Page 1700 - Politics
Modi's reply demolishes false narrative, slogans of Opposition: Jaitley
Union Minister Arun Jaitley Thursday threw a challenge to opposition parties, including Congress, to counter the data in the Prime Minister's speech, saying his reply demolished false narrative and slogans. In a series of tweet, Jaitley said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reply in Parliament is a "Report Card" of the Government's five year performance. "Will the Congress and other Opposition leader's reply to the data in the PM's speech or only resort to slogans and falsehood. Truth has an inherent strength. It demolishes a false narrative easily. This is what the PM did today," Jaitley said. In his reply to the motion of thanks on the President's address, the Prime Minister also hit back at the Congress over the Rafale issue, which has been repeatedly raised by its chief Rahul Gandhi, as he alleged that the Congress did not want the Indian Air Force to be strong and asked "which companies are they bidding for that they are acting so shamefully". Modi also alleged that those who ...
Corrupt will continue to fear me: Modi
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. 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 also said the extradition of some of the accused in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal was giving jitters to many in the opposition as "razdars' ...
4 injured in blast near Manipur Raj Bhavan
Three 6 Assam Rifles troopers and one non-Manipuri sugarcane juice vendor were injured in a powerful blast near the Raj Bhavan on Thursday evening, police sources said.
BJP's youth wing workers clash with police during stir
Activists of BJP's youth wing clashed with the police and many of them courted arrest while trying to gherao the Assembly building here Thursday accusing Odisha government of failing to provide jobs. A large number of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists took out a rally from the party office here in a bid to gherao Assembly building shouting slogans against the BJD government for growing unemployment. However, police personnel were deployed in strength to prevent the demonstrators from moving close to the Assembly building, a police official said adding that the protesters were stopped at certain points. A scuffle ensued between police and demonstrators when they tried to break the cordon in a bid to proceed. Several protesters were taken into preventive custody. As prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC are in force in the area, around 400 activists were taken into custody as a preventive measure, Commissioner of Police Satyajit Mohanty said. BJYM ...
Afghan Prez's tweet on violence against protesters 'irresponsible', 'gross interference': Qureshi
Pakistan on Thursday rejected as "irresposible" and "gross interference" Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani's tweet over recent incidents of alleged violence against protesters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. Ghani had expressed serious concern about the violence perpetrated against peaceful protestors and civil activists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces, both bordering Afghanistan. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi took to Twitter to reject Ghani's tweet, saying "We reject the tweet by President Ashraf Ghani. Such irresponsible statements are only gross interference. Afghan leadership needed to focus on long-standing serious grievances of the Afghan people." Qureshi's tweet came hours after the Afghanistan President tweeted that the Afghan government had "serious concerns about the violence perpetrated against peaceful protesters and civil activists" in the two provinces. Ghani also said it was the moral responsibility of every ...
Rahul Gandhi to accompany Priyanka, Scindia to Lucknow on Feb 11
Congress president Rahul Gandhi will accompany Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jyotiraditya Scindia to Lucknow on February 11, on their first trip to the state after taking over as Congress general secretaries for east and west Uttar Pradesh, respectively. The two general secretaries will interact with party workers at state Congress office in Lucknow on Feb 12, 13 and 14, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal told reporters. The decision was taken at a meeting between the Congress chief, the two general secretaries of Uttar Pradesh and Venugopal this morning. "The Congress president along with the two general secretaries will be part of a procession from the airport to the Pradesh Congress Committee office," Venugopal said.
PM to inaugurate Calcutta HC's Jalpaiguri circuit bench, WB govt says it was kept in the dark
The acrimony between the BJP-led government at the Centre and the TMC regime in West Bengal hit another low on Thursday with the state government alleging that it was kept in the dark about the inauguration of the long-awaited Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday nor invited to it. Neither Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee nor the judges of the Calcutta High Court were invited to the programme by the Centre, state Law Minister Malay Ghatak said. "The prime minister should be ashamed for taking to such petty politics," he said, adding that the Centre's move to inaugurate the circuit bench was "politically motivated". Besides, it was illegal to keep the state government in the dark about the inauguration programme, Ghatak said. "We (the state government) have not received any invitation from the Centre for the inauguration of the circuit bench tomorrow by the prime minister. This is politically motivated. The BJP government must ...
May, Juncker hold 'robust' Brexit meet, agree new talks
Britain and the EU agreed Thursday to hold more talks to try to avoid a no-deal Brexit, after a "robust" meeting between Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker. A joint statement issued after the talks in Brussels said Juncker had again warned that November's withdrawal agreement could not be renegotiated -- after May came hoping to persuade Brussels to agree on the need to change the so-called "backstop" clause for the Irish border. But Juncker "expressed his openness to add wording" to a parallel political declaration laying out ambitions for future EU-UK ties if London wants to seek a "more ambitious" closer relationship after Brexit. In a sharp reminder of the urgency of finding a solution before Brexit day on March 29, Bank of England governor Mark Carney warned that Britain's economy was "not yet prepared" for a no-deal departure. May came hoping to change the backstop so that Britain cannot be "trapped" in the bloc against its will -- and .
Modi set for a Friday tryst with North Bengal, BJP alleges Trinamool intimidation
Amid BJP's accusations of harassment and intimidation by the state's ruling Trinamool Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a public meeting in Jalpaiguri district's Churabhandar on Friday, in a bid to give a further fillip to the saffron outfit's Lok Sabha poll campaign in northern West Bengal.
Opposition slams UP budget, terms it directionless and uninspiring
Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh slammed the budget presented by the state's Yogi Adityanath government on Thursday and said it was aimed at appeasing the ruling party's vote bank ahead of the general elections.
Bedi stresses need to utilise DIC schemes to train unemployed
Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi Thursday asked the officials of state-run District Industries Centre (DIC) here to utilise the various "wonderful schemes" available with it to train the youth who had dropped out of educational institutions. The former IPS officer, who has been inspecting government departments and offices to acquaint herself with the status of implementation of various schemes, paid a visit to the DIC in the neighbouring Thattanchavady and held discussions with the officials. An official release said the main purpose of her visit to the DIC was to focus on the dropouts and unemployed youth in rural and urban areas and to prevent them from being misled by anti social elements. Bedi, who has been facing criticism from Chief Minister V Narayanasamy over her visits to the government offices, asked officers of the DIC to bring the unemployed youth under the ambit of its skill development schemes. "Such diversion of the youth from the environment ...
CBI-Kolkata police face-off: 5 top cop to face government action
The Union government has decided to take stern action against five senior police officers who were involved in the face-off between the Kolkata Police and CBI officials, sources said on Thursday.
Pak court orders 9-day custody for senior minister of prime minister's party
A court in Pakistan on Thursday ordered that a senior Punjab minister from Prime Minister Imran Khan's ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party be held in detention for nine days so that the top anti-graft body can question him on corruption allegations. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday arrested Punjab government's powerful senior minister Abdul Aleem Khan for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income. The NAB secured Aleem's physical remand till February 15, Geo TV reported. Amid tight security, NAB officials brought Aleem to the court to seek his remand. The accountability court building was sealed off and a large number of police personnel were deployed along the route. Soon after his arrest on Wednesday, Aleem resigned from the post of Punjab local government minister and sent his resignation to the provincial chief minister. The NAB has been probing Aleem in multiple inquiries, including his offshore company Hexam Investment Overseas Ltd, owning ...
Over 1.7 crore youth in terror-affected, rural areas trained under NRLM: Govt
More than 1.70 crore rural poor youth across the country have been trained under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) till January 2019, the government said Thursday. Replying to a query raised in the Lok Sabha on imparting skill development training to rural youth living in Naxal-infested and terrorism-affected areas, Minister of State for Rural Development Ram Kripal Yadav said, "The government is implementing the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), a placement-linked skill development programme for rural poor youth under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) all over the country." "Under the DDU-GKY, a special initiative called Roshni has been launched that takes into account the peculiar situations in 27 Left wing extremist-affected districts," he said. In a written reply to the query, the minister told the Lok Sabha, "Every candidate undergoing training under DDU-GKY is given mandatory basic training in Information Technology for 80 Hours. ...
Over Rs 2 crore spent on Modi rally in Himachal
The Himachal Pradesh government spent over Rs 2 crore for a public meeting addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mark the completion of its first year in office, the assembly was informed on Thursday.
Triple talaq: BJP accuses Cong of appeasement, says Muslim women won't forgive Rahul
Muslim women and the people of India will not forgive the Congress for its "perverted mentality", the BJP said on Thursday after the opposition party announced that it will scrap the law banning triple talaq if it forms government in 2019. Accusing the Congress of following the policy of appeasement, the BJP also referred to the "audacity" of Rahul Gandhi in not caring about the Supreme Court. "What kind of mentality is this? This is only to appease. The people of this country are looking. Neither Muslim women nor the people of this country will forgive Rahul Gandhi for this kind of perverted mentality," said BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra. His comments came after Congress' women wing chief Sushmita Dev promised to scrap the law banning triple talaq if the party comes to power in the general elections. Addressing the party's Minority Department convention, she also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had created an atmosphere pitting Muslim women against Muslim men through the ..
People don't want 'mahamilavat' govt, says PM; slams Cong
In a frontal attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday alleged that those who imposed Emergency, "bullied" the judiciary and insulted the Army were accusing him of destroying institutions. The PM also hit back at the Congress over the Rafale issue, which has been repeatedly raised by its chief Rahul Gandhi, as he alleged that the Congress did not want the Indian Air Force to be strong and asked "which companies are they bidding for that they are acting so shamefully". Modi took potshots at attempts to cobble a grand alliance of opposition parties to take on the BJP, saying people do not want a "mahamilavat" (highly adulterated) government as they have seen how the NDA government which has a majority can deliver. "Congress imposed Emergency, but they say Modi is destroying institutions. Congress insults Army, calls the Army chief a 'goonda' but they say Modi is destroying institutions," the PM said in a hard-hitting reply to a debate on motion of .
3 Guj officials suspended for land allotment 'irregularities'
The Gujarat government Thursday suspended three officials, including the general manager of a state-run entity, for alleged irregularities in allotment of 800 acres of government land to private persons. The government ordered suspension against Chandrakant Pandya, general manager of Gujarat State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited (GSCSCL), V Z Chauhan, deputy district development officer of Porbandar, and J L Dhadvi, former in-charge mamlatdar (revenue officer) of Chotila taluka in Surendranagar, a press release said. While Pandya had earlier served as the resident additional collector of Surendranagar, Chauhan was the deputy collector, it added. The state Revenue Department had carried out a probe in which the trio was found guilty of irregularities in allotment of around 800 acres of land to private persons at Bamanbor and Jivapar villages in Chotial taluka in Surendranagar district some years ago. The land in question was forfeited by the government in the past ...
France recalls Italy envoy over 'unprecedented' criticism
France's foreign ministry said Thursday it had recalled its ambassador to Rome for consultations after a series of "provocations" by Italy's populist government. "For several months France has been the subject of repeated accusations, unfounded attacks and outlandish claims," the ministry said in a statement, calling them "unprecedented" since the end of World War II. Tensions between Paris and Rome have escalated since June when the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and far-right League party came to power in Italy in a coalition government. Senior officials in the coalition have done away with diplomatic niceties in their criticism of President Emmanuel Macron, who has made no secret of his goal to combat populist movements among EU members. The latest spat erupted on Tuesday after Italy's deputy prime minister and Five Star chief Luigi Di Maio said he had met with "yellow vest" anti-government protesters outside Paris. He said the aim was to prepare a common front for European .
S Africa's Ramaphosa to give policy speech amid graft allegations
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday deliver his last state-of-the-nation address ahead of elections in May with his party smarting from corruption allegations. In his address to parliament last year, two days after Jacob Zuma resigned from office, Ramaphosa vowed a "new dawn", promising economic revival and to fight endemic corruption, earning him plaudits even from the opposition benches. But a year later, growth is tepid and unemployment remains stubbornly high at more than 27 percent while embarrassing details have emerged of corruption within the government and among ANC ruling party officials. An ongoing commission into graft has heard blow-by-blow details of how bribes were paid to several government and party officials, including senior cabinet ministers serving in Ramaphosa's government. Mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe and environment minister Nomvula Mokonyane are some of the top party guns whose names have been linked to corruption by ...