Page 1809 - Politics
Modi to visit Arunachal, Tripura next month
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will to visit Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh next month, a government official said on Monday.
Goa BJP asks Rahul to visit 'Atal Setu'
The Goa unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday asked Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who is currently on a holiday in the coastal state, to visit the 'Atal Setu' bridge over the Mandovi river.
Shiv Sena 'Big Brother', will shake Delhi throne: Sanjay Raut
Dismissing all speculation of an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the Lok Sabha 2019 election, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said on Monday that the Sena will always remain the 'Big Brother' in Maharashtra and shake the throne of Delhi.
Bandh affects normal life in Lekang area of Namsai district
The indefinite bandh called by three tribal bodies affected normal life in Lekang area of Namsai district on Monday, police said. The three tribal bodies - United Peoples Movement of Lekang, Lekang Indigenous Forum and Deori Tribal Students Union have called the indefinite bandh from Monday demanding Permanent Residential Certificate (PRC) to the Deori community living in Lekang area of the district. Superintendent of Police, Namsai, Ankit Kumar Singh said the bandh affected normal life but there was no report any violence. Lekang BJP mandal president, Jugesh Taye termed the bandh as "uncalled for" and said Chief Minister Pema Khandu has given positive indication to find a solution which could be expected from state cabinet by second week of February. Taye said the state government is awaiting for the final report of the Joint High Powered (JHP) committee headed by senior minister Nabam Rebia which would be placed in the cabinet. The decision of the cabinet on the report
NRC electoral gimmick: Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the BJP-led central government on Monday over the updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, saying the move was nothing but an "electoral gimmick". She also told the people not to "bother about it". "If one fails to produce the proof of his or her date of birth, then that person will be driven out in the name of (the updation of) the NRC, the person will not be considered a citizen," the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said, adding that many of the older generation did not have such documents as the situation was different in the past. "Do not try to label genuine citizens as foreigners by asking for proof of their citizenship twice," she said at a state government programme, referring to authorities seeking multiple documents. "We all are citizens of India -- we cast our votes, we have bank accounts. We have fought for the independence of this soil.... This (updation of the NRC) is an electoral gimmick, ...
Guj govt to go for vote on account instead of full budget
The Gujarat government would present a vote on account instead of a full budget during the Legislative Assembly session beginning February 18 in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. As per the schedule released by the Legislative Secretariat Monday, the state Assembly would meet for five days in Gandhinagar for approving the vote on acount. A Full Budget typically includes the passage of a finance bill while a vote on account is sought for proposed expenditure to be incurred in the next few months till the new government takes over. On the first day of the session, Governor O P Kohli, as per a legislative convention, would address the Assembly. Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who also handles Finance portfolio, would present the vote on account on February 19, an official release said Monday. The discussion and voting on the financial proposals would take place on February 21. "In the view of upcoming Lok Sabha elections, state government would present only vote ..
BJP MP aims 'joker' barb at Rahul over 'trump card' Priyanka
A senior BJP leader Monday took a swipe at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi with a card game reference by asking whether the latter was a "joker" if his sister Priyanka Gandhi was the opposition party's "trump card". Saroj Pandey, BJP in charge for Maharashtra and Rajya Sabha MP, justified her card game wordplay by citing the statement of senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad who had termed Priyanka Gandhi's appointment as the party's general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh as a "trump card" move. "Congress party ke neta ne kaha, Ghulam Nabi Azad ne is baat ko kaha, ki hum turup ka ikka chalate hai... To joker se ab tak khelte the iskaa matlab tay hain (Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad says they are now playing with a trump card. So it surely means so far they were playing with a joker)," Pandey said. She was addressing the convention of Maharashtra BJP in Jalna. "I cannot play cards, but you can understand (the difference between) trump card and joker," she further ...
Odisha govt forced state farmers to sell paddy below MSP: says Dharmendra Pradhan
Odisha government has forced the state's farmers to sell below the minimum-support-price fixed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said on Monday.Addressing a gathering at Jabab Maguchi Odisha programme at Nabarangpur, the Union Minister said: "Centre has been putting immense efforts to improve Odisha's farmer situation, however, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's government has forced the state farmers to sell their paddy below the MSP fixed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.""Farmers in Nabarangpur are yet to get proper irrigation facilities. The ruling party BJD had promised to irrigate 35 per cent agriculture land in the district, but is yet to fulfill that promise," Pradhan said.Continuing his tirade against Patnaik for not utilizing funds allocated by the Centre for the development of the state, Pradhan said, "People of Nabarangpur are showing displeasure at the 19-year-old Biju Janata .
Odisha CM rubbishes Rahul Gandhi's claim over PM control
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday rubbished Congress president Rahul Gandhi's claim that "Patnaik is controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi".Shrugging off Rahul's claims, the Odisha Chief Minister laughed and said: "All such allegations are rubbish."Addressing a rally in Bhubaneswar last week, Rahul had reportedly said, "Naveen Patnaik sits and stands when Prime Minister Modi presses a button. When a Bill has to be passed in the Parliament, chowkidaar presses the button and Naveen has it passed. The entire country calls notebandi (demonetisation) a folly. Naveen Patnaik also thinks it is wrong. Then chowkidaar presses a button and Naveen calls it a good move."After a review meeting at Odisha Bhawan here today, Patnaik said: "About 6,400 crore is pending in the various ministries of the Central Government."He has instructed senior officials of Odisha Bhawan to follow up the concerned ministries for the early release of the fund. "As only one month is left for the ...
Delhi government to give MSP to farmers as per Swaminathan Committee report
The Delhi government has decided to implement the Swaminathan Committee's recommendations with regard to the minimum support price (MSP) for farm produces, said Irrigation Minister Gopal Rai here on Monday. Addressing a press conference, Rai said: "The Delhi government has decided to start the process for implementing the recommendations made by the Swaminathan Committee on the MSP from Tuesday." "No relief has been provided to the farmers so far either by the Congress or the BJP government," he said."We were hoping that the Centre will implement the recommendations of Swaminathan Committee on the MSP for farm produces but in vain. Therefore, the Delhi government has decided to implement these recommendations for Delhi farmers," he said.The Delhi government had constituted a committee in 2018 to study the techniques adopted for deciding MSP in different states of the country."We constituted one committee last year on December 4 to study various models adopted for deciding the MSP by ..
Minimum income to every poor if we win Lok Sabha polls: Rahul
The Congress will ensure minimum universal basic income for the poor, if it comes to power in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, party president Rahul Gandhi announced on Monday."After winning in 2019 we will take a step that no party has ever taken. We will ensure minimum universal basic income for the poor. No government in the world has ever taken such a decision," Rahul Gandhi said while addressing a rally here.While promising to empower the farmers, poor and marginalised, the Congress leader took a dig at the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP)-led government in Centre and states saying that the party only works to benefit the rich."Whenever we spoke of loan waiver, the BJP said they do not have money. In Chhattisgarh, they said they have no money. In Madhya Pradesh, (former chief minister) Shivraj Singh Chouhan said he does not have money. In Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he does not have money for loan waiver. They do not have money for loan waiver but they can waive loans ...
Guaido calls for fresh protest as Venezuela continues to reel under politico-economic crisis
Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido, who announced himself as the Interim President of the nation last week, has called for a "peaceful protest" on Wednesday, seeking humanitarian assistance to end the ongoing political and economic crisis in the South American country.Al Jazeera quoted Guaido while addressing the media on Sunday, urging his countrymen to hold mass protests on Wednesday and Saturday of the week, a date which coincides with the ultimatum given to President Nicolas Maduro by the European Union to call for fresh elections in the South American country.The warnings, however, has been rejected by Maduro.Guaido also sought the assistance of the Venezuelan armed forces amid the political turmoil in the country, while asking them not to suppress the expression of the civilians against the malpractices of the Maduro government."I order you not to shoot. I order you not to repress the people," Guaido was quoted as saying.Meanwhile, Maduro who has been busy enjoying the ...
Kumaraswamy threatens to quit as CM, says Cong leaders 'crossing the line'
He asked the Congress to control its MLAs, after two of them, ST Somashekar and MTB Nagaraj, said on Sunday that they consider only former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as their leader, and not Kumaraswamy. "Congress leaders...They have to watch all these issues. It is left to them. You ask Congress leaders. I am not the concerned person for all these things," a visibily- angry Kumaraswamy told ANI when asked to comment on the remarks made by Somashekar and Nagaraj."Same thing if they want to continue to (do) all this, I am ready to step down. I am ready to step down. Congress leaders must think about all this. They are crossing the line, they must control," the Chief Minister said.The Congress immediately went into damage control mode, with its senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge, asking the leaders not to make unnecessary comments."They (Karnataka Congress MLAs) shouldn't react openly to the media. We've all come together to fight BJP-RSS. It's not advisable for any member to speak ...
Denial of entry to scribes at J-K R-Day event attack on press freedom: Editors Guild
The Editors Guild of India on Monday said the denial of entry to several senior journalists into a stadium in Srinagar to cover the Republic Day function was an "unprecedented state-sponsored attack" on press freedom and demanded an inquiry into the incident. Journalists in Srinagar had staged a protest against the Jammu and Kashmir government after several scribes were allegedly not allowed to enter the venue of the Republic Day function despite possessing valid accreditation passes. The Editors Guild of India said it condemns the arbitrary manner in which several senior journalists of Jammu and Kashmir were denied entry into the stadium. "It is shocking that many of them were stopped from entering the stadium to perform their professional duty in spite of their possessing entry passes issued by the state government's Information Department," the Guild said in a statement. Equally deplorable, it said, is the "state government's earlier decision to deny entry passes for covering the ..
Amid Rafale row, Modi says def projects pending for decades have materialised, will take tough decisions that are necessary for nation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said defence projects pending for decades related to fighter jets and modernisation have materialised on the ground under his government which will take all "big and tough" decisions that are necessary for the country's security in the coming days. Addressing the NCC cadets here, he said India is a strong proponent of peace but it will not hesitate to take steps to ensure national security. The prime minister also asserted that corruption cannot be a part of 'New India' and those indulging in graft will not be spared. The 'New India', he said, will give opportunities and respect to 'karmayogi' (the one who proves himself through his work). "I want to assure you that your family of birth, your economic situation...this will not determine your future. Your skills, hardwork and self-confidence will give you results," he said. The prime minister said his government is trying the replace the VIP culture with EPI - 'Every Person is Important'. At a ..
Upset over Cong MLAs remarks Kumaraswamy threatens to quit
Amid strains in Congress-JDS ties, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Monday 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 commandhas full faith in Kumaraswamy and the State government. Irked over a Congress MLA demanding that Siddaramaiah be made the chief minister again during an event on Sunday, Kumaraswamy said "If my way of functioning is not acceptable, then I am ready to quit. I don't want to continue also. I am not ready to stick to the chair." The Chief Minister said the Congress and the JDS have formed the government to give good governance here and "we are doing a good job." Congress MLA ST Somashekhar had claimed during the event that development works had come to a grinding halt here and in other parts of the state. Reacting to the comments, Kumaraswamy said "Our government ..
Karnataka: Siddaramaih loses cool, misbehaves with women
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah was caught on camera misbehaving with a woman here on Monday.In a video, Siddaramaiah can be seen furiously snatching a mike, in the process of which her dupatta also fell.The woman was apparently raising some issue, which agitated the Congress leader.An infuriated Siddaramaiah then asked the woman to sit down, while the latter keeps on making her argument.Few second later, when the woman again stands up to speak up; the former chief minister again taps her on the shoulder asking her to sit down.The incident reportedly occurred during a public meeting at districts' Varuna area.Later while commenting on the incident, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president Dinesh Gundu Rao said, Siddaramaiah's actions were "unintentional". "Sometimes when people start asking questions in a rough way and after hearing them out when they don't stop, you want to pull the mic. When pulling the mic the dupatta came along with. There was
Punjab CM vows not to spare anyone guilty for Bargari carnage
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday vowed not to spare anyone found guilty of the Bargari carnage, whether a politician or a police officer, irrespective of their position or high office.
Sena will always be 'big brother', Raut on alliance with BJP
The Shiv Sena Monday said it would always be the "big brother" in an alliance with the BJP in Maharashtra, adding no such proposal had been received from the latter. Speaking to reporters here after a meeting chaired by party chief Uddhav Thackeray, the Sena's Rajya Sabha MP and chief whip in Parliament, Sanjay Raut, said the party also wanted the income tax exemption threshold to be raised from the existing Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 8 lakh. "Shiv Sena is the big brother (in the alliance with BJP and other parties) in Maharashtra and will continue to be so," Raut asserted. "There is no proposal from the BJP to form any alliance with the Shiv Sena. Those who wish to forge an alliance with us are talking about it. We are not waiting for any proposal to be offered to us," he added. Till 2014, the BJP and Sena, allies for long, used to have an understanding under which the former would contest a larger share of Lok Sabha seats and the latter would get a greater number of Maharashtra Assembly ...
UK expresses regret at burning of Indian flag by separatist groups
The UK government Monday expressed regret over reports that the Indian flag was burnt during a demonstration by separatist groups outside the Indian High Commission in London on Republic Day. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said it was disappointed that separatist groups had chosen to take such an action, as Scotland Yard confirmed that it was working to establish the exact circumstances around the incident on Saturday. "We are disappointed that anyone would chose to burn the Indian flag on any day, let alone the celebration of Republic Day, and we regret the upset that this will have caused," an FCO spokesperson said. "We congratulate India on...Republic Day celebration, and look forward to deepening our relationship further as we prepare to leave the European Union and forge new partnerships with key global allies," the spokesperson added. A small group of activists from some British Sikh and Kashmiri outfits had gathered outside India House in central London on Saturday ..