Page 1674 - Politics

PM will inaugurate medical college in Hazaribagh on Feb 17:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a medical college in Hazaribagh on February 17, Union Minister Jayant Sinha Sunday said. "The Prime Minister will inaugurate a Medical College in Hazaribagh during his visit. He agreed to visit Hazaribagh after being impressed by the implementation of Central and state schemes in Hazaribagh," the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation reporters here. Sinha said inauguration of a railway link to Hazaribagh, construction of a super speciality hospital, start of construction work of airport and several other projects were the highlights of development of Hazaribagh. Sinha is the Lok Sabha member of the Hazaribagh seat.

EC asks Delhi Police to investigate 'misleading' calls over electoral rolls

The Election Commission Sunday asked the Delhi Police to take "necessary action" against people making "misleading" phone calls to people about the city's electoral rolls. On Saturday, Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) had cautioned people about such calls claiming deletion of their names from electoral rolls. The poll official had made it clear that no one but the electoral registration officer can add or remove names from electoral rolls. Now, the CEO has asked the Delhi Police Commissioner to investigate the matter to ascertain the correct position. "...Various written complaints received in this regard are being enclosed herewith. Prima facie, it appears that the matter needs to be thoroughly investigated in order that the factual correctness of the averments made in the aforementioned complaints are ascertained and necessary action under relevant extant laws is taken," the complaint to the police said. The CEO's statement on Saturday came a day after a BJP delegation met the .

We have made people happier in Haryana, says Chief Minister Manohar Lal

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal said on Sunday that the present BJP government has not only transformed the system but has developed a strong administrative system to make the life of the people happier in the state."The state government is making efforts to provide the benefit of all services at their home," he said, while addressing the gathering in the Jan Vishwas Rally of Kalanaur Vidhan Sabha Constituency at New Anaj Mandi in Rohtak.The Chief Minister said that when the present government took over the reins in 2014, there was a fearful situation in Haryana. "Corruption was at peak and criminals had political protection, the state government understood the situation and made efforts to transform the system," he said.He said that e-Disha Kendras, and Antyodaya Saral Kendras have been opened. Computer operators have been deputed in Gram Sachivalayas to easily provide services to the people. He said that the present government has curbed corruption by making online the registries

'Rajasthan could witness 2004 scenario after coming LS polls'

Rajasthan could see a 2004 like scenario after the coming Lok Sabha elections, when Congress rode back to power after eight years out of office, Deputy chief minister of that state Sachin Pilot said here Sunday. "Most certainly, the Congress can ride back to power as it did in 2004 after being out of power for eight years. There is no way that the BJP will be able to hold on to some 100 seats in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh because the performance of their state and central governments is far from satisfactory," he said at "The Huddle," a thought conclave held by 'The Hindu' here. Pilot said Indian politics is unpredictable as nobody knew that the late Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee would lose by just one vote. "Likewise, nobody thought that the Congress would come back and form the government in 2004," he added. Pilot said that the Indian electorate is sophisticated and sometimes politicians misread and underestimate the competence of voters. "As ...

Together we will start a new kind of politics, Priyanka tells UP voters ahead of visit

A day before her maiden visit to Uttar Pradesh as Congress general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that together with the people of the state she hopes to start a "new kind of politics" in which everyone will be a stakeholder. Priyanka and Jyotiraditya Scindia will arrive in Lucknow Monday on their first trip to the state after being appointed the Congress general secretary in-charges of eastern and western UP respectively. They will be accompanied by Congress president Rahul Gandhi -- all three visiting the crucial state for the first time after the appointments announced last month. "I am coming tomorrow to Lucknow to meet all of you. I have hope in my heart that together we will start a new kind of politics, a politics in which all of you will be stakeholders -- my young friends, my sisters and even the weakest person, all their voices will be heard," said Gandhi through the Congress's Shakti App. Congress workers are planning a roadshow when the three leaders travel from the

Fire guts election office in key Nigerian state

A fire gutted an electoral commission office in central Nigeria, destroying ballot boxes and other materials just a week before polling, officials said on Sunday. The blaze happened at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Office in the Qua'an Pan area of Plateau state late on Saturday. The INEC head of voter education and publicity in Plateau state, Osaretin Imahiyereobo, said of this latest incident: "A drunken security man was said to have caused the fire outbreak." Imahiyereobo said the office was "completely burnt with all its contents", including ballot boxes and uncollected voter ID cards. A similar fire broke out last weekend in the southeastern state of Abia. Nigeria goes to the polls next Saturday to elect a new president and parliament. State governorship and local assembly elections follow on March 2. President Muhammadu Buhari, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is seeking re-election. His main challenger is Atiku Abubakar, of the Peoples Democratic ...

Centre adopting step-motherly attitude towards Puducherry: Narayanasamy

Chief Minister V Narayanasamy Sunday charged the NDA government at the Centre with "adopting step-motherly attitude towards Puducherry". Talking to reporters here, Narayanasamy said several representations of the union territory government to the Centre for sanction of funds required to meet its commitments have fallen on deaf ears. The Centre was yet to release Rs 1,400 crore that has been due for the past two years for disbursement of enhanced salaries as per the report of the Seventh Pay Commission to the Puducherry government staff, he said. Similarly, Rs 1,100-crore pension fund is due from the Centre, said Narayanasamy, a senior Congress leader. "I am not able to understand why the Centre is irresponsive and keeping mum to our repeated representations for the sanction of the funds and also to enhance grants for budgetary support," he said. "The NDA government is pampering the BJP-ruled states, while the states and union territory of Puducherry under the Congress rule have been ..

'Heavy clashes' as US-backed forces make final push against IS

US-backed forces were locked in fierce fighting Sunday as they pressed the battle against the last shred of the Islamic State group's "caliphate" in eastern Syria. The jihadists overran large parts of the country and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, but various military offensives have since reduced that territory to a patch on the Iraqi border. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by a US-led coalition, announced a final push to retake the jihadist pocket late Saturday, after a pause of more than a week to allow civilians to flee. SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali on Sunday afternoon said his fighters had battled their way forwards against the jihadists, capturing 41 positions from them. "Our forces are relying on direct combat with light weapons," he told AFP. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group said the SDF had advanced across farming land, backed by coalition air strikes and artillery fire. Earlier, an SDF field commander reported "heavy clashes" as his fighters ...

Army-aligned party buoyed amid Thai political turmoil

Opponents of the Shinawatra political clan campaigned triumphantly in the Thai capital on Sunday, after a weekend of high political drama when a Thai princess' bid to be premier provoked a rare royal rebuke. Thai Princess Ubolratana's unprecedented attempt to become prime minister of Thailand was scuttled after her party agreed to comply with a command from her brother King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Friday, opposing her move to contest the upcoming election. The Thai Raksa Chart party, affiliated with the powerful Shinawatra political clan, had announced the princess as their candidate Friday morning -- a move which rattled the status quo and threatened the ambitions of the generals in power. The much-anticipated election is set for March 24 and will be the first since a 2014 coup. Members of the Phalang Pracharat party -- which is aligned with the military -- were jubilant following the weekend's upheaval and its party leaders took to the streets, campaigning in a 60-vehicle convoy, to .

BJD & BJP accuse each other of betraying people in Odisha

Ruling Biju Janata Dal and opposition BJP in Odisha Sunday traded charges accusing each other of betraying people and failing to fulfil the promises they had made before the 2014 elections. Hitting out at the BJP-led government at the Centre, senior BJD leaders including party general secretary Sanjay Dasburma accused the Centre of "having failed" to fulfil the promise of granting special category state status to Odisha. Dubbing BJP as "Bharatiya Jumla Party", BJD leaders said Narendra Modi government has also "failed" to generate two crore employment opportunities annually and enhance the minimum support price of paddy up to one and half times than the prevailing one. Accusing the Centre of "neglecting" Odisha all along, they said the BJP-led government "failed" to protect the interest of Odisha on issues like Mahanadi river water row with Chhattisgarh, Polavaram project and coastal highway. Hitting back, BJP state unit Spokesperson Golak Mohapatra said the ruling BJD ..

Opposition's political culture of abusing me may give them some screen space: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took a jibe at the Opposition saying although its "political culture" of abusing him may give them an opportunity to avail more space on television, elections are fought on one's vision for the nation.Keeping up his attack on the Opposition, the Prime Minister said that "friends in Opposition" are very funny and are good at spreading panic."Opposition's political culture of abusing Modi may give them some space in television but the elections are fought on one's vision for the nation, not slander and attack. Friends in the opposition are very funny. They claim that the Modi government is a failure. The opposition still keeps looking to make alliances. This is adulteration. The opposition is only good at spreading panic. Time and again they have tried to mislead the farmers, poor and youngsters of the nation," the Prime Minister said while addressing a public rally here. Referring to Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit's statement where he likened ...

Shed politics of violence for talks with us: Cong to CPI (M)

: Kerala Congress chief Mullappally Ramachandran Sunday said the party was ready to hold talks with the CPI(M) to form a front to fight fascist forces if the Communist party only sheds its politics of violence. Ramachandran's remarks did not go down well with the other Congressmen as its former chief and MLA K Muraleedharan rubbished the statement and said the Congress could do well without the help of the CPI (M). The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief's remarks came during his Janamaha Yathra at Malappuram. "If CPI(M) is ready to shed politics of violence and its Stalinist thoughts, Congress is ready for an open discussion to form a secular democratic front to fight fascism," he said. Also, the state Congress chief alleged that CPI(M) was not ready to eschew the politics of violence. He said the Communist party was afraid of the BJP. "The CPI(M) sees Congress as the main opposition. They don't see the BJP as the main enemy. It's not possible for the CPI(M) to ...

Modi taunts Chidambaram, calls him "recounting Minister"

: In an apparent reference to senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday taunted him as a "recounting Minister' of the UPA regime, describing him as 'arrogant'. Citing his government's step of offering tax exemption for those with incomes upto Rs five lakh, he told a public rally here that it was a reflection of genuine concern for the middle class, unlike the previous UPA regime. After referring to this step , Modi said he wanted to recall the state of affairs during the UPA regime. "There was a very wise Minister from Tamil Nadu," he said and told the audience, "you know whom I am talking about." When the people responded loudly, he said,"right, the recounting Minister," without directly naming the former Union Finance Minister. Chidambaram, now a Rajya Sabha MP, won the 2009 Lok Sabha election from Sivaganga constituency in Tamil Nadu by a slender margin of 3,354 votes after a see-saw battle. Confusion had prevailed then as election ...

Amol Palekar heckled: This is PM Modi's 'New India', quips Sibal

In the backdrop of actor Amol Palekar being "constantly interrupted" while criticising the government at an event recently, Congress leader Kapil Sibal quipped that this is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's idea of 'New India.' "Somebody is slammed with sedition; somebody is not let to speak. This is the 'new India'. Narendra Modi talked of these "Acche Din" in his speeches," Sibal told ANI.He further said institutions are being systematically destroyed, adding that what the Centre is doing will have adverse consequences for future generations."Those who speak against the government are slammed with NSA, sedition, given notice by ED. They are actually destroying the fundamental institutions of this country and this will have a bearing on the generations to come," said SibalPalekar, who attended an event at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in Mumbai on Friday, had to allegedly face "constant interruptions" during his speech, which was ultimately cut short."I was invited as a ...

Another attack on CAG by the institution wrecker: Jaitley hits out at Sibal

Union Minister Arun Jaitley hit out at Congress leader Kapil Sibal over the comments made by the latter on Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Rajiv Mehrishi at a press conference earlier today. Sibal alleged that Mehrishi, who was the Finance Secretary at the time when the Rafale deal was inked, was "complicit" and trying to protect the NDA government."Another attack on the institution of GAG by the 'Institution wreckers' based on falsehood," Jaitley tweeted on Sunday."After ten years in Government former UPA ministers still don't know that Finance Secretary is only a designation given to the senior-most secretary in the finance ministry," read another tweet. "Defence ministry files are dealt with by Secretary (Expenditure) and Secretary (Economic affairs) has no role in expenditure files of the Defence ministry," Jaitley wrote on the micro-blogging platform.The Congress on Sunday alleged that Mehrishi was 'implicit' in the Rafale fighter jets deal, and made a veiled threat to ...

IAF Chief to undertake four-day visit to Bangladesh from Monday

Indian Air Force chief Birender Singh Dhanoa will embark on a four-day official visit to Bangladesh on Monday, Defence Ministry said on Sunday.This is a bilateral goodwill visit--from February 11 to 14--to a SAARC nation wherein the IAF chief is scheduled to visit operational and training units of Bangladesh Air Force.According to the statement of Defence Ministry, Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa will also meet the Chiefs of the three Defence Services and the Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.The visit would provide further impetus towards increasing defence cooperation and pave the way for greater interaction between the two countries."This would also strengthen relationships and enable engagement in productive exchanges between the two Air Forces," said the statement.

BJP's poll promises are 'Jumlas', says BJD

Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) claimed that the BJP's poll promises are all 'jumlas.Senior BJD leader and Health and Law minister Pratap Jena and party general secretary Sanjay Das Burma alleged that BJP led government has failed in fulfilling the poll promises made in 2014."BJP's all promises are Jumla's just like 2014, BJP government at the Centre has failed to keep all its poll promises made in 2014, they promised a place for Odisha in industrial corridor, Special Category status etc, all of which proved to be false," said Jena."Centre failed to provide the promised minimum support price (MSP) to the farmers and jobs to the youth, now the election is near they are again making new false promises to win elections," he added. .

Priyanka, Jyotiraditya in UP from Monday to thrash out LS poll strategies

Congress General Secretaries Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia will be undertaking a four-day long visit of Uttar Pradesh, beginning Monday, during which they will thrash out strategies for the coming Lok Sabha polls."The two leaders, during their visit to the state beginning Monday, will hold meetings with the leaders from different Lok Sabha constituencies in view of the coming polls," said UP Congress Committee (UPCC) president Raj Babbar at a press conference here on Sunday.It is worth mentioning that Congress president Rahul Gandhi recently appointed Priyanka and Scindia as General Secretaries and have been given them the responsibility of the party affairs in east and west UP respectively.Upbeat over Priyanka's visit, Babbar said: "Her visit will be unprecedented. Workers are absolutely galvanised." "Today UP is proud of the fact that Priyanka Gandhi is starting her political career from here," he said.Babbar said that from February 18 onwards, Priyanka and Scindia will .

Rahul Gandhi has 'Rafale phobia', uses shameless language for PM: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday claimed that Congress president Rahul Gandhi has "Rafale phobia" and accused him of using language in the most shameless manner while referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at various platforms.Addressing media here, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said "Rahul Gandhi has "Rafale phobia". The kind of language he uses against my Prime Minister is wrong. How many corruption charges are against his father (former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi) in Bofors case? What has been the corruption record of Indira ji (Rahul's grandmother and former prime minister)? But we have never used the kind of language he uses against Prime Minister Narendra Modi." "Since 1985, the Indian Air Force had not been given fighter aircraft as there is a demand for many years. The then Vajpayee government had initiated the process in 2001 but it was not fulfilled even after 10 years as we lost the power. The Rafale deal was finalized after coming to power by the Modi ...

IAF chief Dhanoa to visit Bangladesh on Monday

Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa will begin a four-day visit to Bangladesh on Monday, the Defence Ministry said here on Sunday.