Page 1690 - Politics
Party leaders want me to contest LS poll from Madha: Pawar
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar said Friday that some of his party colleagues are insisting that he contest Lok Sabha election from Madha in south-western Maharashtra this time. He had no desire to contest election, but he assured them that he will think about their demand, Pawar said. The former Union minister was speaking to reporters after chairing a party meeting to take overview of constituencies ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Asked about the speculation that he may contest from Madha again, Pawar, currently a Rajya Sabha member, said, "During the meeting, some senior party leaders and the sitting MP from Madha insisted that I contest election (from Madha)." The constituency which is in Solapur district is currently represented in the Lok Sabha by NCP's Vijaysinh Mohite Patil. "I have not taken any decision so far and I have no desire (to contest election), but some party leaders clearly said that the way they obey my policy decisions, I too ...
BJD targets Centre for failing to create employment in Odisha
The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Friday protested against the Centre for failing to generate employment for the youth of Odisha.
Gujjar leader Bainsla starts dharna on rail tracks in Rajasthan for quota
Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla Friday started a dharna along with his supporters on the railway tracks in Rajasthan's Swai Madhopur district, demanding reservation for five communities including Gujjars. Bainsla last month gave a 20-day "ultimatum" to the state government to clear its stand on reservation to the communities in government jobs and educational institutes, failing which he threatened of reviving the quota agitation. As the deadline lapsed Friday, Bainsla after holding a 'Maha Panchayat' at Malarna Dungar in Sawai Madhopur district, started the sit-in along with his supporters, blocking trains. "Things are changing fast. I have not come here but the crowd has brought me on the railway tracks. People cannot be fooled all the time. It is a fight to do or die. State government should stand on its promise. It will be a peaceful protest. I will lead the protest and the youths will support," Bainsla told reporters. As the protest started, high-level meetings were held in ...
Exclusive: U.S. considers withdrawal of zero tariffs for India - sources
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India could lose a vital U.S. trade concession, under which it enjoys zero tariffs on $5.6 billion of exports to the United States, amid a widening dispute over its trade and investment policies, people with close knowledge of the matter said.
Quota to Marathas means permanent crutches to them: HC told
By granting reservation to the Maratha community, the Maharashtra government has given them permanent crutches which they will never be able to shed, anti-quota petitioners argued in the Bombay High Court on Friday. The government has destroyed the concept of equality by setting up a special category - Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC)- for the Maratha community, the petitioners argued. A division bench of justices Ranjit More and Bharati Dangre heard arguments for the third day on a bunch of petitions challenging the state government's decision granting 16 per cent reservation to the Maratha community in government jobs and educational institutions. "Reservation cannot be mistaken for a privilege. The state government by trying to bring the community up has given it permanent crutches. At some point, they need to shed the crutches," senior counsel Shrihari Aney, appearing for one of the petitioners Uday Dhople, argued. He added that through this decision, the ...
US envoy back from North Korea after talks on Trump-Kim summit
The special US envoy for North Korea returned to Seoul on Friday after talks with North Korean officials in Pyongyang to set up the agenda for the second summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un. Stephen Biegun's three-day trip was expected to have explored a wide range of denuclearisation issues in preparation for the much-anticipated summit in Vietnam on February 27 and 28. Biegun landed at Osan US Air Base Friday evening, foreign ministry spokesman Noh Kyu-duk told AFP. It is not yet known whether Biegun met with Kim, with North Korean media silent on his visit. He is expected to share details of his Pyongyang meetings with his South Korean counterpart Lee Do-hoon and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Saturday. Attention will be on whether the US team have offered to lift some economic sanctions in return for Pyongyang taking concrete steps towards denuclearisation. Discussions on declaring an end to the 1950-53 Korean War could also have been on the table, with ...
PM Modi to serve Akshaya Patra's 3 billionth meal to underprivileged kids in Vrindavan on Mon
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will serve food to schoolchildren from underprivileged background in Vrindavan on Monday, marking the "three billionth meal" offered by an NGO that works with the government on mid-day meal schemes. Akshaya Patra, which is a Bengaluru-based not-for-profit organisation, said that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar are also likely to join the prime minister at the event to be held at its Vrindavan campus. "Prime Minister Modi will serve food to a few school children underprivileged from background in the facility at Vrindavan where Akshaya Patra's kitchen is located. A couple of children, who have been beneficiaries of the programme, will also share their experiences," a spokesperson of the foundation told PTI. The event will commemorate the NGO's serving of cumulative three billion meals since its inception in 2000. BJP's Mathura MP Hema Malini, ministers of the Uttar Pradesh government, including Anupma ...
Congress receding in Odisha, BJP emerges as main rival: Mahtab (IANS Interview)
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Bhartruhari Mahtab says that Congress has got "sanjeevani" (life-force) due to efforts of its President Rahul Gandhi and "revival" of the grand old party iswas "good" for democracy.
No age bar to contest Lok Sabha polls: BJP leader
In a clear signal to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veterans, party in-charge for Himachal Pradesh Tirath Singh Rawat on Friday said there would be no age bar for candidates to contest the Lok Sabha elections.
Poster in MP depicts Rahul-Modi as 'Ram-Ravan'
A hoarding appearing in Bhopal ahead of Congress President Rahul Gandhi's visit to the city is catching people's attention as it is depicts Gandhi as "Ram" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "Ravan".
Govt trying to cover up on Rafale, says Hindu Group Editor N Ram
Chairman of The Hindu Group N Ram, who wrote about the then Defence Secretary Mohan Kumar's dissent note on Rafale fighter jet deal negotiation issue, said on Friday that the government was trying to "cover up" on the matter and asserted that he does not require any certificate from Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about his ethics of journalism."The story is complete in itself because we had not dealt with then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's role in the Rafale deal negotiations and that needs investigation. There is no other side," Ram told ANI here.He was responding when asked to comment on Sitharaman's remarks which suggested that the story published by Ram was not complete."A newspaper published a file noting written by (then) Defence Secretary. If a newspaper publishes a noting, then the ethics of journalism will demand that the newspaper publishes the then Defence Minister's reply as well," Sitharaman said earlier in the day.Responding to her comments, Ram said, "They ...
US to withdraw troops from Syria by April-end: Report
The US military is preparing to withdraw all of its troops from Syria by the end of April even as the Donald Trump administration is yet to come up with a plan to protect its Kurdish partners from attack when its forces pull out, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
HC reserves verdict on Sasikala-Dhinakaran plea for AIADMK name, two leaves symbol
The Delhi High Court on Friday reserved its verdict on TTV Dhinakaran and VK Sasikala's pleas challenging the Election Commission's (EC) decision to recognise the group led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E K Palaniswami as the real AIADMK party and allotting it the 'two leaves' symbol. A bench of Justices G S Sistani and Sangita Dhingra Sehgal asked all the sides, including the two leaders and the Palaniswami faction, to file their statements within three days so that it can write the judgement and deliver it within four weeks. The bench said it was giving three days to file the written statements as it wants to pronounce the verdict within four weeks in view of the Supreme Court order of Thursday that EC can decide Dhinakaran's plea for an interim poll symbol, if the high court's decision does not come within four weeks. Dinakaran had floated Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) after he and Sasikala were expelled from the Palaniswami-led AIADMK. The apex court had also vacated its ...
Delhi voter list row: BJP urges EC to initiate action against AAP
A delegation of BJP leaders met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora on Friday and raised objections against AAP for falsely accusing the BJP of tampering with Delhi's electoral rolls.The delegation led by BJP leader Vijay Goel urged the EC to initiate action against AAP. "Our objection is that AAP has been saying that 30 lakhs voters name has been removed whereas no name has been removed, so we asked EC to take actions on this," Vijay Goel told reporters here.He claimed that AAP leaders are calling people across the national capital, saying the BJP has removed their names from the electoral rolls. "They have started calling people saying that their vote has been removed and BJP has done this," he added.Goel also alleged that the AAP in order to garner minority votes is bribing Imams."AAP leader are reaching out to the Imams promising them better salaries. We have recording for the same. If the EC will not take any action then we will take some action, "he said."AAP is scared
German authorities probe potential Huawei security risks - Funke
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's federal cybersecurity agency is investigating whether China's Huawei Technologies could be a security threat after warnings from other countries, the Funke group of newspapers reported on Friday, citing Economy Minister Peter Altmaier.
Kavita Khanna throws her hat in the ring for Gurdaspur LS seat
Kavita Khanna, wife of late BJP MPVinod Khanna, Friday expressed willingness to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Gurdaspur seat where her husband had been elected four times as Member of Parliament. "After a lot of consideration, I feel that the people of Gurdaspur want to see me as their MP and I do not want to disappoint them," Kavita said. However, she said the final decision on selecting the candidate for Gurdaspur seat will be taken by the BJP. "I have been attached to this place for 20 years. One can gauge the sentiments of the people. I feel they would like me to be their MP. If made the candidate (from Gurdaspur), I feel confident of winning," she said. "I am not staking my claim simply because I am Vinod Khanna's wife. I believe that I know the constituency and I am connected with the people and I am committed to the constituency. On merit, I would be able to adequately do the work which needs to be done," said Kavita, who holds a degree in finance and ...
Rafale: Oppn leaders slam 'parallel negotiations' by PMO; Kejriwal demands 'independent CBI raid'
Attacking the Prime Minister's Office for alleged "parallel negotiations" in the Rafale deal, opposition leaders on Friday asked the government to come clean on objections raised by the defence ministry at that time with AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal going to the extent of demanding an "independent" CBI raid to seize all related files and arrest everyone involved. Latching on to an article in The Hindu newspaper, which claimed that the Defence Ministry had raised strong objections to "parallel discussions" conducted by the PMO during negotiations for the Rs 59,000-crore fighter jet deal between India and France, the opposition leaders also raised questions on the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, however, dismissed the media report as "flogging a dead horse" and accused the opposition of playing into the hands of multinational companies and vested interests. She also said that periodical enquiries by the PMO cannot be construed as ...
Omar promises division status to Chenab Valley, Pir Panchal if voted to power
Reacting to the Jammu and Kashmir government's decision to grant separate division status to the Ladakh region, former Chief Minister of the state Omar Abdullah said on Friday that he would grant similar status to Chenab Valley and Pir Panchal areas if Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) is voted to power.
Never again fall for BJP's gimmicks: Akhilesh to voters
The Samajwadi Party took to Twitter on Friday with the hashtag, 'NeverAgain', asking people to vow that they would stand against the BJP and not fall for its "gimmicks" in Lok Sabha polls. "Let us vow that we will #NeverAgain... let people die waiting in line to withdraw money from a bank, fall for the 15 lakh rupee lie, allow farmers to kill themselves, let national security enrich the famous few, let people be killed for their beliefs, let two and half men rule us," SP president Akhilesh Yadav tweeted. It was followed by the SP running a series of tweets on its account with the same hashtag and endorsing Yadav's message to corner the Bharatiya Janata Party. "It's an attempt to make people aware of the BJP gimmicks and stand against it," a senior party leader said. The SP chief is very active on Twitter and has 90 lakh followers on the microblogging site, while the party has more than 16 lakh followers. The series of tweets is seen as an attempt by the SP to counter the BJP IT cell, .
Ahead of PM's visit, tribals hold protests in Tripura against Citizenship Bill
Ahead Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to three northeastern states - Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh - several tribal parties and NGOs on Friday held a massive demonstration in Tripura demanding the withdrawal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.