Page 214 - Politics

Cong holds protest against "illegal" merger of party MLAs with

: Stepping up its attack on TRS over the "illegal" merger of 12 Congress MLAs in Telangana with that party, the opposition Congress staged protests Tuesday in Hyderabad and other towns in the state. Activists of National Students Union of India (NSUI), the students wing of Congress, organised a protest at Nampalli area here against the merger of the 12 Congress MLAs with the TRS and "forced" hospitalisation of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader M Bhatti Vikramarka. Congress leaders and workers, raising slogans against TRS,held protests at Karimnagar and other places in the state. Vikramarka began an indefinite fast at Dharna Chowk in the city on Saturday against the merger. He was shifted to a government hospital Monday morning by police in view of his "failing health" and also for holding the protest beyond the permitted time. Vikramarka called off his fast in the hospital Monday following an appeal by state Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy and other leaders. .

Coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha takes office as Thai PM

Coup leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha on Tuesday took office as the Prime Minister of Thailand in a ceremony at the government headquarters, opening a new phase in the country after five years of a military junta.

Poonch ceasefire violation: Gen Rawat, Rajnath to lay wreath at Palam in honour of deceased Army jawan

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief General Bipin Rawat will lay a wreath at Palam Technical Area on Tuesday to honour deceased Lance Naik Mohammad Jawed.28-year-old Jawed was critically injured in a ceasefire violation by Pakistan on Monday in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch sector. He later succumbed to his injuries."At about 17:00 PM on June 10, Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation in Poonch Sector on the line of control (LoC). In the incident, Lance Naik Mohammad Jawed was critically injured and later succumbed to his injuries," a press release by Defence Wing PRO said.Jawed belonged to Marrar village in Khagaria of Bihar. He is survived by his wife.

Moldova president refuses to dissolve parliament in standoff

Moldova's President Igor Dodon on Tuesday annulled a decree to dissolve parliament, enforcing a standoff between two governments which insist on their claim to lead the eastern European country. The poor ex-Soviet state, nestled between Romania and Ukraine, has been in political chaos since February when a general election failed to give a clear majority to any party. At the weekend, parliament approved a new government built on an unprecedented coalition of pro-Russian and pro-European forces, which came together to freeze out the party of an influential oligarch. But the Constitutional Court had already ordered fresh elections and it effectively blocked the new coalition by suspending Dodon and appointing a former prime minister as interim leader. Ex-premier Pavel Filip, from the Democratic Party led by oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc, used his short time as acting president to dissolve parliament and call snap elections for September. But back in office Dodon cancelled the order. "We ...

MQM founder Altaf Hussain arrested in London

Pakistan's Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain, living in exile in the UK, was arrested in London on Tuesday in connection with an investigation into a number of anti-state speeches made by him. Scotland Yard said a man aged in his 60s was arrested at an address in north-west London, confirmed as Hussain by the MQM. He was arrested on suspicion of intentionally encouraging or assisting offences contrary to Section 44 of the UK's Serious Crime Act 2007. "The investigation, which is being led by officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, is focused on a speech broadcast in August 2016 by an individual associated with the MQM movement in Pakistan as well as other speeches previously broadcast by the same person," a Metropolitan Police statement said. "As part of the investigation, officers are carrying out a search at the north west London address. Detectives are also searching a separate commercial address in north west London," the Met Police said. Hussain was .

Meenakshi Lekhi protests against water shortage in Delhi

BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi along with party workers held a protest on Tuesday outside the Delhi Jal Board in RK Puram against the worsening water situation in the city.Speaking about the inaccessibility of clean water, Lekhi said, "Either the water is inaccessible or it is dirty. Whenever the water quality is fine, we see sewer water getting mixed in it. In areas like Anand Prabhat, South Extension and my residence in Greater Kailash the situation is worsening."Taking a jibe at the AAP government's policy of free metro ride for women, she said, "The policy is of no use to women as they won't be able to get to their respective jobs on time because the water supply is delayed every day."A few city residents who joined in the protest also complained about the water shortage. "The government is not fulfilling the promises it made. We are so worried, our children don't have water to drink or bathe. We are daily wage labourers and our jobs are very unpredictable," said a senior citizen.Raising .

Hamza Shehbaz arrested by NAB officials outside Lahore court

Opposition leader in Pakistan's Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz was arrested Tuesday outside the Lahore High Court by the officials of the country's anti-graft body in cases related to money laundering and corruption. The arrest took place after a two-member Lahore High Court (LHC) bench dismissed bail applications filed by Hamza, 44, after his lawyer opted to withdraw the pleas in two corruption cases. Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) vice president is under investigation by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Ramzan Sugar Mills, Saaf Paani project and assets beyond known means of income cases. He is accused of laundering money through his front men who are already in NAB's custody. Hamza, the son of PML-N president and National Assembly opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif, told reporters prior to his arrest that the vindictive government of "puppet Prime Minister (Imran) Khan" could not even prove a one rupee corruption against him and his other family members. "I will ..

First episode of new 'Mann Ki Baat' series on June 30

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme is all set to return on June 30, a month after he took charge as Prime Minister for a second term."#MannKiBaat is back again as PM @narendramodi assumes office for the second term. Your stories, ideas & suggestions can be a part of this month's episode, scheduled on 30th June, 2019," MyGovIndia tweeted on Tuesday.This will be the first episode of the second season to be aired on All India Radio.In the finale episode of the first series, which was aired on February 24, before the commencement of Lok Sabha elections, Modi had said that the radio programme was a "sublime experience" for him."PM Narendra Modi looks forward to sharing his thoughts on themes and issues that matter to you. The Prime Minister invites you to share your ideas on topics he should address on," the government said, adding that phone lines will remain open from June 11 to June 26 for suggestions.

Rahul, Priyanka slam UP government over arrest of Kanojia, two others

Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Tuesday hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government over the arrest of scribe Prashant Kanojia and the editor and the head of a Noida-based TV channel. Rahul Gandhi also claimed that if every journalist who files a false report or peddles fake, vicious RSS/BJP sponsored propaganda about him is put in jail, most newspapers or news channels would face a severe staff shortage. "The UP CM is behaving foolishly and needs to release the arrested journalists," the Congress president tweeted. Retweeting Rahul Gandhi's tweet, AICC in-charge Uttar Pradesh (East) Priyanka Gandhi also attacked the state government over the issue. "Instead of working on the issues of the people, the UP government is cracking the whip of fear on journalists, farmers and representatives," she tweeted in Hindi. Kanojia, Anuj Shukla, who is the editor of Noida-based TV channel Nation Live, and its head Ishika Singh, have faced police action .

50 per cent import tariff on US motorcycles by India unacceptable: Trump

Ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump has again criticised India's high import tariff on the iconic Harley Davidson motorcycles as "unacceptable", though he acknowledged that his "good friend" slashed the duty by half from 100 per cent. Trump's comments came as he and Modi have agreed to meet on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan on June 28-29. Trump, who looks at every bilateral relationship from the prism of economy, has called India a "tariff king" and threatened to impose reciprocal tariffs on Indian products. Trump, in an interview to CBS News on Monday, said the United States, under his leadership, is a country that can no longer be fooled. "We're not the foolish country that does so badly. You look at India, very good friend of mine, Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, you take a look at what they've done, 100 per cent tax on a motorcycle. We charge them nothing," Trump said. Trump was referring to the import tariff on the ...

Pakistan, Afghanistan hold talks to improve cooperation

Pakistan has assured support for a stable and peaceful Afghanistan as delegations from the two nations held the first review session of a bilateral engagement framework to improve cooperation in different fields. The first Review session of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) was held in Islamabad on June 10, the Foreign Office said. Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Idrees Zaman led their respective multi-agency delegations in the meeting. The Foreign Secretary during the meeting reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to further deepen close brotherly relations with Afghanistan based on mutual trust to the benefit of the two peoples. "The Pakistan side reiterated its commitment to a peaceful, stable, united and prosperous Afghanistan, at peace within and at peace with its neighbours," the Foreign Office said. "Pakistan also emphasised that durable peace and stability could be achieved only through an inclusive, ...

Mamata unveils Vidyasagar bust, statue; says 8 TMC workers among 10 killed in post-poll clashes

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday installed a new bust of 19th century social reformer Iswhar Chandra Vidyasagar at the college where an old one was vandalised during a roadshow of BJP president Amit Shah last month. She also unveiled an 8.5-ft pristine white fibre-glass statue of Vidyasagar in the courtyard of the college. After unveiling the bust near Hare school, which was then transferred to Vidyasagar College, Banerjee said altogether 10 people were killed in post-poll violence in the state and eight of them belonged to her party -- the Trinamool Congress. The other two are BJP supporters, she said. "Every death is unfortunate. I will ask the chief secretary to provide assistance from the disaster management fund to the families of all the 10 deceased," she said. Post-poll violence has been reported from various places of West Bengal after the BJP secured 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, just four less than that of the TMC. All the cases will be ...

Sonia Gandhi to visit Rae Bareli on Wednesday

United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi will be visiting Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday for the first time after retaining the Rae Bareli seat in the recent Lok Sabha Elections.She will be meeting all the MLAs and ex MLAs along with the party workers and leaders of the constituency.Sonia Gandhi retained the Rae Bareli seat by defeating BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh by over 1.67 lakh votes. Her win in Uttar Pradesh's constituency was the only saving grace for the Congress party.Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will also be visiting Rae Bareli for the first time after the party's debacle in the Lok Sabha elections. She will take part in review meetings that will take place on Wednesday to discuss the reasons behind the party's poor performance in the general elections in the state.Along with Priyanka, Congress general secretary in-charge of western Uttar Pradesh, Jyotiraditya Scindia will also take review meetings in Delhi on June 11 and in Lucknow on June 14.On .

R'sthan Cong leader alleges "internal conspiracy" for defeat in Lok Sabha polls

Differences in the Rajasthan Congress once again came to the fore Tuesday with the party's Lok Sabha candidate from the Jaipur (Urban) segment claiming that an "internal conspiracy" led to her defeat in the recently-held elections. Former Jaipur mayor Jyoti Khandelwal blamed the party's state vice-president Archana Sharma for her defeat. She claimed that Archana Sharma, who was the Congress candidate from Malviya Nagar in the 2018 assembly elections, and her husband "conspired" for her defeat. "I have submitted a report to the state Congress president to prob the reasons of the defeat by taking the Malviya Nagar assembly segment as a pilot project," Khandelwal told PTI. Claiming that some "leaders decided to make the BJP victorious", Khandelwal added, "I have a footage of the conversation of Archana Sharma's husband. There was no party worker to man the booths in the Malviya Nagar assembly segment." The Congress leader rejected that there was a Modi wave. "There was no 'Modi Tsunami' .

Pakistan to let PM Modi's plane fly over its airspace to Bishkek

Pakistan has approved "in principle" India's request to allow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aircraft fly over its airspace to Bishkek to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit this week, according to a senior Pakistani official, who hoped that New Delhi would respond to Islamabad's offer for peace dialogue. India requested Pakistan to let Prime Minister Modi's aircraft fly over its airspace to Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan to attend the SCO summit on June 13-14. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is also attending the meeting of the regional grouping. Pakistan had fully closed its airspace on February 26 after an Indian Air Force (IAF) strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Balakot. Since then, it has only opened two routes, both of them pass through southern Pakistan, of the total 11. The Pakistani official confirmed to PTI on Monday that the Imran Khan government has "approved in principle the Indian government's request to let Prime Minister Modi's aircraft ..

Polarization, weak set-up blamed for Congress rout in UP

Communal polarization, fielding "outsiders" as candidates and a weak organisation led to the Congress rout in western Uttar Pradesh, several party leaders told General Secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia here on Tuesday.

I V Subba Rao to continue as secretary to vice president

I V Subba Rao will continue as secretary to Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry said Tuesday. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the continuation of Rao, a retired IAS officer, as secretary to the vice president on contract basis in the rank and pay of secretary of Government of India, it said. His tenure will be co-terminus with the tenure of the vice president, the ministry said.

Plot to tarnish Bengal's image underway, Bengal is not Gujarat: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that the image of the state was being tarnished and alleged that a plot was underway to turn it into Gujarat."I respect the Governor but every post has its constitutional limit. Bengal is being defamed. If you want to save Bengal and its culture come together. There is a conspiracy to forget the rich legacy of Bengal. A plan is being hatched to turn Bengal into Gujarat. Bengal is not Gujarat," she said at an event here.Banerjee was speaking at an event attended by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, ministers in the West Bengal government, as well as some spiritual leaders, to mark the unveiling of social-reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's bust at the Hare School ground.Her jibe at the West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi came after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi yesterday, a day after the Centre issued an advisory to the West Bengal government expressing "deep concern" ..

Mamata's speeches fuelled Sandeshkhali clashes, claims BJP

BJP leader Mukul Roy Tuesday blamed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the violence in Sandeshkhali that claimed three lives, saying her speeches "fuelled" the attacks on supporters of the saffron party. The BJP leader, who visited Bhangipara village and met the families of Pradip Mondal and Sukanta Mondal killed in the clashes, said he would appeal to party president Amit Shah to do whatever was required for the assistance of the victims' kin. "If anybody is to be blamed for the incident, it is Mamata Banerjee," Roy said, alleging that it was on her directives that no one has been arrested so far in connection with the killings. "Pradip and Sukanta were sleeping in their homes in the afternoon. They were dragged out and killed by TMC workers," he claimed. Kayoom Mollah, whom the TMC claims was it active worker, was also killed in the Saturday clashes, one of the worst post-poll violence in West Bengal. The TMC, however, has charged the BJP with attacking its party workers

Trump talks to Abe via phone before latter's Iran visit

US President Donald Trump talked to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe via phone before the latter's visit to Iran from June 12 to June 14.The two leaders discussed the "situation in the Middle East" during their call, according to Japanese state broadcaster NHK.Abe will be the first Japanese Prime Minister to visit Iran since 1978. The two countries mark the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year, the Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.The state broadcaster further reported that Abe told Trump that he would urge Iran to ease tensions during his meeting with the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Abe is scheduled to meet Iran's President Hassan Rouhani amongst other leaders during his official visit to the Middle Eastern country.