Page 145 - Politics
Centre should bring legislation to protect faith of Sabarimala devotees: Ker govt
The CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala Wednesday demanded that the Centre bring a legislation to protect the faith of Lord Ayyappa's devotees visiting the hill shrine in Sabarimala, which was ordered by the Supreme Court last year to open its doors to women of all age groups. The state government's demand comes in the backdrop of Kollam MP N K Premachandran moving a private members bill in the Lok Sabha against women's entry into the Lord Ayyappa temple. The bill is likely to come up this week in the Lok Sabha. "The Sabarimala issue will be coming up before the central government as a private bill. Everybody knows the fate of the private bills... ," Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran told reporters here. To ensure that such a situation does not arise, the BJP state leadership should prevail on the Centre to bring in a legislation and ensure legal protection, he said. The BJP government has a "brute majority" in the House and hence should bring in a legislation on the matter, he
AAP seeks vision document from Centre on 'one nation, one vision'
The AAP has sought a vision document on the issue of 'one nation, one election' from Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, so that an informed and wide-ranging discussion can happen on the issue. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal skipped the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday and sent party member Raghav Chadha to represent the party. Modi had invited heads of all parties who have an MP either in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha for a meeting on June 19 to discuss several issues, including the "one nation, one election" idea, celebration of the 75 years of Independence in 2022 and 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary this year. Chadha, in a letter to Joshi, said in absence of a clear basis or vision, it would be futile for any political party to comment on the merits or the demerits of a proposal such as this. He said a vision document or detailed proposal or white paper is required to be able to apply their mind to it and provide ...
Maha for framework to hear litigations on big ticket projects
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Wednesday said the state government would seek a legal opinion on creating a framework for hearing litigations against the projects costing over Rs 100 crore. Replying to a question raised by Opposition leaders in the Legislative Council, the chief minister also clarified that the government had no intention to overstep the rights of court. "The state will seek an opinion from the Law and Judiciary department of the government. We will explore the possibility of formation of a framework regarding high cost infrastructure project," he said. Earlier, Opposition members sought to know the reasons for a delay in completion of big ticket projects. To this, the CM said, "It is true that the state incurs heavy financial losses as such litigations result into projects getting delayed and construction cost going up. He further said though the government had no intention to overstep the rights of court but it is necessary to have some ..
New Acting US Defence Secretary fought in Gulf war
Mark T Esper, President Donald Trump's pick for new Acting US Defence Secretary, is an Army veteran who fought in the Gulf war and worked as a lobbyist for one of America's biggest military contractors. The 55-year-old ex-classmate of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was chosen after Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan withdrew his nomination, which took many by surprise. Esper is taking over against the backdrop of soaring tensions between the US and Iran which has said it would surpass the uranium-stockpile limit set by its nuclear deal in the next 10 days. Making the announcement of the new appointment, President Trump said that his current Army secretary Esper would lead the Defence Department. "I know Mark, and have no doubt he will do a fantastic job!" he said in a tweet. Trump told reporters that he is likely to nominate Esper for the permanent job. Esper, elevated from his job as Army secretary to be Acting Defense Secretary, became the third person to lead the Pentagon ...
All-party meeting over 'One Nation, One Election' begins at Parliament
The meeting of the heads of political parties under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the concept of 'One Nation, One Election' among other things including NITI Aayog's proposal for developing 'Aspirational districts' is undergoing at Parliament today.JDU's Nitish Kumar, NC's Farooq Abdullah, SAD's Sukhbir Singh Badal, BJD's Naveen Patnaik, PDP's Mehbooba Mufti, and YSRCP's Jagan Mohan Reddy are among those who are attending the meeting.The Congress-led UPA and the Trinamool Congress have opposed the concept. Newly appointed leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Ahir Ranjan Choudhary told reporters after a meeting of the UPA chaired by Sonia Gandhi here on Tuesday that the parties were opposed to the idea in principle.Since some issues are to be sorted out, the UPA will meet again on Wednesday morning to discuss the issue further and take a common stand at the meeting called by Modi in the evening, said Chaudhary.DMK, the second largest party in the UPA, ..
Saudi-led coalition intercepts new Yemeni rebel drone
A Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen intercepted a Huthi rebel drone targeting the kingdom, a spokesman said Wednesday, calling it another violation of an already fragile ceasefire in a key Red Sea province. The unmanned drone was shot down in Yemeni airspace after the Iran-aligned rebels launched it from Hodeida province, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said in comments carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. Maliki did not report any casualties, but said the operation was a breach of the Hodeida ceasefire deal reached in Sweden last December between the rebels and Yemen's Saudi-backed government. The deal has already been marred by reported violations on both sides as UN-led peace efforts falter in Hodeida, the main entry point for the bulk of Yemen's imports and humanitarian aid. The rebels denied carrying out Wednesday's attack. Huthi-run Al-Masirah TV quoted a spokesman as saying "no such operation has been conducted in the past 12 hours". Persistent coalition bombing .
AICC dissolves Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee
The All India Congress Committee has decided to dissolve the present Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee on Wednesday.The President Dinesh Gundu Rao and Working President Eshwar Khandre will, however, continue to serve in their present capacities.The Congress fared poorly in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections in the state where it won just one seat out of the 28 that went to polls as against 25 won by the BJP.
Congress, other oppn parties skip all-party meet on simultaneous polls
Opposed to the idea of simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, several opposition parties, including the Congress, on Wednesday skipped the all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of 'one nation, one election'. Those joining the Congress in not attending the meeting include NDA ally Shiv Sena as well as the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the DMK, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Trinamool Congress. The Left parties, represented by CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI's D Raja, attended the meeting but are opposed to the idea. "We will attend and oppose the 'one nation, one election' issue," a senior Left leader said. Holding simultaneous polls to Parliament and state Assemblies is fundamentally anti-federal and anti-democratic and thus against the Constitution, Yechury said in a note. The meeting was held in the library building of Parliament. The Congress took the decision of staying away from the
Russia, China, block US effort to halt North Korea fuel deliveries
Russia and China on Tuesday blocked an American initiative that aimed to halt fuel deliveries to North Korea, which Washington accuses of exceeding its annual ceiling for 2019, diplomatic sources said. Moscow and Beijing said more time was needed to study the US request, which was backed by 25 UN members including Japan, France and Germany, according to the sources. A week ago, the United States, in a report, accused North Korea of breaching the United Nations-imposed ceiling on fuel imports by carrying out dozens of ship-to-ship transfers. The cap on fuel imports is among a series of tough sanctions adopted by the UN Security Council in response to North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear tests. The United States insists that "maximum pressure" from the sanctions must remain on North Korea until it agrees to dismantle its weapons program. Washington had asked that a United Nations sanctions committee rule that the annual cap of 500,000 barrels had been exceeded and order all ...
Stalin extends birthday greetings to Rahul
DMK chief M K Stalin took to Twitter on Wednesday to wish his "good friend" and Congress president Rahul Gandhi on his 49th birthday. Stalin also shared a photo of him shaking hands with Gandhi at a meeting in the past. "I wish my good friend @RahulGandhi a very happy birthday. I wish you many more years of public service. #HappyBirthdayRahulGandhi," the DMK chief tweeted. The DMK and the Congress joined hands in February this year to contest the April 18 Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry as allies. Stalin had even proposed Gandhi's name as the Opposition's Prime Ministerial candidate ahead of the polls, but the idea did not cut much ice with Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav. Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also wished Gandhi on Twitter.
I'm being punished for speaking truth: Suspended Cong MLA
Senior Karnataka legislator R Roshan Baig, who was suspended by the Congress on Tuesday for attacking its state leadership, on Wednesday said he was a "disciplined soldier of the party" and was being punished for speaking the truth. Asserting that his comments against state Congress leaders were the opinion of the party workers, he said he was in the Indian National Congress headed by Rahul Gandhi and "not in the Siddu (Siddaramaiah) Congress". "Last night, I got the information that I have been suspended from the party...Is it a crime to speak the truth? What I have said is the truth," Baig said. Speaking to reporters here, he said he had not criticised Gandhi and that he continued to be a "disciplined soldier of the party". "My criticism of state leaders is true. Is speaking the truth a crime? They have taken action against me. There are some senior leaders and friends in the party like Ramalinga Reddy, H K Patil, Mallikarjun Kharge and K H Muniyappa. I will meet them and discuss ...
The least Iran could do was partially withdraw from 2015 nuke deal: Rouhani on US sanctions
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday said that Tehran's partial withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) was a 'minimum' measure the country could take in retaliation to Washington's withdrawal from the nuclear deal and subsequent sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic.In a speech telecast on the state television, Rouhani underlined that Iran would not be pressurised to engage in negotiations with the United States, reports Sputnik.Iran stopped complying with some elements of the 2015 nuclear agreement (officially called JCPoA) in May, a year after the US unilaterally withdrew from the deal.The agreement was signed with an aim to limit Iran's civilian energy programme, thereby preventing it from developing nuclear weapons at some point in the future, in exchange for relief from sanctions that were crippling the country's economy.Washington's decision of pulling out from the agreement soured its ties with Iran. In the past year, the Trump ...
Rawat congratulates Om Birla on his unanimous election as LS speaker
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat Wednesday congratulated Om Birla on his unanimous election as speaker of the Lok Sabha. "Birla is a young, energetic and simple politician. His political career has been dedicated to social service," said Rawat in his congratulatory message. Birla who represents Rajasthan's Kota-Bundi seat in the Lok Sabha was elected speaker unanimously.
Bus service between Mizoram and Myanmar on cards: Minister
Mizoram transport minister T J Lalnuntluanga Wednesday informed the Assembly that the state government has proposed to operate buses between Mizoram and Tahan township in Myanmar. Replying to a question from V L Zaithanzama of the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM), Lalnuntluanga said that the state government has discussed the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs. "The Ministry of External Affairs conveyed its intention to take up the matter with the Myanmar government so that a bus service between the two countries could be a reality soon," he said. Tahan is a township in Kalaymyo city in Sagaing region of Myanmar and a sizable number of Mizos reside there, he informed. He also said that efforts are on to run buses from Aizawl to Jampui hills in Tripura and Churachanpur in Manipur.
PM introduces his council of ministers to Lok Sabha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday introduced his new Council of Ministers to the Lok Sabha. It is a customary practice for the prime minister to introduce the council of ministers after the new government takes over or if there is a reshuffle or expansion of the union cabinet. The prime minster read out names and portfolios of the ministers who stood up and greeted the members of House with folded hands. Modi is likely to introduce the ministers to the Rajya Sabha on Friday. Besides the PM, the Council of Ministers has 57 members -- 24 Cabinet, 9 Ministers of State and 24 MoSes with independent charge.
Would've attended if it was about EVMs: Mayawati skips all-party meet on simultaneous polls
BSP chief Mayawati Wednesday said holding simultaneous national and state elections "appears to be an undemocratic and unconstitutional" idea for a vast country like India as she declined to attend an all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue. She said that elections in any democracy can never be a problem "nor elections should be weighed from the point of view of expenditure and extravagance". 'One nation, one election' is not an issue before the country, she said. "Elections through ballot papers are actually the national issue and our party will continue its struggle for it." The BSP president said it was a new drama of the BJP to divert attention from the concerns over "attempts to hijack" democracy through alleged irregularities in the working of electronic voting machine (EVMs). "Even the idea of one nation, one election for the world's biggest democracy like India, prima facie, appears to be undemocratic and unconstitutional," she said in a party ...
We have no time for vendetta politics, says MP Home Minister Bachchan
The Congress party-led government in the state has no time to do the politics of vendetta, said Home Minister Bala Bachchan here on Wednesday."The state government does not have time to do vendetta politics. However, if someone breaks the rule of law, then the action will be taken against the guilty," said Bachchan, who was addressing media persons here.His response comes in the wake of a recent scuffle at Narsinghpur involving sons of Union Minister Pralhad Singh Patel and MLA Jalam Singh Patel, which has become a talking point in the state.When asked to comment on the death of a man in police custody at Bairagarh police station whose kin are accusing cops of beating him to death, Bachchan said: "The government will initiate action against the cops if they are found to be guilty.
Meeting of Congress-led opposition parties cancelled
A meeting of the opposition parties, which was called by Congress on Wednesday, to chalk out an approach for the ongoing monsoon session of the Parliament was cancelled.The party officials have not specified any reasons for the cancellation. The meeting has been rescheduled for the near future.Congress had extended an invitation to 17 political parties including SP, BSP and TMC for the meeting.Yesterday, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had chaired a meeting and discussed a common agenda to ensure better floor coordination among the opposition parties.This development comes on a day when PM Modi has invited heads of political parties, that have at least one member in Parliament, to discuss 'one nation, one election' issue.The UPA has signalled that they will oppose the the proposal.
Two sulking Muslim ministers in Sri Lanka return to government fold
Two of the nine Sri Lankan Muslim ministers, who had resigned in the wake of growing anti-minority sentiments following the Easter Sunday bombings, returned to the government fold on Wednesday, days after the country's chief Buddhist prelate urged them to reconsider the decision. Kabir Hashim and AHM Haleem were sworn-in as ministers by President Maithripala Sirisena. The development came a day after a meeting of the Muslim ministers to reconsider their positions ended inconclusively. Both Hashim and Haleem are from the United National Party (UNP) of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. It was not clear if other ministers from the main Muslim party, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, would return to the fold. Along with the nine ministers, two provincial governors from the minority community also resigned on June 3 to allow the Lankan government to investigate allegations against some of them on links to an Islamist extremist group blamed for the deadly terror attacks that claimed 258 lives, .
Country needs 'One Nation, One Election' norm, says Naqvi
Ahead of the all-party meeting, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday said that the country would be benefitted if a consensus was reached on the issue of 'One Nation, One Election.'"Our country is a multi-party democracy. The country needs 'one nation, one election.' The Lok Sabha election has just been finished. Now the state Assembly elections will take place in four to five states. If an agreement is reached by all political parties, it will be beneficial for the country," he told ANI.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited the heads of all political parties that have at least one member either in the Lok Sabha or in the Rajya Sabha for today's meeting that he will chair to discuss several issues, including the 'one nation, one election' idea for holding simultaneous election to the Lok Sabha and the state Legislative Assemblies in the country.BSP supremo Mayawati, DMK president MK Stalin, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, ...