Page 1264 - Politics

Will not join hands with BJP-Sena post polls, says Ambedkar

Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar Tuesday said the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) will not join hands with the BJP and Shiv Sena post polls "in any given situation" and would, instead, sit in the opposition. The VBA is an alliance between the BBM and Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen. Ambedkar's remark came against the backdrop of Congress allegations that the VBA fighting Lok Sabha polls separately would benefit the BJP-Shiv Sena combine. Interacting with a news outlet here, Ambedkar said the VBA could join forces with "secular parties" if they agreed to accommodate its agenda post polls. "We will not go with the Shiv Sena and the BJP after the elections in any given situation. We will rather sit in the opposition," he said. He said VBA, however, could join the next government if "secular parties" accommodated its agenda. "We will sit in the opposition if they do not agree to accommodate our agenda," he added. To a question, Ambedkar

Congress suffering from inflated arrogance: AAP

Accusing the Congress of suffering from "ego" issues and "inflated arrogance", Delhi's ruling AAP on Tuesday it will not waste any more time to sew an alliance with the grand old party.

Sack 3 ministers in Imran Khan's govt for supporting banned outfits: Bilawal

Opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Tuesday demand the sacking of three ministers in the Imran Khan-led Pakistan government who he said backed "banned outfits" and their training camps, even as the ruling PTI accused him of portraying the country in a "negative light". Bilawal, Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has been pressing the government of Prime Minister Khan to dismiss the ministers who backed terror outfits amidst intense international pressure on Pakistan to rein in the militant outfits operating in the country after the Pulwama terror strike. Bilawal said he had been declared "anti-state" over his demand to sack the three ministers, whom he said, were associated with the banned outfits. The 30-year-old opposition leader has not yet named the three ministers. "The government has responded to my demand to sack ministers associated with banned outfits by declaring me anti-state, issuing death threats & National Accountability Bureau (NAB) notices. "None of

Gowda says he is yet to decide on contesting LS polls

Maintaining suspense about contesting the Lok Sabha polls, JD(S) patriarch and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda Tuesday said he is yet to decide and been thinkingabout his 'usefulness' in the national capital. The 85-year-old leader citing his agesaid he lacked the strength that he had in 1996, when he became the Prime Minister, but there is "enthusiasm". He also made it clear that the opponent of opposition parties now was the BJP and not the Congress and said he would stand along with Congress president Rahul Gandhi even if he was able to do even a bit for the country under his (Gandhi) leadership. "From where should I be contesting or not to, I think I have that much of basic freedom to decide.let's decide on it with in a few days, there is no problem. But, I'm thinking to myself about my usefulness in Delhi, I'm watching itI will decide," Gowda said. Pointing out that in his speech at the last session of Parliament he had indicated it was his last speech, ...

Rahul Gandhi promises new tax regime if voted to power in LS polls

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday reiterated his promise to introduce a new tax regime if his party is voted to power in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, beginning April 11."If voted to power, we will introduce a new tax regime. There will not be five tax slabs. There will be one tax slab and the system will be simple," he said, while accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of bringing in the GST, what Rahul termed as Gabbar Singh Tax (GST).Rahul, who was addressing an election rally here, said: "Prime Minister Modi brought in the Gabbar Singh Tax, instead of GST (Goods and Services Tax). They have destroyed the business of small and medium enterprises by imposing GST on them.The Congress president also reiterated his promise of giving minimum income to all poor people. "If we come to power, we will give guaranteed minimum income to every poor person. It will elevate the downtrodden. They will receive money directly into their accounts."Rahul also ridiculed Prime Minister Modi for .

AIADMK releases election manifesto

AIADMK on Tuesday released its manifesto ahead of the ensuing General elections and among its major promises said it would urge the Centre to launch an international probe into the alleged genocide and war crimes committed by Sri Lanka on Tamils.Releasing the party's manifesto Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam said it will also reveal the names of leaders of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Congress parties who were allegedly involved in the alleged genocide.Poverty eradication scheme that would grant Rs 1, 500 to people Below Poverty Line (BPL), Technical Education Skill Development Centre for youngsters, water management schemes for drought-affected area, statehood for the Puducherry, educational loan waiver and exemption Tamil Nadu students from NEET are among the major promises made by the ruling AIADMK party in their election manifesto."The money of those below the poverty line will be directly deposited in their bank accounts under the Amma poverty eradication ...

Grand alliance will answer BJP by winning elections: HD Deve Gowda

Janata Dal (Secular) national president HD Deve Gowda on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for mocking the grand alliance of opposition parties and asserted that they will answer BJP by winning the elections.Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks on the grand alliance of opposition parties, Janata Dal (Secular) national president HD Deve Gowda on Tuesday said that they would respond to his mockery by defeating the BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.Addressing media, Deve Gowda said, "Modi mocks the idea of mahagatbandhan (grand alliance) but they themselves are running coalition governments in many states. We will answer BJP by winning this election."Taking a jibe on the opposition parties' efforts to get united under the Mahagathbandhan umbrella, Prime Minister Modi had repeatedly said that 'Mahamilavat' (grand adulteration) of opposition parties were not acceptable to the country."The people of India have seen the work of a government with full ...

India has called Pakistan nuclear bluff through Balakot strike: Gilgit-Baltistan activist Sering

India has raised the bar by carrying out an air strike in Balakot and called Pakistan's bluff that it cannot be threatened or challenged since it has nuclear weapons, said an activist of Gilgit-Baltistan Province which is under illegal occupation of Pakistan.Senge H. Sering, Director of Institute for Gilgit Baltistan Studies in Washington, also said here on Tuesday that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has no policy of his own and everything is dictated by the country's military."I think the Balakot strike has opened a weak link on a gimmick that a nuclear country cannot be threatened or challenged. India has taken that game back into Pakistan and raised the bar," Sering told ANI.He was commenting on the recent remarks of Pakistan's Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed that the Pulwama terror attack was Pakistan's finest hour in the last 20 years after the 1998 nuclear tests.On February 14, a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror outfit rammed his car into a CRPF .

For us nation comes before party: Sulakshana Sawant, wife of Goa CM Pramod Sawant

Sulakshana Sawant, wife of Goa's new Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, said that nation comes before the party for the couple as RSS has always taught them to prioritise the nation."When we come from the Sangh, for us country comes before party. This sentiment of keeping nation first is taught to us by RSS," said Sulakshana while speaking to ANI."When someone does social work keeping this sentiment in mind or enters politics with the principle that nation should come first then whatever work we do is for the nation," she added.She also said that her husband is a "methodical and planning oriented person" and that he has worked as Speaker and chairman of a corporation, which gives him good experience and confidence for the job of Chief Minister of the coalition government.The 45-year-old Sawant represents Sanquelim Assembly constituency. His wife is the president of the women's wing of BJP in Goa. In a late night ceremony, BJP leader Pramod Sawant was sworn in as the Chief Minister of ...

Xi to visit Italy, Monaco, France

Chinese President Xi Jinping will embark on a three-nation (Italy, Monaco and France) tour from March 21 to 26, announced China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Li Kang.According to Xinhua, Xi was invited by Italian President Sergio Mattarella, French President Emmanuel Macron and Head of State of the Principality of Monaco Albert II.This will be Xi's maiden visit to Italy. During his visit, he will hold talks with President Mattarella and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.The Chinese premier will also meet Italian Senate Speaker Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati and Lower House Speaker Roberto Fico to further strengthen the Sino-Italian relation.Notably, Beijing and Rome have just completed 15 years of strategic partnership.Xi will hold talks with Prince Albert II during his visit to Monaco and exchange views with him on issues of common concern such as the development of China-Monaco relations. During his visit to France,The Chinese leader Xi is expected to hold talks with ...

Professional integrity in political, social, democratic system depleting rapidly: High court

Professional integrity in the political, social and democratic system is depleting very fast, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has observed while protecting senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka and asking the Haryana government to strike off the negative remarks from his Annual Confidential Report."We are of the view that a person of such professional integrity needs to be protected as the professional integrity in our political, social and democratic system is depleting very fast," a division bench comprising Justices Rajiv Sharma and Kuldip Singh said in its verdict on Monday.The court also observed that such officers whose integrity is beyond question and doubt have to face adverse circumstances. "An officer with such integrity many times has to face adverse circumstances....," it said."The severe constraints in which an honest officer works under the political leadership are well known. There are so many pulls and pressures and the officer has to work according to the rules despite ...

MP Congress tries to get Salman Khan to campaign in Indore

The Madhya Pradesh Congress is trying to get Bollywood star Salman Khan to campaign for it in Madhya Pradesh's commercial capital Indore, a party leader said. The actor was born in Indore's Palasia area in 1965 and spent a substantial part of his childhood in that city before moving to Mumbai. "Our leaders have already talked to Salman Khan to campaign for us in Indore. We are almost certain the actor will campaign for us," the state's Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said. A spokesperson for the "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" actor refused to comment. "He spent his childhood in Indore. His grandfather was a senior police officer there," Chaturvedi added. Khan is a huge crowd-puller and his contribution in the Congress' poll campaign will change the party's fortunes in the city, the Congress leader said. Indore, Madhya Pradesh's largest city, has been a BJP bastion since Sumitra Mahajan defeated former chief minister and senior Congress member Prakash Chandra Sethi in 1989. Mahajan, an ...

I have not resigned as Maha LoP, says Vikhe Patil

Senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil Tuesday rejected reports that he had quit as the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Speculation about Vikhe Patil resigning as Maharashtra LoP have been rife in political circles ever since his son, Sujay, joined the ruling BJP on March 12 and is set to be recommended by it for the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat. Sujay's candidature from the BJP will pit him in a straight fight with the NCP, which had refused to accede to Vikhe Patil's request to let his son fight on a Congress ticket from there. Vikhe Patil, who is in his hometown Loni, said, "I reject reports that I have resigned as Leader of Opposition." Vikhe Patil had earlier said that Sujay's decision to join the BJP was a personal one. He would continue to the serve the Congress and abide by its directives, the LoP had asserted.

Tripura BJP vice-chief, two others join Congress

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, three Tripura BJP leaders, including party Vice-President Subal Bhowmik joined the Congress on Tuesday.

NCP says Maha SP-BSP alliance immaterial

On the day the SP and the BSP announced to contest all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra together, the NCP Tuesday said the development would not have any adverse impact on the electoral prospects of the Congress-NCP combine. NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik also downplayed Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar's decision to not join the Congress-NCP combine and contest all Lok Sabha seats. The Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party have announced they would contest all 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state. "Just like the Shiv Sena and the BJP, the alliance between the Congress and the NCP is sealed. Smaller outfits like the PWP and those believing in the ideology of Mahatma Phule and B R Ambedkar have joined hands with us," he said. Taking a dig at the BJP-led NDA, the NCP leader said smaller outfits led by Vinayak Mete and Ramdas Athavale too are saying that they are not being taken into consideration while finalising contours of seat-sharing. "Sharad Pawar has ...

Fugitive don Dawood 'enters' Maharashtra poll debate

Politics in Maharashtra in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections took another twist on Tuesday as Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh chief Prakash Ambedkar on Tuesday raked up the oft-repeated issue of fugitive mafia don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar's purported offer to surrender.

BJP MLC severs ties with son fielded by Cong as LS candidate

A BJP leader in Uttar Pradesh has announced severing ties with his son after he was fielded by the Congress as a Lok Sabha candidate and alleged the opposition party exploited "political differences" within his family. The Congress Saturday announced Arvind Kumar Singh, son of BJP MLC Jaivir Singh, as its candidate from the Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency, which is currently represented by BJP leader and Union minister Mahesh Sharma. The Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party have already fielded Satveer Nagar from the constituency. The BJP is yet to announce its candidate. In a Facebook post on March 17, Jaivir Singh said his whole family including wife Raj Kumari Chauhan, a former Lok Sabha MP from Aligarh, their three sons and a nephew have "complete loyalty" with the BJP and are committed to the public policies of the party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi "But my son Arvind Kumar Singh started expressing a different ideology ever since his marriage two years ago and he ...

Merkel says will 'fight to last hour' for orderly Brexit

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday she would struggle until the last possible moment to achieve an orderly Brexit, saying the interests of Germany, Britain and the EU were at stake. "I will fight to the last hour of the deadline on March 29 for an orderly exit (of Britain from the European Union)," she told a conference in Berlin. "We don't have a lot of time for it but still have a few days." Merkel admitted she had been surprised by the bombshell announcement on Monday by House of Commons speaker John Bercow that he could not put Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan to another vote in its current form. "I must confess that I was not familiar with the rules of order of the British parliament from the 17th century," she said with a wry smile. And she stressed ahead of a crunch EU summit in Brussels Thursday and Friday at which Brexit is to take centre stage that the ball remained in London's court to plot the way forward. "I am as of now unable to say what my position ...

LF's second Bengal list out, 4 seats left for Congress

The Left Front on Tuesday announced another 13 Lok Sabha candidates in West Bengal for the 2019 polls, including for Darjeeling, the Asansol industrial belt and seats in Kolkata.

LS polls: CPI(M) announces candidates in 38 seats, to wait for Cong response on alliance

The CPI(M)-led Left Front Tuesday announced candidates for 38 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal and said it will wait for Congress's response on an alliance in the state, before declaring nominees for the remaining constituencies. Left Front chairman Biman Bose said they will wait till Wednesday evening for the Congress's response. "We announced a list of 38 candidates. We are not announcing the names of four seats which the Congress had won last time (2014). We will wait till Wednesday evening for a response from the Congress. If there is no response, we will go ahead with the remaining four seats," Bose told reporters here. "We hope good sense will prevail and the Congress will realise the need for maximum pooling of anti-BJP and anti-TMC votes in the state. We will wait for their response," he said. The development comes a day after the Congress announced candidates for 11 constituencies which includes the two which the CPI(M) had won in 2014. The Left Front last week had announced a .