Page 1496 - Politics
Prime Minister Modi keeps his words to avenge Pulwama terror attack in a befitting manner
With the Indian Air Force (IAF) launching a daring strike against terror camps in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on early Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kept his words to retaliate the Pulwama terror attack in a befitting manner.As many as 40 CRPF jawans were killed in an attack in south Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14 when an explosive-laden vehicle was rammed into their convoy of 78 buses, carrying 2,500 jawans from Jammu to Srinagar.Just after the terror attack, which left the nation numbed, Prime Minister Modi assured the nation that the martyrdom of Indian soldiers would be avenged. "I want to tell terror organisations and their mentors that they have made a big mistake," he said on February 15.Asserting that those behind the attacks must be brought to book, Prime Minister Modi said while flagging off the T18 train here on February 15 that the anger among soldiers, in particular among the CRPF, is being shared by the country. ...
Air Strike: It's trade as usual across LoC
Despite the Indian Air Force's air strikes early Tuesday, trade across the Line of Control (LoC) continued as usual between the two sides of divided Kashmir.
Pakistan Army confirms Indian jets dropped 'four bombs'
Pakistan Army confirmed that Indian fighter jets dropped "four bombs" during an operation on Tuesday but downplayed its significance, saying the Indian attack was repulsed and while going back the aircraft "jettisoned their payload." Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor also said Pakistan will "surprise" India with its response that will be in all domains including "diplomatic, political and military." "Prime Minister Imran Khan told the army and people that get ready for any eventuality. Now it is time for India to wait for our response. We have decided. Wait for it," Ghafoor said. His remarks came hours after India bombed and destroyed Jaish-e-Mohammed's (JeM) biggest training camp in Balakot in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, about 80-km from the Line of Control, early Tuesday, killing a "very large number" of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders.
Congress likely to go it alone in West Bengal
Miffed by the "adamant" attitude of the CPI(M)-led Left Front, the Congress is likely to go it alone in West Bengal in the Lok Sabha polls. The Congress will take a final call on the matter in a meeting of its Election Committee slated to be held Wednesday, state Congress leaders said. According to party sources, the Congress has already sought bio-data of prospective candidates for all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state. "We are now preparing to contest the Lok Sabha polls alone in the state. The CPI(M) and Left Front seem to be adamant on some of the seats. The talks don't appear to be moving forward. So it's better to contest alone," a senior state Congress leader privy to the development said Tuesday. The development comes a day after the CPI(M) manged to bring along two of its allies - the RSP and the CPI - on board on forging an alliance with the Congress in the state. However, another Left Front constituent Forward Bloc is not ready to toe the line, as the party ..
Expecting 20 plus seats: Rahul Gandhi sets target for party's Northeast leaders
Congress President Rahul Gandhi Tuesday set a target of winning at least 20 out of 25 seats across the Northeast in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. Addressing the Congress' district and block unit chiefs of all the Northeastern states here, Gandhi said the party will fight the polls in the region focussing on three to four major issues, including contentious Citizenship Bill and "shoddy" implementation of the NRC. "I am expecting 20 plus seats in Northeast from Congress party, nothing less than that. But I think you should try to win 22," Gandhi told the party workers. After winning the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress members should work towards bringing back the party to power in all the states, from where it was thrown out in a "wrong way", he added. "The Congress will fight elections on three-four different aspects in India and Northeast. One is the Citizenship Bill. The Congress stand is clear that we oppose this Bill. Congress party stood for the Northeast and stopped the Bill
Civil Aviation Ministry organizing 'Aviation Conclave 2019' with theme of "Flying for All"
Its bringing together industry leaders, government and regulators for setting the tone to realize Vision-2040
Air strike: We feel proud, says Pulwama martyr's wife
The family of Havaldar VV Vasanth Kumar, killed in the Pulwama terror attack, has welcomed the Indian air strikes on terror camps in Pakistan.
Top ex-military brass hail air strike as 'long overdue', caution on terror front
Top retired military brass have hailed the Tuesday morning bombing of terrorist bases in Pakistan by the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a move "long overdue", while cautioning that Islamabad, unable to escalate militarily, may react by intensifying terrorist activities in India.
UN should tell Pakistan to dismantle the terror infrastructure: PoK activist
International communities, including the United Nations, should mount pressure on Pakistan to completely destroy its terror infrastructure, said Jamil Maqsood, a political activist from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir on Tuesday. "It is imperative to tell the world community and societies that the terrorist organisations which are flourishing because of the blessing of Pakistan are actually against the development of the entire region," said Maqsood, who is also a Central Secretary Committee on Foreign Affairs United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP).He said, "It is the high time for the international community like United Nations to come forward and they should tell Pakistan to completely dismantle terror infrastructure flourishing in its country."Maqsood remarks come in the wake of multiple-aerial strikes carried out by Indian Air Force (IAF) across Line of Control (LoC).Referring to the aerial strike conducted by IAF on the terror camps in Pakistan, Maqsood said, "This proves ...
BJP doesn't understand northeast: Rahul
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the BJP does not understand the northeastern states.Addressing a gathering here, he said, "The BJP wants to impose one idea, one vision on the people of northeast. They do not understand the northeastern states. For that matter, they do not understand anyone."He also mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for calling himself 'Chowkidaar' of the nation. "Today whenever you say 'Chowkidaar" people respond by saying 'chor hai,' " said Gandhi.Encouraging party workers, Rahul said he is expecting that the Congress party would win more than 20 out of 25 seats in the northeast.Hitting out at the current government led by Prime Minister Modi he alleged that it is in these four and a half years that unemployment and corruption have increased.Asserting that the Congress party has stood for the people of the northeast, Gandhi said, "The party and its people have always stood by you. We opposed the shoddy implemented NRC and also ensured that the ...
Lokpal law would have been passed had Delhi been a full state: Sisodia
The issue of full statehood to Delhi resonated during the budget session in Delhi Assembly on Tuesday when Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia asserted that the Lokpal legislation would have been passed in the national capital had the status been granted to it. He was backed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who said the biggest challenge facing Delhi is it is a "half-state". Kejriwal said people in Delhi are paying more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore income tax and Delhi just got Rs 534 crore from the Centre. "This is exploitation," he said. "If Delhi becomes a (full) state, this will stop. UP gets Rs 1.5 lakh crore. Some states get Rs 10 lakh crore. Mumbai pays the highest income tax and Delhi is the second," he said. Kejriwal had announced he would sit on indefinite fast from March 1 to demand full statehood but on Tuesday he postponed it in "view of the prevailing Indo-Pak situation". When Sisodia was asked of his biggest regret in five years, he said it was not being able to get the ...
Jharkhand CM and others hail air strike
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das and others have hailed the strikes by the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday targeting terrorist bases inside Pakistan in retaliation for the February 14 Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF troopers were killed.
Pakistan warns India of 'strong response'
Pakistan on Tuesday reacted strongly to the IAF strike on Jaish-e-Mohammed's (JeM) biggest training camp in Balakot, with its leaders threatening a "befitting response" to India and Prime Minister Imran Khan directing the country's armed forces and citizens to "remain prepared for all eventualities".
People come out on streets across country to celebrate IAF strike; state assemblies pass resolutions
Jubilant people came out on streets and marches were held on Tuesday as the news of the IAF's strike on a JeM terror camp in Pakistan was welcomed across the country, with political leaders as well as general public lauding the armed forces for the action which came in the aftermath of the dastardly Pulwama attack. The sentiment echoed in state assemblies with the legislatures in Haryana, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh passing resolutions prasing the IAF action. In Jammu and Kashmir, youths came out on the streets to celebrate in Kathua, Samba, Poonch, Rajouri and Udhampur. A large number of BJP workers and supporters unfurled the tricolour at different places in Jammu city and raised slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'. "I feel this action will give peace to the martyred soldiers... I salute the Indian armed forces," said Kalavathi, whose husband H Guru from Karnataka was among the 40 CRPF jawans who died in the February 14 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. Guru's native village Gudigere
Pak summons India's diplomat over 'violation of its territorial sovereignty'
Pakistan on Tuesday summoned India's acting High Commissioner here and condemned the "violation of its territorial sovereignty" by Indian fighter jets. In a statement, the Foreign Office said that at "approximately 02:54 hours (local time), 8 Indian aircraft were effectively intercepted by the Pakistani Air Force jets and forced" to return. The Indian jets "randomly released their ordinance which landed in an uninhabited remote area," it added. "The Acting Foreign Secretary summoned the Indian Acting High Commissioner and strongly condemned the Indian violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity," it said. It said that the "baseless, reprehensible Indian claims of targeting a large terrorist camp and resultant causalities to placate Indian domestic audience and electioneering were strongly rebutted." The Acting Foreign Secretary categorically stated that Indian "aggression was a threat to regional peace and stability and would get a befitting response by Pakistan at a
Balakot IAF strike involved over 200 hours of planning
The pre-dawn attack air strike by Indian Air Force (IAF) on Jaish-e-Mohammed's (JeM) biggest terror camp in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on early Tuesday involved over 200 hours of planning that began following intelligence inputs regarding a second suicide terror strike somewhere in India.
'Josh' is high: Film dialogues go viral as India hits Pakistan terror camps
"How's the josh? High sir!" -- the social media world was replete with Bollywood film dialogues which Indian netizens used to thump their chest with pride after Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets struck terror launch pads in Pakistan administered Kashmir (PoK) on Tuesday.
Rajasthan martyrs' kin hail Balakot air strike
The families of CRPF personnel who got martyred in Pulwama attack 13 days ago have welcomed the air strike against terror camps at Balakot across LoC by Indian Air Force. Five of the 40 CRPF jawans who lost their lives in the February 14 terror attack belonged to Rajasthan. "We were expecting a solid response to Pakistan from India and it has been given now. Our loss is irreparable but we are satisfied with what the government has done, Mahesh Gurjar, a cousin of martyr Narayan Lal Gurjar said. Narayan Lal, a native of Binol village in Rajsamand district, is survived by his wife, two minor children and other family members. Vikram, the younger brother of martyr Jeet Ram said there is a satisfaction after the air strike on Pak terror camps. "A step has been taken but we want the terror menace to be ended for once and all," he said. Hailing from Sundarwali of Bharatpur district, Jeet Ram is survived by his wife, two young daughters, father and a brother. In Shahpura town of Jaipur ...
IAF strike: Twitter turns battleground as memes, one-liners come thick and fast
As India struck a JeM training camp in Pakistan early Tuesday, Twitter transformed into nothing less than a social media battleground with users deploying Bollywood references, clever words, humour and other arrows in their arsenal to make their point. Both Indians and Pakistanis jumped at the opportunity to get down to action on the micro-blogging site, and in no time hashtags like #surgicalstrike2, #indiastrikespakistan, #indiastrikesback were topping the trending list. Memes, videos and one-liners came thick and fast. One of the most popular tweets from this side of the border was a tweaked version of a dialogue from the Bollywood film "Uri: The Surgical Strike". "How's the Jaish?/Dead Sir," several twitter users wrote and many others retweeted. The oft-quoted dialogue from the hit film is, "How's the josh? High Sir." A tweet by Pakistan Defence posted Tuesday midnight -- "Sleep tight because PAF is awake. #PakistanZindabad" -- also became the butt of jokes for India's ...
Slain Karnataka CRPF trooper's family elated over aerial strike against JeM in Pakistan
The aerial strike by the Indian Air Force (IAF) on terror camps inside Pakistan on Tuesday elated the family of Karnataka's martyred CRPF trooper H. Guru, as it came on the 13th day of his death, his younger brother Madhu said.