Page 1913 - Politics
'Mahagathbandhan' a non-starter, says Ram Madhav
BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav on Thursday termed the proposed 'Mahagathbandhan' or Grand Alliance as a non starter, saying that the opposition parties have no credible issues or agenda against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.
BSP-SP alliance does not spell stability: Sheila Dikshit (IANS interview)
In the first attack by a senior Congress leader on the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh, former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has said that it does not "spell stability" and the Congress will spring a surprise in the state in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
Activists welcome Supreme Court verdict on Maha dance bars
Social activists here Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict which paves the way for reopening of dance bars in Maharashtra. Stating that there can be "regulations" but not "total prohibition", the Supreme Court has set aside some provisions of a 2016 law imposing restrictions on their licensing and functioning. 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". "We have won this case several times (in various courts), but this victory is bigger," she said. "I hope the state authorities will start issuing licences to dance bars so that thousands of bar dancers, who had to switch over to other professions and those working as waiters and singers in hotels, could come back and restart their life," she said. 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 .
Jaitley lashes out at critics of NDA govt, calls them 'compulsive contrarians'
Terming the critics of the Modi dispensation as 'compulsive contrarians', Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Thursday accused them of manufacturing falsehood and subverting democracy by weakening a sovereign elected government. Jaitley, who is in the US for a medicial check-up, in a Facebook post said while free speech and the right to dissent are critical components of a democracy but falsehood, subversion and institutional destruction are not. Attacking those who believed that "this government could do no good", the minister said nations are built by those with positive mindsets and a national vigor, not by the compulsive contrarians. "The compulsive contrarians had no qualms about manufacturing falsehood. They could concoct arguments even if they went against the general interest of the country. They could masquerade corruption as crusade. They could adopt double standards whenever it suited them," said the blog titled 'The Compulsive Contrarian and his Manufactured Logic'. Citing the ..
May stresses on putting national interest first amid Brexit mayhem
Amid continuing uncertainty regarding the Brexit, UK Prime Minister Theresa May stressed on putting the national interest first and delivering on the referendum after she survived the vote of no confidence with a slim margin in Parliament.She also slammed the leader of the Labour Party, who is also the Leader of the Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn for not taking part in talks to work on a Brexit that "both delivers on the referendum and can command the support of the Parliament"."Overwhelmingly the British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit, and also address the important issues they care about. But the deal which I have agreed to work with the EU was rejected by MPs and by a large margin. I believe it is my duty to deliver on the British people's instruction to leave the EU and I intend to do so," May told reporters.May announced that she has invited MPs from across parties to hold meetings. "So now MPs have made clear what they don't want, we must all work constructively ...
Afghan peace process: US special envoy Khalilzad arrives in Pakistan
US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Pakistan on Thursday to discuss with the senior civil and military leadership the latest efforts to bring peace to the war-torn country.
Macau denies entry to Hong Kong former activist leader
A former leader of Hong Kong's student-led Umbrella Movement protests has been refused entry to Macau as a "public security" threat in what critics said was a new escalation in Beijing's drive to curb the movement of dissidents. Yvonne Leung, 25, was a prominent leader of the 2014 pro-democracy movement and the only female student leader to meet with senior government officials at the height of the rallies. But in recent years she has retreated from the political frontlines. She was refused entry to Macau on Wednesday, a decision that took some by surprise because of Leung's less prominent public profile. Leung told AFP that the reason provided to her from authorities in Macau was "strong references that you intend to enter to participate in certain activities which may jeopardise the public security or public order". She declined to provide further comment, including the purpose of her visit. Like Hong Kong, Macau is a semi-autonomous part of China. Both cities have freedoms unseen ..
World Archery refuses to recognise recent AAI elections
Archery's world governing body has refused to recognise the recent elections of the national federation, a development that might result in AAI's suspension and renew the administrative wrangling in the sport here. The World Archery (WA) informed B V P Rao, who was elected president of the Archery Association of India (AAI) on December 22, that it does not accept the polls as they were conducted without approval from the General Body. "...I regret to inform you that the World Archery Executive Board at this stage cannot accept the outcome of the General Assembly held on 22nd December and your election as president as well as the rest of the Board...," the world body said in a letter. The WA said that the decision was taken because the constitution that was used to conduct the elections was "never formally approved" and only accepted by the returning officer. "We ask you to provide us the full minutes of the General Assembly (of December 22) for verification of the above matter before .
France triggers 'hard Brexit' plan, to invest in ports and airports
PARIS (Reuters) - France has put in motion a contingency plan to deal with an eventual "hard Brexit," Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Thursday, including 50 million euros ($57 million) of investments to help ports and airports cope.
Cardi B slams Donald Trump amid government shutdown
Cardi B, who never shies away from speaking her mind, opened up about the ongoing government shutdown.Reacting to the partial government shutdown that has left thousands of people without pay for weeks, the 26-year-old rapper shared her thoughts regarding the whole situation in a video on her Instagram account.In addition to ranting about the shutdown, Cardi also slammed US President Donald Trump for forcing some federal employees to return to work without being paid."Trump is now ordering federal workers to go back to work without getting paid," said Cardi, who defended Obama's shutdown in 2013, stating that it was "for healthcare."In her signature delivery, she argued, "So your grandma could check her blood pressure and y'all bitches could go check y'all pu**y at the gynaecologist."To conclude her rant, Cardi stressed the seriousness of the situation, noting that many of her fans may not care about the shutdown but they should."Now I know a lot of y'all don't care because y'all ...
Arun Jaitley slams Opposition over Rafale, CBI issue
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday took a dig at the Opposition saying that a new class of Compulsive Contrarians, including the Left and dynastic politicians, has emerged to create perpetual propaganda against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre."There are some in the political system who thought that they were born to rule. Some who were part of the ideological left and the ultra-left obviously found the new government wholly unacceptable. Hence emerged a new class of Compulsive Contrarians," the Union Minister stated in his blog on Facebook.Jaitley opined that these Contrarians believe that the Centre could do no good and every act of the government must be opposed. "They picked holes in the proposal to give 10 per cent reservation in education and public jobs to the poor, demonetisation, Aadhaar, surgical strikes," he said."Steps taken against black money were described as Tax Terrorism and successful surgical strikes conducted by the Army ...
Dy CM goes missing from 'Vibrant Gujarat' posters
Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates on Thursday a host of high-profile events as part of the three-day Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, pictures of Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel went missing from all posters and banners across the state capital Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad.
Kerala HC sets aside election of Karatt Abdul Razak in 2016 assembly polls
The Kerala High Court Thursday set aside the election of Karatt Abdul Razak from Koduvally Assembly constituency in Kozhikode district in 2016, for indulging in electoral malpractice. Justice Abraham Mathew passed the order on a petition by two voters of the constituency, challenging the election of Razak, who contested as an LDF independent candidate during the 2016 Assembly polls. In their petition, K P Mohammed and Moitheen Kunji of the constituency alleged that Razak and his agents had screened a video programme across the constituency during the poll campaign, aiming to tarnish the image of M A Razak, an UDF candidate.
Hitachi freezes British nuclear project, books $2.8 bln hit
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Hitachi Ltd said on Thursday it has decided to freeze a 3 trillion yen ($28 billion) British nuclear power project and will consequently book a writedown of 300 billion yen ($2.75 billion) on its British nuclear unit.
BJP ally to contest Goa by-polls 'on its own'
A key ally of the BJP-led coalition government in Goa announced on Thursday that it will contest the coastal state's yet to be scheduled by-polls "on its own".
Undermining hard power in the name of world peace wrong: Gurumurthy
Undermining hard power in the name of world peace is wrong in the modern context, RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy said Thursday and observed that India could not have handled the Doklam crisis without hard power. India does not want anybody's territory but would also not allow any other country to occupy its territory, he said. "Hard power is necessary, without hard power we could not have done surgical strikes or handled Doklam crisis," he said at an event organised by Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF). In this context he cited emperor Ashoka who renounced violence after Kalinga war. "Ashoka gave up war... he was a great man but greater man was Chanakya," Gurumurthy, who is also a part-time director of RBI, said. Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Doklam in 2017 after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed tri-junction by the Chinese Army. On September 29, 2016, the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes on seven terrorist
Govt brought 10 pc quota law to 'win some votes': Sitaram Yechury
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday hit out at the Centre over the new law to give 10 per cent quota to economically weaker sections from general category and alleged the move was to "win some votes." "An ill-thought and poorly planned proposal which has been pushed by Modi govt only in a desperate hope of winning some votes. Why are no funds being made available to central institutions for expansion? Why does Modi govt want to destroy these institutions?," he tweeted. The bill was introduced by the government and passed amid criticism by the opposition in the recently concluded winter session of Parliament. He alleged that the government was damaging farmers and no amount of rhetoric can make up for the loss. "No amount of jumlas and tamashas can cover up the kind of wilful damage caused to farmers by Modi government, the worst and most callous in independent India's history," he said.
BSP leader Satish Mishra to attend TMC's Jan 19 rally
The Bahujan Samaj Party has confirmed that its senior leader Satish Chandra Mishra would attend the opposition rally convened by the Trinamool Congress in Kolkata Saturday, TMC sources said. "We have just received confirmation from the BSP that its All India General Secretary Satish Chandra Mishra will attend the opposition rally on January 19," a senior TMC leader said. With the BSP confirming its attendance, almost all major opposition parties the Congress, the NCP, the National Conference, the SP, the AAP, the DMK, the JD(S), and the TDP would participate in the rally, a TMC leader said. However, the Left parties led by the CPI(M) have decided not to attend the rally. TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier this week said senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge will represent his party. The TMC leadership has claimed in a tweet that Saturday's "rally of all rallies" will sound the "death knell" of the BJP government at the Centre. "To pave the way for
BJP not involved in any operation to topple Cong-JDS govt;
BJP Karnataka chief B S Yeddyurappa Thursday said no member of his party was involved in any operation to topple the Congress-JD(S) coalition government. With the ongoing power tusslebetween the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition and BJP inKarnataka intensifying, both sides have been trading charges of trying to poach each other's MLAs. "The BJP has nothing do with ruling coalition MLAs who are in Mumbai," the former Chief Minister said and accused the Congress and JD(S) of trying to shift the blame on his party tocover up their 'failures and inability' to keep their flocktogether. "No one from the BJP has indulged in any kind of operation or luring Congress-JD(S) MLAs. We had gathered all our MLAs atone place and were discussing about the preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls for the last two-three days. Todayall are coming back," Yeddyurappa said. Speaking to reporters here, he hit out at the Congress leaders, saying they talk about the Constitution, but everyone
MLAs take oath in Telangana
Newly elected MLAs on Thursday took oath in Telangana Assembly.Pro-tem Speaker Mumtaz Ahmed Khan administered the oath of office to the newly elected members including the nominated member from the Anglo-Indian community.Khan took oath on Wednesday as the Pro-tem Speaker, administered by Governor ESL Narasimhan at the Durbar Hall of the Raj Bhavan.Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrashekar Rao took oath as the Chief Minister of the state on December 13 last year.TRS emerged victorious in the Telangana Assembly elections held recently, bagging 88 seats out of a total of 119 seats.