Page 1635 - Politics
If Centre brings Citizenship Bill as law, NE region will fight unitedly: Mizoram CM
Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Thursday said if the Central government again brings the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) as a law in future, all political parties, NGOs and civil society of the northeast region would fight unitedly against such efforts.
TRS counts on BJD, YSRCP, BSP & SP for its federal front idea
The TRS is hopeful of the BJD, YSRCP, and even the BSP and SP buying the idea of its President K Chandrasekhar Rao on forging a non-Congress, non-BJP federal front of regional parties, a key party leader indicated Thursday. On Congress, TMC and other opposition parties Wednesday speaking of a common agenda and pre-poll ties to take on the BJP, Telangna Rashtra Samiti leader B Vinod Kumar said with general elections nearing, outfits crafting their own strategy is natural. "For us it's not an issue. For us, it's not important. We have our own strategy", the deputy floor leader of TRS in Lok Sabha told PTI, noting that his party has been promoting the idea of a federal front in recent months. "We (regional parties) should have our own strategy", he said voicing opposition to regional outfits aligning with the "so-called" national parties -- the Congress and BJP. During UPA-1 rule, the Congress had 147 seats but it "dictated terms to regional parties on whose strength it ...
Police investigate Aussie parliament brawl
Australian police are investigating a brawl between a senator and a top aide that left blood on the walls of the Australian parliament. Police and parliamentary authorities are looking into a Tuesday night altercation between 70-year-old Senator Brian Burston and a staffer for populist Senator Pauline Hanson. Burston showed off a cut on his thumb following the altercation and, following an initial denial, admitted to smearing his blood on Hanson's parliamentary office door. In a statement, Burston said he "reported the full matter to the Australian Federal Police" and was asking for a restraining order against the aide. "This matter is now in the hands of the police," he added. Aide James Ashby -- who had been instrumental in Hanson gaining outsized influence in Australian politics -- has been banned from parliament. The confrontation, which was caught on camera, took place as Burston accused Hanson of years of unwanted sexual advances and Hanson accused an unnamed senator -- believed
Pompeo says 'confronting Iran' key to Mideast peace
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday at a security conference in Warsaw that Iran is the top threat in the Middle East and confronting the country is key to reaching peace in the entire region. Pompeo met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the opening session at the conference and said "pushing back" against Iran was central to dealing with all the region's other problems. "You can't achieve peace and stability in the Middle East without confronting Iran. It's just not possible," Pompeo said alongside Netanyahu. The Israeli leader lauded the participation of high-profile Arab dignitaries at the conference, saying it signaled a shift in regional priorities. "In a room of some 60 foreign ministers, an Israeli prime minister and the foreign ministers of leading Arab countries stood together, and spoke with unusual force, clarity and unity against a common threat of the Iranian regime," Netanyahu said before his meeting with Pompeo. "I think this marks a ...
WB to see hard bargaining between Left, Congress for LS polls
The West Bengal units of the CPI(M) and the Congress may have got the go-ahead from their central leadership for entering into a seat-sharing pact for the Lok Sabha polls but clinching a perfect deal is likely to be a herculean task for them, leaders of the two parties said. The proposed seat-sharing deal is being opposed by the constituents of the four-decade-old Left Front, down in the dumps in the state after its mauling in the 2011 Assembly polls by Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress that brought to an end the 34-year-unbroken stint of the Communists in power in the state. The informal talks between the two parties that began sometime ago got a boost when their national leaderships gave the green signal to their state units last week to finalise the deal. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said Saturday after the party's politburo meeting that the election partners will be chosen keeping in mind the state-level equations, while the state Congress chief Somen
BJD, BJP lodge complaint against each other with ECI
The ruling BJD in Odisha and the opposition BJP Thursday lodged a complaint against each with the visiting Election Commission of India (ECI) team. A six-member ECI team led by Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa and comprising deputy election commissioner Chandrabhusan Kumar, director general (Expenditure) D K Sharma, ADG (PIB) Sefali Saran, Director Nikhil Kumar and secretary Rakesh Kumar are in Odisha to review the poll preparations in the state. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) levelled the allegations against each other when their representatives met the ECI team. BJD leader Amar Patnaik, who led his party's delegation said, "We have urged the ECI to keep a strict vigil on petrol pumps which are being used to stock and transfer cash during elections. This has happened during previous by-poll." Patnaik said the regional party has also drawn the attention of the ECI towards the violence being allegedly perpetrated by the BJP in the by-poll at Bijepur ...
British Bangladeshi ISIS jihadi bride makes plea to return to UK
A British girl of Bangladeshi descent, who fled to join the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria as a 15-year-old schoolgirl in 2015 and married an Islamist extremist, has appealed to the UK government to allow her to return to Britain. Shamima Begum, now 19, was traced in a refugee camp in Syria by a war reporter, who found her pregnant with her third child and keen to leave the war zone for the safety of her unborn child. "I'm not the same silly little 15-year-old schoolgirl who ran away from Bethnal Green four years ago. I don't regret coming here," Begum told The Times' in her interview. "I really want to get back to Britain because I know it (unborn child) will be taken care of health-wise, at least. I'll do anything required just to be able to come home and live quietly with my child," she said. The jihadi bride, who had been married to an ISIS recruit soon after her arrival in ISIS-stronghold Raqqa four years ago, described not being affected by "beheaded heads" and dead bodies on ...
Trump's confidant defends Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi's murder, apologises
Tom Barrack, a billionaire real estate investor who is one of President Donald Trump's closest confidants, has defended Saudi Arabia over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing, saying that the US does not have the moral authority to criticise the kingdom due to its own record of "atrocities".
BJP led-NDA govt set Northeast on fire, we'll conquer it with love: Rahul on Citizenship Bill
Referring to the protests that took place in the Northeast due to the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has set the entire Northeast on fire but the Congress party will conquer it with love."They set the entire Northeast on fire, however, we will make sure we conquer it with love," Rahul said while addressing All India Congress Seva Dal Maha Adhiveshan here.The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8, seeks to provide citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.On February 13, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 lapsed in the Rajya Sabha, amid ongoing protests by the members of the House. Drawing a comparison between BJP and Congress ideology, Rahul said: "They spread hatred, abuse me and my family, and the Congress president goes and hugs them in Parliament."He .
PM Modi on two-day visit to South Korea from Feb 21
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a two-day visit to South Korea next week during which he will hold talks with President Moon Jae-in on a host of issues to strengthen strategic ties, and also be conferred with the Seoul Peace Prize. The prime minister will arrive in Seoul on February 21 on a visit that will provide an important occasion for the two leaders to review the recent developments in bilateral relations, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. It will also provide an opportunity to exchange views on regional and international issues of common interest with the objective of further strengthening the special strategic partnership between the two countries based on shared values and interests, it said. During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will also be conferred with the 2018 Seoul Peace Prize at a ceremony to be organised by the Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation on February 22, in recognition of his national and international contributions. The visit is ..
Amit Shah tears into Oppn, says it lacks leaders and policies
BJP National President Amit Shah Thursday hit out at the opposition alliance, saying it 'lacked' leaders, policies and philosophy, and billed his party-led NDA as "strong." Taking potshots at the DMK-Congress combine, he said the proposed alliance was not for the benefit of Tamil Nadu but only to indulge in "scam and corruption." The NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ready to lead the nation for a successive term, the BJP chief said while addressing handloom and powerloom associations in this town. There were two alliances in the country, "one under (Congress chief) Rahul Gandhi and a 'gatbandhan' which has no leader," Shah said. "Under BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, NDA's strong alliance is ready to lead the nation," apparently for a second term after the Lok Sabha polls this year, he added. Detailing various government initiatives taken by the Centre for Tamil Nadu's growth, Shah said his party would face the coming polls from as ...
Organisational rejig in MP BJP
Nearly two months after the BJP lost the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls to the Congress, the party changed 11 district chiefs, including those in Bhopal, Mandsaur, Morena and Bhind and elevated the earlier office holders to special invitee members of the State Working Committee.
Himachal CM to raise with PM, Def Minister shifting of Army Training Command from Shimla
Following reports that the Army is considering a proposal to shift its training command headquarters from Shimla, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said Thursday he will raise the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Replying to a question raised by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Mukesh Agnihotri, the CM informed the House that the state government did not receive any official information so far regarding the proposal of shifting Headquarters of the Army Training Command (HQ ARTRAC) from Shimla to Ambala in Haryana. He said a delegation including several ex-servicemen had met him the previous day and expressed their concern over the proposal. Thakur said his government would raise the issue with the Centre and make every possible effort to ensure that the proposal does not materialise. The CM said he would talk to Prime Minister Modi and Defence Minister Sitharaman in this regard. "The ARTRAC has its own historical and strategic ...
Need to exercise freedom with responsibility, says Sadhguru in new book
Everybody should understand the fundamentals of a republic, and when all of us are allowed to say and do what we want, we should exercise that freedom with responsibility, says revered yogi and mystic Sadhguru.
Political leaders greet Sushma Swaraj on her 67th birthday
Leaders across political parties wished External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on her 67th birthday and prayed for her long life and good health.
Delhi vs Centre: Non clarity in judgment unfortunate; Delhiites will continue to 'suffer', says AAP
Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party Thursday said it was unfortunate that there was no clarity in the Supreme Court's split verdict on who controls services in the National Capital Territory and that Delhiites will continue to "suffer". While Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal terming the judgment to be against "constitution and democracy" said the AAP dispensation will seek legal remedies, party spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj asserted that there has been no decision on services even four years after the formation of the AAP government. Bhardwaj alleged the Centre appoints such officers who create hurdles in the works of the AAP government. Addressing a press conference after the SC verdict, Kejriwal said the apex court's ruling on division of powers is "unfortunate" and "injustice to people" of Delhi. "The judgment is against the constitution and democracy. We will seek legal remedies," he said. In a jolt to the AAP dispensation, The Supreme Court Thursday delivered a split verdict on the ...
Sanctions to remain till Pyongyang denuclearizes: US envoy to Seoul
US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris said on Thursday that sanctions will remain in place until North Korea denuclearizes, as Washington and Pyongyang are preparing for their second summit later this month.
Congress will counter hatred spread by RSS-BJP with love: Rahul
Congress president Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the RSS on Thursday, alleging its members wield clubs and spread hatred. Addressing a meeting of the Congress Seva Dal, Gandhi asked Congress men to counter the hatred spread by the BJP and its ideological fountainhead RSS with love. "RSS and BJP spread hate. They wear half pants, wield clubs while we work with love. This is the basic difference," he said. Gandhi also accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of creating unrest in the Northeast. Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said, "He runs the country for a select group of 15-20 people." For Modi, India is a "product" and he wants to divide its benefits among his "15-20 friends", but for the Congress, it is like a sea which has space for all, he said. "Modi gives tall speeches, says nothing happened (in the country) in the past 70 years. That means Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar (Vallabhbhai) Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, (B R) Ambedkar and all chief ministers, ...
Welfare measures to continue in India post general election
Some of the new welfare measures in India will continue to take shape, regardless of the outcome of the general election, a top Singapore bank said on Thursday. Despite a change in the government in 2014, impetus for Goods and Services Tax (GST), financial inclusion, and fuel subsidy reduction did not waver, said Indian-origin economist with DBS Research Group Radhika Rao. General elections are likely to take place in April and May in India. "We expect some of the new welfare measures to take shape independent of the election outcome," she said. India's political economy is attaining modern welfare dimensions with direct cash transfer, universal basic income and jobs provisions, Rao said. With a mixed result in the recent parliamentary by-polls and state legislature elections, risks of a hung Parliament cannot be discounted, she said. Four recent opinion polls point to an average of 220-230 seats for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition, falling short of a majority, Rao said. The .
Akalis put up dummy smartphones stall outside Punjab Assembly
To remind the Congress government in Punjab led by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh about its pre-poll promise of giving smartphones to youth in the state, the Shiromani Akali Dal legislators on Thursday put up a stall of dummy smartphones outside the Punjab Assembly.