Page 1591 - Politics

Kejriwal meets protesting Puducherry CM

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday met his Puducherry counterpart V. Narayanasamy and vowed to "fight together for full statehood".

Rahul Gandhi likely to address rallies in Maharashtra on Mar 1

Congress president Rahul Gandhi is likely to launch the party's Lok Sabha poll campaign in Maharashtra from Dhule on March 1 and also address a rally in Mumbai the same day, sources said on Monday. The Congress is also planning a rally of recently- appointed party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the state next month, they said. Rahul Gandhi's rally will follow two joint public meetings of the Congress and NCP on February 20 and February 23, to be held in Nanded and Beed respectively. The joint rallies will be attended by NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Maharashtra Mallikarjun Kharge along with other leaders of the two parties and their allies. The Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held in April-May, the schedule of which is yet to be declared. "Rahulji will be in Dhule to campaign for the party. This will be his first rally in the poll season," a source said. The rally is being organised in Dhule since it would ..

Cross-LoC bus service suspended in JK's Poonch

The weekly Poonch-Rawalakot cross-LoC bus service was suspended Monday in view of the prevailing law and order situation in Jammu, following the recent terror attack on a CRPF convoy in south Kashmir, a senior officer said. A curfew was imposed in Jammu city on Friday following massive anti-Pakistan protests and sporadic incidents of violence over the terror attack in Pulwama district, which left 40 CRPF personnel dead on Thursday. "The cross-LoC (Line of Control) bus service was suspended in view of the prevailing law and order situation," Poonch District Development Commissioner Rahul Yadav told PTI. The passengers were accordingly informed well in time about the suspension of the service, he said. On the cross-Loc trade, Yadav said it will not take place on Tuesday due to public holiday on account of Guru Ravi Das's birthday. "The decision to carry on the trade between the two sides will be taken on Wednesday after a review of the situation," he said. The trade via Chakan-da-Bagh ..

Kejriwal demands statehood for Delhi & Puducherry

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday demanded statehood for both the national capital and Puducherry, saying people in these two union territories should not be discriminated against. Kejriwal, who was here en route to Puducherry to express solidarity with Chief Minister V Narayanaswamy -locked in a turf war with Lt Governor Kiran Bedi- alleged that the situation in the two union territories was the same. Narayanasamy, his cabinet colleagues and MLAs of both Congress and DMK have been staging a dharna against Bedi in front of the Raj Nivas in Puducherry since February 13 in protest against the her "negative stand" towards various proposals of the territorial government. "The LG of Puducherry is creating a lot of obstacles in the development work and creating problems for the elected government...we are facing exactly similar problems in Delhi," Kejriwal, the AAP chief, told reporters at the airport here. The Lieutenant Governors in both Delhi and Puducherry were ..

Remove Sania Mirza as Telangana brand ambassador: BJP MLA

Controversial BJP legislator Raja Singh on Monday called for removing Indian tennis star Sania Mirza as the brand ambassador of Telangana, calling her "Pakistan's daughter-in-law".

BJP MP Kirti Azad joins Congress, flays Modi for 'jumlas'

Cricketer-turned-politician and suspended BJP MP Kirti Azad joined the Congress here on Monday and flayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making what he said were false promises and said there was no internal democracy in the BJP.

Register case against Cognizant for bribing TN officials: Stalin

DMK President M.K. Stalin on Monday demanded the registration of a case against the US-based Cognizant Technology Solutions for bribing Tamil Nadu government officials in an effort to secure construction permits.

World must unite to act against terrorism: Modi

Asserting that the time for talks is over in the wake of Pulwama suicide bombing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the world should unite against terrorism and those supporting it.

Rahul Gandhi likely to address rally in Maharashtra on Mar 1

Congress president Rahul Gandhi is likely to launch the party's Lok Sabha poll campaign in Maharashtra from Dhule on March 1, sources said on Monday. The Congress is also planning a rally of recently- appointed party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the state next month, they said. Rahul Gandhi's rally will follow two joint public meetings of the Congress and NCP on February 20 and February 23, to be held in Nanded and Beed respectively. The joint rallies will be attended by NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Maharashtra Mallikarjun Kharge along with other leaders of the two parties and their allies. The Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held in April-May, the schedule of which is yet to be declared. "Rahulji will be in Dhule to campaign for the party. This will be his first rally in the poll season," a source said. The rally is being organised in Dhule since it would be convenient for the party workers from the ...

No cricketing ties with Pakistan until govt. nod: Rajiv Shukla

In the wake of Pulwama terror attack, Indian premier League (IPL) chairman Rajiv Shukla made it clear that there is no possibility of bilateral cricket ties between India and Pakistan unless they get government's nod.Shukla admitted to have faith in the concept of sports being above everything else but asserted that "if somebody is sponsoring terrorism" then it would obviously have an impact on sports."Our position is very clear. Unless government gives us nod, we are not going to play with Pakistan. Sports should be above all these things but if somebody is sponsoring terrorism, obviously it will affect sports also," Shukla told reporters.When asked if India will play against Pakistan in the forthcoming World Cup, Shukla ducked the question saying, "That we can't tell you know right now. World cup is far away. We will see what happens."Following the attack, people from across the country expressed anger and demanded action against Pakistan. The congress member said that the outrage ..

Pak's High Commissioner called "for consultations" following Pulwama attack

Pakistan called its High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood "for consultations" on Monday, just a few days after India registered a strong protest against Pakistan regarding the ghastly Pulwama terrorist attack which claimed the lives of nearly 40 security personnel last week."We have called back our High Commissioner in India for consultations. He left New Delhi this morning," Mohammad Faisal, the Spokesperson for Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted on February 18.This comes after a horrific terrorist attack, for which Pakistan-based and backed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has claimed responsibility, on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama claimed the lives of around 40 CRPF personnel on February 14.India's Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on February 15 summoned Mahmood and issued a strong demarche in connection with the dastardly attack, conveying that Pakistan must take immediate and verifiable action against JeM.The United States had earlier told Pakistan to stop providing support and .

BSF constable drowns while chasing cow smugglers

A Border Security Force (BSF) constable drowned in river Padma while chasing cow smugglers near the Indo-Bangla border in West Bengal's Murshidabd district, an official said. A BSF patrol party noticed miscreants along with cattle heads trying to cross over to Bangladesh on Thursday night, a BSF official. The BSF troops challenged them to stop but they did not pay any heed and continued to move with cattle heads with intention to smuggle them to Bangladesh. The smugglers were armed with sticks and other sharp edged weapons, a BSF release said. During the operation constable Debashis Roy who was part of patrol party ran towards the smugglers to apprehend them. "During the chase, he ran after the smugglers and jumped into Padma River to catch them. During this process he got entangled in mud and could not come out from the water and made supreme sacrifice in the line of duty," the release said. The BSF patrol team apprehended 11 Indian and one Bangladeshi miscreant and ...

Dithering action against terror groups, their backers will be like encouraging terrorism: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday the Pulwama terrorist attack has showed that the time to talk about tackling terror is over and the world is now required to unitedly take concrete action against terrorism and those behind its spread. After talks with Argentine President Mauricio Macri, Modi said dithering to take action against terrorists and their supporters will be like encouraging terrorism. In his comments, Macri called for united action to deal with terrorism. The two sides finalised 10 MoUs providing for deeper cooperation in a range of areas including in information and communications technology, nuclear energy and agriculture.

N. Korea at historic turning point: State media

North Korea is at the cusp of a historical turning point, a state-run newspaper said on Monday.

Congress to finalize candidates, manifesto by February

With a view to preventing infighting due to ticket distribution, the Congress has directed all its state units to expedite the process of candidate selection as well as state-wise electoral understanding for the Lok Sabha before this month which shall be then approved by the Congress Election Committee.

Rahul Gandhi should announce name of leader of oppn alliance: Amit Shah

Asking Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to announce the name of the leader of the opposition alliance, BJP president Amit Shah on Monday said the grand alliance was moving forward only on the slogan of "Modi hatao". Addressing party workers here after the February 14 terror attack in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed, he said the Narendra Modi government will not let the sacrifice of jawans go in vain. "We have a zero tolerance policy against terrorism," Shah said at the Shakti Kendra Sammelan of BJP workers from Jaipur and Sikar. The BJP, he said, doesn't get disappointed by defeat or arrogant in victory and is in politics only to serve the people, he added. The 2019 general elections are important for the BJP as well as for India, Shah said.

Pak, Saudi hold business conference to boost economic ties

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia Monday held a joint business conference to strengthen bilateral economic ties, a day after they signed seven agreements worth USD 20 billion to promote trade and investment in the cash-strapped South Asian country. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who is also Saudi Arabia's defence minister, arrived on his maiden trip to Pakistan on Sunday. He will arrive in India on February 19 on his first official visit. Counterterrorism and energy security are expected to top the agenda for discussions during the two-day trip. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Sunday signed a slew of investment agreements worth USD 20 billion which will provide a welcome relief to the teetering economy of the cash-strapped Pakistan. Foreign Office said the signed MoUs and agreements cover areas such as standard specifications, mineral resources, investment in refining and petrochemical sectors, power generation, development of renewable energy projects, and cooperation in the field of ..

Kamal Hassan claims his 'plebiscite' comment was reported out of context

Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Monday said his comment on demanding "plebiscite in Kashmir" was reported out of context by the media.Makkal Needhi Maiam issued a clarification saying that the party president stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the armed forces in this hour of grief.In a press statement issued by Makkal Needhi Maiam dated February 18, the party said, "Makkal Needhi Maiam strongly condemns the report in English News Channel, which has completely twisted the words of our Party President Mr Kamal Haasan out of context. Our President and our Party stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the armed forces in this hour of grief."Advocating Haasan, the party also said, "It is to show our respect and share the grief that our President spoke to Mr Vijay Kumar, advisor to Jammu and Kashmir Governor and also to the bereaved parents of the martyrs from Tamil Nadu."It added that the Makkal Needhi Maiam firmly believes that entire Kashmir is an integral part of India and stands firmly .

CBI case: SC to pronounce verdict on Common Cause petition on Feb 19

The Supreme Court will pronounce on Tuesday the verdict on a petition challenging Nageshwar Rao's appointment as the interim CBI Director as Justice Arun Mishra bench is not sitting today. The petition was filed by NGO Common Cause, challenging Rao's appointment. It has also sought a SIT investigation into corruption allegations against CBI officers.The development has come to light just weeks after a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice KM Joseph reserved the order after hearing the arguments of the then CBI Director Alok Verma, Union Government, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), Common Cause, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and others who were party in the case.During the hearing, while confronting questions over Centre's sudden decision to send Verma on leave, CVC told the apex court that "extraordinary situations sometimes need extraordinary remedies".Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing CVC in the case, made the argument while

Punjab Budget session heats up as Akalis protest against Sidhu

Angry scenes were witnessed in the Punjab Assembly in a war of words between state cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLAs, especially Bikram Singh Majithia, which forced adjournment before the budget could be presented in the House here on Monday.