Page 1348 - Politics
Hardik Patel joins Congress; praises Rahul, attacks Modi
Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel on Tuesday joined the Congress in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Justifying his decision to enter active politics ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Patel said he could now work for the six crore people of Gujarat in a better way. After joining the Congress at its rally near Adalaj village in Gandhinagar district, Hardik in his address asked the gathering if it was the right decision. To this, the people said, "Yes". Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Patel said when the Congress decided to postpone its rally, earlier scheduled for February 28, following the terror attack in Pulwama last month, the PM was busy addressing gatherings across the country. The 25-year-old Patidar leader praised Rahul Gandhi, saying the Congress president is "honest". "People ask me why I chose the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. I chose Rahul Gandhi because he is honest. He does not believe in working like .
NSA Ajit Doval blamed BJP govt for Masood Azhar's release, claims Cong
Training its guns on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trusted security adviser, the Congress on Tuesday cited Ajit Doval's published comments in a 2010 interview in which he justified the release of JeM chief Masood Azhar by asserting that the most-wanted terrorist didn't even know how to make a bomb or shoot straight. Congress president Rahul Gandhi also ridiculed Doval by saying that he had escorted Azhar -- who was in an Indian jail and released in the IC 814 hijacking episode -- to Kandahar in a "special aircraft" in 1999. Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala quoted Doval as saying in an interview to a think-tank that Azhar did know how to fabricate an IED and that he was not a marksman. The Congress leader said Doval also saluted the real "nationalistic policy" of the Congress-UPA to tackle terror. The Manmohan Singh government came out with a categorical policy on hijacking, stating that there would be no concession and no talks in such cases, Surjewala added. The
Priyanka slams Modi govt for unkept promises, spread of hatred
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Tuesday targeted the Modi government over "unfulfilled" promises and "destruction" of institutions and said she was saddened by what was happening in the country. Addressing her first political rally in Gujarat after assuming charge as Congress general secretary in early February, she advised people to be vigilant, treat their vote as a "weapon" and ask right questions. "Our institutions are being destroyed. Wherever you see, hatred is being spread. "Nothing matters more to us that you and I protect this nation, work for it and move forward together," the Congress leader said. "I am saddened by what is happening in our country today. I want you all to be more aware. That is the best sign of patriotism. "Your vote is your weapon. You are not supposed to harm someone with that weapon. But it will make you stronger," she said. Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi were present at the rally near ...
Kashmir tarde bodies terms NIA summons to Mirwaiz 'interference in religious affairs'
Various business and trade bodies in Kashmir Tuesday flayed the NIA summons to moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq saying it is a direct interference in our religious affairs. They hit out at the government terming the NIA move as "brazen attempts at politicization of the situation in Kashmir. Addressing a joint press conference of various trade and business organizations at Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) head office here, KCCI vice-president Abdul Hamid Mir said there was repeated harassment of leaders, institutions and organisations in Kashmir. "Socio-religious institutions are a part of our history and culture. Their role in upliftment of the poor, supporting orphans and imparting education and Islamic values to a majority of the population is unparalleled," he said. "Any attempt to weaken these institutions and their leaders by making motivated accusations is being seen as an direct interference in our religious affairs, he added. Mir said ...
AAP will fight and win Lok Sabha polls on its own: Kejriwal
Ruling out any alliance with the Congress, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday announced that his party will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on its own and hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not fulfilling BJP's electoral promise of granting full statehood to Delhi. Asserting that the upcoming polls will be fought on the issue of full statehood, Kejriwal criticised Modi for not fulfilling this promise as mentioned in BJP's 2014 manifesto. "It amounts to cheating. They [BJP] should come clean," Kejriwal said. "The ongoing general elections are also a part of the mass movement for full statehood for Delhi. 'BJP had no intention of giving Delhi full statehood. Prime Minister Modi needs to give an explanations as to why he did not fulfil his promise," the chief minister said, adding that his party plans to go full throttle over this issue in the coming days. Kejriwal claimed that both Congress and BJP are against granting full statehood to Delhi. Addressing the media from
PM Modi exploiting national security issue to divert attention from failures: Cong
The Congress on Tuesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "cynically exploiting" the issue of national security to divert attention from his "colossal failures" and "persistent falsehoods". The strong attack on the prime minister came in a party resolution passed at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) which was chaired by party president Rahul Gandhi and attended by all senior leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. "Congress party expresses its strong disappointment that the prime minister is cynically exploiting the issue of national security, on which we are all united, to divert attention from his colossal failures, bogus claims and persistent falsehoods," the resolution passed by the CWC said. The CWC sends a "stern and unequivocal" message to India's enemies that the country stands united and resolute as one to confront and defeat their nefarious agenda, it said. India is a resilient democracy, proud .
SAD fields ex-SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur from Khadoor Sahib
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal announced on Tuesday the party's first candidate for the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab. "The first ticket of the SAD for the parliamentary elections from the Khadoor Sahib seat is given to Bibi Jagir Kaur," Badal said at a public meeting in Tarn Taran district. Kaur was acquitted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court last December in a case of forcible abortion and abduction of her daughter, Harpreet Kaur, who had died under mysterious circumstances in April 2000. She had to resign as a minister in the Akali-BJP government in 2012 when a CBI court had sentenced her and three others to five years imprisonment. Kaur was an MLA from the Bholath assembly seat in Kapurthala district and the two-time chief of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). Khadoor Sahib has been the citadel of the Akali Dal, where rebel Akali leader Ranjit Singh Brahmpura is the sitting MP. Brahmpura and two veteran Akali leaders -- former MP Rattan ...
Some people writing blogs in Bapu's name for 'political advantage': Cong leader Ahmed Patel
Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote a blog post to mark the 89th anniversary of the Dandi March, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel Tuesday said some people are writing blogs in Mahatma Gandhi's name for "political advantage". In the blog post, Modi said Mahatma Gandhi "taught us to think of the plight of the poorest person" and "we have seen and thought about how our work impacts that person." The prime minister targeted the Congress and said the "anti-thesis" of Gandhian thought is the opposition party's culture. "Following truth and religion, 89 years ago, Bapu had embarked on the Dandi March," Patel said. "For the past 5 years, some people are writing blogs in the name of Bapu for political advantage, but I would like to remind them that when the march was being undertaken, their teachers had opposed it," he said. The prime minister, in his post, said that while Mahatma Gandhi did not believe in inequality and caste divisions, "sadly, the Congress has never hesitated ..
Elect those who will ensure J&K's voice is heard in Parliament: Abdullah
National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah urged the people of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday to elect those leaders in the upcoming general election who would ensure that their voice was heard in Parliament. "Now that the trumpet of the Lok Sabha polls has been blown, the NC is all geared up. The people of the state want a credible voice to represent their aspirations in the topmost House of the country. Our party is the only credible voice of all the regions of Jammu and Kashmir," Abdullah said, while interacting with party workers from various parts of the valley. The Lok Sabha member from Srinagar hit out at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying it had unleashed "countless miseries" on the people of the state. "The people of Kashmir will remember the PDP for unleashing countless miseries on the state and its people," he said. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said the PDP, notwithstanding its "pretentious" anti-BJP campaign, joined hands with the saffron party
Congress' Central Election Committee to meet on March 14
The meeting of the Central Election Committee of Congress party will be held at the residence of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi here on Thursday (March 14).Congress president Rahul Gandhi today chaired a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's highest decision-making body, in Ahmedabad.Present at the meeting were UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra among others.The Election Commission of India (ECI) had on Sunday announced the schedule for the 17th Lok Sabha election, which will be held in seven phases beginning April 11.The final phase of voting will take place on May 19, and counting of votes will be done on May 23.
Tea stall in Pakistan depicts Wg Cdr Abhinandan as harbinger of friendship
Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman seems to have carved a niche for himself in the hearts of many people in Pakistan, who love to portray him as the harbinger of friendship.A tea stall somewhere in the country has put up a banner with an image of Wing Commander Varthaman, sipping team, and the text on the banner in Urdu reads: "Aisi Chai Ki Dushman Ko Bhi Dost Banaye."The banner has been shared by a Twitterer named Omar Farooq. "Somewhere at a Pakistani tea stall, a banner with Abhinandan's photo reads-'Aisi chai ki dushman ko bhi dost banaye," the user posted on his Twitter handle along with the photograph of the banner.The image of Wing Commander Varthaman visibly shows him as calm, confident and determined.Wing Commander Varthaman 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
MIT SOG, Pune creates better leaders for future generations
The MIT-WPU School of Government (SOG) recently announced its two-year postgraduate degree program in Political Leadership and Government."The wellbeing of a nation depends largely on its future generation. Through this program, we seek to provide knowledge and skills in the areas of political processes, systems, foreign policy, political economy, public policy, constitution, and constituency development and election management, amongst many other focus areas in politics. Students having completed this program would be able to understand the dynamics of Indian politics and get a holistic training of politics and governance," said Dr S S Haridas, Associate Director, MITSOG. The world has begun to view India as the next global superpower in the making. Programs such as this become critical in order to channelize the energy of the youth and develop the future talent pipeline by equipping them with leadership skills and knowledge so as to be able to run the nation efficiently.This ...
Protesters demand immediate exit of Algerian President
Celebrating Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's decision to withdraw from the upcoming elections, protesters here demanded Bouteflika's immediate resignation from the post.Protesters took to the streets on Monday night (local time) to celebrate the decision, with one demonstrator telling Al Jazeera: "The protests have paid off. This is a small victory of the Algerian people over the regime."Mass protests against Bouteflika's previously planned fifth Presidential run rocked the African nation for weeks."There will be no fifth term. There was never any question of it for me. Given my state of health and age, my last duty towards the Algerian people was always contributing to the foundation of a new Republic," the 82-year-old President, who has ruled Algeria since 1999, stated.While announcing his decision, the Algerian President postponed the elections, originally scheduled for April 18, indefinitely.He also stated that an inclusive and independent conference will be overseeing ...
SC seeks ECI's response on names included in voters' list but excluded from Assam NRC
The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to clarify about the action that will be taken with regard to the names of the persons reflecting in the electoral roll but not in the Assam National Register for Citizens (NRC) to be published on July 31.A bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi has also asked the EC to furnish details by March 28 about the addition and deletion of names in the electoral roll between January 1, 2018, and January 1, 2019.The EC Secretary, appearing before the bench, told the apex court that the Commission has not deleted any names from the voters' list on the basis of the draft NRC.The court was hearing a plea contending that lakhs of voters in Assam could be deprived of voting in the ensuing General Elections because of uncertainty arising out of the finalization of the NRC.The apex court had last week summoned the Election Commission Secretary and asked him to be present on March 12 to respond to its queries.One Gopal Seth had ...
Will win 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi without Congress, says Arvind Kejriwal
A day after Congress ruled out any alliance with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that it will win all seven seats in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.Kejriwal told media, "We are getting information through media (about no alliance). Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit giving statements that Congress will not forge any alliance in Delhi. As per our internal survey, all seven AAP contestants are winning, without Congress. We don't have any indication or message from Congress regarding the alliance."However, Congress president Rahul Gandhi made it clear yesterday that his party will have no alliance with AAP in Delhi as he told party cadres to work to ensure victory at all the seats at stake in the national capital."I want to tell all Congress party booth workers that now it's up to you. You have to win all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. Tell people that the Congress is the only party that can change Delhi and entire India," Rahul said while ...
Nation stands as one on national issues, pol discourse has deteriorated : Congress
In an obvious message to Pakistan, Congress on Tuesday said the country stands as one on national issues even during the election time but slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the political discourse has witnessed "bitterness and deterioration" because of him.Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the Congress Working Group (CWC), the highest decision-making body of the party here, senior leader Anand Sharma alleged that Prime Minister was "playing with the sentiments of the people" just for votes.The CWC meeting, which was significantly held in Modi's home state Gujarat, also adopted a political resolution, which said there was an atmosphere of "fear" and "insecurity" in the country and that "deliberate attacks" were being made against Constitutional and safeguards for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs and minorities. The meeting sent out an "unequivocal message to India's enemies", saying the country stands united in defeating their nefarious ...
Maharashtra Congressman's son joins BJP
The Congress suffered a massive jolt after Sujay Vikhe-Patil, son of the leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, on Tuesday joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Democracy in J&K made captive to whims of rulers: NPP
Accusing the BJP-led government at the Centre of delaying assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, National Panthers Party Tuesday said the denial of democratic rights to people could prove counterproductive. NPP chairman Harsh Dev Singh rued that the assembly elections was deferred in Jammu and Kashmir on "flimsy excuses" of security constraints. "Union Ministry of Home Affairs which had assured to provide adequate security for simultaneous polls took a U-turn at the eleventh hour only for political reasons," Singh, a former state minister, told reporters here. Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "repeated" calls to hold simultaneous polls across the nation, he said the Centre went back on its promises and failed to implement even the prime minister's declaration despite consensus amongst all political parties in the state over the issue. Reiterating the need for early elections to the state assembly, Singh said the delaying it not only amounted to subversion of democracy but also ..
Odisha Police prepare security plan for VVIP poll campaigns
Odisha Police have drawn up fullproof security plans to ensure the security of VVIPs who are expected to visit the state for campaigning in the run-up to the four-phase simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. A high-level meeting chaired by DGP R P Sharma in Cuttack on Monday was attended by senior officers, including Special Director IB Ashok Verma and IGP, SPG, YK Jethwa. Sharma in a video conferencing with the police commissioner, Range IGs, DIGs, DCPs and SPs, asked them to strictly follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) during road shows of prominent politicians. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and several Union ministers are likely to visit the state ahead of the elections. The simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha (21 seats) and Assembly (147 seats) will be held in Odisha on April 11, 18, 23 and 29 respectively. Senior officers and experts from the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Special Protection Group (SPG) and National Security ...
Vote for Delhi's full statehood: Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday urged voters in the national capital to vote to make Delhi a full state.