karambir Singh to be the next Navy chief
Vice Admiral Karambir Singh has been appointed as the new Navy Chief and will succeed Admiral Sunil Lanba who will complete his three-year term on May 31 this year.Singh will supersede Vice Admiral Bimal Verma, who is the senior most in terms of length of service.Vice Admiral Karambir Singh Flag Officer Commanding in Chief (FOC-in-C) East will be the first helicopter pilot of Indian Navy to become Chief Naval Staff."The Government has appointed Vice Admiral Karanbir Singh, Eastern Naval Commander as the next Chief of Naval Staff in place of Admiral Sunil Lanba who vacates the office on 31 May 2019," Defence Ministry spokesperson Col Aman Anand said.This is also the second time, including the appointment of General Bipin Rawat as Army Chief in 2016, that the Narendra Modi government has not gone by seniority but merit among the senior most officers.When issues related to naval war room leak case surfaced, the then Defence Minister late Manohar Parrikar had taken serious note of it. ...