Page 1308 - Politics
Ravi Shankar Prasad hits out at Cong for not showing courage in tackling terror
Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday hit out at the Congress for "not showing courage" after the terror attack in Mumbai in 2011, and lauded the NDA government for retaliating after the Pulwama blast which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF men. Addressing a meeting of lawyers at the Delhi BJP office here, Prasad praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "positive approach and willpower". "At the time of 2011 Mumbai attack, the army was ready for action but the Congress leaders had no courage to take retaliatory action but after Pulwama attack our government not only gave a befitting reply through an air strike but also withdrew the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status from Pakistan and imposed 200 per cent custom duties on its goods," Prasad said. Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha in-charge of Delhi unit of BJP Nirmala Sitharaman and co-in-charge Jaibhan Pawaiya interacted with party leaders and workers on Friday and sought their feedback from different constituencies in Delhi, said a ...
If Cong approaches me to join party, I will consider it: AAP MLA Alka Lamba
Disgruntled AAP MLA Alka Lamba has said if the Congress approaches her to join the party then she will consider the offer. She also said there is a possibility of formation of an alliance between the Congress and the AAP in Delhi in a couple of days. "This is the time to join the nationwide movement against the BJP and if the Congress approaches me then I will consider the offer and not deny it," Lamba said. "I gave two decades to the Congress. The Congress is doing good and this is the time to join the movement against the BJP," she said. Lamba hit a rough patch with the AAP over its decision to pass a resolution to revoke former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's Bharat Ratna. She had raised objections to the party's resolution. Last month, she alleged that the party leadership was "weakening" her and said she is being accused of attempting to switch over to the Congress. In December, Lamba said in a tweet that the AAP had asked her to support the resolution, which she refused. She then .
Delhi govt asks its depts to remove ads from govt premises
With the Model Code of Conduct in force, the Directorate of Information and Publicity asked all its departments to remove government advertisements displayed on their premises. The Model Code of Conduct came into force from March 10 when the Election Commission of India announced the poll schedule. "During the operation of Model Code of Conduct, no advertisement can be displayed in any newspaper/magazine/outdoor media and aired/broadcast in radio/TV channel at government expense," it said. "Besides this, no government premises can be allowed to be used for advertisement," the circular said, adding, "You are requested to ensure that if any such advertisement is displayed/aired/broadcast, the same shall be removed/discontinued immediately.
Control room to target unaccounted money in TN during polls
The investigation wing of the Income Tax Department has set up a 24 x 7 control room here to receive information and complaints on unaccounted money used for electioneering in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Puducherry. Inviting all those who had information about "movement of large amount of cash and other valuables," to pass it on to them, the department said its mandate is to take proactive steps to discover and seize unaccounted funds intended for use in elections. Information about storage, possession or movement of cash could be passed on to the control room and identity of the persons providing the information will be kept confidential, the department said in a press release. The Office of the Director General of Income Tax (Investigation) could be reached through the toll free number of 1800 425 6669, Whatsapp no 944 54 67707, e-mail itcontrol.chn@gov.in or fax 044-28276976.
Gilua, Das to send list of LS candidates to BJP central
The BJP Jharkhand unit Friday authorised state president Laxman Gilua, Chief Minister Raghubar Das and Organisational secretary Dharampal Singh to look into names of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls before sending it to party's central election committee. A party press statement quoting state units general secretary Dipak Prakash, the state election committee discussed the election strategy to win all the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The meeting discussed on probable candidates for the 13 constituencies before authorizing Gilua, Das and Singh to look into the names before sending them to the partys central election committee. The BJP has allotted one seat to its ally Ajsu party, which was announced by BJP General Secretary Bhupendra Yadav after the BJP parliamentary board meeting on March 8 in Delhi. Yadav announced a tie-up with Ajsu party, which is already a partner in the BJP-led government in the state. Yadav said the BJP will contest 13 of the 14 Lok Sabha ...
I-T officials to track cash movement at airports
The Income Tax Department will keep a strict vigil over the movement of cash at airports following the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Friday.
IT Dept unearths undisclosed cash and properties worth crores in J&K
In a major crackdown on terror financing, the Income Tax Department Friday said it has unearthed undisclosed cash, jewellery and property papers worth several crores in Jammu and Kashmir. Search operations were conducted at five locations in Kashmir valley and a few places in Jammu on Thursday, the department said in a statement. "These actions are part of the Department's continued drive against use of black money by disruptive elements in the state. The operations also send a message of deterrence and obviation to those intending to vitiate the democratic process of free and fair elections," it said. The tax department further said one operation was against a prominent Line of Control (LOC) trader who apparently used proxies to conduct large cross-LoC trade in the past six years. "Large undisclosed profit earned by him has been diverted to allegedly suspect elements in the Valley. During the action, documents of transactions in the names of some of the proxies were found. ...
Against Modi, pit leaders like Akhilesh, Mayawati or back me: Bhim Army chief to SP-BSP
Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad Friday "welcomed" support of all parties, including the Congress, to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi and appealed to the SP-BSP alliance to either back his candidature or field their top leaders from the constituency. The Dalit leader's comment came two days after Congress general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met him at a hospital in Meerut. The BJP is yet to announce the candidature of Modi from Varanasi, the eastern UP seat from where he had won in 2014. Talking to PTI after he addressed a rally in Delhi along with BSP founder Kanshi Ram's sister Swarn Kaur, Chandrashekhar said, "The SP and the BSP should support my candidature from Varanasi to take on Modi. Else, my condition is, they should field any one among Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati. We are supporting the SP-BSP alliance in 79 other constituencies from Uttar Pradesh, they should support us in one seat...I don't want .
Dikshit comment hints at hidden BJP-Cong deal: AAP
Delhi convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party Gopal Rai on Friday said the comments of Delhi Congress head Sheila Dikshit praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proved that the Congress is helping the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Trump promotes 'Jexodus' bid to split Jews from Democrats
A fringe "Jexodus" movement seeking to weaken US Jews' support for the Democratic party got a boost Friday from President Donald Trump, who said Republicans "are waiting with open arms." The Jewish vote has long leaned solidly left but Trump puts major emphasis on his support for Israel's right-wing prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and allies cast him as the most pro-Israeli US leader in history. Trump's latest gambit is to promote a tiny, newly-created group called "Jexodus," which wants to lure Jewish voters to the Republicans. In a tweet supporting the bid to encourage "Jewish people to leave the Democrat Party," Trump touted his controversial decisions to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the disputed city of Jerusalem and to withdraw from a carefully crafted deal over Iran's nuclear ambitions. In an earlier tweet this week, Trump quoted the spokeswoman for "Jexodus," Elizabeth Pipko, who said that Democrats "don't care about Israel or the Jewish people." Trump's decision to
AAP dharna outside EC office conspiracy to obstruct probe for misleading voters: BJP
The BJP Thursday slammed the AAP's protest outside the Election Commission office here, saying the sit-in was aimed at obstructing police investigation into phone calls made allegedly by the ruling party to "mislead" voters. The BJP also lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi against the Aam Aadmi Party alleging it was "harassing" voters in the national capital through phone calls claiming their names were deleted by the BJP from the voters' list, but Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal got them added back. Earlier in the day, AAP workers led by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia sat on a protest outside the EC office alleging "politically motivated and illegal" raids were being conducted on a call centre hired by the party to make people aware that their names had been deleted from voters' lists. "By staging a dharna on the occasion of Republic Day in 2014, Arvind Kejriwal had indicated he has little respect for the Constitution. But today for the purpose of ...
AAP claims EC agreed to hold probe in call centre issue without Delhi police involvement
The AAP Friday claimed that the Election Commission has agreed to its demand to probe, without the involvement of the Delhi police, the allegations that a call centre hired by the party was making "misleading" calls to people about deletion of their names from electoral rolls. Emerging out from the EC premises, after three rounds of meeting in the last 10 hours, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told reporters that senior officials of the the commission listened "seriously" to AAP's complaints about the raids at the call centre, hired by the party to make people aware about the deletion of their names from voters' lists. However, there was no immediate response from the Election Commission. "The raids were conducted to harass call centre employees, including women who were made to stand," he alleged, adding, the EC, including the three election commissioners listened to the AAP delegation, the Delhi CEO and the police officials. "And, the Election Commission has agreed to hold a ...
BJP seals alliance with Apna Dal (S), gives 2 seats
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday finalised the seat-sharing agreement with the Apna Dal (Sonelal), which will contest in two Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. BJP president Amit Shah announced the agreement on Twitter, saying that Apna Dal (S) leader and Union minister Anupriya Patel would again contest from Mirzapur. Shah said the second seat would be finalised later after deliberations between leaders of both the parties. With the resolve of again forming the Modi government at the Centre, the BJP and the Apna Dal (S) will contest the Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh together, Shah said. Apna Dal (S) was upset and has been expressing their apprehensions about staying in the National Democratic Alliance, but was finally convinced by the BJP for two seats. In the 2014 general election, the Apna Dal had won two seats and the BJP had won 71 seats in UP, which has 80 Lok Sabha constituencies.
Nepal govt issues 35-day notice to its citizens for submitting illegal arms
Nepal on Friday issued a 35-day deadline to Nepalese to hand over firearms like rifles, revolvers and ammunition that they possess illegally as it cracked down on activities that can destabilise peace in the country. "People who do not have a licence to carry weapons and ammunition should surrender those items at the nearest police station, district administration office or barracks of Nepali Army within 35-days, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Gokul Prasad Baskota told media. The rule also applies for licensed arms and ammunitions if license owners have passed away without transferring the ownership of those items to their kin or others, he said. People who give up weapons and ammunition will not face any action, Baskota said. The government's latest announcement comes two days after it banned all activities of Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal and labelled it a terrorist outfit. The government, according to the minister, had to take action ...
Gowda urges Rahul to cool 'resentment' of Cong MLAs on seat
Former Prime Minister and JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda Friday requested Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to cool the reported resentment of some partyMLAs over the coalition government's seat-sharing arrangment to avoid politicalacrimony ahead of the coming Lok Sabha elections. Gowda also said that he had not made up his mind on contesting from North Bengaluru. "I am totally satisfied with the seat-sharingarrangement between our party and the Congress. We haddemanded 10 seats, but got eight, considering that Congressis a major party. All said and done, I do not want to create any political tension between our parties. Itold Rahul Gandhi to move ahead with whatever seat-sharingarrangments we have arrived at. There is hardly any time leftfor us. Our main aim is to defeat BJP," he told PTI in atelephonic interview from Arunachal Pradesh. The coalition partners on Wednesday had announced that the JDS would contest from eight Lok Sabha constituencies and Congress from remaining 20 ...
Australian senator flayed over views on NZ shooting
An Australian Senator has drawn flak for blaming "Muslim migration" for the New Zealand mosque massacres that left at least 49 people dead.
Political parties meet EC observers in Jammu, reiterate demand for simultaneous polls
Representatives of various political parties met the three-member team of special observers, appointed by the Election Commission (EC), here on Friday and reiterated the demand for holding Assembly elections and Lok Sabha polls simultaneously in Jammu and Kashmir. The three observers -- Noor Mohammad, Vinod Zutshi and A S Gill, appointed to suggest when Assembly elections can be held in the northern state, reached Jammu from Srinagar on the second leg of their visit. "Representatives of different political parties met the observers separately and discussed the timing of the Assembly elections," an official said. He said the special observers will be holding a meeting with the district development commissioners and senior superintendents of police later in the day to get their feedback. "We sought a review of the Election Commission's decision to defer the Assembly elections as all parties in the state are on the same page for simultaneous polls to provide an opportunity to the people .
Poll code violation: TN orders inquiry on Rahul's interaction
The Tamil Nadu government has ordered an inquiry on how a college here gave its approval for Congress President Rahul Gandhi to interact with its students when the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for elections is in force. The top Congress leader, in his interaction with students of the Stella Maris College here on March 13, promised 33 per cent reservation in government jobs for women and answered several of their questions. The Director of Collegiate Education, R Sarumathi directed a subordinate official to inquire "immediately" on the matter and submit a report, official sources told PTI. In a communique (dated March 14) to the Regional Joint Director, Chennai Zone, the director said in view of the Lok Sabha elections the MCC was in force and under such circumstances, sought to know "how permission was granted" by the college for the event. Sources said Stella Maris is one of the 10 government aided colleges in Chennai. Such institutions are not only bound by State ...
AAP burns BJP 2014 Lok Sabha manifesto
Aam Aadmi Party volunteers led by their respective MLAs from Delhi's Assembly constituencies on Friday burned copies of the BJP's 2014 Lok Sabha manifesto in protest against the party's "deception and treachery on full statehood for Delhi".
CPI leader Raja requests Soren to include CPI in proposed
Senior CPI leader D Raja Friday met Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) working president Hemant Soren and urged him to make the CPI a part of the proposed Mahagathbandhan and allot Hazaribagh Lok Sabha seat to it. According to a press statement issued by the JMM, Raja requested the JMM leader to make the CPI a part of the proposed Mahagathbandhan and give the left party Hazaribagh Lok Sabha seat, which is going for poll on May 6. Raja met Soren in New Delhi. Soren said, "JMM wants the Left parties in Jharkhand to be a part of the Mahagathbandhan. But the Left parties should leave their claim on Koderma seat so that the matter could be discussed with Congress president Rahul Gandhi." The former Jharkhand chief minister said, "The JMM is committed to defeat the BJP by taking the same ideological parties in the alliance. The JMM is ready to ally, and now the decision is for the Left parties." Rajas request comes two days after the Left parties decided to contest three of the 14 ...