Page 1513 - Politics
Maruti Eeco used in Pulwama terror attack, NIA identifies owner
The NIA Monday said the owner of the vehicle used in the Pulwama terror attack has been identified and he has joined the Jaish-e-Moahmmed terror outfit. An official spokesman said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has made a significant breakthrough in the investigation by identifying the vehicle and its owner after piecing together remnants of the car recovered from the scene of the blast. The NIA investigators, with the support of forensic and automobile experts, have been able to identify the vehicle used in the blast as a Maruti Eeco having chassis number MA3ERLF1SOO183735 and engine G12BN164140. The vehicle was sold to Mohammed Jaleel Ahmed Haqani, a resident of Heaven Colony in Anantnag in 2011, and subsequently it changed hands seven times and finally reached Sajjad Bhat, a resident of Bijbeharain in South Kashmir. The vehicle was purchased on February 4, the spokesman said, adding Sajjad was a student of Siraj-ul-Uloom, Shopian. Raids were conducted by a team of NIA and .
Anti-India intellectualism promoting terrorism: Jitendra Singh
Union minister Jitendra Singh has blamed anti-India intellectualism for promotion of terrorism in Kashmir and said there is no place for such intellectualism as it has become a "favourite pastime" for failed scholars and failed academicians. "Anti-India intellectualism promoting terrorism. There is no place for anti-India intellectualism," Singh said Monday. In a candid address to the academic fraternity in Udhampur, Singh said anti-India intellectualism has "become a favourite pastime" for some of the failed scholars and academicians who feel tempted to use Kashmir as a convenient subject to seek "intellectual pretensions". He said even developed democracies, like the US, allow no place to such intellectual jingoism which tends to wreck the nation. Speaking at an interactive session at the Degree College here, Singh said, "The mediocres, who are unable to earn recognition as intellectuals or writers through mainstream, have found a convenient option of delivering an anti-India ...
Naga groups demand resolution of insurgency issue before LS polls
Different Naga organisations on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the decades-old insurgency issue in Nagaland before the general election, saying it was getting delayed due to the "adamant" position of the Centre. "During the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign, the prime minister had promised to solve the Naga political problem within 18 months if the BJP formed the government at the Centre. Now, it's almost 60 months since then and the Nagas are yet to see the formidable leadership of Delhi fulfilling the promise made. We want a solution before the Lok Sabha polls," Yaronsho Ngalung, chairman of the Autonomous District Council, Ukhrul (Manipur), said at a press conference here. Representatives of the Naga Mothers' Association, Naga Students' Union, Delhi, and a host of civil society organisations said they had submitted a memorandum to Modi over their demands. The Naga organisations had held a protest march on Saturday demanding immediate political solution to the ..
LS polls: BSP, SP announce pre-poll alliance for Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) will be contesting Lok Sabha elections in alliance in Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand, it was announced on Monday.The two parties have also announced a seat-sharing arrangement.Out of 27 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, SP will contest on three seats and BSP will field its candidates in rest of the constituencies, according to a joint press statement of the two parties.Incidentally, BSP is an alliance partner in the Congress-led Madhya Pradesh government with its two MLAs extending their support to the state government.Out of five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand, SP will contest only on one seat, Pauri Garhwal, and BSP will be contesting on all other seats.Last month, SP and BSP had announced their alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the coming Lok Sabha polls by agreeing to contest 38 seats each out of 80 Lok Sabha constituencies.Two seats had been left for other parties which later went up to three with SP sacrificing one more seat.The ...
Pak FM calls Chinese counterpart, discusses situation post-Pulwama attack
Islamabad [Pakistan], Feb 25 (ANI): Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday spoke to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi over the phone on the "evolving regional situation" after the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on February 14.During the telephonic conversation, Qureshi "underscored Pakistan's desire for peace and stability in the region and resolution of all issues through negotiations and dialogue with India," according to a statement by Pakistan's Foreign Office.Wang Yi, on his part, said that the unfolding situation was "serious" with "implications for peace and security in the entire region," the statement added.In one of the worst assaults on security forces in Kashmir, about 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives in a suicide bomb attack in Awantipora area of Pulwama district on February 14.Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a Pakistan-based and backed terror outfit had claimed responsibility for the ghastly attack.In response, India revoked the 'Most Favoured ...
Arunachal situation unfortunate, violence due to 'miscommunication', says Rijiju
Terming the three-day violence in Arunachal Pradesh as "unfortunate", Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Monday requested the state government to ensure full support and compensation to the next of kin of the deceased."The three-day violence that took place in Arunachal Pradesh, especially in the capital region, is very unfortunate. We have been informed that three people have lost their lives," said Rijiju while speaking to reporters.The state government had sought for more force to bring the situation under control, said the Minister of State adding, "the problem occurred because the state government was not able to communicate the right thing to the people"."People began to think that government was going to issue Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC) to non-tribal people living in the state", he said."The Arunachal Pradesh government has already decided that the Joint High Power Committee report on PRC will not be accepted. Now the state government must ...
Centre playing politics over bodies of CRPF jawans: Mamata Banerjee
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government of 'playing politics over the bodies of CRPF jawans.'"The Central government was aware that such an attack can take place. There were intelligence inputs. Then why didn't they take preventive measures to protect our jawans," said Banerjee here while addressing the extended Core Committee meeting of Trinmool Congress."The Central government allowed them to die so that they can do politics over the bodies of jawans in the elections," she said.As many as 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives in the dastardly attack carried out by Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pulwama on February 14. The attack was carried out by a JeM suicide bomber. Intensifying her attack on the Central government, Banerjee said: "This government is being run by two brothers, who have blood of innocents on their hands. Both the leaders want to create war hysteria ahead of the Lok Sabha
Thousands turn up to bid tearful adieu to police officer in Jammu
Amid patriotic fervour, thousands of mourners bid a tearful adieu on Monday to Deputy Superintendent of Police Aman Thakur, whose last rites were performed with full state honours in a village in the Marh area, near the Indo-Pak border, on the outskirts of Jammu. The officer, who gave up two government jobs to don the uniform to fulfil his dream to serve the country, was killed while fighting a group of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists in Kulgam district of south Kashmir on Sunday. Three terrorists, including two Pakistani nationals, were eliminated in the encounter that also claimed the life of an Army jawan and left two security personnel, including a major, injured. The body of Thakur, hailing from Gagla village in Doda district, was flown to Jammu from Srinagar on Monday morning and a wreath-laying ceremony was held at the police lines here. Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik and Union minister Jitendra Singh joined senior politicians and officers of the police, Army, ...
'India first or family first', Modi targets Congress at war memorial opening
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the previous Congress governments of playing with national interest, saying that there was a concept of "family first" instead of "nation first."
Twitter to appoint nodal officer to work with EC to address issues on real-time basis
Twitter Monday agreed to appoint a nodal officer to work closely with the Election Commission ahead of the general elections after a parliamentary panel asked the messaging platform to address issues such as political bias and foreign influence on a real-time basis. While Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, like the previous meeting, skipped appearance before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, the panel head and BJP leader Anurag Thakur read out a personal letter written by Dorsey to him, after which the micro-blogging site's Vice President and Head of Global Policy Colin Crowell was allowed to represent the company at the meeting. Sources said the panel asked Twitter to ensure that Indian elections are not undermined and influenced by foreign entities. Thakur, they said, stressed that Twitter must work on real-time basis to address issues. Twitter has been given 10 days time to reply in writing to questions that remained unanswered and its officials may be called ...
Sudan protesters rally to 'challenge' state of emergency
Sudanese police fired tear gas Monday at hundreds of protesters rallying in Khartoum to "challenge" a state of emergency imposed by President Omar al-Bashir to end anti-government demonstrations, witnesses said. Deadly demonstrations have rocked Sudan for more than two months, and Bashir on Friday declared a year-long nationwide state of emergency to rein in the campaign against his three-decade rule. The veteran leader also dissolved Sudan's federal and provincial governments as part of a major shake-up in his administration. But protests have carried on. Chanting "freedom, peace, justice," the rallying cry of the campaign, hundreds rallied in downtown Khartoum on Monday, witnesses said. Riot police confronted them with tear gas in an attempt to break up the demonstration. "We are challenging the regime and we are not scared of the state of emergency," said female protester Erij who gave only her first name for security reasons. "We have only one aim and that is to make the ...
Owaisi urges Centre to act rationally over 35A
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday called upon the Narendra Modi government to act rationally over the issue of Article 35A, saying it is a very delicate issue.
LS polls preparedness: ECI team in Jammu and Kashmir on March 4, 5
An Election Commission team from New Delhi will visit Jammu and Kashmir on March 4 and 5 to meet political parties and top security and civilian officials to review preparedness for the Lok Sabha polls, officials said Monday. The ECI team will arrive in Srinagar around 11.45 am on March 4 and hold meeting with the heads or representatives of 10 political parties, including 7 national and 3 state-level parties the same day, they said. Later that day, they will meet with district electoral officers (DEOs), senior superintendents of police (SSPs), divisional commissioners and inspectors general (IG) of 12 districts including Leh and Kargil, they said. The team will fly to Jammu in the evening of March 4. On March 5 in Jammu, they will again meet representatives of political parties, the DEOs, the SPPs, the divisional commissioners and the IG of 10 districts and discuss poll preparedness and required security setup. Chief electoral officer (CEO) Shalinder Kumar will make a presentation ...
Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service resumes after week's suspension
The Karavan-e-Aman (peace caravan) bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) resumed Monday after being suspended last week in the wake of the deadly suicide car bomb attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama that left 40 personnel dead. "The Srinaar-Muzaffarabad bus service plied today with 13 passengers crossing the Line of Control," an official said. He said while PoK residents returned to their homes after staying with their relatives in Kashmir, no Indian citizen went to PoK on the weekly bus service. "There were eight passengers on the bus from Muzaffarabad. Seven Indian citizens returned home while one fresh guest arrived on the bus," he added. The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service was started in 2005 on fortnightly basis as a confidence building measure between India and Pakistan when the two countries were engaged in a composite dialogue. The bus service did not ply last Monday. While no official reason was given for the suspension of the ...
Over 2.90 lakh people provided access to toilets: Outcome Budget
Over 2.90 lakh people were provided access to toilets, an increase of 431 per cent from 2016-17, the Outcome Budget of Delhi government on Monday said. The second Outcome Budget of 2018-19 up to December 31, which was tabled by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the Delhi Assembly, also said against the government's target of establishing 200 night shelters between 2018-19, 199 such shelters were started till December 2018. The average number of occupants per day in night shelters is 12,030, which increased by nine per cent from 2016-17. Against a target of opening 241 toilet complexes in 2018-19 to reduce open defecation, 229 such toilet complexes were opened till December 2018, it said. It also said as many as 2,93,385 people were provided access to toilets, an increase by 431 per cent from 2016-17. Multiple efforts were taken to provide shelter to homeless with adequate basic amenities and reduce open defecation in Delhi, the document said.
Cong politicising National War Memorial; Rahul doesn't know definition of 'shaheed': Rijiju
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju Monday accused the Congress of politicising the inauguration of the National War Memorial here, saying the opposition party is devoid of any issue and trying to create a controversy over the national monument. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the country's National War Memorial adjoining the iconic India Gate complex, nearly 60 years after it was mooted to honour the fallen soldiers after Independence. Rijiju also slammed Rahul Gandhi for his comments on "shaheed (martyr) status" to personnel of the CRPF and other paramilitary forces killed in action, saying the Congress president does not know the definition of "shaheed". "The Congress is devoid of any issue and that is why it has raked up the war memorial issue. The Congress is politicising it. Where is the place for politics in a war memorial. But the Congress even does politics over a war memorial. The whole country is watching," he told reporters here. The union minister of state for .
Mamata hits out at Modi govt on Pulwama terror attack
Accusing the Modi government of indulging in "politics over dead bodies of jawans" after the Pulwama terror attack, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday alleged the Centre had intelligence inputs that such an attack can take place but did not act upon them. Banerjee claimed the BJP-led Union government wants to create a "war hysteria" ahead of the Lok Sabha polls to draw political mileage. Rejecting the allegations, the BJP said counter-accused her of trying to score "political brownie points" with her statements. Addressing the Trinamool Congress's (TMC) extended core committee meeting here, Banerjee alleged that in the last over four-and-a-half years, the BJP, along with forces like the VHP and the RSS, has tried to divide the country on religious lines by injecting the "poison of hatred and communalism among the masses". She vowed to oust the "dictatorial Narendra Modi government" from power in the upcoming general election. The TMC supremo, who had organised a ...
PM Modi to hold rally in Rajasthan's Churu on Tuesday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public meeting in Churu district of Rajasthan on Tuesday, a BJP spokesperson said. Preparations for the rally to be held on February 26 are being done at party and administration level, he said. It will be Prime Minister Modi's second public meeting in Rajasthan within four days. He had visited Tonk on February 23. State Chief Secretary D B Gupta held a high-level meeting to review the preparations for the Tuesday's rally.
Pak FM briefs Chinese counterpart on regional situation after Pulwama attack
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday telephoned his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and briefed him about the regional situation in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF soldiers. In a statement, Pakistan's Foreign Office said that State Councilor Wang thanked the foreign minister for the call and appreciated Pakistan's efforts. "He agreed that the unfolding regional situation was serious with implications for peace and security of the entire region," it said. The two leaders spoke over phone amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan after a suicide attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad killed 40 CRPF soldiers in Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir. Wang "acknowledged Pakistan's invaluable contributions in the fight against terrorism for which Pakistan has paid a heavy price," the FO said. Qureshi thanked China for its steadfast support and underscored Pakistan's desire for peace and stability in the region and resolution of all ...
Weekly cross-LoC bus service resumes in J&K
The weekly cross-Line of Control (LoC) bus service "Karvan-e-Aman" resumed on Monday, the first time after the February 14 terror attack in Pulwama.