Page 144 - Politics
Criminality is a bigger issue than 'One Nation, One Election': Congress
Congress on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'One Nation, One Election' concept is just a means to divert the attention of people from the real issues like criminality and money spent on elections."This meeting of 'One Nation, One Election' should not be an issue. This is just to divert attention from the focus on EVMs and other issues like criminality," party spokesperson Gaurav Gogoi told reporoters."Along with elections, there are many other issues. Today many leaders have come who have cases registered against them. In election reform, should it not be discussed that criminal elements should not be allowed to contest for elections and should so much of money be spent on elections," he questioned.Gogoi said that Congress party would not attend this meeting.
Congress, major leaders skip 'one nation, one poll' meet
The all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the concept of 'One Nation, One Election' began on Wednesday with main opposition Congress and a few other major parties skipping it."The 'One nation, one election' concept is a means to divert public attention from real issues. The real issues of election were EVM, criminality and use of money power," said Congress Spokesperson Gaurav Gogoi who disclosed that his party will not attend the meeting.West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Telangana Chief Minister and TRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao, DMK President MK Stalin, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati did not attend the meeting which was also to discuss NITI Aayog's proposal for developing 'Aspirational districts'.However, Congress ally and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Andhra ...
We used to have healthy competition with India 15-20 yrs ago: Shehbaz Sharif
Pakistan's opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday attacked the Prime Minister Imran Khan government over the poor state of the economy, saying "we used to have healthy competition with India." Sharif, during the discussion over the budget after a week of ruckus in the National Assembly, said that due to the bad policies, regional countries like Afghanistan and Bangladesh were doing better that Pakistan in certain areas. "Afghan currency is stronger than the Pakistani currency...Bangladesh's per capita income is ahead of us," he said. He said that 15-20 years ago, Pakistan was in "healthy competition" with India as it was ahead of its neighbour in the textile sector. The Imran Khan government presented the budget on June 11 but no discussion or debate could take place as members of the treasury created ruckus and interrupted the speech of the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly. Following a week-long ruckus, Sharif was allowed to initiate discussion on the budget. He .
Loyal Sena, BJP leaders ignored in cabinet expansion: Pawar
NCP leader Ajit Pawar Wednesday criticised Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' move of inducting some former Congress-NCP leaders into his cabinet during its expansion, saying loyal Shiv Sena-BJP cadres were ignored during the exercise. Congress turncoat Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil landed the plum Housing portfolio in the Maharashtra cabinet, which was expanded and reshuffled by Fadnavis on Sunday ahead of the crucial assembly elections. Jaydutt Kshirsagar, who was previously with the NCP and had joined the Shiv Sena last month, was allotted Employment Guarantee and Horticulture ministry. "I suggested that Shiv Sena leaders should join the NCP and BJP members should go to the Congress and when there is scope of cabinet expansion, they stand a chance of getting ministerial posts," Pawar said sarcastically. He was speaking in the Assembly during a debate on the vote of thanks to Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao's address to the joint session of the state legislature made in February .
Boris Johnson wins key Brexit backing in Tory leadership race
British leadership favourite Boris Johnson won the endorsement of a key Brexit-backing rival on Wednesday despite accusations he was softening his rhetoric on leaving the EU. Ahead of another round of voting in parliament, former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab said Johnson was the "only candidate" to take Britain out of the European Union as planned on October 31. On Tuesday Raab was eliminated from the contest to replace Theresa May as the leader of the ruling Conservative party and prime minister, leaving five candidates left. One of them will be eliminated in another ballot of Conservative MPs later Wednesday, before further votes on Thursday to whittle the field down to a final pair. Former foreign minister Johnson, a one-time mayor of London, is leading the pack after securing the support of 126 of 313 Tory MPs in Tuesday's ballot. A figurehead of the 2016 referendum campaign for Brexit, he insists there must be no more delays to Britain's EU exit, after May postponed it ...
June 23 polls for TN actors body "Nadigar Sangam" deferred
The Registrar of Societies Wednesday deferred the June 23 elections to the South Indian Artistes' Association, the Tamil Nadu based actors body, till such time issues including those relating to list of members were resolved. Even as campaign by actors peaked for the elections, the registrar, citing three key issues in his order, said "in view of the said circumstances, holding elections is unacceptable, and hence, withholding poll process is ordered till such time all the issues are resolved." Elections for the posts of president, two vice-presidents, general secretary, and treasurer were originally scheduled to be held on June 23. The polls were also to elect a 24-member executive committee. SIAA, popularly called "Nadigar Sangam," in Tamil is a nearly 70-year-old prestigious union of film, television, and stage actors in Tamil Nadu. The top official, who is also the district registrar (administration), south Chennai, cited a representation from a section of members ..
US Navy expert: Tanker attack mine resembles Iranian mines
The limpet mines used to attack a Japanese-owned oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz last week bore "a striking resemblance" to similar mines displayed by Iran, a US Navy explosives expert said Wednesday, stopping short of directly blaming Tehran for the assault. Iran has denied being involved in the attack last Thursday that hit the Japanese tanker Kokuka Courageous and also the Norwegian-owned Front Altair. The comments by Cmdr Sean Kido came as the Navy showed reporters pieces of debris and a magnet they say Iran's Revolutionary Guard left behind when they spirited away an unexploded limpet mine after the June 13 attack in the Gulf of Oman. Iran has also not acknowledged taking the mine. Kido also stressed that the damage done to the Kokuka Courageous was "not consistent with an external flying object hitting the ship," despite the ship's owner blaming "flying objects" for the damage in the attack. Meanwhile, a rocket hit an oil-drilling site in Iraq's southern Basra province ...
Tiwari invites Kejriwal, Dikshit at BJP event on Int'l Yoga Day
Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari on Wednesday invited Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Congress counterpart Sheila Dikshit to join him at an event to be organised by his party on the International Yoga Day on June 21. He said the Delhi BJP will host a yoga session on Friday morning in Ghonda in northeast Delhi and he wished to invite Kejriwal and Dikshit there. BJP working president JP Nadda is likely to attend the event, Tiwari said at a press conference. "I would like to invite Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Sheila ji, if they are not going to attend any other such event, to join me at the yoga session to be organised by Delhi BJP in Ghonda," he said. Around 13 crore people, including 10 lakh in the national capital, are expected to attend International Yoga Day celebrations and perform the ancient yogic exercises across the country, Tiwari said. Over 76 lakh people have already registered themselves to participate in yoga sessions on the day, through Ayush ...
Munde takes dig at Vikhe Patil over Housing portfolio
Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council, Dhananjay Munde, Wednesday wondered whether newly-appointed Housing Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, a former Congress leader who had alleged FSI violation in a Mumbai redevelopment project, would be able to give justice to his department. Vikhe Patil had last year raised serious allegations of corruption in the project when he was the Leader of Opposition of the Legislative Assembly. In recent expansion of Cabinet, Vikhe Patil replaced BJP's Prakash Mehta who is accused of permitting a builder to increase the floor space index (FSI) in excess of norms in the redevelopment project. Last year, Vikhe Patil had alleged that the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) struck a deal of Rs 10,000 crore with some builders in lieu of introducing favourable changes in the Mumbai Development Plan-2034. "As a Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Vikhe Patil had levelled allegations of Rs one lakh crore corruption through the misuse
Rahul turns 49, PM Modi, other leaders wish him good health, long life
Congress President Rahul Gandhi turned 49 on Wednesday and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first political leaders to greet him on his birthday. In his response, Gandhi thanked Modi and said he appreciated the prime minister's greetings. A host of Congress leaders and workers also wished Gandhi, as he met many of them at the party headquarters here on Akbar Road. Some leaders also wished Gandhi in Parliament. Modi took to Twitter to convey his birthday wishes to Gandhi. "Best wishes to Shri Rahul Gandhi on his birthday. May he be blessed with good health and a long life," he tweeted. Gandhi replied on Twitter, saying, "Thank you for your greetings narendramodi ji. I appreciate them." The two leaders were locked in a bitter war of words in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, in which the BJP-led NDA returned to power with a massive majority. Gandhi earlier met his mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi at her residence and later arrived at around 10 AM at the Congress ...
President Trump launches 2020 re-election bid with mega rally, vows to 'Keep America Great'
President Donald Trump has officially launched his 2020 re-election bid and appealed to his supporters to give him four more years to realise his unfinished agenda for the country, whose economy he boasted, has become the "envy of the world" under his watch. Kick-starting his election campaign at a jam-packed rally in Florida on Tuesday, Trump coined a new slogan, "Keep America Great" and warned that opposition Democrats want to "destroy" the country. "Tonight I stand before you to officially launch my campaign for a second term as president of the United States," Trump told supporters. "I promise you I will never ever let you down." The 73-year-old real estate investor-turned-politician, who became the 45th President of the United States of America in 2017, told a crowd of 20,000 Republican supporters that the economy of the US under him has become "the envy of the world". Florida is a key battleground state and one that Trump narrowly won in 2016. Trump said his victory three years .
South Korea seeks joint fund with Japan firms to compensate war labourers
South Korea said Wednesday it was open to talks with Japan on the issue of wartime forced labour if local and Japanese firms set up a joint compensation fund for victims of the policy. Relations between the two US allies have been increasingly strained by a series of rulings from South Korean courts ordering Japanese firms that used wartime forced labour to compensate victims. Japan's government and the firms involved have rejected the rulings, with Tokyo saying the issue was settled when the two countries normalised relations. Last month, Tokyo proposed the issue be put to arbitration under the terms of an agreement signed by the two countries in 1965, when ties were normalised. The agreement calls for the two countries to set up an arbitration panel if they cannot resolve a dispute through diplomatic negotiations. South Korea on Wednesday offered a counter-proposal that would see South Korean and Japanese firms -- including those involved in the court cases -- set up a voluntary ...
Japan tanker hit by mine resembling Iran's: US army
A Japanese tanker attacked in the Gulf of Oman last week was damaged by a limpet mine resembling Iranian mines, the US military in the Middle East said on Wednesday. "The limpet mine that was used in the attack is distinguishable and it is also strikingly bearing a resemblance to Iranian mines that have already been publicly displayed in Iranian military parades," Commander Sean Kido of US Naval Forces Central Command said. Kido told reporters in the UAE emirate of Fujairah that the US military has recovered biometric information of the assailants on the Japanese ship including "hand and finger prints." Two oil tankers were damaged in twin attacks close to the Iranian coast on June 13, just outside the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Amid no shows, PM meets party chiefs on simultaneous polls
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday met leaders of various political parties having representation in Parliament to explore possibilities of holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections together amid no show by various opposition parties. Modi had invited the heads of all political parties which have at least one member either in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha for the meeting to discuss several issues, including the "one nation, one election" idea, celebration of 75 years of Independence in 2022 and the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi this year. NCP leader Sharad Pawar, CPI-M's Sitaram Yechury, CPI's D Raja, Bihar Chief Minister and JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar, SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, Odisha Chief Minister and BJD leader Naveen Patnaik and National People's Party leader Conard Sangma were among those who attended the meeting at the Parliament House library building. PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference patriarch Farooq Abdullah also attended the ...
BJP leader slams KCR for not attending PM's all-party meet on simultaneous polls
BJP leader Ramchander Rao on Wednesday slammed Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for his decision not to attend the all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss "one nation, one election" idea and other issues in New Delhi."The all-party meeting has been called to discuss ways to improve the administrative linkage between Central and state government. KCR's decision not to attend the meeting is disrespect to the country and democracy," he told a press conference.The BJP leader said that the Chief Minister could have shared problems of Telangana at the meeting which would have helped him tackle those problems. "It is not correct to skip such meetings which are of importance to public welfare," Rao said.The chief minister had said yesterday, "What is to discuss there? We will only maintain constitutional relations with the Centre. No use talking to the Centre.""We did not even get Rs 1 for the state. I still back my federal front. I have already stated that ..
Leaders congratulate Om Birla on becoming 17th Lok Sabha Speaker
Leaders from across political parties on Wednesday congratulated Om Birla after he was unanimously elected as the 17th Speaker of the Lok Sabha.While several leaders, most of them MPs, greeted him in his chamber in Parliament House after the conclusion of proceedings, leaders in different parts of India took to Twitter to congratulate the newly-elected speaker.Among the leaders who congratulated the leader are Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu, BJP National General Secretary Saroj Pandey, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Union Minister Thawarchand Gehlot.Congratulating Birla, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "I am aware of Om Birla's working style. I am sure he will rightly fulfil his responsibility as the Lok Sabha speaker. We congratulate him.""Prime minister has made the right selection. A neutral Lok Sabha speaker is selected with unanimity. We are going through the phase of 'sabka sath sabka vikas'," BJP Vice President Surinderjeet .
Will work in an unbiased manner: New LS Speaker
Unanimously elected as Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla on Wednesday said he would perform his duties without bias and not take sides.Talking to reporters, he said his appointment to the post came with its own fair share of responsibilities which he would try to fulfill in the days to come."Will have to take forward everyone together while keeping the integrity of the House intact, it is very important to do so and that is what I will try to do in the days ahead," Birla said.He assured parties that he would work in an "unbiased" fashion without taking any sides while serving in the Lok Sabha."I will act and present myself in an unbiased manner as required from the position I have been assigned," Birla said.Earlier, NDA candidate Birla was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha on Wednesday.Birla's name was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was supported by all major Opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, DMK, and BJD. The YSRCP and TDP also supported ...
ASEAN leaders told to get serious on Rohingya issue
Southeast Asian leaders must use an upcoming summit to hold unvarnished talks on Myanmar's treatment of the Rohingya, rights groups urged Wednesday, after a report by the bloc was pilloried for whitewashing the persecution of the Muslim minority. The report, commissioned by ASEAN and leaked to AFP earlier this month, gives a glowing assessment of Myanmar's repatriation efforts so far for Rohingya driven into neighbouring Bangladesh. Myanmar's military launched a brutal crackdown on the Rohingya in August 2017, causing some 740,000 to flood into Bangladesh with widespread accounts of rape, mass killings and the razing of their villages. A repatriation deal with Bangladesh has stalled, with virtually no Rohingya choosing to return to Myanmar due to security fears and the government's refusal to grant them citizenship or basic rights. In spite of this, the report from ASEAN's "Emergency Response and Assessment Team" predicted voluntary returns would be complete in two years. It also ...
Can't dub person terrorist on mere use of word 'jihad': Maharashtra court
A person cannot be branded as a terrorist merely for using the word "jihad", a Maharashtra court observed while acquitting three accused of terror charges. The Akola-based court of special judge A S Jadhav made the observation while hearing a case against the three persons accused under the stringent the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Arms Act and the Bombay Police Act. Abdul Razzaque (24), Shoeb Khan (24) and Salim Malik (26) were booked under various Indian Penal Code sections, including 307 (attempt to murder) and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), following an attack on policemen outside a mosque in Pusad area of Akola on September 25, 2015, on the occasion of Eid uz Zoha, over beef ban in the state. According to the prosecution, Razzaque arrived at the mosque, took out a knife and stabbed two policemen on duty and said before the attack that because of the beef ban, he would kill the cops. The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) claimed ..
DMK seeks minister's resignation for water crisis, holds demo
About 400 DMK workers were held Wednesday for trying to stage a protest demanding Municipal Administration Minister S P Velumani's resignation for his alleged failure to resolve the water crisis here and Tamil Nadu at large. Led by party Singanallur MLA N Karthik, along with former minister Pongalur N Palanisamy, the party workers demonstrated in front of the Corporation office by raising slogans against Velumani for allegedly failing to create necessary infrastructure to store water. Nearly 100 women carrying empty pots and holding placards saying 'provide drinking water' raised slogans seeking regular water supply, which is now done once in 15 to 20 days in most of the areas. The DMK workers demanded also cancellation of project awarded to French firm Suez for supplying 24 X 7 water, as the delay in digging and laying pipeline were causing the drinking water crisis. Since there was no permission to stage the demonstration, police arrested the party workers.