Page 157 - Politics
Shah Faesal, Engineer Rashid announce pre-poll alliance
Former IAS officer Shah Faesal and former MLA Engineer Rashid on Tuesday announced a pre-poll alliance to contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
SC to hear Wednesday Cong plea against EC's decision to hold separate bypolls for 2 RS seats
The Supreme Court Tuesday agreed to hear on June 19 a plea of Gujarat Congress challenging the decision of the Election Commission to hold separate bypolls to two Rajya Sabha seats in the state. The Rajya Sabha seats fell vacant following the election of BJP chief Amit Shah and party leader Smriti Irani to Lok Sabha from Gandhinagar and Amethi, respectively. A vacation bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Surya Kant agreed to list the matter on Wednesday after senior advocate Vivek Tankha mentioned it for urgent hearing. The petition filed by Congress MLA from Amreli and Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly, Pareshbhai Dhanani, has sought a direction to the EC to hold the bypolls together. A press note issued by the poll panel on June 15 scheduled the election for both the seats on July 5. The EC clarified that the vacancies for bypolls to all Houses, including Rajya Sabha, are considered "separate vacancies" and separate notifications are issued and separate polls are held, though .
10 parties extends support to Om Birla's candidature for Lok Sabha speaker
BJP MP Om Birla is the NDA nominee for the Lok Sabha Speaker's post.The nomination of Birla a two-time MP from Kota, Rajasthan has been supported by ten political parties including Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) will support the candidature of candidate Birla for the post.The election is scheduled to be held tomorrow."BJD, Shiv Sena, Akali Dal, National People's Party, Mizo National Front, Lok Janshakti Party, YSRCP, JDU, AIADMK and Apna Dal have given the notice to support Birla's candidature for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker. I have spoken to Congress leaders K Suresh and Gulab Nabi Azad. They have not signed till now but I think they would not oppose Birla's candidature," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told reporters here.YSRCP and BJD are not allies of the NDA government at the Centre but have extended their support to Birla's candidature. Congress and N Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party have not given any confirmation to support the ...
UP govt to now issue press releases in Sanskrit also
In a bid to promote Sanskrit, the Uttar Pradesh government will now issue press releases in Sanskrit along with Hindi, English and Urdu, an official said Tuesday. The first press note in Sanskrit was issued by the state government's Information Department on Monday. Senior officials of the Information Department said the important speeches of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and government information will be released also in Sanskrit, along with Hindi, English and Urdu. The department has decided to take help of Lucknow-based Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan for translating chief minister's speeches for public release. "This is the first time that such a step is being taken. The speech of chief minister (Yogi Adityanath) delivered at a recent NITI Aayog meeting in New Delhi was released in Sanskrit and was well received. Now we plan to expand it further," the official said. During a function on Monday, Adityanath had said that Sanskrit was in the DNA of the country. "Sanskrit is in the DNA .
Ranchi gears up for International Yoga Day with PM Modi
Preparations are in full swing for International Yoga Day as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be joining the programme to be held here in Jharkhand on Friday.
Om Birla to be NDA nominee for LS Speaker
Om Birla of the the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an MP from Rajasthan, will be the NDA nominee for the Lok Sabha Speaker's post, informed sources said on Tuesday.
Imran Khan takes notice of journalist-Minister altercation
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken notice of the altercation between a journalist and Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, his office has announced.
US deploys 1000 more troops to Middle East amid tensions with Iran
Amidst an escalation of tensions with Iran, the US has approved the deployment of 1,000 additional troops in the Middle East for "defensive purposes" to address air, naval and ground-based threats. The announcement by Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan came hours after Iran said it would surpass the uranium-stockpile limit set by its nuclear deal in the next 10 days against the backdrop of soaring tensions between Tehran and Washington. The action of deploying 1,000 more troops is being taken to ensure the safety and welfare of US military personnel working throughout the region and to protect its national interests, Shanahan said on Monday. The United States does not seek conflict with Iran, he said. "I have authorised approximately 1,000 additional troops for defensive purposes to address air, naval and ground-based threats in the Middle East," Shanahan said. "The recent Iranian attacks validate the reliable, credible intelligence we have received on hostile behaviour by ..
Maha: Oppn MLAs demand complete farm loan waiver
OppositionMLAs in Maharashtra Tuesday staged a protest here alleging agrarian crisis in the state and made a strong pitch for complete farm loan waiver. The legislators held the demonstration in the state legislature premises here for the second day in a row of the ongoing monsoon session. Congress leaders Prithviraj Chavan and Balasaheb Thorat and NCP's Ajit Pawar and Dhananjay Munde were among the lawmakers who took part in the protest. They shouted slogans against the "deaf" government over its alleged inaction on the agrarian concerns. "Loan waiver must be given...Maharashtra is reeling under drought, the farmers are in trouble. We are protesting on these issuesto wake the deaf government up," said Munde, who is the leader of opposition in the state Legislative Council.
Badal, Deol among new members administered oath on second day
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, actor Sunny Deol and Aam Aadmi Party's lone MP Bhagwant Mann were among the leaders who took oath as members of 17th Lok Sabha on Tuesday. There was loud applause when BJP MP Om Birla, who is tipped to be the NDA's nominee for Lok Sabha Speaker's post, entered the House and later when he got up to take oath. IUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal and former Union ministers Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Preneet Kaur and Shashi Tharoor were also administered oath on the second day of the maiden session. Dressed in jeans, white shirt and blazer, Deol took oath in English amid cheers and slogan of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' from the treasury benches. There was a slip of tongue by the BJP MP from Gurdaspur when he said "withhold the sovereignty and integrity of the country" instead of "uphold the sovereignty and integrity of the country", but he quickly rectified it. There was some banter between Mann and members of treasury benches after he ended .
Panneerselvam greets Nadda on becoming BJP's working president
Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam Tuesday greeted former Union minister J P Nadda on being appointed as the BJP's working president. The AIADMK coordinator expressed confidence that the BJP would reach greater heights under Nadda, who was the health minister in the previous NDA government. "Dear @JPNadda ji, on behalf of AIADMK Party, I would like to extend my hearty congratulations on your elevation as first national working President of the BJP," Panneerselvam wrote on his Twitter handle. "I am confident that under your astute leadership, the BJP will continue to achieve greater heights in the days to come," he said. Nadda was appointed as BJP's working president during the party's parliamentary board meeting on Monday. The decision by BJP's highest decision-making body was announced by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh after the meeting, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.
Hong Kong protests marked by demonstrators' coordinated efforts to outwit govt surveillance
Latest protests in Hong Kong against the controversial bill that threatens to send criminal suspects to mainland China for prosecution, were marked by unprecedented and coordinated efforts by demonstrators to stay a step ahead of government surveillance and identification.A recent article in The Washington Post highlights the innovative ways that demonstrators adopted all through the waves of protests this past week to leave no trace of their actions for the authorities and their enhanced tracking systems.From using secure digital messaging apps such as Telegram to buying single ride subway tickets instead of prepaid stored-value cards, the protests offered a glimpse of what it looks like to stage mass civil disobedience in the age of the surveillance state.It must be noted here that although Hong Kong is an autonomous territory, there is close cooperation between its police and their mainland counterparts, who have among the most advanced and intrusive surveillance systems."It is the
LS members take oath
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, actor Sunny Deol and Aam Aadmi Party's lone MP Bhagwant Mann were among the leaders who took oath as members of 17th Lok Sabha on Tuesday. IUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal and former Union ministers Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Preneet Kaur were also administered oath on the second-day of the maiden session. Dressed in jeans, white shirt and a blazer, Deol took oath in English amid cheers from the treasury benches. There was a slip of tongue by the BJP MP from Gurdaspur when he said "withhold the sovereignty and integrity of the country" instead of "uphold the sovereignty and integrity of the country", but he quickly rectified it. There was some banter between Mann and members of treasury benches after he ended his oath with the slogan 'Inqalab Zindabad'. Badal concluded his oath with Sikh religious chant of 'Wahe Guruji ka Khalsa, Wahe Guruji de Fateh". Kaur, who is the wife of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, had bandage
Rajnath, Army Chief to pay homage to Army Major killed
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday will pay homage to Major Ketan Sharma who was slain in an encounter.Sharma was killed in an exchange of fire with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag on Monday. A terrorist was also killed during the encounter.One soldier, who was also injured in the gun battle, is undergoing treatment in hospital.In a separate incident, five CRPF personnel were killed and three others sustained injuries when their patrol party was attacked by terrorists in Anantnag district on Wednesday.
Om Birla to be NDA's nominee for LS Speaker post: Sources
Om Birla, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Rajasthan, will be the NDA's nominee for Lok Sabha Speaker's post, sources said on Tuesday.
PM must preach his MPs before guiding Opposition: Congress
The Congress on Tuesday responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's advice to the Opposition, saying his words were most of the time not implemented by his own party leaders.
Egypt's former president Morsi buried in Cairo
Egypt's first democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi was buried in Cairo on Tuesday, his lawyer said, a day after he collapsed in court and died. Rights groups called for an independent probe into the detention conditions and death of the Islamist, who was ousted in 2013 after a year of divisive rule. State TV said the 67-year-old's death was due to a cardiac arrest. "He was buried in Medinat Nasr, in eastern Cairo, with his family present," said Abdel Moneim Abdel Maksoud, one of his lawyer. Morsi, also the country's first civilian president, had appeared "animated" during a hearing in a retrial over charges of collaborating with foreign powers and militant groups, judicial and security sources said. "The court granted him his request to speak for five minutes... He fell to the ground in the cage... and was transported immediately to the hospital. A medical report found... no pulse or breathing," said the attorney general's office. "He arrived at the hospital dead at 4:50 pm .
Sonia Gandhi chairs meeting to chalk out party's strategy in Parliament
Chairperson of Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday chaired a meeting of her party's Parliamentary strategy group to finalise the approach to be followed in the ongoing Monsoon Session.Party president Rahul Gandhi was present at the meeting which was held at his mother's residence.Senior Congress leaders AK Antony, Jairam Ramesh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, P Chidambaram, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and K Suresh were also in attendance.In the meeting, leaders discussed a common agenda to ensure better floor coordination among the Opposition parties."Ghulam Nabi Azad briefed everyone about the discussions that took place in the all-party meeting, we also discussed many key issues, we will also hold meetings with the Opposition parties. No discussion on Leader of Opposition took place, I have not been informed anything about it," Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told media after the meeting.Earling, talking to ANI, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma had given a sense of ...
Ahead of PM's meeting with party chiefs, Cong discuses strategy on key matters
A meeting of the Congress top brass, including Sonia Gandhi and party chief Rahul Gandhi, was held here to decide the strategy on key matters such as Lok Sabha speaker's election and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to discuss the 'one nation, one election' issue. Sources said the meeting, chaired by Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi and attended by Rahul Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, discussed the strategy to be adopted by the party during the meeting called by the prime minister on Wednesday. Modi has invited heads of all parties who have an MP either in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. The meeting has been called to discuss the "one nation, one election" issue, celebration of the 75 years of Independence in 2022 and 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary this year. It will be followed by a dinner-meeting with all MPs on June 20. However, Congress leaders said the party was yet to take a decision on the matter. "The issue of appointment of the .
2005 Ayodhya terror attack: Court to pronounce verdict today
A special court in Prayagraj will announce the verdict in the 2005 Ayodhya terror attack case on Tuesday.Special judge Dinesh Chandra is hearing the case. The attack took place on July 5, 2005.Due to security reasons, the verdict will be announced in Naini Central Jail, where all the accused are imprisoned.Among those accused are Irrfan, Mohammad Shakeel, Mohammad Naseem, Mohammad Aziz, Asif Iqbal and Farookh.