Page 1923 - Politics

BJP is threatening our MLAs in Karnataka: Mallikarjun Kharge

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge has alleged that the BJP is scaring his party MLAs in Karnataka by taking the name of institutions like CBI, CVC, Income Tax, and ED in a bid to gain their support."The BJP is threatening Congress MLAs in Karnataka by taking the name of Income Tax, Enforcement Directorate (ED), CBI, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and other agencies in order to gain their support," he told reporters here on Wednesday.Kharge said that JDS and Congress MLAs in Karnataka would soon have a joint meeting to discuss the prevailing political situation in the state. The Congress has already called a meeting of the party legislators on January 18."Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Central government is trying to install a BJP government in Karnataka by trying to break our MLAs," Kharge alleged.Asserting the JDS-Congress government in Karnataka is stable as the MLAs are intact, the Congress veteran said: "BJP president Amit Shah and BJP government are making every bid

Congress legislator suspended from party

Punjab Congress legislator Kulbir Singh Zira was on Wednesday suspended from the party's membership on charges of indiscipline, Punjab Congress President and Member of Parliament Sunil Kumar Jakhar said.

Rajasthan Cong begins exercise to pick LS candidates

After its success in the recent Rajasthan Assembly elections, the Congress here has begun seeking feedback from workers in each constituency to pick candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. This is being done through a series of meetings being held in the state capital. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the party's state leadership is inviting workers to discuss the upcoming elections. "We are trying to understand their feelings and will collectively select nominees for the Lok Sabha elections. The final decision will be taken by the party high command," Gehlot told reporters. Gehlot claimed there is no doubt that the party will win all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Party office bearers on Wednesday held a meeting with workers of Chittorgarh Lok Sabha constituency. The meeting was held at the chief minister's residence and also attended by deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and Rajasthan in-charge of the All India Congress Committee, Avinash Pandey. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP ..

Biofuel powered An-32, home grown platforms to be IAF main attractions at Republic Day parade

The home grown Light Combat aircraft Tejas and the Akash air defence missile system would be the main attraction of the Indian Air Force (IAF) tableaux at the Republic Day parade along with the 'Sutlej' An-32 aircraft which will for the first time take part in the fly past using 10 percent biofuel."In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to reduce dependence on petroleum, an An-32 which would lead the Sutlej formation under Squadron Leader Mehta Sond, will fly with 10 per cent biofuel," Wg Cdr Ankur Mathur said.The Prime Minister has taken initiative under which dependency on oil imports has to be reduced by 10 per cent by 2021.The Jatropha biofuel has been developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and Indian Institute of Petroleum.The mainstay at the tableaux of the Air Force would be the models of LCA Tejas, Sukhoi 30 MKI and the Akash missile system, the Air Force officials said.A total of 37 aircraft from the IAF would take part in the flypast ...

Release Kashmiri journalist and drop charges against him, CPJ tells J-K governor

The Committee to Protect Journalists has appealed to Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik to release journalist Aasif Sultan, arrested last year for alleged links with militant groups, and drop the charges against him. No chargesheet has been filed against Malik, who works for a weekly newspaper and was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on August 27 last year, the CPJ, a global organisation advocating press freedom, said in a letter to the governor. "Freedom of the press is a vital tenet of democracy and a proud part of India's history. We urge you to use the authority vested in you as governor of Jammu and Kashmir to help immediately ensure that Aasif Sultan is released and that the charges against him are dropped," the letter dated January 15 said. It said his name was incorporated in an FIR after a gunfight on August 12. His editor and family credibly disputed police claims and said his work was strictly that of a journalist gathering news, the CPJ ...

Surge in piracy off West Africa in 2018: maritime watchdog

Pirate attacks rose worldwide in 2018 due to a surge off West Africa, a maritime watchdog said Wednesday, calling for increased international cooperation to halt the spate of hijackings and kidnappings. There were 201 recorded incidents of maritime piracy and armed robbery last year, up from 180 in 2017, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said in its annual piracy report. "There is an urgent need for increased cooperation and sharing of intelligence between the Gulf of Guinea's littoral states so that effective action can be taken against pirates," an bureau spokesman said. Reports of attacks in waters between the Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo more than doubled, accounting for all six hijackings worldwide, 13 of 18 ships fired upon, and the vast majority of kidnap-for-ransom cases, the Kuala Lumpur-based IMB said. The last quarter of 2018 saw a significant spike in violence off West Africa, with vessels boarded by pirates well outside territorial waters, and ...

Cong MLA from Zira suspended for indiscipline

Punjab Congress on Wednesday suspended its MLA from Zira from the party on the charge of indiscipline, days after his public outburst at an event. The state unit had earlier issued a show cause notice the legislator Kulbir Singh Zira after he had alleged inaction against contractors selling illicit liquor. "Kulbir Singh Zira has been suspended from the primary membership of the party for indiscipline," Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar told reporters here on Wednesday. Jakhar said Zira should not have aired his grievance at a public function. He could have raised his matter at party forum. On January 12, Zira had left his party embarrassed after he boycotted a district level function in protest against alleged inaction against contractors selling illicit liquor in Ferozepur. He had even accused some police officers including one of an IG rank of being in cahoots with such liquor contractors.

Former Arunachal CM Gegong Apang quits BJP, says it has become a platform to seek power

Four years after switching from the Congress to the BJP, former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Gegong Apang has quit the saffron party, saying it has become a platform to seek power. Apang, who was chief minister of the Northeastern state for over 22 years, sent a two-page resignation letter to BJP chief Amit Shah on Tuesday. "I am disappointed to see that the present BJP is no longer following the principles of Raj Dharam but has turned into a platform to seek power, serves a leadership which hates decentralization of democratic decision," he wrote in the letter. In 2014, the BJP used every dirty tricks to make Kalikho Pul the chief minister of Arunchal Pradesh and a BJP government was reinstalled despite an adverse Supreme Court ruling, he said. "Neither a proper investigation was done on Pul's suicide nor the present BJP leadership thought of morality and ethics by installing many more BJP governments in NE India," the hard-hitting letter read. He said announcing Pema Khandu's ...

BJP govt not releasing funds to TTAADC, Left Front to agitate

The Left Front in Tripura today said it would launch a week-long agitation, as the BJP-led government allegedly did not release the sanctioned budhetary amount to the TTAADC run by the opposition group, though only a little time are left for the financial year to end. The TTAADC comprises two-third of the state's territory and is home to the tribals, who constitute a third of the state's population. Tripura Left Front Chairman Bijan Dhar claimed that the Biplab Kumar Deb government has launched an "economic blockade" against the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) as it is run by the Left Front. Addressing a press conference here, Dhar said the BJP-Indigenous Front of Tripura coalition which took over power in March last year, has reduced the budgetary sanction of the TTAADC from Rs 582.47 crore to Rs 117.43 crore in the 20182019 financial year. "But the government is not releasing that amount also with a clear intension of crippling the development

AAP MLA Baldev Singh resigns, says party has lost its 'basic ideology'

Baldev Singh, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Jaito, resigned from the primary membership of the party on Wednesday."I am pained to forward my resignation from the primary membership of AAP because the party has completely given up its basic ideology and principles," Baldev wrote in his letter to Delhi Chief Minister and AAP president Arvind Kejriwal.In his letter, Baldev cited Kejriwal's dictatorial, arrogant and autocratic style of functioning."As a result of your dictatorial, arrogant and autocratic style of functioning, pioneers of AAP like Prashant Bhushan, Yogender Yadav, Medha Patikar, Kiran Bedi, Dr. Gandhi, H.S.Khalsa, Sucha Singh Chottepur, Gurpreet Ghuggi, Ashish Khetan, Ashutosh, H.S.Phoolka etc. have all left the party or have been thrown out in a humiliating manner," he said.Baldev is believed to be a close aide of Punjab MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who also resigned earlier this month from the primary membership of AAP.In a letter to Kejriwal, Khaira had said that the .

Delhi HC defers AJL plea challenging single bench order to vacate Herald House to Jan 28

A division bench of the Delhi High Court on Wednesday deferred to January 28 the hearing on Associated Journals Ltd's (AJL) plea challenging the single bench order to vacate the Herald House.The division bench headed by Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Rajender Menon cited health reason and asked parties if "the case could wait another week".AJL is the publisher of the National Herald newspaper.On December 21 last year, the Delhi High Court's single bench had dismissed the petition filed by AJL, challenging the Centre's decision to cancel its lease and vacate the Herald House.The Centre, in its eviction order passed on October 30 last year, had mentioned the violation of lease conditions by AJL and had said that the Herald House's 56-year-old lease to AJL had ended.The publisher had then approached the High Court on November 12 against the eviction order of the Union Urban Development Ministry. In the petition, it stated that the central government's decision to cancel the lease is ..

I am available for Hurriyat but not for political discussions: J and K Governor

In an outreach to the Hurriyat, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday said he was available for the separatist grouping if it wanted to flag any "injustice" meted out to common people but ruled out any political discussions, saying it is the mandate of the Central government."Hurriyat should not consider me an alien," he told ANI here.He said the Hurriyat must approach him directly with matters pertaining to atrocities and injustice to the common man if they come across any such situation."As I am available to a common man, I am also available for the Hurriyat. If some incident takes place regarding atrocities on residents here, I will, with my full force, make efforts to deliver justice," Malik said."I respect the senior leaders of the Hurriyat and will treat them the way I am treating the common man," he added.At the same time, he made it clear that his discussions with the Hurriyat will not be political in nature."Discussions with the Hurriyat cannot be termed as .

LS polls: Commonwealth medallist Manika Batra to raise awareness on voting in Delhi

Ace table tennis player and Commonwealth medallist Manika Batra has been roped in by the Election Commission to spread awareness on voting in Delhi ahead of the general election, officials said Wednesday. A campaign in this regard will begin soon, they added. Seeking to promote awareness, the office of the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Tuesday also launched a Voter Awareness Forum (VAF), an informal forum for generating discussions and build awareness on the election process. "We had recently launched an awareness programme on EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) and VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail), as part of which we have installed kiosks at various public places across Delhi. And, today this forum has been launched at 300 locations in the city, from state to district levels," Delhi CEO Ranbir Singh said at the launch of the forum at the CEO Office here. Later interacting with reporters, he said, top table tennis player Batra has been roped in by the Delhi CEO Office ..

Former Union minister CP Joshi elected Speaker of Rajasthan Assembly

Former Union minister C P Joshi was elected Wednesday elected unopposed the speaker of the 15th Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. A Congress legislator from Nathdwara, Joshi was named for the post by the party's top leadership. The 68-year-old Congress veteran took over the chair relieving protem speaker Gulab Chand Kataria after the House passed the motion for his election by a voice vote. Joshi was the MP from Bhilwara in the 15th Lok Sahba and had served as the Union minister for Road Transport and Highways and Panchayati Raj from 2009 to 2013. Congress MLA Mahesh Joshi was appointed chief whip of the party, while Mahendra Choudhary was made its deputy chief whip. Congratulating Joshi on his his election, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said he has a rich experience of legislative rules and procedures both as a parliamentarian and state legislator. Gehlot expressed confidence that Joshi would take care of the feelings of all members. In his address to the House, Joshi said the assembly ..

Karnataka Congress MLA says he is very much with party

Congress MLA Bheema Naik, who is said to be among the sulking party legislators in Karnataka, on Wednesday said he was very much in the Congress and no one from the BJP has contacted him with any offers in the context of allegations that the Kumaraswamy government was under threat.

Trump summons thousands back to work without pay

US President Donald Trump has called tens of thousands of federal employees back to work without pay to get the government running amid a partial shutdown well into its third week.

'Still time to negotiate,' Merkel says after Brexit vote

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday "we still have time to negotiate" after the British parliament overwhelmingly rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's deal on leaving the European Union. "We still have time to negotiate but we're now waiting on what the prime minister proposes," Merkel said, stressing that she very much regretted the parliament's no vote.

TN Cong taunts Modi on alliance, says no takers for his invite

Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his party was open to alliances for the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress' Tamil Nadu unit Wednesday took potshots at him, saying there were no takers for his invite. On the contrary, parties were only walking out of the NDA alliance, Tamil Nadu Congress president Su Thirunavukkarasar said. "Prime Minister Modi may keep the door open. But no party is prepared to get inside... be it in Tamil Nadu or in the rest of the country, there is no single party which has accepted his invite and joined hands with the BJP," he told reporters. Modi, during an interaction with Tamil Nadu party workers recently had said the BJP cherished its old friends. He had said the BJP was open to alliances following the path of Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had successfully built coalitions respecting regional aspirations. The prime minister had also stressed the importance of connecting with the people to win polls. While the DMK had said it would not align with the BJP,

PRISM urges Mizoram CM to convene meet on Citizenship Bill

The People's Representation for Identity and Status of Mizoram (PRISM) on Wednesday urged Chief Minister Zoramthanga to convene a meeting of all political parties in the state to discuss the proposed amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955. In a letter submitted to the chief minister's office, the Vanlalruata-led party said all parties should come together to stop the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The contentious bill seeks to amend Citizenship Act, 1955 to grant nationality to non-Muslims who fled religious persecution from three neighbouring countries and entered India before December 31, 2014. It was passed by Lok Sabha earlier this month and is likely to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha in the budget session. "As the people of Mizoram are opposed to the passage of the bill, it is a high time that efforts be made to ensure its defeat in the Upper House," the letter said. The PRISM also suggested that united movement against the legislation be ...

Cong calls legislature party meeting on January 18 amid 'poaching fears'

As the allegations and counter-allegations of poaching have cast their shadow on the state government led by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, the Congress has called a meeting of its legislators here on January 18 to take stock of the prevailing political situation.The decision to hold the meeting of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) was taken after the party leaders alleged that three of their MLAs were taken to Mumbai by the BJP in an attempt to lure them to their fold.However, the BJP has dismissed the Congress allegations, claiming that the ruling party was making attempts to poach their MLAs. BJP has parked its 104 party MLAs at a hotel in Gurugram in Haryana.Talking to media persons here on Wednesday, Congress MP KH Muniyappa has assured the three party MLAs of addressing their grievances. "I urge them to come back. They don't need to worry at all.""The second generation Congressmen who won election must not feel insecure. Congress president Rahul Gandhi and AICC General Secretary .