Page 1442 - Politics
Cong doesn't believe inprojecting one leader: Satav
The Gujarat Congress will not project any one leader as the party's future face as it does not believe in running the show with one or two leaders like the BJP, state party in-charge Rajiv Satav has said. But, he did not rule out fielding young leaders who emerged in the last few years, like Patidar quota agitation spearhead Hardik Patel, in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The party is ready to take on the BJP in Gujarat, Satav told PTI in an interview, adding that selection of candidates is underway and an announcement will be made soon. "Our policy is not to project one leader and go with him. We believe in taking everybody together," he said, when asked if the Congress plans to make a leader like 25-year-old Hardik Patel the party's future face. He said like the 2017 Gujarat Assembly election, the Congress will give a "big surprise" to the BJP in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha poll. While the Congress failed to win any Lok Sabha seat in ..
BJP launches survey to assess winnability of candidates ahead
Amid factionalism and hurdles in its mass outreach programme, the West Bengal unit of the BJP, which has set a target of winning over 23 of 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, is carrying out a survey to assess the winnability of its candidates. With more than 60-70 aspirants throwing their hats into the ring for one seat, especially in the northern and southern part of the state, the party is grappling with internal dissent over ticket distribution. Several factions, including the ones led by leaders who switched to the BJP from the TMC, are staking claims to the same seat, forcing the state unit to seek an assessment of its candidates to meet its 23-seat target, set by the saffron party's national president Amit Shah. "It is unprecedented that we have been receiving such a huge number of applications for some seats. Ten years back, we used to have a tough time convincing people to contest on our ticket," a BJP state unit leader said, adding that a section of leaders has .
Chidambaram lauds NDA govt's Clean Ganga, National Highway programmes
Former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has lauded the Narendra Modi government for its Clean Ganga initiative and the National Highway programme.Chidambaram, however, said he is "angry" over the government's Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation moves.Replying to a question at the "Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India" book release event here on Saturday, he said the NDA government is making a "determined effort" to clean the Ganga river."So far, it has not borne results, but at least they are making a determined effort to clean the Ganga. I think five times we have tried to clean the Ganga (but) we had failed. I hope this time they won't fail. But they are making a determined effort to clean the Ganga, which I am quite proud about," he said.Chidambaram said, "I think their (NDA government's) National Highway programme has been a success. They are building more kilometers per day than we did. But I think the next government will to build even more as
Congressman introduces resolution seeking probe into activities of US NGO's links with LeT
A US lawmaker has introduced a legislation in the Congress seeking a probe into an American non-profit body's activities in Pakistan and Kashmir, including its reported collaboration with components of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the outlawed outfit which carried out the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Introduced by Republican Congressman Jim banks from Indiana, the House Resolution (No 160) expresses concern over the threat posed to democracy and human rights by theocratic groups operating in South Asia, particularly in Pakistan and Bangladesh. The resolution has been moved to House Foreign Relations Committee for necessary action. Introduced on Thursday, it does not have any other co-sponsors so far. Among other calls on "law enforcement to investigate the activities of Helping Hand for Relief and Development in Pakistan and Kashmir, including reported collaboration with components of the Pakistani terrorist network Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)". Some 166 people, including Americans, were killed in the ...
Return of the political will (Column: Spy's Eye)
The successful strike made by a dozen Mirage 2000 jets of the Indian Air Force on Feb 26 to take out the biggest training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed at Balakot in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, in just about ten days after the terror attack on the CRPF at Pulwama, speaks as much of the decisiveness of the Modi regime on the national security front as of all that obviously went into that action by way of defence preparedness, functional consolidation of India's intelligence set-up and a comprehensive diplomatic reach out to the world by our Prime Minister himself on the issue of Pakistan-sponsored terror.
Former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal Bharat Mohan Adhikari dies
Former Deputy Prime Minister and senior Communist leader of Nepal Bharat Mohan Adhikari has passed away. He was 83. Adhikari, who also served as Finance Minister, died while undergoing treatment at Hams hospital in Kathmandu on Saturday, according to party sources. He was admitted to the hospital for treatment three weeks ago following problems in chest and lungs. Earlier on Saturday evening, the hospital had issued a statement saying Adhikari had developed symptoms of multiple organs failure. A three-time minister, Adhikari also led the Ministry of Labour and Transport Management and Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affair once each. Adhikari was deputy prime minister in the coalition government, which was thrown out in a coup by then King Gyanendra Shah in 2005. He is remembered for his first stint as finance minister in the first Communist-led government in 1995 led by Man Mohan Adhikari, his elder brother. Born in 1936 at Bhawarpurna VDC in Mahottari district, Adhikari ..
US-S.Korea ends large scale military exercises
The US and South Korea announced that the annual large-scale exercises, which were a ccommon feature of the defence relationship between the two militaries, will end and be re-configured into smaller manoeuvres.
Trump attacks Mueller probe
US President Donald Trump attacked Special Counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing probe into the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, and called him an "unelected prosecutor running unchecked".
Thank Pak PM for freeing IAF pilot Abhinandan without bargain: Dijvijaya Singh
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh praised Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for returning the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman to India without 'bargaining' for which he faced 'ire' from ISI and Pakistan Army. "I am thankful that Imran Khan returned our Pilot without any bargaining because of which his own people and ISI said that he should have bargained and shouldn't have let the Indian Pilot return without it," Digvijaya Singh said.Varthaman returned home from Pakistan on Friday, two days after he was taken into custody by Pakistan Army when his MiG 21 fell in PoK. Earlier on Saturday, Abhinandan met Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa.The Congress leader said now the Pakistan Prime Minister should handover Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar to India.Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is a Pakistani Islamist militant, who is a co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and the chief of Jama'at-ud-Da'wah, a UN-designated terrorist organisation operating ..
Taxing the rich, an idea gaining ground in the United States
Long out of favour in the United States, the idea of taxing rich individuals and corporations to pay for healthcare or to combat inequality is gaining ground among Democratic politicians. While the United States reveres free enterprise and is home to the world's largest number of billionaires, such tax proposals have been gaining traction in political circles in recent weeks. More than one Democratic contender in next year's presidential elections are campaigning on some plan to tax the wealthy. And they have been encouraged by famous billionaires such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, the world's second and third wealthiest people, who worry about America's severe wealth inequality. Vermont's left-leaning Senator Bernie Sanders was among the first in the recent wave. During his 2016 presidential campaign, he called for higher federal income taxes to pay for free college tuition and universal healthcare. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has proposed a two-per cent wealth tax ...
S Korea, US suspend joint military exercises
South Korea and the United States decided to suspend the annual joint military exercises between the two countries to facilitate the denuclearisation process of the entire Korean Peninsula, Seoul's defence ministry said Sunday.Yonhap news agency reported that the decision to end the joint military exercises was taken during a telephonic conversation between Seoul's Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan."The minister and secretary made clear that the alliance's decision regarding the adjustment of the exercise and drills reflects both countries' expectation to back diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and achieve the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula through a final, full verified method," the defence ministry said in a statement.Meanwhile, Sputnik quoted the US Department of Defence confirmed in a statement on Saturday (local time) the permanent end of two major joint exercises, dubbed as Key Resolve and Foal Eagle: ...
Ready to consult with US on Venezuela: Russia
Russia is ready for consultations on the Venezuela crisis with the US in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said.
US, South Korea to end key joint military exercises
The US and South Korea said on Sunday they will end their annual large-scale joint military exercises as Washington pursues efforts to improve ties with North Korea. The decision comes days after the conclusion of US President Donald Trump's second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, which ended without a formal agreement but with both sides suggesting they would keep talking. Trump has ruled out withdrawing any of the 28,500 US forces based in South Korea to defend it from its nuclear-armed neighbour, which invaded in 1950. Any such drawdown would face a strong pushback from the US Congress and Japan, whose conservative government is deeply wary of North Korea's intentions. But the US president has complained repeatedly over the cost of the military drills, which Pyongyang has always condemned as provocative rehearsals for invasion. During a Saturday phone call between South Korean Defence Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his US counterpart Patrick Shanahan, "both ...
UP cabinet approves Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Rapid Rail Transport System
The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday approved the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Rapid Rail Transport System (RRTS) costing around Rs 30,668 crore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi would lay the foundation stone of the 82.50 Km project on March 8."The project would be designed for a speed of 180 km per hour but the average speed would be 100 km per hour," said the Sidharth Nath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Health Minister.He said that funding for the project would be a 'mix' funding from central government, Delhi government, Uttar Pradesh government and through the loan."The funding would be of mix type. The central government and both the Delhi government and Uttar Pradesh government will fund. Also, some money would be drawn by means of loan," he said. He said that the project would be completed by 2024.The minister also informed that cabinet cleared the proposal to operate electric buses in nine major cities of the state that includes Lucknow, Prayagraj, ...
Trump calls Mueller and team 'wrong people', 'trying to bullshit'
US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) addressed Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team of prosecutors as "wrong people", adding that those people "tried to take him out with bullshit"."Unfortunately, you put the wrong people in a couple of positions, and they leave people for a long time that should not be there. All of a sudden, they are trying to take you out with bullshit," Trump said on the last day of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2019.The remarks by the President came after the US Justice Department on February 23 confirmed that Mueller would not be delivering his report on Russian interference in the 2016 US Presidential election next week.Fox News quoted the President as saying that the reports were produced "by people who weren't elected.""I had a nasty business transaction with Robert Mueller a number of years ago. I said, why wasn't that mentioned? He wanted the job as FBI director. I did not give it to him. Why isn't that ...
Russia ready to initiate negotiation on Venezuela crisis with US
Russia is all set to initiate negotiations regarding the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela with the United States in accordance with the UN charter, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.Xinhua news agency cited the press statement released by the Foreign Ministry saying that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the situation around Venezuela with US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo during a telephone conversation. "In connection with Washington's proposal to hold bilateral consultations on Venezuelan issues, it is indicated that we are ready for this, but it is necessary to strictly follow the principles of the UN Charter since only Venezuelans have the right to determine their future," the statement said.On February 28, the UN Security Council failed to adopt two draft resolutions on Venezuela, sponsored by the US and Russia respectively.Following talks with Acting Vice President of Venezuela Delcy Rodriguez, in Moscow on March 1, ...
Muscular policy of govt in Kashmir pushing people into militancy: P Chidambaram
Congress leader P Chidambaram said rather than engaging with Kashmiris, the government is adopting militaristic and majoritarian' approach which is pushing more and more people into the arms of militancy.Speaking at "Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India," book release event in Chennai on Saturday, Chidambaram said, "Unlike other States, Kashmir didn't accede to India unconditionally. They acceded to India under what is called an 'Instrument of Accession'. They ceded to GOI only four subjects, and said in all other matters, 'we will be autonomous'. Most people don't know it, and those who know it have forgotten or conveniently ignored it. We are adopting a muscular, militaristic and majoritarian approach, which is pushing people more and more into the arms of the militants.""The only way to deal with Kashmir is to try to win the hearts and minds of the people," he added.The former finance minister said that over the years, Congress governments included, have eroded the autonomy given ...
Sanders attacks 'dangerous' Trump at campaign launch
US Senator Bernie Sanders returned to the place of his birth on Saturday to deliver the first rally speech of his presidential campaign, vowing to defeat "the most dangerous president in modern American history" in Donald Trump. The Vermont independent voiced confidence at the address in the New York borough of Brooklyn that he would first beat the crowded field of his rivals for the 2020 nomination, with much of his liberal, populist agenda now considered mainstream Democratic policy. "I want to thank all of you for being part of a campaign which is not only going to win the Democratic nomination, which is not only going to defeat Donald Trump, who is the most dangerous president in modern American history," Sanders told the crowd of several thousand people. "But, with your help, we are going to transform this country and finally create an economy and a government which works for all of us, not just the one per cent." He promised that his campaign would say "loudly and clearly that ..
Rival jihadists say IS suspects executed in Syria's Idlib
Jihadists controlling Syria's northwestern Idlib region said 10 alleged Islamic State group members were executed on Saturday, a day after a deadly bomb attack. A suicide bomber killed eight people, including five foreign jihadists, at a restaurant in the city of Idlib on Friday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Idlib region borders Turkey and is dominated by an alliance led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The faction's propaganda arm, Ebaa, put out a statement online, saying 10 suspected IS members were executed. "This comes a day after a member of the gang blew themselves up in a restaurant," Ebaa said. The Observatory confirmed the executions by HTS and said they had been carried out "in front of the restaurant". HTS took administrative control of the whole of Idlib region last month, after overpowering smaller factions that are backed by Turkey. The region has seen jihadist groups and rebels target each other with ...
Trump warns conservatives against 'socialist nightmare'
President Donald Trump rallied right-wing activists Saturday with a speech offering conservative red meat on immigration, trade and the threat of "socialism" as he sought to move on from a bruising week in domestic and international politics. "We believe in the American dream, not in the socialist nightmare," he said to boisterous applause from hundreds of supporters at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) near Washington. "America will never be a socialist country," Trump added in a mammoth two-hour speech that seemed to draw energy from the fervent reception offered by some of his influential supporters in the room. It was his first public appearance since coming home empty-handed, and to brickbats from all sides, from a nuclear-disarmament summit with North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong Un. The White House is also smarting from explosive testimony on Capitol Hill by Trump's former lawyer and fixer on Wednesday that branded him a criminal and a ...