Page 1781 - Politics
NDA govt's FY20 Budget will be election gimmick: TDP
The NDA government's Budget 2019-20, to be presented on February 1 in Parliament, will predominately be an "election gimmick", Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and Andhra Pradesh IT Minister N Lokesh said on Wednesday. The TDP is not expecting much from the Budget, as it is going to be an interim Budget, he said attacking the NDA government for failing to fulfil the party's demand of a special category status to the newly carved-out state. "We don't expect much from this Budget, as this government has not delivered from the last four Budgets. Whatever they do, it will predominantly be an election gimmick," Lokesh told reporters here. The TDP has been demanding from the Centre a special category status to Andhra Pradesh and fulfil other commitment as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, he added. The NDA government is expected to make a host of populist announcements in the Budget session of Parliament starting Thursday, during which, the Opposition is likely to corner it on a ...
Cong slept through 26/11, BJP conducted surgical strike in response of Uri
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that while the Congress government remained in deep slumber even after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack that shocked the entire nation, his government swung into action conducting a surgical strike following the Uri attack. The Prime Minister said that for him every drop of a soldier's blood is "Holy" and the fire which was burning in every jawans' heart, was burning in his heart too."Terrorists attacked Mumbai, what happened after it? In our government, Uri happened, what happened after it? This is the change. The fire that was in the hearts of our jawans, it was in the heart of the PM too, Surgical Strike was the result," Prime Minister Modi said while addressing India Youth Conclave programme here."The previous government slept through 26/11, but Uri did not let us sleep. Drop of every jawan's blood is holy for us," he added.He said that under the previous government's tenure the terrorists' attacks were rampant across the nation, but ..
Credibility valuable asset in politics: Hardeep Puri's jibe at Rahul over meeting with Parrikar
After Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar denied discussing Rafale issue with Rahul Gandhi, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the Congress president is a "habitual offender" and should know that credibility is a valuable asset in politics. Gandhi paid a visit to Parrikar on Tuesday. Hours after meeting Parrikar, Gandhi told Congress workers in Kochi that the former defence minister told him that he had nothing to do with the Rafale fighter jet deal. The ailing Goa chief minister on Wednesday accused Gandhi of using his courtesy visit for "petty political gains", asserting that there was no mention of the Rafale issue in their five-minute meeting. Reacting to this, the housing and urban affairs minister without naming Gandhi said the "gentleman is a habitual offender". "God Help Us! If what he said did not happen, why did he think it happened? After being contradicted by an ailing @manoharparrikar Ji almost immediately, the gentleman who is a habitual offender should know that ...
Iran worried over delay in Chinese nuclear reactor redesign
Tehran says that China has slowed down working on its redesign of a heavy water reactor in Iran, following the U.S. withdrawal from Tehran's nuclear agreement with world powers. Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's nuclear agency, was quoted by state-run news agency IRNA as saying that "the Chinese side decreased the speed of cooperation with us despite their commitments." He says Iran has "alternative" choices if China cannot not fulfil its job. Salehi speculates that Beijing fears possible sanctions by the U.S. if it continues cooperation with Iran but did not elaborate further. Under the 2015 nuclear agreement, experts from the United States and China were to help Iran redesign the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor to limit the amount of plutonium it produces as a byproduct.
Those who made country tremble are now making rounds of courts : PM
In an apparent dig at the Gandhi-Nehru family, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said those who made the country tremble and turned it into a jail are now making rounds of courts. Speaking at a youth conclave here, he said no one had thought that a 'chaiwalla' would challenge them. "You are aware that they are out on bail, right? Those from their 'darbaars' (their courtiers) are making rounds of courts. I am confident, I have the blessings of the 125 crore people, no matter how many rounds of courts (they make), one day they would have to go. Those who have looted the country will have to return it," he said. Virtually launching a campaign for the Lok Sabha polls, Modi said his government brought about a "change" replacing "disappointment with hope". "You have seen four generations, whose name would make the country tremble. Such was their power they turned the country into a jail. No one had thought a 'chaiwalla' would challenge them," he said. "Terrorists attacked Mumbai on ...
Maduro rallies military as Venezuela opposition plans protest
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro hit out Wednesday at military "mercenaries" he says are conspiring to divide the armed forces and plot a coup as the opposition planned a new protest to force the socialist leader from power. Maduro accused an "oligarchy" in neighboring Colombia of being behind an attempt by military deserters to drive a wedge between himself and his loyal forces, which are key to the leader's hold on power faced with mounting international support for self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido. Six major western European countries have set a weekend deadline for Maduro to call elections or they too will recognize Guaido as interim president. In a telephone call, US President Donald Trump congratulated Guaido on his "historic assumption of the presidency," giving him a new sense of legitimacy, the White House said. Speaking at a parade of 2,500 military personnel in Caracas, Maduro declared: "Where there are mercenary traitors, justice!" It came just hours before .
Rafale deal: Rahul accuses Modi of 'selling' IAF, claims truth is coming out from within govt
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "sold" the Indian Air Force to benefit a businessman in the Rafale contract, and asserted that the truth about the multi-billion dollar deal was coming out from within the government despite attempts to hide it. Gandhi's fresh round of attack on the Rafale issue comes a day after he met Goa Chief Minister and former defence minister Manohar Parrikar and ahead of the Parliament's budget session, starting Thursday. Addressing a Youth Congress event here, Gandhi hit out at the Modi government over the issue of alleged corruption in the fighter jet deal and said voices bringing out the truth were coming out from within the dispensation and no one can silence them. "I understand that you (Modi) cannot sleep in the night, I know that when you sleep, you see Anil Ambani's photo, you see the photo of Rafale aircraft, you see the photo of IAF martyrs," Gandhi said. "This is happening due to the Congress that
Work on for visit by Israeli PM to India
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to visit India next month for a second meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a little over a year after his last visit to New Delhi, it is reliably learnt.
AP CM calls for state-wide protests on Feb 1, retracts 'black
: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Wednesday called for state-wide protests on February 1, when the central government will present the budget in Parliament, terming it a 'black day', an observation he retracted within hours. He, however asked the public to stage protests in varied forms from February 1 to 13, demanding that 'justice' be done to the state by fulfilling all promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. Earlier in the day, he had told the TDP leaders via a teleconference that February 1 the day the Centre presents the Budget to Parliament would be a black day for the state and called for state-wide protests. Addressing a meeting of various groups, including some political parties, later in the evening, the Chief Minister asked everyone to desist from calling February 1 a black day. "We have been carefully protecting our (states) brand. We should not spoil it in the name of black day," he told the meeting, that was boycotted by the ...
Goyal to present interim Budget on Feb 1; no Economic Survey in offing
Finance Minister Piyush Goyal will on February 1 present Narendra Modi government's sixth and final Budget, which will be an interim one, keeping up with established tradition. The Budget will seek Parliament's nod for spending for four months till a new government is sworn-in. Official sources said the Budget documents will contain revenue and expenditure projections for the entire 2019-20 fiscal year beginning April 1, but a 'Vote on Account' will seek Parliament nod for the expenditure side. While it is widely expected that the interim budget may contain tax sops and a certain package for the farm sector, there will be no Economic Survey detailing the state of the economy. The new government, elected after general elections due by May, is expected to present a full budget in July along with the Economic Survey. With the ruling BJP looking to regain grounds lost in the recent assembly elections, it was speculated that the budget presentation on February 1 will be just like a ...
Govt should not bring full-fledged budget in name of interim budget: Cong
Days ahead of the Union budget, the Congress Wednesday said the government should not bring the full fledged budget in the name of interim budget, as its tenure is till May. Representing the Congress in the all-party meeting called by Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Congress leader in the House, Kharge said the government should restrict itself to vote-on-account. Talking to reporters after the meeting, the Congress leader said he has demanded that there should be discussion on the Rafale deal and farmers issues during the budget session, which is starting on Thursday. "I said in the meeting that the government should not bring full-fledged budget in the name of interim budget. It cannot do this as the tenure of this government is till May. The BJP-led government should bring only vote-on-account," he said. On Rafale, Kharge alleged that there is a scam in the fighter jet deal and said the prime minister should face the opposition in the house on this issue. "For sure, there is a ..
Cong to issue whip to its MPs to vote against citizenship bill in RS
The Congress will issue a three-line whip to its members of Rajya Sabha to vote against the citizenship bill, party general secretary in-charge for Assam Harish Rawat said Wednesday. Talking to reporters after separate meetings with Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Rawat said the party is always concerned about Assam and the Northeast and it will continue to do so. "As per the directive of the Congress president, the party will issue a three-line whip to its members of Rajya Sabha to vote against the bill," he said, adding it will try to rope in like-minded parties for support against the bill. A Congress delegation comprising Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora, leader of Congress legislature party Debabrata Saikia and Rawat besides others Wednesday met Gandhi and urged him to ensure that the proposed legislation is not passed in Rajya Sabha. The delegation apprised Rahul about the prevailing situation in Assam ...
Preliminary document for AIATSL disinvestment likely in a week: Official
The preliminary document for the disinvestment of Air India's ground handling subsidiary AIATSL is likely to be issued in a week, a senior government official said Wednesday. The official also asserted that the government is committed to supporting Air India, subject to efficiency-improvement parameters. The Preliminary Information Memorandum for the disinvestment of Air India Air Transport Services Ltd (AIATSL) is expected to be issued in one week, the official said. The AIATSL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India and was incorporated in June 2003. Last year, the government's efforts to sell 76 per cent stake in Air India as part of strategic disinvestment did not take off as there were no bidders. According to the official, the government would support Air India for it to continue as a functional airline, subject to efficiency-improvement parameters. Parliament has approved a Rs 2,345-crore equity infusion into the debt-laden national carrier under the second batch of ...
Members of National Statistical Commission quit over jobs data dispute
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The acting chairman and another member of a body that checks the quality of India's official data have resigned in protest at a delay in releasing jobs statistics as the economy comes under the spotlight before an election.
CM hits out at Cong, raises quit-threat again
Amid strains in Congress-JDS ties, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Wednesday again threatened to quit if Congress leaders continued to take potshots at him. "Yes, I had said I would step down if Congress leaders continue to take potshots at me. If they repeatedly make such statements, how many more days can I tolerate such stuff. Power is ephemeral. What is permanent is you (party workers) and six-and-a-half crore people of this state," he said addressing the National JDS Convention here. On January 28, Kumaraswamy had threatened to step down over adverse comments by a Congress MLA, prompting the coalition partner to swing into damage control mode. Congress general secretary K C Venugopal and incharge of party affairs in the state said the party high command has full faith in Kumaraswamy and the State government. On Sunday, Congress MLA ST Somashekhar had demanded that Siddaramaiah be made chief minister again. Somashekhar had claimed that development works had ..
Pawan Bansal stakes claim to Cong ticket from Chandigarh
Four-time MP and senior Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal Wednesday formally staked claim to the Congress ticket from Chandigarh in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The former railway minister exuded confidence that the party would repose faith in him by giving him another chance to contest from here. "I have been living here for 54 years. I have been the secretary of the University of Panjab and University Students' Council, secretary of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association, then got into the Youth Congress," Bansal said. "After having worked all these years, I know the people here. I know the geography and history of Chandigarh. I enjoy very good rapport with people in the party and outside," he said. He along with his supporters went to the Congress office here and submitted an application for the party ticket from Chandigarh. "I am fully aware of the complexities of the issues here and I am confident that the party will repose confidence in me once again," Bansal ...
NPF to boycott consultative meeting called by Nagaland govt
Opposition Naga Peoples Front (NPF) has decided to boycott the Nagaland government convened consultative meeting on Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) scheduled for Thursday in Dimapur, a party leader said Thursday. Addressing a press conference here Wednesday evening, NPF spokesperson Achumbemo Kikon said the core committee of the party held a meeting at the residential office of their president Dr Shrhozelie Liezietsu to discuss on the state government convened consultative meeting on CAB. He said the core committee decided to boycott Thursday's consultative meeting called by the state government and has resolved to seriously re-examine the coalition status of NPF with BJP in Manipur following the passage of the Citizenship Bill in Lok Sabha. The NPF spokesperson also announced that its Rajya Sabha MP from Nagaland, K G Kenye will go oppose the Citizenship Amendment Bill if laid in the Upper House of the Parliament Kikon said the core committee was of the view that ...
Over 88 pc polling in third &final phase of TL panchayat polls
: Over 88 per cent polling was registered in the third and final phase of the panchayat polls of Telangana held Wednesday, the state election commission said. This was the first polls held for the panchayats after the formation of the state in 2014. Nearly 40 lakh people exercised their franchise against 45.24 lakh eligible voters in the third phase, the SEC said. A total of 4,116 panchayats went to the polls in the third phase, the Commission said, adding that the election was declared unanimous in 577 and cancelled in another 10 due to other reasons. Polling began at 7 AM and ended at 1 PM. Counting was taken up from 2 PM. TRS MP and daughter of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao claimed that 80 per cent of the candidates supported by the ruling party had won in the polls. "Sarpanch elections were held in three phases. If you observe the results, over 80 per cent of the total candidates won are supporters of TRS. By default there were some wins for supporters of other .
Assam Cong delegation urges Rahul to ensure citizenship bill gets defeated in RS
Amid stiff opposition in Assam against the citizenship bill, a Congress delegation from the state on Wednesday met Rahul Gandhi and urged him to ensure that the proposed legislation is not passed in Rajya Sabha, sources said. The delegation, comprising Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora, leader of Congress legislature party Debabrata Saikia, party in-charge Harish Rawat besides others apprised Rahul about the prevailing situation in Assam and the Northeast and people's strong sentiment against the bill, which seeks to amend the Citizenship Act 1955 to give Indian nationality to non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The team requested Rahul to ensure that the Congress does not walk out of the debate on the bill in the Upper House and make sure that it is defeated with the help of like- minded parties, the sources said. Terming the bill as "flawed", the Congress had walked out of the debate in Lok Sabha, which passed it during the Winter Session on ...
Reopening Brexit deal 'not on agenda': Merkel spokesman
Germany on Wednesday slapped down Britain's hopes of persuading Brussels to rewrite the Brexit deal, with Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman saying re-examining the agreement was "not on the agenda". "Opening the withdrawal agreement is not on the agenda," said Steffen Seibert, a day after British Prime Minister Theresa May said she would seek to revisit the pact she sealed with the 27 EU leaders at a summit last month. British MPs late Tuesday voted through an amendment saying they would only support a divorce deal if a controversial "backstop" clause to keep the Irish border open was removed. The German government has taken note of the British parliament's decision to seek "more clarity" on the border issue, said Seibert. "It is now up to PM Theresa May to give concrete explanations on this issue to the EU's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker," added the spokesman. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas earlier Wednesday said it remained unclear .