Page 1326 - Politics
Cross-LoC trade remains suspended for second day
The cross-LoC trade between Poonch-Rawalakot remained suspended for the second day on Thursday even as there was no report of ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. It was suspended after five mortar shells hit the cross-LoC facilitation centre at Chakan-da-Bagh in Poonch district on Wednesday at around 12.30 pm, when the process of scanning of trucks was almost complete. Though there were no casualties in the shelling, several sheds including the one housing the X-Ray scanner were damaged. "The trade remained suspended for the second day and is likely to be resumed tomorrow (Friday)," custodian of LoC trade centre, Poonch, Fareed Kohli told PTI. The cross-LoC trade between Poonch on this side and Rawalakot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which started in October 2008, takes place four days a week from Tuesday to Friday on barter system. The Indian Army had retaliated to the firing from Pakistan on Wednesday. "There has been no ...
Another Telangana Cong MLA to jump ship, join TRS
The Congress in Telangana Thursday appeared headed for another setback ahead of Lok Sabha elections, with one more party MLA meeting TRS Working President K T Rama Rao and expressing intention to join the State's ruling party. Sources in the TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samiti) led by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao confirmed that Kandala Upender Reddy, MLA from Palair, conveyed willingness to join the party. In recent days, five Congress MLAs had announced their decision to join the TRS. A Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA, had also announced move to shift loyalty to the TRS. In the December 7, 2018, Assembly polls in Telangana, Reddy had defeated the then Roads and Buildings Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao (TRS). The TRS had won 88 seats and the Congress 19 in the 119-member House in the last Assembly poll.
U'khand: Senior BJP leader Chandra Khanduri's son likely to join Cong
Political circles here were agog with speculation on Thursday about senior BJP leader Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri's son Manish Khanduri joining the Congress and the party going to field him as its candidate from Pauri Lok Sabha seat currently held by his father. As per speculation doing the rounds, Manish Khanduri is likely to join the Congress at its forthcoming rally here on March 16 which will be addressed by party president Rahul Gandhi. However, party sources neither confirmed nor ruled out the possibility, saying there are several names and it will have to be seen which of them is finalised. When told about the possible development, BJP state president Ajay Bhatt said Manish Khanduri is not a party member and so it doesn't matter where he goes. However, Bhatt rubbished Congress claims about the likelihood of some BJP leaders joining the Congress at Gandhi's rally. "Not a single BJP leader is joining the Congress at its rally on March 16," he said. It will be Gandhi's first rally in .
Seat-sharing talks with LF on: Cong (Dangal 2019)
The seat adjustment talks between the Left front and the Congress in West Bengal are continuing in search of a mutually favourable agreement, a senior Congress leader said here on Thursday.
Defend democracy, secularism to fight BJP: CPI-M
The CPI-M on Thursday found fault with "many opposition parties" for not putting forth "an effective alternative platform which defends democracy and secularism without any compromise" in their fight against the BJP.
Bihar NDA may announce candidates in two-three days: BJP
Talks on allocation of specific Lok Sabha seats to three NDA constituents in Bihar are in the "final stages", the state unit of the BJP said on Thursday. The list of candidates, along with the announcement on seat sharing, is likely to be announced "within two or three days" in New Delhi, it added. "We reiterated the resolve to win, for the NDA, all the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. Seat-sharing talks are in the final stages and announcement is likely to be made by leaders of all NDA constituents in New Delhi shortly," state BJP vice-president Devesh Kumar told PTI. At a meeting of the state election committee here, which was chaired by Bihar BJP president Nityanand Rai and attended by national general secretary in-charge Bhupendra Yadav, among others, the party also "reiterated the resolve to win the by-elections to two assembly segments". The assembly segments of Nawada and Dehri have fallen vacant upon the disqualification of RJD MLAs Raj Vallabh Yadav and Mohd Iliyas .
BJP surrendered to China on Masood Azhar, can't claim to be tough on terror: Omar
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said Thursday the BJP cannot claim to have been tough on terror as Prime Minister Narendra Modi "surrendered" to China on Masood Azhar. He also said the NDA government had given Pakistan a "big victory" by not conducting the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir simultaneously with parliamentary polls. "PM Modi surrendered to China on Azhar and surrendered to Pakistan & its proxies by delaying elections in J&K. How can the BJP claim to have been tough on internal security and tough against terror?" Omar, the vice-president of the NC, wrote on Twitter. He targeted Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad over his remarks on Congress president Rahul Gandhi who had criticised the prime minister for being "scared" of Chinese President Xi Jinping. "Mantri jee, your Government gave Pakistan a small victory when you postponed the Anantnag by-poll in 2017 and a big victory now that you've failed to conduct assembly elections. If anyone is giving ...
What is your official stand on granting full statehood to Delhi: AAP asks BJP
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Thursday asked the BJP about its official stand on granting full statehood to Delhi, saying its leaders are giving conflicting statements on the matter. AAP leader Gopal Rai said the BJP is "rattled by the AAP's movement towards attaining full statehood" and are giving conflicting statements because of that. Rai quoted a media report in which Union Minister Vijay Goel allegedly said that the BJP is in favour of full statehood but it is not possible if the city has a Chief Minister like Arvind Kejriwal. He also referred to another media report in which Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari allegedly said that full statehood would not be part of BJP's manifesto. "What is BJP's official stand on granting full statehood to Delhi. We want an answer on that. On one hand, Tiwari says it will not be granted to Delhi while Goel says full statehood would not be given as long as Kejriwal is the chief minister," Rai said. On being asked why is the AAP targeting only the BJP on ...
Thai junta chief says cybersecurity bill not used to 'tap' phones
Thailand's junta chief batted away criticism of a controversial cybersecurity law on Thursday, saying it would not be used to "tap phone calls". The country's rubber-stamp parliament passed the bill on February 28, triggering pushback from rights groups and companies worried about privacy breaches. Thais go to the polls on March 24 in an election that could see a junta-aligned government come to power, and with it more controls on freedom of expression. The new bill allows authorities to seize any computers or devices without a court warrant if there are "critical threats" to cybersecurity, which a committee determines in cases of "reasonable suspicion". The Asia Internet Coalition, an industry association representing companies like Google and Facebook, warned the law was too broadly worded and could give the government sweeping powers to snoop on user data. But junta leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who seized power in 2014 and is standing for civilian premier in the election, tried to ...
Cong and JDS adopted 'give and take' policy in seat sharing:
The ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition coordination committee chairman Siddaramaiah Thursday said alliance partners had adopted a "give and take" policy in the seat sharing deal for the Lok Sabha elections. The state Congress Legislature party leader also said the party's list of candidates for Lok Sabha polls is likely to be finalised by March 16. "In alliance there will be give and take..," Siddaramaiah said to a question whether Congress leaders were satisfied with seat sharing. Responding to reports about disgruntlement among party leaders in a few places, the former chief minister said, "all these things will be there in the beginning..aspirants will be bit angry, but things would normalise gradually." On ceding Tumkur Lok Sabha constituency to the JD(S), despite state Congress leaders' stand that no seat with sitting party MP should be conceded, he said "We had said it should not be given, but it is the party high command's decision, we will have to go by the ...
Tamil Nadu Bishops' Council writes to EC seeking change in poll dates
Tamil Nadu Bishops' Council wrote to State Election Commission seeking change in Lok Sabha poll date in the state and Puducherry which falls on April 18, citing the clash of dates with 'Maundy Thursday', a public ceremony on the Thursday before Easter.In a letter written to Commission, Bishops' Council stated that polling date (April 18) coincides with Maundy Thursday and it would not be conducive for the people of the Christian community.This comes after, an all-party delegation on Tuesday demanded date change of Lok Sabha election in Tamil Nadu, which is scheduled to take place on April 18, in view of Chithirai festival from April 8 to 22.The Election Commission had announced the schedule for Lok Sabha elections. The dates for the seven phases are April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19. Counting of votes will be done on May 23.Earlier, some leaders had also raised objections over the clash of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections with the holy month of ...
Indians to benefit as UK lifts cap on PhD-level work visas
Indians are among the largest group of professionals set to benefit from a new UK government plan to remove any limit on the number of PhD-level work visas to be granted. UK Chancellor Philip Hammond announced on Wednesday in a Budget update, referred to as the annual Spring Statement, that from later this year all such highly-qualified roles will be exempt from any cap on the numbers that can apply and come to work in Britain. "[A] key pillar of our plan is backing Britain to remain at the forefront of the technology revolution that is transforming our economy. And to support that ambition, from this Autumn we will completely exempt PhD-level roles from the visa caps," Hammond said in his speech in the House of Commons. "From Autumn 2019, PhD-level occupations will be exempt from the Tier 2 (General) cap, and at the same time the government will update the immigration rules on 180-day absences so that researchers conducting fieldwork overseas are not penalised if they apply to settle
Aamir Khan's special message for his fans this election season!
Aamir Khan, who turned 54 today, decided to send a special message for his fans in which he urged them to cast their vote in the upcoming elections. As part of an annual tradition, the actor kick started his special day by cutting a cake with wife Kiran Rao and media. Later during a small interactive session, Amir Khan spoke about the importance of Voting in a democracy."Since it's the election year, I wish the people of India. The biggest democracy should go and vote. They should go and vote. They should all vote and make the elections a success," the actor said.When asked if he will support BJP this election season, he said, "No, I don't promote any political party."Speaking about one of the major issues that arise during the elections, Aamir requested election commission to make provision for people working and staying abroad to vote."There are a lot of people who live/work outside of India and wish to vote, but they can't. Or many people who are unwell and can't reach the ballot, .
Wing Commander Abhinandan's debriefing ends, to go on sick leave for few weeks: IAF sources
The debriefing of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has been completed by the Indian Air Force (IAF) and other agencies, according to sources.A medical review board in the near future will assess the medical fitness of the Wing Commander and decide when he can resume his operations as a fighter pilot, sources said.They added that Wing Commander Varthaman will now go on sick leave for a few weeks on the advice of doctors of Army's Research and Referral Hospital.He was chasing Pakistani jets with a MiG -21 Bison fighter plane in Jammu and Kashmir on February 27 and crossed over to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) where his aircraft was shot down during the fierce dogfight.He ejected safely and was taken into custody by the Pakistan Army when his parachute drifted and fell inside the PoK. He was released on March 1 after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on February 28 announced to release him as "a peace gesture".Earlier sources said that Wing Commander Varthaman had informed the top .
China blocking proposal on Masood Azhar, a failure of 'jhula' diplomacy: Owaisi
Unable to get Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar listed as a global terrorist at United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is a failure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Jhula diplomacy", said AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday Owaisi said that while China was refusing to cooperate in blacklisting the terrorist, the Modi government placed an order of Rs 630 crore to buy bullet-proof vests from China. "China is not ready to cooperate with India to declare JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist at UNSC, but we as a country place an order of Rs 630 crore for bulletproof vests," he said."Why did India gave the order only to China, can't we get them from any other country, why only China? Modi should answer to the nation. This is a failure of Narendra Modi's Jhula diplomacy," he added. For the fourth time in the last ten years, China on Wednesday blocked a proposal by the US, the UK and France, among others, to enlist Pakistan-based Azhar as a global terrorist at the UNSC.He
NCP releases first list of 12 candidates
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday released its first list of 12 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, including one of ally Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana and one from Lakshadweep Islands.
UK MPs to vote on delaying Brexit
British MPs will vote on Thursday whether the government should ask the EU for permission to delay the country's withdrawal from the bloc amid an intense week of parliamentary ballots.
'Modi factor will play decisive role in Lok Sabha poll in
Claiming that the Narendra Modi factor has not ebbed, political analysts said it would play a decisive role in the coming Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka. "In 2014, if any state in India that Modi factor has played itself out it has been Karnataka. Six out of 10 voters had voted for Modi then. Nationally, the number was 3 out of 10. This Lok Sabha election too, Modi factor will play a decisive role," Political scientist Sandeep Shastri said. Apart from Modi factor, JDS-Congress arithmetic and their political chemistry on ground level would play a decisive role in the elections, given the old rivalry between JDS and Congress in Mysuru region, he told PTI. "The alliance arithmetic seems to favour Congress and JDS combine, but it has to be seen whether their party workers and supporters accept the alliance at the ground level, especially in old Mysuru region. They have been rivals for the last two decades," he said. Shastri pointed out that the bickerings between the ...
Nehru committed original mistake on China: Jaitley
Under attack from the Congress for its failure to yet again designate JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, the government fielded Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for its defence who alleged that the original mistake, not only on Kashmir but also on China, was committed by Jawaharlal Nehru.
Senior EC officials to visit West Bengal, Assam, Tripura and Manipur soon
A high-level team of the Election Commission led by a deputy election commissioner will be in West Bengal, Assam, Tripura and Manipur in the coming days to assess poll preparedness, official sources said Thursday. The decision to send Deputy Election Commissioner Sudip Jain comes a day after the BJP urged the poll watchdog to declare West Bengal a "super sensitive state". Jain will lead the team to West Bengal on Saturday, Tripura on Sunday, Assam on Monday and Manipur on Tuesday to assess election preparedness in the four states. While Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal are spread across all the seven phases, they will be held in two phases each in Tripura and Manipur and three in Assam. The sources in the poll panel said that the chief electoral officer of West Bengal has also been asked to file a report on the actual ground situation. The BJP had on Wednesday also demanded that central forces be deployed at all polling stations in the state. Briefing the media after meeting EC ...