Page 1233 - Politics
Bangaru Laxman's daughter Shruti enters poll fray in T'gana
Former BJP president Bangaru Laxman's daughter Bangaru Shruti is entering the electoral fray for the first time in the Lok Sabha polls as the party's candidate from Nagarkurnool in Telangana. "I am sure that I will make my father (late Bangaru Laxman) proud... My father spent around 50 years of his political career in serving people and doing things for them. I want to continue the same thing," Shruti told PTI here Friday, a day after being named BJP's nominee from Nagarkurnool. She said she will file her nomination on March 25, the last day to do so. Telangana goes to polls in the first phase on April 11. Though TRS had swept the Assembly polls in Telangana in December last, the parliamentary polls would be different, she said. A similar performance need not repeat, she added. The popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be a big factor in the polls, she said. Shruti did her M.Tech in Geoinformatics and worked for a private company for 15 years. She has been a ..
Couple vying for Congress ticket for Jharkhand seat
Among ticket seekers from the Congress for Jharkhand's Lohardagga parliamentary seat which is reserved for the tribal community, a high profile couple is ready to try their luck.
U'khand: Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah files nominations from Tehri
Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah filed her nominations on Friday as the BJP's candidate from Tehri Lok Sabha constituency in Uttarakhand. A two-time MP from the seat, Shah filed her nominations before the returning officer here in the presence of Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, family members, party MLAs and Dehradun Mayor Sunil Uniyal Gama. The chief minister, MLAs and party leaders, accompanying her to the collectorate in a jeep, were wearing headbands with "Main Bhi Chowkidar" inscribed on them. Bearing party flags and shouting pro-Modi slogans, the BJP workers with a large number of women among them followed Shah in the form of a procession through the streets as she went in the jeep to file her nominations. Party MLAs who accompanied her to the nomination room included Harbans Kapoor, Ganesh Joshi, Umesh Sharma Kau and Vinod Chamoli. Her husband Manujendra Shah, daughter Shrija and son-in-law Kirti Shah were also with her. Shah, who is the daughter-in-law of the erstwhile Tehri royal .
BJP reposes faith in two new faces in Uttarakhand
The BJP has fielded two new faces -- Ajay Bhatt and Tirath Singh Rawat -- for the Nainital and Pauri seats of Uttarakhand, respectively.
Suspense over BJP Pathanamthitta candidate continues
The suspense over BJP's candidate in Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency, where the Sabarimala shrine is located, is continuing as the seat was left out in the party's first list of nominees. BJP Thursday night announced its first list of 184 candidates, including 13 from Kerala, leaving out only the Pathanamthitta constituency. BJP, 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 state President P S Sreedharan Pillai, state General secretaries K Surendran and M T Ramesh and Union minister Alphons ..
Syria says Trump position on Golan ignores international law
The Syrian government on Friday condemned US President Donald Trump's pledge to recognise Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights, saying it flies in the face of international law. Trump on Thursday called the Golan -- a strategic area seized from Syria in 1967 and annexed in a move never recognised by the international community -- "of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability!" The Syrian government denounced his comments, saying they flagrantly disregarded international law. "The American position towards Syria's occupied Golan Heights clearly reflects the United States' contempt for international legitimacy and its flagrant violation of international law," a foreign ministry source told the official SANA news agency. The source said Trump's comments showed the extent of his administration's bias towards Israel. They "once again confirmed the United State's blind bias in favour of the Zionist occupation forces and its unlimited ...
Muslim nations call for measures on Islamophobia after NZ attack
Muslim nations on Friday called for "genuine" measures against Islamophobia after the attack on two New Zealand mosques that killed 50 people. Violence driven by Islamophobia requires "genuine, comprehensive and systematic measures to address this affliction," ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation said in a statement after a meeting in Istanbul.
People will give befitting reply with their votes to those defaming Army: UP min
Uttar Pradesh minister Shrikant Sharma said Friday that people will give a befitting reply with their votes to those defaming the Indian Army for vote bank politics. His statement came after Congress leader Sam Pitroda asked the government to come out with "more facts" on the Balakot air strike. "The Congress on directions of its president Rahul Gandhi is involved in demoralising Army men. As part of the deep conspiracy, the SP-BSP and its (Congress) other followers are making absurd statements and humiliating courage and valour of our Army," Sharma said. "Now the entire world is standing with us on this issue. This type of statement is shameful. It (the Congress) remained on back-foot and now when we have taken aggressive stand on act of terrorism, such statements are being issued," he said. Pitroda, chief of Indian Overseas Congress, also said it was good to have a debate, discussion, dialogue and discourse, and it does not amount to questioning anyone. Earlier in the day, using the
BJP workers protest against ticket distribution
A group of BJP activists on Friday protested against the nomination of Nisith Pramanik, who recently switched to the saffron party from the Trinamool Congress, as a candidate from Coochbehar constituency in West Bengal.
Syria slams Trump for Golan Heights remarks
The Syrian government on Friday slammed US President Donald Trump's remarks about accepting Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights, a part of Syria that has been under Israeli military occupation since the Six-Day War of 1967.
N Korea pulls out of inter-Korean liaison office
North Korea pulled its staff out of an inter-Korean liaison office Friday, Seoul said, weeks after leader Kim Jong Un's summit with US President Donald Trump ended without agreement. The office in the Northern city of Kaesong was opened in September as the two Koreas knitted closer ties, but the South's vice unification minister Chun Hae-sung told reporters Pyongyang had "notified the South they are pulling out of the liaison office". The decision had been taken "in accordance with an order from an upper command", he said, adding: "They said they didn't care whether we stayed at the liaison office or not." The South's President Moon Jae-in was instrumental in brokering talks between the nuclear-armed, sanctions-hit North and Washington, Seoul's key security ally. Moon has long backed engagement with the North to bring it to the negotiating table, and has been pushing the carrot of inter-Korean development projects, among them the restarting of an industrial zone also in Kaesong and ...
BSP releases first list of 11 candidates
The BSP Friday announced its first list of 11 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, fielding JD(S) turncoat Kunwar Danish Ali from Amroha. Ali, who was general secretary of the Janata Dal-Secular, quit the party and joined the Bahujan Samaj Party only last week. The BSP also declared Haji Fazulrahman its nominee from Saharanpur, Malook Nagar from Bijnore and Girish Chandra from Nagina, a party release said here. Hazi Mohammad Yakoob has been fielded from Meerut, Satbeer Nagar from Gautam Buddh Nagar, Yogesh Verma from Bulandshahr, Ajit Baliyan from Aligarh, Manoj Kumar Soni from Agra, Rajveer Singh from Fatehpur Sikri and Ruchi Veera from Aonla. Mayawati's BSP is contesting 38 of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh under the seat-sharing arrangement with Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal.
LS polls: NCP' Bharati Pawar, Congress' Pravin Chheda join BJP
In another setback to the NCP ahead of next month's polling, its state unit vice president Bharti Pawar Friday joined the BJP, while Congress leader Pravin Chheda also returned to ruling party. The two leaders joined the BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other senior functionaries of the party here. Pawar had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Dindori constituency against BJP's Harishchandra Chavan. Chheda, a three-term corporator in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), had quit the BJP to join the Congress seven years ago reportedly due to his differences with the then local MLA Prakash Mehta, currently a minister in the Maharashtra government. Speaking on the occasion, Fadnavis claimed that BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kakade will continue to be in the party. His remark comes in the wake of reports that Kakade was unhappy with the BJP and that he was likely to join the Congress. Without naming the opposition parties,
BJP govt too much of publicity, very less on delivery: Kavitha
The BJP-led government only supported "people" and states where the Amit Shah-led party was in alliance, and the NDA rule was "too much of publicity and very less on delivery", a key TRS leader alleged Friday. Nizamabad Lok Sabha member K Kavitha, also daughter of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, also sought to ridicule the BJP's new slogan "Modi Hai to Mumkin Hai" (Modi makes it possible). "It is possible if (Narendra) Modiji is there but then what is possible is the question", she said, alleging that the BJP had not delivered on its earlier promise of "Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas". "Because Telangana has not seen any support from BJP (led NDA government)", Kavitha told PTI. "We have seen them supporting only people and States where they were in political alliance. Being Prime Minister if one is not neutral to each and every State, then people will also be not neutral in the upcoming elections," she said. "And today people are
India won't play on backfoot against terror: Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitly on Friday attacked Congress President Rahul Gandhi over his chief advisor Sam Pitroda's remarks on the Pulwama attack and said if the 'guru' (teacher) has such thinking, then one can imagine how his student would be.
Pitroda's comments on IAF air strike unfortunate, blessing for Pakistan's narrative: Jaitley
Union Minister Arun Jaitley Friday slammed Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda for his comments on IAF's air strike on a terror camp in Balakot following the Pulwama attack, terming his statement as "unfortunate" and a "blessing for Pakistan's narrative". "There is no country that has criticised the surgical strikes or the air strikes conducted by India except for one nation, Pakistan. The fact that senior Congress leaders are speaking the same language is unfortunate and also hurts the sentiments of the country. To say that the Pulwama attack was self-engineered is a blessing for Pakistan's narrative," he said. Pitroda had reportedly said that post the Mumbai terror attacks, India could have responded with air strikes, but "according to me that's not how you deal with world." He had also said he wanted to "know more" about the Balakot air attack and number of terrorists killed in it. Saying that Pitroda's statement was "erroneous", Jaitley asserted that it was based on the ...
Citing media report, Cong seeks probe into allegations of pay-offs to BJP leaders
The Congress on Friday sought an investigation by the Lokpal into a media report that alleged bribes of Rs 1800 crore were paid by former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa to the BJP's top brass. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, addressing a press conference, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should come forward and clarify whether bribes to the tune of Rs 1,800 crore were taken by the BJP leaders or not. There was no immediate reaction from the BJP on the allegations. Surjewala said the report by Caravan magazine cited a diary containing details of the alleged pay-offs to senior BJP leaders and it was seized by the Income Tax Department during raids. "Prima facie, this is a case of investigating all BJP leaders, right from the PM and downwards. It is a fit case to be investigated by the newly appointed Lokpal," he said. The Congress spokesperson also read out a purported conversation between Yeddyurappa and a BJP leader alluding to the bribery. "The diary ..
Advocates of monarchy in politics exposed: Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday hit out at the Congress for doubting the bravery of security forces, saying those who advocate "monarchy in our democratic set-up" have been "exposed" by one of the family loyalists.
BSP names 11 more Lok Sabha candidates
With less than a month to go for the Lok Sabha elections, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Friday announced its candidates for 11 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.
Govt should stop pretending to be Indian Army: Akhilesh on Pulwama debate
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav Friday said the sacrifices of the armed forces should not be questioned, but asked the government to "stop pretending to be the Indian Army". Hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his attack on rival parties over the Pulwama attack and the subsequent IAF strike in Pakistan, Yadav also said that in a democracy it was a "fundamental right" to ask questions of politicians. "Politicians who say they cannot be questioned are dangerous," he said. Yadav's remarks came after his party colleague Ram Gopal Yadav came in for heavy criticism from the PM for alleging that the Pulwama terror attack was a "conspiracy" to garner votes. In a series of tweets, the PM also slammed Congress' Sam Pitroda for saying he wanted to "know more" about the Balakot strike and asking as to how many terrorists were killed in the operation. In his attack, Modi termed the Opposition "the natural habitat of terror apologists" and accusing them of "insulting" armed ...