Page 1735 - Politics
Don't understand why CBI didn't approach Special Court, asks ex-Joint Director of CBI on Sharadha scam
"I do not understand why the CBI did not approach the Special Court," asked Shantanu Sen, former Joint Director of CBI here on Monday, while referring to the ongoing face-off involving CBI and state government.The only solution to the ongoing high political face-off between the Centre and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government is to send the matter to the CBI Special Court, he said."Politicians may like to use the CBI but agencies shouldn't allow themselves to be used. The only solution to cases like this is that it should be put before the CBI Special Court where an FIR has been filed. I don't understand why in this case CBI did not approach the Special Court," Sen told ANI here.On Sunday, a CBI team of five officials tried to arrest Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar at his residence in Kolkata. The team members were denied entry to the residence of Kolkata Police chief and were later detained by the cops on duty.A 1989-batch IPS officer of West Bengal ...
Kolkata Police action threat to federal system: Rajnath
Defending CBI action against the Kolkata Police Commissioner, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the move to stop the central probe agency from performing its duties is a threat to the federal political system of the country.
Goa mining: BJP could face resentment in LS polls, says Cabral
Senior Goa BJP leader Nilesh Cabral Monday said his party might have to face the resentment of people in the state's two Lok Sabha seats if the mining impasse is not resolved soon. Mining came to a standstill in Goa in March last year after the Supreme Court quashed 88 leases and banned the extraction of iron ore. "We are trying our best to solve the problem. There is no difference of opinion that mining should resume. The government also knows if this issue is not solved, then the people living in the mining belt will not be with us," Cabral, the state Power minister, said. The mining belt in the state comprises Bicholim in North Goa and South Goa's Quepem, Sanguem and Canacona. "I have a feeling the process to resume mining will have to initiated before February 13. If it does not happen now, then it will not happen in future. The state government should be serious about it," he claimed.
Congress accuses CBI of not taking action against Sarma in
The Assam Congress on Monday accused the CBI of not taking action against state Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his alleged involvement in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam. "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 told reporters here. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had alleged on Sunday night that Sarma was involved with the chit fund scam, he said. "He (Sarma) was investigated for his involvement in the scam while he was in Congress but after he joined the BJP, it stopped," she said. Bordoloi claimed that "Apart from Saradha, the BJP had earlier accused Sarma of being involved with the Louis Berger scam. A number of arrests were made in Goa in connection with this scam but no action has been taken in Assam". "It seems Himanta has been cleared in all the cases after he joined the BJP," he said. The
12 dead, 15 injured in car bomb blast in Somalia
At least 12 people were killed and 15 injured in a car bomb explosion near the Governor's office in the Somali capital on Monday.
Feel betrayed, bring ordinance on Ram temple: Religious leader to govt
Religious leader Acharya Dharmendra Monday accused the Modi government of not fulfilling the expectations of the Hindu community and asked the Centre to clarify its stand on the Ram temple issue by February 17. Acharya Dharmendra, the head of Panchkhand Peeth at Virat Nagar near Jaipur, has been associated with the Ram temple movement and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. "Seers from various parts of the country will take part in a meeting on February 17 in which future course of action will be decided if the government takes no decision to bring ordinance for construction of the Ram temple," he told reporters here. He said the BJP got a historic mandate in 2014 Lok Sabha elections and Hindus had expectations from the government. "Five years time is not short but it is a matter of priority. All had expectations that Ram temple will be constructed if BJP is voted to power but Ram bhakts and public feel betrayed. Still, there is a chance and no one will oppose if the government brings ...
US envoy, South Korean official discuss 2nd Trump-Kim summit
The US special envoy for North Korea met with South Korea's national security adviser on Monday to discuss a planned second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Seoul's presidential office said. Stephen Biegun explained to Chung Eui-yong Washington's stance toward North Korea ahead of talks on setting up the summit, the presidential Blue House said in a statement. There is speculation that Biegun will meet his North Korean counterpart at the Korean border village of Panmunjom or in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, this week. The Blue House did not specifically say what was discussed during Monday's meeting, but said Chung told Biegun that South Korea hopes the planning talks between the US and North Korea will pave the way for a successful summit. Biegun arrived in Seoul on Sunday and also held talks with South Korean Foreign Ministry official Lee Do-hoon. Trump and Kim met last June in Singapore, where they issued vague aspirational goals for a .
Bengal Minister attacks Centre for blatant interference
Attacking the Centre in his budget speech, West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra on Monday said the country's federal polity has been shaken due to "blatant interference by the Central government" in the affairs of the statutory constitutional institutions and states.
Modi govt has snatched farmers' sleep, says Mamata; refers to her 26-day fast in 2006
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday accused the Narendra Modi government of having snatched farmers' sleep and while referring to the sops announced in the interim Budget on Friday claimed that the peasants were being cheated before the general elections. Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress chief, said if the government at the Centre changes following the Lok Sabha elections, farmers' interests will be given priority. The chief minister is on a dharna since Sunday night over the CBI's attempt to question the Kolkata Police commissioner in connection with chit fund scams. From the dharna site in front of Metro Cinema in the heart of the city, she addressed a state conference of farmers over phone, which the participants at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, about a kilometre from the sit-in site, heard over loudspeakers. In her address, Banerjee referred to her Singur fast and said, "I sat on fast at the same place for 26 days in 2006 demanding that farmland be returned to ...
Modi-led "Kauravas" will be drubbed by Rahul in polls: Antony
The coming Lok sabha elections will witness the "second Kurukshetra war" in which the Narendra Modi-led "Kauravas" will face a drubbing by the Congress party led by Rahul Gandhi, veteran AICC leader A K Antony has said. Inaugurating a Congress march ahead of the Lok Sabha polls Sunday, Antony said the "Lok Sabha election is a war to save the country." "The 2019 Lok Sabha election will witness a second Kurukshetra war in which the Kauravas led by Narendra Modi will be destroyed by Rahul Gandhi. This year's election is not simply any other Parliament election. This is a war to save the country, to save the Constitution, its morals and values, constitutional institutions and other threats faced by the country," Antony said. Speaking at the 'Janamaha Yatra', led by state Congress chief Mullappally Ramachandran from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram, Antony lashed out at the RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the Congress does not need any lessons of nationalism ...
Protests to intensify until Citizenship Bill is withdrawn: CPI-M
Until the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is withdrawn, protests against it will intensify, especially in the Northeast, former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said on Monday.
Al-Shabab says it killed Dubai port official in Somalia
The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group says it killed the manager of a Dubai government-owned port operator in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland. P&O Ports has acknowledged one of its employees was killed and three others injured in an "incident" Monday at its operations in Bosaso Port. The government-run Dubai Media Office tweeted the information on behalf of P&O Ports, saying an investigation is ongoing. P&O Ports did not answer a phone call Monday. It signed a 30-year, $336 million deal in 2017 to develop the Bosaso Port. Al-Shabab claimed the attack, saying it targeted a company that "occupies" Bosaso. Puntland is an arid region of northeast Somalia on the Gulf of Aden. Dubai's DP World also operates a major port in Somalia's breakaway territory of Somaliland.
Politicos register for Thailand's first election since 2014 coup
Hundreds of aspiring politicians including a masked costumed hero registered on Monday for Thailand's first election since the 2014 coup, promising a colourful cast of candidates stumping for political parties both old and new. Since the coup, the military has rewritten the constitution, clamped down on dissent and appointed allies across the bureaucracy. But recent days have seen echoes of Thailand's formerly rambunctious politics, with outdoor political announcements, campaign posters and loudspeakers on vans touting political slogans as the country gears up for the much-anticipated election after more than four years of junta rule. Monday's registration was marked by a festive atmosphere, with supporters of dozens of groups waving neon banners and party flags as they entered a stadium in central Bangkok. While familiar faces abound, such as leaders from political powerhouse Pheu Thai and the army-aligned Phalang Pracharat, there were also quirky entrants, including a member of an ..
US envoy meets top S.Korean NSA
Stephen Biegun, US Special Representative for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) policy, met Chung Eui-yong, top National Security Advisor (NSA) for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, here on Monday.
NDA doors closed forever for Chandrababu Naidu: Shah
BJP President Amit Shah on Monday launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and made it clear that the doors of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) were closed forever for him.
Iran parliament approves new health minister
Iran's parliament Monday gave an overwhelming vote of confidence to President Hassan Rouhani's pick as health minister, after his predecessor resigned over budget cuts and criticism of the allocation of state funds. Saeed Namaki was voted into office with 229 votes out of a total 259. He had been appointed as caretaker by Rouhani after the former minister Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi resigned on December 3. Hashemi's resignation letter points at "inconsistencies and not delivering on promises" by the government's planning and budget organisation, semi-official news agency ISNA reported. Namaki had previously served as deputy to Mohammad-Bagher Nobakht, the head of planning and budget organisation. The Rouhani administration and Hashemi had repeatedly been criticised for their allegedly costly plan to reform Iran's healthcare system. But in his last speech as minister, Hashemi said the reform project had cost a fraction of what was spent on bailing out failed credit institutions. "The ...
10 foreigners among 1,742 drug peddlers arrested in HP: Guv
As many as 1,742 people, including 10 foreign nationals, were arrested in last one year for allegedly peddling drugs in Himachal Pradesh, Governor Acharya Dev Vrat told the Assembly on Monday. He said the Jai Ram Thakur government is committed towards eradicating the drug menace from the state and 1,342 cases were registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Recently, a conference was also held at Panchkula in which chief ministers of Haryana, Punjab and Uttrakhand and senior officers of Rajasthan, Delhi and Chandigarh discussed a joint strategy for tackling the menace, the governor said. He also hailed the Centre's decision of increasing the minimum support price (MSP) of all notified Kharif and Rabi crops by at least 150 per cent of the cost of production. "This initiative of the Union government will help in doubling the income of farmers," he said in his address to the Assembly. The governor said the state government had launched the 'Prakartik
Cong spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill seeks ticket from Anandpur Sahib for LS polls
Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill on Monday staked claim to the party's ticket from Anandpur Sahib in Punjab for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Shergill (35), who hails from a non-political family, submitted his application at the Punjab Congress office here. A Jat Sikh, he was born and brought up in Jalandhar district. Shergill, a political greenhorn, said he chose Anandpur Sahib as Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seats were reserved. "I want to fulfil the vision of Congress president Rahul Gandhi," he said. He said he wanted to add to the good work done by the Amarinder Singh-led state government. "I want to serve Punjab and Punjabis and have a voice of Punjab in Lok Sabha," he added. "I have fought the party's war on TV channels and now I want to fight on the ground as well," Shergill, who is also a lawyer, said. The Anandpur Sahib seat is currently represented by SAD MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, who had defeated senior Congress leader and former Union minister Ambika Soni
BJP asks if Kolkata Police commissioner knows secrets, needs to be saved by Mamata
Taking aims at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the CBI probe into chit fund scams, the BJP Monday questioned if her dharna to protest action against Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar was because he held many "secrets" and needed to be saved. Rejecting the opposition charge that the CBI's move to question Kumar amounted to an attack on the federal structure by the Modi government, BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said it cannot be cited as a shield to save the corrupt and asserted that the agency acted as per law. Speaking to reporters, Prasad took a swipe at the unity among opposition parties against the CBI action, describing it as an "alliance of the corrupt", and said its "soldiers" from Bihar to Uttar Pradesh, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, are facing probe in different cases of alleged graft. Banerjee has defied all norms to sit in a dharna in Kolkata, he said, adding that the police commissioner's decision to join her protest ..
Antagarh bypoll: C'garh cops file case against Jogi, Raman kin
A case of cheating and criminal conspiracy was registered against five persons, including former chief minister Ajit Jogi and former chief minister Raman Singh's son-in-law, in connection with the alleged fixing of 2014 Antagarh Assembly bypoll. An FIR was lodged late Sunday night at Pandri police station against Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) founder and MLA Ajit Jogi, his son Amit, former BJP minister Rajesh Munat, former chief minister Raman Singh's son-in-law Puneet Gupta and Manturam Pawar, a senior official said. Pawar was the Congress candidate for the 2014 Antagarh bypoll who withdrew from the fray at the last moment. The official informed that the case was taken on the basis of a complaint by Congress leader and former Raipur Mayor Kiranmayee Nayak. The five persons have been booked under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) 420 (cheating), 171 E (punishment for bribery), 171 F (undue influence or personation at an election), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of .