Page 2208 - Politics
Rahul hits back at govt, asks why CAG report on Rafale deal cited by SC not tabled before PAC
Notwithstanding the Supreme Court's verdict on the Rafale deal, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday maintained that there was massive corruption in the contract and wondered why the CAG report "cited by the Supreme Court" on it had not yet been shared with the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament. Gandhi also reiterated the Congress' demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the fighter jet deal and claimed that if it was conducted, names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and businessman Anil Ambani will come to the fore. Both government and Anil Ambani's Reliance Group have rejected Gandhi's allegations of any wrongdoing. At a press conference, Gandhi said the Supreme Court in its verdict cited that a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the Rafale deal was submitted to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) but asserted that no such report was given to the House panel headed by Congress' leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge. Kharge, who was
Sachin: the Pilot who gets co-driver's seat in Rajasthan
He flies planes, loves being behind the wheel and helped steer the Congress from the depths of defeat in 2013 to the highs of victory in Rajasthan, but on Friday Sachin Pilot had to settle for the co-driver's seat in the state. The Congress appointed the older, more experienced Gehlot as chief minister, following more than two days of discussions with party president Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders, leaving the job of deputy chief minister to Pilot. But the urbane politician, equally at home in a village as in the debating room of an English news channel, has more than earned his electoral stripes, say party leaders. The 41-year-old Stephanian, as those from Delhi's elite St Stephen's College are sometimes called, and Wharton MBA graduate had made a vow in 2014 when the party lost in the Lok Sabha elections to not wear a turban he so loved till the Congress returns to power. And now it seems the 'saafa' might well be back on his head, even though the coveted chief minister's ...
Erdogan vows to 'bring peace' to east of Euphrates
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said Turkey was determined to bring peace to areas east of the Euphrates controlled by a Kurdish militia after he warned this week of a new operation in Syria. "We are determined to bring peace and security to areas east of the Euphrates" River in northern Syria, Erdogan said during a speech in Istanbul. "Turkey has lost enough time in terms of intervening to clean the terror swamp east of the Euphrates. We don't have the patience to wait one more day," he added. The head of state on Wednesday said Turkey would launch an offensive against the People's Protection Units (YPG) militia within the "next few days" east of the river. Ankara views the US-backed YPG as a "terrorist offshoot" of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is blacklisted as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies. But the YPG has spearheaded the United States' fight against the Islamic State extremist group under the banner of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic ...
Sona Mohapatra wants Kailash Kher out of Mayur Utsav
Singer Sona Mohapatra, who had accused Kailash Kher of inappropriate behaviour, has demanded the "Teri deewani" singer's withdrawal from Delhi governments Mayur Utsav.
Rafale rocks Parliament, government ready for discussion (Third Lead)
Even as the Supreme Court dismissed four petitions seeking a court-monitored probe into the purchase of Rafale jet fighters, the Congress on Friday persisted with its demand in Parliament for a JPC probe, leading to a heated argument between the treasury benches and the Opposition.
Ruckus in Pb Assembly over 'short duration' of Winter session
The Punjab Assembly Friday witnessed pandemonium as opposition AAP and SAD protested the "short duration" of the House and demanded that it be extended. Some legislators of the main opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) wore black arm bands after their demand of extending the session was turned down. They stormed into the Well of the House to protest the session duration being "curtailed" from three to two days and raised slogans against the Congress government. AAP legislator Aman Arora flashed the rule book, claiming that the House should have 40 sittings in a year. He said instead of extending the session, its duration had been curtailed, and flung the rule book as AAP legislators started moving towards the Well of the House. The AAP leader even flashed a lock, saying the Assembly be locked in case the session was not held as per the laid down procedure. Later, some of the party legislators barring the members of the rebel group, which is headed by Sukhpal Singh Khaira, staged a brief ..
AAP accuses BJP, Cong of 'belittling' Delhi Assembly on its silver jubilee
The ruling AAP Friday lashed out at the opposition Congress and BJP, accusing them of making "petty-minded" attempts to "belittle" Delhi Assembly on its silver jubilee, after the two parties decided to boycott a function scheduled on December 15 to mark the occasion. The Delhi Assembly is holding the function to mark the 25th anniversary of its first sitting on December 14, 1993. AAP's chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said it is a "cheap tactic" that some political parties have issued "loaded political statements" about a non-political commemorative event. "At this juncture, it is important to place on record the petty-minded attempts by some political forces to belittle the successful evolution of the Delhi Legislative Assembly," he said in a statement. The Delhi unit of the BJP and Congress Thursday went public with their decision to boycott the function. Hitting out the two parties, Bhardwaj termed the Silver Jubilee of Delhi Assembly's first sitting a matter of pride for people
Parliament is supreme, let there be JPC probe into Rafale deal: CPI
The CPI Friday said that a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal will bring the truth out, hours after the Supreme Court dismissed petitions challenging the multi-billion defence pact between India and France. "Parliament is supreme in our democracy. All opposition parties have been demanding a JPC probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal. Why cannot the government agree on a JPC probe? After all, the issue is related to the country's security. Let there be a JPC probe and the truth will come out," D Raja, national secretary of the CPI, said. "I don't know how the Supreme Court can come to such a conclusion," he said. CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said the Supreme Court order is not a clean chit to the government. "Technical know how may be confidential but the price paid by the government is taxpayers' money. Taxpayers have right to know what was the price paid by the government," Reddy said. Earlier in the day, a bench headed by Chief ...
SC order on Rafale deal 'exposed lies' of Congress: Assam CM
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Friday welcomed the Supreme Court decision rejecting pleas seeking lodging of an FIR and a court-monitored probe into the Rafale aircraft deal, saying the order "exposed the lies" of the Congress. Sonowal also said the apex court has put its "stamp of approval" on the agreement between India and France for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets, which are crucial to India's defence strategy. "The decision of the Supreme Court has exposed the lies of the Congress. The opposition party is only trying to mislead the nation just by spreading the canard," he told reporters here. The chief minister said the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been providing clean and transparent governance and working for the welfare of all sections of the people. In relief to the Modi government, the Supreme Court Friday dismissed the pleas challenging the deal between India and France for procurement of 36 Rafale jets saying there was no reason .
Gehlot, Pilot accorded grand welcome in Rajasthan
Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, whose names were cleared for the appointment as Rajasthan chief minister and deputy chief minister respectively, were Friday welcomed with pomp and splendour at the airport here. A large number of their supporters were present at the airport. They shouted slogans in support of their leaders. Both the leaders were given a warm welcome amid tight security arrangements. From the airport, the duo left for a hotel to attend a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party. They will go to Raj Bhawan after the meeting to present the list of MLAs to Governor Kalyan Singh. The Congress Friday named Gehlot as Rajasthan's next chief minister and Pilot his deputy after party president Rahul Gandhi successfully brokered peace between the veteran leader and his younger colleague over several rounds of discussions lasting more than two days. The Congress had emerged as the single-largest party in the desert state, winning 99 seats, while the Bharatiya ...
Jaitley rejects Congress' demand for JPC; says family not above apex court
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday rejected the Congress' demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale aircraft deal and said the "family" was not above the Supreme Court in a democracy.
GST compensation to Karnataka likely to be less in 2018-19:CM
The GST compensation to Karnataka was likely to be "less" during the current year, compared to Rs 7,500 crore in 2017-18, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said in the state assembly Friday. He was replying to questions raised by opposition members during the discussion on The Karnataka Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2018 that was passed by the House. "After receiving GST compensation of Rs 7,500 crore from the centre in 2017-18. This year it may be less....," Kumaraswamy said. The Chief Minister, however, did not give any figure or cite any reason for the projected decrease in GST compensation from the Centre. Earlier participating in the discussion, BJP members Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, Basavaraj Bommai and others sought to know from the government whether the state was receiving adequate compensation from the central government, and was there any loss to the state from the new taxation regime. Pointing out there were several loopholes in the GST, they advised ..
IB and RAW chiefs get six months extension; to continue till Lok Sabha polls
Intelligence Bureau Director Rajiv Jain and Research & Analysis Wing Secretary Anil K Dhasmana, both of whose two-year terms were scheduled to end later this month, have been given six-month extensions. The NDA government's decision was apparently taken to avoid bringing in new faces in the top posts of the two crucial intelligence agencies before the Lok Sabha elections, due before this dispensation completes its term in May. Jain's tenure was scheduled to end on December 30 and Dhasmana's on December 29. The decision to extend the tenure of the two intelligence chiefs was taken by the prime minister-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), an official statement said. The Centre does not want to disturb the continuity in the IB and the R&AW and wanted a new government to take a decision on appointments on these key posts after the Lok Sabha polls, officials in the know of the developments said. Jain, a 1980-batch IPS officer from Jharkhand, was appointed IB Director ..
No reason for alarm in BJP, it performed well without Ram temple, can do again: Prashant Kishor
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is still the most popular leader in the country, JD(U) leader Prashant Kishor said Friday, emphasizing he does not see any reason for alarm in the BJP after the saffron party suffered setbacks in three Hindi heartland states. Kishor, who played an important role in shaping the BJP campaign during 2014 polls, said he believes the BJP won that election without resorting to the Ram temple issue and should stick to the development agenda to win the general election next year. "I do not think there is any cause for alarm for BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is still the most popular leader in the country," he told reporters during an informal chat in Patna. The JD(U) is an ally of the BJP in Bihar. Kishor's comments come three days after the BJP was defeated in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The assembly elections were billed as "semifinals" to the 2019 Lok Sabha election by political observers, who speculate the saffron party might rake up the ...
Raj: Cong legislature party to meet shortly
The Congress legislature party meeting will be held at a hotel here on Friday evening, a party leader said. The MLAs will be apprised of the party high command to appoint senior leader Ashok Gehlot as the chief minister of the state and Sachin Pilot as the deputy chief minister, the leader added. After the meeting, a delegation comprising Gehlot and Pilot will head to Raj Bhawan to hand over over the list of MLAs to Governor Kalyan Singh, the leader said. The schedule of the swearing-in ceremony is yet to be finalised, the leader said further. The Congress has emerged as the single-largest party in Rajasthan, winning 99 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got 73.
FM says govt respects autonomy, independence of RBI
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Friday said the government respects autonomy and independence of the RBI and raising credit and liquidity issues do not infringe on the central bank's autonomy. "If the sovereign government is pointing out that there are credit and liquidity issues in the country, how can it be infringing the autonomy," he said. The statement came days after Urjit Patel resigned as Governor of Reserve Bank of India amid talk of a face-off with the government over autonomy and independence of the central bank. "The government respects autonomy and independence of central bank," Jaitley said, adding that he hopes "things will work out well in future".
30 years on, Jyotiraditya misses out on CM's post like dad
Almost 30 years after late Madhavrao Scindia was denied the post of Madhya Pradesh chief minister, history repeated itself as the "so near yet so far" fate befell his son Jyotiraditya. In 1989, Madhavrao was all set to be the CM but strident opposition from senior leader Arjun Singh, asked to step down as CM after the Churhat lottery scam, ensured that then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi could not give the former Gwalior royal the coveted post. Singh, in a bid to get his way at the time, had even kept his MLAs ensconced in the Char Imli residence of loyalist Harivansh Singh. Madhavrao was so confident of being given the post that he had flown down from Delhi and camped in the state for two days. Instead, Motilal Vora was made the chief minister. Twenty nine years later, Jyotiraditya also lost out on the chance to be among the yonngest chief ministers of the central Indian state, as Kamal Nath, 72, was picked for the top job in the state. Congress sources said that ...
RBI board seeks more discussion on governance under new boss
MUMBAI (Reuters) - The board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Friday it had deliberated on the central bank's governance framework and decided the matter requires "further examination".
Lanka SC upholds restraining court order against Rajapaksa from acting as PM
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Friday upheld a court order restraining Mahinda Rajapaksa from holding the office of Prime Minister until it fully heard the case next month, according to media reports. The ruling came a day after the apex court unanimously declared that the dissolution of Parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena was "illegal", in a body blow to the embattled leader, whose controversial decisions plunged the island nation into an unprecedented political turmoil. The Supreme Court Friday decided that a Court of Appeal order issued against the appointment of Rajapaksa as Prime Minister and against his Cabinet from holding office will stand, Colombo Gazette reported. The apex court decided that the case will be heard on January 16, 17 and 18. The Appeal Court on December 3 issued notice and an interim order against Rajapaksa and his Government, preventing them from acting as Prime Minister, Cabinet and Deputy Ministers. The order was issued in a case filed by 122 lawmakers .
Had alliance with BJP knowing it will be suicidal: Mehbooba
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti Friday said her People's Democratic Party (PDP) had an alliance with the BJP knowing it will be 'suicidal'. When her party entered into a tie-up with the BJP to form government in J&K, it was expected that prime minister Narendra Modi will reach out to Pakistan, she said. "We knew it (alliance with the BJP) was suicidal for the party. Yet we put everything at stake. For a party which is seen as one that encourages talks with separatists, we thought Modi will rise to the occasion and since (former PM Atal Bihari) Vajpayee did not have that kind of a mandate, we thought he will reach out to Pakistan, to the people of J&K and start what Vajpayee had left," she said. When Vajpayee was the prime minister and her father was chief minister of J&K, the message which went out was both the Centre and the state government were on the same page and the 2002-2005 period became the "golden period", she said. The PDP ...