Page 1644 - Politics
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.
Oust Modi, opposition leaders say at Delhi rally
A galaxy of opposition leaders on Wednesday asked the people to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming Lok Sabha election as they rallied in the national capital in a show of strength.
Mulayam wishes to see Modi as PM again
Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday said he wished to see Narendra Modi back as prime minister, remarks which left the opposition squirming in Lok Sabha but were greeted by cheers from the treasury benches with the PM acknowledging Yadav's "blessings" with folded hands. "I wish that all members come back to the House," Yadav said during the last sitting of the 16th Lok Sabha, drawing applause from the BJP members who are in a majority in the House. He said pointing to Modi that he wishes that the BJP leader come back as the prime minister. Ruling alliance members heartily cheered Yadav with chants of "Jai Shri Ram" as he praised Modi for "making efforts to take everyone along". Modi acknowledged SP patriarch's praise with folded hands and later made a mention of Yadav's "blessings" in his speech. The Samajwadi Party, which is led by Mulayam's son Akhilesh Yadav, has joined hands with the BSP in Uttar Pradesh to take on the BJP in the upcoming Lok ..
Sacked Afghan poll officials under probe, barred from leaving country
The Afghanistan Attorney General's office on Wednesday began a probe against members of the Election Commission after they were sacked over complaints of misuse of authority during last year's parliamentary elections.
Four disgruntled Congress MLAs surface after several weeks
Four disgruntled Congress MLAs, who had gone missing for several weeks amid political turmoil in Karnataka, surfaced here Wednesday two days after the party recommended their disqualification to the state assembly Speaker. The lawmakers had kept the party on tenterhooks for several weeks, defying its whip twice to attend the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meetings on January 18 and February 8 and had been skipping the ongoing assembly Budget Session since February 6. Ramesh Jarkiholi, Umesh Jadhav, B Nagendra and Mahesh Kumathali, who were reported to be in touch with the BJP,which has been accused of trying to poach the MLAs to bring down the JDS-Congress government, also attended the assembly session Wednesday, giving some relief to the ruling coalition. The MLAs were upset ever since the cabinet reshuffle and expansion on December 22 that saw removal of Jarkiholi. Jarkiholi denied that he indulged in anti-party activities or even challenged the party high command. "There is no ...
Mamata ropes in just retired IPS officer Rina Mitra to advise
Senior IPS officer Rina Mitra, a top contender for the post of CBI Director before her retirement last month, has been appointed as the Principal Advisor to the West Bengal government on internal security, a senior official said Wednesday. Responsibilities of Mitra, who retired on January 31 last, for the newly created post would be defined later in a separate order, he said. Secretariat insiders described the appointment of Mitra as a tactical move by the Mamata Banerjee government at a time when its officials were at loggerheads with the Federal Investigative agency. The West Bengal police had a tiff with the CBI recently over its action against Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the Sardha chit fund scam case. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had taken strong objection to the CBI act against Kumar and staged a three-day dharna in Kolkata last week. The West Bengal and the NDA government at the Centre have been on collision course on several other issues related
Governor flags off Start-Up India Yatra in Meghalaya
Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy Wednesday flagged off the 10-day Start-up India Yatra here aimed at scouting grass root level entrepreneurs in the smaller towns in the state. The yatra will provide a platform for budding entrepreneurs to realise their start up dream by getting incubated at excellent facilities and taking their idea to the next level during the next 10-days of its journey across the state. In his short address, Roy lauded the effort of the Industries department and said entrepreneurs stands to benefit from the yatra. The Start-up India Yatra aims to scout grass root level entrepreneurs in the smaller towns of India and is being organized by the DoNER Ministry in collaboration with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the state government.
Pakistan to curb 'hate speech' on social media
The Pakistan government plans will crack down on "hate speech" on social media from next week and set up a new authority, which will enforce regulations for the digital, print and electronic media, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said here on Wednesday.
Rafale will continue to be an issue in Lok Sabha polls: Congress
Notwithstanding the CAG findings, the Rafale deal signed by the Narendra Modi government would continue to be an issue in the coming Lok Sabha polls, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said on Wednesday.
Priyanka meets Cong workers from Amethi, says will stand by partymen
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met party workers from Amethi -- the paliamentary constituency represented by her brother and party president Rahul Gandhi -- at the party headquarters here, a party leader said Wednesday. Holding a marathon meeting with party workers, Priyanka Gandhi met party leaders and workers from Amethi at around 11.30 pm Tuesday, he said. "Priyankaji first enquired the well being of party workers, and then asked ways of strengthening the party in the state. She also sought feedback on working of the Congress state unit, district unit, and the units up to the block and booth levels," former state general secretary of Youth Congress Ashok Singh said. According to Singh, Priyanka Gandhi said that she will "stand by" the party workers "wherever they want". "Priyanka told us that we should take along with us all sections of the society be it the youth, women or the elderly. Now that I have come, I want to see everyone united. Everyone should be ready .
Naidu announces Rs 4,000 additional dole for Andhra farmers
In another major pre-poll sop, the Andhra Pradesh government here on Wednesday announced annual financial assistance of Rs 4,000 to every farmer in the state.
Rafale deal: NCP questions authenticity of CAG report
On a day a CAG report observed that the NDA government's Rafale deal was cheaper than the UPA's 2007 offer, the NCP Wednesday questionned its "authenticity" and claimed a "conflict of interest" by referring to CAG Rajiv Mehrishi's previous stint as Union finance secretary. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, which was submitted in Parliament earlier in the day, said the Rafale deal negotiated by the NDA government to procure 36 fighter jets was 2.86 per cent cheaper than the UPA's 2007 offer. It also said that the deal was 17.08 per cent cheaper with regard to India specific enhancements. The BJP and Opposition have locked horns over the deal to purchase Rafale fighter aircraft from France. The NCP, which is one of the parties to back the demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale deal, said CAG Mehrishi was finance secretary when negotiations were underway to purchase the fighter jets. "Mehrishi was part of Rafale negotiations, ..
Rahul manufactured his own Rafale statistics: Jaitley
Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday attacked Congress President Rahul Gandhi for "manufacturing statistics" into the 36 Rafale fighter jet deal with France's Dassault Aviation.
Rajasthan Assembly passes Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2019
The Rajasthan Assembly passed a bill Wednesday that allows a member of the state legislature to get elected and hold office of a Chairperson or a Vice-Chairperson of a cooperative society. The Rajasthan Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed by the House by voice vote. The Rajasthan government had promulgated an ordinance on December 26, 2018 and a bill replacing it was passed in the assembly Wednesday. Replying on the bill, state Cooperative Minister Udai Lal Anjana said the Rajasthan Cooperative Societies Act, 2001 restricted a person to hold both the offices of a Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson of a committee of cooperative society and a member of the state legislature. The government has decided to amend the Act to remove the said restriction, Anjana said. Opposition members demanded referring the bill to the select committee for review, which was turned down by the Chair.
EU adds Saudi Arabia, Panama to dirty-money blacklist
STRASBOURG (Reuters) - The European Commission added Saudi Arabia, Panama and other jurisdictions to a blacklist of nations that pose a threat to the bloc because of lax controls against terrorism financing and money laundering, the EU executive said on Wednesday.
2 months on, T'gana yet to have full-fledged Cabinet; oppn slams govt
Two months after Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao assumed office, Telangana is yet to have a full-fledged Cabinet, with the opposition lashing out at the government over the "delay". The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) said a government-appointed committee tasked to look into ways to streamline the entire administration by bringing together connected departments under one minister has completed its exercise. "That exercise took a lot of time. Very shortly, the Cabinet will be formed based on the exercise," TRS spokesperson Abid Rasool Khan said Wednesday. Rao was sworn in on December 13 last year after the TRS swept to power for the second consecutive term with a thumping majority. Mohd Mahmood Ali also took oath along with him and he was allotted the Home portfolio on the same day, making it a two-member Cabinet, including the chief minister. Since then, there has been no Cabinet expansion. "It's a constitutional violation," Congress spokesperson Sravan Dasoju said on the ...
NDA's Rafale deal 2.86% cheaper than price negotiated by UPA in 2007: CAG
The Rafale deal signed by the Modi government to procure 36 fighter jets from France's Dassault got 2.86 per cent cheaper price than what was negotiated during the previous UPA regime in 2007, the much-awaited CAG report on the controversy-hit transaction showed on Wednesday. Without disclosing pricing details in absolute terms, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) also said the deal was 6.54 per cent expensive in terms of engineering support package and performance-based logistics for the Indian Air Force, while the training costs has got 2.68 per cent expensive than the 2007 offer. The CAG also flagged the drawbacks of settling for a 'Letter of Comfort' rather than a sovereign guarantee by the French government and said Dassault benefitted due to absence of such guarantees. The report, however, was silent on the issue of offset partners, which has been a key point on which the Congress has been attacking Narendra Modi-led government and has been alleging corruption in Anil ...
Saudi crown prince to visit Pakistan on Feb 16
Pakistan on Wednesday said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman will arrive in Islamabad on Saturday on a two-day visit during which a number of agreements worth billions of dollars investment in the country would be signed. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are likely to sign over USD 10 billion investment agreements, including a multibillion dollar oil refinery in Gwadar, during his visit. Mohammad, who is also the Gulf Kingdom's vice president of the council of ministers and defence minister, will arrive here on February 16 on his first state visit to Pakistan since his elevation to the position of the crown prince in April 2017, the Foreign Office said. He will be accompanied by a high-powered delegation including members of the royal family, key ministers and leading businessmen. During his visit, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will be signing a number of agreements and MoUs in diverse sectors, including investment, finance, power, renewable energy, internal security, media, culture ...
Rahul Gandhi to address rally in Gujarat on Feb 14
Congress president Rahul Gandhi will kick off his party's Lok Sabha poll campaign in Gujarat on Thursday by addressing a public rally in Valsad district. Gandhi will address the 'Jan Akrosh Rally' at Laldungri village in Valsad on Thursday afternoon, party's spokesperson Manish Doshi said. This will be Gandhi's first visit to Gujarat after the 2017 Assembly polls in which he campaigned vigorously, travelling across the length and breadth of the state. While the BJP returned to power in the state in 2017 by winning 99 seats in the 182-member Assembly, the Congress managed to increase its tally from 60 to 77. To boost its cadre, the Congress is also likely to organise its working committee meet here before the Lok Sabha elections, a party source said. The Congress had drawn a blank in the state in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when the BJP won all 26 seats. The opposition party had won 11 seats in the state in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.
Raj assembly passes vote-on-account of Rs 86,906cr
The Rajasthan government Wednesday presented the vote-on-account of over Rs 86,906 crore for the first four months, which was passed by a voice vote. The government also presented budget estimates for 2019-20 with a total expenditure of Rs 2,31,654 crore. Presenting the vote-on-account, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who also holds the finance portfolio, said it is not possible to discuss budget proposals and get an annual budget passed in the Assembly before March 31 due to upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He said that the vote-on-account was presented for approval in the assembly for expenditure on election, drinking water, relief from natural disaster and cooperatives. Previous government's misgovernance derailed the state from the path of progress. Wrong policies and short-sighted thinking state lagged on various economic parameters. We will work hard day and night to make Rajasthan prosperous," Gehlot said in the Assembly. He said that total debt on the state during the Congress ...