Page 1324 - Politics
Diplomats walk out of UN conference in Venezuela protest
Diplomats Thursday walked out of a UN convention on drugs addressed by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, saying his government was illegitimate and did not represent the country. Dozens of officials from Latin America, as well as the US, Canada and some European countries, including France, left the room in protest as Arreaza took the podium for the meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna. "The members of the Venezuela delegation here today represent the illegitimate government of (Venezuela's President) Nicolas Maduro, and thus cannot be considered as speaking on behalf of the Venezuelan people," a spokesperson of the US Mission to International Organizations said in a statement after the walk-out. Multiple diplomats, including from Latin America and Europe, had staged a walk-out late last month during an Arreaza address to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, when he called for direct talks between Maduro and US President Donald Trump about
Modi seems more like Bollywood actor than politician, worked less did jugglery more: Gehlot
Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot Thursday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems more like a Bollywood actor than a politician, who "worked less and did jugglery more". He claimed that constitution and democracy "will be in danger" if the BJP is voted to power again. At a public meeting here, Gehlot said, "He (Modi) seems more like a Bollywood actor than a politician. He worked less and did jugglery more, because of which country has to suffer a deep crisis. BJP has forgot all the promises it made before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls." He said Sikar district strongly supported the Congress in the assembly elections, which ultimately led to the formation of the party's government in Rajasthan. So it is only right to launch state Congress' election campaign for Lok Sabha polls from here, Gehlot said. Accusing the BJP and RSS of spreading rumours on social media, he claimed that they were hatching a conspiracy against the Congress, whereas people of the ...
CPI(M) to contest Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur constituencies in Assam
The opposition CPI(M) on Thursday said it will contest in Kokrajhar and Lakhimpur constituencies out of the 14 seats during the Lok Sabha elections in Assam. The party also declared the names of the candidates for the two constituencies. CPI(M) Assam Committee secretary Deben Bhattacharyya said it will support the "strongest" secular candidates in other constituencies in order to defeat the BJP and its "communal" allies in the state. In order to prevent division of anti-BJP votes, the party decided to contest only in two seats this time, he added. Youth leader Biraj Deka will contest from the Kokrajhar seat, while retired college teacher and social activist Amiya Kumar Handique will be in the fray from Lakhimpur, Bhattacharyya said. The Lakhimpur constituency has a total of 16.81 lakh voters, including 8.25 lakh women, polling for which will take place on April 11, during the first phase. The Kokrajhar constituency, reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates, has 17.49 ...
Delhi sends 'no dialogue' message to Pakistan
Sending a clear message to Pakistan that there would be no resumption of bilateral dialogue till support to terrorism from that country continued, senior Indian officials on Thursday did not even shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during the first round of meeting between both sides on the Kartarpur Corridor project.
Narendra Modi makes it possible, says Arun Jaitley
Crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his government's achievements over the last five years, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said Modi has demonstrated his tireless persistence, proving that he "makes it possible" to create a new India.
Pawar's daughter renominated; grand nephew missing in NCP list
NCP chief Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule figures in the first list of 12 candidates for next month's Lok Sabha poll, declared by the party Thursday. The list does not include the name of Pawar's grand nephew Parth Pawar, as it does not mention Maval constituency from where the young politician is likely to be fielded. Sule has been renominated from the Pawar family turf Baramati, which she represents in the outgoing Lok Sabha. Prominent among those named are former Irrigation Minister Sunil Tatkare from Raigad, former state minister Gulabrao Devkar from Jalgaon, Udyanraje Bhosale from Satara, Dhananjay Mhadik from Kolhapur, Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East) and Anand Paranjpe from Thane. Others in the list include Rajendra Shingane from Buldhana, Rajesh Vitekar from Parbhani and Babaji Balaram Patil from the Kalyan seat. The NCP has left the Hatkanangale seat for Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna chief Raju Shetti. The Pawar-led party has fielded Mohammad Faizal from
V-P likens Pak's position post-air strikes to thief stung by
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Thursday slammed Pakistan for "funding and training" terrorists and likened its position after the recent air strikes to a thief stung by a scorpion. In his address at the graduation ceremony of a private college here, he also hailed Indian forces for their recent air strikes on terror camps in Pakistan. "The situation of our neighbouring country is such that they cant accept it and also cant keep quiet about it," he said quoting a Telugu adage on a thief stung by a scorpion. "That is the situation of Pakistan today. They have been funding and training terrorists, he said at the event in PSG Institute of Technology and Applied Research. Everyone witnessed how the defence forces fought for the cause of unity and integrity of the nation, "how skillfully they did their duty in recent strikes," he said referring to the February 26 air strikes on terror camps in Balakot in Pakistan. Talking about farmers' plight, he said agriculture sector ...
J-K BJP unit appoints 3 spokespersons
The BJP's Jammu and Kashmir unit on Thursday nominated three leaders as state spokespersons and assigned important posts to several other members, who joined the party recently. The Lok Sabha election is scheduled to begin on April 11 and will continue till May 19. Polling in the state will be held in five phases. The appointments were made by BJP state president Ravinder Raina after consulting other senior party leaders, according to a press release. The three new spokespersons are -- Lt General (retired) Rakesh Sharma, Abhinav Sharma and Ashwani Chrangoo.They all joined the party recently, it said. The former army officer has also been appointed as in-charge for a party committee on defence and security issues, the release said, adding that Chrangoo, who is a prominent Kashmiri Pandit leader, is the spokesperson for the party on Kashmir affairs. It said Abhinav Sharma has been also given the post of member in the election management committee. Former legislators Gharu Ram, Pawan ...
1st meeting on Kartarpur Corridor "constructive": Pakistan
The first meeting of officials of Pakistan and India to finalise the modalities of the landmark Kartarpur Corridor, held in the shadow of escalating bilateral tensions, was "construcirve" and the discussions were held in a "cordial environment", the Foreign Office said here. India and Pakistan last year agreed to open a special border crossing linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district. The meeting took place in Attari on the Indian side of the Attari-Wagah border, amidst heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack by a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed on February 14. Commenting on the meeting, the head of the Pakistani delegation and the Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry Dr Mohammad Faisal said the deliberations were constructive. "Pakistan Kartarpur Delegation returns after constructive ...
UK MPs set to vote for delay to Brexit Day
In yet another day of hyper activity in the House of Commons, British MPs will return on Thursday to debate and then vote on delaying the March 29 Brexit Day deadline that was set in motion after the UK voted to leave the European Union (EU) in a referendum in June 2016. The latest vote follows a decisive rejection by Parliament on Wednesday night to rule out leaving the EU without any deal, in two separate votes. British Prime Minister Theresa May soldiered on amid a further blow to her leadership and told the Commons that leaving the 28-member economic bloc without any deal in place by March 29 remains the default option unless a new vote calls for a delay and then the EU accepts such an extension. Meanwhile, May will also make a third attempt to get her withdrawal agreement passed through, after it was rejected by huge margins in two previous votes in January and then again earlier this week. "If the House finds a way in the coming days to support a deal, it would allow the ...
National Conference leader shot at in J-K's Anantnag
A National Conference leader was shot at on Thursday by suspected terrorists in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. Mohammad Ismail Wani was shot at in Thajeewara area of the district in south Kashmir, a police official said. Wani was rushed to a nearby hospital, which referred him to a hospital in Srinagar, the official said. "My @JKNC_ colleague Mohd Ismail Wani, block President Bijbehara block in South Kashmir of has been shot & injured. He has been referred to Srinagar. Praying for his recovery," party's vice-president Omar Abdullah tweeted. Further details are awaited.
BJP MLAs vow to ensure party's win in U'khand
MLAs of the ruling BJP in Uttarakhand on Thursday took a pledge to ensure the party's victory from all the five Lok Sabha seats in the state. As 57 out of a total of 70 assembly segments in Uttarakhand are with the BJP and the party MLAs are the closest to the electorate, they should play the biggest role in taking the programmes and policies of the Centre to people, said state Pradesh BJP president Ajay Bhatt. "MLAs have been made in-charge of their areas.They are expected to not only take the achievements of the BJP government at the centre as well as in the state to people but also counter the misinformation campaign by the Congress," Bhatt told reporters after the legislature party meeting here. The meeting was attended by BJP election in-charge for Uttarakhand Thawar Chand Gehlot, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, his ministerial colleagues and the MLAs. "They have vowed to help the party notch up a 5-0 win from Uttarakhand as in the 2014 polls and make Narendra Modi the ...
Unique marriage with poll awareness campaign
Dyamanna and Nirmala, a farmer couple in Hatti village of Koppal district, got married along with a unique electoral awareness campaign where guests were taught how to cast a vote in elections.During the marriage ceremony, Election Commission officers organised a drill on the electoral process by displaying voter-verifiable paper audit trail, electronic voting machines and other essentials.Four other couples also had requested the EC officers to organise a voting awareness programme at their wedding on Wednesday. With general elections in the country due to start on April 11, the EC is trying to spread awareness among people on their democratic right.
Patanjali asks to boycott 'Made in China' products after it blocks UNSC from proscribing Masood Azhar
A day after China once again blocked a proposal in the UN Security Council to enlist Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist, spokesperson of Patanjali Ayurved Limited, SK Tijarawala urged people to refrain themselves from using 'Made in China' products.Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tijarawala wrote a poem in Hindi on Twitter in which he urged people to stop using Chinese products as he said that the country supports Pakistan and terrorism.On Wednesday, China had once again blocked a proposal in the UN Security Council to enlist Masood Azhar as an international terrorist despite his outfit carrying out the ghastly Pulwama terror attack.This was the fourth time when China used the technical hold to block the proposal, which is being pushed by other permanent members of the UNSC, particularly the US, Britain and France.India expressed disappointment over the development but vowed to continue to pursue "all available avenues to ensure ...
Priyanka Gandhi to begin Lok Sabha campaign from Prayagraj, Varanasi
Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh-East Priyanka Gandhi will be kick-starting the campaign for Lok Sabha elections 2019 from Prayagraj.She is slated to visit Prayagraj on March 18th from where she will also take a boat ride and meet people living along the holy river, Ganga.During her visit, she is likely to also visit the Nehru family's ancestral home Anand Bhawan in the city.After Prayagraj, Priyanka will head to Varanasi covering the Lok Sabha seats adjoining the district.In Varanasi, Priyanka is expected to visit various Temples and Ghats, however, no official word of her schedule in Varanasi has been released yet by the party.She is expected to return back to Delhi on March 20th.Ahead of her Prayagraj visit, she will also be meeting booth level workers of the party in Lucknow.As per party sources, the daylong meeting in Lucknow will focus on election management and strengthening the party in the state.As of now, the Congress party has decided to contest all 80 Lok Sabha
My comments on Modi's response to Pulwama attack twisted: Sheila Dikshit
"I have seen some media is twisting my comments made in an interview. Here is what I said - it may seem to some people that Mr Modi is stronger on terror but I think this is a poll gimmick more than anything else," Dikshit tweeted."I also added that national security has always been a concern and Indira ji has been a strong leader," she said in another tweet.When asked by ANI to clarify on her remarks, Dikshit said, "If something is taken out of context, I can't say."Earlier, in the interview to senior journalist Vir Sanghvi for CNN-News18 whose excerpts were aired by the channel, she said, "Manmohan Singh, yes, I agree with you, was not as strong as and as determined as he (Modi) is. But there is also a feeling that he is doing it all for politics."She was responding when told that after the Indian air strike at Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror camp in Balakot in Pakistan on February 26, Modi would argue that when things like Mumbai attacks happened (in 2008), "we did nothing in return
Rahul blasts Modi over China, BJP hits back
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi "weak" and "scared" of Chinese President Xi Jinping, provoking an angry reaction from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
UPA govt didn't take adequate steps after 26/11 Mumbai attacks: Sitharaman
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said the UPA government did not take adequate steps after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and that there would have been more deterrence against such terror strikes had it been proactive. Addressing the Delhi BJP workers, she asked them not to be affected by questions raised on the Balakot air strikes and urged them to be on the "offensive" rather than being "defensive" in dealing with the issue. The minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always talked about zero tolerance policy against terrorism. "Whatever had to be done after 26/11 Mumbai attacks was not done by the previous government. Had it been more proactive, there would have been more deterrence," she said. Attacking those questioning the IAF air strikes on terror camps in Balakot, Sitharaman said even during the time of Kargil war, Pakistan did not accept those people who laid down their lives for them and their bodies were buried in India as the neighbouring country did not ..
Rajiv Gandhi had asked Pawar to ensure Vikhe's defeat: NCP
Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had asked Sharad Pawar, who was then in the Congress, to ensure party rebel Balasaheb Vikhe Patil's defeat in the 1991 Lok Sabha polls, the NCP said Thursday. Pawar recently alluded to how he ensured the defeat of Balasaheb Vikhe Patil and that he also remembered the lawsuit the late Congress leader had filed against him. Vikhe Patil had rebelled against the Congress and fought as an independent candidate in the 1991 LS polls. Senior Maharashtra Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil Thursday said Sharad Pawar's comments on his late father were "unwarranted". Reacting to it, NCP state unit chief Jayant Patil said, "There is no question of insulting Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil. During the Lok sabha elections then, he had stood as an independent candidate. At that time, Rajiv Gandhi ji had put the responsibility of ensuring the Congress candidate Yashwantrao Gadakh's win, which he did. Now, Pawar saheb was only stating what happened almost 30
Only few AGP leaders decided to go with BJP: Mahanta
Senior AGP leader and former Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta on Thursday alleged that only a handful of AGP leaders decided to again ally with the BJP and that there was a conspiracy to sideline him.