Page 1878 - Politics
Sitharaman launches TN Defence Industrial Corridor
In a major move to boost indigenisation of defence manufacturing, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday launched a mega corridor to link leading military manufacturing units in five cities in South India, which entails an investment to the tune of over Rs 3,000 crore. The project, christened the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor, will link Chennai, Hosur, Coimbatore, Salem and Tiruchirappalli. It is the second defence corridor being set up by the government to support various defence manufacturing units. The first one is being established in Uttar Pradesh. Total investments worth over Rs 3,038 crore in this defence corridor were announced during the launch. A majority of the investments would come from public sector undertakings with Ordnance Factory Board, Bharat Electronics Limited and Bharat Dynamics Limited committing to invest Rs 2,305 crore, Rs 140.5 crore and Rs 150 crore, respectively. Private companies TVS, Data Patterns and Alpha Designs would make investments ..
Trump attacks top Democrat for rejecting Mexico wall deal
US President Donald Trump bitterly attacked top Democrat Nancy Pelosi on Sunday after she rejected a deal on immigration and the Mexico border wall that would end a 30-day-old government shutdown. Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives, on Saturday called Trump's offer of temporary protections for about a million immigrants in return for USD 5.7 billion to fund the wall a "non-starter." "Nancy Pelosi has behaved so irrationally & has gone so far to the left that she has now officially become a Radical Democrat," Trump tweeted. "She is so petrified of the 'lefties' in her party that she has lost control." "...And by the way, clean up the streets in San Francisco, they are disgusting!" he added, in a seemingly gratuitous aside. Pelosi is from San Francisco. The offer also was assailed by prominent anti-immigrant voices, which denounced it as tantamount to amnesty. "No, Amnesty is not a part of my offer. It is a 3 year extension of DACA," Trump said in another tweet, ...
Sabarimala temple closes after annual pilgrimage season
After witnessing unprecedented protests over the entry of women of menstruating age, the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala was closed Sunday marking the culmination of the over two-month-long stormy annual pilgrimage season. As the temple closed, the BJP ended its 49-day-long relay hunger strike in front of the state Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, demanding lifting of ban orders and restrictions at Sabarimala, which the LDF government rejected. While Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Sunday lashed out at the Sangh Parivar and said its Sabarimala stir was a "complete failure", BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai claimed it was aimed at protecting the traditional faith of devotees and it had "won in garnering mass support." The Sabarimala Karma Samiti, which spearheaded the agitations against the entry of young women into the shrine, organised a mass gathering of devotees, spiritual and cultural leaders in the state capital Sunday evening. Addressing the meeting, ..
Manipur CM opposes Citizenship Bill in present form
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh told representatives of the North East Students Organisation (NESO) on Sunday that his government opposes the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 in the present form.
Top US senator urges meeting between Trump and Khan
Leading US Senator Lindsey Graham vowed Sunday to urge President Donald Trump to meet Imran Khan to boost Washington's Afghanistan peace efforts, calling the Pakistani prime minister an "agent of change". The Republican -- an influential ally of Trump -- made the comments in Islamabad after meeting with the Pakistani leader, saying Khan was a "new partner" who could potentially help with a peace deal in Afghanistan. "I'm going to urge him (Trump) to meet with the prime minister as soon as practical," Graham told reporters, saying he believed Khan and Trump would "hit if off" because they have "similar personalities". "Prime Minister Khan is the agent of change that I've been looking for," he added. Ties between Washington and Islamabad have soured recently, with US officials repeatedly accusing Pakistan of turning a blind eye to or even collaborating with the Afghan Taliban, which launch attacks in Afghanistan from alleged havens along the border between the two countries. Trump has ..
Syria says air defence responds to Israeli raids
Syrian air defences on Sunday responded to Israeli air raids in the south of the country, state news agency SANA reported quoting a military source. The air defence systems "prevented Israeli air strikes from achieving their objectives in the south" of the country, the report said without giving further details. The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, Rami Abdel Rahman, said the region targeted was south of Damascus near the Kisweh area. "Warehouses containing weapons for Syrian regime ally Hezbollah and Iranian fighters are located in that area," said Abdel Rahman, adding however it was not clear if they were hit in the Israeli strikes. It comes a week after Israel carried out an air strike that it said targeted Iranian weapons in Syria. The January 12 raids were confirmed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said "warehouses containing Iranian weapons in the Damascus International airport" were hit. It was a rare public confirmation by Israel of .
Why did Modi oust HAL despite a work-share agreement with Dassault, asks Congress
Continuing its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "enriching his crony" in the Rafale deal, the Congress on Sunday demanded to know why Defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was "ousted" from the deal despite having a work-share with Rafale maker Dassault Aviation.
Former minister, four others join BJP in Jammu
Former minister Pawan Gupta and four others joined the BJP here on Sunday and pledged to strengthen the party at the grassroots level, a party spokesperson said. Gupta parted ways with the BJP after being denied ticket in 2014 assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. He contested as an independent from Udhampur seat and won. Former Reasi MLA Baldev Raj Sharma, social worker Ashwani Churongoo, former general secretary of Youth Congress Raman Suri and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad -- student wing of the BJP -- activist Raman Sharma also joined the party, the spokesperson said. All five joined the BJP in the presence of national general secretary Ram Madhav, state president Ravinder Raina, Union Minister Jitendra Singh and other senior leaders at the party headquarters here, he said. Gupta (56) was the finance minister in the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir. However, he was dropped from the council of ministers when Mehbooba Mufti took ...
In 100 days, India will be free from Modi's tyranny:Rahul
Hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ridiculing the proposed grand alliance of opposition parties, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday asserted the country in the next 100 days will be free of his "tyranny and incompetence".
Assam employees support protests against Citizenship Bill
Employees of the Assam government have come in support of protests against the Citizenship Amendments Bill 2016.
2019 parliamentary election will be a fight between 56-inch chest and 'khichdi' coalition: BJP leader
Claiming the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi "strikes extreme fear" in his opponents, senior BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh minister Sidharth Nath Singh said Sunday that the 2019 parliamentary election would be a fight between the 56-inch chest and the 'khichdi' coalition of opposition parties. He took a dig at the opposition's show of unity at a rally in Kolkata on Saturday and said the 'khichdi' alliance was of "selfishness and corruption". "Prime Minister Modi strikes extreme fear in his opponents who are forming 'khichdi' alliance to challenge him, but the BJP will crush all alliances," Singh told a press conference here, a day after the Kolkata rally organised by West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, in which leaders of around 20 opposition parties took part. Noting that several opposition leaders had prime ministerial ambitions, Singh said they should decide among themselves who will be the prime minister on Mondays, Tuesdays, .
Sitharaman's first meeting with Delhi BJP unit ends in a whimper
The first meeting of the BJP Delhi unit's core group held on Saturday evening to stratagise on the Lok Sabha polls ended in a whimper with two of its MPs giving it a miss while some others reaching at the last minute.
'Mahagathbandhan' filled with hollow people: Yogendra Yadav
Casting apprehensions on the agenda of the grand alliance stitched together by opposition parties, Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav on Sunday said the 'Mahagathbandhan' is a "big joke" and filled with "hollow people" with no ideology. He said all the leaders in the grand alliance, who are portraying themselves as anti-BJP or anti-Modi (Prime Minister Narendra Modi), were equally anti-democracy and corrupt. "There was a huge gathering (in Kolkata). But, where is the ideology? What is your agenda. There was no discussion on that. You had no talks on the problems the farmers are facing, and on unemployment. I believe this coalition lacks vision," Yadav told PTI. The politician-activist was referring to Saturday's mega rally organised by the Trinamool Congress in Kolkata, where leaders from over a dozen opposition parties came together, vowing to put up a united fight in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and oust Modi from power. "They are saying that Narendra Modi is ...
BJP MLA says Mayawati 'worse than a transgender', draws sharp reaction
An MLA from the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh Sunday came under strident criticism from allies and opposition leaders for calling BSP chief Mayawati a "blot on womankind" and "worse than a transgender". The Mughalsarai MLA made the controversial remarks at a rally on Saturday while referring to the infamous incident when Mayawati was assaulted by Samajwadi Party workers in a Lucknow guest house in 1995. The National Commission for Women said it would formally issue a notice to Singh seeking an explanation from her. "Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati sold her dignity for power and joined hands with those who disrespected her... She is a blot on womankind. Cannot say if she can be counted among men or women, she is worse than a transgender person," Singh alleged. Condemning her remarks, Union minister and Republican Party of India president Ramdas Athawale told a presser in Lucknow on Sunday that such personal comments should not be made. Bahunjan Samaj Party (BSP) leader S C ..
Muslims, minorities being subjected to abuse, injustice in J&K, alleges PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday alleged that Muslim and minority communities in Jammu and Kashmir are being subjected to abuse and injustice."Governor Satya Pal Malik-led administration must handle the fragile situation carefully. Otherwise, the repercussion will be dangerous for the entire state," said J&K's former Chief Minister Mufti, while addressing a press conference here."We are seeing a ghettoisation of minorities in the entire state. It is a big concern. This was one of the reasons why we joined hands with the BJP," she said."When the BJP got a big mandate, the minorities, especially the Muslims, had a feeling of insecurity. They thought what will the BJP do with us? We not only sided with the BJP but also formed a separate Tribal Ministry to protect their interests," she said.Mufti said that she expected that things would get better for the minorities under the Governor's rule, but "unfortunately, the Gujjar Bakarwals are being selectively targeted, right under the ...
Sitharaman most defenceless minister of India: Congress
Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi on Sunday came down heavily on Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over the Rafale deal and said that she is the "most defenceless minister in India."Defence Minister Sitharaman in a seminar on Saturday said: "I want this debate on Rafale deal without any of us playing in the hands of international corporate warfare. None of us should become a party to any corporate warfare. We cannot become pawns in the hands of the corporate giants' warfare to question the government and throw misinformation to the public."Responding to Defence Minister Sitharaman's statement, Chaturvedi on Sunday told media here, "The Defence Minister in her recent statement has conclusively proven that this is a government of the suited-booted, for suited-booted and by the suited-booted.""She has proven that corporate interests for this government are way more important than nation's interests. That seems to have become the mantra for the entire Modi governance. It is ...
Nothing wrong in proposing Rahul Gandhi for PM: Stalin
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President M K Stalin who had proposed Congress chief Rahul Gandhi as a prime ministerial candiadate for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, on Sunday said there was nothing wrong with the suggestion as he was merely expressing the wishes of the people of Tamil Nady.Addressing a rally in Chennai, the DMK President said, "Yes, I did propose the name of Rahul Gandhi as the next PM candidate in the DMK rally. What is wrong with it? It was the wishes of the people of Tamil Nadu."Stalin also attacked the media for finding fault with him for not reiterating his prime ministerial endorsement at the recent united Opposition rally in Kolkata."When I made the suggestion at the DMK meeting the media repeatedly asked me why I had done it. Yesterday, when I addressed a rally in West Bengal and did not take Rahul's name in the rally, the same media asks me why I did not ," Stalin said.Asked about the sentiment of the people in West Bengal about the name of their chief ...
Working to find opportunities for youths, says Rajasthan Dy CM Sachin Pilot
Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Sunday said that his government was working to find new opportunities for the youths in the state for their gainful engagements."Our government is working to find new opportunities for the youths for their gainful engagements. Rahul Gandhi has also asked us to reduce the gap between the people and the people. Ours is the people's government. We are making our policy after having a discussion with them," said Pilot.He said that the people have found faith in the Congress party after seeing their work and added that the party was fully prepared for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections."All our preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections are over. The Congress will win all 25 seats in Rajasthan. I am sure that all the opposition parties will come together. In 2019, a Congress-led government will be formed at the Centre," added Pilot.Pilot, while attacking the BJP, said: "Instead of blaming others, the BJP government should release a white
IRA dissidents suspected in Northern Ireland car bomb blast
Police in Northern Ireland said Sunday they suspect Irish Republican Army dissidents were behind a car bombing outside a courthouse in the city of Londonderry. Two men in their 20s have been arrested. The device was placed inside a hijacked delivery vehicle and exploded Saturday night as police, who had received a warning, were evacuating the area. There were no reports of injuries. The Police Service of Northern Ireland posted a photograph of a vehicle in flames and urged the public to stay away. Police and army bomb-disposal experts remained at the scene on Sunday. Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said the bomb had been a "crude" and unstable device, and called the attack "incredibly reckless." "The people responsible for this attack have shown no regard for the community or local businesses," he said. Hamilton said the "main line of inquiry" was that the bomb had been planted by a group known as the New IRA. More than 3,700 people died during decades of violence before ...
Those who left AAP were 'opportunists': Kejriwal
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday hit out at those who recently left the party, calling them "opportunists" who were greedy for posts and tickets. Kejriwal, who launched his party's campaign for upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Punjab by addressing a rally here, also attacked the Congress-led state government and said it had "betrayed" people as it failed to deliver on its poll promises. Senior AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and the entire state unit leadership, including Harpal Cheema and Aman Arora, also attended the rally. "Some people left AAP few days back. Our political opponents started saying AAP has begun to disintegrate. Nobody in the country has the courage to disintegrate the party," he said. "Congress, Akali Dal and BJP have tried their best in the last five years to weaken the party but God has been with us," the AAP national convenor said. "Those who have left AAP were not worthy of staying in the party. They were opportunists