Page 1352 - Politics
Pelosi against Trump's impeachment, says 'he's not worth it'
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is against impeaching US President Donald Trump, because "hes just not worth it", adding that the move would be "too divisive"
Gandhi wanted Congress disbanded in 1947: Modi
On the very day when the Congress is to kick-off its 2019 Lok Sabha campaign from the Prime Minister's home turf with its Working Committee meeting in Ahmedabad, Narendra Modi took to his blog to tell the nation that it was Mahatma Gandhi who wanted to bisband the grand old party just after Independence.
Be ready to face questions over 2014 poll promises:Sena to BJP
The Shiv Sena on Tuesday said the BJP should now be prepared to face questions from people over its 2014 poll promises of peace in the Kashmir Valley and construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's radio programme, it said till now he was putting forth his 'Mann Ki Baat', but on May 23, people's "mann ki baat" will be out. Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases from April 11 till May 19, and counting of votes will be done on May 23, according to the Election Commission. "History says people cannot be fooled for long. Even people have questions, the answers to which they seek through ballot boxes," the Sena asked in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'. The BJP secured a big win in 2014, riding on the promises of peace in the Kashmir Valley and construction of Ram temple, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party noted. "However, both the issues have remained unresolved in 2019 as well. They should be ready with answers when people .
Find discussion about Ramadan, elections totally disgusting: Javed Akhtar
Veteran lyricist-screenwriter Javed Akhtar has labelled the row over Ramadan dates coinciding with the Lok Sabha election schedule as "totally disgusting" and urged the Election Commission (EC) not to consider the controversy even for a second.
Cong kicks off LS poll campaign from PM's home state
Top Congress leadership Tuesday paid their respect to Mahatma Gandhi at the Sabarmati Ashram here, ahead of launching the party's poll campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. Party leaders led by its chief Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former prime minister Manmohan Singh sought to give a symbolic message to the people of the country ahead of the general elections by remembering Mahatma and his ideals of non-violence and tolerance. Other party leaders like A K Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, former chief ministers Siddaramaiah, Tarun Gogoi, Harish Rawat and Oommen Chandy attended a prayer meeting at the Sabarmati Ashram. Rahul while addressing Congress booth workers in Delhi on Monday had said the upcoming general elections will be a battle between Mahatma Gandhi's India and Nathuram Godse's ...
Kalia beneficiaries will get cash transfer till March 31:
Odisha government will disburse financial assistance to farmers under the Kalia scheme till March 31, state Finance Minister S B Behere has said. "The state government will also take steps to include farmers who have been left out from the benefits of the Kalia scheme. The inclusion process will continue till March 31," Behera said on Monday. Odisha Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Kumar had on Sunday said the ongoing Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (Kalia) scheme would continue but the state government could not add more beneficiaries under it. However, Behera claimed the state government will include the farmers who have been left out from the Kalia scheme. He said about one to two per cent farmers of the state have been left out under the Kalia scheme and they will be included. The Odisha government under the Kalia scheme provide financial assistance of Rs 10,000 per family (Rs 5,000 each for the Kharif and Rabi season) to small and marginal .
Cong cites Doval's 2010 interview, says he gave 'clean chit' to JeM chief
The Congress Tuesday cited a 2010 interview of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to claim that he blamed the BJP-led government for the release of JeM chief Masood Azhar in the Kandahar hijacking episode and gave a "clean chit" to the terrorist. The scathing attack by the Congress comes a day after the BJP latched on to Rahul Gandhi's reference to the Jaish-e-Mohammad's chief as "Masood Azhar ji". The opposition party had hit back, accusing its rival of deliberately twisting Gandhi's comments made sarcastically. "Modi government's NSA, Ajit Doval, 'spills the beans' and indicts BJP government in release of terrorist, Masood Azhar. Doval said (in the interview), 'Releasing Masood Azhar was a political decision'," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted. "Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad admit to the anti-national act now," he said in a series of tweets using the hashtag 'BJP Loves Terrorists'. Surjewala also attached a link of ...
Discussion about Ramzan and elections totally disgusting: Javed Akhtar
Veteran lyricist-screenwriter Javed Akhtar on Tuesday said that he finds the discussion about Ramzan coinciding with the Lok Sabha elections "totally disgusting".The statement from Akhtar, who has been conferred the Padma Shree and Padma Bhushan awards besides the Sahitya Akademi Award, came after a controversy erupted over holding the ensuing general elections during the holy month of Ramzan.Logging onto Twitter, he said, "I find this whole discussion about Ramzan and elections totally disgusting. This is the kind of distorted and convoluted version of secularism that to me is repulsive, revolting and intolerable. EC (Election Commission) should not consider it for a second."The Election Commission had on Sunday 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 held on May 23.Ramzan is likely to start in India around May 5 depending on the sighting of the moon .
LS polls: Nearly 180 rallies chalked out for Rahul Gandhi
Nearly 180 rallies across the country have been chalked out for Congress president Rahul Gandhi during the Lok Sabha poll campaign, party sources said on Tuesday.The rallies have been planned by the party's state units and the general secretaries concerned, the sources said.Congress is also preparing a list of seats on "winnability" basis, they said.The seats with "higher grades of winnability' will be given "war rooms" and additional teams, the sources said.They said that factions in the state units continue to be a key challenge before the party and the issue will come up for discussion at the time of sealing regional alliances and deciding seat sharing.The party will also put greater emphasis on social media in its campaign strategy, the sources said.A special video team will be formed to take on the Narendra Modi government on issues such as "curtailing of freedom, institutional independence, besides women safety", they added.
Pompeo asks India to join boycott of Venezuelan oil
The US, which has launched an all-out diplomatic and economic campaign against the Nicolas Maduro government of Venezuela, has asked India to join the oil boycott, according to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.
US stands with India on fighting terrorism, Pompeo tells Gokhale
The US stands with India in fighting terrorism, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo told Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale during their discussions on the "urgency" of Pakistan taking action against terror groups, according to an official.
US to pull all remaining diplomatic personnel from Venezuela
The United States will withdraw its remaining diplomatic staff from the embassy in Caracas as the crisis in Venezuela worsens, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said late Monday. "This decision reflects the deteriorating situation in #Venezuela as well as the conclusion that the presence of US diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on US policy," Pompeo wrote on Twitter.
US threatens Germany against using Huawei 5G tech
US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell has sent a letter to the German government threatening to curtail access to American intelligence if Berlin decides to issue contracts to Chinese tech giant Huawei to build their 5G communications networks, the media reported.
Assam: 'Run for Vote' campaign held to create awareness among first-time voters
The Chief Electoral Officer of Assam along with the Kamrup (M) administration organised a 'Run for Vote' campaign here on Monday to raise awareness among first-time voters.The campaign was organised at Latasil Field.This comes after the Election Commission of India (ECI) 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. The counting of votes will be held on May 23.Announcing the election schedule, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora said, "The phase two polling will be on April 18, third phase on April 23, fourth phase on April 29, fifth phase on May 6, sixth phase on May 12, and the phase seven polling will take place on May 19.
EVMs can't be hacked or manipulated: Ex-CEC
Former Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla has given a thumbs up to the EVMs to be used in the upcoming general elections, arguing that the equipment cannot be hacked or manipulated as they are not accessible through external machines and are kept under the surveillance of senior government officials.
Jeb Bush super PAC, Chinese company fined for US poll campaign violations
America's federal election commission has imposed a record fine on a Chinese-owned company and a super PAC of the former presidential aspirant Jeb Bush for alleged campaign finance violations, a watchdog that had filed a complaint in this regard said Monday. Following a complaint by Campaign Legal Center or CLC, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) fined American Pacific International Capital, Inc. (APIC) USD 550,000 for violating the foreign national contribution ban. It also fined the pro-Jeb Bush super political action commitee (PAC) "Right to Rise" with USD 390,000 for soliciting a foreign national contribution, the CLC said. Jeb Bush is former Governor of Florida and 2016 Republican presidential candidate. CLC's complaint cites the bombshell report by The Intercept in August 2016 that laid out smoking-gun evidence of the violation: the president of the Chinese-owned, California-based corporation admitted that he directed the corporation's contributions, which totaled USD 1.3 ...
No date set for Trump-Xi summit; trade negotiations on: White House
No date has been set yet for a summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the White House said on Monday noting that the trade negotiations between the two countries still continues. "In terms of whether or not we have a date set, not yet. We're continuing the negotiations with China. When we have an announcement for the two leaders to sit down, we'll certainly let you know," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters at her news conference. She was responding to questions on reports that a summit meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in the US state of Florida has been put off as China considers the US President as "unreliable" in view of him walking away from talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Sanders ridiculed such a view. "I would say that's absurd. The President is going to make a deal if it's a good deal. He's going to make a deal if it's in the best interest of America. If he doesn't feel like it's a good ...
UN probing North Korea sanctions violations in 20 countries
UN experts say they are investigating possible violations of United Nations sanctions on North Korea in about 20 countries, from alleged clandestine nuclear procurement in China to arms brokering in Syria and military cooperation with Iran, Libya and Sudan. The expert panel's 66-page report to the Security Council, obtained Monday by The Associated Press, also detailed the appearance in North Korea of a Rolls-Royce Phantom, Mercedes-Benz limousines and Lexus LX 570 all-wheel drive luxury vehicles in violation of a ban on luxury goods. And it noted a trend in North Korea's evasion of financial sanctions "of using cyberattacks to illegally force the transfer of funds from financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges." The report's executive summary, which was obtained in early February, said North Korea's nuclear and missile programs "remain intact" and its leaders are dispersing missile assembly and testing facilities to prevent "decapitation" strikes. The full report said "the .
K.Sarveswara Rao was strategically murdered for political gain: Kothapalli Geetha
Former YSRCP leader and Araku MP Kothapalli Geetha on Monday alleged that TDP MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao was not killed, but was strategically murdered for political interest.She told ANI, "It was an organized murder. There is a political motive behind this. I don't think this is just a maoist murder."Rao was allegedly killed by Maoists in September last year.Elaborating upon her strategy for the upcoming general and assembly elections she stated, "I had problems with the YSCRCP so I detached myself from it and have been working on my own for the last four years. In August I launched my party called the Jan Jagriti Party. We are going to contest for all 175 seats in the state assembly and 25 in Lok Sabha polls. We have got a mic symbol, through the mic we would like to raise the voice of the common people."Hitting out at Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and the YSRCP chief Jaganmohan Reddy she added, "Reddy and Naidu are corrupt, even though they accuse each other of being corrupt
Telangana Cong accuses EC of not taking action against state ministers violating MCC
Congress leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy on Monday alleged that the Telangana Election Commission is not taking action against state ministers, who have violated Model Code of Conduct.Reddy alleged that despite submitting enough proof with the EC, it has failed to initiate action against the defaulting ministers.Reddy told ANI, "Today in the meeting with Commission's CEO Rajat Kumar, we raised the issue of blatant violation of Model Code of Conduct by ruling party ministers. We have given them enough evidence last time about such violations no action was initiated. We have demanded action against police and officials who permitted them to organise programs which violate the model code of conduct. The Commission should act in a free and fair manner."The Election Commission on Sunday announced the schedule for Lok Sabha elections 2019All 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana will go to polls in a single phase on April 11, which is also the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, Chief Election ...