Page 1643 - Politics
May has no intention of extending EU negotiations: UK Brexit chief
UK's Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay on Wednesday downplayed the possibility of Prime Minister Theresa May seeking an extension to the negotiation period with the bloc in order to avoid a no-deal Brexit.
Hope Modi returns as Prime Minister again: Mulayam
With the 16th Lok Sabha coming to an end on Wednesday, veteran Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mulayam Singh Yadav heaped praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed his wish to see him re-elected to office again.
Chhattisgarh's Congress government changes names of seven schemes
The Congress, which returned to power in Chhattisgarh by ousting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which ruled the state for three consecutive terms, has renamed seven schemes.
WB govt working on ease of delivering services: Sen
After winning laurels from the World Bank on ease of doing business, the West Bengal government was now trying to create ease of delivering services, additional chief secretary, IT and Electronics department, Debashis Sen said on Wednesday. "West Bengal is now among top 10 states in India on ease of doing business as notified by the World Bank. The state is now working on ease of delivering services", Sen said at the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce here. He said the state government was also laying emphasis on blockchain, artificial intelligence, internet of things and quantum computing as well. "Ease of delivering services will be done using technology with minimal touch points with the government", Sen said. Methods of government procurement is also going to change in a big way by promoting competition, the additional chief secretary said. West Bengal has also earmarked 200 acres for setting up a silicon valley hub, he said.
Feuding ally Sena hopes BJP-led NDA comes back to power
BJP's feuding ally Shiv Sena on Wednesday voiced hope that the ruling NDA will retain power at the Centre, saying that it has done a lot of work in the country's interest. Treasury benches welcomed the words of Sena MP Anandrao Adsul, who was speaking during the last sitting of the 16th Lok Sabha, as the regional party has often been critical of the Modi government and the BJP, never losing an opportunity to fire barbs at its major partner. "We expect that the NDA will come back to power with a majority," Adsul said. The House also witnessed warm vibes between the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, which is in power in Telangana and is seen as a prospective ally by the BJP, and the saffron party. Jithender Reddy of the TRS said people from Telangana are "friends" but the government had little idea "who is its friend and who is enemy", an apparent reference to TDP, an ally-turned-rival of the BJP. K C Venugopal of the Congress said his party played the role of the opposition in ...
TN to spend Rs 1,015 cr to tackle water shortage
The Tamil Nadu government is gearing up to meet the water shortage that may arise during summer this year and supply 550 million litres per day (MLD) water to Chennai.
India's rise due to majority government, not Modi: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the achievements of his government in domestic as well as foreign policy fronts were not due to those who led the government but because it was a majority government with a clear mandate to take strong decisions.
JKNPP questions government's intent behind divisional status to Ladakh
The Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) has questioned the Central's government's intention behind granting divisional status to Jammu and Kashmir's Ladakh region.
Constitutional bodies not able to work with honesty: Mayawati on CAG's Rafale report
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati Wednesday dismissed the CAG report on the controversial Rafale deal as "neither complete nor fully correct" and charged that constitutional bodies in the country were not been able to work with full honesty. The much-awaited Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the Rafale deal was tabled in Rajya Sabha on the last day of the Budget Session of Parliament Wednesday. "It (the CAG report) is neither complete nor fully correct in the eyes of public," Mayawati said in a statement issued here. She suggested the report was prepared under some kind of pressure. "Why constitutional bodies are under stress (and) not been able to work with full honesty. The country is worried," she said. The BSP chief said the the BJP government has not been able to induct a single Rafale fighter jet in the Indian Air Force. "Is it the BJP's (idea of) service of national interest and serving national security?," she asked. The Comptroller and Auditor General report .
Ashwani Lohani reappointed Air India CMD
Ashwani Lohani, a retired bureaucrat, has been appointed the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of national carrier Air India, here on Wednesday.
Rahul has worked tirelessly, says Sonia
UPA Chairman Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday lavished praise on her son and Congress President Rahul Gandhi for taking "head on" the Modi government and the BJP.
Opposition will fight unitedly at national level: Mamata Banerjee
Democracy has become 'Namocracy' and the situation in the country is worse than emergency, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Wednesday, and asserted opposition parties will fight unitedly at the national level to oust the NDA from power. Addressing a mega rally organised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at the Jantar Mantar here, the Trinamool Congress chief also attacked the Centre over the CBI's failed bid to question Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar at his home, saying she had not seen a government that "stooped so low". "It is Prime Minister's last day as elected leader in Parliament today," she said after the Lok Sabha adjourned sine die. "Everyone is afraid of Gabbar Singh. There are two of them -- (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and (BJP chief Amit) Shah," she said. A host of opposition leaders including TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, National Conference's Farooq Abdullah, Nationalist Congress Party's Sharad Pawar and CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury spoke during the ..
Iran's supreme leader says talks with US can only 'harm'
Iran's supreme leader said Wednesday that negotiations with the US "will bring nothing but material and spiritual harm" in remarks just ahead of an American-led meeting on the Mideast in Warsaw that's expected to largely focus on the Islamic Republic. The comments from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were part of a seven-page statement read out word-for-word on Iranian state television and heavily promoted in the run-up to its release. They also come two days after Iran marked the 40th anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington. "About the United States, the resolution of any issues is not imaginable and negotiations with it will bring nothing but material and spiritual harm," Khamenei said. The supreme leader went on to describe any negotiations as an "unforgiveable mistake." He also said negotiations would be like "going on your knees before the enemy and kissing the claws of the wolf." That tone is a long way from 2015, when Khamenei ...
Mamata in Delhi rally to hog limelight: BJP
The BJP's West Bengal unit Wednesday mocked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for joining the opposition rally convened by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) describing it as a "desperate attempt to hog the limelight". These rallies show the "desperation" of the opposition parties to capture power at any cost, West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said. At a mega rally in New Delhi, opposition leaders slammed the BJP as a "threat to democracy" which must be defeated in the coming general election. "She (Banerjee) is busy going to Delhi attending dharna of opposition leaders. This is a desperate attempt to hog the limelight. There are so many opposition leaders and everybody including Mamata Banerjee is fighting for the prime minister's post. Instead of dreaming of becoming the PM, she should pay attention to provide good governance in Bengal," Ghosh said. While going to Delhi, she has left the state at the mercy of her party leaders who are busy looting the people, the BJP leader ..
ECB would welcome euro zone budget: Draghi
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The European Central Bank would welcome a common budget for 19 countries sharing the euro, especially if it provided macroeconomic stabilisation functions, ECB President Mario Draghi said in a letter on Wednesday.
PM takes potshots at Rahul Gandhi, pitches for a majority govt
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday took potshots at Rahul Gandhi, saying the Congress president's claim of an "earthquake" if he speaks on Rafale jet deal fell flat. Modi, in his final speech in Lok Sabha ahead of general elections, pitched for a majority government, saying the country's image had enhanced globally due to the electoral mandate enjoyed by the current dispensation. Taking a swipe at Gandhi, who was not present in the House at that time, Modi referred to the Congress president's remarks on Rafale, and the hug and "winking" episodes, saying it was a new thing he witnessed as a first time member of Parliament. The Prime Minister praised Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's leadership and said eight of 17 sessions of this Lok Sabha had over 100 per cent productivity. The overall productivity was recorded at over 85 per cent. He said India suffered globally for long due to fractured mandates. But now it is taken seriously in the global arena because of the ...
Congress MPs fought animosity, unfairness over last 5 years: Rahul
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Congress was defeating the BJP in the ideological fight and in the daily news cycle and said that the party MPs had fought "animosity and unfairness" over the last five years.
Thai poll body seeks to dissolve party for nominating Princess
Thailand's Election Commission announced on Wednesday that it is seeking the dissolution of a political party for nominating Princess Ubolratana Mahidol as its candidate for Prime Minister in the upcoming polls.
SAD leader Gurpartap Singh Riar joins SAD (Taksali)
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader from Chandigarh Gurpartap Singh Riar on Wednesday resigned from the party and joined the recently floated SAD (Taksali). Riar, vice president of SAD's Chandigarh unit, joined the Taksali outfit in the presence of its chief Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, who is sitting MP from Khadoor Sahib. Speaking on the occasion, SAD (Taksali) senior leader Sewa Singh Sekhwan said that "exodus" of senior leaders from SAD led by Sukhbir Singh Badal continues. He said that the Taksali Akalis (old guard) had raised their voice against SAD's alleged deviation from its "panthic agenda". Sekhwan said the voice of the Taksalis was not being heard in the SAD, which he claimed was being controlled by the Badal family. "Several senior leaders are not happy with the way SAD is functioning at present. No senior leader leaves a party, which he has served for years, just on a minor issue. The fact that it is not just one or two such leaders, but several who have left SAD, which clearly
TN CM rejects DMK charge on central fund flow
Responding to DMK president M.K.Stalin's charge that the Tamil Nadu government has not been able to get enough funds from the central government, Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Wednesday said the Centre does not give the full amount requested by the states.