Page 1439 - Politics

Sitharaman hails PM Modi for gifting rifle manufacturing plant to Amethi

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being instrumental in the signing of the deal for setting up a plant to manufacture AK-203 rifles in Amethi."Prime Minister Narendra Modi made all efforts for this deal. He talked to US President Vladimir Putin about it. We are going to make the world-famous AK-47 assault rifle here," she said, while addressing a rally here.Sitharaman was here to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the plant which would manufacture AK-203 rifles. Prime Minister Modi, Union Minister Smriti Irani, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and others were present on the occasion. The Defence Minister also alleged that the Ordinance Factory Board unit nearby has been lying idle for the last several years, and attacked Congress president Rahul Gandhi and the previous governments for neglecting Amethi."Smriti Ji said it right. Those who should have been concerned about Amethi did not do anything. With the efforts of PM .

Intention of air strike was to warn Pak, not kill, says Union Minister

The Darjeeling BJP MP's comments come in the wake of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioning the Modi government over the air strike

BJP takes on Digvijaya Singh for seeking proof of IAF strike

Senior Congress leader Divijaya Singh's demand to release evidences of IAF air strike drew a sharp criticism from the opposition parties in Madhya Pradesh, especially from the Bharatiya Janata Party, here on Sunday.

New Tripura Cong chief invites former leaders to rejoin party

The newly-appointed Congress president in Tripura, Pradyot Kishore Debburman, Sunday invited all former party leaders to return to the Congress and said everyone would be given due respect. Debburman, who was the working president of the Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC), was appointed as the president of the TPCC, by AICC chief Rahul Gandhi on February 25. Debburman Saturday met expelled leader and former chief minister Samir Ranjan Barman and asked him to get back to the party. Barman did not join any party after his expulsion from the Congress in March 2017. He accepted Debburman's invitation and rejoined the party on Saturday. A large number of leaders, led by former Pradesh Congress president Sudip Roy Barman, defected to the Trinamool Congress in 2016 and further changed camp to join the BJP in 2017. The new TPCC president said everyone in the party would be given due respect and in return they would also work with honesty and integrity. "I believe that no

Omar asks govt to review ban on Jamaat, says it's having major social impact in Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah Sunday said the ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami "is having a major social impact" in Kashmir and appealed to the government to "urgently review" its decision to seal schools and mosques run by it. The central government put a ban on the Jamat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir last week under anti-terror law on grounds that it was "in close touch" with militant outfits and was expected to "escalate secessionist movement" in the state. "The politico-religious role of the Jamaat (JeI) is one aspect but there is also the social aspect. The recent ban is having a major social impact which isn't being taken into consideration," Omar wrote on Twitter. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said people were being "turned away from mosques" where they usually congregate for prayers and schools with tens of thousands of students and employing thousands of teachers were being "sealed". "There is nothing to suggest (that) sealing mosques

Case against IT firm in T'gana for 'data theft,' raids conducted

A case was registered by the Telangana Police against a city-based IT firm for allegedly "stealing" data of voters through the 'Seva Mitra' mobile application, which was used by the TDP in Andhra Pradesh. Reacting to the development, Andhra Pradesh Information Technology Minister N Lokesh said the Telangana Police was "harassing" the companies that were hired to curate the information whose complete rights were held by the party. Based on a complaint from a data analyst, a case was registered against the firm on Saturday, under relevant sections of the IPC and the IT Act, police said. The searches which began Saturday continued for the second day Sunday, they added. The complainant alleged that after logging into the official Facebook page of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), he found the party cadre using certain mobile phone and tab-based software applications, especially 'Seva Mitra' app, for "advancing party's electoral prospects". The Andhra Pradesh government utilised the services of ...

Afghanistan donates USD 1 million to UN agency for Palestinians

Afghanistan has given USD 1 million to the main UN programme for Palestinian refugees. Abdul Rahim Sayed Jan, Afghanistan's ambassador to Turkey, presented the donation on Sunday to Pierre Krhenbhl, commissioner of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, in an Istanbul ceremony. Turkey's foreign minister, who hosted the meeting, congratulated Afghanistan for the donation. Mevlut Cavusoglu said that despite the hardships suffered by the Afghan people, their country has shown "the most beautiful example of international brotherhood with its noble act." Cavusoglu added that UNRWA would need more support in the future and promised Turkey would increase its aid to Palestinians. Last August, the Trump administration announced it was cutting U.S. funding for the agency.

Congress always kept dynasty's interest over national interest: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lashed out at the previous Congress governments, alleging that they kept the defence forces exposed to the enemy's bullets for several years on failing to get commissions in defence deals and to protect the "dynasty".

Opposition remarks hurting India's national interest: Jaitley

Accusing the Congress-led UPA of running a 'terrible' government and even a 'more terrible' opposition, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Sunday said their statements have hurt India's national interest and gave handle to Pakistan to discredit the country. Within days of India's air strike at Balakot, the 21 opposition parties led by the Congress passed a resolution accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of politicising the Pulwama and Balakot incidents. "Statements made by opposition parties (after IAF's counter terror operation in Balakot) hurt India's national interest. They give smiles to Pakistan and become an instrument in Pakistan's hands to discredit India's operation against terrorism," Jaitley said in a blog, stressing that on such occasions the nation ought to speak in one voice as was done by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Jan Sangh during the 1971 war. Terming the resolution passed by 21 opposition parties as inappropriate, he said, it gave a handle to the enemy and Pakistan's media

SIC and SVC get new heads in J-K

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has appointed senior IPS officer Munner Ahmad Khan as the state information commissioner and IAS officer Hilal Ahmad Parray as the state vigilance commissioner, an official spokesperson said Sunday. Additional Director General of Police, Security and Law and Order, Muneer Ahmad Khan was appointed as the State Information Commissioner (SIC), and Secretary General Administration Department Hilal Ahmad Parray as the State Vigilance Commissioner (SVC), the spokesman said, quoting an order issued on Saturday. He said these appointments have been made by the Governor while exercising the powers vested in him under provisions of Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Act, 2009 and Jammu and Kashmir State Vigilance Commission Act, 2011. These appointments will take effect from the date they assume charge of the posts, the spokesman said.

J-K Guv, NC leaders greet people ahead of Mahashivratri

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik and National Conference leaders Sunday greeted people ahead of the auspicious occasion of Mahashivratri, which is celebrated by Kashmiri pandits as 'Hairath'. In his message, the governor said this festival symbolises "piety, devotion, brotherhood and harmony, which are the hallmarks of our glorious cultural ethos". A Raj Bhavan spokesperson said Malik wished people a happy 'Mahashivratri' and 'Hairath', and prayed for peace, progress and prosperity in the state. National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah also greeted people on the auspicious occasion and expressed hope that the festival will be celebrated in true spirit of the composite culture of Jammu and Kashmir. In his message to the people. Farooq Abdullah said the festival stresses on the values of piety, devotion, mutual love and harmony, which are cornerstones of "our great civilization". "Such occasions strengthen bonds of amity and secular ...

Will not be rigid in demand to contest from 12 seats;DeveGowda

Indicating that he was agreeable to showing some flexibility in seat sharing talks for the coming Lok Sabha polls with ruling coalition partner Congress, JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda Sunday said his party would not be 'rigid' in its demand to contest from 12 of the total of 28 seats. Gowda said he had also asked the Congress to have a similar mentality during the seat sharing discussions as there should not be any room for differences on seat sharing between the parties, whose main aim was to halt the BJP's growth. "I have said 12 seats should be given to us, but I will also not be rigid in saying that they should give us 12," the former Prime Minister said. Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru, he said, "By loosening our stand a bit... a final decision should be arrived at. You (Congress) should also have that mentality, I have said. Finally we will come to a decision cordially." Gowda said he was stating this to bring to an end all speculation and talk that differences may ...

US, South Korea end spring military drills to back diplomacy

South Korea and the US are eliminating their massive springtime military drills and replacing them with smaller exercises in what they call an effort to support diplomacy aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis. The decision announced by both countries Sunday came after President Donald Trump complained about the cost of joint drills even as his high-stakes second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un collapsed last week. The drills' cancellation is an olive branch to North Korea, which has viewed them as an invasion rehearsal. But some experts say it will likely weaken the allies' military readiness amid worries that tensions erupt again in the wake of the failed nuclear summit in Vietnam. The Pentagon said in a release that the U.S. and South Korean defense chiefs decided to conclude the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle series of exercises. It said the allies agreed to maintain firm military readiness through newly designed command post exercises and revised field ...

PM addresses his first rally in Amethi, lays foundation stone of modern rifle manufacturing unit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday addressed his first rally in Amethi, the Lok Sabha constituency represented by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, since coming to power in 2014 and laid the foundation stone of a manufacturing unit for AK-203 rifles. Modi, who landed in the city after addressing a rally in Bihar's Patna, said Amethi, which has traditionally been loyal to the Gandhi family, was the best example of his government's 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' (together with all, development for all) motto. "Those who voted for us and those who did not all are ours," Modi said. After laying the foundation stone of the unit, he said these modern rifles will be manufactured in Amethi under a Russia-India joint venture. These rifles will be known as 'made in Amethi' and will help our jawans in encounters with naxals and terrorists, he said. He accused previous governments of neglecting the armed forces and their needs. He also said the UPA government sat on the Rafale deal for years. This is

TMC forms 12-member panel for poll campaign in West Bengal

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has formed a 12-member committee Sunday to chart modalities on election campaign in West Bengal for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the party's secretary general Partha Chatterjee said. The committee would look into the applications by aspiring candidates to fight the elections and forward those to the party's supremo Mamata Banerjee, Chatterjee told newspersons here. The 12-member committee comprises Mamata Banerjee's nephew and MP Abhishek Banerjee, Subrata Bakshi, Firhad Hakim, Arup Biswas, Suvendu Adhikari, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Sashi Panja, Moloy Ghatak, Jyotipriyo Mallick, Subrata Mukherjee, Derek O'Brien and Partha Chatterjee. "The committee will look into election-related publicity and screening of applications of aspiring candidates in consultation with party supremo Mamata Banerjee," Chatterjee said. While Abhishek Banerjee and O'Brien are Lok Sabha MPs, the other 10 members of the committee are ministers in the state ...

Odisha needs 'double engine' for development: Jayant Sinha

Odisha needed a "double engine" government to accelerate the pace of development, said Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, here on Sunday, and added the Biju Janata Dal-led Odisha government did not believe in cooperative federalism.

Earlier, we approached UN after attack, now we hit back: Maha

India earlier had to approach the United Nations when attacked but now gives a befitting reply by itself under the Narendra Modi dispensation, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Sunday. Speaking at a function to flag off a bike rally by BJP workers, Fadnavis said the enthusiasm among those attending the event showed that re-election of Modi as Prime Minister after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls was a "foregone conclusion". Praising Modi, he said, "Earlier, India had to approach UN when attacked. Now under Modi, the country has given a befitting reply to the attackers. All countries are supporting India in the war against terror." The party's 'Vijay Sankalp' motorcycle rally was held in all 36 Assembly constituencies of Mumbai and Fadnavis took part in it from Bandra to Santa Cruz.

BJP, Congress spar over fallout of Yeddyurappa's claim on IAF strikes

Riding on the euphoria of the IAF's strike on terror camps in Pakistan, an upbeat BJP defended its Karnataka unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa's claim that the party would reap electoral dividends from it in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.

Cong slams government over OIC resolution on J&K

The Congress on Sunday said the Modi government claims that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) inviting India to attend its plenary was a diplomatic success has fallen flat with the 57-nations grouping adopting a resolution that "supported" Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. "External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj attended the OIC meeting in Abu Dhabi. The NDA-BJP government touted it as a huge diplomatic success for India that it has been invited to attend the plenary...But what happened in Abu Dhabi is extremely disturbing for India," said Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari. On Saturday, the Pakistan Foreign Office had said the conference concluded in Abu Dhabi with a resolution that "supported" Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. "In a resolution, the OIC member states reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir remains the core dispute between Pakistan and India and its resolution is indispensable for the dream for peace in South Asia," it claimed. Tewari Sunday said the Congress would .

Parliamentary Committee briefed on Balakot air strike, no member asks for evidence: Sources

New Delhi [India], Mar 3 (ANI): Days after IAF carried out air strike at Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) camp in Pakistan, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale briefed a Parliamentary Committee on the Indian action and the related developments.Gokhale told the Standing Committee on External Affairs about the February 26 air raid in Balakot in the context of Pulwama terror attack of February 14, sources said.He told the committee on March 1 about other steps taken by the government after the Pulwama attack, including apprising the international community about how the terror incident had links in Pakistan.The attack was claimed by JeM which is based in Pakistan and backed by the regime in that country.Some Committee members asked the Foreign Secretary why he, rather than Defence Secretary or military officials, had briefed the media on February 26 after the air strike, the sources told ANI.Gokhale responded that it was the decision of the government.No member of the committee asked the Foreign ...