Page 1715 - Politics
Rahul makes stopover at Jagdalpur airport en route Odisha
Congress president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday made a brief stopover at the Jagdalpur airport in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district before proceeding to Odisha, where he is scheduled to address a rally. Gandhi landed at the airport at around 10:40 am in a special plane, and was there for a couple of minutes before leaving in a chopper for Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district of neighbouring Odisha, a state government official said. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is accompanying Gandhi, he said, adding that the CM, state Commerce and Industry Minister Kawasi Lakhma and Congress MLAs welcomedGandhi at the airport.
Former Congress MLA joins Biju Janata Dal
Former Odisha MLA Jogesh Singh formally joined the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday, three weeks after he resigned from the Congress. Singh, who represented Sundargarh Assembly seat, joined the BJD in the presence of Chief Minister and party president Naveen Patnaik. Welcoming the former legislator, Patnaik said Singh's joining will further strengthen the BJD in the tribal dominated Sundargarh. Singh's entry into the ruling BJD coincided with the visit of Congress President Rahul Gandhi to Odisha to address rallies at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district and Rourkela in Sundrgarh district on Wednesday. Assembly elections in Odisha will be held along with the Lok Sabha elections. Singh said he will work with dedication and commitment under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik for speedy development of Sundargarh and welfare of its people. Singh had on January 18 sent his resignation to the AICC president Rahul Gandhi on 'moral ground' after he was suspended by Odisha ..
VHP puts Ram temple campaign on hold in view of LS polls
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has put its campaign for bringing an ordinance for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya on hold for four months in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections."If we look forward to conducting a protest, then people will say that we are doing so to influence the people ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and we are trying to support a particular party. Hence, the seers have decided that for the next four months, we are not going to hold any protest for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya," VHP Joint General Secretary, Surendra Jain, said.However, Jain made it clear that the VHP will continue to demand the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya immediately after the 2019 general elections."We have only stalled it. We have put it on hold for some time because of the Lok Sabha elections, but soon after that we will again come forward with the demand for an ordinance to build Ram temple," Jain added.The move comes a week after the central government ...
Siddaramaiah issues another notice to 4 MLAs for skipping party meet
Former Karnataka chief minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah has issued another notice to four dissenting party MLAs seeking an explanation before or after the Assembly Session.Last month, Siddaramaiah had served notices to the four legislators who did not turn up at a Congress legislature party meeting in Bengaluru.Speaking to the media at that time, Siddaramaiah said, "The situation is not like it is being portrayed in the media. Notice has been served to all four MLAs (Ramesh Jarakiholi, Mahesh Kamatihalli, B Nagendra and Umesh Jadhav). There is no problem to the government."Siddaramaiah also said three of the MLAs had responded to the notice with the exception of Umesh Jadhav, the MLA from Chincholi who has not replied yet.The four Karnataka Congress MLAs on January 18 abstained from the CLP meeting, which decided to move rest of the 76 legislators to a resort. The meeting was convened by the party to assess whether its flock was intact amid speculation that some of the party .
BJP ruckus forces Karnataka Governor to cut short address
Ruckus by the BJP on Wednesday forced Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala to cut short his joint address to the state Assembly at the start of the 10-day Budget session.
Exclusive: Facing crackdown in Canada, drugmakers offered billions in price cuts
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian pharmaceutical industry lobby groups, in an effort to head off a planned crackdown on prescription drug prices, offered to give up C$8.6 billion ($6.6 billion) in revenue over 10 years, freeze prices or reduce the cost of treating rare diseases, according to interviews and documents seen by Reuters.
Maha govt sets up panel to review welfare schemes for tribals
The Maharashtra government has set up a committee to review various schemes being implemented for the welfare of tribals in the state. The 17-member committee, headed by former MLA and Shramjeevi Sanghatna president Vivek Pandit, will undertake study of various works done for providing employment opportunities, minimum wages and proper livelihood to tribals, as per a recent government order. It will suggest measures to ensure that children in tribal regions were not deprived of education, the order said. The committee will hold its meetings every three months and submit its recommendations to the government, it added. Pandit, whose NGO works in adivasi-dominated areas, said the committee will look at all aspects of tribal development while preparing its report.
JK-based terror group Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen banned
The Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen, which has been fighting for "liberation of Kashmir" and involved in a series of terror acts, has been banned by the government, the Home Ministry said Wednesday. In a notification, the Home Ministry said the central government believes that the Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) is involved in terrorism as it has committed and participated in various acts of terrorism in India and its members are getting financial and logistic support from their handlers based abroad. The ministry said the Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen came into existence in 1990 with the objective of "liberation of Kashmir" and has been actively pursuing the same by way of acts of terror.
Discussion on with government on 'bias' allegations: Twitter India
After a parliamentary panel summoned Twitter for alleged bias against "right-wing" accounts as general elections loom, the micro-blogging platform on Wednesday said it is in touch with the Indian government on the issue.
Reject politics of revenge, resistance, says Trump in State of the Union address
President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on a divided Congress to refrain from "the politics of revenge" and "partisan investigations" into his presidency as he appealed for unity at a time when the US is struggling to break a stalemate over the funding for his proposed wall along the border with Mexico that could trigger another shutdown. Trump in his second State of the Union address Trump touted economic gains during his first two years in office as well as legislative wins on issues like criminal justice reform. Trump warned that deepening partisan tensions undermine America's progress. His calls for reconciliation were met with mostly stone-faced silence from Democrats, who bitterly oppose his agenda and accuse him of hastening the decline in cross-party cooperation. The president had a record 35-day standoff with the Democrats led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over his proposed controversial wall along the US-Mexico border, which shut down the government and postponed the ...
Mayawati gets active on Twitter
In a sign that she is ready to embrace changing times and politics, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Wednesday announced that she will be active on social media, a party statement said.
Trump to hold second Summit with Kim on Feb 27, 28 in Vietnam
US president Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) confirmed he will hold a second Summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam.Trump made the confirmation while addressing the House of Representatives during his annual State of the Union speech.He said the US would have been in a "major war" with North Korea had he not been elected president."If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one. Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27th and 28th in Vietnam," Trump said.US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun is also slated to visit Pyongyang today to hold a meeting with his North Korean counterpart Kim Hyok Chol to discuss the second meeting between the leaders of the two countries.During the first Summit, held at Singapore's Sentosa Island, both Trump and Kim had agreed ..
The power behind 'Didi': Her women's brigade
Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is not only West Bengal's first woman Chief Minister and perhaps the most feisty woman politician in the country today but she also has her own women's brigade - an eclectic mix who swear by their leader.
Mayawati joins Twitter for 'speedy interactions' with people
BSP supremo Mayawati has for the first time joined Twitter for "speedy interactions" with people."This is to inform you that BSP national president Mayawati has for first time decided to join Twitter for speedy interaction with media and masses besides expressing her views on various issues of national and political importance through Twitter," read a statement from the party on Wednesday.Her official Twitter handle is @SushriMayawati.Welcoming Mayawati on Twitter, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav tweeted, "Finally glad to see you here. Happy that you acknowledged and respected my request of joining Twitter during our meeting in Lucknow on January 13. Warm regards.
Odisha MP Ladu Kishore Swain dead
Member of Parliament from Odisha's Aska Lok Sabha constituency Ladu Kishore Swain has passed away here, said family sources on Wednesday. He was 71.
Second Trump-Kim summit on Feb 27-28 in Vietnam
US President Donald Trump will hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam on February 27 and 28 to jump-start a diplomatic effort to dismantle the reclusive nation's nuclear and missile programmes. The announcement about the meeting came during Trump's second State of the Union address. Kim and Trump met in Singapore last year, marking the first bilateral meeting between leaders of the two countries. While North Korea since then has refrained from overtly provocative actions like testing nuclear warheads or ballistic missiles, it has yet to agree to actually give up any piece of its atomic arsenal. Addressing Congress, Trump said progress has been made in his administration's efforts to achieve peace on the Korean peninsula. "We continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped and there has not been a missile launch in more than 15 months," Trump said during the address that lasted for more
Trump advocates bipartisanship in State of the Union speech
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) called for bipartisanship in American politics in a bid to ease tension between Democrats and Republicans following the hostility that led to the longest government shutdown in history. During his annual State of the Union speech in the House Chamber, Trump said, "Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as two parties but as one nation. The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda of the American people."Earlier scheduled for January 29, Trump's State of the Union address was postponed by the House of Representatives over the government shutdown last month.Trump had demanded that the House, controlled by the Democrats, should sanction USD 5.7 billion for the proposed wall in the southern border with Mexico in exchange for his signature on a bill funding federal agencies.His refusal to sign the bill ...
Trump proposes new missile treaty with potential to include India
US President Donald Trump has proposed a new nuclear missiles treaty that has the potential to include India as he delivered the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress.
Trump slams 'ridiculous partisan investigations' into his presidency
President Donald Trump on Wednesday hit out at what he called the "ridiculous partisan investigations" into his presidency, a reference to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian interference into the 2016 election. "We must be united at home to defeat our adversaries abroad," Trump said in his annual State of the Union address. Though Trump did not name the specific probes, his reference was seen pointed towards Mueller's probe to ascertain whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia ahead of the 2016 elections. The president has long branded the special counsel's probe a "witch hunt". "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way! "An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations," Trump added.
Embarrassment for Pak, UK govt distances from Kashmir event
In a major embarrassment to Pakistan, the UK government has distanced itself from an event organised by Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Kashmir at the House of Commons.India has expressed to the United Kingdom, through diplomatic channels, its objection to this anti-India event.According to sources, the UK has categorically told India that the House of Commons event has nothing to do with the government and there is no shift in the UK's position on Kashmir. The UK also sees the Pakistan foreign minister's visit as a private affair.It is believed that due to India's behind-the-scene diplomatic efforts, no bilateral meeting took place between Qureshi and his British counterpart.Pakistan's much-hyped Kashmir event turned out to be a damp squib. It is being viewed as a big diplomatic victory for India and a major embarrassment for Pakistan.