Page 1661 - Politics
Opposition flexes muscle at Naidu's fast, attacks Modi (Roundup)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's fast to demand special status for the state, here on Monday, turned into a show of strength for the opposition parties, which attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for subverting India's democracy and federal structure.
Priyanka gets over 1-lakh Twitter followers within hours, Tharoor says 'social media superstar' born
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday joined Twitter and garnered a massive response, attracting over one lakh followers on the social media platform within 10 hours. Comparing her first-day popularity on the micro-blogging website to that of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor hailed her as a "new superstar on social media". Tharoor, who is among the first from Congress to have joined the Twitter bandwagon and the party's second most-followed leader after its president Rahul Gandhi on this medium, said "Rajnikanth was the only person who in his his first 24 hours on Twitter got 2 lakh followers. "Given that Priyanka Gandhi has had only 12 hours on Twitter (so far) and she has got one lakh followers she seems to be on course to rival Rajnikanth. Looks like a new superstar on social media is born," he told PTI. Significantly, she was yet to post her first tweet when the number of her followers crossed the one-lakh mark. Her logging on
Shiv Sena joins Naidu's protest against Centre over denial of special status to Andhra Pradesh
Shiv Sena, the disgruntled ally of NDA, on Monday joined the day-long protest called by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu against the Centre here over the denial of special status to Andhra Pradesh.With Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut sharing dais with the opposition leaders including Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, the event had seemingly political overtones ahead of the coming Lok Sabha polls."We are with N Chandrababu Naidu for the demand he is pressing for his state. Every state has its own role to play and every state has its own demands. We may have ideological differences but if the chief minister of a state is sitting on 'dharna' for his state, we must support the cause," said Raut."My leader Uddhav Thackeray told me to go and support N Chandrababu Naidu. We will think about politics later on," said Raut.Naidu said that Shiv Sena is not happy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and thanked Shiv Sena for its support. "Uddhav ...
Twitterverse divided on Priyanka Gandhi's resemblance to Indira
As Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday launched her roadshow in the company of brother Rahul Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh, a BJP bastion, she was constantly compared with late former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to whom she bears a striking resemblance.Dressed in a light coloured kurta and churidar with a white dupatta around her neck, Priyanka looked every bit a politician who meant business. However she smiled her dimpled bright smile, grinned, waved and even stopped many times to shake hands with several from the cheering crowd.Congress party workers, who were present in the roadshow, made sure to point out the similarity with Indira Gandhi by chanting slogans like "Doosri Indira Gandhi hai" and flashing posters that read "We see Indira Gandhi in her."While uncanny resemblance soon became a topic of discussion among political leaders, with some refusing to acknowledge it and others arguing that the similarity would not help her win.It was not long before the discussion reached the social ...
Priyanka wows crowds in Lucknow along with Rahul, Scindia
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was cheered by thousands as she rode in an open truck here on Monday along with her brother and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on her first visit to Uttar Pradesh after becoming the Congress General Secretary East UP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Mehrishi never dealt with defence ministry proposals: FinMin
Amid allegations of conflict of interest in Rafale deal, the Finance Ministry Monday said that Rajiv Mehrishi, who joined the ministry as Economic Affairs Secretary, has never dealt with expenditure proposals from the Defence Ministry. The clarification comes in the backdrop of the Congress alleging that the incumbent Comptroller and Audit General of India Rajiv Mehrishi should recuse himself from the audit report of Rafale deal as he was the Finance Secretary during the negotiation for the aircraft. Mehrishi joined Department of Economic Affairs as Secretary on October 31, 2014 and being the senior most Secretary among the five Secretaries he was designated as the Finance Secretary on November 11, 2014, an official statement said. He continued as Secretary (Economic Affairs) and Finance Secretary till August 31, 2015 when he demitted the office. "It is a matter of convention that the senior most Secretary is designated as Finance Secretary and while he assumes a co-ordination role, ..
Priyanka's road show in UP; Rahul says time for Cong to win UP, form govt
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made her debut in Uttar Pradesh's political arena as Congress general secretary with a grand road show on Monday, raising hopes of a turnaround in the party's fortunes, as her brother and party president Rahul Gandhi asserted that it was the time to uproot the BJP and form the government in the state. Virtually launching the party's Lok Sabha poll campaign, Priyanka Gandhi, accompanied by Rahul Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia, in-charge of the state's western region, was the cynosure of many eyes with thousands of onlookers, including enthusiastic party workers jostling to get a glimpse and capture the image of the 47-year-old beaming leader in their phones. Rose petals were showered and marigold garlands tossed towards the brother-sister duo as their cavalcade embarked on a roughly 25-km-long road show, from the airport to the party headquarters as the duo exchanged brief pleasantries with some members of the crowd. Significantly, Priyanka Gandhi did not address
Barnier says Corbyn's Brexit offer 'interesting'
The EU's chief Brexit negotiator said Monday British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn's plan to revive European divorce talks was "interesting", but he was awaiting new ideas from London. Michel Barnier was due to meet Britain's third Brexit minister, the newly appointed Stephen Barclay, later in the day, hoping to hear how Prime Minister Theresa May plans to win support for an agreement for Britain's withdrawal from the European bloc. "Something has to move on the British side," Barnier told reporters in Luxembourg after talks with the Grand Duchy's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. "We're waiting for clarity and movement from the United Kingdom." Last month, the British parliament rejected the Brexit deal that May's government and Barnier's team had negotiated over 18 months to prevent Britain crashing out of the EU on March 29 without a follow-on plan. Now, May is seeking concessions from sceptical EU leaders while trying to woo more British MPs into backing a tweaked accord, but she ...
Trump takes border campaign to El Paso
President Donald Trump takes his politically explosive push for walling off the Mexican border to the frontier city of El Paso on Monday, four days before a deadline for Congress to meet his demands. The president's campaign-style rally in El Paso will give Trump the kind of populist platform he loves. According to Trump, illegal immigrants pose a national security risk to the United States and can only be stopped by dramatic extensions of current barriers. It's an argument he backs up with lurid warnings about rapists and people traffickers extending far into the American heartland -- a message that critics describe as blatantly xenophobic and based on heavily manipulated data. Trump chose El Paso as a historic crossing point where, he says, walls have eradicated an out-of-control influx of criminals from Mexico and made the city a model for what could happen elsewhere on the border. But there'll be a counter-message a short distance from where Trump speaks when rising Democratic ...
Shah to launch 'BJP Parivar' campaign from Gujarat on Feb 12
BJP president Amit Shah will Tuesday launch the nationwide "Mera Parivar Bhajpa Parivar" voter outreach campaign for the Lok Sabha elections from here in Gujarat. He will unfurl the party flag at his residence in Ahmedabad as part of the campaign, the party said in a statement Monday. The BJP intends to hoist the party flag at the houses of voters under this mass outreach drive. BJP's Gujarat in-charge for Lok Sabha elections Om Mathur, state president Jitu Vaghani, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel will attend the event, the release said. The campaign will be formally kicked off from Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay auditorium, where the BJP chief will address party workers on the preparation of the Lok Sabha elections, due in April-May this year, it said. Later in the day, Shah will attend a cluster meeting of party leaders in Godhra for Panchmahal, Dahod and Chhota Udepur Lok Sabha seats in central Gujarat. Incharges of the three LS seats, party ...
Opposition leaders fighting for survival: BJP
With opposition leaders coming in support of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu's fast here, the BJP Monday claimed that its rivals joining hands will help it as all of them are "in a dock" over one charge or another. BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao told reporters that his party opponents are coming together against the "honest" Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their political survival. "This sight will help us. They are all in a dock over some charges and fighting for their political survival. They have no agenda and no leader," he said. He said this is a sight of "maha-milawat" (high adulteration), a term used by Modi to describe the coming together of opposition leaders against him. Rao also hit out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Naidu dubbing his fast a "drama" and asserted he is certain to lose power in the assembly elections. Naidu was on a daylong fast demanding the special category status for his state.
Not intolerance anymore, its outright dictatorship: Nayantara Sahgal
Reacting strongly to veteran actor-director Amol Palekar being interrupted during a speech at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in Mumbai when he criticised the government and was prevented from completing his speech, multiple award-winning author Nayantara Sahgal has said that the country is not facing intolerance anymore but is under outright dictatorship.
BJP, Congress accuse AAP of misleading Delhi voters through calls
The BJP and the Congress on Monday hit out at Delhi's Arvind Kejriwal government accusing it of misleading voters, a day after the Election Commission (EC) asked the Delhi Police to probe telephone calls to people claiming their names have been deleted from electoral rolls.
Condition of farmers deteriorates under BJP rule: Chautala
Former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala on Monday hit out at the BJP-led NDA government claiming that condition of farmers in the country has become worse under its tenure. Chautala, who is Indian National Lok Dal president, said the country's economy is basically farmer-oriented,but the peasants find themselves in miserable state. "Like the Congress, the BJP too did not care about farmers due to which their condition has turned worse today, he said addressing party workers' meeting at the grain market at Ladwa in this district. Chautala (84), was released on three-week furlough from Tihar Jail in Delhi last week. He along with his elder son Ajay Chautala is undergoing a jail term after their conviction in teacher's recruitment scam in Haryana, Over the next few days, Chautala is scheduled to address series of party meetings across the state, at a time when INLD finds itself in crises. INLD split recently and Chautala's elder son Ajay Singh and grandsons Dushyant and ...
No one in India can repay cow's debt: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that no one in the country can repay the debt of the cow's milk, saying the bovine has been an important part of India's tradition and culture.
Thailand EC disqualifies King's sister from running for PM
Thailand's political landscape was gripped by uncertainty on Monday after King Maha Vajiralongkorn intervened in his elder sister Princess Ubolratana Mahidol's bid to run for Prime Minister, leading the Election Commission to reject her candidacy.
Ex-Assam top bureaucrat Bhanu joins Congress
Former additional chief secretary of Assam M.G.V.K. Bhanu, who retired last July, joined the Congress, here on Monday.
Trinamool turns up the heat on BJP over MLA's murder
Two days after accusing BJP leaders of involvement in the murder of its MLA Satyajit Biswas, West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress on Monday turned up the heat on the saffron party, warning that those seeking protection from leaders in Delhi will be brought back and put to justice.
Naidu holds hunger strike against Modi govt, gets support from NDA ally Shiv Sena and several Oppn parties
Leaders of Congress, Trinamool Congress, NCP, Samajwadi Party, National Conference, DMK, AAP and Shiv Sena joined the TDP chief at his agitation at Andhra Bhavan to express their solidarity for his demand for special status to Andhra Pradesh. Among those in attendance were Congress President Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Ghulam Nabi Azad, TMC MP Derek O'Brien, AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, NCP's Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel, and DMK's T Siva.Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena, as well as disgruntled BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, also attended.During the day, Naidu addressed the gathering a number of times, attacking Modi and accusing him of being "vindictive" and "inefficient and unfit" to rule the country."Modi is acting shamelessly and egotistically. He is thinking of winning the elections by colluding with some parties. Modi ..
Congress will fight coming Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh with full force: Rahul
Upbeat over the massive response to the road show here on Monday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that his party would contest the coming Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh with full force."The Congress will fight (Lok Sabha polls) with full force in Uttar Pradesh. The party will fight for its ideology. It will fight to change Uttar Pradesh," said Rahul, while accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS and BJP of pursuing the ideology of hatred and division."On the one side is Congress' ideology of brotherhood, love and bringing people together, while on the other is RSS, BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ideology of dividing people, spreading hatred and making the country weak," said Rahul."The Congress party is not going to play on the back foot in any state. We will play on the front foot everywhere. This is a fight of ideology," said Rahul, who along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia, general secretaries for east and west Uttar Pradesh ...