Page 2164 - Politics
BJP working to empower common people, develop wards, villages in J-K: Priya Sethi
Former Jammu and Kashmir minister and the BJP's state spokesperson Priya Sethi said on Wednesday her party was making sincerest efforts to empower commoners and make them partners in development of their wards and villages. This was the reason behind the BJP walking out of its alliance with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir, and favoured the administration holding panchayat as well as urban local bodies polls in face of resistance of elites of some particular parties, she said. Sethi said all-round development, including uninterrupted electricity supply, potable water, better streets, well-laid drains and macdamised roads, besides timely delivery of essential services are on the BJP's agenda and the party was working towards achieving these targets. To achieve this, the departments concerned were regularly being asked to take up works of utmost importance, she said. The BJP's state spokesperson said it was towards this end that fresh water pipes were being laid in old city. Sethi said the .
Bulandshahr incident a 'political conspiracy': Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath termed the Bulandshahr violence a "political conspiracy" hatched by those who have lost political ground. "Those who wanted to create anarchy...the intentions of those who instigated riots after cow slaughter have been foiled," Adityanath told reporters after the Assembly was adjourned for the day amid opposition ruckus. The day's proceedings in both the Houses of the state legislature were marred by continued uproar and sloganeering by the opposition Samajwadi Party and the Congress over various issues, including the plight of farmers and the law and order in the state, including the recent Bulandshahr violence. "Bulandshahr incident was a conspiracy and it has been exposed...it was a political conspiracy," he said. He said the state government will maintain rule of law at all cost. "...those who are cowards and not in a position to face a direct fight...they are embracing each other seeing that their political ground is receding...the ...
100 days to Brexit, businesses and EU ramp up no-deal planning
LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - With just 100 days until Brexit, businesses and the European Union ramped up planning for the risk that the United Kingdom will leave without a divorce deal, the nightmare scenario for many companies which are now planning for an economic shock.
2 opposition leaders in Sri Lanka's Parliament, says Tamil leader
Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya's move to recognise Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Leader of the Opposition has sparked a new controversy as the main Tamil party leader R Sampanthan said on Wednesday that there are now two people holding the same position. Speaker Jayasuriya Tuesday announced 73-year-old Rajapaksa's appointment as Sri Lanka's main opposition leader in Parliament, days after he resigned as prime minister after clinging on to power for nearly two months. Sampanthan, who held the position from 2015, said the Speaker made the announcement without removing him from the position. "Consequently, it would be seen as two people holding the post of the Leader of the Opposition," said Sampanthan, the leader of the Tamil National Alliance - the main Tamil party. "This has further complicated the issue," he said, referring to the recent political crisis. Sampanthan argued that Rajapaksa had ceased to be a member of parliament since he defected from the party through which .
India, South Korea agree on redoubling trade to 500bn USD by 2030
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj agreed to redouble bilateral trade to 50 billion USD by the year 2030. Both the leaders met here at the Jawaharlal Nehru Bhavan and reviewed multifaceted cooperation under the Special Strategic Partnership between the two countries.While co-chairing the ninth Joint Commission meeting in New Delhi, both the ministers expressed satisfaction over the growth in bilateral trade and investment over the past two years. They also agreed to increase bilateral trade to USD 50 billion by the year 2030. "We shared the view that early conclusion of ongoing negotiations to upgrade our bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and implementation of trade facilitation measures already agreed upon will help us move towards this target," the ministers said, according to a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs.Swaraj and Kyung-wha explored new avenues of Korean investment in India's
Senior PDP leaders join National Conference
The PDP, which has been on the back foot ever since its alliance with the BJP ended in June, continued to lose its senior party leaders as two more, including former minister Syed Basharat Ahmed Bukhari, joined the National Conference Wednesday. Bukhari, whose has been popular among the people as a radio journalist, along with former minister Peer Mohammad Hussain, formally joined the PDP's arch rival National Conference, in presence of party president and Lok Sabha MP Farooq Abdullah and former chief minister Omar Abdullah. Welcoming the two, Farooq Abdullah expressed hope that their inclusion will help salvage people from the "current tumultuous times". "We have to show steadfastness and maintain unity among us. We have to give a befitting reply to those forces which are inimical to the special status of the state," he said while welcoming the new members. Besides these two, senior PDP leader and former minister Imran Ansari parted ways with the party by openly supporting Sajjad ...
Congress humiliated all democratic institutions: Modi
Hitting back at the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday it has humiliated every institution of democracy, be it the Army or the CAG. He said the main opposition party even questioned a Supreme Court verdict just because it did not like it, apparently hinting at the continued assault by the party on him over the Rafale deal. The prime minister was interacting with booth level workers of Vellore, Kanchipuram, Viluppuram and south Chennai districts of Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, through video conferencing from New Delhi. "The Congress party has become more cunning since the days of Emergency," he said, sharpening his assault on the Congress. Congress president Rahul Gandhi had on Sunday lashed out at the Modi government, saying he will not allow the "destruction" of institutions like the Supreme Court and the Reserve Bank of India. The BJP government believes "only one idea should run India", Gandhi had told a public rally organised by his party's ...
C'garh polls: All AAP candidates lose deposit
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered a massive defeat in the recently-held Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh with all its candidates losing their deposit. The party, led by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, tried its luck for the first time in Chhattisgarh polls and fielded candidates from 85 seats, out of the total 90 seats in the state. In its bid to woo tribal communities, particularly in Bastar division, the party had declared Komal Hupendi, who contested from Scheduled Tribe (ST) reserved Bhanupratappur seat, as its chief ministerial face. However, all candidates of the AAP, including Hupendi who got 9,634 votes, lost their deposits, an election official told PTI. The party bagged only 0.9 per cent votes, less than the NOTA votes, which were two per cent of the counted votes in the state, he said. AAP's state convener, Sanket Thakur, who contested from Raipur rural seat, managed to get only 1,096 votes. During the poll campaign, senior AAP leaders had held rallies in
No provision in Constitution to deal with anti-nationals raising slogans against India: Govt
The Constitution does not have any provision to deal with anti-nationals raising slogans against India, Union Minister Hansraj Ahir said, admitting some residents in Jammu and Kashmir have been influenced by elements inimical to national interests. Ahir said in Rajya Sabha that Jammu and Kashmir has been affected by terrorist and secessionist violence that is sponsored and supported from across the border for more than two and half decades. "The Constitution of India does not have any provision to deal with anti-nationalists raising slogans against India, stone pelting on Indian Army and paramilitary forces etc. However, such offenders are dealt with as per the provisions of relevant laws applicable in Jammu and Kashmir," he said replying a written question. The Union minister of state for home was replying to a question on whether there are two kinds of people in Jammu and Kashmir -- one are nationalists and others are anti-nationalists. Ahir also said some local residents have been .
Mamata ministry expansion Thursday
The 31-month-old Mamata Banerjee Congress government in West Bengal will be expanded on Thursday and four new faces would be inducted into it, officials said Wednesday. The new names to be inducted into the state cabinet were shortlisted Tuesday and sent to the governor on Wednesday, the state secretariat sources said. The probable ministers are Sujit Bose, Tapas Roy, Nirmal Majhi and Ratna Ghosh. They would be sworn in Thursday by Governor K N Tripathi at the Raj Bhavan in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her cabinet colleagues, the sources said. The portfolios of the new entrants to the cabinet would be announced after the swearing in, they added. This is Trinamool Congress' second term in office after winning the 2016 assembly election in the state. Its first term was after the historic win of the party by throwing out of power the 34-year-long Left regime in 2011.
BJP sweeps mayoral elections in Haryana, Khattar pats his govt policies
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has swept the recently held mayoral elections in Haryana.The mayoral elections were held in five cities including Hisar, Karnal, Panipat, Rohtak and Yamunanagar on Sunday and the results were announced on Wednesday.A jubilant Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar gave credence to the state government's policies and his party's hard work for the win."This win in mayoral elections is a win of the government's policies and the party's hard work, especially in Panipat where our candidate won by a massive margin," Khattar said at a press conference here.BJP's Avneet won the mayoral election in Panipat. She won by a massive margin of 74,940 votes.BJP's Renu Bala won the mayoral race in Karnal with 69,960 votes. She won with a margin of 9,348 votes against Independent candidate Asha Wadhwa.BJP candidate Madan Singh secured the Yamunanagar mayor seat with a margin of over 40,000 votes.In Hisar, BJP mayoral candidate Gautam Sardana won with a margin of .
US, China face off again at World Trade Organisation
China and the United States have traded barbs again at the World Trade Organisation, with the US ambassador accusing China of theft of technology and an envoy from Beijing retorting that the US was "finger-pointing." The standoff comes as many countries lined up to criticize and question Trump administration policies in a WTO trade policy review of the United States, a regular process that WTO member states undergo. Wednesday marked the second and final closed-door session on the U.S. after a first one on Monday. US Ambassador Dennis Shea sought to re-direct attention on China, saying it would subsidize its industries to squeeze foreign producers and dump products at cheap prices abroad, a transcript of his remarks showed.
Superfast train between Delhi and Purnea not 'feasible': Rlys
Railways informed the Parliament on Wednesday that introduction of a superfast train between Delhi and Purnea in Bihar was not "feasible" due to operational constraints despite demands made for such a train even from the local MP. Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain said in a written reply in Lok Sabha that at present, there was no proposal for introduction of the superfast train between Delhi and Purnea. "Demands, including that from the Member of Parliament, have been received for introduction of new train between Delhi and Purnea, which have been examined but not found feasible, at present, due to operational constraints including terminal constraints at either ends," he said. However, the two pairs of existing Mail/Express services including Delhi-Katihar Champaran Humsafar Express (bi-weekly) via Purnea introduced in April 2018, available between Delhi and Purnea, are considered adequate to cater to the present level of traffic, he added.
TN Health Secy asked if there was plan to shift ailing Jaya abroad
Tamil Nadu health secretary J Radhakrishnan was asked if there were any plans to shift ailing Jayalaithaa abroad for treatment."Questions were posed on the course of treatment when she (Jayalalithaa) got admitted, on treatment that was done, if there was any plan to shift her abroad and subsequent circumstances leading to her death," Radhakrishnan told ANI on Wednesday after appearing before the inquiry commission, which is probing the circumstances leading to the death of former Tamil Nadu chief minister.Jayalalithaa, popularly known as 'Amma', was taken to Chennai's Apollo Hospital on September 2016 and treated in the hospital for 75 days before she breathed her last on December 5.Following her death, allegations of foul play began to do the rounds and state Forest Minister Dindigul Sreenivasan even claimed that all cabinet ministers had lied to the people about hospitalisation and death of the AIADMK supremo.Subsequently, a one-man panel was set up to probe into the ...
Former civil servants attack Yogi, Modi over Bulandshahr mob violence
A group of former bureaucrats and diplomats have come down heavily on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the Bulandshahr mob violence which they said showed "perverted" fundamental principles of governance and constitutional ethics of the BJP government in the state and slammed the "stony silence" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.
One dead in Bathinda factory blast, probe ordered
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday ordered a detailed inquiry to ascertain the cause of the blast that took place in a matchstick manufacturing factory in Bathinda that left one labourer dead and another critically injured.
Supplementary budget tabled in UP Assembly
Amid continued protests by the Opposition parties, the Yogi Adityanath government Wednesday tabled a second supplementary budget worth Rs 8,054 crore in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. The supplementary budget was tabled on the second day of the ongoing winter session by state Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal. The supplementary budget has a provision of Rs 600 crore for rural toilets and Rs 60 crore for urban toilets under the Swachchta Mission. There is a demand of Rs 300 crore for the proposed Jewar airport in Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida) and Rs 200 crore for an airport in Ayodhya. The government has also sought Rs 100 crore for Kumbh at Prayagraj (Allahabad) and Rs 10 crore for the new Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical University here. Opposition parties raised anti-government slogans throughout the Zero Hour on various issues, particularly law and order, when the budgetary provisions were read out by the minister, and did not heed the repeated requests by Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit to be ...
Pak govt plans to extend tenure of special military courts: Report
Pakistan government plans to extend the tenure of controversial special military courts established for speedy trial of terror related cases after the Peshawar School massacre in December 2014, according to a media report on Wednesday. The military courts were initially established after the December 2014 attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar which had left 150 people, mostly children, dead. The special military courts were set up for two years in January 2015 for the speedy trial of militants and its tenure was extended for another two years in 2017 which is set to expire on January 6.
Odisha farmers plan to meet Prime Minister on Dec 24
A farmers body in Odisha Wednesday announced that it would try to meet and submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the state slated on December 24. The farmers in the state are demanding higher MSP for paddy, which is now fixed at Rs 1750 after an increase of Rs 200 by the Centre. "We will like to meet the prime minister and apprise him about the problems being faced by farmers of Odisha, besides seeking to know the central government's stand on enhancing the MSP of paddy," Akshya Kumar, the convenor of Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS) which is leading the farmers' agitation, told reporters here. Kumar said that as the prime minister would be visiting the state, there are plans that the farmers would meet him at the meeting venue at Khurda near here. "We have heard from the state government that it has been writing to the prime minister on the farmers' issue. This will be for the first time when farmers will attempt to meet him," he ..
PDP, NC extend support to demand for university in Kargil
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference (NC) Wednesday extended support to the people of Kargil demanding a full-fledged university. The PDP attacked the governor administration, saying it was sowing seeds of discord in Jammu and Kashmir by neglecting Kargil. Senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar said while the PDP welcomes the decision of creating a new university in Leh district, Kargil should not be rendered as a left out entity. "The PDP supports the demand of the people of Kargil for a full-fledged university in the district," he said in a statement. Attacking the governor administration, he said, "By functioning without taking public sentiment into consideration or assessment of requirements, the governor administration is causing tension and sowing seeds of discord in the state," Akhtar said. Akhtar said the decisions pertaining to the overall development of the state, including the creation of new universities, are best taken by the public representatives who .