Page 1772 - Politics
Legislative cure needed to resolve Goa mining issue: Parrikar
The Goa government Thursday told the state Assembly that it has sought "legislative cure" as the "fastest and amicable remedy" to resolve the current mining crisis in the state. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, in his written reply to the House, said the government was making all efforts for early resumption of mining operations. Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar had earlier tabled a calling attention motion on the mining issue during the ongoing budget session that began on Tuesday. Members cutting across the party lines expressed their support for resumption of the industry, which gives employment to around two lakh people in the state. The mining activities in Goa have come to a standstill since last year after the Supreme Court quashed 88 mining leases. Parrikar, who was present in the House, did not speak due to his ill-health, but tabled a written reply to the calling attention motion, saying the government has sought a legislative cure on the issue. "The ..
PM-headed panel to meet Friday to decide on CBI chief
The Prime Minster Narendra Modi-headed selection committee will meet here Friday to decide on the director of the country's premier investigative agency CBI, which is working without its regular chief, officials said. This would be the second meeting of the panel as its January 24 sitting had remained inconclusive. The panel is scheduled to meet on Friday, the officials said, without citing further details. Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge are the members of the committee. The post of the CBI chief has been lying vacant since January 10 after the unceremonious exit of Alok Verma, who was engaged in a bitter fight with Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana over corruption charges. Both Verma and Asthana have accused each other of impropriety. Verma, after being removed from the post of CBI director by the PM-led panel, was named as the Director General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards -- a less significant ...
LS polls: UP BJP leaders get 'winning tips' from CM
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Thursday met the BJP office bearers, MPs and MLAs from the eight Lok Sabha parliamentary constituencies here. According to the party sources, the representatives from Ballia, Azamgarh, Lalganj Ghosi, Salempur, Deoria, Badgaon and Gorakhpur Sadar met Adityanath at the circuit house here and got "winning tips" from the chief minister. "CM Yogi discussed about the strategy to win a particular seat and also chalked out a detailed programme of working and strengthening each booth," a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said. Sunil Ojha, state co-incharge, Pankaj Singh, state general secretary and other party leaders were also present at the meeting.
Government seeks opposition's cooperation in all-party meet
The Central government on Thursday sought cooperation from the opposition parties for smooth functioning of the Parliament, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi assuring them that the issues raised by them would be given due importance.
BSF-BGB sector commander level meeting
A sector commander level meeting between BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) discussed issues of border problems, border crossing, illegal entry and drug trafficking and joint patrolling, a senior BSF officer said Thursday. DIG of Border Security Force, C L Belwa said "problems related to land custom stations also figured in the discussion between the sector commanders of the two border guarding forces which took place at Kailashahar in Unakoti district on Wednesday. The BGB sector commander of Srimangal, Mohammad Jobayer Hasnat and BSF sector commanders of Teliamura and Panisagar, DIG Babi Joseph and DIG Sindhu Kumar were present in the meeting, Belwa added.
Police seize brown sugar in Kupwara
The Jammu and Kashmir Police said on Thursday that it has seized brown sugar valued at Rs 70 crore in the international market in Kupwara district.
'BSP to contest all 28 LS seats in Karna if no poll alliance'
BSP chief Mayawati is yet to take a call on an alliance in Karnataka for the Lok Sabha polls and if a tie up did not work out, they would go it alone in all 28 seats, the party's lone MLA N Mahesh said here Thursday. "We will contest (Lok Sabha polls); Behenji (Mayawati) has to say...if there is an alliance we will contest in those seats we get. If there is no alliance, we will contest in all 28 seats," he told reporters here. Mahesh said the process of identifying candidates for the Lok Sabha polls are on and a final decision would be taken at the party's state committee on February 2. Bahujan Samaj Party leaders, including Rajya Sabha member Ashok Siddharth and in-charge of Karnataka M L Tomar are expected to attend the meeting, he added. BSP contested in 18 seats during the May 2018 assembly polls in Karnataka as per the alliance arrangement reached with JD(S), which contested in 200 seats and won 37. Following a fractured verdict, JD(S) joined hands with Congress to ..
CPI(M) to intensify movement against Citizenship Bill: Das
The opposition CPI(M) in Tripura Thursday announced to intensify its movement against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. "Our party has decided to intensify movement against the Citizenship Amendment bill because it is divisive and the Narendra Modi Government in the Centre is trying to divide people of the country on religious line," CPI(M) state party secretary Gautam Das told reporters. He said the CPI(M) has decided to organise rally, procession and mass sit-in nationwide on February 4 demanding scrapping of the bill. "We would organise protests and rallies on February 4 as part of nationwide programme. Besides, we have decided to intensify movement in our state, because people of the state would face lot of problems if the bill is passed," Das said. He said peace prevailed in the north eastern region before the bill was proposed by the Central government, but the situation turned "volatile" in the region after the bill was introduced. "People of the N-E region came ..
Indian foreign policy dictated by electoral compulsions: Mehbooba
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Thursday that India had dubbed the Pakistan Foreign Minister's telephone call to Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq as "anti-India" due to electoral politics.
EC reviews poll preparedness in Bengal, stresses on making electoral rolls accurate
In a meeting held to review poll preparedness in West Bengal Thursday, the Election Commission laid stress on increasing the accuracy of electoral rolls, officials said. The meeting was held between full bench of the Commission, district election officials, superintendents of police, divisional commissioners and other district officials of the state. The Commission directed officials to launch a special drive to include names of new voters and strike off names of fake and bogus voters, an official said. It sought a detailed report about poll-related violence that took place during last elections in the state and inquired about the number of cases pending since the last elections were held in the state, an official said. Commission officials also inquired about reports on recent recovery of arms and ammunition in the state, the official said. Electoral roll cleansing is on the radar and we have been asked to ensure that bogus voters are removed from the list. Work on it will start ...
PM thanks people of Jind for selecting BJP candidate in Haryana assembly bypoll
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday thanked the people of Jind in Haryana for selecting a BJP MLA and said he is glad to see his party's development agenda finding support among all sections of society. He also congratulated the party's Haryana unit and the state's chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar. "I thank the people of Jind for blessing @BJP4Haryana. This is a seat where the Party has never won before. Glad to see the development agenda of BJP finding support among all sections of society," Modi tweeted. The BJP's candidate Krishan Middha won the seat with a margin of 12,935 votes over his nearest rival Digvijay Singh Chautala of new party JJP, floated last month by Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala after a split in the INLD following a family feud. The Congress, which had fielded its senior leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, an MLA from Kaithal, finished third. Middha (48) is a BAMS doctor and his father's death necessitated the bypoll.
PSA will be revoked if voted to power: Omar
National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah said Thursday he would ensure revocation of the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA) if his party was voted to power in Jammu and Kashmir. "If voted to power, PSA revocation will be ensured," the National Conference twitter handle quoted the former chief minister as saying in Pulwama in south Kashmir. Several separatist leaders and youths accused of involvement in stone-pelting have been detained under the PSA. The law -- first enacted by the government led by Omar Abdullah's grandfather, Sheikh Abdullah, in the 1970s to tackle timber-smuggling in forests -- has come under criticism from human rights groups like Amnesty International. Omar Abdullah said his party was committed to bring the state out of misery, despondency and darkness. "The masses reflecting the faith that #OnlyHal (plough -- election symbol of the party) is the answer to their problems." The Peoples Democratic Party was quick to dismiss Omar Abdullah's promise. "A ...
NCP demands ban on Hindu group for insulting Mahatma Gandhi
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday staged a silent protest to condemn the insult meted out to Mahatma Gandhi by activists of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha in Aligarh on Wednesday.
Jind bypoll: BJP wins by nearly 13,000 votes
Ruling BJP won the high-stakes Jind bypoll in Haryana Thursday with party candidate Krishan Middha defeating his nearest rival, Digvijay Singh Chautala of Jannayak Janata Party, a breakaway outfit of INLD, by nearly 13,000 votes. The BJP wrested the seat from the main opposition Indian National Lok Dal, which was decimated in the by-election. Middha won by a margin of 12,935 votes, Jind Deputy Commissioner-cum-Returning Officer Amit Khatri said. The JPP had fielded 27-year-old Digvijay Singh Chautala, the son of former Member of Parliament (MP) Ajay Singh Chautala and younger brother of Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala. All three were expelled by Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) supremo and patriarch, Om Prakash Chautala for anti-party activities before they floated a new political party. The Congress, which had fielded its senior leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, sitting MLA from Kaithal, ended up at the third spot. Talking to reporters earlier in Chandigarh, Chief Minister Manohar Lal ...
Following are the top foreign stories ar 1700 hours
Following are the top foreign stories ar 1700 hours: FGN15 CHINA-INDIA-NSG India must sign NPT to gain entry into NSG: China Beijing: India must sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty to gain entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group, China said Thursday, asserting that "patient negotiations" were required for New Delhi's admission into the group as there is no precedent for the inclusion of non-NPT countries. By K J M Varma. FGN4 US-H1B New H-1B visa filing rule to give priority to workers with advanced degrees from US Washington: The US has announced a new H-1B visa filing rule from April under which priority would be given to foreign workers with advanced degrees from American universities, a decision that could impact professionals who received higher education in countries like India and China. By Lalit K Jha. FGN16 PAK-INDIA-SUMMON Pak summons Indian envoy; protests summoning of its top diplomat over Qureshi-Mirwaiz phone call Islamabad: In a tit-for-tat move, Pakistan on Thursday ...
Next J&K CM will be from BJP: Raina
The next chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir will be from the BJP as the party will come to power on its own in the state, state in-charge of the saffron party Ravinder Raina said Thursday. Addressing a series of meetings ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's February 3 rally at Vijaypur in Jammu, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader credited the Union government for ensuring "remarkable development" in the state. "The BJP will form its own government in Jammu and Kashmir after upcoming assembly elections and the chief minister will be from the BJP," Raina said. Launching a scathing attack on the Congress and the National Conference (NC), Raina said leaders of both the parties had plundered the resources of the state and exploited the people. While, the Narendra Modi government with the slogan of "Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas" has ensured that every section of the society gets justice. Raina thanked the prime minister for sanctioning key projects for Jammu like AIIMS, Shahpur Kandi and
PM has told opposition that govt will present interim budget: Azad
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conveyed to the Opposition that his government will present an interim budget, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said Thursday. Azad also said the Opposition has asked the government to take up only non-controversial bills for passage in Parliament in the Budget Session. The budget will be presented on Friday. "We should take up only those bills which are not controversial... on which there is total unanimity," the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha told reporters after an all-party meeting here. Azad also suggested that it will be difficult for Parliament to function if the government pushes for contentious bills. Echoing similar views, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien said the government should not take up controversial bills during the session. He alleged that the government has found an "ally" in the Central Bureau of Investigation ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Krishan Lal Middha triumphs in Haryana's Jind assembly by-poll, BJP's first ever win in past 52 years
BJP's Krishan Lal Middha on Thursday won Haryana's high-stakes Jind assembly by-poll by pocketing 50,566 votes. It is the BJP's first ever win in Jind assembly seat in the past 52 years.Middha wrested the seat from the INLD by a margin of 12,935 votes. Newly floated Jannayak Janata Party's (JJP) Digvijay Singh Chautala garnered 37,631 votes. Congress' Randeep Singh Surjewala got 22,740 votes. INLD's Umedh Singh Redhu came to poor fourth. The result of Jind by-poll, for which the counting of votes began on Thursday at 8 am amid tight security, came as a pleasant surprise for Middha, who surpassed and set a new record of getting over 50,000 votes.His father Dr Hari Chand Middha, whose death necessitated the by-poll, had won the last assembly poll in 2014 on the INLD ticket and had bagged just 31,631 votes. BJP's Surinder Singh Barwala had bagged 29,374 votes.Dr Middha had won the seat in 2009 Assembly poll too. In the first Assembly poll held in 1967, the ...
People see Priyanka's grandmother in her, they may see Rahul's grandfather in him: Lokendra Parashar
Even as the Congress hopes to take political mileage through the newly inducted Priyanka Gandhi, who bears a striking resemblance to her late grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, a BJP leader has said the grand old party should by the same yardstick also not steer away from comparisons of party chief Rahul Gandhi to his grandfather.Speaking to ANI, BJP state media in charge, Lokendra Parashar said, "When people see the image of Priyankaji's grandmother in her, it is expected that they should see the image of Rahul Gandhi's grandfather in him. Why does Congress steer clear of that? If they take Indira ji's name, why do they not like her husband?"After the induction of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as general secretary of Congress in charge of eastern UP, several party workers on Sunday demanded that she be named as the Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur.Workers raised slogans "Gorakhpur ki yahi pukaar, Priyanka Gandhi saansad iss baar (The people of Gorakhpur now want Priyanka
'Josh' at all time high when Kovind mentioned surgical strikes, Rafale
The "josh" (enthusiasm) of the treasury bench members was at an all time "high" in the Central Hall of Parliament on Thursday when President Ram Nath Kovind mentioned the surgical strikes and the Rafale fighter jets.