Page 1256 - Politics
Voters happiest with Kerala, Rajasthan, Gujarat MPs
Voters in Kerala, Rajasthan and Gujarat are most satisfied with their outgoing Members of Parliament (MPs) while those in Uttarakhand, Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are least happy with the performance of their elected representatives.
Shiv Sena slams BJP for showing undue hurry to get Sawant appointed as Goa CM
The Shiv Sena on Wednesday accused the BJP of showing undue hurry to get state BJP president Pramod Sawant appointed as the Chief Minister, a day after the death of Manohar Parikkar on Sunday.The Shiv Sena in its mouthpiece Saamna said that the BJP should have waited till Parrikar's ashes were immersed.Sawant in the wee hours of Monday took charge of the Chief Minister's office, hours after the final rites of his predecessor, Manohar Parrikar, were conducted with full state honours.On a closer look, Congress-led by Rahul Gandhi was in a hurry to try to form its own government in the state.Goa Congress leader Girish Chodankar and Chandrakant Kavlekar wrote to Goa Governor Mridula Sinha for forming the government in Goa hours after the news of Parrikar's death hit the television screens.Parrikar died on March 17 (Sunday), at the age of 63 after a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer. He served as the chief minister of Goa four times and as the defence minister for three years in the .
BJP attacking every democratic institution: Priyanka
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday accused the BJP of systematically attacking every democratic institution in the country and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not take people for fools.
Star campaigners to visit Uttarakhand after Holi
Star campaigners of both BJP and Congress will hit the campaign trail in Uttarakhand after Holi to shore up chances of their respective candidates on the five Lok Sabha seats of the state going to polls in the first phase on April 11. While AICC general secretary incharge of eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to hold a roadshow in Kumaon region of the state to drum up support for party nominees, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah will address rallies in both Kumaon and Garhwal regions to boost the party's prospects, sources in both parties said. "Two rallies each of the PM and the party president in Kumaon and Garhwal regions have been proposed by us. However, the dates for the rallies and the venues are still being finalised," state BJP president Ajay Bhatt said. The tentative venues for Modi's rallies are Dehradun, Haridwar, Srinagar and Haldwani whereas Tehri and Almora are the tentative venues for Shah's rallies, he said. The list of star .
Priyanka Gandhi practices Buddhist meditation
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, whose visit to the Vindhyavasini Devi Temple near Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh was marred by pro-Modi slogans raised by BJP supporters, believes in spiritual self-discovery and has practised meditation.
Unhappy BJD leaders pose headache for party
Managing disgruntled leaders appears to be a big headache for Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) as several leaders have quit the party while others have expressed their displeasure after being denied party ticket.
Ruling BJD in Odisha faces real challenge in 2 decades
For the first time in around two decades, the ruling Biju Janata Dal in Odisha is finding the coming assembly and Lok Sabha polls an uphill task in the face of tough challenges from the BJP and the Congress, besides the discontentment within. The Naveen Patnaik-led regional party won four consecutive assembly elections since 2000 with its seat tally rising every time, but the poll scenario in the state is different this time. In 2014, the BJD had bagged 117 out of the 147 assembly seats in Odisha, followed by the Congress (16) and the BJP (10). In parliamentary polls too, which were held simultaneously, the BJD dominated the poll turf winning 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats, while the BJP managed just one. In 2009, when the BJD went to polls alone after snapping ties with its decade-old ally BJP, the regional party tasted victory in 103 assembly constituencies, while Congress candidates won 27 seats and BJP had to be content with six. The poll scenario was different in 2000 and 2004 when
Shiv Sena slams BJP over midnight political drama in Goa
In a scathing attack on the political drama between the BJP and its allies in Goa over the leadership issue, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday dubbed it as a "terrible state of democracy", saying they did not even wait for late chief minister Manohar Parrikar's ashes to cool down. The "shameless game of power" started even before Parrikar's ashes could merge with the land of Gomantak, the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'. It claimed that had the BJP waited till Tuesday, its government in Goa would have fallen and one of the two deputy chief ministers would have joined the Congress and got the desired post, it claimed. BJP MLA Pramod Sawant was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Goa just before 2 am on Tuesday, capping a day of hectic parleys between the saffron party and its allies to put a new government in place in the state. After multiple postponements of the oath ceremony on Monday, the day Parrikar was cremated with state honours, 11 other ...
If you want your child to become 'chowkidar', vote for Modi: Kejriwal
Taking a dig at BJP's 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said Wednesday that if people want their children to become watchmen, they should vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And if they want good education, they should vote for Aam Aadmi Party, he said. Kejriwal, in a tweet in Hindi, said Modi wants the whole country try to become 'chowkidar' (watchman). "If people want their children to become chowkidar, they should vote for Modi but if they want their child to get good education and become doctor, engineer or lawyer, they should vote for AAP," he said in his tweet in Hindi. On Saturday, Modi had urged his supporters to take the 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' (I too am watchman) pledge, saying he is not alone in the fight against graft and social evils. Since then, the BJP has stepped up its 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign with the prime minister and other party leaders, including its president Amit Shah, prefixing the word 'chowkidar' to their names in their Twitter ..
Goa Assembly session for BJP-led govt's floor test begins
A special session of the Goa Assembly, convened for the floor test of the two-day old BJP-led government in the coastal state, began here Wednesday. Governor Mridula Sinha has convened the special session, which at 11.30 am. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said he will prove his majority in the House. The floor test proceedings are yet to start as the House was discussing a condolence motion for Manohar Parrikar, who died Sunday after battling pancreatic cancer. Sawant Tuesday said his government had sought a floor test on Wednesday to prove its strength in the Assembly. The BJP-led government in the coastal state claims support of 21 MLAs - 12 from the BJP, three each of allies Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and three Independents. The strength of the 40-member House has been reduced to 36 due to the death of chief minister Manohar Parrikar, BJP MLA Francis D'Souza and resignations of two Congress MLAs Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand ...
Vote for Modi if you want your kids to become watchmen: Kejriwal to voters
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday asked people to vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi again only if they wanted their children to become watchmen.
Congress believed in insulting institutions, its desire for power cost nation greatly: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people on Wednesday to think wisely before casting their vote and attacked the Congress, alleging that the grand old party believed in insulting institutions, including Parliament, judiciary, media and the armed forces, when it was in power. "As you go to vote - remember the past and how one family's desire for power cost the nation so greatly. If they could do it then, they can surely do it now," he wrote on his blog. He said eternal vigilance remains the price of liberty. "Think wisely: From the press to parliament. From soldiers to free speech. From the constitution to the courts. Institutional insult is the Congress way." "Everyone is wrong, only the Congress is correct," he said, taking a dig at the principal opposition party. He said his government has changed things as it puts institutions above everything else. "India has seen that whenever dynastic politics has been powerful, institutions have taken a severe beating," he said. He said the ...
Will he, won't he? No decision yet on Advani contesting LS polls
Suspense remains on whether BJP patriarch L K Advani will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls or hang up his boots. The 91-year-old, who served as home minister and deputy prime minister of the country, has won the Lok Sabha election from Gandhinagar seat six times. Advani, credited for crafting the BJP's rise to a pre-eminent position in the late 80s and 90s after it won just two Lok Sabha seats in 1984 Lok Sabha polls, has remained on the sidelines since he voiced his reservations on the nomination of Narendra Modi as the party's prime ministerial candidate in 2014. Asked whether Advani was keen on contesting the poll considering his age, his personal secretary Deepak Chopra told PTI, "It is not yet decided...he will decide when something (offer) comes." Party sources said there is no age bar for candidates and winnability will be the criteria when candidates are finalised by the party's central election committee. Asked if the party has urged Advani to contest from the Gandhinagar
Priyanka hits back at PM Modi over 'dynasty' remark, says BJP attacked every institution in last 5 years
Reacting strongly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tweet on dynasty politics, Congress General Secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said that the BJP has systematically attacked every institution in last five years."BJP has systematically attacked every institution in last five years. Including institution of which you are a part of (media). The Prime Minister should stop thinking that people are fools and understand that they see through all this," she said speaking to reporters here."Satta jiske sar par chad jati hai, unko galatfaimiyan ho jati hai. (People get disillusioned when a political dispensation tries to influence them)," she added."Firstly they that it is easy to mislead the people, and secondly whoever speaks against them are afraid of them. We are not afraid of them no matter how much they exploit us. We will keep fighting against them," she said.Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi in his blog wrote, "The biggest casualty of the ...
Civilian injured in LoC firing dies in Srinagar
A civilian injured in firing across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri sector, on March 10, succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday.
PMO is now 'Publicity Minister's Office': Rahul Gandhi
Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has relegated the PMO to a "Publicity Minister's Office" by indulging in "mediocrity" in a highly sophisticated country. Gandhi, who arrived here on Tuesday evening from Arunachal Pradesh, was interacting with the students of Manipur State Film Development Society in the state capital. "The Prime Minister's Office is now Publicity Minister's Office," Gandhi told the students. He said the Congress doesn't believe in "cultural imperialism" and it is of the view that one part of the country should not rule other parts as each state has its own voice which should be respected. However, this was not the case with the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. "Every part of the country should be allowed to express itself. The BJP-RSS combination wants to impose one idea and crush other ideas. Their heavy-handedness is seen whenever there are protests," he said. On the Northeast, Gandhi said tackling job ...
Priyanka to reach Varanasi on 3rd day of river ride
On the third-day of her campaign along the river Ganga on Wednesday, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi will visit former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri's memorial in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, Varanasi.
Telangana Cong leader D K Aruna joins BJP
: In another major setback to the Telangana Congress, its senior leader and former Minister D K Aruna joined the BJP. She joined the BJP in the presence of party national president Amit Shah in Delhi Tuesday, party sources said. "She is likely to be fielded from the Mahbubnagar Lok Sabha seat," they said. Aruna had lost the Assembly elections from Gadwal in December 2018. "We will strive to strengthen BJP in Telangana and make it an alternative to TRS. We will work for winning maximum seats for BJP in Telangana in the coming LoK Sabha elections," she told reporters. "Definitely her joining BJP will make the party stronger in Mahbubnagar district. It shows the sorry state of affairs of Congress in Telangana," BJP MLC N Ramchander Rao told PTI. Eight Congress MLAs recently defected to the ruling TRS in Telangana.
Crisis of candidates grips Congress, BJP in Rajasthan
With both the Congress and the BJP stressing on the winnability of candidates as the prime factor in distribution of tickets, the parties face a strange predicament in Rajasthan. Both fielded most of their winnable candidates in the Assembly elections and are now facing a severe dearth of faces for the Lok Sabha polls.
Congress' Tariq Anwar responds to Modi's dynasty tweet: How can one who is not from a dynasty say this?
Congress leader Tariq Anwar on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his comments on dynastic politics."A person who does not have a progeny cannot take the legacy of the dynasty forward. In every corner of the world, be it any profession, legacy is taken forward by the people. Modi Ji does not have a successor in the family, which is why he is making such comments," Anwar told ANI.The statement from the Congress leader came hours after Prime Minister Modi attacked the Congress party accusing it of indulging in dynastic politics."The biggest casualty of the same (dynastic politics) are institutions. From the press to Parliament, from soldiers to free speech, from the Constitution to the courts, nothing is spared," wrote the Prime Minister in his blog.With the Lok Sabha elections around the corner both BJP and Congress have intensified their attack on each other with the BJP often accusing the Rahul Gandhi-led Congress of promoting the Nehru-Gandhi family within the ...