Page 176 - Politics
EC ignores Congress objections, decides to hold 2 RS bye-polls separately
Ignoring Congress objections, the Election Commission on Saturday announced separate bye-elections on July 5 to two Rajya Sabha vacancies in Gujarat, created by the election of Amit Shah and Smriti Irani to Lok Sabha, while announcing bye-polls to four other Rajya Sabha seats in Bihar and Odisha.Apart from the two seats, bye-elections will be held to a seat vacated by the election of Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to Lok Sabha and three seats in Odisha rendered vacant by the election of A Samanta and PK Deb to Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly, respectively. The third seat in Rajya Sabha in Odisha became vacant after the resignation of Congress leader Soumya Ranjan Patnaik.In a press note, the Commission said while the schedule for the 6 bye-elections will be the same, the vacancies for bye-elections to all Houses, including the Rajya Sabha, are considered as separate vacancies and notifications are issued and a separate poll is taken for each of the vacancies although the programme ..
Jammu traders demand abolishing state toll tax at Lakhanpur
Traders in winter capital Jammu on Saturday demanded that the toll tax collected by Jammu and Kashmir government at Lakhanpur entry point into the state be abolished.
US wants 'credible' probe into Sudan crackdown
The top United States diplomat to Africa says there needs to be an "independent and credible" investigation into the Sudanese military's violent dispersal of a protest camp in Khartoum last week. Tibor Nagy said the deadly crackdown "constituted a 180 degree turn in the way events were going with murder, rape, pillaging, by members of the Security Forces." Nagy, the US assistant secretary of state for Africa, said Sudan risks sliding into Libya or Somalia-like chaos. Speaking in Ethiopia late Friday after a two-day visit to Sudan, he said both the military council and protest leaders "absolutely distrust each other." Protest organisers say the crackdown killed over 100 people in the capital and across Sudan, but authorities have offered a lower death toll of 61, including three security forces.
BJP to lay siege to CM's official residence on Sunday
The BJP's Karnataka unit, which is on a round-the-clock sit-in since Friday protesting against the sale of land to JSW Steel at Ballari and other issues, has decided to "lay siege" to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's official residence on Sunday. State BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa along with a host of senior party leaders including former deputy chief minister R Ashoka, among others, spend the night at Anand Rao circle, the protest venue, as part of the stir, on Friday. Continuing the protest for the second consecutive day, Yeddyurappa Saturday said they have decided to "lay siege to the Chief Minister's residence tomorrow." "The overnight protest will continue tonight as well, we will be here tonight..." he added. He said the protest was against government's "inconsistency" on the issue of farm loan waiver and also its "failure" in managing the drought situation. The BJP was also opposed to sale of 3,667 acres of land to JSW Steel in Ballari, the leader of the opposition in
Bengal Governor advises Mamata to provide security to doctors
West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi on Saturday wrote to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, advising her to take immediate steps to provide security to the doctors and to take the medicos into confidence.
Jaishankar holds bilateral talks with Iranian counterpart, Vietnam's VP
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Saturday held bilateral talks with his Iranian counterpart and Vietnam's vice president here and discussed issues of mutual interest and regional developments. Jaishankar met Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Vietnam Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh on the sidelines of the fifth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Summit in the Tajik capital. "Met my Iranian counterpart Dr @JZarif. Discussed regional developments, " Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani could not hold a planned meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek on Friday due to scheduling issues. It was expected that Modi and Rouhani would discuss a range of issues including the US sanctions on import of Iranian oil and implementation of the Chabahar port project. The Modi-Rouhani meeting was keenly awaited as it was to .
Ready to work under Fadnavis' leadership: Vikhe Patil
Amid speculation that he could be inducted into the Maharashtra cabinet, former Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said here Saturday that he would carry out "whatever responsibility" he is given. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced earlier in the day that the state cabinet will be expanded Sunday. Vikhe Patil, former Leader of Opposition of the Maharashtra Assembly, recently quit the Congress after his son Sujay won Lok Sabha election on BJP ticket. Speaking to reporters after visiting the famous Saibaba temple here, Vikhe Patil said he had come to seek the deity's blessings as he was "making a new beginning." Asked whether he would be inducted into the cabinet, he said, "The people of the country have given a full mandate to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Fadnavis is taking the state forward under Modi's leadership. If I get the opportunity to work under his (Fadnavis') leadership, it is good." The veteran leader, who turned 60 Saturday, ...
China supports suspension of Hong Kong's controversial extradition bill after massive protests
China on Saturday said it supports the Hong Kong leader's decision to suspend a controversial bill that would allow extraditions to China, following massive protests. About an hour after Hong Kong Chief Executive of Carrie Lam announced the suspension of the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019, following sustained protests from lakhs of people an official statement here expressed China's backing for Lam and her decision to back down. "We note that Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government decided to suspend work on the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in statement. China also expressed Beijing's backing for the beleaguered Lam who faced heavy criticism from local people, specially students, for attempting to push the bill disregarding ...
Urdu never belonged to particular faith: Farooq
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said on Saturday that Urdu had never belonged to a particular faith or sect, but there was a kind of "communal mentality" that is spreading a "malicious" propaganda about the language. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister underscored the need to give equal respect to local languages, alleging that homogeneity was being forced on the people of the country. "There was a kind of communal mentality that is spreading a malicious propaganda about the Urdu language. Urdu has never belonged to a particular sect or faith," Abdullah said. "Urdu is a representative language of 'Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb' of India. The language has been watered by both Hindus and Muslims. The existence of Urdu language owes a lot to Munshi Premchand and others," he said. The NC leader was addressing a gathering here after inaugurating the 23rd All India Urdu Book Fair, which is organised by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) at the Kashmir ..
UN raises concern over UN counterterrorism official's visit to China's Xinjiang
The United States on Friday objected to a visit by the United Nations counterterrorism chief to China's Xinjiang province, where around one million ethnic Uighurs and minority Muslims are reportedly held at detention centres.Vladimir Voronkov, a veteran Russian diplomat who heads the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), is in China at the invitation of Beijing and is due to visit Xinjiang's capital Urumqi, according to an e-mail sent by his office to countries, including Britain that raised concerns over his visit, Al Jazeera reported.US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday "to convey deep concerns" about Voronkov's trip.Sullivan said, "Beijing continues to paint its repressive campaign against Uighurs and other Muslims as legitimate counterterrorism efforts when it is not.""The Deputy Secretary expressed that such a visit is highly inappropriate in view of the unprecedented repression campaign underway in Xinjiang ...
MHA constitutes TMG to crackdown on terrorists financers in valley
The Centre has constituted a new Terror Monitoring Group (TMG) in Jammu and Kashmir in a bid to dismantle terror-financing structure and crackdown terrorists financers in the valley.Sources said the group will be headed by additional DGP, CID in Jammu and Kashmir, as its Chairman,There will also be representatives from Intelligence Bureau (IB), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the TMG.According to highly-placed sources, TMG has initiated concerted action by all the agencies as part of efforts to strike at the financiers of Terror in the valley.After assuming charge as Union Home Minister, Amit Shah has held back-to-back meetings with officials and others over internal security issues.He also had a meeting with Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik in which Malik briefed Shah about the prevailing situation in the .
Saudi Arabia urges 'decisive' response to threats against energy supplies
Saudi Arabia's energy minister on Saturday called for a "swift and decisive" response to threats against energy supplies following twin attacks on tankers in a vital Gulf shipping channel. "There must be a swift and decisive response to the threat against energy supplies... created by the recent terrorist acts in the Arabian Gulf," Khalid al-Falih was quoted as saying on the ministry's Twitter page. He was speaking at a meeting of G20 energy and environment ministers in Japan after the attacks on Thursday, which sent crude prices soaring amid a tense standoff between Iran and the US. The Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous was carrying highly flammable methanol through the Gulf of Oman when it was rocked by explosions, causing a blaze that was quickly extinguished. US President Donald Trump said the twin attack, which also targeted a tanker owned by Oslo-listed company Frontline, had Iran "written all over it". Falih has previously said the kingdom was monitoring the situation with ...
Kochi: P.S Sreedharan Pillai holds BJP core committee meeting
Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President P.S. Sreedharan Pillai on Saturday chaired a meeting of the party's core committee to review the debacle in the Lok Sabha polls and prepare for the Assembly elections due in 2021.A decision was taken to appoint senior leaders who will be put as in-charge for several constituencies. M T Ramesh will be in charge of Vattiyoorkkavu constituency, A N Radhakrishnan for Konnie, Surendra for Adoor and P.K. Krishnadas Manjeswaram.One of the decisions taken at the meeting was that the party will be starting membership campaigns from next month onwards.Among the southern states, BJP virtually swept the Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka but failed to win a in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The party won four seats in Telangana.
Punjab CM seeks fresh river water tribunal
Expressing concern over the water crisis in north India, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's support for upgradation of his state's water distribution infrastructure, while calling for a fresh river waters tribunal to address inter-state disputes.
Mamata again appeals Bengal doctors to end strike
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday again appealed to the agitating junior doctors in the state-run hospitals to end their strike and normalise medical services.
Modi's return to power proof of country's growing faith in him: Nishank
Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said on Saturday that a massive mandate to the Narendra Modi government for a second term proved the country's growing faith in his vision and leadership. "People paid no heed to what different political parties said about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and rose above narrow considerations of caste and religion to reassert their faith in his vision and leadership," Nishank said at his first press conference here after assuming office. He said the Lok Sabha poll verdict this time was a proof of the Congress' total emaciation as the party could not even open its account in 18 states. Nishank said the BJP is growing steadily under the leadership of Modi and so is the country. He said under Modi, the country's international prestige has grown like never before with its stock on forums like the UN on the rise. The HRD minister said Modi had honoured entire Uttarakhand by giving him an important ministerial responsibility and he will try his best to
TN CM Palaniswami calls on PM Modi, discusses projects
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami Saturday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence here and discussed State specific projects. Palaniswami also handed over a memorandum on various development projects to the Prime Minister, a State government release said. Later, the Chief Minister visited Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and discussed state projects related to the respective ministries. Mekedatu dam issue was among the subjects that came up for discussion with Shekhawat, the release said. The Tamil Nadu Assembly had last December adopted a resolution urging the Centre to withdraw the permission given to Karnataka for a detailed project report for its proposed dam across river Cauvery at Mekedatu. "... Honble Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu called on (sic) for a courtesy meeting and to discuss water-related issues in the state, at Shram Shakti Bhawan, New Delhi," Shekhawat said in ...
Amarinder urges Meghalaya CM to help Punjabi settlers
Urging Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to ensure steps to protect Punjabi settlers, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has decided to send a four-member delegation to resolve the settlers' issues.
Kamal Nath govt signs MoU for developing 'smart gaushalas'
The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh is coming up with 300 "smart gaushalas" in the state and has signed a contract with a foreign company for the construction and development of these cow shelters."An international company has proposed to invest in this project. They will be investing approximately 11 crores in constructing one gaushala and they are aiming to build at least 60 gaushalas in the state within one year" Lakhan Singh Yadav, the state's Minister of Animal Husbandry and Pisciculture, told ANI.Building gaushalas in every panchayat of Madhya Pradesh figured prominently in the Congress party manifesto for the state assembly elections that were held in November last year. Critics called the promise an attempt by the party to portray a 'soft Hindu' face."From these advanced gaushalas, we will produce and manufacture several products like cow urine; medicines etc and these products will be exported as well. We have signed an MoU and the work will begin within six to eight ...
Rajasthan BJP's Working Committee meeting on Sunday
The Rajathan BJP's working committee meeting will be held at 'Totuka Bhawan' here on Sunday, a party leader said. In the meeting, national joint general secretary V Satish, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, state in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna, national vice-president Vasundhara Raje, national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, state president Madan Lal Saini, Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria, Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Kailash Chaudhary would be present. On the other hand, BJP's national chief for the membership campaign Shivraj Singh has nominated the party's state spokesperson and MLA Satish Poonia and Chittorgarh MP C P Joshi as the state chief and deputy chief respectively for the membership campaign.