Page 1723 - Politics

AAP govt now seeking 2 more years to regularise unauthorised colonies: Puri

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri Tuesday said the AAP government has sought two more years to deal with unauthorised colonies in Delhi. Regularisation of unauthorised colonies was one of the biggest poll promises made by the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of the 2015 Delhi assembly elections. The migrant population forms a crucial vote bank for the ruling AAP in the national capital. Interacting with reporters after the launch of the DDA's web portal for land pooling policy here, Puri said since 2006, thanks to the Delhi government's policies, the Centre has not been able to regularise any of unauthorised colonies. The Union housing and urban affairs minister said the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government recently sought another two years to complete the work required for the regularisation of these colonies. Puri, flanked by Lt Governor Anij Baijal, said his ministry had set up a committee under the chairmanship of secretary to look into the issue of unauthorised colonies and this panel was ..

Cut power rates, AAP leader tells Punjab CM

Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Punjab unit chief Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday asked Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to fulfil the promise made during the 2017 Assembly elections of providing cheaper power, and follow the AAP model in Delhi to achieve that.

Centre committed to complete NRC within stipulated time: Rajnath

Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday asserted that the government is committed to complete the NRC process in Assam within the stipulated time and will ensure that no foreigner is included or any Indian citizen excluded. He also said the home ministry wants that the National Register of Citizens, a list of Assam's residents, is completed with fairness and for this the state government has been provided with all necessary assistance, including funds. "Our government is committed to complete the update of NRC within the stipulated time so that no foreigner is included in it and no Indian is left out," he told PTI here. His comments came hours after the Supreme Court came down heavily on the government, saying it is not cooperating in the NRC process and seems the entire effort of the MHA is to destroy the exercise. The court also reiterated that the July 31 deadline for the completion of NRC exercise will not be extended.

BSRTC's plan to run buses from Delhi stuck in limbo

The Bihar government's plan to run buses from Delhi to various destinations in the state has been in limbo with the transport department of the city government remaining non-committal on granting permission for the service. Lakhs of people from Bihar settled in Delhi depend on trains that are overcrowded throughout the year, to visit their home places. Private buses plying between Delhi and Bihar charge exorbitant fares, officials said. Sources said the proposal of Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) had been given in-principle nod by the then Transport commissioner Varsha Joshi but later the file on it was summoned by the Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot. "The file is still lying with the transport minister for nearly two months now," they said. No immediate reaction was available from Gahlot. Bihar Transport Secretary and Administrator of BSRTC Sanjay Agarwal said he was not aware of the current status of the file. "We have applied for the permit from the Delhi ...

Russia, Turkey reaffirm support for Maduro after EU move

Russia and Turkey on Tuesday reiterated their support for Venezuela's increasingly-cornered President Nicolas Maduro and criticized EU nations who recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as caretaker President of the crisis-struck nation while international pressure for early elections continued to build up.

Both TMC, BJP are corrupt, put in their place by SC: Sitaram Yechury

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the Supreme Court order on Tuesday showed both the BJP and the TMC their place and alleged the two parties were hand in glove in "sharing the spoils" of the chit fund scam. Speaking to reporters, Yechury and Md Salim, the party's MP in Lok Sabha, said the agenda of the CPI(M) was clear -- "defeat BJP, save India; defeat TMC, save Bengal." Reacting to the West Bengal Chief Minister who earlier said that the SC order was a "moral victory" for her, Salim said that it was in fact a "tight slap on the face of the state government". Accusing the state government of falsely implicating CPIM leaders in the chit fund case, the leaders said that while the CBI has been misused in the past, in this case, it was probing the matter on the orders of the court. "In this instance when the judiciary orders the CBI to investigate a case, the CBI's movement in the investigation into any state or territory cannot be construed as an attack on the authority or ..

Sarma terms Mamata's charges 'frivolous'; Cong seeks his arrest

Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday termed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's charge that he was involved in the Saradha chit fund scam as "frivolous", even as the state Youth Congress staged a protest in front of the CBI office here, seeking his arrest. The minister also said he had offered full cooperation in the ponzi scheme case as a witness. "The frivolous & baseless campaign by @MamataOfficial Didi against me is very painful. I am not fortunate enough like your Police Commissioner. I've joined the investigations and offered my full cooperation as a witness. And all this happened much much before I joined @BJP4India," Sarma said in a tweet. Apparently referring to Sarma, Banerjee, who is staging a sit-in protest since Sunday night over the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) attempt to question the Kolkata Police chief in connection with the chit fund scam, had said on Monday that she had "enough evidence against the Assam deputy chief ...

Assam Minister terms Mamata's allegation frivolous, baseless

Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday called "frivolous and baseless" the charge made against him by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that there was "evidence" of his involvement in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam.

Pak govt to save Rs 450 crore by abolishing Haj subsidy to pilgrims: Minister

The Pakistan government's decision to abolish the Haj subsidy will save Rs 450 crore to national exchequer, the country's Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Minister Noorul Haq Qadri has said. The decision to abolish the Haj subsidy was taken during a federal cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad recently, sparking a debate whether Islam allows a subsidised Haj or not. "The previous (PML-N) government was paying Rs 42,000 subsidy on each pilgrim which put an additional burden of Rs 450 crore on national exchequer. Keeping the current financial situation of the country, the Federal Cabinet has decided to withdraw this subsidy," Qadri was quoted as saying by The News on Tuesday. This year 184,000 Pakistanis will perform Haj out of which 107,000 will go on government quota whereas the remaining will perform the pilgrimage on private quota, the minister said. "The government has withdrawn Rs 450 crore financial assistance which it was paying as subsidy ...

Mamata architect of federal front: Chandrababu Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu Tuesday described his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee as the "architect" of the federal front. Naidu, who joined Banerjee's "Save India" sit-in here to protest CBI's attempt to question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar, said her ruling Trinamool Congress will win all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal in the upcoming general elections. "She (Mamata Banerjee) is the architect of the federal front. She is the main pillar of the opposition," Naidu told reporters. "She will win all the 42 seats in West Bengal and will be in a decision making position at the national level," he said. The Andhra Pradesh chief minister said he had come on behalf of the 23 political parties who had participated in the January 19 opposition rally in the city. Naidu also welcomed the Supreme Court order which stated that the CBI would not be able to arrest Kumar, and supported Banerjee's move to stage a sit-in demonstration in protest. Banerjee ...

Debate on guv's address: LoP accuses govt of multiple failures, CM puts up spirited defence

In a heated debate on the governor's address to the state assembly, the Congress Tuesday accused the BJP government of multiple failures, prompting Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to put up a spirited defence of his government. Initiating the debate on Governor Acharya Dev Vrat's address to the state assembly on the second day of its budget session, Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri rued omission of various issues in the address, saying they indicated the government had no achievements to mention on those fronts. There was no mention of national highways in governor's address despite tall claims of the Jai Ram Thakur government of getting huge funds for a number of new highways from the Centre, said Agnihotri. This clearly shows that the Thakur government has failed to get approval for any new national highway from the Centre, he said, adding his government is misleading the public on this issue. The government has also failed to do anything to reduce the state's debt, which has ...

Oppn parties request Assembly Speaker to call a special

The opposition parties Tuesday requested the Assam Assembly Speaker to call for a special session before February 13 to discuss the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which is likely to come up in Rajya Sabha by next week. Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami assured to discuss the matter with all the parties and take a decision by Wednesday. All the opposition parties -- Congress, AGP and AIUDF -- had brought three different resolution to discuss the bill, but the speaker clubbed them together and made it one. Raising the issue during Pending Resolution of private members, AGP MLA Phani Bhusan Choudhury cited rules that give chance to postpone an ongoing resolution and take up a new one if it is of immediate importance. His party colleague Keshab Mahanta said: "The Parliament is ending on February 13 and the bill is likely to be raised in Rajya Sabha before that. We want to send an unanimous resolution from Assam Assembly. So please allow us to discuss the matter before that." He ..

'TMC may get sympathy votes': WB BJP against Prez rule in state

West Bengal BJP leaders appeared not very supportive of the idea of imposing President's rule in the state as they feel it might adversely affect the party's prospect in the Lok Sabha elections, even as the TMC government fights a pitched turf war with the Centre over CBI probe in the chitfund scam cases. BJP leaders Tuesday said if the Centre imposed President's rule in the state ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Mamata Banerjee would cry foul and try to grab sympathy votes. "If you want to know the views of the state leadership," a senior state BJP leader told PTI requesting anonymity, "I would only say the state unit is not in favour of imposition of President's rule." Another BJP leader said the TMC was fast losing its ground in the state. "In such a position, if President's rule is imposed, the TMC would complain of vendetta politics and bag sympathy votes. Why should we let that happen?" the leader said. By nature, the people of West Bengal

Hold state, parliamentary polls together in J-K: NC minority cell

Batting strongly for holding the assembly elections along with the parliamentary polls in Jammu and Kashmir, the migrant cell of the National Conference Tuesday said only an elected government can bring the state out of morass and uncertainty. "We want that elections be held as soon as a possible in J&K. We urge the Election Commission to take a call is this regard," NC minority cell president M K Yogi told reporters here. He said most of the political parties in the state, including the NC, were in favour of holding the assembly elections along with Lok Sabha polls. "A democratically elected government only can bring peace and stability in the state and ensure that it is brought out of quagmire and uncertainty," Yogi said.

Opposition a 'gang of corrupt', says BJP's UP chief

The Bharatiya Janata Party's Uttar Pradesh unit chief Mahendra Nath Pandey on Tuesday slammed the Samajwadi Party for extending its support to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee in her stand-off with the Centre and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Rahul to visit Odisha on Feb 6, Shah on Feb 15

With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah's visit to Odisha due on February 15 -- his third this year -- the saffron party appears determined to hit the ground running in the state, where the Lok Sabha and the Assembly elections could be conducted simultaneously in April-May.

Russia must develop new types of missiles in next 2 years: defence minister

Russia's defence minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday said the country must develop new types of missile systems in the next two years after Washington and Moscow ripped up a key arms control treaty. The United States has repeatedly accused Russia of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) agreement and on Friday President Donald Trump said Washington was starting the process of withdrawing from the treaty in six months. In a tit-for-tat move on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was also leaving the treaty and beginning work on new types of weapons that would breach the crucial Cold War-era agreement. Many analysts say abandoning the 1987 treaty could effectively signal the start of a new arms race. At a meeting with officials on Tuesday, Shoigu said Russia should develop two new missile systems in the next two years. "During 2019-2020 we have to develop a land-based version of the seaborne Kalibr system equipped with a long-range cruise missile which ..

PB Cong general secy Pawan Dewan seeks LS ticket from Ludhiana

Punjab Congress general secretary Pawan Dewan on Tuesday formally staked claim for the party ticket to contest from Ludhiana in the Lok Sabha polls. Dewan, who hails from Ludhiana, submitted his application for ticket at the Punjab Congress office here. "I have been associated with the Congress party for past 30 years. I have served the party in various capacities. I was block president, president of the district youth Congress and then district unit president (from Ludhiana). Now, I am general secretary of the Punjab Congress," Dewan said after submitting his application. Dewan, a close confidant of senior Congress leader and former Union minister Manish Tewari, said he is hopeful that party will consider his name while allotting ticket for the Ludhiana seat. At present, Congress' Ravneet Singh Bittu represents the Ludhiana parliamentary constituency. Tewari, a former MP from Ludhiana, is vying for the Congress ticket from Chandigarh. Former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, who ..

Mamata versus CBI: Implications (Comment: Beyond the Moment)

The contest is apparently evenly poised as on today, Tuesday, February 5. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has projected the Supreme Court order directing Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar to make himself available before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as a blow to the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal and a moral victory for the investigating agency. The court, however, also said that no coercive steps should be taken against Kumar and noted that the questioning should be done at a neutral place (which is being finalized as Shillong now).

Saradha scam: CBI probe against Roy, Sarma yet to reach conclusive end

Himanta Biswa Sarma and Mukul Roy, who had defected to the BJP from the Congress and the Trinamool Congress respectively, were among those who were questioned by the CBI in the Saradha scam but probe into their alleged involvement has not reached any conclusive end yet. Amid the ongoing tussle between the West Bengal government and the Centre over probe into the Saradha scam in which the CBI wants to question Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar, Assam Congress has accused the CBI of going slow against Sarma, who had switched sides and joined BJP. The CBI did not respond to questions on the dates the two have been questioned or have been searched in these cases. "The CBI is yet to take any action against Sarma and investigations against him have stopped after he joined the BJP," Assam Pradesh Congress spokesman and former minister Pradyut Bordoloi said. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had alleged on Sunday night that Sarma, Assam's health and finance minister now, was ..