Page 2191 - Politics
Lok Insaaf and rebel AAP leaders come together for Punjab Democratic Alliance
Suspended AAP leaders Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Dharamvira Gandhi, BSP state president Rashpal Raju and the Lok Insaaf Party have come together to form Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA), "a political formation of like minded leaders". Addressing a gathering of supporters on Sunday, after the conclusion of the more than week-long 'insaaf' march in the city which began from Talwandi Sabo to seek justice in cases of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib in 2015, Khaira said the alliance would "aim to liberate Punjab from the clutches of traditional parties". Besides Khaira and Gandhi, some rebel AAP MLAs have also thrown their weight behind the newly formed alliance. The PDA announced it would contest next year's Lok Sabha elections and that it will welcome other like-minded parties and individuals as long as they maintain distance from the Congress, the BJP and the SAD. Lok Insaaf Party legislator Simarjit Bains repeated Khaira's words "the alliance will clean the corrupt polity of Punjab". The ..
Georgia's first female president sworn in
Georgia on Sunday swore in its first female president, Salome Zurabishvili as opposition parties continue to denounce her election as fraudulent and demand snap parliamentary polls. The inauguration paved the way for a new constitution to come into force, transforming the country into a parliamentary republic with a largely ceremonial president. The event was held in the mediaeval town of Telavi in Georgia's eastern winemaking region of Kakheti. French-born Zurabishvili, 66, took the oath of office in the courtyard of an 18th-century manor that belonged to Georgia's penultimate king Heraclius II. "The goal of my presidency is to make Georgia's democratic development and its path towards Europe irreversible," she said in an inaugural speech. "I will facilitate this process with the support of our strategic partner, the United States of America, and our European friends," she said. Opposition parties have refused to recognise Zurabishvili's election and tried to hold a protest rally ...
PM says Cong 'weakening' judiciary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday charged the Congress with building pressure on the judiciary and urged the people to remain wary of such a party. Modi alleged that the grand old party which has ruled the country for the longest period of time has tried to "influence" the judiciary. Addressing a gathering in the pilgrim town of Prayagraj, the new name of Allahabad, ahead of the Kumbh Mela beginning Jaunary 15, the Prime Minister said, "Beware of parties pretending to stand for democracy." Modi charged that the Congress party has tried to weaken "each and every" democratic institution that has refused to toe its line including the judiciary and the judicial system. "The party which had ruled the country for the longest period of time had always considered itself above the law, the judiciary, and even above the country. Every institution of the country that had refused to toe its line, or work as per its orders or bow before it has been destroyed," the Prime Minister alleged. Modi ...
Merkel's whip urges steps to rein in social bots
Germany must take steps to prevent online "social bots" from manipulating or hijacking sensitive political debates, the parliamentary leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's party warned Sunday. A recent controversy on the UN migration pact was stoked by automated accounts that spread lies, fake news and personal abuse on social media, said Ralph Brinkhaus. "Many of my colleagues were flooded with messages. Many contained the same phrases. A wave of lies and defamations flooded the internet and social media," he told newspaper the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. He said parliament should take steps to rein in the algorithms, software programmes and "troll factories" that are "attacking the heart of our democracy". Possible steps would be to oblige providers to clearly mark messages originating from bots, he said, stressing that "platforms like Facebook and Twitter have a high responsibility in the formation of public opinion". He said better controls would be urgent in 2019, a ...
Congress invites AAP for swearing-in ceremony
In a significant development, the Congress on Sunday invited Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the swearing in ceremonies of its Chief Ministers in three Hindi heartland states on Monday and AAP MP Sanjay Singh said he will go to Jaipur.
Army asks people not to pay heed to separatists call of protest march
The Army Sunday urged people not to march towards the headquarters of its Chinar Corps here on the call of separatists to protest the killing of seven civilians in an encounter in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. The separatists, under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) which consists Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, had Saturday asked the people to march to the headquarters of the Army's Chinar Corps at Badami Bagh on Monday. The call for the march came after seven civilians were killed and several others injured when security forces opened fire at an unruly mob that thronged the site of an encounter in south Kashmir's Pulwama district in which three terrorists and an army man were killed on Saturday. In a statement on Sunday, an Army spokesman asked the people not to pay heed to the "misleading call" by the JRL. "The Army is always with the people of Kashmir and would foil all such evil attempts of terrorist-separatist-Pakistan .
PM takes 'Quattrocchi mama' jibe at Congress, says it was upset over transparent defence deals
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday tore into the Congress in Sonia Gandhi's home turf, saying the party was "agitated" and telling "lies" as there was no "Quattrocchi uncle" or Christian Michel in the BJP government's defence deals and slammed it for trying to create "distrust" against the judiciary. This was the prime minister's first public comments after the Supreme Court gave a clean chit to the BJP government in the Rafale deal. It was also the prime minister's first public meeting in Sonia Gandhi's home turf after the BJP lost power to the Congress and its allies in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In an all out attack on the Congress, Modi accused the party of aligning with forces which do not want to see India's defence forces becoming strong. "There are two facets before the country... one is of the government which is making every possible effort to augment the strength of the defence forces, and the second is of those forces which want to weaken the country at ..
B'desh govt. honours Indian bravehearts on Vijay Diwas
In a first, Bangladesh Minister of Liberation War Affairs A K M Mozammel Haque posthumously awarded 12 slain Indian soldiers with 'Sammanana' plaques for the resolute spirit displayed while fighting Pakistan in the Bangladesh liberation war of 1971.Haque paid tribute to soldiers on the occasion of Vijay Diwas at the Headquarters of the Eastern Command at the Fort William in Kolkata, where special programmes were held as a mark of respect of the Indian soldiers.Remembering the sacrifices of Indian personnel, Haque said: "The Indian Army soldiers were not supposed to sacrifice their lives for us. But they were courteous enough to fight for our freedom. At the time of war, the government of India assisted us with everything, including shelter for 10 million refugees, food and arms."Elaborating about the initiatives taken by the Bangladesh government to honour the bravehearts, Haque stated, "Our government has planned to set a war memorial in Bangladesh to pay a tribute to over 1,600 ...
In show of solidarity, opposition leaders to grace Cong CMs' swearing-in ceremony
In a show of solidarity, a phalanx of opposition leaders including Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, DMK president MK Stalin, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, BSP chief Mayawati, SP president Akhilesh Yadav and NCP president Sharad Pawar will attend the swearing-in ceremony of Congress chief ministers in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh on December 17.Madhya Pradesh chief minister-designate Kamal Nath is scheduled to take oath at 1.30 pm, while Rajasthan's Ashok Gehlot will take oath at 10 am. Chhattisgarh's chief minister-designate Bhupesh Baghel is currently scheduled to take oath at 4.30 pm."NCP president Sharad Pawar, Loktantrik Janata Dal president Sharad Yadav, DMK chief MK Stalin, Bihar's former Deputy Chief Minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, SP president Akhilesh Yadav, BSP chief Mayawati and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal among other opposition leaders will attend the oath-taking ceremony in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh on December 17," said well-placed ...
US special representative Biegun to visit Seoul
The United States special representative on North Korea policy, Stephen Biegun, is scheduled to visit Seoul this week to work on the denuclearisation negotiation with Pyongyang, which is now on a standstill.According to Yonhap, the officials stated that Biegun will meet South Korean counterpart, Special Representative Lee Do-hoon, for a second meeting of the joint working group on North Korea.The officials revealed that the upcoming meeting between the two countries is aimed at addressing both the ongoing deadlock in denuclearisation negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang and ways to resume them.In November, South Korea and the US had launched the working group in an inaugural meeting for "regular, systemic and formal" communication on North Korea policy as the two nations increased efforts to coordinate their policies on their shared policy goal of denuclearising the Korean Peninsula.The working group had also held a video conference meeting earlier this month.
Expelled Akali leaders launch new party in Punjab
The expelled leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday launched a new party -- the Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali).
UN warns Yemen could face 'much worse' in 2019
UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Sunday that "much worse" lay in store for Yemen in 2019 unless its warring parties strike a peace deal and head off a humanitarian crisis. A high number of Yemenis have been dying in "very dramatic circumstances" as a result of food shortages, Guterres told a news conference in Doha. The United Nations on Thursday brokered a ceasefire accord between the internationally-recognised government and Iran-aligned Huthi rebels to end hostilities in the flashpoint port city of Hodeida. The deal followed a week of negotiations in Sweden as the United Nations bids to end the war in impoverished Yemen. "The fact that famine was not yet declared does not in any way diminish our huge concern with a very high level of hunger that exists in Yemen" and "people dying in very dramatic circumstances", said Guterres. "Without peace, we will be facing in 2019 a much worse situation than today." Yemen has been engulfed by fighting between the Huthi rebels and troops loyal ..
NC leader exhorts people to unite for peace in J&K
A senior National Conference (NC) leader on Sunday cautioned the people against the "divisive politics" and said harmony was an imperative for steering Jammu and Kashmir to a new era of peace, prosperity and development. "Polarisation may have short-term gains for opportunistic elements in the political arena, but ultimately it is detrimental to the larger interest of the nation and the state," NC state secretary Surjeet Singh Slathia said. Addressing party workers at a village in Samba district, Slathia said divisive politics could only generate mistrust and apprehensions among different segments of the society and, therefore, it was needed to be contained by building trust among various communities. "Let's make a pledge for further cementing the spirit of brotherhood by isolating polarising agents," the former minister said, stressing on the need of respecting each other's sentiments. Without naming anyone, the NC leader referred to the challenges faced in the state and hoped that ..
No alliance can stop BJP from realising its agenda of development: Amit Shah
BJP chief Amit Shah said Sunday that no 'gathbandhan' or 'mahagathbandhan' (alliance) can come in the way of the BJP and its agenda of inclusive growth. Addressing the concluding session of the two-day workshop of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha here, he said if everyone works together, no alliance can stop the BJP from fulfilling its agenda of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' (collective effort, inclusive growth). Shah urged young party workers to spread the message of development to all Indians. The workshop was attended by national office-bearers of BJYM, state presidents and district presidents from all states. The focus at the workshop was to design a strategy for BJYM workers, right up to the mandal level, to reach out to voters in the run up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Various sessions were held on organisational management, dissemination of key schemes and achievements of the government, and media and social media, according to a party release.
PM says Congress weakening Army, launches Rs 1,000 cr projects
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched over Rs 1,000 crore worth of projects here and accused the Congress of aiding those who he said want to weaken the Indian Army.
Theresa May slams Tony Blair for Brexit meddling
British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday blasted former UK premier Tony Blair for his Brexit meddling by pitching for a second referendum over the decision to leave the European Union earlier this week, terming his intervention as an "insult" to the office he once held. May's comments have come after Blair, who served as Prime Minister of the UK from 1997 to 2007, said in his speech here on Friday that British MPs might back a new vote if "none of the other options work". May accused the former Labour Party leader of "undermining" negotiations with the EU, describing his intervention as an "insult" to the office of Prime Minister which he once held. "For Tony Blair to go to Brussels and seek to undermine our negotiations by advocating for a second referendum is an insult to the office he once held and the people he once served," said May. "We cannot, as he would, abdicate responsibility for this decision. Parliament has a democratic duty to deliver what the British people voted ...
Rebel AAP leaders launch new alliance in Punjab
The rebel leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and others on Sunday launched a new political front in Punjab. It has been named Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA).
BJP to move higher court against WB govt's decision on yatra
The Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to move higher court against the West Bengal government's decision to deny permission for its 'rath yatra' and resolved to hit the streets to protest against it. BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said party leaders held a meeting with other functionaries and national general secretary Bhupender Yadav on Sunday to discuss their next course of action. "We will move the higher court against this decision. How can the state government deny us permission for our political programme? We will also launch a statewide agitation in protest and meet Governor K N Tripathi to complain against the TMC government," Ghosh told PTI. On Saturday, the Mamata Banerjee-led government had refused permission for the proposed 'rath yatra', citing intelligence reports of possible communal violence in areas where the party is planning to take out the rallies. A division bench of the Calcutta High Court had on December 7 directed Chief Secretary Malay De, Home Secretary Atri
BJP leading in Assam panchayat polls
The BJP is maintaining a lead in Assam panchayat polls by pocketing 41 per cent of the total seats and marching ahead of the Congress which secured 32 per cent of the seats, as counting continued for the fifth day on Sunday. The BJP has bagged 10,953 seats, followed by the Congress 8,646, Independents 2,927 as counting for the 26,808 posts across the state continued, Assam State Election Commissioner (ASEC) said in a press rel;ease. The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), an alliance partner of the BJP-led government which contested independently, was in the fourth position with 1,853 seats till Sunday evening while minority dominated, the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) of the opposition, bagged 1,309 posts, the ASEC said. As per the results declared for 25,787 seats by the State Election Commission, 20,990 posts are of gaon panchayat members (GPM), 2,192 are of gaon panchayat presidents (GPP), 2,186 are anchalik panchayat members (APM) and 419 are zila parishad ...
Maldivian president arrives for three-day visit
Maldives' new President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih arrived here Sunday on a three-day state visit during which he will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed at strengthening bilateral ties. Solih, who surprisingly defeated Maldivian strongman Abdulla Yameen in polls in September, arrived here this afternoon on his first foreign visit after assuming office and was received by Union minister Hardeep S Puri. "Fortifying close bonds of cooperation and friendship. President of #Maldives @ibusolih received by MoS @MoHUA_India @HardeepSPuri on arrival in Delhi - his first foreign visit after assuming office & within a month of visit of PM @narendramodi to Maldives," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Solih will hold talks with Modi on Monday after a ceremonial reception. He will also meet President Ram Nath Kovind the same day. Solih will also call on Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Solih, who is ...