Page 1860 - Politics
Sikkim CM makes presentation regarding election preparation
Sikkim Chief Secretary A K Srivastava Tuesday made a presentation to the Election Commission of India via video conferencing with regard to preparation for the upcoming Assembly polls in the Himalayan state, an official release said. Srivastava explained to the Chief Election Commissioner, Sunil Arora and other EC officials about what all preparations that the state authorities have made for conduct of the Assembly polls in Sikkim, it said. Assembly polls in Sikkim will be held along with the general elections due later this year. The tenure of Sikkim legislative assembly ends on May 27, 2019.
12-foot tall statue of Lenin unveiled in TN's Tirunelveli
Months after two of his statues were pulled down in Tripura, a 12-foot-tall statue of Russian communist leader Vladimir Lenin was Tuesday unveiled at the CPI(M) district office premises here commemorating his 95th death anniversary. CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury unveiled the fibreglass statue placed on a seven-foot-tall pedestal amid slogans praising the party and Russian revolution. Renowned artist and former principal of Government Fine Arts College in Chennai G Chandrasekaran designed and fabricated the statue, party polit bureau member G Ramakrishnan told PTI. "After the incidents in Tripura, we were deeply disturbed. The Communist party cannot be destroyed by pulling down statues," Ramakrishnan said. The statue has been installed at a cost of around Rs four lakh mobilised by party workers. Last year in March, two statues of Lenin were brought down in South Tripura just days after the Left was defeated in the Assembly polls by the BJP and its ally IPFT, ...
Imran Khan meets Qatari emir; discusses bilateral ties
Prime Minister Imran Khan met Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad on Tuesday and the two leaders discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral ties, and regional and international matters of mutual interest. Khan, who flew to Doha on Monday at the invitation of the Qatari emir, held one-on-one meeting with Sheikh Tamim followed by the delegation-level talks, Radio Pakistan reported. "Both sides discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral ties, and regional and international matters of mutual interest," it said. Besides meetings with Qatari leadership, the prime minister is expected to meet the business and investment community of Qatar, and to address the Pakistani community during the visit. Prime Minister Khan had discussed bilateral relations with a focus on economic cooperation in a meeting with the Qatari premier and interior minister, Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani on Monday, Dawn reported. Changing its long-standing position, the Pakistan government has decided to request .
GJM's Binay Tamang faction says will not support BJP in polls
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) led by Binay Tamang, which had earlier announced its decision to end its decade-old association with the BJP-led NDA, Tuesday said it a part of the opposition front against the saffron party. Tamang said the GJM will not support the NDA candidate in Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency asserting that it has done nothing for the hills. The BJP with the support of the GJM has won the Darjeeling seat twice since 2009. S S Ahluwalia is currently the MP from Darjeeling. "We have attended the mega opposition rally at Brigade Parade Ground on January 19. We are part of the opposition against the BJP. The TMC is also part of this opposition front. There is no question of supporting the NDA candidate. The BJP led NDA has done nothing for Darjeeling," Tamang told reporters in Darjeeling. Leaders from 22 opposition parties from across the country came together at a mega rally in Kolkata on Saturday and declared that they will put up a united fight to .
Oppn mahagathbandhan driven by 'greed for power', has 9 potential PM candidates:Shah;TMC hits back
Launching his party's Lok Sabha poll campaign in West Bengal, BJP president Amit Shah Tuesday scoffed at the efforts by opposition parties to forge a grand alliance, saying it is driven by the "greed for power" and with nine potential prime ministerial candidates in their ranks. Taking a swipe at the opposition rally convened by TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata last Saturday, Shah said bringing in 20-25 leaders on one stage would not serve any purpose as Narendra Modi will become prime minister again. Kickstarting the 'Ganatanatra Bachao Yatra' in Bengal, Shah also vowed to overthrow the Trinamool Congress(TMC) government in the state, asserting that the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will be for restoring democracy in the state. The TMC was quick to hit back at Shah, saying his speech was "low on facts and poor in taste"and that it seemed the BJP had become nervous and realised that its days were numbered. Touching upon the Citizenship(Amendment) ...
No public mood for compromise as Brexit gulf widens: Study
There is "no compromise" on Brexit that commands majority public support in Britain, with opposition to Prime Minister Theresa May's deal the only point of agreement, a leading pollster said Tuesday. "No procedural or substantive option appears to be both widely popular and capable of bridging the Brexit divide," said the University of Strathclyde's John Curtice. "Our politicians are constantly being told that you should be seeking the centre ground. The problem with Brexit is that the centre ground of politics is rather thinly populated," he said, presenting a report entitled "Brexit and Public Opinion 2019" in London. The report, drawn from collated polls, highlights the challenge facing prime minister May as she tries to resurrect the deal she struck with the European Union after if was comprehensively rejected by MPs. A slim majority of the public are in favour of her renegotiating the deal, but none of the possible outcomes of that renegotiation enjoy majority support, according .
Following Modi's trail, Patnaik to address rallies where PM
Ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Odisha Chief Minister Patnaik has planned to follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trail and address public meetings where the opposition BJP held congregations during the past few months. As Modi addressed three public meetings at Khurda, Baripada and Bolangir between December 24 and January 15, Patnaik too has plans to speak to the people in those places, a senior party official said. "The BJD president has decided to visit all the places where Prime Minister Modi had addressed public meetings in the past two months," he said. Modi had addressed a public meeting at Jharsuguda in western Odisha on September 22 last year. Patnaik would visit the place on Thursday. "We are planning a congregation of more than 1 lakh people at BJD president and chief minister's meeting at Jharsuguda," the leader said. As Modi had visited Bolangir, another western Odisha district on January 15, the BJD supremo will also visit that place on January
Athawale appeals to AIADMK to join hands with NDA in LS polls
Union Minister Ramadas Athawale Tuesday appealed to the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu to join hands with the NDA in the coming parliamentary elections. "If AIADMK joins hands with the NDA it would benefit the State and the AIADMK as well," he told reporters here after reviewing welfare schemes implemented by the Puducherry government. Athawale, who is national president of the Republican Party of India (A), a constituent of the NDA, has made the appeal, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said during an interaction with BJP workers in Tamil Nadu that the BJP cherished its old friends. Modi had said the BJP was open to alliances following the path of Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had successfully built coalitions respecting regional aspirations. Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who holds the top party post of 'coordinator' in the AIADMK, recently said "at the time of election, anything can happen." Athawale Tuesday also made a specific appeal to rebel ...
PM launches Pravasi Teerth Darshan Yojana
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched the Pravasi Teerth Darshan Yojana under which a group of Indian diaspora will be taken on a government-sponsored tour of religious places in India twice a year. The first batch of 40 Indian-origin people are at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and from here they will begin their tour. They will be taken to religious places of all major religions in India and the government will bear all the expenses including the airfare from their country of residence. All people of Indian-origin aged 45 to 65 can apply and a group will be selected out of them with first preference given to people from 'Girmitiya countries' such as Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica. Prime Minister Modi, during his visit here, also inaugurated Centers of Excellence at Deen Dayal Hastkala Sanku. Arriving at the venue directly from the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations, he unveiled a plaque to mark the inauguration of 55 outlets which would
Congress says struggling for chartered planes for poll campaign as BJP booked all
As parties gear up for Lok Sabha poll campaign, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma Tuesday said the BJP has booked all chartered planes, leaving his party struggling to get some. The senior Congres leader alleged that there was an "unequal competition" between the BJP and other parties, as all the resources were with the ruling party. "The BJP has booked all the chartered planes for their Lok Sabha poll campaign. We are not getting any and we are struggling to get some planes," he told reporters. Sharma said the ruling party has spent over Rs 4,000 crore on publicity and advertisements, which he said was more than that spent by multinational companies like Netflix, Amazon and Unilever. He said that such spending on government's publicity was also being done through public sector undertakings. "But still we would defeat them (BJP) with the love and support of people of the country," he claimed. Sharma heads the party's publicity committee for the Lok Sabha elections. Sources said the .
EVM hacking charges sets off political wrangling, EC files police complaint
The claims that EVMs are hackable by a self-proclaimed cyber expert set off a major political wrangling on Tuesday with the Congress demanding a probe into these allegations, saying they concern the "survival of democracy" and the BJP dubbing them a "Congress-sponsored conspiracy" designed to "defame" Indian democracy and its Election Commission. The poll panel also filed a complaint with the Delhi Police, asking it to register an FIR against Syed Shuja, who during a press conference in London on Monday claimed that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) can be hacked, and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections were rigged. In its complaint, the poll panel asked the police to investigate the matter "promptly" for violation of certain sections of the Indian Penal Code dealing with spreading rumour to alarm and "create fear" in the minds of the public. Launching a stinging attack on the Congress over the presence of its leader Kapil Sibal at the press conference in London where Shuja made these ...
Gadkari inaugurates bridge over Ravi linking J&K, Punjab
Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday inaugurated a 1,210-meter span-bridge over the river Ravi in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district to reduce the distance to Punjab's Pathankot city by 36 km.
India's ties with the UK to grow post-Brexit: envoy
India's relations with the UK will continue to grow even after Britain's planned exit from the European Union in March, Indian High Commissioner Ruchi Ghanashyam has assured London, amidst the political turmoil here over Brexit. The Indian envoy said this during her first visit to the Midlands region on January 18 to 19, the Indian consulate in Birmingham said in a statement on Tuesday. Ghanashyam is the first woman career diplomat to be appointed as India's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. She is also the second woman to be appointed since Vijayalakshmi Pandit, who had served as India's High Commissioner to the UK from 1954-1961. During her visit, the High Commissioner held a series of meetings, and met a number of dignitaries including parliamentarians, councillors of Indian origin, leaders of faith organisations and members of the Indian diaspora. Consul General of Birmingham Dr. Aman Puri expressed the hope that the keen interest taken by the new High Commissioner in ...
Young India Adhikar March to take out march on Feb 7 to protest against govt's policies
The Young India Adhikar March (YIAM), a group of students and youth organisations opposed to the BJP, said Tuesday they will take out a march from Lal Quila to Parliament Street on February 7, to protest against the Modi government's policies, primarily in the education sector. The decision was announced in a media briefing cum conference here, especially addressed by academicians with left leanings. The YIAM said their major demands are to immediately fill all the vacant government posts, increase the number of government jobs, stop paper leaks and corruption in recruitment. It was also demanded that 10 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product should be spent on education and the government should stop the policy of school closure, seat-cut, fund cut, fee-hike, besides "ending saffronisation of education" and ensure academic freedom and freedom of expression on campuses. Speaking at an event, Dalit-activist-turned MLA Jignesh Mevani claimed that from 2014 to 2016, over 26,000 students .
Modi good captain,people will choose him as PM again: Athawale
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a good captainand no one can defeat him just as the Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli proved his capability by defeating Australia in the recent test series, Union Minister Ramadas Athawale said Tuesday. The opposition's attempts to defeat Modi would end in failure as people have strong faith in him and his team, Athawale said. "None can defeat Narendra Modi because he is a good captain just as we saw Virat Kohli defeating the Australian cricket team," he said. Scripting history recently, the Indian cricket team won a test series in Australia, defeating their rivals 2-1. They also won the one-day internationals 2-1 and drew the Twenty20 series 1-1. Taking potshots at the opposition parties' attempts to form a 'mahagathbandhan' to defeat Modi and the NDA, Athawale said these parties were only trying to spread "false propaganda" against the Prime Minister. "People are however convinced that the propaganda has no basis and people will .
Inequality could crush capitalism, French finance minister warns
PARIS (Reuters) - France's conservative finance minister said capitalism could collapse if global inequality continues to rise.
Brazil pitches itself as business destination for world, new president promises all-round reforms
Pitching Brazil as a great place to do business in, the emerging nation's new President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday told the global community that his country was waiting with open arms and promised all-round reforms to boost economy and fight corruption. The president said he wants Brazil to be seen in a completely different light and no more as a country plagued by corruption and money laundering. In a special address here at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2019, Bolsonaro said he was committed to introducing reforms that were expected in the global community from his country and his government was also determined to fight corruption. It was from the same venue last year that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told global business leaders about the great investment opportunities being created by his government for them. Presenting Brazil as a great investment opportunity, the president said he was here to promise economic development along with environment protection. He .
Former IAS officer S Krishnan to be appointed fourth advisor to JK Governor
Former IAS officer Skandan Krishnan would be the fourth advisor to Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, officials said on Tuesday. His appointment comes over a month after B B Vyas resigned from the post following his selection as a member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Krishnan, joined the IAS in 1982 and was allotted Tamil Nadu cadre. He held various senior-level positions in the state before joining the Government of India, the officials said.
BJP-backed MP Narayan Rane's outfit to contest LS polls
Senior Maharashtra politician Narayan Rane, currently a Rajya Sabha MP from the BJP quota, Tuesday said his political outfit Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on its own. In his turbulent political career spanning nearly four decades, Rane had worked in the Shiv Sena and then in Congress before floating his own political outfit in 2017. Rane, once a strongman from coastal Konkan region, is reportedly smarting for being forced to be content with the Rajya Sabha berth though he was hoping for a ministerial assignment in the BJP-led government in Maharashtra. Rane called on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the latter's official residence "Varsha" in south Mumbai Monday (January 21) night. "We discussed many issues. But, I have already announced that my party Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh (MSP) will contest the Lok Sabha polls independently," Rane told PTI Tuesday. He said the decision on the number of seats to be contested will be taken .
BJP knows its days are numbered: TMC on Amit Shah rally
The BJP is heading to a "big zero" win in the coming Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal and knows that its days are numbered, said the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday in response to Amit Shah's public meeting at Malda earlier in the day."After listening to the BJP president Amit Shah's speech in Malda, it is obvious that they are very nervous. They know their days are numbered. They are politically scared. Their speeches are low on facts and poor in taste," said Derek O'Brien, national spokesperson of TMC, in a tweet. In another tweet on the TMC's official handle, O'Brien said: "They (BJP) don't understand the ethos of India. They don't understand the ethos of Bengal. They are heading towards one big zero. Some are saying they are desperate. Some are saying they have gone mad. Or is it a combination of both?"In his public address, Shah had lashed out at the Mamata Banerjee government for not allowing BJP's Rath Yatra in Bengal and not giving permission to land his chopper ...