Page 146 - Politics
Holding simultaneous polls anti-federal, anti-democratic: CPI(M)
Holding simultaneous polls to Parliament and state Assemblies is fundamentally anti-federal and anti-democratic and thus, against the Constitution, the CPI(M) said on Wednesday, listing out the reasons for its opposition to the "artificial attempt" to introduce the "One Nation, One Election" process by the government. In a note circulated among the heads of political parties at a meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the "One Nation, One Election" issue, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said holding simultaneous polls would "tamper" with the constitutional scheme of accountability of the government to the legislature. "Apart from the technical issues involved in holding simultaneous elections to Parliament and state Assemblies, our opposition to this is based on the fact that it is fundamentally anti-federal, anti-democratic and strikes at the roots of the parliamentary democratic system, as ordained in the Constitution. "Article 75(3) states that the ...
Cong to skip all-party meet on simultaneous polls
The Congress will skip the all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the 'one nation, one election' issue as it is opposed to the idea of holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections, sources said on Wednesday. The decision was taken at a meeting of the party's top leaders in the Parliament after consultations with various other parties. Leaders of a number of other parties have already decided to skip the meeting as a majority of them are opposed to the idea. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee and BSP chief Mayawati are among the host of Opposition leaders who will skip the all-party meeting on the issue of simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections. The Samajwadi Party is also opposed to the idea and will skip the meeting, a source said. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, DMK supremo M K Stalin will also not attend the meeting, sources said. NCP president Sharad Pawar and TDP president ...
US expresses 'strong views' on IMF loan to Pakistan, pushes for 'conditionality'
The US has communicated its "strong views" on an IMF bailout package to cash-strapped Pakistan and sought "conditionality", a top State Department official has said, amidst concerns in the Trump administration that the aid could be utilised to pay off the Chinese debts. Pakistan last month reached an agreement with the Washington-headquartered International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a USD 6 billion bailout package aimed at shoring up its finances and strengthening a slowing economy as tries to overcome a ballooning balance-of-payments crisis. The US has serious reservations over global lenders like the IMF providing a bailout to Pakistan to pay off Chinese debts. "There is a discussion about the conditionality what we think would be appropriate for an IMF package to Pakistan," according to senior State Department official (South and Central Asian Affairs) Alice G Wells. Responding to questions from lawmakers during a Congressional hearing last week, she told House Foreign Affairs ...
Karnataka Cong dissolved; state chief, working prez retained
Amid growing rumblings in the Karnataka Congress, the grand old party dissolved its unit in the southern state on Wednesday, while retaining its president and working president. "The AICC has decided to dissolve the present committee of (the) Karnataka Pradesh Congress. The president and working president remain unchanged," a statement issued by AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said. Rumblings within the Karnataka Congress have grown ever since the Lok Sabha poll debacle in the state. There have also been problems of coordination in the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government in the southern state. Voices of dissent have been growing in the Karnataka Congress for some time now due to differences over the functioning of the coalition government in the state. Two members of the Congress were recently inducted in the Karnataka cabinet.
Air New Zealand boss Luxon resigns, could pursue politics
Air New Zealand Chief Executive Christopher Luxon said Wednesday he's resigning after seven years in the top job at the national carrier. Many people have speculated that Luxon has political ambitions, and that he would be a natural fit with the conservative National Party that was ousted from power in 2017 by a liberal coalition led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Luxon said he will take some time to reflect on what he will do next, and that his future work options include corporate life, nonprofits and politics. "I know I am going to get a lot of questions about where to next for me," Luxon, 48, said in a statement. He said that with both his children finishing high school, he and wife Amanda would have "a new degree of freedom, including career choices." With an election looming next year, the National Party is worried about the performance of its leader Simon Bridges, who has struggled to gain traction since taking the reins after the last election. Recent polls indicate he has .
Iraq: Rocket hits site housing several global oil companies in Basra, 2 injured
In the latest attack on oil infrastructure in the Middle East, a rocket struck at the site housing headquarters of several global oil companies in Iraq's southern city of Basra on Wednesday morning.Two Iraqi workers sustained injuries in the incident. The rocket hit the Burjesia residential and operations headquarters west of the city, police said.The area also houses a branch of US multinational oil and gas corporation Exxon Mobil. A local security official told Al Jazeera that Exxon has evacuated some 20 foreign staff following the incident. Other companies operating at the site include Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Italian Eni SpA.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which has come days after two explosions occurred on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. The incident had occurred near the Strait of Hormuz, which is a key transit route for oil and gas from the Middle East.Although it remains unclear who was responsible for the attacks on the oil tankers, the US ...
Om Birla unanimously elected LS speaker, opposition urges him to be impartial
NDA nominee Om Birla was on Wednesday unanimously elected speaker of the Lok Sabha with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the opposition assuring him of their whole-hearted support in the smooth conduct of proceedings in the House. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary, DMK's T R Baalu and TMC's Sudip Bandyopadhyay were among those who backed Birla and urged him to be impartial as presiding officer of the lower house. "I on behalf of the government and the treasury benches assure you full support in conducting the House. I also assure you that your order will prevail and you must be tough even if anyone from our side (treasury benches) crosses the limit," Modi said, congratulating Birla. The prime minister heaped praise on the two-time BJP MP for his long public life, going back to his student days, and recalled his social work in Kota, Rajasthan, and in other parts of the country, including during the 2011 earthquake in Gujarat and the 2013 floods in Uttarakhand. Birla assured the ..
SC seeks EC's response on Guj Cong plea against its decision to hold separate bypolls for 2 RS seats
The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a response from the Election Commission by June 24 on a plea of the Gujarat Congress, challenging the poll panel's decision to hold separate bypolls to two Rajya Sabha seats in the state. A vacation bench of justices Deepak Gupta and Surya Kant listed the matter for hearing on June 25, saying the issue required to be heard. The bench said, "It is not an issue which can be taken up through an election petition and therefore, requires to be heard." Senior advocate Vivek Tankha, appearing for the Gujarat Congress, said there were judgments of the Delhi High court which were in their favour. To this, the bench said, "We are not saying anything for now. We need to decide whether it is a casual vacancy or a statutory vacancy. This matter requires hearing." The petition was filed by Congress MLA from Amreli and Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly, Pareshbhai Dhanani. The Rajya Sabha seats fell vacant following the election of BJP chief Amit Shah
Mayawati to skip PM's all-party meet today
BSP has opposed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'One Nation, One Election' idea for holding simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies in the country.In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Mayawati claimed that the 'One Nation, One Election' is an attempt to distract people from the "burning" issues in the country."Elections in any democratic country can never be a problem nor it is appropriate to evaluate elections with wastage of funds. The issue of 'one country, one election' in the country is actually an attempt to distract people from burning issues like poverty, inflation, unemployment, rising violence," she tweeted in Hindi.BSP supremo Mayawati has joined the list of Opposition leaders who will not attend the meeting of leaders of political parties convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 'One Nation, One Election' idea and other issues of national importance.Mayawati alleged that the people did not trust the EVMs and said that if the meeting was ...
Will run House impartially, safeguard interests of all members: LS speaker
Newly-elected Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday said he will run the House in an impartial manner, while asserting that the chair should not be biased. Addressing the House after being unanimously elected as the speaker, Birla assured the members that he will preside over the proceedings in accordance with rules and regulations and "safeguard the interests of the members irrespective of the strength of their parties in the House". Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for running a transparent government, the speaker said he expects the "government to be more responsible and answerable in the House". Everyone should be heard and the government should respond to them, he added. Seeking cooperation from all the members for a smooth functioning of the House, Birla said they should raise the questions and issues that come under the ambit of the central government. "I have been a member like you from 2014 to 2019. And here, we should raise the issues which matter to the last ...
Army to raise new battle formations along Pakistan border by October
New Delhi (India), June 19 (ANI): Aiming to further strengthen its ability to carry out swift strikes during wars, the Indian Army is going to raise new lethal battle formations along the borders with Pakistan by October.The Indian Army is going to raise the first few Integrated Battle Groups (IBG) along the Pakistan border and then it will start simultaneously raising them on the China border too."We carried out an exercise to test the Integrated Battle Groups concept under the Western Command. The feedback from the formations and top commanders has been very positive and that is why we are going to start by raising two to three IBGs along Pakistan border by October this year," top sources in the Army said.The sources said that the discussion regarding the exercise and feedback was discussed in detail by the seven Army commanders in the Army headquarters in their war room last week, and the commanders-in-chief have been given the powers to raise the IBGs in their respective areas of .
BJP Working President JP Nadda to visit three states going to poll later this year
In the first meeting convened by him after taking over as BJP Working President, J P Nadda discussed issues relating to the upcoming Assembly elections in three states later this year.It was decided that Nadda would visit these three states--Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra-- - to assess the ground realities and form an electoral strategy.The meeting was attended by all the General Secretaries of the party including Ram Lal and Ram Madhav.A host of other issues were also discussed in the meeting including boosting the membership drive and on strengthening the party's organization on the ground.
Kejriwal, Mayawati, Mamata to skip all-party meet; Left to attend
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee and BSP chief Mayawati are among the host of Opposition leaders who will skip the all-party meeting on Wednesday on the issue of simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, DMK supremo M K Stalin will also not attend the meeting that was called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources said. NCP president Sharad Pawar and TDP president Chandrababu Naidu are likely to skip the meeting of party chiefs, while the Left parties are likely to attend, sources said. The Congress, however, is yet to take a decision on the issue. Mayawati tweeted on Tuesday morning that said she would have attended the all-party meeting if it was on electronic voting machines (EVMs). According to the sources, Kejriwal would not be attending the meeting and the Aam Aadmi Party would be represented by party member Raghav Chadha. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi will be represented at the .
SC issues notice to EC in plea against by-polls for 2 Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat
The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Election Commission (EC) on a plea by Congress against its decision to conduct separate by-polls for two vacant Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat.A Bench of Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Surya Kant sasked the EC to file its response by Monday and posted the matter for hearing on Tuesday.The petition, filed by Gujarat Congress leader Pareshbhai Dhanani, has sought a direction to the EC to expeditiously hold simultaneous elections against the vacancies created in the Upper House in accordance with the provisions of the Representation of People's Act (RPA).The EC last week announced the schedule for six vacant Rajya Sabha seats to July 5 from different states including Gujarat. Two of the six seats were vacated following the elections of Amit Shah and Smriti Irani to the Lok Sabha from Gujarat.According to the petition, the "lack of appropriate decision" by the EC despite several representations and exhortations by Dhanani demonstrated .
Delhi: BJP MP Parvesh Verma questions mushrooming of Mosques on government land
BJP MP from West Delhi, Parvesh Verma, on Wednesday, has complained about the mushrooming of mosques on government land in the city and demanded their removal."I have written to the LG and requested him to make a committee and make the local district magistrate the chairman of these committees in each district. There should be an enquiry into why temples and Gurudwaras are made on Delhi Development Authority (DDA) allotted land and according to Floor Area Ratio (FAR) norms but why are mosques being made on government land?," he said.Varma questioned the Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal and former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit as to why the mosques and graveyards were being given a free run to be constructed on government land."Who is giving permission to them to make these structures on government land? Whenever elections come in Delhi, the season of making mosques starts in Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal has been a Chief Minister of Delhi for the last four years and Sheila Dikshit ...
No threat to Cong-JDS government: Siddaramaiah
Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that there is "no threat" to the Congress-JDS alliance government in Karnataka."There is absolutely no threat to the government in Karnataka. There is no problem. They (BJP) are trying desperately but they will not succeed," Siddaramaiah said here.Siddaramaiah met Congress president Rahul Gandhi at the latter's residence today to wish him on his birthday.His statement comes days after Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy expanded his Cabinet by inducting two independent MLAs.Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to R Shankar and H Nagesh at the Raj Bhavan at a simple ceremony.
Oppn MLAs seek probe in 'leak' of budget on FM's Twitter a/c
Opposition lawmakers on Wednesday staged a protest over the alleged "leak" of Maharashtra budget provisions on Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar's Twitter handle before presentation in the Assembly, and sought a probe into the matter. The legislators, including NCP's Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil and Dhananjay Munde, held a demonstration over the issue in the state legislature premises during the ongoing monsoon session. "The government leaked the budget on Twitter even before it was presented before the legislature by Mungantiwar on Tuesday. We are protesting against the government's such irresponsible approach. We want a probe into the matter by the cyber cell,"Munde said. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Mungantiwar on Tuesday dismissed the budget "leak" charge, saying the provisions were put out on Twitter 15 minutes after the finance minister began his budget speech in the Assembly. Meanwhile, the opposition legislators also criticised the BJP-led state government
Siddaramaiah could be reason behind my suspension from Cong: Roshan Baig
Disgruntled Congress MLA in Karnataka Roshan Baig on Wednesday alleged that he was being targetted, saying that former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah could be the reason behind his suspension from Congress."It is obvious that I have been targeted by the state leadership. Is speaking the truth a crime? I have the highest regard and respect for Rahul Gandhi. I never criticised him. I am a worker of Indian National Congress, not Siddu (Siddaramaiah) Congress. I had only spoken about the poor performance of the party. Siddaramaiah could be the reason for my suspension from the party," he told reporters, a day after the AICC suspended him for "anti-party" activities.Baig raised a question why the state leadership did not take moral responsibility following Congress's poor show in the Lok Sabha elections when Gandhi had offered to resign as the party president."You took disciplinary action against me. Some of the Congress leaders openly defeated our dalit leader K H Muniyappa. Why no action ...
Can't express pain I go through every day: HD Kumaraswamy
In what is being inferred as a sign of rift in the Congress-JD(S) coalition, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said that he cannot express the pain he goes through every day as he has to run the government smoothly."I promise I will fulfil your expectations. I can't express the pain I am going through every day. I want to express it with you, but cannot. But I need to solve the pain of people of the state. I have the responsibility of running the government smoothly," Kumaraswamy said at an event here on Tuesday.Kumaraswamy further alleged that one of his party MLA was offered Rs 10 crore by the BJP."One of our MLAs called me after he got a call by a BJP leader. They offered him Rs 10 crore to leave JD(S) and join BJP. These attempts are being done continuously by BJP leaders. But by God's grace and your blessings this government is safe for another four years," he said.On Wednesday, Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on said that there is "no ...
Uttarakhand Assembly session to begin on June 24
The Monsoon Session of the Uttarakhand Assembly will be held from June 24, Governor Baby Rani Maurya said here on Wednesday.As per the official notification, the session will commence at 11 PM.In the recently held Lok Sabha polls, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won all the five seats in the state.The BJP government in the state is led by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.