Page 2197 - Politics
Pakistan should treat terror as its enemy for internal, external peace: Army chief
Pakistan Army should make terrorism its enemy as this will lead to internal and external peace, Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat has said.
Rajapaksa hails Sirisena's 'bold' move, says prez can't 'do nothing' when govt destroying country
Appreciating President Maithripala Sirisena's "bold decision" of appointing him as Sri Lankan Prime Minister, embattled Mahinda Rajapaksa who resigned Saturday within just over a month after taking office slammed the Ranil Wickremesinghe government and said a president "cannot stand by and do nothing" when the country was being destroyed by the ruling dispensation. The 73-year-old former strongman was appointed prime minister by Sirisena on October 26 by ousting Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP), a move which plunged the island nation into a constitutional crisis. Rajapaksa resigned after two crucial Supreme Court decisions made his efforts to cling to premiership untenable, paving the way for the return of 69-year-old Wickremesinghe who had refused to step down asserting that his sacking was illegal. "A President cannot stand by and do nothing when the whole country was facing destruction at the hands of the people running the government. We appreciate the difficult ..
BJP's job is to change its colours: Akhilesh Yadav
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav trained guns at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the party's job was to change its colours and create infighting among others.Speaking to reporters here, Akhilesh said: "Nowadays, the BJP is singling out some people over various issues. In the previous elections, the BJP created infightings among others to create unrest, be it between Yadavs and Patels, Yadavs and Mauryas, Yadavs and Kushwahas and Yadavs and Dalits. Since the BJP government came to power (in Uttar Pradesh), they changed the education system and changed the policies. But when the (recent assembly) elections happened, the people changed the 'changemakers'."Commenting on the Supreme Court's verdict on the Rafale fighter jets deal, the SP chief said: "Rafale is necessary for the nation. Not only Rafale, but there is a need for a fighter aircraft that will boost the country's air force. But, there has been a lot of issues over .
WB govt refuses permission for BJP's Rath Yatra programme, party to move higher court
The West Bengal government Saturday refused permission for the BJP's proposed Rath Yatra, citing intelligence reports of possible communal violence in areas where the party is planning to take out the yatra. In a letter to state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh, the West Bengal government said it was unable to allow the Yatra as proposed by the party. A division bench of the Calcutta High Court had on December 7 directed the West Bengal chief secretary, the home secretary and the director general of police to hold a meeting with three representatives of the BJP by December 12, and take a decision on the 'rath yatra' by December 14. Following the meeting between the two sides, state government officials had told the party that its decision will be conveyed to them by Saturday. Reacting to the development, BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya said the party would move a higher court against this decision of the Trinamool Congress government. The saffron party had proposed to take out three Rath Yatras .
Will mobilise public opinion over next 1 year for Delhi's full statehood: Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday he will mobilise public opinion over the next one year to earn full statehood to the national capital. He was addressing a function to mark the 25th anniversary of the Delhi Assembly's first sitting on December 14, 1993. Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, in his address, said Delhi's chief ministers from other political parties over the years had demanded full statehood for the Union Territory. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia echoed their views and said the government has to go to the court if it wants to work for the welfare of its people. Kejriwal said it's an insult to Delhi's citizens that the city does not have full statehood. "We will go out among people to unite them to raise the demand of full statehood for Delhi. We will also be organising events to celebrate the silver jubilee of the Delhi Assembly's first sitting. "In 1947, the country got independence and people got the right to choose their state governments ..
Maldivian president to arrive in India Sunday on three-day visit
New Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih will arrive here Sunday on a three-day state visit, during which he will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthen bilateral ties. Solih, who surprisingly defeated strongman Abdulla Yameen in September, will arrive in the afternoon and hold talks with Modi on Monday after a ceremonial reception. He will also meet President Ram Nath Kovind the same day. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will also call on Solih during his visit. The Maldivian president, who will be accompanied by his wife Fazna Ahmed, will visit the Taj Mahal on Tuesday before heading back to his country. Solih's visit comes about a month after Modi attended his swearing-in ceremony. Modi had said in the Maldives that he was looking forward to working closely with Solih as both the leaders expressed confidence in the renewal of the close ties and friendship between the two countries, which was briefly interrupted by .
Suspense on new C'garh CM continues 4 days after poll result
Four days after the Congress registered a landslide victory in the Hindi heartland of Chhattisgarh, the suspense on who will be the next chief minister of the state continues. According to party sources, four MLAs - Bhupesh Baghel, T S Singh Deo, Tamradhwaj Sahu and Charan Das Mahant -are vying for the post. Congress president Rahul Gandhi held deliberations with the four leaders at his Tughlaq Lane residence in the nationla capital Saturday, they said, adding a legislature party meeting scheduled for Saturday has been postponed to Sunday. On December 12, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) had met here in the presence of AICC observer Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC-in-charge for Chhattisgarh, P L Punia. It had passed a resolution authorising Gandhi to take a final call on who would be the next chief minister. Party functionaries said Gandhi had held the first round of meeting with Kharge and Punia on December 13. Speaking on the selection of the new CM, state Congress general ...
Pak summons Iran envoy to protest terror attack on border
Pakistan on Saturday summoned Iran's ambassador Mehdi Honardoost to record protest against a terrorist attack on a paramilitary convoy on the Iranian border in which six soldiers were killed. On Friday, about 30 terrorists ambushed a convoy of the Frontier Corps along the Pakistan-Iran border when it was patrolling the area. Six soldiers were killed and 14 others injured in the "cowardly terrorist attack", the FO said, adding, "The Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan was called to the Foreign Office to lodge a strong protest against the ghastly incident." Claiming that the militants were operating from the Iranian border area, the FO demanded that Iran should carry out an effective operation against the terrorist group responsible for the attack on its side of the border. "The need for an effective border coordination mechanism to prevent such incidents in future was also underscored," it said.
76 per cent of Chhattisgarh MLAs are 'crorepatis'
As many as 68 of the 90 MLAs in the newly-elected Chhattisgarh Assembly possess assets worth more than Rs one crore, as per a report based on the legislators' election affidavits. This is one better than the previous house, which had 67 'crorepatis'. Sixty-eight (76 per cent) MLAs are worth Rs one crore or more, a study by NGOs Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Chhattisgarh Election Watch said Saturday. The Congress, which won a landslide victory in the recently held Assembly elections, accounts for 48 out of these crorepati legislators. The Congress has 68 MLAs in the new Assembly. Remarkably, 14 out of 15 MLAs of the BJP have declared assets of more than Rs 1 crore, the reports said. And all five MLAs, including former chief minister Ajit Jogi and his wife Renu Jogi, of the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) are crorepatis. Senior Congress leader T S Singh Deo, scion of a former royal family, is the richest MLA with assets valued at over Rs 500 crore, while ...
Afghanistan, Pak, China agree to boost cooperation in combating terrorism
Pakistan, Afghanistan and China on Saturday agreed to boost mutual cooperation in combating all terrorist groups and individuals without any discrimination to eliminate terrorism from the region. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmoud Qureshi, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani met here Saturday for the 2nd Pakistan-China-Afghanistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers' dialogue during which they discussed trade, development, ways to end Afghanistan's 17-year war and regional cooperation. Following the talks, the foreign ministers signed a memorandum of understanding to boost mutual cooperation for elimination of terrorism in the region, Radio Pakistan reported. The signing of the MoU was witnessed by Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani. The three sides also took stock of the trilateral cooperation in their fight against terrorism and "underlined the need to further strengthen counter-terrorism coordination and cooperation in an effort ..
Cong shouldn't allow BJP to hijack narrative in 2019: Tharoor
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said Saturday that the BJP should not be allowed to change the "national narrative" in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress was the only alternative to the BJP, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said. "The Congress needs to shape the national narrative in the right direction and resist powerful attempts made by the BJP to change it. We have to focus on activating ourselves at the booth level," Tharoor said at an interaction with members of the All India Professional Congress here. The Congress is preparing a well-grounded manifesto which will be the party's map for governance and its focus will be job creation, he said. The Rahul Gandhi-led party was the only alternative to the "discredited" BJP, he said. To a question, Tharoor admitted that unlike in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh (where the Congress has now dislodged the BJP from power), his party is not the principal opposition to the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and ...
Congress pays lip service to farmers, national security punching bag: Modi
In the wake of defeat by the Congress in Assembly elections in the Hindi heartland, with agrarian crisis as a major poll plank against his government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Congress of paying only "lip service" to farmers while ignoring their welfare.
Amit Shah to review BJP's performance in TL assembly polls
: BJP Chief Amit Shah would review the party's performance in the December 7 assembly polls in Telangana this month end and gear up the party for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, state BJP president K Laxman said here Saturday. Shah would visit the state in the last week of this month and review the party's poor performance and its preparedness for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, a party release quoted Laxman as saying. BJP contested the polls on its own and won only one Assembly segment (out of the total of 119). Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also likely to visit the state in January, Laxman added. The contest in the polls turned out to be one between TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu (TDP allied with Congress and other parties for the elections) and TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, which led to a rise in 'Telangana sentiment' among people, Laxman claimed. This helped the TRS, he said. TRS won the polls with a thumping majority, winning 88 seats.
PM Modi, Amit Shah dangerous for nation: Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah are dangerous for the present and future of the nation.Kejriwal said, "The pairing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah is dangerous for the present and future of the nation. If they come to power in 2019, they will not even spare the Constitution. So, we will do what we need to do to prevent this from happening."The BJP recently lost assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh. Taking a jibe at the BJP's defeat, Kejriwal on Tuesday took to twitter saying that the countdown for PM Modi's reign end has begun."Modi Raj Ki Ulti Ginti Shuru Ho Gayi," Kejriwal tweeted.
Rafale Deal: BJP to hold press conference at 70 places to expose Congress
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday informed that it will conduct Press Conferences at 70 locations across the country on Monday, to "expose Congress for plotting conspiracy against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government and messing with country's defence."This comes after the government on Saturday filed an application before it, seeking a correction in the order to make it clear that the pricing aspect, examined by the CAG, has not been looked into by Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as yet.The Union of India (UOI) sought urgent correction in the wording of a particular paragraph in the order "in the interests of justice and in the facts and circumstances of the case", while noting that "the observations in the judgement have resulted in a controversy."Earlier today, Indian Youth Congress workers marched to India Gate demanding the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the issue.On Nov 14, Supreme Court dismissed batch of ...
Kushwaha meets Ahmed Patel, set to join grand alliance
Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) leader Upendra Kushwaha met Congress Treasurer Ahmed Patel here on Saturday amid indications that the former's party will join the grand alliance in Bihar soon.
Delhi Assembly speaker slams BJP, Cong over silver jubilee function boycott
Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel Saturday slammed the BJP and the Congress for boycotting the silver jubilee celebrations of the house's first sitting, saying they have insulted the people of Delhi. Goel also wondered as to what was the reason behind BJP veteran L K Advani, who was invited to be the chief guest at the function, skipping the event. In his address during the function to mark the 25th anniversary of the Delhi Assembly's first sitting held on December 14, 1993, Goel hit out at city Congress chief Ajay Maken and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and BJP MLA Vijender Gupta for holding press conferences to announce their boycott of the function. "The Prime Minister calls Parliament a temple. This (Delhi Assembly) is a shivlinga. Vijender Gupta had stood on the top of a bench in the Delhi Assembly... (and) He is talking about keeping the dignity of the Assembly," Goel said. Gupta had in June 2016 created uproar by perching himself atop a desk of the Delhi assembly ...
Govt placed wrong info before SC that led to 'factual bloomers' in Rafale verdict: Cong
The Congress Saturday charged the government with presenting "wrong facts" before the Supreme Court which led to "factual bloomers" in the Rafale aircraft deal judgment that gave the government relief. Addressing a press conference here, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said the Supreme Court has not gone into the pricing and technical aspects of the aircraft and it is only a joint parliamentary committee that can probe whether there was any irregularity in the deal. Sibal pointed to a part of Friday's judgment in which the Court said the material placed before it shows the Centre did not disclose in Parliament the pricing details of the fighter jet but revealed it to the Comptroller and Auditor General. The Court also said the CAG report was even examined by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament. Reacting to this, Sibal said Mallikarjun Kharge, the chairman of PAC, has said he never received any such report on Rafale jet. "Who is responsible for this? It was the government ...
Modi accuses Cong of lip service to farmers; BJP ryot friendly
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday accused the Congress of paying lip-service to farmers' welfare and listed his party-led government's initiatives for their welfare. "We are not like the Congress which will only pay lip-service to farmers but ignore their well-being..whenever Congress is in power, farmers suffer," Modi said. Launching an all out attack on the opposition party during his interaction with BJP workers from Tamil Nadu via video conference from New Delhi, Modi alleged that in Maharashtra, the Congress was at the forefront of an irrigation scam. Just a few days ago, a top Congress leader from Punjab said his party led government in Punjab was not serious about issues relating to sugarcane farmers, Modi alleged. Citing media reports on loan waiver for farmers, Modi said in Karnakata, where the Congress-JDS coalition government is in power, "only 800 farmers got mere benefits, is this a joke? is this how serious they are they about farmers." Only BJP ...
Youth Cong demands JPC probe in Rafale fighter jet deal
The Youth wing of Congress took out a candlelight march at India Gate in the national capital on Saturday, demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe the Rafale fighter jet deal. The march started from Indian Youth Congress (IYC) office on Raisina Road and ended at India Gate through Janpath Road. The BJP government "lied" in the Supreme Court, stating they shared the price of the Rafale fighter jet with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and the CAG report was examined by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), alleged Keshav Chandra Yadav, IYC president. "It has become apparent that the government has lied in the Supreme Court. Not only the Supreme Court, but the nation has also been kept in the dark," Yadav said while addressing the marchers. The government and the prime minister now need to answer the questions on Rafale deal, he demanded. IYC vice president Srinivas B V alleged the Rafale deal was a "scam" exemplifying "crony capitalism". Spokesperson of the outfit, ...