Page 2175 - Politics
Pakistan's plot to back Khalistan movement exposed
In a major turn of events, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), the US-based pro-Khalistan organisation that has been desperately trying to propagate pro-Khalistan sentiments across the globe, wrote to Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan to "politically support Referendum 2020 movement to liberate Punjab" so that Islamabad can avenge "1971 fall of Dhaka".This, many believe, has clearly exposed Pakistan's close nexus with pro-Khalistan extremists based in the West.SFJ, allegedly operating at the behest of Islamabad and funded and aided by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has been carrying out Referendum 2020, an anti-India campaign across the globe. However, failure to lure the Sikh community has turned them desperate for Pakistan's open support."Pakistan has a moral responsibility to support the Sikh community, which has been under siege in India since 1947," Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the legal advisor of SFJ wrote to Khan."Now it is the time that Indian Army under Bipin Rawat should
Kremlin rejects charges Russia targeted black US voters
The Kremlin on Tuesday rejected Washington's accusations that Russia tried to disrupt the 2016 presidential vote and sought to demoralise African-Americans, calling the charges incomprehensible. According to a new report for the US Senate, the primary goal of Russia's Internet Research Agency (IRA) was to deepen divisions in US society and convince Democrat-favouring liberals -- including Latinos, youths and the LGBTQ community -- not to vote. The most extensive analysis yet of thousands of IRA ads and posts across social media in 2015-2017 showed an emphasis on provoking the anger of black Americans so that they would stay home on election day. For example, the IRA-created account "Blacktivist" sent out messages on the Democratic candidate such as: "No lives matter to Hillary Clinton. Only votes matter to Hillary Clinton." Another IRA account, "Black Matters", posted on Facebook: "Cops kill black kids. Are you sure that your son won't be the next?" Russian President Vladimir Putin's .
Rafale disrupts Par again, TN parties protest on Cauvery issue
The standoff between the Government and the opposition over the Rafale issue disrupted Parliament proceedings again as both Houses were adjourned on Tuesday amid relentless protests and heated exchanges involving both sides. Tamil Nadu parties, AIADMK and DMK, raised slogans on the Cauvery dam issue while the TDP demanded special status for Andhra Pradesh. Appeals by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to allow the House to function went unheeded as Congress members displayed placards and trooped into the Well demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale jet fighter deal. In the din, the National Institute of Design (Amendment) Bill, 2018 was introduced in the House. The bill seeks to declare the various NIDs as institutions of national importance. In the Rajya Sabha too, Chairman Venkaiah Naidu urged the members to allow the House to function as various notices on urgent matters, ranging from cyclones affecting lives in some states to price rise
After the Congress' comeback in Hindi heartland, is the grand alliance in UP on shaky ground? (News Analysis)
After successful electoral outings in three states, even as the Congress is on the upswing as it braces to take down the Narenda Modi government at the centre in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the two other key players - the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) - are busy rethinking their prospective grand alliance with the Grand Old Party, at least in UP.
RS adjourned for the day amid ruckus
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Tuesday minutes after it met in the post lunch session amid ruckus by both opposition and treasury benches.
Smoking banned in Gwalior government offices
Smoking has been banned in every government office here in Madhya Pradesh and anybody found smoking will have to cough up a fine of Rs 200, an official said on Tuesday.
Rajapaksa now becomes Sri Lanka's main opposition leader
Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday became Sri Lanka's main opposition leader in Parliament, days after he resigned as prime minister after clinging on to power for nearly two months, amidst the unprecedented political turmoil in the country. Rajapaksa, 73, replaced veteran Tamil leader of the main Tamil party R Sampanthan who held the position from 2015. His appointment was announced by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in Parliament which met for the first time after the reinstatement of Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister that ended the 51-day political standoff in the country. M A Sumanthiran of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Rauff Hakeem of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress raised objections against Rajapaksa's appointment. They claimed that Rajapaksa has ceased to be a member of Parliament because he had joined another political party recently. Rajapaksa, by obtaining the membership of the Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP), left the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) from which he was ...
'Congress mukt' northeast will be stronghold for BJP in 2019 polls: Sonowal
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said here on Tuesday that the northeast became 'Congress mukt (free)' following the Mizoram Assembly polls and the region would become a stronghold for the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
Sajjan Kumar quits Congress
A day after being convicted and sentenced to life-imprisonment in an 1984 anti-Sikh riot case, Sajjan Kumar on Tuesday resigned from the primary membership of the Congress.
UP Legislative Council adjourned on first day of Winter Session
The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council was adjourned on the first day of the Winter Session Tuesday after condoling deaths of former chief minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari and Union minister Ananth Kumar. As soon as the House met for the day, Chairperson Ramesh Yadav read the condolence messages and the members observed two-minute silence. UP deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Ahmed Hasan and leaders of other political parties recalled Tiwari's contribution in the development of the state. Before the House met, leaders of the Samajwadi Party protested outside the Council, near the statue of Chaudhary Charan Singh, alleging poor law and order in the state and demanding arrest of the prime accused in the Bulandshahr violence. Holding placards, the SP leaders raised slogans against the BJP government in the state. "The law and order situation in the state is very bad. The government is yet to arrest the prime accused in the murder of an ...
Lalduhoma to vacate Aizawl West-I constituency seat
Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) leader Lalduhoma, who won from two seats in the recent Assembly elections, would vacate the Aizawl West-I constituency seat, the party said Tuesday. Lalduhoma would retain the Serchip seat, a ZPM press statement issued here said. It said that ZPM block leaders of the Serchhip and Aizawl West-I were consulted by the party high command before the decision was made. A meeting of the ZPM caucus on Monday decided that in view of the future of the party, it would be better to retain the Serchhip seat, the statement said. Lalduhoma, who was the chief ministerial candidate of the ZPM during the hustings, defeated five-time chief minister Lal Thanhawla, in the latter's home turf in the November 28 Assembly polls. Lal Thanhawla had won from the Serchhip seat seven times since 1984 and lost only once in 1998. Lalduhoma also defeated sitting legislator and former minister K Sangthuama of the Mizo National Front (MNF) in the prestigious Aizawl West-I ...
Won't let PM sleep until he waives off farmers loan: Rahul Gandhi
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday vociferously said that he won't let Prime Minister Narendra Modi sleep until the farmers' loans are waived off."We will not let Prime Minister Modi sleep till he waives off loans of farmers, all opposition parties will unitedly demand this. Till now, PM has not waived off a single rupee of farmers," the Gandhi scion said stepping up his attack on the Prime Minister.It is learnt that the party leadership had made it clear to the newly appointed chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh that the first file they would move should be of farmers' loan waiver.On Monday, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath shortly after taking oath waived off farm loans of Rs 2 lakh each. Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel, too, soon after taking charge yesterday announced that his government will waive off farm loans within 10 days as promised.Gandhi, while speaking to media, also called demonetisation as the "biggest scam" in ...
'The work has begun' exudes a jubilant Rahul Gandhi on loan waiver promise
'Did you see, the work has begun,' remarked a beaming Congress president Rahul Gandhi while giving a brief reply to journalists on being asked about his party's election promise on the farm loan waiver.Exuding confidence, a happy and jubilant Gandhi made a quick tongue-in-cheek replay to the waiting media persons, saying: "Dekha aapne, dekha, aapne dekha. Shuru ho gaya na kaam (Did you see, the work has already begun)."Gandhi scion made these remarks after arriving at Parliament complex to take part in the proceedings of the House.Lok Sabha has, however, been adjourned till 11 am tomorrow, after continuous uproar over Supreme Court's verdict on Rafale fighter jet deal and Delhi High Court's verdict on 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.
New Mizoram Assembly speaker elected
Lalrinliana Sailo, a ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) legislator, on Tuesday was elected unopposed as Speaker of the state Assembly.
J&K admin to hold hearing to resolve service-related grievances of employees
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has decided to resolve the service-related grievances of its employees through a new committee which will hold its first hearing on Wednesday, officials said. The new Service Grievance Committee (SGC), set up by the administration to resolve the issues of its workers, will conduct its maiden hearing on December 19 at the Convention Centre here, they said Tuesday. The SGC will be headed by Adviser to the Governor, Kewal Kumar Sharma, they added. The committee comprises Principal Secretary to the Governor, Umang Narula, Principal Secretary (Industries & Commerce) Shaleen Kabra; Principal Secretary (Planning, Development, Monitoring & Grievances) Rohit Kansal and Commissioner Secretary (General Administrating Department) Hilal Ahmed. Government employees can register their grievances with the committee at the venue from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm on the scheduled date, officials said.
Afghanistan sends team to join Taliban peace talks in UAE
An Afghan peace negotiations team has arrived in Abu Dhabi, an official said Tuesday, a day after talks attended by US and Taliban representatives were held in the city aimed at ending the 17-year conflict. The team, led by chief negotiator Abdul Salam Rahimi, "arrived in Abu Dhabi to begin proximity dialogue with the Taliban delegation and to prepare for a face-to-face meeting between the two sides", the Afghan presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri tweeted. The 12-person team was first announced in November by President Ashraf Ghani as part of a diplomatic effort to bring the Taliban to the table for peace talks with the government in Kabul. But the Taliban have not confirmed a meeting, and issued a statement on Monday reiterating their long-standing vow not to speak with Afghan officials. In a new message released Tuesday the militants said they had held "preliminary talks" with the US State Department's special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, on Monday, with the discussions to ...
LS ruckus: Speaker says school kids are better, adjourns House for the day
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Tuesday within hours after in met as both the opposition and treasury benches created a ruckus over the Rafale deal prompting admonitions from the Speaker for being unruly and "worse than school kids".
Xi warns no one can 'dictate' China's path, 40 years on from reforms
President Xi Jinping warned Tuesday that no one can "dictate" China's economic development path as the Communist Party marked 40 years of its historic "reform and opening up" policy amid a stern challenge from the United States. In a speech at the grandiose Great Hall of the People, Xi vowed to press ahead with economic reforms but made clear that Beijing will not deviate from its one-party system or take orders from any other country. Without directly referring to the United States, Xi said China "poses no threat" to any country but warned that it would not be pushed around. "No one is in a position to dictate to the Chinese people what should or should not be done," China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong told the party faithful. "We must resolutely reform what should and can be changed, we must resolutely not reform what shouldn't and can't be changed." While Xi promised more reforms, he did not offer any specifics. The US and Europe have long complained of lingering ...
UP Assembly adjourned on first day of winter session
The proceedings on the first day of the winter session of Uttar Pradesh Assembly were adjourned for the day Tuesday after condoling deaths of former Chief Minister Narain Dutt Tiwari and BJP legislator Patel Ram Kumar Verma. As soon as the House met for the day, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath read the condolence messages. Leaders of the SP, the BSP, the Congress and other parties also condoled the deaths. After observing silence, the House was adjourned for the day by Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit. Tiwari died in New Delhi on October 18 at the age of 93 after prolonged illness. The veteran leader has served as a Union minister in several Congress governments and as the Andhra Pradesh governor. He also served as Uttarakhand chief minister. BJP MLA from Nighasan, Patel Ram Kumar Verma, died at a hospital in Lucknow on September 30 due to ailments. He was 64 and was the PWD minister in 1991 and cooperative minister in 1997 in UP. During the brief winter session, spread over four sittings, .
Former Nepal Prime Minister Tulsi Giri passes away
Tulsi Giri, Nepal's two-time prime minister and senior politician, passed away on Tuesday, according to family sources. He was 93. He died, after a prolonged battle with liver cancer, at his home in Budhanilkanta, on the outskirts of the Himalayan nation's capital, they said. He was recently discharged from the hospital, they added. Born in 1926 in Siraha district, Giri started his political career from Nepali Congress party. He reached to the post of the general secretary. A die-hard supporter of the Panchyat system after the then King Mahendra Shah imposed it, Giri was appointed as the vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers in 1962, soon after the King took charge of the power and introduced the party-less polity by putting a ban on political parties during a coup. He then served as the country's Prime Minister twice during the tenure of slain King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah in 1975 and 1977. Birendra, the eldest son of King Mahendra, was the King of Nepal from 1972 until his death