Page 124 - Politics
Yoga day celebrated with enthusiasm, PM performs asanas with 30,000 people in Ranchi
The fifth International Day of Yoga was celebrated with enthusiasm and zeal in India and many parts of the world with Prime Minister Narendra Modi performing asanas along with nearly 30,000 people at an event in Ranchi.From icy heights to on board naval ships, personnel of the armed and paramilitary forces carried out yoga exercises. Thousands of young and old joined the various events to mark the day.At the Prabaht Tara ground in Ranchi, Modi urged the world to embrace yoga by making it part of daily routine, asserting that the focus must be wellness as well as protection from illness.He noted that yoga is beyond the distinction of age, colour, caste, creed, rich and poor."We should get knowledge about yoga, the way we keep updating our phone. Yoga is discipline, dedication, and it has to be followed throughout your life. Yoga belongs to everyone and everyone belongs to yoga," Modi said.Home Minister Amit Shah participated in a yoga event along with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal
More Cong, TDP leaders in touch with BJP: Muralidhar Rao
A day after four TDP MPs joined BJP, the saffron party general secretary P Muralidhar Rao Friday claimed more leaders are in touch with the party and it will occupy the principal opposition space in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh within two years. "In the coming days, there will be a lot of changes in Telangana's political scenario. In both the Telugu states - Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, BJP is the only party which can fill the space of opposition in the next two years," he told a press conference here. His comments come in the backdrop of four of the six TDP MPs in the Rajya Sabha joining the BJP Thursday and seeking merger of the TDP Legislature Party with it in the Upper House. The Congress in Telangana has also been hit by desertions with 12 of its 18 MLAs in the state joining the ruling TRS. Congress is a fast-disappearing party in Telangana. Day by day, hour by hour it is getting reduced. Many leaders in the Congress as well as TDP believe BJP under the leadership of Narendra ...
Iran exiles tied to top Trump advisers demand regime change
Supporters of an Iranian exile group with ties to some of President Donald Trump's top advisers rallied Friday for regime change in Iran, amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran. Clad in yellow vests emblazoned with the words "Free Iran," more than 1,000 members of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq gathered outside the State Department to demand an end to Iran's theocratic government. The demonstration took place just hours after Trump claimed he had approved but then called off military strikes against Iran to retaliate for its downing of a US drone in the Persian Gulf. After the rally, the demonstrators were to march to the White House to press their case. "We have and will continue to declare that what we seek is the regime's overthrow, overthrow, overthrow," the group's Paris-based leader Maryam Rajavi said in a video message to the crowd, which also included current and former US lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties. Known as the MEK, the controversial group ...
PM Modi to hold meeting with top economists on Saturday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with top economists to review the macroeconomic situation of the country on Saturday, a government official told ANI.Prime Minister Modi will also discuss the Budget proposals during the meeting, which is scheduled to take place at NITI Aayog, said the official.Economists will also make presentations to the Prime Minister during the meeting that will start at 12 pm tomorrow.
BJP's win after SP-BSP alliance a big thing: Rajnath
On his first visit to Lucknow after getting re-elected to Parliament, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Friday said the BJP victory in the General Election was a big thing as the party increased its seats and the vote share despite the SP-BSP alliance. Claiming that people gave overwhelming support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh said after the SP-BSP alliance, people were making a different guess but they could not get even 40 per cent of the votes. "On the contrary, the BJP got nearly 50 per cent of votes in the state," he said. "Even after staying in power for five years, there was no anti-incumbency, but on the contrary, there was pro-incumbency. The BJP enhanced its vote share and also its number of MPs. This is indeed a big thing," he added. He also praised the soldiers for enhancing the pride of the country. "They carried out a surgical strike and then conducted an air strike, telling the entire world that India is not a weak country," Singh said. The minister said Prime .
HC stays order deferring elections to 'Nadigar Sangam'
The Madras High Court Friday stayed the order passed by the registrar of societies, deferring the June 23 elections to the 'Nadigar Sangam' (South Indian Artists' Association). Justice P D Audikesavalu passed an interim order, permitting the association to conduct the elections as scheduled on June 23. The judge, however, directed that the results of the elections shall not be declared till further orders. He directed the registrar to file his response by July 8 to the plea moved by the association. A single judge of the court had recently observed that more hype was created over the Nadigar Sangam election than the Lok Sabha or state legislative assemblies. On June 19, the registrar of societies passed an order, deferring election to the association in view of charges, including irregularities, on the voters list. The Nadigar Sangam then moved the High Court, contending that the registrar's order was arbitrary and illegal, as once an election is notified, it cannot be stalled. Any ...
BJP organises protest marches over Bhatpara killings
The BJP organised marches and gheraoed the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate on Friday in protest against the killings of two persons in Bhatpara, even as both the ruling TMC and the opposition BJP blamed each other for fomenting trouble in the area. The BJP also named a three-member delegation, led by former union minister and MP S S Ahluwalia, to visit to the trouble-torn Bhatpara on Saturday and submit a report to party president and Union home minister Amit Shah. Clashes have been reported between the members of the saffron party and the police Friday in Bhatpara in North 24 Parganas district after BJP MP Arjun Singh took out a procession with the bodies of two persons killed there Thursday. Stepping up protests over the incident, the saffron party organised marches in several parts of West Bengal during the day. Expressing concern over Friday's incident, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh wondered whether the TMC government was at all interested in bringing back peace in the ...
Priyanka Vadra assesses reasons behind Congress' rout in UP
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday assessed the reasons behind the party's loss in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections.The party had appointed three All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretaries for the task of finding the reasons behind the rout in the state resulting in party president Rahul Gandhi loss from Amethi.The three secretaries toured the state after which they compiled a report which was presented to Vadra in a meeting held earlier today.Organizational weakness was found out to be the main reason behind the humiliating defeat faced by the party in UP.The report also mentions that the party could not stop the Modi wave because of taking a late entry in the electoral fray and complacency on the behalf of leaders from within the party.Vadra had earlier too expressed concerns on the results of the Lok Sabha elections and had taken stock of the situation in UP on June 12.Congress could win just one seat in the recently held Lok Sabha elections ...
Gadchiroli Naxal attack: Govt says SOP not followed, suspends police officer
The Maharashtra government Friday suspended a sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), admitting that "none of" the laid-down procedures were followed which led to the May 1 Naxal attack in Gadchiroli district in which 15 police personnel were killed. The suspension of Shailesh Kale, the SDPO of Kurkheda in Gadchiroli district, was announced in the Legislative Council by Minister of State for Home Deepak Kesarkar. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) were not followed which led to the Naxal attack and the heavy casualties, the minister said. Kale had allegedly ordered the police team to travel to a location in the Naxal-affected district. On their way the police personnel, who were travelling in a private vehicle, came under attack. As many as 15 personnel and the private vehicle's driver were killed when Naxals triggered an improvised explosive device (IED) blast. Kesarkar made the announcement about Kale's suspension after Prakash Gajbhiye (Congress) raised the issue of Naxal menace ...
Delhi-Amroha ISIS module case: NIA files charge sheet against 10 accused
The National Investigative Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a charge sheet against ten accused in Delhi-Amroha ISIS module case."The charge sheet has been filed against Mufti Mohd Suhail, Anas Younus, Zubair Malik, Rashid Zafar Raq, Md Saqib, Md Absar, Said alias Saeed, Md Gufran, Md Faiz and Naim under Section 120 B, 121, 121A, 122 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 17, 18, 18B, 20, 21, 23, 38 and 39 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Sections 4, and 5 of Explosives Substances Act, and Sections 25, 26 and 29 of the Arms Act," said the NIA in a press release.According to NIA, an investigation against three more accused is underway.NIA had registered the case in December 2018 against Mufti Suhail and others, alleging that Suhail has formed an ISIS module with others to commit terror activities and the module is amassing weapons and explosives."They had named this module as 'Harkat-ul-Harb-E-Islam' (Movement for War of Islam). This group owed its allegiance to ISIS and ...
Y V Subba Reddy appointed chairman of TTD trust board
: Andhra Pradesh government Friday appointed former MP and YSRCP leader Y V Subba Reddy as chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Trust Board that governs the shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala, near here. Other members of the board would be appointed shortly, special chief secretary (Revenue-Endowments) Manmohan Singh said in an order. Reddy, a close relative of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, would take charge on Saturday. TDP leader Putta Sudhakar Yadav submitted his resignation from the TTD chairmans post on Thursday. Initially, Yadav was adamant on staying in the post despite the change in government. After YSR Congress victory in the recent assembly elections, 10 members of the TTD board voluntarily quit their posts while another ceased to hold office as he lost the MLA election. As such, only three members remained on the board, apart from three ex-officio members (government officials). TTD executive officer Anil Kumar Singhal submitted a report to
BJD to support BJP candidate in RS bypoll
The ruling BJD on Friday announced Amar Patnaik and Sasmit Patra as its candidates for the Rajya Sabha bypolls in Odisha and said it will support BJP nominee Ashiwini Vaishnab for the third seat. Vaishnab was a private secretary to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister and BJP chief Amit Shah had spoken to him regarding BJD's support to Vaishnab. Vaishnab, a former Odisha cadre IAS officer, had quit government service and moved to the Prime Minister's Office when Vajpayee was at the helm. The Odisha chief minister committed a faux pas when he named Vaishnab as a BJD candidate but subsequently clarified that the ex-bureaucrat is a BJP nominee to be backed by his party. The BJD's support to the BJP nominee in the July 5 Rajya Sabha bypoll followed its backing of the saffron party candidate in the election for the Lok Sabha Speaker's post recently. Of the BJD nominees for the Rajya ...
BJD announces its Rajya Sabha candidates, extends support to BJP candidate
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday announced the names of Amar Patnaik and Sasmit Patra as Party's Rajya Sabha candidates while extending support to BJP candidate Ashwani Baishnab.Baishnab was an IAS officer and private secretary to former late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee."Dr Amar Patnaik, Head IT wing and Dr Sasmit Patra, spokesperson and Secretary (Minority Affairs) would be the BJD's candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections," said press release from BJD."Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik also informed, as per discussions with Prime Minister and Home Minister and BJP national president Amit Shah, the BJD would support the candidature of Ashwani Baishnab, who as an IAS officer and private secretary to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and has also worked in Odisha," read the release.
TMC makes organisational changes to regain dominance over North 24 Parganas
Concerned over losing ground in North 24 Parganas, which comprises five Lok Sabha seasts, the ruling TMC Friday clipped the wings of district president Jyotipriyo Mullick and divided responsibilities among five other senior leaders. The party leadership divided the district into five organisational segments-- Dum Dum, Barasat, Barrackpore, Basirhat and Bongaon-- as per the five Lok Sabha seats, said a senior party leader privy to the development. Dum Dum Lok Sabha seat will be looked after by Tapas Roy, Barasat will be under Rathin Ghosh, Barrackpore will be taken care of by Nirmal Ghosh, Basirhat by Krishna Gopal Banerjee and Bongoan by Gobindo Das, the leader said. "Any decision will have to be taken in consultation with the five member committee and after a nod from the top leadership," the leader said. Of the five organisational districts, the Barrackpore and Bongaon Lok Sabha seats are presently held by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Former TMC leader, Arjun Singh, who switched over
Cong likely to get LoP post in Maha Assembly on Mon
The Congress is likely to get the leader of opposition (LoP) post in the Maharashtra Assembly on Monday, after election for post of deputy chairman in the Legislative Council is announced. The Assembly LoP post has been vacant after Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil left the Congress and was made a minister in the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet. Vijay Wadettiwar was appointed Congress group leader in the Assembly and the NCP has also extended support to him. In the 78-member Council, the BJP has 23 MLCs, the Shiv Sena has 12, while the NCP and Congress have 17 and 16 legislators respectively. The ruling BJP-Sena also have the support of the lone MLC from Rashtriya Samaj Paksh as well as four out of six Independent MLCs. Two Independents and one MLC each from Lokbharati, Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) and People's Republic Party (PRP) are with the opposition. While numbers are in favour of the ruling coalition, the Congress is toying with the idea of contesting the post of deputy ...
Simultaneous elections against principles of Indian democracy: IUML
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) Friday said the concept of 'one nation one election' goes against the principles of Indian democracy. "If elections are held simultaneously then the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies cannot be dissolved before completing their full term of five years even if the ruling party is reduced to a minority," IUML National General Secretary P K Kunhalikutty told reporters. He said the concept of simultaneous elections "goes against the federal principles" as "each state has devised its own format and timetable of political competition". He further said that holding elections at the same time will "disown today's reality of fragmented polity" where coalitions are the order of the day at the state level. "Wherever there are coalitions, there is bound to be political realignments which will consequently cause changes in the assembly even leading to its early dissolution," he said. Kunhalikutty said the IUML's political affairs committee had ...
Delhi's Seemapuri to get 2,000 CCTV cameras: Minister
Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam Friday inaugurated the work of installing CCTV cameras in the Seemapuri Assembly constituency under a flagship project of the AAP government. He said around 2,000 CCTV cameras, 500 in each ward, will be installed in the constituency. The minister said though many attempts were made to stall the project, the city government was committed to fulfilling its promises. The project to install CCTV cameras across the national capital was one of the key poll promises of the Delhi government, but it got delayed due to differences with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal. Earlier this month, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that the work would start on June 8. He said the tender for installing 1.40 lakh CCTV camera had been passed and a survey completed for 70,000 cameras. Under the project, around 2.8 lakh cameras will be installed in all 70 assembly constituencies, government schools and buses. The project is likely to be completed by ...
No political interference in drafting of National Education Policy: K Kasturirangan
There was no political interference during the drafting of the National Education Policy, chairman of the drafting committee K Kasturirangan said here Friday. Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of a lecture on the New Education Policy organised by the Central University of Rajasthan, he sought to address the concerns of states ruled by parties other than the BJP. "The policy is drafted by experts with no political interference. It has preserved the sanctity of the states and the Centre. Nobody has to worry about it." His statement came in response to a question on Rajasthan Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasara's objections to some of the provisions of the draft policy which he termed as against the federal system of the country. The HRD ministry has directed all the state governments to submit a review report, including suggestions on the NEP, by the end of June. Responding to a question on the frequent changes in the textbooks in Rajasthan, he said, "There has to be a
AP govt takes over building; ignores Naidu's plea
The Y S Jaganmohan Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh Friday took possession of a building, virtually ignoring the Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidus plea for declaring the public property as his "residence annexe." The Telugu Desam Party cried foul over this, saying the government took possession of the building without any information. The government is scheduled to conduct the conference of district Collectors in the Praja Vedika on June 24 and, as such, took over the premises for making necessary arrangements, official sources said. Called "Praja Vedika", the structure was built by the AP Capital Region Development Authority at a cost of over Rs five crore, to be used essentially for official meetings by the Chief Minister. The conferences of district Collectors are usually held here due to lack of alternative facilities in the new capital Amaravati. Having converted it into the TDP office, Naidu wrote to the Chief Minister on June 5, requesting that the .
PM thanks world leaders for enthusiasm on yoga day
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday thanked leaders of various countries for their enthusiastic participation in the fifth International Day of Yoga. President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in tweeted that he finds himself "reflecting once again on the spirit and meaning of yoga today". "I look forward to being reunited with Prime Minister Modi @PMOIndia at the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan next week. We will continue to stand together for peace and happiness of humankind." Reciprocating his gesture, Modi said he was overjoyed to read his message. "I fully agree with you on the power of Yoga to unite and further oneness. It is this oneness that will create a better planet.I am also looking forward to interacting with you in Osaka in the coming days," the prime minister wrote on Twitter. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena posted his video of doing yoga on Twitter with a message complimenting Modi for his efforts at "bringing our common heritage of Yoga to the international ...