Page 163 - Politics
Imbibe Gandhian values: Gehlot to youths
Amid the ongoing celebration of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Monday urged youths to imbibe Gandhian values of truth, non-violence, peace and simplicity in their lives. He also called upon them to spread these values around them. Addressing the concluding session of 10-day National Unity Camp here in which youths from different states had come to participate, Gehlot said the celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary would continue for a year even after October 2 this year. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 at Porbandar in Gujarat. Gehlot also urged youths attending the National Unity Camp here to carry the spirit of the country's unity and integrity to their respective states and impress it upon the people around them. The camp was organised to propagate the Gandhian philosophy among the present generation youths. The chief minister said the things learnt in such camps become an asset of life to be utilised for ...
Guv, CM greet Goans on Revolution Day to be observed on Tue
Goa Governor Mridula Sinha and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant greeted the people of the coastal state for Revolution Day, the anniversary of which will be observed on Tuesday. It was on this day in 1946 that Goans staged a peaceful revolt, under the leadership of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, against the atrocities perpetrated by the Portuguese colonial regime. "The Goa Revolution, which is being commemorated annually on 18thJune, has special significance for Goans as it was on this day in the year 1946 the Goans staged an open but peaceful revolt against the atrocities perpetrated on them by the Portuguese colonial regime. The uprising marked the final stage of the freedom movement that culminated in the liberation of this part of the country," Sinha said. "Goa Revolution Day is an appropriate occasion to remember the supreme sacrifices of known and unknown freedom fighters who shed their blood for the freedom of Goa from colonial rule," CM Sawant said.
UP Guv accepts resignations of 3 ministers
Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik has accepted resignations of three ministers, who resigned after they won the Lok Sabha polls. "Resignations of S P Singh Baghel, Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Satyadev Pachauri have been accepted," according to an official release issued by the Raj Bhavan here. Baghel won from Agra, while Joshi and Pachauri won from Allahabad and Kanpur, respectively. On recommendations of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the departments held by these ministers were allotted to other ministers.
MP farmers got benefits up to Rs 15,000, not Rs 2 lakh: BJP
The BJP Monday claimed 95 per cent of the farm loan beneficiaries in Madhya Pradesh have got benefits of up to mere Rs 15,000 and not to the tune of Rs 2 lakh as claimed by the ruling Congress. The main opposition party said not a single farmer has got loan waiver benefit of Rs 2 lakh as announced under the scheme by the Congress government, which assumed office in December last year. Addressing a press conference here, BJP leader Narottam Mishra said, "95 per cent farmers covered under the farm loan waiver scheme have got benefits of only up to Rs 15,000. "Not a single farmer in the state has got the benefit of Rs 2 lakh as announced by the Congress. "Congress president Rahul Gandhi had announced that he would change the CM if he failed to implement the loan waiver scheme within 10 days of coming to power. "Now, the states Congress government itself has accepted in advertisements published in newspapers that the second phase of the loan waiver scheme is being launched ..
Congress sets target of winning 80 seats in Assam in 2021
The Congress Monday announced a target of winning 80 out of 126 seats in the Assembly polls in Assam in 2021 and decided to focus on re-establishing contact with the people. The Congress currently has 25 MLAs in state Assembly, while the BJP has 61 and its allies Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People's Front have 14 and 12 members respectively. The AIUDF has 13 members in the House and there is one Independent. "We have set the 'Mission 80' for 2021 and will start work from now to achieve this target. This is a very serious challenge and not easy, but we are ready to take it," senior leader and former chief minister Tarun Gogoi said here. The main strategy to re-capture power in 2021 will be re-establishing contact with people and strengthening the booth committees for that, he told a press conference. The decision was made in an executive committee meeting held on Saturday. The three-time former chief minister admitted that the party became complacent after being in ...
President Xi to make maiden visit to N.Korea ahead of his meeting with Trump
President Xi Jinping would make his maiden visit to Pyongyang this week - the first by a Chinese leader in 14 years - in a big boost to the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who is under heavy pressure from the US to give up nuclear weapons programme. Xi will visit Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) - the official name for North Korea - from June 20 to 21, at the invitation of Kim, the spokesperson for the International Department of the ruling Communist Party of China, Hu Zhaoming, announced here. His visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Xi's visit, the first by a Chinese leader in 14 years to the internationally isolated country reeling under UN sanctions for pursing nuclear weapons programme, comes ahead of his proposed meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of G-20 summit scheduled to be held on June 28-29 in Tokyo. Kim, who had two summit meetings with Trump, is under immense ...
US lawmakers move legislation to bring India at par with NATO allies
Two top American lawmakers have moved a legislation in the Senate, seeking key amendment in the country's Arms Control Export Act to bring India at par with the US' NATO allies -- Israel, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea -- when it comes to sale of high-tech military items. The necessary amendment to the US Arms Control Act has been moved by Senators Mark Warner from the Democratic Party and John Cornyn from the Republican Party, which if enacted will further institutionalise the recent designation of India as a major defence partner of the US. The move by Cornyn and Warner comes after India and the US signed the COMCASA (Communications, Compatibility and Security Agreement) last year. The two countries are also in advance discussion to sign another foundational agreement of the BECA (Basic Exchange Cooperation Agreement). It also comes ahead of President Donald Trump's scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan next ...
Hope trend of using Parliament as 'rubber stamp' is reversed: Cong
Alleging that the Modi government used Parliament as a "rubber stamp" during its previous tenure, the Congress Monday hoped that this trend is reversed and key bills are not pushed without legislative scrutiny using "brute majority". The Congress' assertion came in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks ahead of the Monsoon Session that the opposition need not "bother about their numbers" as their every word is "valuable" to the government. "Legislation through ordinance is a very unhealthy practice in a democracy. It should only be used in extreme cases where there is an emergency requirement otherwise the due processes of lawmaking must to be followed by the government in office," senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said. "We will now wait for the Prime Minister's assurance in this regard and whether the practice that was followed in the last five years is reversed, because in the last five years what we have seen is disrespect to Parliament, where the bills were brought
Israel names Golan Heights settlement after Trump
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled a new settlement -- Trump Heights -- in the occupied Golan Heights, named after the US President.
Hong Kong: Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong released from jail
Joshua Wong, a pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong, was freed from prison on Monday, a day after authorities said around two billion protesters took to streets to march against a controversial bill that would send criminal suspects to mainland China for persecution.The 22-year-old Wong, who pledged to join the ongoing mass protest movement demanding the city's Beijing-backed leader, Carrie Lam, to step down, walked free after serving one month of a two-month sentence related to the 'umbrella protests' in 2014, CNN reported."Hello world and hello freedom. I have just been released from prison. GO HONG KONG!! Withdraw the extradition bill. Carrie Lam step down. Drop all political prosecutions!" the activist tweeted after being released from jail."It's really good timing to join the fight for freedom and democracy," he told CNN after his release."Five years ago after the end of the Umbrella Movement, we claimed we would be back. Yesterday two million people came to the streets ... it ...
Mamata Banerjee meets protesting doctors, assures new security measures
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked police to appoint nodal officers for security of doctors at all government hospitals in the state as she met the striking medicos on Monday in a bid to end the week-long impasse. In the meeting, which was held at the state secretariat, a doctors' delegation apprised Banerjee of the problems they have been facing at medical colleges and hospitals and said they fear for their safety. Banerjee asked the police officers present in meeting to appoint nodal officers for hospitals in the state for security of doctors. West Bengal health secretary, MoS Chandrima Bhattacharya and other state officials were present in the meeting, besides 31 junior doctors. The state government which had consented to protestors demand that meeting should be held in the presence of media, allowed only two regional news channels to cover the meeting. The CM told the striking doctors that no doctor has been booked by the state government. The representatives of the .
Mamata Banerjee meets protesting doctors, assures new security measure
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked police to appoint nodal officers for security of doctors at all government hospital in the state as she met the striking medicos on Monday in a bid to end the week-long impasse. In the meeting, which was held at the state secretariat, a doctors' delegation apprised Banerjee of the problems they have been facing at medical colleges and hospitals and said they fear for their safety. Banerjee asked the police officers present in meeting to appoint nodal officers for hospitals in the state for security of doctors. West Bengal health secretary, MoS Chandrima Bhattacharya and other state officials were present in the meeting, besides 31 junior doctors. The state government which had consented to protestors demand that meeting should be held in the presence of media, allowed only two regional news channels to cover the meeting. The CM told the striking doctors that no doctor has been booked by the state government. The representatives of the ..
Iran to breach enriched uranium cap in 10 days: AEOI
Iran's atomic energy agency said here on Monday the country would breach on June 27 the limit, imposed under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, on its stockpile of enriched uranium.
Raghupati files nomination for Deputy Speaker's post
The ruling YSR Congress legislator Kona Raghupati Monday filed his nomination for the Andhra Pradesh Assembly Deputy Speaker's post. Speaker Tammineni Sitaram issued a notification in the morning for the election of Deputy Speaker and accordingly Raghupati filed his nomination. Over ten YSRC legislators supported the candidature of Raghupati, who was elected to the Assembly for the second time in a row from Bapatla constituency in Guntur district. Raghupati's father Kona Prabhakara Rao had served as Speaker of the Assembly in 1981 in the erstwhile united AP. The deputy speaker's election will be formally declared in the House Tuesday as Raghupati's election is a mere formality.
Implementing 'one nation, one election' idea herculean task: TRS leader
Implementing the "one nation, one election" idea is going to be a herculean task, a senior TRS said on Monday while backing the proposal for simultaneous polls. B Vinod Kumar, a former Lok Sabha member, noted that his party had put forth its views on simultaneous elections before the Law Commission during the NDA government's previous term that "it would be better to have all polls at one go". "It was our opinion then and it still is," Kumar, who served as the deputy floor leader of the TRS in the 16th Lok Sabha, told PTI, but reminded that implementing the idea is not going to be an easy task as elections are held in different states in different intervals. Kumar said the government is yet to spell out the modalities on how the new poll system would be put in place, adding, his party would be able to give "concrete opinion" once the Centre comes out with details of its implementation. "Per se, election at one go will be better for the whole nation. (But) it's a herculean task," he ...
I begin my new innings: Rahul Gandhi takes oath as MP
Rahul Gandhi, who was elected from Kerala's Wayanad, took oath as a Member of Lok Sabha for the fourth term on Monday.Prior to attending the maiden session of the 17th Lok Sabha, the Congress president met his mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi at his residence.Dressed in his staple white kurta-pyjama, Gandhi took oath in English and was seated beside his mother in the Parliament."My 4th consecutive term as a Member of the #LokSabha begins today. Representing Wayanad, Kerala, I begin my new innings in Parliament by taking my oath this afternoon, affirming that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India," he tweeted.From his Wayanad Twitter handle, a video of Gandhi taking the oath was tweeted. "Congress President @RahulGandhi takes oath for a fourth consecutive term as a member of the Lok Sabha," the text read which was also written in Malayalam in the same tweet.Gandhi, netted 7,05,034 votes in Wayanad, winning by 4,31,063 votes
Congress MPs from Kerala told to be present in Parliament
The group of 14 Congress MPs from Kerala, including Rahul Gandhi, which is the biggest block of legislators from the party nationwide, on Monday were asked by state party chief Mullapally Ramachandran to ensure their presence in Parliament on all days.
Senior TDP leader Peddi Reddy to join BJP
Senior TDP leader and former minister E Peddi Reddy, a two-time MLA, said Monday he plans to join the BJP soon. "There is willingness from my side and they (BJP) requested me to join. I am discussing with all. Most probably, their (BJP) leadership would give date and time... (for joining) in Hyderabad," he told PTI. Reddy, who is a general secretary of TDP, had served as minister during the tenure of TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu as Chief Minister in undivided Andhra Pradesh. He won twice from Huzurabad in Karimnagar district. The BJP had won the Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat in the recent elections. Senior TRS leader A P Jithender Reddy, D K Aruna, who had served as a Minister in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, and former Congress MLC, P Sudhakar Reddy, had recently joined the BJP. The TDP, led by former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, had won two seats in the Assembly elections in Telangana last December. One of them has announced his decision to join .
All seven Delhi LS MPs take oath
The newly elected Parliamentarians from Delhi Monday took oath as members of the 17th Lok Sabha. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, clad in a red silk kurta with a white angvastram, took oath in Hindi, while cricketer turned politician Gautam Gambhir, who donned a white half sleeve kurta-pajama, took oath in English. Gambhir, who had defeated AAP's Atishi from the East Delhi constitutency, is one the richest MPs from Delhi. First time MP from North-West Delhi, Hans Raj Hans, took oath in Hindi. Since Hans did not read his name at the beginning of the oath, he had to take it again. Meenakshi Lekhi, who won the elections from New Delhi constituency defeating Congress's Ajay Maken, took oath in Sanskrit, while West Delhi-MP Parvesh Verma took oath in Hindi without reading from the paper provided to him by the Lok Sabha Secretary General. He ended the oath with 'Jai Hind'. Ramesh Bidhuri of South Delhi constituency was not present in the House when the Lok Sabha Secretary General
Kremlin says Putin, Trump could meet briefly at G20
The Kremlin said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump could meet briefly at the G20 in Japan next week. The leaders will not hold a full-scale meeting at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka starting June 28, however, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, saying Washington has not reached out to organise one. "There's no news on a possible full-scale meeting between Putin and Trump in Osaka," Peskov said. "That means the American side has still not formulated any initiatives or proposals on this." Peskov added that "one can't rule out a brief meeting between them while they are standing up, but this won't be a full-scale meeting." Trump said last week that he would meet Putin on the sidelines of the summit but told a reporter he wanted other people to be present at their meeting because "you people (journalists) don't trust anything." The US leader said last month he would meet with Putin at the G20, but the Kremlin indicated at the time .