Page 1646 - Politics

Question Hour washed out in UP Assembly amid protests over Akhilesh's airport episode

Protests by legislators of the Samajwadi Party and the BSP over Akhilesh Yadav being stopped at the Lucknow airport eclipsed the Question Hour in the state Assembly on Wednesday. The pre-lunch sitting saw two adjournments as opposition members vociferously raised the issue. Amid uproar, Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit adjourned the House first for 30 minutes and then for the entire Question Hour. As soon as the House met, SP leader Narendra Verma tried to raised the issue during Question Hour. He was instantly supported by BSP legislature party leader Lalji Verma, who said, "Lathicharge was done in the entire state by police and fake cases were lodged against protestors. An MP (SP's Dharmendra Yadav) was injured in the lathicharge." "There is 'Hitlershahi' in the state as government is resorting to activities which demean democracy," he claimed. Countering Verma, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said as the opposition does not have any issue they are creating anarchy in .

LS passes bill to ban unregulated deposit schemes

The Lok Sabha Wednesday passed a bill to protect gullible investors from ponzi schemes, with Finance Minister Piyush Goyal saying the Government will ensure that no loophole is left while framing rules. The Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2018, seeks to put in place a mechanism by which such depositors can be compensated. It has incorporated recommendations of the Standing Committee on Finance. Replying to a discussion on the Bill, Goyal said out of the total 978 cases of unauthorised deposit schemes, 326 are from West Bengal, which is more than one-third of the total such schemes. "The Government has worked quickly to put an end to such unauthorised deposit schemes. We have ensured that no loopholes are left by using great legal acumen while drafting the Bill. I want to assure the House that while drafting the rules we will ensure there is no loophole," Goyal said. The bill, which was introduced in the House on Tuesday, seeks to plug loopholes which allow ..

SP members raise Akhilesh Yadav issue in Lok Sabha

Samajwadi Party Wednesday raised in the Lok Sabha the issue of Uttar Pradesh authorities preventing their chief Akhilesh Yadav from flying to Allahabad even as the Centre asserted that neither the government nor the BJP had any role. After Yadav was stopped at Lucknow airport, SP workers clashed with police in several parts of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. During the Zero Hour, Dharmendra Yadav and other SP members displayed placards to register their protest on the issue. Yadav, whose forehead was bandaged, alleged that workers were lathicharged by UP Police on Tuesday. He claimed that members of legislative council, workers and women, among others, were beaten up. While noting that some MPs were also beaten up, he urged Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to direct authorities to take action against police official involved. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the SP chief was prevented from flying to Allahabad on the grounds of law and order. The BJP and the ...

'Bluff, bluster, intimidation' have been Modi govt's philosophy: Sonia Gandhi

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that "bluff, bluster and intimidation" have been Modi government's philosophy and hailed party president Rahul Gandhi for taking opponents "head-on". Addressing the Congress Parliamentary Party's general body meeting, Sonia Gandhi also praised her son for bringing in fresh energy and putting together a team which blends experience and youth. In a blistering attack on the Centre, Sonia Gandhi alleged that there is an "all-pervasive atmosphere of fear and strife" across the country. "We go to the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls with renewed confidence and resolve. Our victories in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh have given us new hope," she said at the meeting attended by Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress' leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad among others. "Our opponents were earlier projected as being invincible. The Congress president took

Shutdown called by separatists hits normal life in Kashmir

Normal life was hit in Kashmir on Wednesday due to a shutdown called by separatists to protest against the legal challenge to Article 35-A and Article 370 of the Constitution, which grant special privileges to Jammu and Kashmir. Petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutional validity of the articles. The two-day shutdown, which began on Wednesday, has been called by the Joint Resistance Leadership, comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik. Shops, fuel stations and other business establishments were shut in Srinagar, the state's summer capital, while public transport was off the roads, official said. However, private vehicles could be seen plying in several areas of the city, they said. The separatists, under the banner of JRL on Tuesday called for the shutdown, saying the legal challenge to the articles is an "extremely critical issue" of the very existence as a people and of "our disputed status". The officials said reports of ..

Shutdown in support of Article 35-A hits life in Valley

Normal life was adversely affected in Srinagar city and other parts of the Kashmir Valley on Wednesday by a shutdown called by separatists in support of Article 35-A of the Constitution.

Truth, transparency brazenly tossed aside during Modi rule: Sonia

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Modi government of having bluff, bluster and intimidation as the governing philosophy, adding that truth and transparency have been brazenly tossed aside during his rule.

Concentrating on work, learning more about Cong structure: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, whose husband Robert Vadra is being questioned by the ED, said Wednesday these things will keep happening, but she will concentrate on her work. The remark by the party's general secretary for east Uttar Pradesh came after she was asked about the ongoing Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe in connection with a money laundering case against Vadra. On Tuesday, Gandhi had accompanied Vadra to the ED's Jaipur office where he was grilled by the probe agency in a separate case related to an alleged land scam in Rajasthan's Bikaner district. "These things will keep on going, I'm doing my own work," she said early this morning after holding a marathon meeting with party workers here. Vadra was interrogated for over eight hours by the Enforcement Directorate in Jaipur on Tuesday and his mother Maureen Vadra, was also present. The businessman is being questioned on Wednesday as well. On her meeting with party workers, Priyanka said she is happy to see

CPI slams KCR for not forming full-fledged Cabinet even after 2 months of assuming office

CPI General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy Wednesday slammed Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for not constituting a full-fledged Cabinet even after two months of assuming office. "This shows his (Rao's) carelessness and irresponsibility," Reddy said. Rao was sworn in on December 13 last year after his party, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), swept back 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. Since then there has been no Cabinet expansion. "I am really surprised. Nobody is able to tell the reason. I think he (Rao) is in a fix how to select the Cabinet colleagues; he is confused that there would be dissent from large section of people (who miss out on Cabinet berths)," Reddy told PTI. "As a matter fact, had he done (Cabinet expansion) within a week, there would not have been any problem. Now, too many aspirants. I think it's very funny that

N. Korea still pursuing nuclear advances: Top US commander

The top US commander on the Korean Peninsula has said that "despite a reduction" in tensions with North Korea, there has been "little to no verifiable change" in the country's military capabilities since President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un met for nuclear talks last year.

Lok Sabha's productivity in BJP rule much better than UPA II

The term of the 16th Lok Sabha is coming to an end. Contrary to popular perception due to constant disruptions of proceedings, the productivity of the Lok Sabha during BJP rule was way above UPA II but slightly lower than the UPA I tenures.

UP Assembly adjourned amid chaos over Akhilesh Yadav being stopped at airport

Proceedings of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly was Wednesday adjourned amid protests by legislators of the Samajwadi Party and the BSP over Akhilesh Yadav being stopped at the Lucknow airport on his way to Allahabad. As soon as the House met, SP leader Narendra Verma tried to raise the issue in the Question Hour. He was supported by BSP's legislative party leader Lalji Verma, who said, "Lathicharge was done in the entire state by police and fake cases were lodged against protestors. An MP (SP's Dharmendra Yadav) was injured in the lathicharge. There is 'hitershahi' in the state as the government is resorting to activities demeaning democracy." Countering Verma, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said as the opposition does not have any issues, they are creating anarchy in the state. "Our government is committed to the welfare of people and development of the state," he added. When Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit did not allow discussion on the matter in the Question Hour, ...

Hard Brexit would doom future merger of UK, Franco-German fighter projects: Airbus defence

BERLIN (Reuters) - Britain's departure from the European Union without a deal would doom the prospects for a Franco-German next-generation fighter jet with a rival project in Britain, the head of Airbus Defence and Space told the Handelsblatt German newspaper.

CAG finds NDA deal for 36 Rafale jets 2.86% cheaper than UPA's

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found that the Rafale fighter jet deal signed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was 2.86 per cent lower than the price negotiated by the United Progressive Alliance government.

As if sky has fallen: Sena's dig at BJP after row over its leader meeting Naidu

The Shiv Sena on Wednesday said its leader Sanjay Raut's visit to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu during his fast in Delhi was merely a courtesy call, and criticised the BJP over handling of its allies. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party also said what was the guarantee that the BJP will not reach out to its former ally, the Naidu-led TDP, in case it falls short of numbers to form government after the Lok Sabha elections. Senior Sena leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut had on Monday made a surprise appearance at Naidu's day-long protest over demand for special status for his state, saying he came to attend the event as a representative of his party, which shares strained relations with senior ally BJP. Justifying Raut's meeting with Naidu, the Sena, in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', said the leader visited Andhra Pradesh chief minister as a "courtesy" because his state has been split into two. "We are also against splitting of states. But our visit has

Former Congress MLA Mohan Singh Bundela dies

Senior Congress leader and former MLA Mohan Singh Bundela died on Wednesday in Madhya Pradesh after a prolonged illness, family sources said. He was 74. Bundela was ailing since a long time and breathed his last at his home in Dhar district of MP on Wednesday morning, the sources said. He is survived by wife and three sons. Bundela was an MLA from Dhar Assembly seat from 1985 to 1990. He had also served as parliamentary secretary in the then Cabinet led by Arjun Singh. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed their condolences on Bundela's demise.

NDA's Rafale deal cost 2.86% less that UPA's negotiated one: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found that the Rafale fighter jet deal signed by the NDA government was 2.86 per cent lower than the price negotiated by the UPA government.

UP chief secretary Anup Chandra Pandey gets six-month extension

Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Anup Chandra Pandey, who was due to retire in February, has got an extension for six months, an official said Wednesday. Pandey, a 1984-batch IAS officer, was due to retire on February 28. "The Centre has approved the extension of the chief secretary," Principal Secretary (Information) Avanish Awasthi said here. The Yogi Adityanath government had requested the Centre for extension of Pandey's services. Pandey, who was an additional chief secretary and the Industrial and Infrastructure Development Commissioner, took over as the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary last year in July. He was the director of the information department during the Kalyan Singh government in 1999 and later served as the private secretary to Uma Bharti, who was Union minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. Pandey is credited for the successful implementation of flagship programmes of the Adityanath government, including the investors' summit.

LS adjourned till noon

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday was adjourned till noon following ruckus created by Samajwadi Party (SP) and Trinamool Congress over various issues.

RS adjourned till noon amid ruckus

Rajya Sabha proceedings Wednesday were adjourned till noon after opposition Samajwadi Party and TMC created ruckus in the House over different issues. While Samajwadi Party MPs protested police lathicharge on party leaders and workers in Allahabad on Tuesday, TMC displayed posters against the BJP government over the Rafale fighter jet deal. Trouble broke out soon after listed papers were presented to the House with members of both parties rushing towards the well of the House. SP members alleged that the Uttar Pradesh Police lathicharged party MPs and workers protesting against party chief Akhilesh Yadav being stopped at Lucknow airport in a bid to prevent him from attending an event in Allahabad. As the ruckus continued, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the proceedings till noon. Proceedings of the House were washed out on Tuesday as well because of the issue as SP members vociferously protested. Earlier when the House met for the day, it mourned the death of ...