Page 1312 - Politics
TMC averse to central forces as rigging plan may not work: BJP
The West Bengal BJP Friday alleged that the ruling Trinamool Congress is averse to deployment of central forces during the Lok Sabha elections as its plans to rig the polls might not work in their presence. West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh also sought to shift focus from filmstar candidates of the TMC, saying people do not want part-time politicians. "It is an irony that the Trinamool Congress is now averse to deployment of central forces. Earlier, when it was in opposition, it used to demand that central forces be deployed everywhere in the state. Now the TMC is opposing it since the party is afraid that its plans to rig the polls might fall flat," Ghosh told reporters. Referring to the violence during the panchayat elections in the state last year, Ghosh said the Election Commission should ensure that all voters are allowed to vote freely and fairly. The BJP leader's comment comes in the backdrop of the TMC beginning a 48-hour-long sit-in against the BJP's alleged
EU leaders urge clarity from Britain before Brexit delay
EU leaders on Friday called for clarity from Britain before considering any delay to Brexit after a series of chaotic votes by MPs just two weeks before the deeply divided country is due to leave the bloc. Quitting the EU after 46 years on March 29 remains the legal default unless EU leaders unanimously grant Britain an extension, with the issue likely to dominate a March 21-22 EU summit in Brussels. The length of any possible delay will depend on the outcome of another parliamentary vote on the twice massively rejected Brexit deal struck by Prime Minister Theresa May with EU leaders. The government said it would ask for a "technical" delay until June 30 to pass necessary legislation if MPs finally approve the deal next week. If MPs vote against it for a third time, the government has warned it will be forced to seek a much longer delay. "It is very clear that the next steps, the next proposal on how to move forward must come from Britain," German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman
PM Modi writes to NZ PM; condemns Christchurch attack
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed "deep shock and sadness" over the death of scores of people in the heinous terrorist attack in New Zealand while stressing India's strong condemnation of terrorism and of all those who support such acts of violence. In a letter to Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern, Modi also underscored India's solidarity with the people of her country at this difficult time. Mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers killed at least 49 people in Christchurch, while several explosive devices were defused, in what appeared to be a carefully planned racist attack. "Prime Minister has expressed his deep shock and sadness at the loss of scores of innocent lives in the heinous terrorist attack at the places of worship in Christchurch," the External Affairs Ministry said in an official release. "The Prime Minister stressed India's strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and of all those .
Left SAD as they do not deserve me: Ex-Army chief Gen. Singh
Former Army chief General (retired) Joginder Jaswant Singh said Friday he had left the Shiromani Akali Dal because they did not deserve him. J J Singh had quit the SAD last year and recently joined the SAD (Taksali), a breakaway faction of the former. "I left Akali Dal because they do not deserve me. It is not that they told me to go. I told them (Badals) that I cannot be with you," J J Singh told reporters here. The former Army chief had joined the SAD in 2007 and had unsuccessfully contested against Chief Minister Amarinder Singh from Patiala seat. J J Singh, who became the first Sikh to be appointed as the Army chief in 2005, accused both the SAD and the Congress of defeating him by hatching a conspiracy. "A political game was played against me." "I joined an organisation (SAD Taksali) which has an agenda to revive Punjab, he said. J J Singh described the Amarinder Singh-led Congress government as "incompetent". "He (Amarinder) never goes out. He will go those places where chopper .
SC agrees to hear plea of TTV Dhinakaran on common "pressure cooker" symbol
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea of former AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran and V K Sasikala challenging a Delhi High Court order granting the 'two leaves' symbol to a faction led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E K Palaniswami. A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi issued notice to the Election Commission of India (EC) on the limited plea of Dhinakaran that they be allowed to use common symbol of "Pressure Cooker". The bench, also comprising justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, sought reply by March 25. At the outset, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Dhinakaran faction said that EC is not giving them a common symbol. He said the apex court has directed to allot "pressure cooker' as a common symbol to the party. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatagi, appearing for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami led faction said that, "I am the real AIADMK and he (Dhinakaran) has already floated a new party". The bench said that it will hear the matter on March 25. On February
SAD seeks transfer of two SSPs
The Shiromani Akali Dal Friday demanded the transfer of two senior superintendents of police in the state, claiming that they were "close relatives" of Congress leaders. They said it was necessary to ensure free and fair elections in the state. In a complaint to the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer, SAD president's political secretary Charanjit Singh Brar said both the officers Jalandhar Rural SSP Navjot Singh Mahal and Muktsar SSP Manjot Singh Dhesi were allegedly "vitiating the atmosphere by working as per the dictates" of the Congress party and should be transferred immediately. "Mahal was a relative of Cabinet minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Dhesi was a relative of the chief minister's OSD Gurpreet Singh Dhesi," he claimed. "It seems both the officers have been posted deliberately at these stations with the aim of working against SAD candidates," he further claimed The Akali Dal claimed that the Muktsar SSP had shown his "partisan" attitude earlier also by "facilitating booth
SP announces four more LS candidates in UP
The Samajwadi Party on Friday announced another four candidates from Uttar Pradesh for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, including Tabassum Hasan who won the Kairana bypolls last year as a joint opposition candidate.
Police working like goons in Delhi: Sisodia
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Friday accused the Delhi Police of being influenced by the BJP and working like "goons" after he met the Election Commission to lodge a complaint against the police for harassing the call centre employees hired by the party.
BJP and Congress two sides of same coin-TRS MP Kavitha
The Telangana Rashra Samithi is not a B team of the BJP as alleged by AICC president Rahul Gandhi and on the contrary, the saffron party and Congress are two sides of the same coin, TRS MP Kavitha said Friday. "We are not the B Team of any political party. TRS party is the B Team of Telangana people. TRS party always tries to solve the problems of people and even next generation," she told reporters. Gandhi, while addressing public meetings in Telangana, had described the TRS as the 'B Team' of the BJP alleging that the ruling party in Telangana always supported Prime Minister Narendra Modis schemes such as demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax. "Unlike the congress party which always looks for political advantage in every move, the TRS will strive for the benefit of the next generation and not for the next election. In fact the BJP and Congress are two sides of the same coin," she said. She sought support of the people in getting 16 of the partys MPs get elected
CPI(M), IUML name candidates for 3 LS seats
The CPI(M) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) Friday named their candidates for three Lok Sabha constituencies allotted to them as part of seat-sharing arrangement in the 'Secular Progressive Alliance,' led by DMK. The CPI(M) has fielded former Lok Sabha MP P R Natarajan in Coimbatore consituency, which he represented in the 15th Lok Sabha, while Sahitya Akademi Award winner and Tamil writer S Venkatesan would contest in the Madurai constituency. "Natarajan has been associated with the party since 1968 and has held various positions. The two candidates would be raising issues of Tamil Nadu in Parliament once elected," CPI(M) state secretary K Balakrishnan told reporters here. The IUML, which was alloted the Ramanathapuram seat, has announced K Nawaz Kani, managing director of a courier company, as the candidate. "Fishermen in Ramanathapuram are facing several issues, water scarcity and employment are also among those plaguing people here. I will address them if ...
US condemns 'horrible massacre' in New Zealand
President Donald Trump on Friday called the terror attacks on two mosque in New Zealand a "horrible massacre" and offered US assistance to its ally. At least 49 worshippers were killed in attacks on the Al Noor Mosque in central Christchurch and the Linwood Mosque in the city's outer suburb, in what appeared to be the worst attack against Muslims in a western country. Condemning the attacks, President Trump tweeted, My warmest sympathy and best wishes goes out to the people of New Zealand after the horrible massacre in the Mosques." 49 innocent people have so senselessly died, with so many more seriously injured. The US stands by New Zealand for anything we can do. God bless all! Trump tweeted. The White House also issued a statement condemning the attack. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with the people of New Zealand and their government against this vicious act of hate, White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said in a ...
Rampant corruption in Karnataka: BJP MP
Citing an Income Tax raid on a rural development department official and land grabbing charges against a Congress MP, BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday said rampant corruption was thriving in Karnataka and 10-20 per per cent commission was being charged from contractors.
CPI(M)-led Left Front releases list of 25 candidates for LS polls
The CPI(M)-led Left Front announced its first list of candidates for 25 seats in West Bengal for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on Friday. The 25 seats include Raiganj and Murshidabad, currently held by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The CPI(M) had declared its candidates for these two constituencies earlier. West Bengal has 42 parliamentary seats and the remaining 17 constituencies would be contested either by the Left Front or the Congress, Left Front chairman Biman Bose said. "In some seats, there could be candidates jointly supported by the Congress and the Left Front," he added. The CPI(M) and the Congress have agreed on a seat-sharing arrangement in the state. 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. West Bengal will go to the polls in all the seven phases.
SP workers will definitely attack her: Uma Bharti advises Mayawati to save her contact number
Recalling the 'Guest House episode', Union Minister Uma Bharti on Friday advised BSP supremo Mayawati to save her contact number as she believes that the SP workers will definitely attack her again."Jab Rest House mein un par hamla hua tha tab Brahm Dutt Dwivedi Ji the. Ab woh nahi hain toh main hun ab. Jaise hi unko sankat aaye toh mera mobile no. rakhein aur turant mujhe phone karein. SP ke log un par hamla karenge zaroor (Brahm Dutt Dwivedi was there when she was attacked at the guest house. Now I am there in his absence. She can save my number and immediately contact me in case of any trouble now. SP people will definitely attack her)," Bharti told ANI here.The 1995 infamous guest house scandal is one of the grimmest chapters of UP politics. In 1993, then Samajwadi party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP founder Kanshi Ram had come together in Uttar Pradesh at the time of state polls to fight the BJP, which was garnering enormous support over its Ram temple pitch.The SP-BSP ...
Court summons Kejriwal to appear in defamation case on April 30
A Patiala House court on Friday summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as an accused in a criminal defamation suit filed against him by a Delhi BJP leader. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Samar Vishal asked Kejriwal to be present in the court on April 30.The ACMM also issued summonses to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Sushil Gupta, Manoj Kumar and Atishi Marlena.The court observed that the allegations made by Kejriwal and others are prima facie defamatory and refer to Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).The summonses have been issued for the commission of offence of defamation under section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), it said.The court was hearing a petition filed by Delhi BJP leader Rajiv Babbar claiming that the Chief Minister had stated that a total 30 lakh names of electors belonging to 'Baniya', Muslims and others communities were allegedly deleted from the voters' lists by BJP.Babbar contended that the voters' lists were a prerogative of the Election ...
Delhi court summons Kejriwal, others in defamation case by BJP
A Delhi court Friday summoned Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and others in a defamation case filed by the BJP over his comments on deletion of voters' names from the rolls in the national capital. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal directed Kejriwal, Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Gupta, MLA Manoj Kumar and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Atishi Marlena to appear before the court on April 30. BJP leader Rajeev Babbar, who moved the petition on behalf of the party's Delhi unit, has sought proceedings against them for harming the reputation of BJP by blaming it for the deletion of the names of "voters" from the electoral rolls here. "Allegations of the respondents (Kejriwal and others) are prima facie defamatory and refers to complainant Bhartiya Janta Party," the court said. "The inquiry as contemplated under section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure has been duly conducted by examining the authorised representative of complainant and his witnesses to arrive .
Terrorism biggest enemy of Islam, humanity: Naqvi
Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Friday termed terrorism the biggest enemy of both Islam and the entire humanity, and also the "biggest hurdle" for peace and prosperity in the world. During a meeting with a delegation of members of Iranian Parliament's Committee on Culture, Naqvi said terrorism was not just a threat to a particular region or a country, but has become the biggest challenge for human values in the world. The entire world will have to unite to defeat the evil of terrorism by isolating those who support it, Naqvi was quoted as saying in a statement from his office. The organisations and people who are involved in terror activities by using Islam as their "security cover" are the biggest enemies of Islam, he said. "Terrorism is the biggest enemy of both Islam and the entire humanity and we all have to come together to remove this biggest hurdle in the peace, progress and prosperity of the world," Naqvi said. He said India is a role model of social and communal
4 Left parties to contest together in Jharkhand
Denied a place in the Grand Alliance of opposition parties, four Left parties on Friday announced they will contest the Lok Sabha polls together in Jharkhand.
J&K: NC-Congress poll pact remains half-baked idea
Despite continuing parleys between the National Conference (NC) and the Congress, a pre-poll alliance between the two parties in Jammu and Kashmir is likely to remain only a half-baked cake.
AAP protests against Delhi Police at CEC office
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, MP Sanjay Singh and several Aam Aadmi Party MLAs protested outside the office of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) here to denounce "atrocities" by Delhi Police.