Page 1284 - Politics
White House aide says 'absurd' to link mosque shooter, Trump
A top White House official said Sunday that President Donald Trump "is not a white supremacist" and attempts to tie him to the alleged New Zealand mosque shooter are "absurd." Mick Mulvaney, the acting chief of staff, described the New Zealand shooter as a "disturbed individual" and "evil person" and said it was unfair to cast the 28-year-old Australian "as a supporter of Donald Trump any more than it is to look at his, sort of his eco-terrorist passages in that manifesto and align him with Nancy Pelosi or Ms Ocasio-Cortez." Pelosi, a California Democrat, is the House speaker. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, is a freshman and major proponent of a plan, named the Green New Deal, for tackling climate change. "This was a disturbed individual, an evil person, and to try and tie him to an American politician from either party probably ignores some of the deeper, difficulties that this sort of activity exposes," Mulvaney said. Still, Mulvaney's defense of Trump failed to quiet calls, ..
President Trump attends church service on St. Patrick's Day
President Donald Trump spent St Patrick's Day morning worshipping at the "Church of the Presidents" near the White House. Trump and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, joined parishioners for Sunday's 11 am service at St John's Church, a historic yellow church across from the White House and Lafayette Park. Every president since James Madison, who served in the 1800s, has attended a service at St. John's, according to the church. The Rev W Bruce McPherson greeted the Trumps after the short drive from the White House. The Trumps returned to the White House after the hour-long service. The Trumps last attended religious services in December, at Washington National Cathedral. Trump has skipped spending the holiday at his Florida estate and stayed in Washington during the government shutdown.
NDA seat-sharing deal in Bihar makes no mention of 5 sitting BJP MPs
As many as five sitting BJP MPs in Bihar, where it had won 22 seats in the last Lok Sabha polls, may not get a chance to seek re-election from their respective constituencies, as per the arrangement between the NDA constituents announced here Sunday. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), which returned to the NDA less than two years ago, has succeeded in securing for itself both its seats of Nalanda and Purnea, besides getting five which were represented by the BJP in the outgoing Lok Sabha and another held by Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP. Valmiki Nagar, Jhanjharpur, Gopalganj (SC), Siwan and Gaya (SC) all won by the BJP in 2014 have gone to the JD(U) this time. Both parties are contesting 17 seats each in the state, where the total number is 40. The LJP, which is contesting six, retains Paswan's Hajipur, his son Chirag's Jamui and brother Ram Chandra Paswan's Samastipur. It has forgone Munger represented by don-turned-politician Suraj Bhan Singh's wife Veena Devi, who is expected to be ...
KCR bats for federal front
Hitting out at the BJP and the Congress for allegedly failing to meet the aspirations of the people, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Sunday said a federal front government must come to power after the Lok Sabha elections. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi president said he would play a major role and start a national party, if necessary, to herald reforms and unite the country. "If this country is to improve, it has to move forward on par with other countries at an international level with its head held high. Only if the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are made to run away, alternative federal politics will come in this country. The writ of states should run," he said, kicking off his party's election campaign in Karimnagar. The TRS is seeking 16 seats for itself and one seat for ally AIMIM of Asaduddin Owaisi to ensure that Telangana gets a "good" deal post-Lok Sabha elections. There are 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana. "Not just these 16 MPs, but by gathering 100
After Parrikar's death, BJP, allies meet to choose new Goa CM
After the demise of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday, the BJP-led coalition in Goa began discussions to find a new leader to replace him. Parrikar (63) died of pancreatic cancer on Sunday at his private residence near here. Officially, he was described to have been suffering from pancreatic ailment. He was heading a coalition government comprising the BJP, the Goa Forward Party, the MGP and Independents. A meeting was held on Sunday which was attended by three MLAs of the Goa Forward Party, including its chief Vijai Sardesai and three MGP MLAs led by state Transport Minister Sudin Dhavalikar. BJP state organisational general secretary Satish Dhond, Independent MLA and state Revenue Minister Rohan Khaunte and state Art and Culture Minister Govind Gawade were also present. Dhond left in the middle of the meeting and refused to answer media queries on the new leader for the coalition government. Allies in the Goa government Sunday said they would meet Union minister Nitin ...
Governor, IIT-B mourn Manohar Parrikar's demise
Goa Governor Mridula Sinha has condoled the death of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who passed away at his private residence here on Sunday evening after a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 63.
Parrikar 18th Indian Chief Minister to die in office
Manohar Parrikar, who passed away at his private residence on Sunday evening after a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer, became India's 18th and Goa's second Chief Minister to die in office.
TMC government clone of previous Left Front regime: Sitharaman
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday accused the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal of being a "clone" of the previous Left Front regime, and alleged that she was following the same "repressive" measures adopted by her predecessors. Likening her with Goddess Durga, she said Banerjee fought the "demons" of the 34-year-long Left Front government in the state, and also atrocities by her own workers when she was in the Congress "The amount of violence she had to go through during her Youth Congress days and from the Communists, she is making everyone suffer the same," Sitharaman said, while asking her if "is this the politics you want to do? Is this 'parivartan' (change)?" Claiming that the Left Front rule was a "waste" as nothing improved in the state, the minister said the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government has also "failed" to fulfil aspirations of the people of West Bengal, which was once the foremost in the country in every field. "The TMC rule in the state is a ...
Trump slammed for 'silence' on white supremacist threat
Democrats led by an Arab-American lawmaker attacked President Donald Trump's "silence" on the rise of white supremacy Sunday as reaction to the New Zealand mosque massacre spilled into a heated US debate over religious and racial bigotry. With controversy swirling over Trump's tepid response to the massacre, White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney was forced to deny any affinity between the president's anti-immigration rhetoric and the accused Christchurch shooter's extremist views. "The president is not a white supremacist," Mulvaney said in an interview with Fox News Sunday. But on a separate Sunday talk show, Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat from Detroit and one of the first two Muslim women ever elected to the US Congress, charged that the president's failure to speak out forcefully against white supremacy was making the country less safe. "Trump is the most powerful man in the world right now," she said on CNN's "State of the Union." "He, from the Oval Office, from that power position,
Israel court orders closure of building at tense Jerusalem holy site
An Israeli court on Sunday ordered the temporary closure of a side building at a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site that has been the source of tensions in recent weeks. The Jerusalem magistrates court said the building known as the Golden Gate at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, should be closed while the case continues. The site's administrator, the Waqf religious organisation, was given 60 days to respond to the court case involving the building. Israeli police have called for the building to be closed. Waqf spokesman Firas Dibs said it did not intend to abide by the court's decision, adding that the building remained open on Sunday. Jordan, the custodian of the holy site, condemned the court ruling, with its foreign ministry adding that Israel would bear "full responsibility for the dangerous consequences" of the decision. There are believed to be discussions ongoing between Israel and Jordan over the status of the building. There have in recent ...
BJP announces its candidates for Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal assembly polls
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday released its list of candidates for the Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh.In Andhra Pradesh, the party has released the names of 123 candidates while 54 candidates for Arunachal Pradesh after a meeting of the Central Election Committee (CEC).The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and all other members of the CEC.The election for 175 assembly constituencies in Andhra Pradesh shall take place on April 11 in single phase along with the Lok Sabha election in the state.BJP has fielded Tulasi Nath N S against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu from Kuppam assembly seat.In 2014 assembly elections, N Chandra Babu Naidu-led TDP had won 103 seats and YSR Congress won 67 seats. BJP had won only four seats and the Congress could not win even a single seat.The main opposition in Andhra Pradesh, the YSR Congress has ...
From surgical strikes to signing Rafale deal, Parrikar had short but an eventful term as def min
From putting an emphasis on indigenisation in the defence sector to ensuring that a home- grown fighter jet joins the air force fleet, from the defence forces carrying out a surgical strike to signing of the Rafale deal, Manohar Parrikar had an eventful tenure as the defence minister. The IITian, who died Sunday after battling a pancreatic illness for over a year, had moved to the South Block at the insistence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2014. His nearly three-year tenure saw the Army conducting the surgical strike in September 2016, after a terror attack claimed lives of 19 soldiers in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir. Parrikar also ensured that the long-pending Light Combat Aircraft Tejas is inducted in the Indian Air Force's fleet, besides taking steps to ease the process of indgenisation in the defence sector. The political controversy over the Rafale jet deal, initiated in September 2016, cast a shadow on his tenure. Last month, the back and forth between the Congress and
Digambar Kamat rubbishes reports of joining BJP
Congress MLA and former Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat on Sunday rubbished reports of his joining the BJP.He told ANI: "The news about my entry in BJP is being planted by vested interests. It is bogus. I will return to Goa tonight and attend the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting on Monday. I had gone to Delhi for personal work."BJP Goa unit president Vinay Tendulkar too stated that he had no information about Kamat's entry in his party.He said: "There are rumors in Goa that Digambar Kamat is joining BJP. We have got this information through media only. We have no information on this as yet."Earlier in the day Leader of Opposition in Goa assembly Chandrakant Kavlekar too refuted speculations of former Goa chief minister Kamat quitting Congress and accused the BJP of spreading 'rumours.'Speaking to ANI, Kavlekar said: "Former chief minister and Congress leader Digambar Kamat will not leave the party. He is our senior leader and we can't even think of him leaving the party. BJP
Will launch a national party after LS polls if needed: KCR
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Sunday said that he was ready to launch a national party after the Lok Sabha election if the need arises.While addressing a public meeting here, Rao said that the country needs a break from the misrule of both the BJP and the Congress and that he will fight for this goal till the last drop of his blood.KCR slammed the BJP and the Congress, stating that they had done nothing to solve the water and power management issues in the country.He said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi is "belittling the nation" by calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a thief.KCR shared with the people that Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has fought for Telangana with only two MPs, but now the strength has increased at the Centre.He also requested the people to bless him to enter into the central politics and vote for all the 17 MPs from the TRS in the ensuing Lok Sabha election.
Truth can't be extinguished by prefixing 'chowkidar' in name: Rahul on BJP's 'MainBhiChowkidar' campaign
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for prefixing 'chowkidar' to his name on Twitter, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the 'truth cannot be extinguished' and the prefix is 'looking bad.'"You can keep trying Mr Modi, but the truth cannot be extinguished. Every Indian is saying it. #ChowkidarChorHai. P.S: Do force Sushma ji to add "Chowkidar" to her handle. It's looking very bad," he tweeted.Interestingly, Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj had also changed her name in the Twitter account and added 'Chowkidar' to her handle, almost at the same time when Gandhi tweeted.Former Union Minister P Chidambaram also took a jibe and said, "Main Bhi Chowkidar (I am also Chowkidar) because the chowkidar I had appointed is missing. I am told he has gone looking for achhe din."'Main Bhi Chowkidar' was launched on Saturday in order to further the narrative of the Prime Minister's strong and decisive image which multiple surveys have conveyed is the main factor in the ...
Goa CM Manohar Parrikar dead
Goa Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Manohar Parrikar died on Sunday evening after a prolonged battle against cancer at the age of 63.A four-time Chief Minister of Goa who was known for his simplicity and had good relations across the political spectrum, Parrikar breathed his last at his residence here."We inform with deep grief that our beloved Chief Minister of Goa Shri. Manohar Parrikar passed away today evening, after a spirited battle against cancer," the Chief Minister's Office tweeted.Parrikar, a former Defence Minister, had been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, Delhi and New York since February last year. It was in October that the state government made a formal announcement about the BJP leader suffering from a pancreatic ailment.He is survived by two sons -- Utpal, an electrical engineering graduate from Michigan State University, and Abhijat, a local businessman. His wife Medha passed away in 2000.His cremation will be held at Miramar Goa at 5 pm on Monday. As a .
Goa CM Parrikar loses long battle to cancer (2nd Lead)
Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar passed away at his private residence here on Sunday evening after a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 63.
Omar NC's face for CM post: Farooq Abdullah
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference President Farooq Abdullah said on Sunday Omar Abdullah, his son, will be the party's chief ministerial candidate at the Assembly elections.
Stalin, Ramadoss condole Parikkar's death
DMK president M K Stalin and leaders of various other parties in Tamil Nadu Sunday condoled the death of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parikkar, who passed away after a prolonged illness. Stalin in a tweet said: "Extremely saddened to hear about the demise of Chief Minister of Goa, Thiru Manohar Parrikar. On behalf of DMK, I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and fellow party persons." State BJP President Tamilisai Soundararajan said, " Pained to hear the sudden demise of honb @manoharparrikar. Recall your humble simple life and your great desire to work in your office for the cause of nation till your last breathe." Pattali Makkal Katchi founder leader S Ramadoss said demise of Goa Chief Minister was shocking. "He was a talented leader who was loved by people. Should have lived longer and touched great heights. His demise is loss for Goa," he said. MDMK chief Vaiko was among other leaders who condoled the death of former defence minister, who died aged
Jana Sena inks pacts with BSP, Left parties
Seeking to emerge as a potent third force in the state, the Jana Sena of Telugu film star Pawan Kalyan has teamed up with the Bahujan Samaj party, the CPI and the CPI-M for the April 11 polls to Lok Sabha and the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. On a day of hectic political activity, the Jana Sena Sunday afternoon finalised seat-sharing with the BSP and later with the Left parties. Accordingly, the Jana Sena will contest 140 out of 175 assembly and 18 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats. BSP has been given three Lok Sabha and 21 Assembly seats, CPI and CPI-M two Lok Sabha and seven assembly seats each, as part of the agreement, Kalyan announced. The MP and MLA game has become so expensive that we had to take some courageous decisions to contest and change the system. We have put an end to this bizarre money politics somewhere. We are happy to allot four Lok Sabha seats to the Left parties, Kalyan told a press conference. CPI-M state secretary P Madhu said their objective was to introduce .