Page 1734 - Politics

Kolkata police chief knows many secrets: BJP

Attacking West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for obstructing CBI officials from performing their duty in the ponzi scam case, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday said the Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar was being protected as he knew some "secrets".

CBI move & Mamata's dharna are "politically motivated": CPI-M

The CPI(M) Monday termed as "politically motivated", both CBI's latest move in chit fund scam cases and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's sit-in protest. "CPI(M) has been demanding swift punishment to the guilty in the Saradha scams, but for so many years CBI under BJP was in slow motion", senior party leader Brinda Karat told PTI. "Now its actions are clearly politically motivated as is the 'drama dharna' of Mamata Banerjee. The timing is to divert attention from the huge Left rally termed the people's brigade yesterday in Kolkata", the politburo member said. She said her party reiterates its demand to punish all accused, including those who are involved in the scam, and also return the seized money to the people.

Modi-Shah need to be defeated to 'save democracy': Kejriwal on developments in WB

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal Monday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah over developments in West Bengal, saying they needed to be defeated in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls "to save democracy" in the country. He said the "Modi-Shah duo was the biggest danger" facing the country and charged the two leaders with trying to "murder" democracy. Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari hit back at Kejriwal saying he should not talk about democracy because he has "robbed" it through his "falsehoods and conspiracies" in the city. In a statement, Kejriwal said, "The Modi government is bent on murdering democracy. Isn't it illegal and undemocratic that a team of 40 CBI officials enters the residence of a police commissioner?" "The Modi-Shah duo should be defeated to save the democracy," he said. Tiwari said that leaders like Mamata Banerjee and Kejriwal were "betraying" democracy by going against the directives of courts. "The CBI went to West Bengal on ..

21 opposition parties ask EC for auditing 50 per cent of EVMs

Contending that free and fair elections have come under a "serious cloud" with EVMs a "major cause of concern", 21 opposition parties on Monday asked the Election Commission to audit at least 50 per cent of EVMs with corresponding VVPATs in all constituencies during the Lok Sabha polls.

'Anything can happen in politics'; AIADMK minister on poll

: AIADMK Monday asserted it would lead a coalition of parties in Tamil Nadu for the coming Lok Sabha elections and said 'anything can happen in politics,' apparently not ruling out a tie up with the BJP. This comes even as DMK and Congress have virtually agreed to continue their alliance for the coming general elections. Senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar made it clear that his party would be the senior partner in a tie up, saying "we will lead the alliance." Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had on Sunday said that AIADMK was holding talks with regional, national and friendly parties and the permutation of the alliance would be made known after a clear picture emerged. Asked if his party would tie up with the BJP since Congress was already in the DMK camp, Jayakumar recalled the party coordinator Panneerselvam's observations in this regard. "Anything can happen in politics...he (Panneerselvam) gave a veiled indication...only you have to understand," he told reporters ..

'Didi' skips dinner, stays awake all night in her old street fighter avatar

On the makeshift stage hung a large "Save India" banner. Thousands of Trinamool Congress activists, curious onlookers and a large posse of media persons thronged the dais on the side of the bustling road where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paced up and down, shouting instructions.

Former Bengal IPS officer joins BJP, flays Mamata's protest

Former IPS officer from West Bengal, Bharati Ghosh, on Monday joined the BJP here and termed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's 'dharna' a political move to stop the CBI investigation into the ponzi scheme scams.

British PM to meet party members for alternative Irish backstop

British Prime Minister Theresa May is set to mediate between pro-Brexit and pro-European party members to shore up support for her deal on the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union (EU). She will also try to resolve the ongoing wrangle on how to ensure no return to a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, Downing Street announced on Monday.

Happenings in WB not in tune with democracy: Rao

BJP national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao Monday said his party would not tolerate any kind of corruption and hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for staging a dharna to protest action against Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar. "The happenings in West Bengal are not in tune with democracy.. BJP is fighting for democracy," Rao said. Protecting "scamsters and fraudsters" was not going to enhance the reputation of adversaries of BJP, Rao told reporters. "BJP is against any kind of corruption and we will fight it tooth and nail .. Mamata ji is fighting a losing battle as the people will never accept protection for scamsters," he said. He also slammed the West Bengal government for "not giving" permission for BJP leaders to hold rallies. Rao said he was here as part of a preparatory meeting for a rally to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled at nearby Tirupur on February 10. Rejecting the opposition charge that the CBI's move to

TMC takes out rallies in West Bengal against Modi govt, protesters block highways, rail tracks

With TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on a sit-in against the CBI's attempt to grill Kolkata police chief in chit fund scam cases, her party workers on Monday took out protest rallies , blocked highways and rail tracks and burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah in various parts of West Bengal. Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders and ministers also joined the protests as party supporters carrying black flags and wearing black masks raised slogans against the BJP government while marching through the streets. The party's student wing activists staged rallies outside various colleges. The TMC leaders criticised the Centre over the CBI episode and vowed to "continue their fight" till the Narendra Modi government is defeated in the next Lok Sabha polls. A CBI team had gone to Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar's residence in the city Sunday to question him in connection with multi-crore ponzi scams, but it was denied permission, bundled into jeeps ..

Army officer meets J-K guv, briefs him about security situation in valley

General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Srinagar-based 15 corps Lt Gen A K Bhatt Monday called on Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik here and briefed him about the security situation in the valley, a Raj Bhavan spokesman said. Lt Gen Bhatt was accompanied by Lt Gen K J S Dhillon, the designated GOC 15 corps, he said. The spokesman said Malik bade farewell to Lt Gen Bhatt who will soon be joining as Military Secretary in the Army headquarters, Delhi. Malik appreciated the Army's strong support to the security forces in carrying out counter-terrorism operations in the valley, he said.

India, Pak should hold dialogue to resolve Kashmir issue: Faesal

Former IAS officer Shah Faesal Monday said India and Pakistan should hold dialogue to resolve Kashmir issue as it was a political problem that cannot be ended by development packages. "When the politicians are asked what is the issue, they say 'Kashmir is a problem. Give them monetary packages'. Some portion of the 2004 package is yet to be spent. Do we only need money? Is Kashmiri a beggar? "We want to tell them that Kashmir is a political problem," he said. Advocating dialogue, Faesal said India and Pakistan should sit together to resolve the Kashmir issue. "They should not play with the lives of Kashmiri people by throwing money around," he said. Faesal, who resigned from the government service last month, was addressing his maiden public rally in his home district of Kupwara in north Kashmir, 100 kilometres from here. He said the situation in Kashmir over the past few years forced him to be the voice of the unheard people. "While I raised my voice against atrocities being ...

Five cases of honey trapping between 2015 and 2017 in Army, Air Force: Govt

Five cases of honey trapping were reported by the Army and the Air Force between 2015 and 2017, government informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday. In a written response to a question in the Upper House, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said the Army reported two cases of honey trapping in 2015 and another two in 2017. The Air Force reported one case of honey trapping in 2015, Bhamre said. The Navy did not report any such case. Bhamre said armed service personnel and their families are regularly sensitised on the use of honey traps as a modus operandi by foreign intelligence operatives. "Advisories have been issued to all concerned. Special attention is being paid to new entrants in training institutes. Simultaneously, regular intelligence liaison with other agencies is maintained to detect such attempts," he said.

ECC money can be used for funding Delhi's first year share in RRTS corridor: EPCA to SC

EPCA told the Supreme Court Monday that money from Environment Compensation Charge (ECC) could be used for funding the Delhi government's first year share in the RRTS corridor project between Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut. The Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) is a project of "national importance" and it should not be delayed as it would escalate the cost, EPCA said. The estimated project cost of the 82.15 km corridor is Rs 31,632 crore and since the Delhi government has said they do not have adequate finances to meet the cost of its share of Rs 1,138 crore, funds from the ECC could be used for it, said the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA). A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Deepak Gupta was told by advocate Aparajita Singh, assisting the court as amicus curiae in the pollution matter, that Rs 1,106 crore was available in the ECC. "The first year cost of Delhi government would be Rs 265 crore. EPCA do not want any delay in the project as it would escalate the cost. In .

Pb CM slams Sukhbir over demand for doubling Rs 6,000 relief to farmers

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Monday slammed SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, accusing him of rubbing salt into the wounds of farmers with his demand to double the assured income of Rs 6,000 by the Centre. In a statement issued here, Amarinder Singh asked the former deputy chief minister why he had not spoken up for the farmers all these years despite his party being a part of the ruling alliance at the Centre. "The central government had already made a mockery of the farmers by announcing a meagre Rs 6,000 a year, which amounted to Rs 17 a day, to support them in their distress," he said, adding that the SAD president had added to the "insult with his shameless demand". "Did he really believe a thousand rupees a month would help the beleaguered farmers, many of whom were being driven to suicide as a result of their massive debts, running into lakhs of rupees in several cases," asked Amarinder Singh. On Sunday, Sukhbir Badal had said that a delegation of Akali Dal MPs would meet

No plans to give reservation in private sector: Jharkhand CM

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Monday ruled out the possibility of giving job reservation in the private sector.

Lalnunmawia Chuaungo appointed new Mizoram chief secretary

The Ministry of Home Affairs Monday appointed Lalnunmawia Chuaungo as the new chief secretary of Mizoram, an official notification said. Chuaungo, a Gujarat cadre IAS officer of the 1987 batch replaces Arvind Ray, it said. Ray has been transferred to Delhi, it added. Chuaungo, while posted as the principal secretary for Home and Finance department before the Mizoram Assembly election last year was dragged into a controversy after former state chief electoral officer S B Shashank had accused him of interfering in the election process prompting the Election Commission to transfer Chuaungo to Delhi. The action of the CEO triggered massive protests by civil societies resulting in Shashank's removal. Chuaungo was transferred back to Mizoram as soon as the election process was over.

Cong tries to win back Unjha MLA Patel who resigned last week

Apparently rattled by sudden resignation of party MLA Asha Patel last week, the Congress in Gujarat is now trying to convince the angry leader to withdraw her decision, fearing that she might join the ruling BJP. The Unjha MLA resigned as a member of the Assembly and also from party membership last Saturday claiming "infighting". Congress leaders Monday said Patel has asked for some time to reply on their request to return to the party fold. "Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani and I spoke with Asha Patel and asked her to take back her resignation, as per the instruction of the Central leadership," Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor told reporters. "She has asked for some time to give her reply," he said. Thakor said they listened to Patel's grievances during their meeting and also delivered a message from the party leadership. "Action will be taken on her grievances," Thakor said. Congress leaders are hopeful that Patel will return to the party fold, sources said. In her letter

CBI row: Objections were on flouting of procedure, Kharge writes to Jaitley

Jaitley had accused Kharge of dissenting excessively, saying he has made the appointment of CBI director look like a political battle which was never envisaged

Kisan Congress to give Rs 17 DD to PMO as a mark of taunt

New Delhi [India], Feb 4 (ANI): All India Kisan Congress (AIKC) will give a demand draft (DD) of Rs 17 to the office of Prime Minister Narendra Modi (PMO) on Tuesday, apparently to mock the Centre's scheme to give Rs 6,000 annually to marginal farmers as announced in the interim Budget.Just after the announcement on February 1, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had tweeted: "Dear NoMo, 5 years of your incompetence and arrogance has destroyed the lives of our farmers. Giving them Rs 17 a day is an insult to everything they stand and work for."According to sources, AIKC has also proposed to hand over the DD of Rs 17 to different state governments through the district administration.On Saturday Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar had also taken a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre, dubbing the interim Budget as a "big joke," saying that farmers had been cheated.Speaking to reporters here, Babbar had said that the scheme to provide Rs 6,000 per annum .