Page 1774 - Politics
Pakistan summons India's envoy over Qureshi-Mirwaiz call
Pakistan, in a tit-for-tat move, summoned India's High Commissioner on Thursday, a day after New Delhi summoned Islamabad's representative in India to lodge a protest over Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's telephone call to Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
BJP wins Jind Assembly seat (Third Lead)
Krishan Lal Middha of Haryana's ruling BJP won the Jind Assembly seat on Thursday by 12,935 votes.
BJP wants central observers, CAPF in Bengal for 2019 polls
A West Bengal BJP delegation met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora here on Thursday and demanded that central observers be appointed across all segments, besides adequate deployment of central forces to ensure free and fair polling in the state in the 2019 general elections.
Ruckus disrupts counting of votes in Jind bye poll
Counting of votes for the Jind Assembly bye election in Haryana was halted for some time on Thursday after some people created ruckus outside the counting centre amid allegations of EVMs going missing.Police had to resort to baton charge to disperse the violent crowds outside the counting centre in the Arjuna stadium here.Additional police force was called in, after which the counting resumed, officials said.According to the latest trend, BJP is leading with 46,916 votes. Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) is in second place with 30,956 votes, while Congress is trailing with 19,611 votes.Jind Assembly constituency went to polls on January 28. Over 75.77 per cent voting was recorded in Jind bye poll, which has 2.32 lakh registered voters registered voters. The bye poll was necessitated following the death of INLD MLA Hari Chan Midha, father of Krishna Midha.
Have trust in me: HD Kumaraswamy
Amid reports of cracks in the Congress-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka, state Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has asked everyone to have trust in him.Kumaraswamy had earlier threatened to step down from the Chief Minister's post as he got infuriated over certain remarks made by some legislators of the ally Congress. He had said that they were "crossing the line"."I'm telling you all and people of the state to have belief in me. Yes, I said yesterday that I will resign due to certain developments. Few people are talking against me which is why I had said so," Kumaraswamy said on Thursday.Earlier two Congress MLAs, ST Somashekar and MTB Nagaraj, had said that they consider only former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as their leader, and not Kumaraswamy.In the 224-member Assembly, JD(S) has 37 seats and Congress 80 seats.Ever since the Congress-JD(S) jointly formed the government in Karnataka in May last year, there have been murmurs in power corridors over the coalition.
God wanted Trump to be President: White House Press Secretary
God "wanted" Donald Trump to become President, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders has said, in surprising remarks, and claimed that he had done a "tremendous job" in supporting "a lot of the things that people of faith really care about"."I think God calls all of us to fill different roles at different times and I think that he wanted Donald Trump to become President," Sanders, the White House Press Secretary told the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), on Wednesday (local time)."That's why he's there and I think he has done a tremendous job in supporting a lot of the things that people of faith really care about," she added.Sanders took on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the interview, and blasted the Democrats for supporting late-term abortion."Honestly, it's very hard at this point to even take a lecture from Democrats on what is moral and what isn't," she said in an apparent reference to Pelosi labelling the construction of a wall on the US-Mexico border as an ...
WB oppn parties demand deployment of central forces during LS polls
The opposition parties in West Bengal on Thursday, during a meeting with ECI full bench, demanded heavy deployment of central forces in the state during the upcoming Lok Sabha polls to ensure a free and fair election. The full bench of Election Commission of India (ECI), led by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, met representatives of various political parties. Besides leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), those of opposition parties such as the BJP, the CPI(M) and the Congress called on the ECI's top bosses at a five-star hotel in central Kolkata. "We demanded heavy deployment of central forces to ensure free and fair polls. They should be deployed in each and every booth of the state and the central forces should not be under the control of the district police. Those police officials act as per the orders of TMC leaders," BJP delegation leader Mukul Roy said. The TMC delegation, led by the party's secretary general and senior minister Partha Chatterjee, also met the .
US Senator Rand Paul awarded $580,000 for neighbour's attack
A jury awarded Republican Senator Rand Paul more than USD 580,000 Wednesday over an attack by a neighbour that left him with broken ribs and fluid in his lungs, US media reported. Rene Boucher, who assaulted the junior senator from Kentucky in 2017, will owe USD 375,000 in punitive damages, USD 200,000 for pain and suffering and USD 7,834 for medical expenses, according to local media reports. "This lawsuit wasn't about me. It was about all of us and what we find acceptable as a society. We need to send a clear message that violence is not the answer - anytime, anywhere," Paul wrote on Twitter Wednesday. "We can hold different views, whether it's politics, religion or day to day matters," but it is "never ok to turn those disagreements into violent, aggressive anger. I hope that's the message from today," he tweeted. Boucher was arrested in 2017 after Kentucky State Police responded to a reported assault at Paul's Warren County home. The suspect's attorney Matt Baker issued a ...
Sardesai slams Dhavalikar over threat to pull out of BJP govt
Goa Forward Party (GFP) chief and state minister Vijai Sardesai Thursday hit out at the ruling partner Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) for threatening to pull out of the Manohar Parrikar-led government. He alleged that MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar was trying to destabilise the BJP-led government in Goa, and asked him to introspect. MGP has been threatening to pull out of the Parrikar government over various issues, including the mining crisis. Sardesai, who is the Town and Country Planning Minister, had recently said his party has plan B ready, in case any attempts were made to destabilise the current dispensation. Dhavalikar had dared him to form an alternative government. Sardesai alleged the MGP was divided into two factions. "There is MGP I and MGP II, due to which my party has to think about plan B," he said. "I think there is some misunderstanding. In any exercise, there is a plan A. If plan A does not work, there is plan B...What I am trying to say and what ...
Army Chief visits Parrikar
Army chief General Bipin Rawat called on ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar at his office at the state Assembly complex on Thursday.
Fadnavis rules out simultaneous assembly, LS polls in Maharashtra
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday ruled out the possibility of simultaneous assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state. However, the Congress claimed that Fadnavis may "reluctantly agree" to keep the BJP's alliance intact with the Shiv Sena. To a question by PTI on whether he has been asked by the BJP high command in Delhi about his views on simultaneous polls, Fadnavis replied in the negative. "There is no prospect of advancing the state assembly polls (so that they can be held) along with the Lok Sabha elections," he said. The Maharashtra Assembly's term ends in November and elections are likely to be held in October. The Lok Sabha elections are due in April-May. Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam claimed that the BJP has "surrendered" before its ally Shiv Sena, which has said that if there is an alliance, it should be for both Lok Sabha and assembly polls. "The BJP had told the Sena to first have an alliance for the Lok Sabha polls and then consider .
Ticket distribution likely to be tough for BJP in Uttarakhand
Ticket distribution for the BJPin Uttarakhandfor the coming Lok Sabha polls is likely to be a tough exercise, with party heavyweights vying with each other to stake claim on at least three of the five lower house seats in the state. Seats for which there are more than one contenders within the party are Pauri, Tehri and Nainital, sources in the state BJP said on condition of anonymity. Speculation about the party likely to gamble on a new face in Pauri started ever since sitting MP and former chief minister Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri expressed his disinclination to contest, saying older people should step aside making room for the young, they said. In case Khanduri opts out of the race, his daughter and Yamkeshwar MLA Ritu Khanduri may be the party's first choice to replace him as the party's nominee from the seat, the sources said. However, party heavyweight and state tourism minister Satpal Maharaj is also lobbying for the seat for his wife Amrita, they said, adding,his contention will
Parrikar should appoint DyCMs, give key portfolios to others:
The Congress on Thursday said ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar should appoint two deputy chief ministers and delegate some of the key portfolios held by him to his other ministerial colleagues. On Parrikar's comments in the Assembly on Wednesday that he was high in 'spirit' and fully in his senses, Goa Congress spokesman Ramakant Khalap said his body language neither depicted "josh" nor "hosh", but showed "hunger for power". Parrikar, 63, who has been suffering from a pancreatic ailment, had made the comments while presenting the state budget in the Assembly. Khalap said, "The Goa government has created history and presented a miracle budget. During his seven-minute speech, Parrikar used words like 'he has josh and hosh'." "However, Parrikar's body language and the kind of budget that was tabled, it is clear that 'na josh, na hosh, sattecha sos' (no josh, no hosh, only hunger for power)," he told reporters here in remarks made in Marathi. Khalap claimed ...
President Kovind highlights good work of Modi government in Budget session speech
The Rafale deal, surgical strikes, counter-terrorism, demonetisation, GST, and several initiatives of the NDA government in the last four-and-a-half years were the highlight of President Ram Nath Kovind's speech on the opening day of the Budget Session on Thursday.The President also talked about the making of a "New India" and various schemes for social, infrastructure, and economic development by the NDA government during its tenure. President Kovind termed demonetisation as a "defining moment" in the Government's war on corruption and black money and listed out various steps taken by the government to curb black money.Speaking for the first time on the controversial Rafale deal, President Kovind termed the purchase of the fighter aircraft as an important step to enhance the strike capability of Indian Air Force and boost the morale of the defence forces."My Government believes that neglecting the country's defence needs even for a moment is detrimental to the present as well as ...
Congress' Shafia Zubair wins Ramgarh assembly by-poll
Congress candidate Shafia Zubair on Thursday defeated her rival Suwant Singh of BJP by a margin of 12,228 votes to win the Ramgarh assembly by-polls.After 20 rounds of counting, the Congress candidate secured a total of 83,311 votes while the BJP's Singh came second with 71,083 votes.Addressing the media after the results, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, "I'm happy that people took a well-meditated step. They have given a message at a time when it was much needed. It'll encourage the party ahead of the Lok Sabha election."After winning the Ramgarh seat, the Congress tally has reached 100 in the 200-seat assembly constituency.Talking to ANI, Zubair expressed her happiness over the win, and said: "People know that we believe in working. They have seen us working. This is the result of the hard work we have put in."On the issue of illegal cow slaughter, Zubair said, "We will set up a camp to educate people and it is the responsibility of the city administration to stop such .
President Kovind highlights good work of Modi government in Budget Session speech, sets tone for Lok Sabha elections
The Rafale deal, surgical strikes, counter-terrorism, demonetisation, GST, and several initiatives of the NDA government in the last nearly five years were the highlight of President Ram Nath Kovind's speech to the joint session of Parliament on the opening day of the Budget Session on Thursday. Setting the tone for the 2019 general elections, the President also talked about the Narendra Modi government's promise of making of a "New India" and the various schemes for social, infrastructure, and economic development the NDA government has undertaken during its tenure. President Kovind termed demonetisation as a "defining moment" in the Government's war on corruption and black money and listed out various steps taken by the government to curb black money.Speaking for the first time on the controversial Rafale deal, President Kovind termed the purchase of the fighter aircraft as an important step to enhance the strike capability of Indian Air Force and boost the morale of the defence ...
Trump calls intelligence officials 'passive, naive'
US President Donald Trump has lashed out at the country's intelligence agencies, accusing their officials of being "passive and naive" about the dangers posed by Iran, while defending his handling of Afghanistan, North Korea and the Islamic State (IS) terror group.
Parrikar-Rahul meeting row: Smriti Irani calls Cong chief 'congenital liar', Cong hits back
In a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi on the row over his meeting with Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, BJP leader Smriti Irani Thursday described the Congress chief as a "congenital liar" and wondered if he is "India's first post-truth politician". Hitting back at Irani, Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said Irani was an "an electorally frustrated" leader who has been trying to stay politically relevant by abusing Gandhi for the past 15 years. "Mrs Irani should realise that she cannot win 2019 by only abusing Rahul Gandhi. Mr Gandhi does not need a certificate of honesty from court jesters of the 'bhrasht jumla party'," he said. Parrikar on Wednesday had accused Gandhi of using their courtesy meeting for "petty political gains" by making a "false statement" on the Rafale issue, prompting the Congress chief to assert that he did not speak on details of their conversation and claim that the BJP leader was "under pressure". In a Facebook post, Minister of Textiles Irani said: ..
Parliament adjourns after Prez address
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day Thursday after President Ram Nath Kovind's address to the joint sitting of Parliament. In his address, Kovind highlighted the government's development works and commitment to social justice. He also asserted that the government has worked to build a "New India" after assuming power in 2014 when the nation was passing through "uncertain times". After the address, the Lower House was adjourned. Later, the President's address was laid in the Rajya Sabha. The Upper House was adjourned for the day after mourning the passing away of its former members Sitaram Singh and George Fernandes. Singh, a veteran freedom fighter and social worker, passed away on November 30, 2018 at the age of 99 years. He represented Bihar in the Upper House from 1970-1976. Fernandes, former minister, passed away on January 29 at the age of 88 years. He hailed from Karnataka and was champion of workers' rights. He represented the Upper House from ...
Modi govt committed to equitable development of 3 regions of JK: Prez
President Ram Nath Kovind Thursday said the Modi government was committed to equitable development of the three regions of Jammu and Kashmir and has created a favourable environment for it. Addressing the joint sitting of Parliament at the beginning of the Budget Session, Kovind also highlighted the peaceful conclusion of Panchayat elections in the state recently, saying 70 per cent voters participated in the polls "enthusiastically". "My government is committed to equitable development of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir. As a result of the efforts of my government, an environment favourable to development has been created in the state," he said. Kovind said the NDA government was committed to the development of Jammu and Kashmir and had announced a package of Rs 80,000 crore and projects related to infrastructure, health and education sectors worth more than Rs 66,000 crore have already been approved so far. "Recently, in Jammu and Kashmir, elections to urban local bodies after an interval