Page 1910 - Politics
Former CIC demands disclosure of material which led to Alok Verma's removal as CBI Director
A former Central Information Commissioner has written to the President Thursday seeking disclosure of all the documents and reports that became the basis of removal of Alok Verma as CBI Director. In his letter to President Ram Nath Kovind, former CIC Sridhar Acharyulu strongly advocated instilling transparency in the CBI and CIC appointments. "The transparency should begin with CIC appointments and it should be ensured in all activities of governance in all institutions like CBI and CIC, and top-level Committees headed by the Prime Minister in dealing with issues like appointing and removing director of CBI and selecting the Commissioners for CIC, etc," he said. Recalling the speech of Kovind on the annual convention of the Central Information Commission last year where he had said there was no such thing as too much information in a democracy, Acharyulu said there is serious information deficit on the CBI and CIC appointments. Information deficit about Information Commissioners will .
U.S. legislation steps up pressure on Huawei and ZTE, China calls it 'hysteria'
WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced bills on Wednesday that would ban the sale of U.S. chips or other components to Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, ZTE Corp or other Chinese telecommunications companies that violate U.S. sanctions or export control laws.
Sirisena appoints panel to probe graft charges against his govt
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Thursday appointed a Presidential Commission to investigate allegations of corruption said to have taken place when his government was in office, a move seen as another attempt to sully the name of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The five-member Commission of Inquiry, to be headed by retired Supreme Court judge Upali Abeyratn, will investigate allegations of corruption that took place between January 15, 2015 to December 31, 2018, Sirisena's office said. Sirisena became the president in January 2015 after defeating Mahinda Rajapaksa. He formed the government with the support of Prime Minister Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP). The duo's government of national unity introduced many key reforms in their pledge to establish democratic good governance opposed to the authoritarian regime of Rajapaksa. However, Sirisena and Wickremesinghe's relationship soured and the president ditched the prime minsiter to align with Rajapaksa. ..
As poaching charges and counter charges continue, Congress convenes meeting of its Karnataka legislators
Amid charges and counter charges of poaching between the ruling JD(S)-Congress combine and the Opposition BJP, the Congress prepared to hold a meeting of its legislature party tomorrow, apparently to assure itself that its flock is intact.Ahead of the meeting, the Congress MLAs were warned that those abstaining will be expelled from the party under anti-defection law.The Congress, which has 80 seats in the 224-member Assembly, said it has called a meeting of its legislators here on January 18 to take stock of the prevailing political situation.The Congress' alliance partner JD(S) has 37 seats and its supporter BSP has one. The BJP is the single largest party with 104 seats but 9 short of the simple majority mark."If somebody doesn't attend this (CLP) meeting, action will be taken against them under the anti-defection law. Also, it will be assumed that the member himself has decided to leave primary membership of the party," senior party leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ...
Govt stable in K'tka, BJP should accept its defeat: Shashi Tharoor
Asserting that BJP should now come in terms with its defeat, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said that Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka is stable and safe."What's happening in Karnataka is wrong. Our government is stable and safe. BJP is trying to play the same game in Karnataka which it had played in other states. BJP had lost the election and it should accept the defeat with humility. Except for two independent MLAs all others are with the government," said Tharoor.He also distanced himself from a comment made by Congress parliamentarian BK Hariprasad on Amit Shah's health condition and said, "It is not fine to talk badly about anyone's ailment. In my heart, I will only say that may God bless him with good health at the earliest and then we will continue fighting on the political front. We are only against BJP ideology and we wish best of health to their leaders."On the first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential award received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January ..
January 19 will see 'united India rally', sound BJP's death knell: Mamata
Terming the January 19 public meeting of opposition leaders here as "united India rally", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said it will sound the death knell of BJP in the 2019 general election.
SC verdict on dance bars is Maha govt's failure: Shiv Sena
Commenting on the Supreme Court verdict paving the way for reopening of dance bars in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena said Thursday that the government failed to make the law regulating dance bars foolproof. Senior Sena leader Anil Parab said it was unfortunate that the apex court did not uphold the Bombay High Court's ruling, as the objective behind the 2016 law was noble. Sena is a partner in the BJP-led government in the state. "Why did the SC make amendments to provisions of the law? Was it because these provisions were unconstitutional or because we (the state government) did not present our side effectively?" asked Parab, a member of the state legislative council. When the dance bar bill was placed before the state legislature, the Sena had made it clear that it should stand judicial scrutiny, Parab said. "Not making the bill foolproof is a failure of the government," he added. Interestingly, while Parab found fault with the government, Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe ...
Flu is curable but treating Cong leaders' mental illness difficult: BJP on Hariprasad's comments
The BJP on Thursday reacted furiously to Congress MP B K Hariprasad's controversial 'swine flu' dig at BJP president Amit Shah, saying that flu is curable but "mental illness" of the opposition party's leaders is difficult to treat. Demanding that the Congress should sack Hariprasad and tender a public apology for these "abhorrent" remarks, the BJP claimed that the opposition party's "silence" over these comments show that all such "toxic" views have the sanction of its leadership. In Bengaluru, Hariprasad, a Rajya Sabha member of the Congress, had mocked the health condition of Shah, saying he contracted swine flu since his party made an alleged bid to destabilise the Congress-JDS government in Karnataka. "The kind of ugly and indecent comments Congress MP B K Hariprasad have made about BJP president Amit Shah's health show the standards of the Congress. Flu is curable but it is difficult to cure Congress leaders' mental illness," Union minister Piyush Goyal said. Apart from Goyal ..
"Ditch the red lines" on Brexit for negotiations: UK Opp leader to PM May
Stepping up his attack on British Prime Minister Theresa May, who narrowly survived a no-confidence vote, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn Thursday demanded that she must "ditch the red lines" on Brexit for any serious negotiations after MPs rejected the divorce deal she had struck with the EU. Corbyn, the leader of the opposition, made the remarks a hours after embattled May saw off a bid to remove her government from power by 325 to 306 votes. The vote came a day after her plan for leaving the European Union was overwhelmingly rejected by the MPs. May is meeting MPs to try to find a way forward for Brexit. But Corbyn has refused to join talks unless the threat of a no-deal exit was ruled out. Corbyn said he was "quite happy" to talk with May, but she had to rule out a no-deal Brexit. Britain is set to exit the 28-member EU, which it joined in 1973, on March 29. With just over two months to go until the scheduled departure, Britain is still undecided on what to do. Corbyn urged Prime ...
NE needs more funds to catch up with rest of India: FC
The 15th Finance Commission (FC) has endorsed the view of 'North East Vision 2020' document that says the region needs more funds to catch up with the rest of the country, the panel's chairman N K Singh said Thursday. A 15-member team of the commission, headed by Singh, on Thursday received a memorandum from the state government and held a meeting with the council of ministers headed by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb. "We endorse the view recorded in the document of the North East Region Vision 2020 that the region needs ample funds to catch up with the rest of the country. We will consider the view while recommending funds," Singh said. He said that the commission shares the vision of chief minister and governor of Tripura to make it a model state. The FC team had arrived yesterday and held deliberations with different stakeholders. "The new leadership of Tripura is committed to make it a fair contributor in development of the nation. Tripuras growth trajectory is ...
KTK turmoil;more Cong MLAs return home,pledge loyalty to party
Ahead of the crucial Congress Legislature Party meeting here Friday, more party MLAs allegedly under the BJP's radar for desertion returned home, giving the H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition government hopes of averting a crisis. As Congress stepped up its efforts to quell dissidence, BJP state chief B S Yeddyurappa arrived here, asserting his party was not involved in any operation to topple the government. He said his party MLAs were also flying back from Gurugram, where they are staying for the past few days. Slamming the BJP for making "futile attempts" to destabilise his government, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy accused it of keeping the saffron party's MLAs in "confinement" at Gurugram. Grappling with the political turmoil triggered by reports of the BJP luring Congress MLAs to take a fresh shot at government formation, Kumaraswamy rejected its charge that he was trying to poach their lawmakers. Friday's CLP meet is expected to be a show of strength for the Congress,
Activists welcome SC verdict on dance bars; Maha govt cautious
Social activists welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict which paves the way for reopening of dance bars in Maharashtra, while the state government said it will look out for 'untoward activities' under the garb of dance bars. Stating that there can be "regulations" but not "total prohibition", the SC Thursday set aside some provisions of a 2016 law imposing restrictions on licensing and functioning of dance bars. The Bharatiya Bar Girls' union president Varsha Kale, who has been fighting for the cause of bar dancers, termed the apex court ruling as a great "victory". Kale said over 75,000 women were employed in dance bars when the state government decided to shut them down in 2005 for allegedly promoting obscenity. While over 40,000 women left the profession and took up other jobs for livelihood, around 35,000 were still working as waiters and singers in various hotels, she claimed. Bureaucrat-turned-activist Abha Singh hailed the apex court's order as "progressive", and ...
BJP working to destabilise govt: KPCC working president
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president Ishwar Khandre on Thursday accused Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to destabilise the state government.Khandre also accused BJP of horse trading, saying: "They (BJP) did not have a mandate from people, still they formed the government. It was a slap on the face of BJP leadership and despite that, they want to indulge in operation 'Lotus'."Terming all allegations against Congress as baseless, he said that the party is constantly in touch with its MLAs.This comes a day after BJP state unit chief and former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa alleged that Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy was indulging in horse-trading by offering money and ministerial posts to his MLAs.BJP MLAs from Karnataka who have camped themselves in Gurugram since Monday evening said that they were here to make strategies for the coming Lok Sabha polls and had not run away fearing poaching by the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance.The charges of horse-trading were ...
Afghan President thanks Pakistan PM for peace efforts
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday telephoned Prime Minister Imran Khan to discuss the ongoing international efforts for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.
Rival factions scuffle at Congress office in Shimla
Supporters from two rival Congress factions Thursday scuffled at the headquarters of the party's Himachal Pradesh unit shortly after a new state-level president assumed charge, party members said. The brawl took place a little after a public meeting to mark the appointment of Kuldeep Rathore as the new Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president, according to eyewitnesses. The fight took place at the Congress Bhawan between the supporters of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and the outgoing Himachal Pradesh Congress president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
Mayawati inducts her nephew into BSP
Unfazed by media speculation about the emergence of a political heir in the BSP, Mayawati hit back at the critics and announced the induction of her nephew Akash Anand, an MBA graduate, into the party.
MGP to contest Shiroda & Mandrem Assembly bypolls in Goa
The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), an ally of ruling BJP in Goa, Thursday announced its decision to contest the upcoming by-elections in Shiroda and Mandrem Assembly constituencies. The announcement was made after the MGP's central committee met here under the chairmanship of party chief Deepak Dhavalikar to discuss the issue. The bypolls are necessitated after Congress MLAs from both the constituencies resigned to join the BJP in October last year. "The central committee decided that the MGP will not have a truck with any other political party for both the by-elections. We will contest both the seats on our own," MGP general secretary Lavu Mamlatdar said. Dhavalikar has already announced his candidature from Shiroda constituency, the seat, which fell vacant after the then Congress MLA Subhash Shirodkar resigned to join BJP. Mamlatdar said that both the Assembly constituencies have been traditionally bastions of the MGP. "We had contested the 2017 Assembly election
BJP youth wing launches its campaign for party's Lok Sabha poll win
The BJP youth wing chief, Poonam Mahajan, Thursday interacted with over 50 lakh young voters spread across 200 towns through video- conference in what the organisation claimed to be the largest-ever youth outreach programme done by a political party using technology. In a statement, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) said the interaction also marked the launch of its campaign, "VijayLakshya2019" (aiming victory in 2019), for the BJP's win in the Lok Sabha polls and the re-election of Narendra Modi as prime minister. Mahajan, who was present in Tawang near the China border, said it is the "magnificent efforts" of Modi that have ensured the communication with 50 lakh youths from different and remote parts of the country at a single point of time. "This is the largest-ever youth outreach programme done by any political party through the use of technology. Over 20 locations were identified for two-way interactions and over 180 locations were identified for one-way interaction," the ..
Cong's 'Parivartan Yatra' in U'khand will flop: BJP
The ruling BJP Thursday took a dig at the Congress for its proposed 'Parivartan Yatra' across Uttarakhand from January 21, saying it was a desperate bid by the party to save itself but would end up being a flop show. "It would have been better if the so called 'Parivartan Yatra' was named 'Astitva Bachao Yatra'," Pradesh BJP media chief Devendra Bhasin said. "It is another drama by Congress leaders to save themselves and their party which is in total disarray in Uttarakhand like in a number of other states. The biggest challenge before the Congress in these circumstances is how to save itself," Bhasin said. He claimed that the Congress had run out of ideas and was following BJP's programmes. "The party first held a series of press conferences in several states (on Rafale)in imitation of the BJP and now it was embarking on a 'Parivartan Yatra to follow something which the BJP has already done in the past," he said. "But the yatra will meet the same fate as did the press conferences ...
Some concerns over citizenship Bill genuine, says BJP's Ram Madhav
BJP general secretary Ram Madhav on Thursday said some concerns over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 are genuine, and that will meet dissenting MLAs and other party leaders to convince them about the government's intentions.