Page 1699 - Politics

Madhya Pradesh BJP facing shortage of funds after Assembly election defeat

To arrange for some funds, the party has decided to issue coupons of Rs 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000

Kartarpur Corridor: Pakistan offers to send delegation to India on March 13

Pakistan on Thursday offered to send a delegation to India on March 13 to finalize the draft agreement for the Kartarpur corridor to enable Sikh pilgrims visit the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahab in its territory.

Ex-SC judge Joseph not to contest LS polls

Former Supreme Court judge Kurian Joseph on Thursday dismissed as baseless the media reports that he would be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Kerala.

Most oppn leaders on bail, Corrupt will continue to fear me:PM

Asserting that his government has reined in corruption to a great extent, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said those who have looted the nation would continue to be scared of him. In a 100-minute speech in Lok Sabha, he launched a stinging attack on the Congress, accusing its successive governments of indulging in corruption and harbouring the corrupt. "I assure you, those who have looted the nation will continue to be scared of Narendra Modi," the PM said as he vowed to come down hard on those indulging in corruption and expressed confidence that his government will return to power in the coming general elections. While the Congress' rule of 55 years was about "satta- bhog" (enjoying power), his government was all about "sewa bhav" (sense of service), Modi said. Referring to the Commonwealth Games of 2010, Modi said while the players were working hard to win medals for India, the event was an opportunity for a few in the Congress "to boost personal wealth". He

Maha-gathbandhan is 'maha milawat', our healthy democracy will

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday mocked the Opposition's proposed grand alliance as "maha-milawat" which the country's "healthy democracy" will reject as he blasted the Congress for "intimidating" judiciary, targeting the EC and "betraying" the nation by neglecting the armed forces. In a hard-hitting reply in Lok Sabha to the motion of thanks to the President's address, Modi compared the work under his "55-month" rule to the Congress' record of "55 years" in power, while making a re-election pitch in what was likely his last speech in the House before the general election. The motion was passed by a voice vote following the prime minister's 100-minute reply, in which he highlighted his anti-corruption plank and targeted the opposition parties that had come togther at a recent Kolkata rally saying their leaders are "out on bail in wholesale". While the Congress' rule of 55 years was about "satta- bhog" (enjoying power), his government was all about "sewa bhav" ..

MPs of JDS, Cong claim BJP indulging in horse trading to topple Karnataka govt, demand probe

JD(S) and Congress MPs from Karnataka on Thursday accused the BJP of trying to "blackmail" their MLAs by offering them Rs 30-40 crore to resign in a bid to topple the coalition government and said they have "all proof" to support their allegation. Addressing a press conference, the MPs alleged that in the last six months, the saffron party made several attempts to "force" the legislators of the JD(S) and the Congress to defect from their parties. They demanded a probe into the alleged horse trading. "Some legislators were kept in Mumbai under the pressure of goons and police. They were not allowed to go to their constituencies. They were blackmailed. They were forced to resign," Congress MP D K Suresh told reporters. He alleged that the BJP-ruled Maharasthra and central governments are pressuring some Karnataka MLAs and threatening to "finish" their political career if they did not support them. "A video of money being offered by them (BJP) and all documents will be released at the ...

Open to alliance with all parties in Haryana, other than BJP, Cong and INLD: AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party in Haryana is open to forging an alliance with all parties, other than the BJP, the Congress and the INLD, for the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections, AAP's state unit chief Naveen Jaihind said here Thursday. "To keep the BJP, the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal out of power, we are open to talks with other parties. Though we are in touch with some like-minded parties, formal negotiations on tie-up for the forthcoming polls are yet to begin," Jaihind told reporters here. The AAP had supported Digvijay Singh Chautala, a candidate fielded by the recently floated Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), in the recently held Jind bypolls. JJP was formed after a split in the INLD. Asked whether the AAP would enter into an alliance with the JJP, Jaihind said formal negotiations on alliance had not yet been initiated. "To expose the BJP government's alleged false promises, the AAP would organise a rally at Gohana in Haryana on February 17, which would be addressed by .

Gujarat: former Congress MLA Asha Patel to join BJP tomorrow

Asha Patel, who resigned as a Congress MLA in Gujarat a few days ago, would be joining the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday. Patel made the announcement Thursday after holding a meeting with her supporters and Patidar leaders at Unjha town of Mehsana district. Patel, who has resigned as Unjha MLA and also quit the Congress, said her supporters asked her to join the BJP. "My supporters were of the opinion that I should join the BJP. It was their decision, not mine. Both Congress and BJP were ready to admit me. But my supporters have decided that I should join the BJP," she said. She hinted that she will be inducted into the BJP at a party function in the neighbouring Patan district Friday. Patel was elected from Unjha in the 2017 Assembly polls. She had defeated BJP veteran Naran Patel. She resigned on February 2. Patidar community leader Mukesh Patel, who was present at Thursday's meeting in Unjha, said Asha Patel will join the BJP at a function in Patan. Asha ...

Rahul, Priyanka make a great team, says Punjab CM

Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra make a "great team" and would "wipe out" the Modi government in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh claimed Thursday. Trashing allegations of the Congress promoting dynastic politics, he said, "The people vote for individuals, not for dynasty." Attributing the Congress victories in recent assembly polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattishgarh to Rahul Gandhi's efforts, he said the party president has "evolved greatly" as a leader. Describing Rahul Gandhi as "extremely receptive with a deep understanding of issues" facing the country, he said the Congress party president would make an excellent prime minister. Singh made the remarks, while speaking at a media house conclave, said an official release. In contrast to his mother, who used to listen and mull over the issues, Rahul Gandhi discusses them and takes prompt decisions with total confidence, he said. Reacting ..

Swine flu claims 5 lives in Rajasthan

Five swine flu deaths were reported in Rajasthan on Thursday taking the toll to 96, officials said.

PM to visit Uttarakhand on Feb 14

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Uttarakhand on February 14 when he will address a public meeting at Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar district besides launching several development projects there, state BJP president Ajay Bhatt said. The prime minister will come to Rudrapur on February 14 and address a "large" public meeting. He will also inaugurate a slew of development projects there, Bhatt said. Around one lakh people are expected to attend the public meeting in Rudrapur, the state BJP chief claimed. With the Lok Sabha elections just a few months away, Modi's visit is going to be significant as it would enthuse party workers in the state, he said. The BJP faces the challenge of retaining all the five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand against a resurgent Congress which registered victories in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan in the assembly polls held recently.

May vows to 'deliver Brexit on time' after EU talks

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May vowed Thursday that she would reach a deal to ensure Britain leaves the European Union on schedule on March 29, after talks with EU leaders. "I'm going to deliver Brexit, I'm going to deliver it on time. I'll be negotiating hard in the coming days to do just that," May told reporters in Brussels.

Ukraine bans Russians from monitoring elections

Ukrainian lawmakers on Thursday voted to ban Russians from monitoring a forthcoming presidential election, as tensions between the neighbours flare before the poll. Kiev, fighting a Moscow-backed insurgency in eastern Ukraine, has said it suspects Russia of planning to interfere in the election. Lawmakers also voted to allocate around USD350 million to the intelligence services to counter the perceived threat. Thursday's measure would block Russian nationals from taking part in international election-monitoring missions, and would also apply to parliamentary and local votes. The proposal has been condemned by Moscow and Kiev's Western allies alike. Kurt Volker, the US special representative in Ukraine, said Russians should take part in monitoring as long as they were overseen by international organisations. If they do not take part, this allows "people to question election," Volker wrote on Twitter ahead of the vote. "No games. Ukraine needs to have confidence in its own democratic ...

V.K. Singh terms 2012 'coup' report 'treason', writes to PM for probe

Union Minister and former Army chief Gen V.K. Singh on Thursday said he has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a high-level probe into reports about the alleged Army coup in 2012 during the UPA-II regime, saying it amounts to "treason".

PM to address rally in Chhattisgarh on Friday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a rally in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district on Friday, a BJP functionary said. This will be the prime minister's first rally in Chhattisgarh after the BJP suffered a massive loss in the state assembly elections in December last year. "All the preparations have been completed for the PM's rally in Kodatarai village in Raigarh, which will take place around 10 am," a spokesperson of the party said. The rally is aimed at energising party workers and supporters ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, he said. Former Chief Minister Raman Singh, Union Minister of State for Steel Vishnudeo Sai, Rajya Sabha MP Ramvichar Netam are among those who will be present on the occasion, he added. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had won 10 out of 11 seats in the state. However, in the assembly polls held in November last year, the party had suffered a massive defeat at the hands of the Congress and bagged just 15 out of the 90 seats.

UN says ready to send aid if Caracas govt approves

UN agencies are ready to send aid to Venezuela as requested by opposition leader Juan Guaido, who more than 40 nations recognise as interim president, but they can only act with authorisation from the Caracas government, a spokesman said on Thursday. Backed by the United States, European and Latin American allies, Guaido is challenging President Nicolas Maduro for the leadership of the oil-wealthy nation to end a crisis that has caused medicine and food shortages and forced more than 2.3 million Venezuelans to flee since 2015. Some UN agencies are on the ground like UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organisation, part of the WHO, operating programmes in development and prevention, which they plan to expand. But the World Food Programme, which provides emergency aid to countries in crisis and conflict is not operating in Venezuela at the moment. "There is an urgent need for more humanitarian assistance," a UN spokesman in Geneva said. Venezuela's crisis has deepened since last month .

7 MLAs of Cong, 3 of BJP abstain from K'taka Budget Session; CLP meet on Friday

Making Karnataka's fluid political situation more slippery, seven MLAs of Congress and three of BJP on Thursday abstained from the Assembly's Budget Session, fuelling speculation of defection.To tame the tide, Congress has called its legislature party (CLP) meeting on Friday. According to sources, the CLP meeting has been called by Siddaramaiah at 9 am in the Vidhan Sabha."Three of BJP MLAs too abstained from the Session on Thursday," said sources, which has prompted the BJP to initiate the exercise to keep its flock of MLAs intact. Sources did not disclose the name of these three MLAs.In the 224-member Assembly, Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) has 37 MLAs, while Congress has 80 members. Ever since the Congress-JDS jointly formed the government in Karnataka in May last year, there have been murmurs of resentment among them.Before the start of the session, Congress had issued a whip to all its legislators to attend the first day of the session. Despite this, several legislators didn't turn up

Rahul calls Modi 'darpok'; dares him to 5 min debate on Rafale and national security

Mounting a fresh offensive on Narendra Modi, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Thursday called the prime minister a "darpok" (coward) and dared him to a five minute face-to-face debate on issues such as the controversial Rafale jet deal and national security. Addressing the Congress' minority department convention here, a combative Gandhi also alleged that the RSS was trying to capture the institutions of the country and said his party's governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh will remove the organisation's loyalists from the system. In his speech covering a range of topics, Gandhi slammed Modi for his China policy, saying the prime minister flew to the country and held a summit without an agenda while Beijing sent its army to Doklam, a reference to the China-India border standoff in 2017. Modi folded his hands before China, the Congress chief claimed, adding that China realised within two months that "leave alone 56 inches, he doesn't even have a four-inch chest". "I know .

Let there be no confusion, Ram temple will be built: Yogi

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday asserted that Ram temple will be constructed at "the very place, the very spot" where the deity was believed to have been born, and there should be no confusion regarding this. Addressing booth-level BJP workers here, the firebrand leader explained his government's controversial city-renaming acts, saying pilgrims visiting the birthplace of Lord Rama now visit Ayodhya and not Faizabad district and those who participate in the ongoing Kumbh festival were coming to Prayagraj and not Allahabad. Adityanath was speaking at a meeting of shakti kendra prabharis (micro-level election managers) drawn from four Lok Sabha segments of Purnea, Araria, Katihar and Kishanganj, all falling in the Seemanchal area which has a sizable Muslim population. "Much is going to happen in UP in the time to come. Do not worry, we have made it clear that the temple of Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram will be constructed at the very place, at the very spot. Let .

Ivanka Trump unveils White House global women initiative

Ivanka Trump is unveiling an effort aimed at helping 50 million women in the developing world, including India, get ahead economically over the next six years. On Thursday, the White House will officially launch the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, a governmentwide project led by the senior adviser and daughter to President Donald Trump. The initiative will involve the State Department, the National Security Council and other agencies. It aims to coordinate current programs and develop new ones to assist women in areas such as job training, financial support, and legal or regulatory reforms. The president previewed the launch during his State of the Union address Tuesday night, describing it as "part of our commitment to improving opportunity for women everywhere." He will sign a national security memorandum to officially launch the initiative Thursday, framing it as a way to promote stability around the world. Ivanka Trump, who will attend the Munich Security ...