Page 1584 - Politics
Pak claims India did not provide answers to key questions in Jadhav case
Pakistan said on Monday that India did not provide answers to the key questions it raised at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) about Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court. The four-day hearing in the Jadhav case opened Monday at the ICJ headquarters in The Hague amidst heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following one of the worst terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group that killed at least 41 CRPF soldiers. On the first day of hearing, India urged the ICJ to annul Jadhav's death sentence and order his immediate release, saying the verdict by a Pakistani military court based on a "farcical case" hopelessly fails to satisfy even the minimum standards of due process. Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal in a video message posted on social media said that Indian arguments had nothing new. "There was nothing new in India's argument on the issues which we raised, like .
Cong to target Parrikar over PAC report on mining
The Congress said Monday that it will bring a breach of privilege motion against Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for allegedly misleading the Goa Assembly through a Public Accounts Committee report on illegal mining. The report had been prepared in 2011 when Parrikar was the leader of opposition. The Congress has latched onto a statement by state power minister and BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral that the PAC report was a "political stunt". All India Congress Committee Secretary A Chellakumar said the state Congress Legislative Party will meet in a couple of days to decide (formally) on moving the privilege motion against Parrikar. The report had pointed out irregularities in the mining industry in the coastal state, after which the Supreme Court appointed M B Shah Commission to conduct inquiry. Minister Cabral had said recently during a TV debate that the PAC report tabled by Parrikar was a "political stunt". He later claimed he meant to say "stand" and not "stunt" Chellakumar ...
Counter-terrorism deal with Morocco important for us: Sushma Swaraj
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday said that the agreement signed with Morocco in the field of counter-terrorism was important for India as it has been facing the scourge of terrorism for decades.
HC questions TN govt over disparity in salaries of govt, private employees
The Madras High Court Monday asked the Tamil Nadu government why there was such a big gap in the salaries of employees of the government and private companies. Hearing a petition relating to anomalies in the pay and the recent strike by government employees and teachers, a bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and S S Sundar said as they talk so much about their rights, they should also discharge their duties. "After implementation every pay commission recommendations, the gap between the government and private employees is widening," the bench noted. The judges said the work of the government employees, including teachers, was as important as their demands. Wondering why the children of government employees do not study in state-run schools, the judges asked why there should not be a rule to ensure that the children of government staff be put only in state-run schools. Those who studied in private schools were seeking admission in government colleges, the bench said. Counsel for Joint ...
TN leaders welcome SC order on Vedanta's copper smelter plant
Leaders of various political parties in Tamil Nadu on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict allowing Vedanta Ltd's copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi to remain closed.
Saudi visit highlights Pakistan's search for investment
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The lavish welcome for visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Islamabad this weekend could hardly have made more clear Pakistan's dependence on foreign investments to prop up its stumbling economy and plug its depleted reserves.
Maha MLA wants to donate salary to kin of Pulwama martyrs
A Maharashtra Congress MLA Monday said he wanted to donate his February salary to the kin of CRPF jawans who were martyred in the February 14 Pulwama terror attack. The MLA Naseem Khan, a former minister, said he has written to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker's Office about his intention. He also urged MPs and legislators from all parties to contribute their one-month salary for the cause. "Each of the country's security personnel is ready to sacrifice his life. People of the country stand firmly with the kin of martyrs in this moment of grief," Khan said in a statement. A total of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and five injured in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir on February 14 when a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kgs of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district.
Saudi visit highlights Pakistan' search for investment
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The lavish welcome for visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Islamabad this weekend could hardly have made more clear Pakistan's dependence on foreign investments to prop up its stumbling economy and plug its depleted reserves.
BJP used ED fear to make Sena agree for poll tie-up: Congress
The Congress Monday alleged the BJP might have forced the bickering ally Shiv Sena to agree for the poll tie-up by "showing it fear" of Enforcement Directorate (ED). Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil dared Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to reveal the reasons behind taking a U-turn on alliance with the BJP for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. "I have information that the BJP might have compelled Shiv Sena to form an alliance by showing it fear of the Enforcement Directorate," Vikhe Patil told reporters in Pune, hours after the Sena and the BJP sealed a seat-sharing pact in the presence of BJP president Amit Shah in Mumbai. The senior Congress leader said the tie-up underlines that the ruling allies have come together out of fear of losing polls. As per the understanding between the two parties, the BJP will contest 25 seats and Shiv Sena 23 of total 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. The two parties will contest an equal number .
Manoj Yadava is Haryana DGP
The Haryana government has appointed Manoj Yadava as Director General of Police (DGP), a state government spokesman said here on Monday.
Pound rises as Brexit divisions deepen
LONDON (Reuters) - Sterling gained on Monday after registering three consecutive weeks of losses as investors waited for the outcome of Brexit talks between Britain and the European Union.
Yesteryear actor Biswajit Chatterjee, former chief of TMC's students' unit join BJP
Yesteryear actor and TMC member Biswajit Chatterjee along with his party colleague Shanku Deb Panda joined the BJP on Monday in presence of its general secretary and Bengal unit in-charge Kailash Vijayvargiya. Chatterjee, who made his Bollywood debut with Hemant Kumar's 'Bees Saal Baad' in the early 1960s, is second prominent film personality from Bengal to join the party after Moushumi Chatterjee, who joined BJP last month. The veteran actor, father of Bengali superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee, fought the last Lok Sabha elections on a Trinamool Congress ticket from the South Delhi constituency. On the other side, Panda was once the chief of Trinamool Congress' students' outfit, TMCP, and was considered close to party supremo Mamata Banerjee. He was even appointed the party's state general secretary. However, he was removed from party posts in 2015 after his name surfaced in the Saradha chit fund scam and was questioned by the CBI. Panda's name also surfaced in the Narada sting ...
Pulwama attack perpetrators committed 'grave mistake', appropriate action will be taken: Jitendra
Union Minister Jitendra Singh Monday said the perpetrators of the Pulwama attack had committed a "grave mistake" and appropriate action would be taken against them. Forty Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed and five injured in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir on February 14 when a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district. "Prime Minister Narandra Modi has assured the nation of appropriate action and those who indulged in such an act have committed a grave mistake," Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office said. "Whatever action will be taken under the leadership of the prime minister will be in national interest," Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Reasi district. He lashed out at Kashmir-centric mainstream parties and alleged that they indulge in selective criticism of security forces but their tongues flicker when it comes to criticising ...
People will not forgive any attempt to politicise Pulwama terror attack: Cong
The Congress Monday said if any party tries to take political advantage out of the Pulwama terror attack, the people of this country will not forget and forgive such an action. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, at a press conference, said every person should be under a solemn self-imposed discipline to neither politicise nor cheapen, nor divert and digress the terms of discourse of this debate. "If anyone and I am not at the moment taking the name of anyone or referring to anyone, tries to politicise it, to take political merit or demerit out of it, I do not think the people of this country would at all acknowledge it, recognise it or feed it as a valid form of discourse," he said when asked about BJP leaders raising the terror strike in their speeches. "If any political party, ruling or otherwise, tries to make political capital advantage out of it, I do not think it is for me to say, I think the people of this country will not forget it and forgive," he said. Asked if ...
Kejriwal calls on Chandrababu Naidu
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met with his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu here Monday, days after the latter organised a day-long fast in New Delhi demanding special status for his state. Naidu's protest in the national capital demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh became a rallying point for the opposition, which got together for the second time in less than a month to present a united front against the BJP-led NDA government. Kejriwal arrived here in the evening, accompanied by his deputy Manish Sisodia. State Water Resources Minister D U Rao received the Delhi Chief Minister at the airport and drove him to Naidu's riverfront residence after a stopover at a hotel in Vijayawada. Both Naidu and Kejriwal were said to have discussed political issues though no formal communique has been issued either by the CMO or the Telugu Desam Party. After the day-long protest in New Delhi on February 11, the TDP Chief is planning to organise a massive ...
MHA to hand over Pulwama terror attack case to NIA
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is all set to hand over the probe of the terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), sources said on Monday.
Mamata seeks Modi government ouster for 'failure' to prevent terror attack
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed the Narendra Modi government for "politicising" the Pulwama terror attack and demanded its ouster for its "failure" to take precautionary measures despite an intelligence alert of a possible attack.
They killed 41, we should kill 82, demands Amarinder
Asserting that the entire country was fed up with the senseless killing of Indian soldiers every day, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday called for "tough coercive action against Pakistan", which he suggested could be military, diplomatic or economic, or a combination of all three.
BJP-Sena to contest Lok Sabha, Assembly polls jointly: Shah
Overcoming their strained ties and grandiose declarations of going solo, the BJP and Shiv Sena Monday announced a seat-sharing pact for the ensuing Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Maharashtra. The announcement was made by BJP president Amit Shah and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at a joint press conference in the night, shortly after Shah flew in from Jaipur. The BJP will contest 25 seats and Shiv Sena 23 of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. The two parties will contest an equal number of seats, after allotting allies their due share of segments, in polls for the 288-member state Assembly, due this year. Both Shah and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said public sentiment was that the two parties should come together. Shah recalled his earlier remark that the BJP and Sena will together win at least 45 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. Crores of workers of BJP and Shiv Sena wanted the alliance between the two parties, Shah said. The Sena is the oldest ally of .
Shiv Sena to contest 23 seats, BJP 25 in Lok Sabha polls; 50:50 for assembly (ROUND-UP)
Ending weeks of speculation and tottering on the brink, the ruling NDA constituents - Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party - finally sealed a pact for the ensuing 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.