Page 1331 - Politics
Sena cautions BJP over induction of leaders from oppn parties
The Shiv Sena on Tuesday asked ally BJP to be cautious while inducting leaders from opposition parties, saying doing so may pose problems in future. The remark came two after after senior Maharashtra Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil's son joined the BJP. Hitting out at opposition parties, the Sena also referred to a recent blog post of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he alleged that Congress and corruption were "synonyms". "The incoming from the Congress and NCP may be seen as beneficial today, but it can cause problems in future, we have this experience. Today, people are coming because there is power. When there is none, they will find other relations," the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'. It recalled that Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil was once a Shiv Sainik and the Sena had simultaneously given ministerial berths to him and his father in the state and central governments, respectively. "But he turned against us when our government went
J&K Assembly polls likely before Amarnath Yatra
Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections can take place ahead of the annual Amarnath Yatra that begins on July 1, state government sources said on Thursday.
No talks with Pakistan unless it acts against terror groups: Sushma Swaraj
India cannot have a dialogue with Pakistan unless the neighbouring country takes action against terror groups operating from its soil, External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj has said.Speaking at an event here, Swaraj said on Wednesday, "We do not want talk on terror, we want action on it. Terror and talks cannot go together. We are ready to engage with Pakistan in an atmosphere free from terror.""Some people say (Pakistan Prime Minister) Imran Khan is a statesman. If he is so generous then he should hand over JeM chief Masood Azhar to India. Let's see how generous he is," she said."Pakistan needs to control the ISI and its army who are bent on destroying the bilateral relations time and again," she said.Swaraj's remarks came hours before the deadline to raise objection to the listing of a proposal to declare Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Azhar as a global terrorist before the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.For the fourth time in the last ten years, China on ...
Rafale deal row: SC to hear review petition today
The Supreme Court will hear on Thursday the review petition against its December 14 order in the Rafale deal row.The government on Wednesday filed a fresh affidavit in the apex court in the Rafale case, saying that "unauthorisedly-accessed" documents related to "internal secret deliberations" had been presented in a "selective" manner to mislead the court and amounted to damaging national security.The Ministry of Defence sought dismissal of both the review petition and the miscellaneous application in the matter while contending that "it has become imperative for the Union of India to seek removal of these documents from the record of the Review Petition and Miscellaneous application filed by the petitioners".It told the court that the documents attached by the petitioners in the Rafale review case are sensitive to national security and relate to war capacity of the combat aircraft.The government said the unauthorised photocopying of such documents has "adversely affected the ...
Lok Sabha 2019: Congress leader A Manju hints at joining BJP
Hours after HD Deve Gowda announced that his grandson Prajwal Revanna will be the JD(S) candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha seat, Karnataka Congress leader A Manju hinted at joining BJP by calling an immediate meeting of his supporters, sources said.It has been speculated that Manju, who was a three-term member of the Karnataka Assembly, will contest the Lok Sabha polls from Hassan on a BJP ticket against Revanna.Hasaan is the home turf of JD(S) chief Deve Gowda.In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, JD(S) will be contesting eight seats - Hassan, Mandya, Bengaluru North, Tumakuru, Udupi-Chikkamagalur, Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada and Vijayapura. The party will back Congress candidates in the remaining 20 constituencies.Karnataka, which has 28 Lok Sabha seats, will go for polls in two phases. While 14 seats will go to the polls in phase two on April 18, the rest 14 will vote in phase three on April 23.
Gokhale evoked firm US resolve to stand against terrorism
Meeting US leaders in the wake of the Pulwama suicide attack and the regional tensions arising from it, India's Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale has evoked Washington's firm resolve to stand "shoulder-to-shoulder" with New Delhi in fighting terrorism.
Assault on minister rattles New Zealand lawmakers
A senior New Zealand government minister was assaulted in an early-morning street attack Thursday that left him with a black eye and shook up Wellington's normally laid-back political atmosphere. Green Party co-leader James Shaw was walking to the parliament building known as the Beehive when a man punched him in the face in what his office described as an unprovoked attack. While Shaw's office played down any political aspect to the assault, Trade Minister David Parker told reporters the attacker "was said to be shouting things out about the United Nations". Shaw, who is Climate Change Minister and whose party is part of the ruling centre-left coalition, was not seriously injured. His office said two members of the public helped him and he continued to parliament, attending a meeting before going to hospital for a precautionary check-up. He suffered a black eye, telling stuff.co.nz "it looks worse than it is". Police said a 47-year-old man was arrested and would appear in court ...
British MPs reject no-deal Brexit
British MPs have decisively rejected the idea of the UK leaving the European Union (EU) without a deal and clearing the way for Brexit to be delayed, inflicting more defeats on the already embattled Prime Minister Theresa May.
US affirms plan for 6 nuclear plants in India
The slow-moving US plans to set up six nuclear power plants in India have received a boost as the two nations reiterated their commitment to strengthen security and civil nuclear cooperation during the 9th India-US Strategic Security Dialogue.
JD(U) approaches Lok Sabha polls banking on "honest" and
He is honest and nice, lets go with Nitish says the new poll catchphrase coined by the Bihar chief ministers party which is seeking to reinvent itself as an ally of the NDA, the coalition which it had dumped ahead of the previous Lok Sabha elections. 'Sacha hai, acha hai, chalo Nitish ke saath' is the message of the posters released at the JD(U) state headquarters here on Wednesday. The subtext 'Sankalp hamara NDA dobara (our resolve, NDA again) is also there but relegated to a corner, in smaller fonts.' Releasing the posters, the partys national general secretary Ram Chandra Prasad Singh said "We want to convey the message to the voters that Nitish Kumar is a man who fulfils the promises he makes and does not lie." Kumar has called the shots in the party ever since it came into being a couple of decades ago but formally took over as its president only in 2016 when he relieved Sharad Yadav, now in a sulk and out of the party and struggling to find a foothold in the ...
Chhattisgarh: Cong, BJP spar over SP's transfer for not obeying minister's order
Chhattisgarh government on Wednesday transferred Sukma's Superintendent of Police (SP) Jitendra Shukla for not following state minister Kawasi Lakhma's order of transferring an inspector posted in Sukma district.The transfer of the IPS officer has now triggered a political row in the state with the BJP hitting out at the ruling Congress for its "Goonda Raj" while the latter defended the move by its minister.The state excise minister Lakhma in a February 15, 2019 dated letter directed Shukla to transfer Surendra Pambhoi from acting Thana in-charge of Phulbagdi, to thana prabhari of Tongpal.In the reply to that letter, Shukla had refused to execute the transfer, stating that it was the responsibility of the district superintendent of police to maintain the law and order and it is only his exclusive right to transfer any personnel.This incident has fuelled a war of words between the Congress party and the BJP. The BJP has hit out at the Congress government for not letting police function
Economy woes threaten to haunt Erdogan's AKP in Turkey elections
Turkey's stalling economy threatens to haunt President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AKP in local elections this month as voters stung by living costs turn against a party that built its ballot box success on the country's prosperity. With inflation in double digits, the Turkish currency weaker and the economy in recession, analysts say Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) faces a major challenge to convince voters to stick with them in the March 31 ballot. After Erdogan came to power in 2003 as premier, he was credited with helping steer the country to an economic boom that followed the 2001 financial crisis and made Turkey the new darling of emerging market investors. That outlook has changed: Turkish GDP per capita fell to USD 9,632 in 2018 from USD 10,597 in 2017 and the economy is now in recession -- its first since 2009. "The AKP is reaching the limits of its economic model. Living standards are not growing," said Berk Esen, assistant professor of international ...
US urges Muslim nations to condemn China's Xinjiang abuses
The United States has voiced disappointment at the failure of Muslim nations to jointly take a stand against China's treatment of its Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang province. "We are, I can say, disappointed about the lack of response from members of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation), and the lack of outspoken concern," said US Ambassador Kelley Currie, who heads the State Department's Office of Global Criminal Justice. Currie was speaking to reporters ahead of a US-sponsored event at UN headquarters in Geneva focused on allegations of mass-internment of Uighurs in China's restive Xinjiang province. While she applauded Turkey for its recent strong criticism of China's treatment of its Muslim minorities, she said Washington had hoped the IOC would have collectively condemned the situation in Xinjiang as it has done regarding rights abuses against Muslims in Myanmar and Syria. A statement from OIC foreign ministers earlier this month failed to reflect ...
Not rushing to have trade deal with China, says Trump
The United States is not in a rush to enter into a trade deal with China, the negotiations for which has been undergoing since December last year, US President Donald Trump said. At the same time, talks with the Chinese on a bilateral trade deal has been going on quite well, Trump said, amid reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping has postponed his trip to the US president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida later this month. "I think things are going along very well. We'll just see what the date is. I'm in no rush. I want the deal to be right, much more importantly. Somebody said I'm in a rush. I'm not in a rush at all," Trump told reporters at the White House. "Right now, we're getting billions and billions of dollars of tariffs paid into our coffers. I am not in a rush whatsoever. It's got to be the right deal, and it's got to be a good deal for us. And if it's not, we're not going to make that deal. But I will say that deal is going along very nicely," Trump said. Responding to a ...
Resolution passed to end US role in Saudi war in Yemen
The Senate on Wednesday voted a resolution to stop US military support in the Saudi Arabia-led war in Yemen, in a vote widely seen as an unprecedented rebuke of President Donald Trump's policy on the Middle East.The War Powers Resolution was passed with a final vote count of 54 to 46 with seven Republicans voting with the Democrats, CNN reported.The measure will now go to the House of Representatives, where it is expected to be passed before it goes to Trump. However, the vote puts Congress on a collision course with the US President, who is expected to veto the resolution.Supporters of the measure, on the one hand, said that the US should not be involved in the Yemen conflict "without explicit permission" from Congress. Opponents, on the other hand, argued that the US does not have "boots on the ground" and is offering noncombat technical assistance to its ally Saudi Arabia, according to CNN.Supporters made it clear that their votes were also aimed at expressing their frustrations ...
Responsible UNSC members may be forced to pursue other actions: UNSC diplomat on Masood Azhar
Outraged by China blocking for the fourth time a move to designate JeM chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist, responsible UNSC members warned they "may be forced to pursue other actions" at the Security Council if Beijing continued with this policy. "If China continues to block this designation, responsible member-states may be forced to pursue other actions at the Security Council. It shouldn't have to come to that," a Security Council diplomat told PTI in an unusual tough warning to China. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity to give a sense of the feeling of other members of the Security Council after China blocked the move to designate Azhar a global terrorist. Beijing previously put a technical hold on similar proposals at the UNSC thrice. In the aftermath of the Pulwama terrorist attack, three permanent members of Security Council the US, France and the UK had moved a resolution to designate Azhar a glocal terrorist. Except for China, which wields veto power in the ...
Human rights activists slam China for blocking JeM chief's listing as global terrorist
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, human rights activists here on Wednesday (local time) hit out at Beijing for its "predictable" veto."China has been using Pakistan as a proxy land for a long time. This is a part of a long term desire and plan by China to completely occupy land resources and state institutions of Pakistan. Pakistani policymakers are not retrospecting about possible repercussions of its implications globally," Jamil Maqsood, a political activist from PoK told ANI.He said that Chinese policy is "very damaging for international peace, regional peace and democratic aspirations of the people" in the region.Basheer Naveed, Head, International Human Rights Council, termed China's move as a "very sad situation" and "very shameful.""It was expected that China will veto it and media reports had predicted that China will veto it. It is very sad to see ...
US Senate confirms Indian-American Neomi Rao as judge of appeals court
Indian American Neomi Rao, who was under scrutiny for her previous writings on sexual assault will now be judge on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, US Senate confirmed on Wednesday.Rao is set to take over the chair vacated by US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh following his nomination by President Donald Trump for the top post in the country's highest judicial body, CNN reported.The Senate voted 53-46, with all the Republicans backing Rao's nomination and the Democrats opposing her confirmation.The 45-year-old Indian-American, who serves as Trump's "czar" overseeing regulatory rollbacks, was quizzed not only about her work in the Trump administration, but for her commentary she wrote in the past few years as a student at Yale University, when she opined that women should change their behaviour in order to avoid date rape.While some Republicans had expressed apprehensions about her nomination, Rao apologised for her past writing last month."Sexual assault in all forms, including .
Pandula Ravindra Babu who joined YSRCP dismisses rumours of return to TDP
Former TDP MP Pandula Ravindra Babu who recently joined YSRCP on Wednesday rubbished reports of his return to the N Chandrababu Naidu led party."These are all rumours, they are baseless and have no truth in it," Ravindra Babu said.Babu, who was an MP from Amalapuram in East Godavari district resigned from his post and quit TDP to join the YSRCP on February 18.As many as 25 MLAs and three MPs have quit YSR Congress Party to join TDP in the run-up to Lok Sabha elections.The YSRCP chief, Jaganmohan Reddy, is scheduled to start the election campaign with a 'bus-yatra' on Saturday from Idupulapaya. He will is also expected to announce the party's candidates on the same day.Andhra Pradesh will hold simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in a single phase on April 11.
First round seat sharing talks with IPFT: Ram Madhav in Tripura
BJP general secretary Ram Madhav on Wednesday held the first round of seat sharing arrangement with alliance partner Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) for the two Lok Sabha seats in Tripura.He told media persons here, "We had the first round of discussions today, our Deputy CM (Jishnu Dev Varma) will have another round by evening or tomorrow morning and finalise electoral understanding with the IPFT."NC Debbbarma is the chief of the IPFT.BJP and IPFT had formed the government in the state last year after the Assembly polls, unseating the Left Front. IPFT has said it will contest the Lok Sabha polls in the state on its own.Voting for both the seats in Tripura will be held on April 11 and 18 respectively.The Election Commission of India on Sunday announced the dates for the Lok Sabha elections 2019. The Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19. The votes will be counted on May 23.