Page 1356 - Politics
Will form government in K'taka within 24 hours if we win 22 LS seats: Yeddyurappa
Karnataka's BJP unit president BS Yeddyurappa has claimed that they will form the government in the state within 24 hours if his party wins 22 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.Addressing a public meeting at Yaragatti village on Sunday, Yeddyurappa said, "If the people of Karnataka give us 22 seats in the coming Lok Sabha elections, we will form the government in Karnataka within 24 hours."There are 28 Lok Sabha seats at stake in Karnataka, out of which the BJP currently holds 16 seats while the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) hold 10 and 2 Lok Sabha seats, respectively.Recently, the former chief minister had said that the pre-emptive air strike carried out by the Indian Air Force targetting terror launch pads in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26 would help the BJP win 22 seats in Karnataka in the impending elections."The recent act of armed forces attacking Pakistan has turned the tide in Narendra Modi's favour, as the youth is happy after the attack. It will help us win 22 ...
EC warns parties against use of Sabarimala issue in
The Election Commission Monday warned political parties in Kerala not to use the Sabarimala temple matter as a campaign issue, drawing a sharp reaction from the BJP which termed the directive "illogical." With the poll dates being announced, Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena said "citing or invoking" religious propaganda on the "Sabarimala issue" would be a clear violation of the model code of conduct. "Inviting religious feelings, using any kind of Supreme Court judgment, invoking or soliciting the votes in the name of religion or by inciting religious feelings is a clear violation of the model code of conduct," he told reporters at Thiruvanathapuram. The CEO also said the commission would not allow any kind of violation that puts a particular political party at an advantage over another. Reacting to the directive, BJP state general secretary K Surendran said the stand taken by the state government on Sabarimala issue would be an election issue. "It is 100
Bilawal meets ailing Nawaz Sharif in Lahore jail
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at Kot Lakhpat jail on Monday.After meeting the ailing former prime minister, Bilawal informed that no settlement has been made so far for Sharif to leave the country for medical treatment.In response to a question regarding Sharif seeking to go abroad, Geo News quoted Bhutto, as saying, "I got no impression or inkling that a deal has been made. Mian Sb is upholding his principles and did not appear to be willing to make a compromise.""Mian Sb said he is ideological and wants to do ideological politics," he added, "My father spent 11 and a half years in jail and each time it was said that a deal has been struck with former president Pervez Musharraf."During his visit, Bilawal was accompanied by senior party leaders, including Qamar Zaman Kaira, Mustafa Khokhar, Hassan Murtaza and Jameel Soomro.Last week, Kaira had submitted a request to the Punjab Home Ministry on behalf of Bilawal to ..
Guj Cong MLA joins BJP, praises PM Modi's leadership
A day ahead of the Congress Working Committee meeting here, Jamnagar (Rural) MLA Vallabh Dharaviya Monday quit the party, tendered his resignation from the Gujarat Assembly and joined the BJP. Dharaviya's is the third resignation of a Congress MLA in the past four days. "Dharaviya has resigned as Jamnagar (Rural) MLA. He told me he is resigning voluntarily," Speaker Rajendra Trivedi confirmed. It was a homecoming for Dharaviya who was with the BJP earlier before switching over to the Congress ahead of the 2017 Assembly polls and winning on the opposition party's ticket. "I am originally a BJP soldier. I had worked under PM Modi and BJP president Amit Shah earlier. I am leaving Congress because of infighting. I have realised that only BJP can ensure people's well-being," he said after joining the party. "After the recent (February 26) air strikes on Pakistan (terror camp), I have realised that Modi must be re-elected as Prime Minister. The Congress does not have such ...
Choose between Mahatma's India and Godse's India: Rahul
The choice is between Mahatma Gandhi's India and Nathuram Godse's India with love on one hand and hate on the other, Congress president Rahul Gandhi told his party's booth workers here on Monday, a day after the Lok Sabha polls were announced. In an all-out attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi flayed him on a host of issues such as the Rafale deal, Doklam, employment generation, national security and the alleged agrarian distress. "You have to decide, you want Gandhi's India or Godse's India. On one hand, there is love, brotherhood, on the other is hate, fear. Gandhiji was fearless, stayed in jail for years, but spoke with the British with love, while (Veer) Savarkar wrote letters to the British apologising and asking to be let off," he said. Hitting out at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the issue of national security, the Congress chief said 40 CRPF personnel were killed in the February 14 Pulwama terror attack carried out by the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), ...
CA exams postponed due to Lok Sabha elections
The Chartered Accountants examinations have been postponed due to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the council announced on Monday. "In view of elections to the 17th Lok Sabha Parliamentary Constituencies across the country, spanning April-May 2019, the Chartered Accountants Examinations initially scheduled from May 2-17, stand rescheduled. The said examinations shall now be held from May 27, 2019 to June 12, 2019," the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) said. Lok Sabha elections will begin on April 11 and polling would be held over seven phases through May 19, followed by counting of all votes on May 23, the Election Commission announced on Sunday.
Terror funding: ED attaches J-K businessman Watali's assets
The ED has attached assets worth Rs 1.03 crore belonging to businessman Zahoor Ahmmad Watali in a money laundering case related to funding of terror organisations in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Monday. They said the agency has issued a provisional order for attachment of assets of Watali under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The Enforcement Directorate (ED) case is based on a charge sheet filed by the NIA as part of its probe against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed. Official sources, quoting the ED order, said J&K-based Watali "has been found to be involved in fund raising and as a financial conduit of Hurriyat leaders". They said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe revealed that the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and other secessionists instigate the public, especially youths, to observe strikes and issue directives to the masses to hold anti-India protests, demonstrations and processions through press releases, newspapers and ...
Around 1.39 cr voters in Delhi's electoral roll; poll body to keep eye on social media for fake news
Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ranbir Singh on Monday said around two lakh people have been added to the electoral roll in Delhi in the last two months, taking the total number of eligible voters till date to 1.39 crore. Singh, however, said nearly 90,000 voter applications are presently being processed, and asked first-time voters to apply as soon as possible to get their names enrolled in the electoral list. The number of first-time voters, aged 18-19, in the electoral roll stands at 1,58,314, he told reporters. Singh also said authorities will keep a strict vigil on social media platforms to check spread of fake news and hate speech to ensure free and fair polls, and asserted that "appropriate action" will be taken against the violators. Announcing the poll schedule here on Sunday, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora had said each of the social media platforms has created a mechanism to accept only pre-certified political advertisements ...
Navy Chief Lanba on four-day visit to UK from Tuesday
Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba will begin his four-day visit to the UK from Tuesday with an aim to further consolidate bilateral maritime ties and explore new avenues of cooperation. During the visit, Admiral Lanba is scheduled to hold talks with the Chief of Defence Staff, UK and Chief of the Naval Staff of the Royal Navy, the Indian Navy said. Admiral Lanba is also scheduled to visit the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, RN Submarine Rescue Facility at Glasgow and interact with the organisers of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo at Edinburgh. The visit of Admiral Lanba to the UK from March 12 to March 15 will consolidate existing maritime cooperation initiatives as well as explore new avenues for cooperation, the Navy said. The Indian Navy has had traditional links with the Royal Navy (RN) of the UK. With the constitution of the Indo-UK Defence Consultative Group (DCG) and the Military Sub Group (MSG) in 1995, a two-tier structure of cooperation was ...
Chiefs of Air Force, Army's eastern commands discuss security
The chiefs of the Air Force and the Army's eastern commands have held a meeting to discuss the security situation prevailing in the eastern theatre, an official said Monday. Air Marshal R D Mathur, Air Officer Commanding in Chief, Eastern Air Command, and Lt General M M Naravane, General-Officer-Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command discussed ways to enhance synergy between the two forces for conducting integrated joint operations in the command theatre. They also "deliberated upon deepening joint training and logistics in the eastern theatre as part of this process" during the meeting on Saturday at Fort William, the Army's Eastern Command headquarter, the official said. "Such interactions are important from the point of view of total synergy in all future operations," he said. Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Doklam from June 16, 2017, after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed tri-junction by the Chinese ...
Maha Congress leader's son's possible entry in BJP opposed
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis appears to be facing opposition from a section in the BJP to the possible induction of Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil's son into the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil's son Sujay has already announced he will contest from the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha constituency, currently represented by BJP MP Dilip Gandhi. Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil is also the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly. Sujay Vikhe Patil, a practising neuro surgeon in Ahmednagar, had last week met state minister and BJP leader Girish Mahajan in Mumbai, sparking rumours of his entry into the ruling party. However, Gandhi supporters do not appear enthused by Sujay Vikhe Patil's possible entry into the BJP and prospect of him contesting the next month's Lok Sabha polls. They feel if Sujay Vikhe Patil joins the BJP, he should contribute to the party's growth before given a poll ticket. At a BJP meeting here Monday, they ...
Punjab govt giving funds directly for sikhs benefit in a
The Meghalaya government on Monday took exception to its Punjab counterpart providing funds for benefit of people residing in Punjabi Lane here without informing the state government. The issue was raised in the state legislative assembly by Meghalaya's Urban Affairs department minister Hamlet Dohling. The minister informed the House that the Punjab government had sanctioned Rs 1.5 lakh for treatment of 10 sikh widows in 2015. It (Punjab government) had also sanctioned Rs 10 lakh for the construction of the Guru Nanak School at Bara Bazar in 2016, he added. "I am surprised to see that the government of Punjab has sanctioned funds directly to the East Khasi Hills district deputy commissioner (on the two counts) without informing the state government," he told the house while replying to a supplementary question raised by opposition Congress legislator from East Shillong Ampareen Lyngdoh. On the utilization of the funds, the minister said the school had submitted the ...
Russian defense ministry boasts about revived military power
The Russian military has commissioned more than 1,000 new aircraft and thousands of tanks in the past few years in a massive modernization effort amid tensions with the West, the nation's defense minister said Monday. Sergei Shoigu boasted of the military's achievements in his six years on the job, saying in a speech to lawmakers that the armed forces have turned into a highly mobile force capable of projecting power to distant areas. Shoigu noted that the military received more than 1,000 warplanes and combat helicopters and over 3,700 tanks in 2012-2018. He added that the armed forces have received 109 ground-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and 108 submarine-launched ICBMs and formed 10 brigades armed with state-of-the-art short-range Iskander missiles. Shoigu said that the campaign in Syria that Russia has waged since 2015 showcases its military might and allowed the military to test its new weapons in combat, including shipborne and air-launched long-range cruise ...
MLC bypolls tomorrow to fill 5 vacancies
The biennial election to fill five vacancies in the Telangana Legislative Council (MLAs quota), which generated political heat following the decision of four Congress MLAs and a TDP MLA to switch over to the ruling TRS, would be held on Tuesday. The main opposition Congress, which fielded a candidate, announced boycott of the election, alleging that TRS encouraged defection of Congress MLAs. The ruling TRS has fielded four nominees, leaving one seat to its ally AIMIM and the election of the five now looks certain with the Congress deciding to stay away from the poll. TRS had 88 seats in the 120-member House (including nominated member). AIMIM has seven MLAs. An independent MLA and a legislator belonging to AIFB had declared support to the TRS. However, the strength of Congress came down from 19 to 15 with four MLAs announcing their decision to quit the party and join TRS. TDP's strength in the Assembly was two, but one of the MLAs has decided to join TRS. The decision of .
Lone MNS MLA returns to Shiv Sena fold
Lone MLA of Raj Thackeray-led MNS, Sharad Sonawane Monday returned to his parent party Shiv Sena here in Mumbai. Sonawane, who represents Junnar assembly constituency in Pune district, was the only saving grace for Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in 2014 assembly polls, which saw a sharp decline of the party in Maharashtra politics. Sonawane, along with his supporters, joined Sena in presence of party president Uddhav Thackeray. The MLA said he spoke to Raj Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis before joining the Sena. Assembly elections in Maharashtra are due in October this year. Junnar assembly segment is part of Shirur Lok Sabha constituency, which is currently represented by Sena MP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil.
EC directive on Sabarimala illogical, says BJP
The BJP Monday termed as "illogical" the Election Commissions directive to political parties in Kerala that the Sabarimala temple row should not be used as a campaign issue. "It is 100 per cent that the stand taken by the (state) government on Sabarimala issue will be discussed in the elections. No one can interfere in it. It is illogical to say that the Sabarimala issue should not be discussed in the election," BJP state general secretary K Surendran told reporters here. Surendran said this hours after Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena said in Thiruvananthapuram that "citing or invoking" religious propaganda on the "Sabarimala issue" would be a clear violation of the model code of conduct. Surendran, however, saidspeaking against the Supreme Court order on the Sabarimala matter or taking stand against other religions during the polls are against election rules. Addressing the media in Thiruvananthapuram, Meena said "inviting religious feelings, using any ...
AIADMK begins candidates selection process for LS, assembly
The AIADMK in Tamil Nadu Monday kick-started its candidate selection process for the April 18 Lok Sabha elections in the state, holding interviews for ticket aspirants in 20 of the 39 constituencies. AIADMK Co-ordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam's son O P Ravindranath Kumar was among those who appeared for the interview before the the party's Parliamentary Board here. The board among others include Panneerselvam and party joint co-ordinator and Chief Minister K Palaniswami. The ruling party also invited applications from aspiring candidates for the by-polls to 18 assembly segments, which will be held along with the parliament elections. Elections to 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone Puducherry segment will be held on April 18, in the second of the seven phases of polling across the country for a total of 543 seats. The board interviewed the aspiring candidates for constituencies, including Salem, Theni, Nilgiris, Tuticoring and Coimbatore, a ..
Cong likely to finalise candidates for Telangana by Mar 13
Congress in Telangana is likely to finalise its candidates for the coming Lok Sabha polls by March 13. Party sources said Monday the list was likely to be released on March 13. Lok Sabha elections in Telangana would be held in the first phase on April 11. The party is likely to contest the polls to 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state on its own, sources had said earlier. It had faced the assembly elections in December last year in alliance with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) and the Communist Party of India (CPI), but the combine came a cropper. Meanwhile, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N Uttam Kumar Reddy Monday slammed the ruling TRS for appealing to the people to elect its candidates in all 16 Lok Sabha seats so that the state's development could be ensured. He said despite the TRS having 16 MPs on its side in the outgoing Lok Sabha, the state was 'neglected'. "...They could not do anything. TRS does not have the right
Saudi foreign minister meets PM
Saudi Arabia's state minister for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. He arrived here Monday for a brief visit. Jubeir's nearly four-and-a-half-hour visit to India comes days after his trip to Islamabad. The Saudi minister met Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday in Islamabad, and delivered a "special message" from Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, according to Pakistani media reports. "His Excellency Mr Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia met PM @narendramodi," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted. The Saudi minister's visit comes after the crown prince's stand-alone visits to India and Pakistan soon after the Pulwama terror attack.
Seat sharing with Cong likely to be finalised by Mar 13 or 14,
JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda Monday said seat sharing with coalition partner Congressin Karnataka was likely to be finalised by March 13 or 14. Amid confusion about the seat he would becontesting from, the former Prime Minister clarified that he has not yet reached any final decision on it. "Today mostly some Congress leaders may have gone to Delhi. Tomorrow after discussing with them on the seat sharing issue, a discussion will be held with me also and a final decision may be arrived at," Gowda said. Speaking to reporters here, he said "...in one or two days- by March 13 or 14 on the seat sharing issue, we will reach a final stage." A meeting on seat sharing between Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Gowda at Delhi last week was inconclusive. However, scaling down his party's demand, Gowda had asked Congress to allot at least 10 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats to his party. JD(S) had earlier demanded that it be given 12 seats. According to sources, the Congress may concede a ..