Page 1303 - Politics

Russia slams 'hypocrisy' of new Western sanctions

Russia on Saturday slammed the "hypocrisy" of new Western sanctions against its officials over their role in a naval confrontation with Ukraine last year, and vowed to respond to the "unfriendly" move. The United States, Canada and the European Union Friday slapped new sanctions on more than a dozen Russian officials and businesses in response to Moscow's "continued aggression in Ukraine." "The pretext for including our countrymen in the illegitimate sanctions list of the EU astounds with hypocrisy and cynicism," the Russian foreign ministry said. In a previous statement late on Friday, it said Russia "will not leave the unfriendly act of the EU without a response" and accused Brussels of siding with Kiev on the eve of its presidential election due on March 31. "It cannot be ignored that the decision came not long before the presidential election in Ukraine," it said. It also accused Washington and Ottawa of "Russophobia" and said the sanctions will "not lead to the results the US and

Protests erupt in Congo capital over local election results

Witnesses say at least one person is dead after protests over local elections turned violent in Congo's capital. Members of President Felix Tshisekedi's Union for Democracy and Social Progress took to the streets of Kinshasa after the party failed to win any senate seats from Kinshasa in the regional assembly. Police fired tear gas to put down demonstrations Friday night. The party was Congo's longtime opposition under former President Joseph Kabila. The party got a boost when its candidate Felix Tshisekedi won the December presidential election. While voters elect regional deputies, senators are then chosen by the deputies. Militant members of the party are now accused of attacking homes and vehicles belonging to some of the regional deputies who chose the senators.

Gehlot's son front-runner for Congress ticket in Jodhpur

It's a city that contributed a crack cavalry unit that liberated Haifa after a decisive victory during World War I. Now, the Jodhpur Lok Sabha seat is bracing for a battle of a different kind that is keeping Rajasthan's ruling Congress and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on their toes.

One Modi giving away crores to other Modis: Rahul

Kickstarting Congress' Lok Sabha campaign in Uttarakhand, party President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday upped the ante against Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioning why all the "Modis were getting money" from the one Modi at the helm.

MP CM wants Digvijaya to take up 'toughest seat' LS challenge

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath Saturday said if party colleague Digvijaya Singh wants to contest upcoming Lok Sabha polls, he should choose the "toughest seat" in the state. While Nath did not mention any seat in particular, he said there were "2-3-4 seats" in MP which the Congress had not won in the past "30-35" years. Singh, a former chief minister and multiple times Lok Sabha MP, is currently a Rajya Sabha member. "I have requested Digvijaya Singh that if he wants to contest Lok Sabha polls, then he should do so from the toughest seat. There are 2-3-4 seats from where we have not won elections since the last 30-35 years," Nath told reporters here. Congress functionaries said he may have been referring to Bhopal and Indore Lok Sabha seats, both of which have been held by the BJP since 1989. Congress sources said Nath is keen that Singh contest from Bhopal. Former President late Shankar Dayal Sharma was the last Congress winner from the seat in the 1984 ...

Modi urges supporters to take 'main bhi chowkidar' pledge, draws ridicule from Rahul

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday urged his supporters to take the 'main bhi chowkidar' (I too am watchman) pledge and said he was not alone in the fight against graft and social evils, drawing ridicule from Congress president Rahul Gandhi. "Your Chowkidar is standing firm & serving the nation. But, I am not alone. Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a Chowkidar. Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar. Today, every Indian is saying-#MainBhiChowkidar," the prime minister wrote on Twitter. He also posted a short video to drive home his message. Soon after, Gandhi mocked Modi and tweeted, "Defensive tweet Mr Modi! You feeling a little guilty today" while a tagging a picture of Modi along with businessmen such as Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, Anil Ambani and Gautam Adani. The Congress president earlier alleged that Modi only served the interests of his industrialist-friends. Modi has often described himself as a ...

Shah Faesal to launch political party tomorrow

Former IAS officer Shah Faesal will launch his political outfit 'Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement' at a function in Rajbagh area of the city on Sunday. He said the function will be held at Gindun Ground in Rajbagh. The 2010 batch UPSC topper resigned from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in January this year to protest unabated killings in Kashmir and maginalisation of Indian Muslims. Faesal had also hit out at the Centre, accusing it of subverting public institutions of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He said such moves had the potential to decimate the constitutional edifice of the country and the same needed to be stopped. Since resigning from the service, the former bureaucrat has been interacting with young achievers with an aim of getting them to support his initiative for "corruption-free, clean and transparent" politics in the state. He had also launched a crowdfunding campaign in ...

Heavy firing on LoC

Heavy firing exchanges took place on Saturday between Indian and Pakistani troopers on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, a defence official said.

Beniwal's Rashtriya Loktantrik Party to contest all 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan

The Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, formed ahead of the 2018 assembly elections in Rajasthan, is planning to contest all Lok Sabha seats in the state. Headed by Jat leader Hanuman Beniwal, the party that won three seats in the assembly elections last year is having discussions with other parties over an alliance for the Lok Sabha elections. "The RLP is trying to enter into an alliance with other parties and we will field candidates for all 25 Lok Sabha seats," Beniwal told reporters on Saturday. He said discussions are on with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and other parties. The RLP contested assembly elections without any alliance and had fielded candidates from over 50 seats. "We not only won three seats, but got considerable votes and impacted the result on nearly two dozen seats," Beniwal, the former BJP leader, said. In 2014, the BJP swept the polls in Rajasthan winning all 25 parliamentary seats.

Owaisi attacks Centre over China's stand on Azhar in UN

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi Saturday attacked the NDA government over China blocking a UN Security Council resolution to designate Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. Referring to media reports that India would show patience with China for "as long as it takes", he alleged that it is "not patience but capitulation for FDI". Invoking poet Ghalib, Owasi said, "Hum ko maaloom hai Cheen ki haqeeqat, lekin Dil ko khush rakhne ko MODI yeh khayaal achcha hai" (we know the reality of China, but Modi's idea to keep himself happy is good). "Hum ko maaloom hai Cheen ki haqeeqat, lekin Dil ko khush rakhne ko MODI yeh khayaal achcha hai (my apologies to GHALIB) @PMOIndia sir Woh policy Tain Tain "andar ghus ke.... in 4 years had we given Brahmos Missile to Vietnam...this is not patience but Capitulation for FDI (sic)," Owaisi tweeted. He was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in Gujarat on March 5 where he had said India "will enter their (terrorists) ...

Sitting BJD MP from Odisha joins BJP

In a setback to the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the party's sitting MP Balabhadra Majhi from Odisha's Nabarangpur district joined the BJP on Saturday.

Khaira to contest LS polls from Bathinda seat

Punjabi Ekta Party (PEP) President and former AAP leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Saturday said that he will contest the coming Lok Sabha election from the Bathinda seat.

Interview: Priyanka will make 'no difference' to BJP's poll prospects, says Adityanath

Asserting that Priyanka Gandhi's entry into politics will make "no difference" to the BJP's prospects in the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Saturday dubbed it an "internal matter" of that party. He also dismissed as "false alarm" the SP-BSP alliance and claimed that it was already embroiled in dispute. "The Congress has made her (Priyanka) the party general secretary (in-charge of eastern UP) this time. It is an internal matter of that party as to how it will utilise her services. "Earlier too, she had campaigned for the Congress. And this time too she is the party's campaigner and it will make no difference (to the BJP)," he told PTI in his first interview after announcement of the Lok Sabha poll schedule on Sunday. Asked as to what extent the SP-BSP alliance could dent the BJP's prospects in the hustings, Adityanath said, "The fledgling SP-BSP alliance is already embroiled in dispute." He was referring to reports of hard bargaining between the two ..

Former Uttarakhand CM's son joins Congress

Manish Khanduri, the son of former Uttarakhand Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri, on Saturday joined the Congress in the presence of party President Rahul Gandhi at an election rally here.

Punjab back on track under Congress regime: CM

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday claimed it is the people trust in his Congress government that has helped in bringing the state back on the path of development and prosperity.

Hemant Soren meets Rahul Gandhi over seat sharing in Jharkhand

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) working president Hemant Soren met Congress president Rahul Gandhi here on Saturday over seat sharing issue in Jharkhand.Sources maintained that Congress will contest in seven seats, JMM four, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) two and RJD in one seat.After the meeting, Soren said: "All things have been decided and Shibu Soren will formally announce it after the Holi". Three times Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren is the president of JMM and also represented the Dumka constituency of the state in the 14th Lok Sabha.According to sources, JVM president Babu Lal Marandi is likely to meet Rahul Gandhi in the evening over the same issue.Jharkhand will vote in fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh phase of polling to be held on April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19, respectively.

Guaranteed minimum income scheme to be introduced if UPA comes to power: Rahul

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said if elected to power, his party will introduce a scheme of guaranteed minimum income for the poor, which will go straight into their bank accounts. Launching the Congress's campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls at a rally in Uttarakhand, Gandhi said everyone earning below a certain level would be given a guaranteed minimum income, which would go straight into the accounts of the beneficiaries. He added that India would be the first country in the world to introduce a scheme like this if the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) came to power. The seven-phased Lok Sabha polls will be held from April 11 to May 19 and the counting of votes will be taken up on May 23.

Former Uttarakhand CM BC Khanduri's son joins Congress

Welcoming him into the party fold, Gandhi said him joining the Congress will strengthen the party

Development not Ram temple to be key poll issue: UP Dy CM (Dangal 2019)

The BJP invariably raises the Ram temple issue before a general election but not so this time around as it's "not an issue" as it would await the Supreme Court's verdict. The 2019 Lok Sabha elections will be fought on the plank of development, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said.

There will be no elections after 'Modi tsunami' in 2019: Sakshi Maharaj

Local BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj has said that the upcoming Lok Sabha polls will be fought in the name of the country and there will be no elections after that. "The Modi tsunami has awakened the country. I feel there will be no election in 2024... this is the only election and we are fighting it in the name of the country with full honesty," Sakshi Maharaj said during a party programme here on Friday. The MP, who is known for making controversial remarks, said the Modi wave of 2014 has turned into tsunami in 2019 and no one can stop him from becoming the prime minister again. "I think the results will be better than before," he said. "Some people are doing all kind of things... bringing Priyanka (Gandhi Vadra) or forging alliances but our leader is Modi and everyone has been saying "Modi hai to desh hai". These elections will not be fought in the name of any party or Sakshi Maharaj, but in the name of the country," he said. The Congress has appointed Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as its eastern ..