Page 2176 - Politics

Won't let PM sleep until all farm loans waived: Rahul Gandhi

Addressing India's distressed farmers directly from outside Parliament, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said he will not let Prime Minister Narendra Modi sleep until all farm loans have been waived. In a stinging attack on what he described as crony capitalism, Gandhi said the government has turned a blind eye to the loans given to 15 top industrialists of the country, including Reliance Group chairperson Anil Ambani, but made no effort to alleviate the woes of the farmers in the last four and half years. "We promised to waive loans in 10 days. In two states, we did it within six hours and we would do it in the third state very soon," Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament. He was referring to the Congress' newly formed governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh fulfilling promises made ahead of the Assembly polls and waiving loans on Monday. A Congress government, led by Ashok Gehlot, was also sworn in in Rajasthan. "We will not let Prime Minister Narendra Modi sleep ...

BJP in Uttar Pradesh: The year the lotus started to wilt (2018 In Retrospect)

The lotus was in full bloom in 2017 as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged out of its 14-year political exile and stormed to power in India's most populous and politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh.

Lok Sabha adjourns amid protests on Rafale, Cauvery

Lok Sabha proceedings lasted barely for an hour on Tuesday as Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House for the day amid slogan-shouting and protests by treasury and opposition benches over a range of issues, including Rafale deal. As the House met at 11 AM, Congress members rushed into the Well with placards in their hand and raised slogans demanding a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale deal. There were more than 30 members from the AIADMK, the TDP and the Congress in the Well during the Question Hour. The TDP members were demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh while the AIADMK MPs were protesting against a dam on the Cauvery river. In the din, only one question related to production of garlic was taken up. Even as Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh was responding to supplementary questions, BJP members continued sloganeering on the Rafale issue. The BJP members were demanding an apology from Congress President Rahul Gandhi. The House ..

Won't let PM sleep until all farms loans waived: Rahul Gandhi

Addressing India's distressed farmers directly from outside Parliament, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said he will not let Prime Minister Narendra Modi sleep until all farms loans have been waived. In a stinging attack on what he described as crony capitalism, Gandhi said the government has turned a blind eye to the loans given to 15 top industrialists of the country, including Reliance Group chairperson Anil Ambani, but made no effort to alleviate the woes of the farmers in the last four and half years. "We promised to waive loans in 10 days. In two states, we did it within six hours and we would do it in the third state very soon," Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament. He was referring to the Congress' newly formed governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh fulfilling promises made ahead of the Assembly polls and waiving loans on Monday. A Congress government, led by Ashok Gehlot, was also sworn in in Rajasthan. "We will not let Prime Minister Narendra Modi sleep ..

Lalrinliana Sailo elected Speaker of Mizoram Assembly

Lalrinliana Sailo of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) was Tuesday elected as the Speaker of the Mizoram Assembly. Pro-tem speaker Lalrinawma declared Sailo as elected unopposed as the opposition parties did not field any candidate. Sailo said that in a deviation from the past, supplementary questions in the Assembly would now be allowed even if the minister concerned is absent to reply to the queries. The minister in-charge of any department can authorise another minister to reply on his behalf, he said. "It was earlier practised that no supplementary questions were allowed when the minister in-charge of the department was absent," he said. Sailo said that he did not find any clause in the rules of procedures of the state legislature that bars a minister, who is not in-charge of the department, to reply to questions. He also suggested to House leader Zoramthanga that legislators be provided with vehicles when they travel outside the state and get them picked up from the airport or

Ex-Nepal PM Tulsi Giri dead

Former Nepalese Prime Minister Tulsi Giri died here on Tuesday. He was 92.

Govt ready for any debate, Cong running from Rafale discussion: Vijay Goel

The Congress is running away from a discussion on the Rafale deal in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel said on Tuesday while asserting that the government is ready for a debate on any issue. A dispute, be it on Rafale, the Cauvery river water, the RBI or the CBI, can only be resolved through discussion, Goel told reporters outside Parliament. "The Congress is running away from a discussion on the Rafale issue in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The government is ready to have discussions on any issue in Parliament," he said. Referring to the recent Supreme Court order rejecting demands for a probe into the Rafale jet deal, the minister said it was clear that the Congress was spreading "misinformation" on the issue. The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the pleas challenging the deal between India and France for the procurement of 36 Rafale jets saying there was no occasion to "really doubt the decision making process". "I want

Kashmir limps back to normalcy after three days of protests

Kashmir limped back to normalcy on Tuesday, except for the southern districts, after three days of strike and protests over the killing of seven civilians in clashes that followed an encounter in Pulwama. Life has returned to normal in most parts of Kashmir, including in the central and the northern districts, officials said. They added that shops, offices, fuel stations and other business establishments opened Tuesday morning and normal traffic was witnessed on the roads here in the summer capital of the state. The officials said many areas in four districts of south Kashmir, however, witnessed a shutdown. Classes have been suspended in most colleges in the valley, including the Kashmir University and the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), as a precautionary measure. The IUST has postponed examinations that were scheduled to be held Tuesday. Mobile internet was restored in the valley, except in four districts of south Kashmir, on Monday night. However, net speed in .

Stalin defends 'Rahul for PM' cry, seeks support

DMK president M K Stalin strongly defended backing Rahul Gandhi as prime ministerial candidate, saying the Congress chief had the strength to dislodge the BJP regime at the Centre and sought the support of friendly secular parties for his proposal. Amid murmurs in the opposition ranks about reservations over the proposal, Stalin said it may have led to a debate among friendly parties. "In a democracy, solutions have emerged only from debates... these deliberations too will cause good outcomes," he said in a letter to his party cadre late Monday. Stalin appealed to other opposition parties to "strengthen the hands of Rahul to guard democracy". He said joining of forces was required to trounce the BJP in the Lok Sabha election next year. The DMK chief said his statement was based on the rationale that projecting Gandhi alone would be appropriate to bind secular forces. Noting that the Congress beat the saffron party in the recently concluded assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, ...

AIADMK to boycott 'all party' meet in Pondy tomorrow

The opposition AIADMK Tuesday announced its decision not to participate in the all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister V Narayanasamy tomorrow to discuss the situation arising out of the Supreme court upholding nomination of the 3 BJP members to the Assembly. Addressing reporters here, the AIADMK legislature wing leader A Anbalagan said, "no purpose would be served by the all party leaders meeting the Chief Minister has convened." The Supreme Court had on Decmber 6 upheld the Centre's decision to nominate three BJP members-- V Saminathan, K G Shankar and S Selvaganapathy to the territorial assembly last year. He said, "whenever the Chief Minister found that the going was not easy for the government he convenes joint meeting of leaders of political parties." "Why no such meeting was held when the turf war between the Lt Governor and the government was obstructing smooth implementation of the welfare schemes ?" he asked. Anbalagan said he and three other legislators of

Lok Sabha adjourns for day amid uproar over Rafale, Cauvery

Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Tuesday amid protests by parties on various issues including Rafale and Cauvery water. As the House met again at noon, slogan shouting continued from both the opposition and treasury benches. The Congress raised the Rafale issue and some party members displayed placards demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the fighter jet deal. Many members from the BJP shouted slogans against the Congress and demanded an apology from Congress President Rahul Gandhi on the Rafale issue. Some members stood in the aisle while others were at their seats. The AIADMK members were protesting against construction of a dam across Cauvery river while those from the TDP were demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh. In the morning, the Speaker had adjourned the House till noon due to protests by parties.

Japan to get first post-WWII aircraft carriers

Japan will get its first aircraft carriers since World War II and buy dozens of fighter jets under a new defence plan approved Tuesday that is intended to counter China's growing military power. The new five-year defence plan calls for the upgrade of two existing helicopter carriers so that they can launch fighters, and is the latest in a series of steps under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to boost Japan's military. Abe's government argues the efforts are necessary given growing defence challenges in the region, including tensions with North Korea, and particularly "strong concerns" about the expansion of China's military footprint. But the move is controversial, with critics arguing it shifts Tokyo further away from its commitment to strictly defensive capabilities under Japan's post-World War II pacifist constitution. "We will secure both the quantity and quality of defence capability that is necessary... to meet the rapidly changing security environment," Chief Cabinet Secretary ...

Replace Modi with Gadkari: Maharashtra leader tells RSS

In a huge embarrassment, a prominent Maharashtra farmer leader has demanded that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) must replace Prime Minster Narendra Modi with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wishes to win the 2019 general elections.

Rajya Sabha adjourns amid protests by DMK, AIADMK, Cong

Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm on Tuesday as the AIADMK and DMK protested over Cauvery issue, while the Congress demanded that a privilege notice against the government be taken up for allegedly misleading Parliament and the Supreme Court on Rafale jet deal. Rajya Sabha proceedings have been disrupted for the last five days on issues like Rafale, dam on Cauvery river and demand of special status to Andhra Pradesh. As the House assembled for the sixth day of the Winter Session, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu informed the members that various notices on urgent matters, ranging from cyclones affecting lives in some states to price rise to agriculture crisis, have been admitted for discussion. Naidu, who had adjourned the proceedings for the entire day on Monday amid uproar over Rafale, Cauvery and other issues, appealed to the members to let the House run its business. The Chairman said that he was going through a privilege notice given by the Opposition. However, soon ...

Lok Sabha adjourned till noon over uproar on 1984 anti-Sikh riots verdict, SC's Rafale verdict

The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 pm on Tuesday after uproar over Supreme Court's verdict on Rafale and Delhi High Court's verdict on 1984 anti-Sikh riots.Overturning a lower court judgement, the Delhi High Court on Monday convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and sentenced him to life imprisonment.During Monday's ruling, the bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel asked the 73-year-old former Member of Parliament (MP) to surrender before December 31. The Court also directed him to not leave Delhi and levied a fine of Rs 5 lakh on him.The case pertains to the murder of five Sikhs in the Delhi Cantonment area during the large-scale violence that occurred following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. During four days of carnage, about 2,700 Sikhs were killed in the national capital alone.In 2013, the Karkardooma trial court had acquitted Kumar in the case and convicted five others. The appeal against the ..

Sanjay Singh rubbishes reports of AAP-Congress alliance

Sanjay Singh, the national spokesperson and current Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday rubbished rumours about AAP forming an alliance with the Congress for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.Speaking to ANI, Singh said, "AAP till now has not decided to form an alliance with any other political party for the upcoming elections. These rumors are spread by other political parties."When asked to comment on the united opposition aiming to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Singh quickly stated, "It is good that several other parties are coming together to weed out the present government from the power. Because during this government, people are getting killed in the name of the cow, mob lynching incidents are taking place across the country. Is this government trying to convert Hindustan into Taliban?"Singh also commented on Congress leader Sajjan Kumar getting life term in anti-Sikh riots case and expressed disappointment that the ...

Lok Sabha adjourns till noon amid protests on Rafale, other

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till noon on Tuesday following vociferous protests by various parties over Rafale deal, construction of a dam across Cauvery river and other issues. As soon as the House met, members from the AIADMK, the TDP and the Congress trooped into the Well, with many of them displaying placards, and sought to raise various issues. The Congress raised the Rafale issue and some party members displayed placards demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the fighter jet deal. Many members from the BJP shouted slogans against the Congress and demanded an apology from Congress President Rahul Gandhi on the Rafale issue. Some members stood in the aisle while others were at their seats. The AIADMK members were protesting against construction of a dam across Cauvery river while those from the TDP were demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh. There were more than 30 members from the AIADMK, the TDP and the Congress in the Well during ..

Amit Shah to give booth management formula to over 12000 booth incharges of Delhi party's unit

BJP chief Amit Shah will Sunday give a management formula to over 12,000 booth incharges of the party's Delhi unit at the IGI stadium here in the run up to 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The booth incharges are being issued bar-coded identity cards to ensure that they attend event without fail, said party leaders. There are a total of 13,816 polling booths across Delhi and so far over 12,000 booth incharges have been appointed by the party. The district and lower level booth incharge meetings of the party have been held. It is for the first time that a state-level interaction between the national president and the booth incharges is being organised, said Dharambir Singh, head of booth management department of the Delhi BJP. "The booth incharges will also be given a chance to put across their suggestions before the party president during the interaction," Singh said. The party will ensure that booth presidents mandatorily attend the event. The bar-coded identity cards with photographs will be ..

C'garh govt to waive short-term agri loans, probe Jhiram

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has said his government will waive short-term agricultural loans of farmers and hike the MSP for paddy to Rs 2,500, fulfilling promises made by the Congress ahead of the state Assembly polls. The state government will also set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the "biggest Naxal attack in the country on political leaders" in Jhiram valley, he said. Soon after taking oath, Baghel Monday evening chaired his maiden cabinet meeting at the new secretariat office in Atal Nagar (Naya Raipur) where the decisions were taken. The short-term crop loans to the tune of overRs 6,100 crore of more than 16.65 lakh farmers drawn from cooperative banks and Chhattisgarh Gramin Bank as on November 30, 2018, will be completely waived, Baghel told mediapersons at a press conference held late Monday evening at Samvad Bhawan. He was accompanied by his two newly-inducted ministers - T S Singh Deo and Tamradhawaj Sahu - and Chief Secretary ..

We don't deny shelter to the needy: Mamata on Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said her government is equally considerate towards all minorities and the state never denies shelter to anyone.