Page 1374 - Politics
BJP uses politics for empowerment of nation: Rajnath Singh
BJP is not into politics to gain power, but for the empowerment of the nation,Union Home minister Rajnath Singh said here Saturday. The opposition Congress, on the other hand, was pursuing politics only to regain power at the Centre by forging a coalition of variousparties, he said, addressing an intellectualsmeeting organised by the BJP's district unit. "Their (Congress) efforts are not going to yield any result andNarendra Modi will become Prime Minister again," he said. The union minister said the BJP's policy was justice for all and appeasement of none and added that the nation needs a strong government, not anunstable coalition. He said that as the fastest growing economy, the country was set to become one of the top three super powers in the world. Various schemes launched by the Union government had improvedthe lot of common man in the last five years, he said. The Swachh Bharat mission introduced by the governmentwas a success and 98.8 per cent of families now ..
Cong to hold CWC meet, rally in Gujarat on March 12
The Congress Working Committee meeting will be held in Gujarat on March 12 to mark the launch of historic Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi from the Sabarmati Ashram here in 1930, state party unit chief Amit Chavda said Saturday. He said the meeting of the party's highest decision-making body will be followed by a public rally in Adalaj in Gandhinagar. It will be attended by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, his mother Sonia Gandhi, sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and chief ministers of Congress-ruled states. "The meeting of Congress Working Committee (CWC) will be held in Ahmedabad on March 12 to mark the launch of historic Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930. The CWC will meet in Gujarat for the first time since 1961, after a gap of 58 years," Chavda told reporters here. The Gujarat visit will begin with Congress leaders paying tribute to the Father of the Nation at the Sabarmati Ashram, he said. Preparations for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections ...
Congress new address for disgruntled Bihar politicians
Shatrughan Sinha, Uday Singh, Kirti Azad, Arun Kumar, Mahboob Ali Qaiser, Pappu Yadav and Anant Singh are all non-Congress politicians but share one thing in common: They are keen to contest upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Bihar as the Grand Old Party's candidates. They are among nearly a dozen non-Congress leaders keen on a party ticket to contest the polls.
Cong gets shot in arm in Nagaland, 21 estranged leaders return
The Congress in Nagaland, bolstered by the return of 21 senior leaders to its fold, vowed to put up a united fight against the "stop-gap" BJP-NDPP government in the state. Welcoming the leaders who made a comeback to the Congress, five-time chief minister and senior party leader S C Jamir said, "Congress, today is solidified". The 21 leaders -- including former Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president S I Jamir, former speaker Z Lohe and former deputy speaker Joshua Sumi -- were reinducted during a programme on Friday, the development coming just months ahead of the general elections. Claiming that the Congress is a party with a vision and clear ideology, Jamir asserted that it can never be uprooted. Asking the Congress workers to be active and propagate its programmes, the former Nagaland Governor called for shunning party dissents and internal bickering. "Congress workers should have the courage to tell the truth to the people, and articulate very clearly ..
PM running 'fraudster settlement scheme' for likes of Nirav Modi: Congress
The Congress on Saturday hit out at the government over a media report that PNB scam accused Nirav Modi was living in a swanky apartment in London and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was running a "fraudster settlement yojana" for such fugitives. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, taking to Twitter, took a swipe at Prime Minister Modi saying that the recent video of Nirav Modi in the UK shows an "uncanny similarity" between the two as both "believe they are above the law". The opposition party also alleged that fugitives had looted Rs 1 lakh crore from Indian banks but not even one of them had been caught during the five years of the Modi government. The scathing attack on the government came after a British daily reported that Nirav Modi, wanted in India in the Rs 13,500 crore PNB fraud case, has been living openly in a swanky 8-million pound apartment in London's West End and is running a new diamond business just yards away. The daily also released a video of Nirav Modi at .
India carried out 3 air strikes outside borders in 5 years: Rajnath
India has carried out a total of three air strikes outside the country's borders during the past five years, said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday.
BSF sends back Pakistan national as goodwill gesture
As a goodwill gesture, the Border Security Force (BSF) on Saturday sent back a Pakistan national who was apprehended on Friday on the international border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district.
BJP invites farmers to share suggestions and issues faced by them
In a bid to directly reach out to farmers, the BJP has invited them for an interactive programme where they can share their suggestions and issues faced by them, a party functionary said Saturday. The programme christened as 'Kisan Ki Maan Ki Baat, Modiji Ke Saath' will be a session through which the BJP Kisan Morcha will collect feedback from the farmers, said party's Kisan Morcha national president and party Bhadohi (Uttar Pradesh) Virendra Singh Mast. The feedback collected from the farmers will be incorporated in the 'Sankalp Patra' (vision document) of the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Mast said the central government often faces issues in reaching out to the farmers in non-BJP states and is trying to establish a direct contact with them to understand the issues faced by them in implementation of policies.
Congress shares old, strong bond with Nirav Modi: BJP
Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar on Saturday accused the Congress party of sharing an "old and strong" bond with fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi.
Modi 'chowkidar' for Ambani, Adani, says Rahul Gandhi
Mounting attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the general elections, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, here on Saturday, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being a "chowkidar" (watchman) for tycoons like Anil Ambani and Gautam Adani and not the people.
60-yr-old Pakistani national repatriated
A 60-year-old Pakistani national, who mistakenly ventured into Indian territory, was repatriated as a goodwill gesture, a BSF spokesman said Saturday. Mohammad Ashraf was apprehended soon after he intruded into this side from across the International Border in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir. He was handed over to Pakistani Rangers at 3.40 pm, the spokesman said. "As a goodwill gesture and maintaining peace and tranquility at the IB, the BSF handed over the Pakistani national to Rangers. He was apprehended yesterday (Friday) when he crossed the International Border in Ramgarh sector of Samba," the spokesman said. The BSF released the Pakistani national "healthy and sound", he said. "The Pakistani Rangers appreciated the humane approach of the BSF," the spokesman said. Ashraf, a resident of Boitah-Narowal area of Punjab, was carrying Rs 12,000 in Pakistani currency and was questioned by the BSF officers, sources said.
IAF air strikes: Cong making a fool of itself, govt not obliged to give proof, says Puri
Taking a dig at the Congress, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri Saturday said the opposition party was making a fool of itself by asking for proof of the Balakot air strikes. Responding to allegations of the Congress that the Centre was "politicising" the issue, he said no one doubted the air strikes carried out by Indian Air Force (IAF) and that the government was not obliged to give any evidence. "The Pakistani authorities have still not given foreign press access to that area. This should itself provide people the proof. I feel very sorry for those who are insisting of making a fool of themselves," Puri said. "Those who are accusing us are representatives of a political party which ruled India for most of the 70 years and became victims of the doctrine of strategic restraint which means that because we are nuclear power, we cannot defend ourselves," he said in an apparent reference to the Congress. The Housing and Urban Affairs minister was speaking at the inauguration of an Urban .
Indian man ties knot with Pakistani woman
Transcending borders amid renewed tensions between the two countries, a Pakistani girl Saturday tying the knot with an Indian man at an SGPC-run gurudwara here. Kiran Sarjeet Kaur (27) married Parvinder Singh (33) of Tepla village in Ambala district of Haryana at Gurudwara Shri Khel Sahib according to Sikh traditions. Kaur's plan to reach Patiala on February 23 got delayed due to heightened tension between India and Pakistan following the terror attack in Pulwama. She reached Patiala on a 45-day visa by Samjhauta Express on Thursday. As the Indian Embassy in Pakistan gave her visa only for Patiala, she came here and stayed with her relatives at Samana. Parvinder Singh and his family reached here on Saturday to solemnize the marriage. Executive member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) Jarnail Singh Kartarpur also attended the ceremony and presented 'siropa' (robe of honour) to the bride and groom on behalf of the SGPC. Parvinder Singh told the media their families ..
AIADMK downplays DMDK's MPs' jibe, denies impasse over talks
AIADMK top leader and Chief Minister K Palaniswami Saturday denied there was a deadlock in talks with the DMDK and softpedalled the prospective ally's remarks against his party. Downplaying the DMDK's remark that despite having 37 MPs, AIADMK could not bring good projects to the state, he said it was natural to be critical while being in the opposite camp and a consensus on views would emerge only when an alliance was struck. "Each party has a stand. There is no impasse (over talks aimed at stitching an alliance to face the Lok Sabha polls)," he told reporters at Salem when asked about the deadlock in talks with the DMDK. Premalatha Vijayakanth, DMDK's treasurer and wife of party chief Vijayakanth, had asked on Friday what benefit Tamil Nadu got though the AIADMK won 37 of the 39 seats without being part of any alliance in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Since AIADMK was not part of the winning combine -NDA- that wrested power at the Centre from the Congress, Tamil Nadu could not
CPM urges ECI to prevent parties from taking credit for Pak
The opposition CPI(M) in Tripura Friday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to make sure that no political party takes credit for the air strikes in Pakistan or showcase the killings of CRPF troopers to solicit for votes. A four-member delegation including state secretary Gautam Das, MP Sankar Prasad Datta, secretariat member Naresh Jamtiya and committee member Haripada Das met Chief Electoral Officer Sriram Taranikanti and submitted the memorandum. The memorandum, copies of which were also made available to reporters, said that the present situation in the state was not at all conducive for holding Lok Sabha election in a free and fair manner. The CPI(M) delegation narrated incidents of attacks on its party workers before the Chief Electoral Officer which they claimed were perpetrated by ruling BJP in collusion with the police. Other demands of the party included deployment of paramilitary forces well ahead of the polls and intense patrolling in the booth ...
Terror funding: NIA summons Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Nassem Geelani for questioning
The National Investigation Agency has summoned Jammu and Kashmir's separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and son of Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Naseem Geelani, for questioning in its ongoing probe into the terror funding case.
JKPC and NPP leaders meets JK Guv in Jammu
Leaders of the Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference and the National Panthers Party (NPP) separately met Governor Satya Pal Malik here and discussed the prevailing situation in the state, officials said Saturday. JK People's Conference chairman Sajjad Gani Lone along with his colleague Imran Raza Ansari called on the governor at Raj Bhavan and apprised him about various issues relating to the equitable development and aspirations of the common masses, an official spokesperson said. He said the former ministers complimented the governor for taking several initiatives in redressing public grievances. The governor asked Lone and Ansari to continue their endeavours for maintaining peace and harmony in the state, besides promoting public welfare and development of their respective areas, the spokesperson said. Separately, a three-member delegation of the NPP led by its chief patron Bhim Singh met the governor at the Raj Bhavan and raised with him issues regarding the current political ...
BJP brings major reforms to its ticket distribution criteria
In the wake of the upcoming general elections, Bharatiya Janata Party has introduced a number of reforms into its ticket distribution criteria, party sources said on Saturday.According to party sources, based on the feedback form and party survey, the candidature of the contenders would be decided. "Around 200 parliamentarians and contenders have already filled this and have sent it back to the party," the sources added.In a bid to strengthen its voterbase, BJP has now made it a point that only those leaders should be given tickets who have actually worked for the people. For this, the party has asked its parliamentarians and ticket contenders to produce a record of their work in the last five years since the BJP came in power.Seeking response of the contenders, BJP has moved a two-page circular which includes a list of 11 questions which are to be answered by them.While the first section talks about the number of seats in the legislative assembly, the name of the lawmaker and the ...
Bihar Congress leader quits
A senior Congress leader on Saturday resigned from the party saying demanding evidences of air strike made him feel ashamed.
French yellow vest protests hold 17th weekend of marches
Hundreds of protesters in France's yellow vest movement are on the streets for a 17th straight weekend in Paris and other cities to maintain pressure on the government to reverse policies they see as favouring the rich. The Paris march began near the Arc de Triomphe on Saturday and was to end at the Luxembourg Gardens, where the Senate is located. Women led the group, advocating for equal rights the day after International Women's Day. Marches were also being held in numerous other cities. The numbers of protesters on the streets has diminished over the weeks, and polls have shown support by the French fading due to violence and damage that has marked some protests and losses for shopkeepers who have closed up to protect their wares.