Page 134 - Politics
2 people arrested in Nepal for showing black flags to PM Oli
Two Newar activists have been arrested in Nepal for showing black flags to Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli during an anti-government protest held here to demand scrapping of a controversial bill seeking to interfere with a centuries-old trust system integral to the Himalayan nation's cultural heritage. The K P Sharma Oli-led Communist Party government tabled the Guthi Bill in Parliament last week to amend the Guthi Act and nationalise both public and private guthis or trusts and regulate all religious sites under a powerful commission. Fearing that the government's move could jeopardise Sanatan Hindu tradition, the ethnic Newar community staged week-long protests demanding scrapping of the bill. Following intense protests, the Nepal government Tuesday withdrew the controversial bill from Parliament, but the protestors are demanding scrapping of the bill. Thousands of protestors - including Guthiyars or trustees, cultural experts, social activists, civil society leaders and people from ..
Assam: Gaurav Gogoi writes to centre over transportation of elephants to Gujarat
Gaurav Gogoi, Member of Parliament of Indian National Congress from Kaliabor in Assam, has sought centre's help to prevent the transportation of four juvenile elephants from Assam to Gujarat.Gogoi wrote a letter to Prakash Javdekar, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change expressing his concerns over the transportation of four elephants from Assam to Ahmedabad."I am concerned over the media reports that the Assam Government is transporting four elephants for the Jagannath Rath Yatra to Ahmedabad", Gogoi said in his letter.Expressing his concerns over the safety of these endangered species he stated in his letter, "Transport of animals is always risk prone. Many wildlife activists have opposed the decision of the State Government. India is facing severe heatwave at the moment. Roughly half of the country is struggling through its worst drought in six decades".Requesting the centre to take immediate action on the matter, Gogoi said, "Therefore, I request the Central ...
Defection of RS MPs: Crises not new to TDP, says Chandrababu
As four of his party Rajya Sabha MPs joined the BJP, Telugu Desam Party President N Chandrababu Naidu Thursday said such crises were not new to the party. Taking stock of the situation, Naidu, who is vacationing in Europe, spoke to a couple of senior party leaders here over phone, party sources said. Naidu enquired about the rebellion and told the leaders that such crises were not new to TDP, they said. TDP fought with the BJP only for securing the state's interests, the sources quoted him as having said. In a jolt to the TDP, four of its six Rajya Sabha members submitted a petition to the Upper House Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu seeking merger with the BJP and later joined the saffron party in New Delhi.
Will discuss with parties on how to deal with disruptions: LS Speaker
Making his intentions clear on dealing with disruptions, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Thursday said he will hold discussions with all parties to address the issue. He also said that members should not hold placards and come to the well of the house. "Members should not hold placards and come to the well of the house... Such actions have dealt a blow to Parliament's dignity. It should not be done. There are various other ways for members to convey their message," Birla, who was on Wednesday elected as speaker of the Lok Sabha unanimously, told PTI. "I will talk to all parties and discuss with them that what action can be taken against those who repeatedly show placards in the house and come to the well. Such actions of the members show Lok Sabha in poor light," he said. On the issue of disruptions, he said he will hold deliberations with all parties to decide what action can be taken against those members who indulge in such act. Birla held his first all-party meeting on Thursday after ..
Amarnath Yatra will be made successful with people's co-operation, says J-K Governor Malik
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Thursday said that Amarnath Yatra is a symbol of Kashmiriyat and would be made successful with the cooperation of the people of the state."Amarnath Yatra is a symbol of Kashmiriyat. It was and will be made successful with the cooperation of the people of Kashmir. I appeal to all here for the success of Yatra. Hurriyat leaders have said that this Yatra should be successfully conducted," he told ANI.On being asked about the role of the state police in fighting terror-related activities in the Valley, Malik said: "Our state police is one of the best in the country. They have sacrificed a lot during their fight against terrorism. Whatever honour we bestow on them is less."The 46-day-long Amarnath Yatra will begin on July 1 and would conclude on August 15.
Punjab urges Meghalaya to ensure 'early, amicable resolution' on Sikh settlers issue
Punjab government on Thursday urged Meghalaya to ensure "early and amicable one-time resolution" to the issue of Sikh settlers.A high-level Punjab delegation visiting Shillong has also requested for the formation of the High Powered Committee (HPC) by the Meghalayan government on the issue should take into account "all genuine concerns" of the Sikh families before reaching any conclusion.The delegation was sent by Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh after reports surfaced that the Punjabis settled in Meghalaya have received "threats" from local terrorist organisations, which warned them of dire consequences if they resisted the state government's attempts to evict them.The delegation, headed by Punjab Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was sent to assess the ground situation in the wake of threats.They also handed Amarinder's letter to his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma and the state home minister James K Sangma.The delegation also warned that any arbitrary action taken
UDF alleges graft in raw cashew purchase, seeks probe
The opposition Congress-led UDF Thursday demanded a vigilance inquiry into the alleged corruption and irregularities into the import of raw cashew nuts by the state-run department and staged a walkout as the Left government refused their demand. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala alleged that there were large-scale irregularities in the purchase of cashew by the Kerala Cashew Board and corruption in the functioning of the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation limited and the Kerala State Cashew Workers Apex Industrial Co-operative Society (CAPEX). The CPI(M)-led LDF government had purchased raw cashew from Mozambique, a south-east African country. "Low quality cashew, lying dumped in godowns, was bought by the state. There was corruption behind import of unwanted cashew. Besides, it had taken two more months to bring the consignment to Kerala from Mozambique. By this time, the price of cashew had crashed in the international market," he said. Though the CAPEX ...
Any ordinance to facilitate Ram temple construction will be challenged in SC: BMAC
Amid talks of taking an ordinance rout to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Babri Masjid Action Committee Thursday said it would challenge any such move in the Supreme Court. "After the statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there seems to be no possibility of promulgating an ordinance by the Centre. But, if any such action is initiated by the government, the Committee will challenge the move in the Supreme Court to restore status quo," said BMAC in a statement. The Committee also accused the Yogi Adityanath government of catering to the needs of the people of only a particular religion in breach of the Constitutional mandate for the government to observe secular ethos. "All religions must be respected and followers of all religions should be seen from the same point of view," it said. The committee made the statement after discussing the issue in a meeting under the chairmanship of Yaseen Ali Usmani. The Committee was briefed about the current status of the Ayodhya dispute in .
Govt succumbing to US pressure to further open India's economy: Left parties
The Left parties accused the Centre on Thursday of succumbing to the pressure exerted by the US government to further open India's economy, stating that they were opposed to the "US agenda". In a joint statement, the Left parties said the stated purpose of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to India was to push the country to further open its economy, drop the trade barriers and sell US defence equipment to India. "This visit comes in the immediate aftermath of the US' termination of India's designation as a beneficiary under the Generalised System of Preference trade programme, which allows duty-free entry for Indian products into the US and the threat to impose sanctions if India continues to purchase oil from countries like Iran and Venezuela," the statement said. Pompeo has announced his two-day visit to India on June 25-26. The Left parties further said the US administration was threatening countries across the world with new sanctions if they failed to heed to its ...
Four TDP RS members merge with BJP
In a massive blow to TDP after its decimation in the recent elections, four of its six Rajya Sabha MPs from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana merged themselves with the BJP on Thursday.Accompanied by BJP Working President J P Nadda and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Thawar Chand Gehlot, three MPs -- Y S Chowdary, C M Ramesh and T G Venkatesh -- met Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu and submitted a resolution purportedly passed by the Legislature Party of Telugu Desam in the upper House where the merger decision was taken.The fourth MP, G Mohan Rao, who is from Telangana, was not part of the delegation that met Naidu as he was stated to have suffered some injury.The resolution said the Legislature Party met under the leadership of Chowdary and Deputy leader Ramesh. The TDP has six members in Rajya Sabha and three in Lok Sabha.Notably, Chowdary was a Minister of State in the Modi government before TDP parted ways with BJP last year. He is facing a CBI probe in connection with a ...
Moily mocks 'One Nation, One Election' idea, says it's like fixing human lifespan
Former Union law minister M Veerappa Moily mocked the "One Nation, One Election" idea on Thursday, saying it was akin to fixing the human lifespan. The senior Congress leader dismissed the BJP-led NDA government's push for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies as a "mere slogan" and an "eyewash" aimed at diverting people's attention from "genuine problems" such as unemployment and agrarian distress. He said state governments might fall during the term of the current Lok Sabha and wondered if those states would have to wait till the next parliamentary election if the practice of simultaneous polls came into being. Seeking to draw an analogy, Moily said simultaneous elections were like fixing the lifespan of people. "It is just like making a rule that everybody should live for 60 years. If people die earlier, what will happen then?," he asked. Moily noted that the practice of simultaneous elections was introduced during the time of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first ...
Britain suspends new Saudi arms licences linked to Yemen
The British government said on Thursday it would suspend issuing new Saudi licenses for the sale of arms that might be used in the Gulf kingdom's bombing campaign in Yemen. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox announced the decision in parliament after a British court ordered the government to "reconsider" the sales because of their humanitarian impact. "We disagree with the judgement and will seek permission to appeal," Fox said. "While we do this, we will not grant any new licenses to Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners which might be used in the conflict in Yemen." Shares in Britain's BAE Systems defence and aerospace giants lost almost three percent of their value within an hour of the government's announcement. Britain's Court of Appeal had earlier on Thursday ruled that the government broke the law by failing to properly assess whether the arms it sells to Riyadh violated its commitment to human rights. Judge Terence Etherton said the UK government "must reconsider the ...
BJP still trying to topple my govt, alleges Kumaraswamy
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Thursday alleged the BJP was continuing its efforts to 'destabilise' the Congress-JD(S) coalition government led by him, but asserted it was stable and would complete its term. He also said the challenge before him was to take the administration close to the people in a way that they should repent about their decision not to support Congress-JD(S) alliance in the Lok Sabha elections. The ruling alliance partners had fared miserably winning only one seat each and conceding 25 out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state to the BJP. An independent candidate had won in Mandya. Repeating his charge that BJP was still attempting to pull down the coalition, Kumarasamy said with its "pro-development and people-centric approach", his government would complete its term and work to make the state number one position in the country. "There is no instability to this government, it is stable. But some section of leaders wanted to create ...
J-K: Chargesheet filed against LeT terrorist
The Jammu and Kashmir police on Thursday filed a chargesheet in the case pertaining to arrest of a LeT terrorist, Zubair Shabir Bhat, who was involved in a conspiracy to launch a grenade attack on security forces in Ganderbal last year.Bhat was arrested in a joint operation by forces in December last year after the planned attack was foiled."During preliminary investigation, the accused revealed that the grenade carried by him was given by a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist named Owais Malik with the instructions to lob it on security forces for weapon snatching in Ganderbal district," police said in a statement."After conclusion of the investigation, chargesheet was filed before a special court in Srinagar under relevant sections of law by police after obtaining necessary government sanction for prosecution," police added.
Nepal Army chief meets China's Def Min; discusses plans to upgrade military ties
Nepal Army chief General Purna Chandra Thapa on Thursday met China's Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe and discussed plans to upgrade the military ties between the two neighbouring countries. Thapa is on a week-long official tour to China. He arrived here on June 16 on the invitation of China's Peoples Liberation Army. During the meeting, Wei said recent years have seen continuous advancement of the China-Nepal comprehensive cooperative partnership with ever-lasting friendship under the guidance of the leaders of both countries, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. China highly appreciates Nepal's firm adherence to the "one China" policy, he said, apparently referring to the Tibet and Taiwan issues. Beijing has been investing heavily in the land-locked Himalayan nation in recent years, rapidly increasing infrastructure connectivity with the rail and road links. Nepal also signed a transit treaty with China to use Chinese ports for its foreign trade in a bid to reduce dependence on
India refutes Pak media reports on resumption of talks
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written a letter to his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan earlier this month responding to his congratulatory message but India on Thursday rejected Pakistani media reports that claimed that Modi has proposed talks with the neighbouring country."We have seen the mentality of distorting facts in Pakistan media in this case, like how they distorted this simple straight-forward letter. The letter says that India wants to maintain cooperative relations with all nations in South Asia," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Thursday."The letter said that a terror and violence-free environment is necessary for normal and cooperative relationship with the countries. We only reiterated our stand in the letter. There was nothing in that letter that spoke about "talks" (between India and Pakistan)," he said on the contents of Modi's letter to Khan.In a letter to Modi congratulating him on his second term as the prime minister of India, ...
Can seek disqualification of other rebel MLAs too: AAP
Days after the AAP approached the Delhi Assembly Speaker seeking disqualification of its two rebel MLAs, the ruling party in the national capital Thursday said it can take similiar action against its other rebel legislators. The AAP had on June 10 moved a petition in the Delhi Assembly and sought disqualification of its two rebel MLAs -- Anil Bajpai from Bijwasan seat and Devinder Sehrawat from Gandhi Nagar -- who had been openly critical of the party and had joined the BJP on May 3 and May 6 respectively. Saurabh Bhardwaj, the spokesperson of the Aam Aadmi Party said the outfit was expecting the two MLAs to quit "legally and morally", but since that did not happen, it decided to move the petition against them. He further said, "Action can be taken against other rebel MLAs too and till now action has been taken against these two." The two other MLAs who can be on party's radar are Chandni Chowk MLA Alka Lamba and Karawal Nagar MLA Kapil Mishra as both of them have been vocal against ..
Rahul says party will decide his successor, not him
As speculation continues on his next steps following his resignation as party chief, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said his party will decide on who his successor will be and not him. He said he is not the person to take a decision on his successor, even as he denied reports that he had given his nod to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to lead the party in his place. "I am not the one who will appoint the party president," Gandhi told reporters when asked on who would be his successor after he resigned. On reports claiming that Gehlot will be his successor and he has given his approval for the same, he said, "No such thing." Gandhi is adamant on stepping down as party president following the party's debacle in the elections, but the CWC, the highest decision making body of the Congress, has rejected his offer to resign and asked him to restructure the party at all levels. Responding to a question about Rafale finding a mention in President Ram Nath Kovind's address .
Our goal is to empower every person: Kovind, also says simultaneous polls "need of the hour"
Laying the roadmap of the Narendra Modi government for its second term, President Ram Nath Kovind Thursday said empowering every person is the main goal for a 'New India' by 2022 on the back of a "stronger mandate" for continuing uninterrupted the journey of development started in 2014. As he highlighted the Modi government's achievements and priorities in an hour-long address to the joint sitting of Parliament, Kovind also pushed for simultaneous elections, saying it is the "need of the hour." Asserting that the government was moving ahead to create a "strong, secure and inclusive" India, the president said national security was paramount for the government and touched upon surgical strikes and air strikes on Pakistan-based terror camps. Kovind also underlined the government's resolve to remove "social evils" of triple talaq and 'nikah halala' to ensure equal rights for women, take forward the campaign against black money at a faster pace and make the zero tolerance policy against ..
BJP govt has record of raising high expectations, not delivering anything: Cong
The Congress alleged on Thursday that the BJP-led government had a record of raising high expectations by making tall promises but not delivering anything and the president's address to a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament was the prime example of "a lot of intent founded upon sheer inaction". Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the unwritten convention of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government was "action not matching its words". "BJP Government's record is raise high expectations, tall promises and zero sum delivery. Presidential address is the prime example of a lot of intent founded upon sheer inaction. The unwritten convention in BJP government is 'action not matching with its words'," he said on Twitter. Pointing out that 74 jawans were killed in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 alone and 10 jawans had sacrificed their lives over the last one week, Surjewala said national security was in peril and accused the Union home ministry and intelligence agencies of .