Page 1281 - Politics

US, Russia condole Parrikar's demise

United States Ambassador to India, Kenneth Juster, on Monday condoled the demise of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar."Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go to the family and friends of Manohar Parrikar, Goa Chief Minister and former Indian Defence Minister. He was greatly respected by the United States, and his loss will be deeply felt," Juster tweeted.Russian Ambassador to India Nikolay Kudashev also expressed his deepest condolences to Parrikar's family."Your party and India have lost a charismatic leader, an eminent politician and a statesman of perfect integrity, whose role in political and social life was significant and inspiring. In his capacity as Defence Minister, he contributed greatly to the development of the mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation between our two countries and will be remembered in Russia as a true friend," Kudashev wrote.Russian Embassy in India tweeted, "#Russian Ambassador to #India H.E. Mr Nikolay #Kudashev expressed his deepest condolences to

Owaisi files nomination papers from Hyderabad LS seat

AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi Monday filed his nomination papers to contest in Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency which goes to the polls on April 11. "Hyderabad Parliamentary Constituency has been the voice of India's impoverished, oppressed & weak. Ishallah, it will continue to be so", he said on Twitter. Owaisi has won the Hyderabad seat three times in a row, from 2004. The ruling TRS has already declared that the party would extend him its support.

Cong free to field its candidates in all LS seats of UP: Mayawati

BSP chief Mayawati Monday advised the Congress to refrain from spreading confusion by leaving seven Lok Sabha seats for the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh. In a series of tweets, she said the Congress is free to field its candidates in all the 80 parliamentary constituencies of the state. Mayawati made it amply clear that her party will not enter into any alliance with the Congress. She also said that the SP-BSP-RLD alliance is capable enough of defeating the BJP on its own. The Congress on Sunday said it would leave more than a dozen Lok Sabha seats for other parties, including seven for the SP, BSP and RLD alliance in the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh. Apart from this, the grand old party also said that it will leave two seats for the Apna Dal, and entered into an electoral agreement with the lesser known Jan Adhikar Party. The SP and the BSP had forged an alliance on 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. As per the deal, the SP will contest 37 Lok Sabha seats in UP and the BSP

AIADMK, DMK to face off in 8 LS seats in TN

Arch-rivals - the ruling AIADMK and the opposition DMK will face off in eight seats in Tamil Nadu in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Both the parties will be in straight contest in South Chennai, Kancheepuram (SC), Tiruvannamalai, Tirunelveli, Mayiladuthurai, Salem, Nilgiris (SC) and Pollachi. Both AIADMK and DMK are contesting on 20 seats each in the state, allotting the remaining 19 to their respective allies. The lists announced on Sunday by the two parties comprises several prominent personalities, including Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai (AIADMK) and Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi (DMK). Thambidurai will seek re-election from Karur, while P Venugopal and J Jeyavardhan - MPs from Tiruvallur (SC) and South Chennai respectively - will contest from the same constituencies as last time. P Ravindranath Kumar, son of Deputy Chief Minister and AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam, will contest from Theni constituency. The ruling party, which has allotted 19 other seats in ..

MGP's executive committee to decide on support to Goa govt

The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), an ally of the ruling BJP in Goa, on Monday said its executive committee would take a call on whether to continue support to the state government. MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar met Union minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari at a hotel near Panaji to discuss the political situation in the state following the death of chief minister Manohar Parrikar. Parrikar, 63, died on Sunday evening after battling pancreatic cancer for over a year. Dhavalikar said, "The MGP would hold its executive committee meeting later in the day to decide whether to continue its support to the BJP-led government or not." Responding to a question, he said there was no discussion with Gadkari on the chief ministerial candidate. The MGP leader also said he was not in the race for the top post. Gadkari on Monday resumed talks with party leaders and MGP in Goa to select the new chief minister. The meeting of BJP and its coalition partners on Sunday failed ..

Mayawati to Congress: SP-BSP alliance can defeat BJP on its own, don't need you

In a clear message to the Congress party, BSP supremo Mayawati on Monday said that the BSP-SP alliance can alone defeat the BJP in the forthcoming general elections.In a series of tweets, Mayawati asserted that the Congress should feel free to contest in all 80 seats in UP.The Congress party on Sunday announced to leave seven Lok Sabha seats for Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in Uttar Pradesh, where 80 seats are at stake."Congress is fully free in Uttar Pradesh and should field its own candidate for contesting on all the 80 Lok Sabha seats. Our alliance (SP-BSP) alone is capable of defeating the BJP. Congress should not forcibly spread rumours by leaving 7 seats in UP for the SP-BSP alliance," tweeted Mayawati.The former chief minister also clarified that including Uttar Pradesh, the BSP is not in alliance with the Congress in any other state."BSP once again wants to make it very clear that in Uttar Pradesh and in the country as a whole we

Telangana: Congress spokesperson Krishank resigns from party, to join TRS

Congress spokesperson Krishank resigned from the party on Sunday and announced that he will join the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) later today.He released a video in which he said, "I was disappointed by the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Uttam Kumar Reddy for not recognizing his work and dedication to the party.""Reddy has spoiled the entire Congress party in Telangana," he alleged.On Sunday, Krishank burnt party flags and other election material which costs around Rs 15 lakhs.Speaking to ANI, Krishank said, "I will join TRS party on Monday in the presence of its working present KT Rama Rao at Telangana Bhawan.Krishank is a son in law of the former Union Minister Sarve Satyanarayana.Presently, there are only two Congress Lok Sabha MPs in the state- Nandi Yellaiah and Sukender Reddy Gutha who won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Nagarkurnool and Nalgonda parliamentary constituencies respectively.Telangana will go to polls on April 11, 2019, for all the 17 Lok Sabha .

LS polls: 3.17 lakh litre liquor, Rs 4 cr cash seized in UP

The sleuths of Income Tax department along with the police, custom and narcotics officials have seized over Rs 4 crore and 3,16,947 litre liquor worth Rs 10.69 crore from across the state, Election Commission said.The Chief Electoral Officer, UP L Venkateshwar Lu in a press release further informed that during the raids, 1,80,787 licensed weapons were also seized and arms licenses of 183 people were cancelled.2610 kilograms of explosive material has also been recovered till now, the released added.According to the release, 86,597 wall writings, and 6,16,828 posters, 3,32,124 were removed by the district administration from the public places following the model code of conduct. Acting it in the same way, the administration has removed 51,642 wall writings, 1,97,326 posters, 1,19,063 banners and 66,659 other materials related to propaganda.Uttar Pradesh will go to polls during all seven phases of the election to be held on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May ..

All Cong MLAs in Goa to meet Guv

All 14 Congress MLAs in Goa were on the way to Raj Bhawan on Monday to meet Governor Mridula Sinha to stake claim to form government in the state following the demise of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. The Congress Legislative Party (CLP) met in Panaji on Monday morning. Leader of the Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar said the party MLAs decided to walk to the Raj Bhawan uninvited, after the governor refused to give them an appointment. The opposition party had written to her, staking claim to form the government on Friday and then again on Sunday. "We are a majority party in the House and still have to struggle to get the appointment. We demand that we be invited to form the government under the circumstances where the (BJP-led) government does not exist after Parrikar's demise," Kavlekar said. The Congress is currently the single largest party in the state with 14 MLAs while the BJP has 12 in the 40-member Assembly. The strength of the House has now been reduced to 36 due to demise ..

Swaraj meets Maldivian Home Minister Imran Abdulla, discusses bilateral ties

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday met Maldivian Home Minister Imran Abdulla and discussed steps to continue the upward trajectory in bilateral relationship. Swaraj arrived here on Sunday on a two-day visit, the first full-fledged bilateral trip from India to the island nation after the government of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih came to power in November last year. Swaraj held talks with her Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid on the first day of the visit. "Good meeting between EAM @SushmaSwaraj and Maldives Minister of Home Affairs @ShimranAb on the second day of her visit to Maldives. Discussed steps to continue the upward trajectory in our bilateral relationship," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Swaraj will also call on President Solih on Monday. Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and a number of senior officials are accompanying Swaraj during the trip. Officials said it will be the first full-fledged bilateral visit at the political ..

Army jawan killed, 3 others injured in J-K's Rajouri

An Army soldier was killed and three others injured as Pakistan violated the ceasefire for the second consecutive day along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Monday, officials said. The incident occurred in Keri Battal forward area and further details are awaited, they said. Around 5.30 am, the Pakistani Army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by resorting to shelling mortars bombs and firing of small arms along the LoC in Sunderbani Sector of Rajouri district Monday, a defense spokesman said. He said the Indian Army retaliated effectively. Border skirmishes witnessed a spurt after India's preemptive air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26 following the February 14 Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Four civilians, including three members of a family, were killed and several others injured as Pakistan targeted dozens of villages in over 100 incidents of ceasefire violations along the LoC in the

Sri Lanka Army ready for any war crime investigation

Sri Lanka Army is ready for any kind of investigation to defend its soldiers against allegations of grave human rights abuses at the end of the island nation's decades-long civil war against the LTTE. Sri Lanka Army along with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was accused of war crimes during the final phase of the military conflict that ended in 2009 with the killing of LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran. International rights groups accuse the military of killing 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final months of the war. The government of the time said not one civilian was killed. "We have no fear to face any investigation because we have not done any crimes," Army chief Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake told reporters on Sunday in the southern town of Weligama. Senanayake said in any war there will be civilian casualties. "That is the hard truth. No war can be done without it. This does not mean we have done that during the war." "Do not dig into the past, look at the ...

An able administrator and an intellectual: TN Governor on

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit Monday condoled the death of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, and described him as "a gentleman to the core, an able administrator and an intellectual." Purohit expressed shock and grief over the former Defence Minister's demise. Parrikar (63) died on Sunday evening at his residence in Goa after battling pancreatic cancer for over a year. "A gentleman to the core, an able administrator and an intellectual in his own right, Shri Manohar Parrikarji combined in himself the qualities of simplicity, sagacity and magnanimity," Purohit said in his message. Parrikar was endowed with "impeccable integrity, administrative ability and a charismatic personality he acquitted himself creditably both as the chief minister of Goa and as India's Defence Minister," he said. "His demise is a great loss to the nation. I convey my deep condolences and pray to the Almighty God to rest his soul in peace," Purohit added.

YSRCP aides attack party office miffed over Visakhapatnam East ticket allocation

YSR Congress Party supporters on Saturday attacked its own party office as MVV Satyanarayana was declared as the candidate for Visakhapatnam East assembly constituency. After YSRC leader Vamsi Krishna Srinivas Yadav failed to get the ticket from the Visakhapatnam East Assembly constituency, his supporters attacked the party office and demanded a ticket for Vamsi, who has contested twice from the Visakhapatnam East constituency in 2009 and 2014. However, he lost both times. YSRCP supporters expected that the Visakhapatnam East seat will be given to Vamsi Krishan but party president Jaganmohan Reddy changed the candidate and announced Satyanarayana's name for the same. Vamsi Krishna supporters alleged that Satyanarayana placed hurdles for Vamsi in getting Visakhapatnam East seat. The infuriated supporters raised slogans against Satyanarayana.They smashed the glass and furniture placed inside the office and demanded that the party should issue a ticket to Vamsi Krishna.The 17th Lok Sabha

Last rites of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today

The cremation of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who passed away at the age of 63 after a battle with cancer will take place with full state honour on Monday evening.The funeral procession will be taken from Kala Academy, Panjim, at four in the evening and last rites will be performed at five in the evening at Miramar, an official statement said.Parrikar's mortal remains will be kept at the BJP head office, Panjim, between 9:30 am to 10:30 am and would be moved to Kala Academy for the public to pay their last respects. The public can pay homage to Parrikar from 11 am to 4 pm.The state of Goa will also be observing seven-day mourning to grieve the loss of late chief minister.The Centre has already announced National Mourning on March 18.President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other political leaders expressed their condolences at his demise and called him "an epitome of integrity and an "unparalleled and exceptional administrator."BJP president Amit Shah on

Union Cabinet condoles demise of Parrikar, terms him 'CM of commoners'

The Union Cabinet Monday condoled the demise of Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, saying he will be remembered for his simplicity and as an exceptional administrator. After observing a two-minute silence, the Cabinet also passed a resolution which said, in his death the country has lost an able administrator who was affectionately called the "chief minister of commoners." "Shri Parrikar will be remembered for his simplicity and his abilities as an exceptional administrator. His contribution to the building of modern Goa and to the modernization of India's Armed Forces as well as improvement to the lives of ex-Servicemen will never be forgotten," the resolution read. Whenever a senior leader of any political party, or a minister passes away, the Union Cabinet meets to condole the demise. Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, a former defence minister who had been battling pancreatic cancer for over a year, died at his private residence near Panaji on Sunday. He was 63. Officially, he

Gadkari holds talks with BJP, MGP leaders to select new Goa CM

Union minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari on Monday held talks here with party leaders and alliance partner Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) to select a new Goa chief minister following the death of Manohar Parrikar. The BJP-led coalition in Goa began discussions on Sunday night to find a new leader to replace Parrikar, who had died earlier in the evening. Parrikar, 63, was heading a coalition government comprising the BJP, the Goa Forward Party (GFP), the MGP and Independents. Gadkari arrived in the coastal state past midnight and resumed the talks with leaders of the BJP and MGP at a hotel near Panaji in the morning. BJP MLA Vishwajit Rane, MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar, who are aspirants for the chief minister's post, attended the meeting. A third contender, Pramod Sawant, who is currently the speaker, was not present. Leaders of the GFP were not called for the meeting. Dhavalikar said clarity on the leadership issue was expected by 3 pm. The Congress is the single ...

Move to appoint Lokpal comes after pressure on govt: Anna Hazare

After the Lokpal selection panel reportedly cleared the name of a retired Supreme Court Judge for the ombudsman's post, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has said that the government was "forced" to take the step under pressure of the people's movement and the apex court.According to reports, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose's name was cleared at a meeting of the selection committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi and senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi on Friday."The movement by the public for the Lokpal forced the government to appoint the Lokpal. Moreover, the Supreme Court used its baton not once or twice but thrice and that forced the government to appoint the Lokpal," Anna Hazare told ANI on Sunday."The Lokpal is being appointed 9 years after the movement. The world is now seeing how powerful the public is. The Supreme Court is also very powerful," Hazare said.The apex court had earlier asked the ...

Pakistan violates ceasefire at Rajouri in J-K on Monday morning

In yet another ceasefire violation, Pakistan resorted to shelling with mortars and firing with small arms early on Monday morning along the Line of Control (LoC) in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district.Indian Army retaliated effectively. The firing which began at about 5:30 a.m stopped at about 7:15 am.Earlier, on 6:30 pm on Sunday Pakistan violated ceasefire here evoking an effective reply from the Indian Army. This comes after Pakistan on Wednesday violated ceasefire in Poonch sector of the state.Earlier, Pakistani Rangers also initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation in Chakkan da Bagh crossing point where the Line of Control trade centre is located.

Pakistan Foreign Minister to begin 3-day China trip

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will begin his three-day official visit to China on Monday during which he is scheduled to attend the first Islamabad-Beijing foreign ministers' strategic dialogue.