Page 1369 - Politics
Widely read Kashmir dailies leave front pages blank
All 16 English and Urdu newspapers of the Kashmir Valley that are members of the Kashmir Editors Guild on Sunday left their front pages blank to protest against the Jammu and Kashmir government's denial of advertisements to two leading dailies.
Why talk of abolishing IAS? This is no solution: Ex-babu Deepak Gupta
Over the years, many have felt that the Indian civil service has failed to meet its objectives satisfactorily and must be abolished but scrapping of the service is not a solution, asserts former IAS officer Deepak Gupta. He says that in an undefined sort of way, there is a feeling that all the problems of the country would disappear simply if the IAS is abolished. "This arises also from the misconception or the deliberate attempt to arrogate all the policy failures, or the bureaucracy in general, on the IAS. Our Constitution makers provided for and designed the institutional architecture with great care and deliberation. Over several decades there have been attempts at their weakening, though they have shown resilience, which has been the strength of our democracy," says the 1974-batch IAS officer. Gupta served in many departments in state and Centre and was also posted in India Trade Centre, Brussels and spent a year as WHO Advisor on TB in Delhi. He retired in 2011 as Secretary, ...
Wary Pak wants India's removal from key FATF panel
Pakistan, wary of being blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force, has urged it to remove India from the co-chair of a body that is reviewing Islamabad's progress on the implementation of an action plan to combat terrorism. The Paris-based global body is working to curb terrorism financing and money laundering and has asked Pakistan to reassess the operation of banned terrorist outfits in the country. Pakistan is under intense international pressure to rein in terror groups like the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) after the Pulwama terror attack. In June last year, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had placed Pakistan on the grey list of countries whose domestic laws are considered weak to tackle the challenges of money laundering and terrorism financing. Pakistan Finance Minister Asad Umar wrote to FATF President Marshall Billingslea to appoint any other member as co-chair of the Asia-Pacific's Joint Group, in place of India, to ensure that the FATF review process is fair, unbiased .
India's "claim" of shooting down PAF F-16 fighter jet "completely baseless": FO
Pakistan has rejected as "completely baseless" India's assertion that a PAF F-16 fighter jet was shot down in a recent aerial combat between their air forces, saying the Indian government continues to "mislead" the people for domestic political mileage. The Pakistan Foreign Office statement came after Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at a media briefing in New Delhi on Saturday that an Indian Air Force MiG-21 Bison, piloted by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, shot down a Pakistan Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft and there are eyewitness accounts as well as electronic evidence for it. "The Indian government and the Indian media continue to spread disinformation to mislead the international community, and the Indian people, for domestic political gains, while trying to cover up its failures and resultant embarrassment," Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) said late Saturday. "False claims of an Indian aircraft having shot down a Pakistani F16 are completely ...
Tell families of 40 CRPF jawans who released Masood Azhar: Rahul asks Modi
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tell the families of the 40 CRPF jawans killed in Pulwama as to who released Masood Azhar, whose Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the terror attack. Taking to Twitter, he alleged that it was the present National Security Adviser who went to Kandahar to hand over the "murderer" Azhar. Azhar, along with some other terrorists, was released by the Indian government in December 1999 in lieu of the release of over 150 hostages of the IC-814 Indian Airlines flight that was hijacked to Kandahar. "PM Modi please tell the families of our 40 CRPF Shaheeds, who released their murderer, Masood Azhar? Also tell them that your current NSA was the deal maker, who went to Kandahar to hand the murderer back to Pakistan," Gandhi tweeted. At least 40 CRPF jawans were killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14 for which JeM has claimed responsibility.
Kamal Haasan gets battery torch as party symbol
Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Sunday thanked the Election Commission of India for allotting his party Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) the battery torch symbol, calling it "appropriate" and in keeping with the party's vision.
UK strips 2 more IS brides' citizenship
Two more Islamic State (IS) brides from the UK, held with their children in Syrian detention camps, have been stripped of their British citizenship, the media reported on Sunday.
Vijaya Shanti's remarks on PM Modi 'regrettable', says Renuka Chowdhury
Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury on Sunday said the comments made by her party's star campaigner Vijaya Shanti on Prime Minister Narendra Modi are 'regrettable', if true.Addressing a rally in Telangana's Shamshabad on Saturday, Shanti had compared the Prime Minister to a "terrorist"."People are scared as they don't know which kind of bomb Modi will throw. Modi looks like a terrorist," she had said at a rally which saw Congress president Rahul Gandhi in attendance.In response to this, Chowdhury told ANI: "I was not there and did not hear what she said, but if it is true, then I am sorry. It is regrettable because I don't think that is the language we should use for the Prime Minister. We may not like him, but we don't talk in that fashion. It is unfortunate."Echoing a similar view, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Sudhakar Reddy opined that the comment was "too harsh"."I think it's too harsh a comment; I don't think it is an appropriate word to use (for the prime minister)," he said. .
EC considers various factors before announcing poll dates: Ex-CEC
Former Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla on Sunday said the Election Commission (EC) determines various factors such as the number of poll phases, the strength of central forces needed and other arrangements, before announcing the poll dates."In 2009, I had announced it on March 2. In 2014, the dates were announced on March 5. (So) There is no particular date (to announce the poll dates) as the EC determines a lot of things including the number of central forces, timings and how many phases they are planning," he told ANI.Chawla served as the country's 16th Chief Election Commissioner from April 2009 to July 2010.The EC is set to hold a press conference later in the day amidst speculation that the commission might announce dates for the General elections.Opposition parties have been questioning the delay in announcing the poll dates, with senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel asking the EC whether it was waiting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "official" programme to ...
Summoning Mirwaiz is attack on Kashmiris' religious identity: Mehbooba
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said the NIA summon to senior separatist and religious leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is "emblematic of government's repeated assaults on religious identity of Kashmiris".
Centre trying to shield Choksi: Congress
With fugitive scamster Mehul Choksi incorporating a company in London after calling himself a Belgian citizen, the Congress on Sunday accused the Modi government of trying to shield him by not seeking his extradition from either the UAE or Belgium with which India has treaties.
'Social media should be restricted before voting in India'
There are over 30 crore monthly active users on Facebook and more than 20 crore on WhatsApp in India. Even the Narendra Modi app alone can reach 1 crore people in a day.
Be alert during EVM demo on polling day: Pawar to NCP workers
Amidst the row over allegations of EVMs not being tamper-proof, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has asked his party's booth-level workers to stay alert at the time of demonstration of voting machines on the polling day. Various opposition parties have alleged that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) can be tampered with, and they want the Election Commission (EC) to revert to the ballot paper system of voting. However, the EC has repeatedly asserted that the EVMs are tamper-proof and that they cannot be hacked or rigged. "The BJP cannot be trusted. On the day of polling, you better visit the polling booth in the morning and see if the voting is taking place properly or not," Pawar said addressing the party workers from Beed district in Maharashtra through video-conferencing on Saturday. NCP state chief Jayant Patil also interacted with the party workers. Top leaders of various opposition parties met last month in New Delhi to discuss the issue of alleged tampering of EVMs and ..
BJP walking down dangerous path by using military to conceal failures: AhmedPatel
The BJP is walking down a dangerous path by "using the military" to conceal its own "failures", senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said Sunday, asserting that the EC's circular preventing the use of armed forces in election campaign was much needed. The Election Commission (EC) Saturday asked political parties to "desist from displaying photographs of defence personnel" against the backdrop of a picture showing a hoarding with images of Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman as well as leaders of the BJP. "The EC's circular on preventing the use of of armed forces in election campaign was much needed. This needs to be implemented in letter & spirit. Let's keep security forces out of politics," Patel tweeted. "By using the military to conceal its own failures the BJP is walking down a dangerous path," he said. In a fresh instruction issued to all political parties, the EC referred to its December 2013 letter in which it had "called upon all political parties to advise
EC to announce LS election dates
The Election Commission will announce on Sunday evening the schedule for the much awaited Lok Sabha elections.
Bihar: Wedding card urges guests to vote for Modi in LS polls
A marriage invitation card urging guests to vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the general elections as a wedding gift has become the talk of the town in Bihar's Siwan district. Ashok Singh, a resident of Siwan Kala village, printed the message on the envelope of his daughter's marriage invitation card, sources said. "To bless my daughter and in the interest of the country, please cast your votes in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls," the message on the card read. Asked about the reason behind his appeal, Singh said: "There is no other objective except for the nation's interest." "People should vote in favour of Modi ji because there is no other leader better than him. He thinks about the country while others think about themselves," added Singh, who has been staying in Kuwait for the last 15 years where he works in a private company. His son Ravindra Singh too echoed similar sentiments. "Narendra Modi is the only one who can take the country
Newspapers run blank front pages in Kashmir to protest 'denial' of govt ads to two dailies
Most of the leading dailies in the Kashmir valley printed a blank front page on Sunday as a mark of protest against the "unexplained denial" of advertisements to two newspapers by the Jammu and Kashmir government. The Kashmir Editors' Guild (KEG) had claimed last month that the state government had stopped giving advertisements to two major local dailies -- Greater Kashmir and Kashmir Reader. "With utmost regret, the Kashmir Editors' Guild wishes to inform that the Jammu and Kashmir government has stopped state government advertisements to two major daily newspapers -- Greater Kashmir and Kashmir Reader," it had said in a statement, adding that the decision was neither conveyed formally nor was any reason detailed to the respective publications. As a mark of protest, the leading dailies here -- both English and Urdu -- printed a blank front page on Sunday. The front pages of these newspapers only carried a message from the KEG -- "In protest against the unexplained denial of ...
N. Korea holds parliamentary elections
North Korea held parliamentary elections on Sunday to elect new deputies for the 14th Supreme People's Assembly, its rubber-stamp legislature.
Democracy, DPRK style: North Korea holds election
North Koreans went to the polls Sunday for an election in which there could be only one winner. Leader Kim Jong Un's ruling Workers' Party has an iron grip on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as the isolated, nuclear-armed country is officially known. But every five years it holds an election for the rubber stamp legislature, known as the Supreme People's Assembly. And in keeping with one of Pyongyang's most enduring slogans -- "Single-minded unity" -- there is only one approved name on each of the red ballot papers. With portraits of the leader's father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung looking down on every ballot box, voters lined up to drop their slips inside. There is a pencil in the panelled voting booths for anyone who might wish to register dissent by crossing out a candidate's name. But no one does. Turnout last time was 99.97 per cent, according to the official KCNA news agency -- only those who were abroad or "working in oceans" did not take part. And the ...
Election Commission press conference at 5 pm today
Amidst speculation about the announcement of Lok Sabha election schedule, the Election Commission of India is holding a press conference in the national capital on Sunday at 5 pm.The press conference will be held at Vigyan Bhavan.Meanwhile, the poll panel headed by Sunil Arora also rolled out a list allotting the common party symbols to 39 registered un-recognised parties for coming general elections.Notably, Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) has been allotted Battery Torch symbol while Loktantrik Janata Dal got the symbol of a "Man blowing Turha".The actor turned politician Haasan also tweeted on the same and said, "MNM thanks the Election commission for granting us the "Battery Torch" symbol for the forthcoming elections. So appropriate. @maiamofficial will endeavour to be the "Torch-Bearer" for a new era in TN and Indian politics.