Page 2171 - Politics
Stalin calling Modi 'sadist' shows his immaturity: Raja
: The BJP Tuesday slammed DMK chief M K Stalin for calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi sadist for not visiting Tamil Nadu after cyclone Gaja,with the party's national secretary H Raja saying he has behaved in an 'immature manner.' Stalin,while speaking at a rally followed by unveiling of a bronze statue of DMK patriarch and his father late M Karunanidhi at the party headquarters in Chennai on December 16, had called Modi a "sadist", saying the prime minister did not visit Tamil Nadu after 'Gaja.' He had asked whether Modi would not visit states like Maharashtra or Gujarat if these places were hit by natural disasters. The event had brought together key opposition parties of DMK, Congress, TDP and CPI(M), to reaffirm their resolve to dislodge the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. Raja said Tuesday that welcoming guests at the function was another matter, but calling Modi sadist was not acceptable and had not gone well with the public. 'For the last two years, Stalin .
Shiv Sena boycotts PM's events in Maha
The BJP's warring ally Shiv Sena Tuesday chose to stay away from the inauguration of various projects by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai metropolitan region and Pune. The prime minister Tuesday laid foundation stones for two metro lines- Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan (Metro 5) and the Dahisar-Mira Bhayander (Metro 9) at Kalyan in neighbouring Thane district. He also launched the Navi Mumbai town planning authority Cidco's (City & Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) mass-housing scheme worth Rs 18,000 crore. Later, the PM also laid the foundation stone of the phase three of Pune Metro. A senior Shiv Sena leader said since the party chief Uddhav Thackeray was not invited to the PM's events, Sena leaders and ministers decided to boycott his functions. "After we learnt that Uddhav Thackeray has not been invited, the party leaders decided to boycott all the functions of PM Modi in Maharashtra on Tuesday," he said. According to a BJP leader, an editorial in Sena's ...
Vajpayee's portrait to be installed in central hall of Parliament
A life-size portrait of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is set to be installed in the central hall of Parliament, sources said Tuesday. A parliamentary panel comprising leaders of various parties unanimously agreed to install a portrait of the BJP veteran. The proposal was mooted by Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Narendra Singh Tomar. The committee on installation of portraits/statues of national leaders and parliamentarians in Parliament house complex, headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, which met here, unanimously agreed to the proposal, parliamentary sources said. Portraits of 22 personalities, including Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Indira Gandhi, Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Vinayak Damodar (Veer) Savarkar, Rajiv Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri, are installed in the central hall, where the President addresses joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajaya Sabha at the beginning of the first session of the year. Floral tributes are paid to all those ...
Mahinda Rajapaksa named Sri Lanka's opposition leader
Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday became the country's main opposition leader in Parliament, days after he resigned as the disputed prime minister that threw the island nation into unprecedented political chaos for nearly two months.The 73-year-old leader was appointed to the post by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, replacing Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R Sampanthan, Colombo Page reported.Rajapaksa's appointment comes after United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was reinstated as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka earlier this week that ended a 51-day political stand-off in the island nation.During the power struggle, Rajapaksa left the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) party and obtained the membership of the Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP).The island nation was engulfed in a constitutional turmoil after President Maithripala Sirisena, on October 26, abruptly ousted Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister and appointed Rajapaksa as the new ...
US, EU welcome end of political crisis in Lanka, reinstatement of Wickremesinghe as PM
The US, the EU, Australia and Norway have welcomed the peaceful resolution of the political crisis in Sri Lanka after President Maithripala Sirisena reinstated Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister. Sirisena, whose controversial actions plunged the island nation into an unprecedented political turmoil for nearly two months, reinstated Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister on Sunday, after sacking him on October 26 and appointing ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place and also dissolving Parliament, some 20 months early. Reacting to the latest political developments, the American Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina Teplitz said the US welcomes the weekend's political developments, which upheld the country's democratic and constitutional norms. "Sri Lanka is a valued partner in the Indo Pacific and we look forward to continuing to develop our relationship with the government and people of this country," she said. Australia welcomed the resolution of the political uncertainty in Sri ...
250 J&K govt officers to get IT training on e-governance
The Jammu and Kashmir government will train over 250 strategic level officers to improve their understanding about governmental processes and service qualities, an official said Tuesday. The officers will be trained by the Information Technology (IT) department of the state in collaboration with National Institute of Smart Governance (NISG) in a 3-day training programme on 'government process re-engineering' and a 5-Day programme on 'project management PRINCE 2'. The first programme will address understanding government process and service quality, process of re-engineering and collection of data for process mapping among others, secretary, IT Saugat Biswas said. While, the second one will cover areas like PRINCE 2 (projects IN controlled environments), business case, organisation, quality and risk among others, he added. Over 250 officers including Additional Deputy Commissioner, Directors and officers from various other administrative departments will be trained. The officials and ..
Centre not ready to treat Gangasagar mela on a par with Kumbh:
The Centre has turned down the West Bengal government's request to treat the annual Gangasagar mela, to be held next month, on a par with the Kumbh Mela, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said here Tuesday. The plea has been made as it is the only mela where over 20 lakh pilgrims reach the venue after crossing a river, the Muriganga, and taking them there is "quite a tough job", she said. Gangasagar mela is an annual congregation of Hindu pilgrims at the Sagar island where they take holy dips at the confluence of the Ganga and Bay of Bengal during the Makar Sankranti. "We had written to the central government for granting the Gangasagar mela the status of the Kumbh mela, but they rejected the proposal. It's a very tough mela because lakhs of people have to travel across the river to reach the venue," Banerjee told reporters at the secretariat after a meeting on organising the mela. She said the Centre is taking a long time to build a bridge over the Muriganga, which her ...
Ashok Gehlot visits CM residence in Civil Lines
Newly appointed Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot visited the official CM residence at 8, Civil Lines on Tuesday. Gehlot, along with his wife, offered prayers at a temple inside the plush bungalow. At present, the chief minister lives at 49, Civil Lines. Gehlot did not take charge of office at the Secretariat Tuesday but held meetings with officials at his residence. Meanwhile, his deputy Sachin Pilot visited the Secretariat and the CMO building before assuming charge. He also took stock of working of the administrative structure. Talking to reporters, Pilot expressed the government's commitment to fulfill the promises made in election manifesto. He said that policies for farm loan waiver and unemployment allowances would soon be implemented. Replying to a question on his ministerial portfolio in the state cabinet, Pilot said that it was a matter of discussion between him, Gehlot and Congress president Rahul Gandhi. The state cabinet will be constituted soon after discussion with .
UK Cabinet meets to scale up no-deal Brexit planning
The UK Cabinet Tuesday ramped up contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit, which could see Britain leave the European Union without a formal divorce agreement in place in time for the March 29 deadline. Preparations for such a chaotic scenario have become necessary because the deal proposed by British Prime Minister Theresa May remains unacceptable to most parties in the UK Parliament, mainly over a controversial "backstop" as part of the post-Brexit border arrangements between UK territory Northern Ireland and European Union member-country Ireland. Critics of the deal fear the clause would keep the UK tied to the European Union (EU) even after it has formally left the 28-member economic bloc and curb its ability to strike independent trade deals around the world. As a result of the impasse, the Cabinet is believed to have begun deliberations on Tuesday on how a 3 billion pound Brexit contingency fund, earmarked by the UK Treasury, would be split between the various government ...
TRS working prez calls for assembly constituency-level
Aiming to strengthen the party organisation ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls, newly-appointed TRS working president K T Rama Rao Tuesday decided to hold assembly constituency-level meetings across the state. Rama Rao, son of TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, took the decision at a meeting with the party's general secretaries here, a day after assuming charge of his new role, party sources said. He directed the party leaders to organise the assembly constituency-level meetings from December 22 to 24 where the agenda would be to discuss about preparation for enrolling all eligible voters during the coming revision of the voters list, they said. Names of a large number of voters were reportedly found missing in the electoral rolls for the recent assembly polls and this led to a fall in the victory margins of TRS nominees, the sources said. The TRS returned to power with a thumping win in the December 7 polls, securing 88 out of the total 119 assembly ...
Calcutta HC asks BJP to provide tentative 'Rath Yatra' dates
The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday asked the Bharatiya Janata Party to provide three tentative dates for its proposed Rath Yatra in Bengal and submit a list of self-restrictions to be followed during the rally.
Approval for AIIMS in TN; Palaniswami thanks Modi
: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami Tuesday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Union Cabinet's approval for establishing an All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) facility in the state. He assured all necessary support for the Rs 1,264 crore premier super speciality health facility to ensure that late chief minister J Jayalalithaa's "long cherished dream" was realised. "My government will provide all necessary support to facilitate the early commencement and completion of the project so that the long cherished dream of my revered leader Puratchi Thalaivi Amma is realised," Palaniswami said in a letter to Modi. He thanked the Prime Minister on behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu and on his own personal behalf for approving the AIIMS, which will come up at Thoppur in Madurai. Palaniswami said Jayalalithaa was very keen that such a prestigious institution was established and made functional in Tamil Nadu. The Cabinet decision and financial approval .
PDP expels two senior leaders for anti-party activities
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday expelled two senior leaders from the basic membership of the PDP for anti-party activities.
Don't 'dictate' to China: Prez Xi warns at ceremony marking 40 years of economic reforms
No one can "dictate" to China on what it should do or what it should not, President Xi Jinping asserted Tuesday as the Communist giant celebrated the 40th anniversary of its reform and opening-up policies that have transformed it from an impoverished country into a economic powerhouse. But Xi's speech lasting over 80 minutes did not offer any indication of relaxation of the ruling Communist party's firm grip on political power or concrete policies to tackle China's complex economic problems like slower growth and an ongoing trade war with the United States. President Donald Trump has demanded further reforms to the Chinese economy, including greater access for US companies and a clampdown on intellectual property theft. Xi's speech comes during a 90-day truce between Washington and Beijing while the two sides try to reach a compromise. At a grand ceremony held in Beijing's imposing Great Hall of the People, telecast live across China, Xi praised the Chinese people's "hard work, wisdom
New US report on election meddling 'unfounded': Kremlin
A new report prepared for the US Senate Intelligence Committee on alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election in the US is "absolutely unfounded", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
Rath yatra row: Cal HC asks govt to submit footage of meeting
The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday asked the West Bengal government to submit the footage of its meeting with state BJP leaders over the party's proposed 'rath yatra', permission for which was denied by the administration last week. The saffron party on Monday moved the high court with a fresh plea, challenging the West Bengal government's decision to deny permission to the 'yatra'. Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty, upon hearing the BJP counsel, directed state counsel Advocate General Kishore Dutta to submit on Wednesday the video recording of the meeting, which was conducted on an earlier direction of the court's division bench. Earlier, a single-judge bench had refused permission to the BJP to hold the yatra, following which the party had approached the division bench. The division bench on December 7 asked the West Bengal chief secretary, the home secretary and the director general of police to hold a meeting with three representatives of the BJP and take a decision on the .
Corruption in Cong's rule didn't let people sleep for 60 years: BJP
The BJP on Tuesday described Congress president Rahul Gandhi's remark that he will not allow Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sleep until farm loans are waived as a "new low" in the country's public discourse. Nothing better can be expected from Gandhi, whose party ensured that Indians did not sleep during its 60 years of rule due to rampant corruption, senior BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said. "Friends I am given to understand that Rahul Gandhi today said that he will not allow Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sleep. This is a new low in the public discourse of the country," he told reporters outside Parliament. Hitting out at Gandhi over the Rafale deal, Prasad said he owes an apology to the country as his lies about the deal were exposed by the Supreme Court. Gandhi should come to Parliament and debate the Rafale issue in Parliament, the Union minister said. Daring the Congress and its chief to show "courage" and discuss the fighter jet deal "eye to eye" in the ..
UK Cabinet considers no-deal Brexit
The British cabinet met to discuss whether to ramp up preparations for a no-deal Brexit amid uncertainty over the fate of Theresa May's proposed EU exit deal on Tuesday.
Nageshwara Rao appointed CBI additional director
M Nageswara Rao, who is holding post of interim CBI Director, was Tuesday promoted to the rank of an additional director by the government. A 1986-batch IPS officer from the Odisha cadre, Rao's name was cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. The promotion of Rao, who took over as interim CBI Director amid a midnight drama on October 24, came after the government stepped in between Director CBI Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana fight, which reached court. Rao was not considered for the rank of additional director in November 2016 as well as when a review of this batch took place in April 2018. He had joined the CBI as a joint director in 2016. The Supreme Court has asked Rao not to take any policy decisions until it hears the petition related to the feud between Verma and Asthana. Rao took over as interim CBI director following a midnight government order giving him Verma's powers. He affixed signatures on over dozen transfer orders, mainly of those officers
Stalin's proposal to project Rahul Gandhi not necessarily alliance's opinion
Reacting on DMK president M K Stalin's proposal to project Congress president Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav said Tuesday it was not necessarily the alliance's opinion. Talking to reporters after unveiling a statue of his father and legendary Tamil leader M Karunanidhi in Chennai on December 16, Stalin had "proposed" Gandhi's name for the opposition's prime ministerial candidate. "The people of the country are unhappy with the BJP and that it why the Congress got success in three states. "West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, NCP leader Sharad Pawar and others had tried to bring all the leaders together to form an alliance ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. If someone (Stalin) is giving his opinion on the PM candidate, it is not necessary that all alliance partners have the same opinion," Yadav said.