Page 1292 - Politics
CAPF officers may get organised service tag after SC, HC orders
The government may soon accord the 'organised service' recognition and service benefits to thousands of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) officers who have been seeking better promotion and monetary benefits as they serve the maximum of their careers in hard combat zones of Naxalism, terrorism and counter-insurgency. Official sources said the Union Home Ministry is working with the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to issue a notification in this context, in view of two recent judgements of the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court. "High-level consultations are on and the subject has been reviewed by the home ministry and informed to the Prime Ministers Office. "The ministry has taken a number of measures for the welfare of the jawans and officers of these forces like the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF and SSB in the past and some more specific ones post the February 14 Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF men. This is also a step in that direction," a senior official ...
Former BJP leader Dilip Ray meets Patnaik, may re-join
Former Union minister Dilip Ray, who resigned from the BJP last year, met ruling BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, sparking speculation that he may re-join the regional party. According to sources, Ray reached Naveen Niwas, Patnaik's residence, on Saturday evening, and held an hour-long discussion with the BJD chief. Other senior BJD leaders were also present during the meeting, they said. Ray, one of the founder members of the BJD, was ousted from the party following differences of opinion with Patnaik in early 2000. He had subsequently joined the BJP. Ray was elected to Odisha Assembly from Rourkela assembly segment in 2014, as a BJP candidate, and had played a vital role in the victory of party's Sundergarh Lok Sabha candidate Jual Oram, who later became a minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet. Ray is believed to be a staunch loyalist of former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik. Ray and another veteran non-Congress leader Bijay Mohapatra ..
Will decide whether to support Venkatesan or not next week: Alagiri
Expelled Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader MK Alagiri on Sunday said he will take a decision next week on whether or not he would extend support to CPI-M leader S Venkatesan, who will be contesting from Madurai Lok Sabha seat.In the previous elections, Alagiri, the son of late DMK chief Karunanidhi, had contested from Madurai.Addressing media last week, Venkatesan had said that he would meet Alagiri as a candidate and seek his support.In response to this, Alagiri told media here: "I will meet him (Venkatesan) if he comes. I will decide whom to extend support to after a week."The DMK will contest 20 out of 39 seats in Tamil Nadu, while its ally Congress will contest nine seats and also the lone seat in Puducherry. Pro-dalit Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), CPI and CPI-M will contest on 2 seats each, while MDMK, IUML, IJK and Kongu Makkal Desiya Katchi will contest on one each.Tamil Nadu will go to polls on April 18 in a single phase, ad counting of votes will take place on ...
JD(S) will contest on 8 seats, Congress on 20: Deve Gowda
Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) chief HD Deve Gowda on Sunday said that his party would contest on 8 seats while Congress will contest on 20 seats in Karnataka in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections."In Karnataka, we are running a coalition government with Congress. JD(S) will contest on 8 seats while Congress will contest on 20 seats in Karnataka. We will try to do our best to see that the strength of BJP is reduced. Congress and JD(S) will do everything possible jointly," he told ANI.Karnataka will go to polls during the second and third phases of polling on April 18 and April 23, respectively.In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP won 17 seats from Karnataka while the Congress bagged 9 seats and JD(S) got 2 seats.
Goa Raj Bhavan has been converted into BJP office, alleges Congress
It is very unfortunate that the government in the state is being manipulated and the Raj Bhawan has been converted into the office of BJP, alleges Congress party."It is very unfortunate and sad that the institution of Governor is being manipulated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Raj Bhawan has been converted into the office of BJP," said Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) chief spokesperson Sunil Kawthankarsa.Alleging that Governor Mridula Sinha is meeting BJP leaders but the Congress' request for an urgent meeting is yet to be addressed by her. "We wonder if the Raj Bhawan has been converted into BJP political office.""The organising secretary of BJP just walks in to meet the Governor but despite repeated requests from the Leader of Opposition for an urgent appointment, we are yet to receive any communication from the office of Governor," he said.He said the Congress strongly condemns this deliberate delay in giving an appointment by the Governor to the single largest ...
Persecuted communities protest against Pak army brutality
Pashtun, Mohajir, Sindhi and Kashmiri groups gathered here on Saturday to protest against the brutalities allegedly inflicted upon them by Pakistani authorities and Pakistani state terrorism.They chanted slogans like "the uniform is behind the hooliganism and terrorism," during the protests while referring to the Pakistani Army. Protesters were also seen holding placards which read "ISI - A terrorism factory," amongst others."We cannot talk about our rights, we cannot talk about our people's rights...back home," one of the speakers said at a seminar held later. They also asked the global community, including Canada, to direct Pakistan to uphold human rights.Leaders from the communities have time and again highlighted the brutalities against them which are undertaken by the Pakistani authorities. They have called on the international community to outline the blatant acts of human rights violations, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, physical torture and arbitrary arrests .
Senior MP BJP leader opposes Indore LS ticket for Mahajan
A senior BJP leader Sunday said he would think of contesting as an Independent candidate if Lok Sabha Speaker and Indore MP Sumitra Mahajan was renominated from the seat in the April-May general elections. Senior BJP leader Satyanarayan (79), also known as Sattan, claimed Mahajan had not been in touch with party workers in Indore and they were upset over this. Eight-time MP Mahajan, affectionately called 'tai' (sister) in the city, has retained the seat since 1989 when she defeated former chief minister and senior Congressman Prakash Chandra Sethi in a giant-killing act by over 1.11 lakh votes. "If the party gives a ticket to Mahajan for the ninth time, I will be forced to think of contesting against her as an Independent candidate. Majority of the party workers are unhappy with her as she has not been in touch with them," Satyanarayan said. "Though she has been MP eight consecutive times, she has not done any work for which she can be remembered in Indore," he ...
BJP will not form any alliance in Haryana: Anil Jain
BJP's National general secretary and in-charge of Haryana, Anil Jain said that party is not going for an alliance with any other party in Haryana and is confident of winning all the 10 Lok Sabha seats on its own."BJP is not going to do any alliance in Haryana. On all the 10 Lok Sabha seats BJP will contest and will win," he said.Jain also said that there is no "Mahagathbandhan" (Grand-alliance) of opposition in Haryana as the BJP is the "strongest in the state."He also targeted Congress party saying that despite the fact that its top leadership is "mired neck deep into corruption" they "shamelessly" accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the same."Rahul Gandhi, his mother, his brother-in-law and sister have all been involved in corruption and they allege a person like Prime Minister Narendra Modi of corruption is shamelessness. Nobody will believe them," said Jain.All the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in Haryana will go to polls on May 12 in the sixth phase of 7 phased Lok Sabha ...
Who will save the country if there are 'Chowkidars' like Modi: Scindia's jibe on PM
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the BJP's 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' poll campaign, Congress general secretary in-charge of western Uttar Pradesh Jyotiraditya Scindia took a jibe at the Prime Minister on Sunday asking who would save the country if 'Chowkidars' are like him.Addressing the media here, Scindia said, "In Prime Minister Modi's rule a new environment of corruption has been created in the country. Rafale corruption has never been answered. The government is not answering the question lingering around Rafale. He is not answering why the cost of a jet was increased or why the number of jets was reduced. There is a long list of misdeeds and lies of PM Modi-Corruption, destroying the Make in India scheme, giving away the country's treasury to a businessman. If there will be Chowkidars like him then who will save the country?"He further accused the Prime Minister of taking control of ministries. "PM Modi ji always says that Congress has not done this and that in the ..
Digambar Kamat likely to join BJP, could be next Goa CM
Amidst the recent political upheaval in Goa owing to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's ailment, Goa BJP leader Micheal Lobo confirmed that prospects of senior Congress leader Digambar Kamat joining BJP was discussed in the meeting of all BJP MLAs held yesterday.Lobo also said that prospects of Kamat being named the next chief minister was discussed, but mentioned that the final call would be taken by the party high command."Last evening at all BJP MLA meet discussion on Digambar Kamat joining BJP has taken place. The decision whether he will be the Chief Minister would be taken by the Central leadership," Lobo told ANI.Meanwhile, Kamat is en route to Delhi, fuelling speculation that he would be the next Chief Minister of Goa.The present strength of the Goa Assembly stands at 37 instead of 40. Congress is currently the single-largest party in the state with 14 MLAs.BJP has 13 legislators, including Parrikar, and its government is supported by three MLAs each of the Goa Forward Party ...
Bihar: BJP, JD (U) and LJP announce list of constituencies for LS polls
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders of Bihar on Sunday announced the seat-sharing in Bihar for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.Speaking at a press conference, Bihar JD (U) chief president Vashisht Narain Singh said the BJP will contest on Patliputra, Patna Sahib, Arrah, East Champaran, West Champaran, Sheohar, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Maharajganj, Saran, Buxar, Sasaram, Begusarai, Araria, Aurangabad and Ujiyarpur parliamentary constituencies.Furthermore, Singh said the JD (U) will contest on Purnia, Madhepura, Supaul, Kishanganj, Katihar, Siwan, Balmiki Nagar, Jhanjharpur, Sitamarhi, Gaya, Gopalganj, Munger, Banka, Bhagalpur, Nalanda , Karakat and Jahanabad Lok Sabha seats.LJP will fight on six seats - Hajipur, Vaishali, Samastipur, Jamui, Nawada and Khagadia, he added.The formula of seat-sharing was announced a few months ago in Delhi jointly by BJP president Amit Shah, JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar and LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan.According to the ...
Odisha Congress MLA Prakash Chandra Behara joins BJP
Congress MLA from Salepur (Cuttack) Prakash Chandra Behera joined BJP on Sunday, a day after he quit the Congress party.He joined the party in the presence of Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan and recently-appointed national vice president Baijayanta Panda."I joined BJP because I trust the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah," Behera said after joining the party. "The biggest thing is that air stikes have made youth happy. I promise that I will work for the party whole-heartedly," he added.Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said, "His (Behara's) contribution to the BJP will impact the politics in Odisha and Lok Sabha elections in the Kendrapda constituency. Behera left Congress two days after the last visit of Congress president Rahul Gandhi to Odisha. This tells a lot about the situation of Congress in Odisha."Baijayanta Panda, on the other hand, termed Behara's entry into the BJP as 'a tremendous strength for the party .
Congress indulging in politics of abuses, BJP will not retaliate: Javadekar
The Congress is indulging in "politics of abuses" but the BJP will not retaliate and let the people give the response in the parliamentary election, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said Sunday. "They have stooped to a different level. They refer to the Prime Minister with phrases like 'gandi nali ka keeda', 'maut ka saudagar', 'natwar lal' and Hitler, among other remarks. They are free to indulge in this politics of abuse but BJP will neither react nor retaliate. Let the public give its response in the upcoming elections," Javadekar told reporters. "They demean chaiwala, pakode wala and now chowkidar. It shows their mentality, thought process and DNA. If this is the level of debate they can bring to the table we would focus on work and not indulge in this culture of hurling abuses," he added. The HRD Minister, when asked about the "Chowkidar" campaign while defaulters like Nirav Modi are on the run, said, "They are on the run because they know that the chowkidar is here. If it was ...
General category quota aimed at empowering poor; Rao failed for not following proper process: Gehlot
Union Minister Thaawar Chand Gehlot has said the BJP government's move to provide 10 per cent quota for the economically backward section in the general category was aimed at empowering the poor and not for electoral benefits as alleged by the opposition parties. He claimed the Congress government led by Narasimha Rao had tried to provide reservation for the general category poor but did not follow proper procedure. The BJP government has fulfilled the long-pending demand as it was committed to the issue and did not want to betray the people of the country, Gehlot said. "The poor belonging to the general category had for long been demanding quota for them, like that for the SC, ST and OBCs. Our government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership has done justice to them," the Union minister, a Dalit face within the BJP, said. He said the government neither violated the 50 per cent cap on reservation set by the Supreme Court "in any manner" as it was applicable only for the SC, .
Patnaik likely to contest from western Odisha
Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik on Sunday said he is considering contesting elections from western Odisha.
EC asks ATCs to share details of chartered flights, choppers
In order to monitor the poll related expenditure, the Election Commission has asked the Air Traffic Control department to share details of chartered flights and helicopters used for election purpose with the state chief electoral officer. The Air Traffic Control (ATC) officials have also been instructed to share the data with the district election officers (DEOs) where the airports are located, an official said. According to Bihar Additional Chief Electoral Officer (ACEO) Sanjay Kumar Singh, the ECI's decision has been conveyed to all government officials during a review meeting convened for monitoring election-related expenditure during the upcoming polls. "The ATC towers of Patna and Gaya will have to share the details of all chartered flights, helicopters and passengers with the CEO's office and the DEOs of Patna and Gaya districts," Singh told reporters here on Saturday. "The passengers of the chartered flights and helicopters will be frisked and their baggage will be ...
Politics over dead bodies won't fetch votes: Hemant Soren slams BJP over Pulwama politicisation'
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) working president Hemant Soren has slammed the BJP for allegedly politicising the Pulwama terror attack, saying politics over dead bodies will not fetch votes. The former Jharkhand chief minister, who was here to hold talks with grand alliance members for firming up the tie-up, said the government should do its job and allow the security forces to theirs. The forces are competent at giving a befitting reply, he said. What about the people who are dying because of hunger, farmers committing suicide, people are unemployed on a large scale. You (BJP-led government at the Centre) don't give answers to that. Doing politics over dead bodies will not fetch votes, he said during an interaction with a group of reporters here on Saturday. He slammed the government for alleged politicisation of the Pulwama terror attack. A suicide bombing in Pulwama on February 14, carried out by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), had claimed the lives of 40 CRPF ...
Philippines due to leave ICC over drug war inquiry
The Philippines was poised to officially quit the International Criminal Court on Sunday, though the beleaguered tribunal has pledged to pursue its examination of possible crimes in the government's deadly drug war. Manila's withdrawal is to become final a year after it told the United Nations that it was quitting the world's only permanent war crimes tribunal, the second nation to do so. "The Secretary-General... informed all concerned states that the withdrawal will take effect for the Philippines on 17 March," UN spokesperson Eri Kaneko told AFP on Friday. The Philippine government and the ICC on Sunday had yet to comment on the withdrawal's effectivity. The departure of the Philippines follows the court being hit in recent years by high-profile acquittals and moves by several nations to drop out. Manila moved to quit after the body launched a preliminary examination in 2018 into President Rodrigo Duterte's drug crackdown that has killed thousands and drawn international ...
Naveen 'seriously considering' proposal to contest from western Odisha
Odisha chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik is "seriously considering" a proposal to contest the assembly polls from a seat in western Odisha. "Party leaders from western Odisha as well as farmers, women and students have requested me to contest from a constituency in the western region," Patnaik told reporters on Sunday. He said he was considering the proposal "very seriously". The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo's move assumes significance in the backdrop of Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) impressive performance in western Odisha in the 2017 panchayat elections. While Congress president Rahul Gandhi's back-to-back visits to the region in a bid to bolster his party's poll prospects has further mounted pressure on the ruling BJD. Senior BJD leader and Rajya Sabha member Prasanna Acharya, who hails from western Odisha, said party MPs and MLAs from the region have urged the chief minister to contest the ensuing election from a constituency in their region. A host of ...
Men, machinery and mind of RSS behind BJP's poll power punch
Earlier this month, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah met Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and attended Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), the highest decision-making body of the ideological fountainhead of the ruling dispensation, to seek support for the Lok Sabha battle.