Page 1819 - Politics
Pakistan shells forward posts in Rajouri
Pakistani troops Sunday opened fire at forward posts and villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting retaliation by the Indian Army, a defence spokesman said. The Pakistani troops lobbed mortars and opened fire from small arms from across the border in Naushera sector at 1:15 pm, the spokesman said. He said Indian troops guarding the border retaliated effectively and the exchange of fire between the two sides was continuing when last reports came in.
NDA govt committed to strengthening initiatives for universal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said the NDA government was committed to strengthening initiatives for ensuring universal healthcare and the "pathpbreaking" Ayushman Bharat scheme is being implemented to holistically address health issues. Addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone for Rs 1,264 crore AIIMS at Thoppur near here, he outlined the welfare initiatives taken by the Centre on the health care front. The AIIMS reflects the vision of "Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat," he said. AIIMS in New Delhi had cultivated a brand name for itself in healthcare and with the AIIMS in Madurai to come up "we can say that this brand of health care has been taken to all corners of country from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to Madurai, from Guwahati to Gujarat," he said. Expressing confidence that the proposed AIIMS will benefit the entire Tamil Nadu, he said "the NDA government is giving great priority to health sector so that every one is healthy and healthcare is ...
Naveen Patnaik shaken with BJP rise, fuelling alliance speculation: Dharmendra Pradhan
Senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan hinted Sunday his party may not project a chief ministerial face in Odisha, where assembly and Lok Sabha polls are held together, and asserted it will end the two-decade reign of Naveen Patnaik on the back of PM Narendra Modi's popular appeal and development work. Pradhan, a Union minister and key BJP face from Odisha, also rejected the suggestion that his party was looking at Biju Janata Dal (BJD) as a potential ally after the Lok Sabha polls, saying Chief Minister Patnaik is fuelling such speculation as he was "shaken" with the saffron party's rise. "We are in a direct fight with the BJD. We are sure to emerge as the number one party and also get a majority in the assembly. The BJP is rising and Modi enjoys a lot of credibility in the state. To survive this, he has spread this (speculation) that he may support the BJP," he told PTI in an interview. Patnaik, a former ally of the BJP, has maintained that his party BJD believes in keeping ...
India, Pakistan in touch over Kartarpur corridor: Indian envoy Ajay Bisaria
India and Pakistan are in touch over the cross-border Kartarpur corridor and New Delhi has appointed a point person for it, Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria has said.Speaking to reporters at an event he hosted on the occasion of India's Republic Day on Saturday, Bisaria said the Indian government has consented to the basic points about the Kartarpur corridor except for its Zero point."Because of general elections in India, the bilateral political contacts might be difficult for now," Bisaria said, adding that however, building trust was essential before any political dialogue between the two countries, the Express Tribune reported.He said both the countries were in contact over the Kartarpur corridor. "So many meetings have taken place on this matter," Bisaria said. He added that a delegation from the Pakistani water commission is to visit India on Sunday.The Republic Day event was attended by political leaders, parliamentarians, Islamabad-based diplomats and civil ...
Pakistani team to visit India for water talks
A three-member team of Pakistani officials is to visit India from Sunday for inspection of India's hydroelectric projects on Chenab river, ARY News reported.The Pakistani delegation will be led by Indus Water Commissioner Mehr Ali Shah. The visit ends on February 1.The meeting follows their talks held in August last year in Lahore when the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan came to power. The delegation will travel to India through the Wagah border and hold talks under the 1960 Indus Water Treaty (IWT).In the previous round of talks, both sides failed to achieve any progress over the river water dispute.During the talks, Pakistan had expressed reservations over construction of the 1,000-MW Pakal Dul and 48-MW Lower Kalnai hydroelectric projects on two different tributaries of River Chenab by India.The Indian side led by its water commissioner P.K. Saxena agreed that all issues between the two countries would be resolved under the Indus Water Treaty.New Delhi later invited the ...
Black flag protests in Tamil Nadu against PM's Madurai visit
Holding black flags, black balloons and banners, the opposition MDMK staged demonstrations in Madurai on Sunday against Prime Minister Narendra Modi who visited the city.MDMK party leaders and volunteers walked with black flags, black balloons and festoons through the streets of Madurai, expressing their displeasure against the government at the Centre for not looking after the interests of the state. The protesters had written down their demands on placards.PM Modi laid the foundation stone for an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Madurai and addressed a public rally in the city.
Ramgarh constituency to witness triangular contest
Ramgarh constituency in Rajasthan's Alwar district is all set to witness a triangular contest among candidates of ruling Congress, opposition BJP and BSP on Monday when polling takes place at 278 polling booths. Election to the constituency could not be held along with other seats due to the death of BSP candidate Laxman Singh few days ahead of the polling on December 7 and now the election is taking place on January 28 where as many as 20 candidates are in the fray. The BSP has fielded former union minister Natwar Singh's ex-MLA son Jagat Singh while former Alwar Zila Pramukh Shafia Zubair Khan is contesting as a Congress candidate. Former Pradhan Sukhwant singh is the BJP candidate. Feedback from Ramgarh is very positive we are going to win the seat. People gave mandate to Congress in December 7 elections and the party will win this seat also, Pradesh Congress Committee president and deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot told PTI. Exuding confidence, the party candidate Shafia Zubair ..
BJP feels Priyanka taking up UP role will be beneficial against BSP-SP alliance
BJP feels that Priyanka Gandhi's appointment as Congress incharge of eastern Uttar Pradesh will be beneficial to it in the fight against the SP-BSP alliance in the coming Lok Sabha polls and that it is better prepared to take on the opposition than it was in 2014.
Pakistan team to visit India to inspect hydel projects
A three-member Pakistani delegation will leave for India on Sunday to inspect hydro-power projects in the Chenab basin in Jammu and Kashmir.
Canada's prime minister fires his ambassador to China
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fired Canada's ambassador to China after the envoy said it would be "great" if the US dropped its extradition request for a Chinese tech executive arrested in Canada. Trudeau said Saturday that he had asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation Friday night. McCallum made the remark to the Toronto Star on Friday. That came a day after he issued a statement saying he misspoke about the case earlier in the week and regretted saying Meng Wanzhou has a strong case against extradition. The arrest of the daughter of the founder of Huawei Technologies Ltd. at Vancouver's airport Dec. 1 severely damaged relations between China and Canada. The US wants her extradited to face charges that she committed fraud by misleading banks about Huawei's business dealings in Iran "Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation as Canada's Ambassador to China," Trudeau said in a statement. Trudeau said Jim Nickel, the deputy head of mission at the ...
Cong loyalist drove 'Operation Priyanka' (IANS Special)
In a Chanakya-inspired move that will rank among the most astute in recent times, a veteran Congress loyalist is said to have been the one who successfully managed Priyanka Vadra's formal entry into politics as the party's general secretary for Uttar Pradesh East.
It's a lopsided election for the Congress (IANS Special)
The coming Lok Sabha elections are "lopsided" and there is no level playing field, says the Congress party which fears his party may also not get much media exposure ahead of the big battle.
Rahul has all qualities to make a good PM: Tejashwi
Congress president Rahul Gandhi has all the qualities to make a good prime minister, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has said, and alleged that the BJP's propaganda machinery spent hundreds of thousands of crores to malign the Congress leader's image. However, he also emphasised that the issue of who will be the prime minister can be settled after the 2019 polls by grand alliance members collectively. Asserting that there was never a question mark over Gandhi's leadership, the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader in an interview to PTI said, even after such a long negative campaign against him, he (Gandhi) has won the hearts of the people through his perseverance, kindness and large-heartedness." The Congress victory in the three major states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh under Gandhi's leadership has infused a sense of confidence and energy in the party, and in the minds of 69 per cent electorate who had not voted for Narendra Modi in 2014, Yadav said. Asked if Gandhi has all the ...
PM Modi hails EC for strengthening democracy, urges eligible youths to register as voter
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed the contribution of the Election Commission of India for continuously working towards strengthening the democracy and also urged the youth of the country who have attained the age of voting to register themselves as voters.Addressing the nation in the 52nd episode of his 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme, the Prime Minister said, "25th January was the day the Election Commission was formed, which is celebrated now as National Voters Day. The scale at which elections are organised in our country astonishes the world. It is natural for every citizen to feel proud of the Election Commission of its meticulous organising abilities."Outlining that no stone is left unturned to ensure that every registered voter gets an opportunity to exercise his voting right, Prime Minister Modi added: "Election booths are set-up in places at 15,000 feet above sea-level in Himachal Pradesh and are also made in far away islands of Andaman and Nicobar. People might ..
Mann Ki Baat: PM Modi pays tribute to late Shivakumara Swami
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tribute to late Shivakumar Swamiji, the pontiff of Sree Siddaganga Matha who recently passed away after a prolonged illness in Karnataka's Tumkur, saying that he had dedicated his entire life to social service, working for the social, educational welfare of scores of people."Shivakumar Swamiji was a true follower of Lord Basaveshwar's tenet 'Kayakave Kailash'. During his life spanning 111 years, he strived tirelessly towards social, educational, and economic upliftment of thousands of people," Prime Minister Modi said while addressing the Mann Ki Baat programme."I have had fortunate opportunity to be blessed by Swamiji, many a time. In 2007, on the occasion of the Centenary celebration of Sri Sri Sri Shivakumar Swamiji our former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam had paid the visit to Tumukur," he added.Prime Minister Modi also urged the young generation to register themselves as voters as Lok Sabha elections are just around the corner. In his ...
Lucknow headquarters of Congress begins makeover for high-profile office-bearers
The Congress headquarters at Mall Avenue in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, where the partys high profile office-bearers Priyanka Vadra and Jyotiraditya Scindia will have their offices to run the Uttar Pradesh campaign is being painted in fresh white.
Mann Ki Baat: PM pays tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
Paying tribute to the revolutionary freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said, "Subhash Babu will always be remembered as a heroic soldier.""He played an important role in the freedom struggle. 'Dilli Chalo', 'Tum mujhe khoon do main tumhe aazadi doonga', with these slogans he awakened every Indian," the Prime Minister added while addressing the first Mann ki Baat radio programme of 2019.Prime Minister Modi expressed happiness regarding declassification of the Bose files. "For many years it was being demanded that the files related to Netaji be made public and I am happy that we fulfilled this demand," he said.Emphasising that Netaji regarded radio as an important means of communication, Prime Minister Modi said, "I have always regarded radio as an important means of connecting with people, in the same way Netaji also had a profound association with the radio which he used to connect with the countrymen."On the birth anniversary of the ...
MDMK stages protest against PM Modi; detained
Led by party chief Vaiko, MDMK cadres Sunday staged a black flag demonstration against Prime Minister Narendra Modi shortly before he arrived here, accusing him of betraying the interests of Tamil Nadu. Police said the protesters were detained. Releasing black baloons, the protesting party cadres raised slogans against Modi alleging that he betrayed the interests of Tamil Nadu on Cauvery and other issues. The Prime Minister arrived at the airport here about 30 minutes later and is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences near here and also address a public meeting. The protest was held near the Periyar bus stand in the city, away from the venue of the AIIMS site. In a counter move, BJP youth wing supporters put up posters sarcastically "welcoming Vaiko". The MDMK cadres claimed that the centre had accorded "permission to projects like neutrino and hydrocarbon extraction" which, according to them, would have an adverse impact on
Modi urges first time voters to register for LS polls
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged first time voters to register and cast their ballots in the coming Lok Sabha polls.
Concerns on internal security (Column: IANS Insight-Spy's Eye)
The new year begins for India on a note of achievement as far as our international relations go and also significant success in checkmating the designs of an adversary next door -- the Pak Army-ISI combine -- who had been relentless in pursuing their proxy war against India using cross-border terrorism as its principal weapon. The present regime in India has been notably smooth in securing for the country a newfound recognition as a world power known to be actively contributing to global peace and economic advancement with a forthright approach of opting for bilateral relations based on mutual economic and security interests. Consolidation of our dealings with SAARC, growth of a strategic partnership with the US and Japan to work for the maritime freedom in the Indo- Pacific region and the security of the Indian Ocean in the backdrop of aggressive manoeuvres of China there and the convergence struck by India with the democratic world in general and US in particular against the rise of