Page 2228 - Politics
BJP's countdown has begun: Kushwaha on poll results
In the wake of the drubbing faced by the BJP in the Assembly elections, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief and former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha Wednesday said countdown of the saffron party had begun. His statement comes two days after he severed ties with the BJP and resigned from the Union council of ministers, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of reducing the Cabinet to a "rubber stamp", "betraying" backward classes and giving Bihar only "jumlas". When asked why he snapped ties with the NDA, he said, "I joined the NDA on the agenda of development, but over the years I realised that after forming the government, they were working on the development of their own agenda, which is that of the RSS." He said he chose to snap ties with the NDA since the RSS's agenda was "not suitable" either for the country or for his party. The former minister of state for HRD was talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here. On the BJP's drubbing in the state ...
Rajasthan: Congress leaders meet Governor, stake claim to form government
Even as suspense over the name of next Rajasthan Chief Minister continued, a Congress party delegation on Wednesday met Governor Kalyan Singh to stake claim to form the next government in state.
PMO returns money-order of farmer who got pittance for onions
A money-order sent by a farmer in Maharashtra's Nashik district, who had got a princely sum of Rs 1,064 after selling 750 kg of onions, has been returned by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Sanjay Sathe, a farmer from Niphad tehsil of Nashik district, had sent Rs 1,064, his earnings from onion sale in the wholesale market, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 29 as a protest. A few days ago, the local post office informed him that the money-order was not accepted. "I went to the office of India Post in Niphad Monday and received the amount of Rs 1,064," Sathe told PTI Wednesday. "My only intention was to prompt the government to take some steps to ease the financial stress farmers are suffering from because of the crashed prices," he said. Sathe, who had taken his onion crop to Niphad wholesale market, had received a paltry rate of Rs 1.40 per kg. His act of donating the money to the disaster relief fund of the PMO by making a money-order had made headlines. "I .
HIGHLIGHTS NORTH 9.40 PM
These are the top stories from the northern region at 9.40 pm JAIPUR ELX31 RJ-POLL-LD-GOVT Jaipur: After discussions that lasted hours, the Congress Wednesday failed to bring about a consensus in its ranks in Rajasthan on who should be the chief minister even as it staked its claim to form the government. JAIPUR ELX23 RJ-CONG-MLA-DISAGREEMENT Jaipur: Congress MLA Vishvendra Singh has expressed disagreement over the process of seeking opinion of party legislators to select the chief ministerial candidate in Rajasthan when party president Rahul Gandhi will decide the face for the coveted post. LUCKNOW DES14 UP-AKHILESH-GODS Lucknow: Taking a dig at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav asked him to "reveal" caste of other deities so he could pray to the God of his caste. LUCKNOW DES17 UP-HOARDINGS-FIR Lucknow: A case was registered Wednesday against Uttar Pradesh Nav Nirman Sena, a fringe group batting for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as ...
Chandrasekhar Rao to be sworn in Telangana CM Thursday
TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, who led his party to a resounding victory in the assembly elections, would be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Telangana for a second straight term Thursday. The swearing-in ceremony would be held at the Raj Bhavan at around 1.30 pm, official sources said Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Rao was unanimously elected leader of the TRS Legislature Party by the newly-elected MLAs. The MLAs met at the Telangana Bhavan, the TRS headquarters here, and took the decision unanimously, party sources said. In the December 7 elections, the TRS won 88 seats in the 119-member assembly, trouncing the Congress-led People's Front, which ended up with a tally of 21. The police department Wednesday issued a traffic advisory asking the public to avoid the Raj Bhavan road between 12 pm and 3 pm in view of the swearing-in of Rao, scheduled at 1.30 pm, and take alternative routes to their destinations. The gazette notification by the Election Commission ...
Against drawing conclusions for general elections from state elections: Jairam Ramesh
Congress leader and former Cabinet minister Jairam Ramesh Wednesday cautioned against drawing conclusions about the 2019 general elections based on the results of the Assembly elections in five states. Speaking at a book launch, Ramesh said the state elections were fought on completely different issues and its results should not be a yardsticks to gauge the outcome of the national elections. The Congress wrested control of the BJP-ruled states of Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. "I don't subscribe to the semifinal and final concept (of elections). State-level elections are organically different...I will be cautious in drawing national level conclusions from what are essentially state level elections," he said. "The best example of this was when in 1984 Rajiv Gandhi and the Congress took 27 of the 28 seats in Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka and three months later Ramakrishna Hegde and the Janata Party got around 140 out of the 224 seats in the Assembly. So, a completely ...
Chhattisgarh Congress MLAs to decide on CM
The newly-elected Congress MLAs are scheduled to meet late on Wednesday to decide the name of the Chief Minister, a party official said here.
Narrow margins in seven seats snatched victory from BJP in Madhya Pradesh
In a tight race for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, which saw a see-saw battle, the Congress managed to edge past BJP courtesy narrow margins of less than 1,000 votes in seven seats.
'Didi, The Untold Mamata Banerjee' launched in New Delhi
An unauthorised biography of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was released by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday. Written by journalist-turned-author Shutapa Paul, her debut novel, 'Didi, The Untold Mamata Banerjee', profiles the feisty leader from her school days to her time as the Trinamool Congress supremo. It tracks Banerjee's life by talking to those closest to her, including her teachers, her political adversaries like Somnath Chatterjee, former Lok Sabha Speaker who passed away in August; Ratan Mukherjee, her political secretary for 30 years, and others. "I had approached her in February and told her about the book. She refused to give me an interview. However, she did not in any way stop me from writing it," said Paul. The book launch was followed by a panel discussion on Banerjee by Ramesh, Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta and Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh, all of whom praised the leader for her perseverance and tenacity. "She is a street politician, a ..
Maha plans 'proactive disclosure' of official information
The Maharashtra government is planning to disclose information related to certain projects and schemes online so that people do not need to file applications under the Right To Information (RTI) to obtain the same. A provision for this is likely to be made in the RTI Act, official sources said. At present, information about government schemes or projects comes through official statements released by the concerned ministry which may not contain all information, or it is disclosed when someone files an RTI query. "Proactive disclosure" would ease the burden on the state machinery which receives hundreds of RTI applications every month, said an official. "The idea is to introduce 'proactive disclosure' of files and minutes of meetings online to bring transparency in the administration, as well as to ease the burden of applications seeking information under the RTI Act," he said. "We have begun the process of introducing this clause providing for proactive disclosure in the
No formal invitation was sent to US Prez to visit India in January: Govt
The government Wednesday said no formal invitation was sent to US President Donald Trump to visit India in January. Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh stated this while replying to a question in the Lok Sabha on whether the government invited the US president to visit India in January. In October, a White House official said Trump was unable to participate as Chief Guest of India's Republic Day celebrations in January due to scheduling constraints. "The India-US joint statement issued on June 27, 2017 states, 'President Trump gladly accepted Prime Minister Modi's invitation to visit India.' No formal invitation has been sent to the US President to visit India in January 2019," Singh said in the written reply. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited Trump to visit India during their talks in Washington in June 2017.
CPEC brings no development in Balochistan
The multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project in Balochistan province remains stagnant, revealed CPEC Cell established by the Balochistan government with the help of the World Bank.CPEC cell noted that only development has been made near the Gwadar Port.The Dawn quoted sources present at the meeting of the CPEC Cell with Balochistan cabinet that all projects connected with the western route have seen no progress whatsoever, and the overall size of the portfolio of CPEC projects in Balochistan is miniscule where less than 9 per cent of the total committed, is for the province and less than 1billion USD has been spent in four years.The cabinet members described the CPEC spending so far as "a joke" and they slammed the previous government for its inaction.In the energy sector, the cabinet was informed that the current shortfall of 700Mega Watt in the province means that all the new power injected into the grid as a result of CPEC power projects has not found ...
MJ Akbar, Tejpal suspended from Editor's Guild
Former Union Minister of State for External Affairs M. J. Akbar and ex Tehlka magazine editor, Tarun Tejpal have been suspended from the Editor's Guild of India (EGI) over the allegations of sexual misconduct.Both Akbar and Tejpal will remain suspended until the court pronounces a verdict in their cases.The EGI further stated that they have sought an official response from Gautam Adhikari, founding editor DNA Mumbai over the sexual misconduct allegations against him. The decision was taken after discussion with the members of its Executive Committee."Office-bearers of the Guild discussed the EC's comments and took the decision on the matter. It has concurred with the majority view that Mr Akbar should be suspended from the Guild till such time that the court case he has filed is concluded. Using the same logic, the Office-bearers decided that Mr Tejpal too should be suspended from the Guild. For Mr Adhikari, the Office-bearers decided that the Guild will write to him seeking a formal
Rahul will hoist tricolour at Red Fort: Sidhu
Punjab Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi would hoist tricolour at the Red Fort in near future. "After the Congress' remarkable performance in the just-concluded Assembly polls, I am sure Rahul Bhai will hoist the tricolour at the Red Fort in near future," he said. "However, we are not complacent despite victories in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh," he added."Rahul Gandhi fought for the welfare of farmers, youth and the poor. The way the fragrance of fresh rain from the soil fills you with happiness and contentment, this victory has instilled a similar feeling among crores of Congress workers. While one victory can change the map, we have registered three. And we have conquered the BJP's impregnable forts," he said.Indian Prime Minister on the Independence Day (August 15) every year unfurls the national flag at the historic Red Fort and the address the country. The new Prime Minister will hoist national flag next ...
More Than 4 Million People Displaced by Conflict in South Sudan: UNICEF
More than 4 million people have been displaced by the five year-long conflict in South Sudan, with 15,000 children still missing or separated from their families, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement on Wednesday."Fifteen thousand children remain separated from their families or missing, five years after conflict first broke out in South Sudan. More than four million people have been uprooted by the fighting, the majority of them children," the statement said.UNICEF noted that since the conflict began, the fund along with its partners have reunited some 6,000 children with their parents or caregivers."Separated and unaccompanied children are more susceptible to violence, abuse and exploitation, which makes returning them to their parents an urgent priority," the release added."Even once reunited, many families continue to need support. Half of the reunited children - some 3,000 - are still receiving assistance from case-workers, putting the total number of ...
Cong yet to decide on CM in Rajasthan, stakes claim to form govt
After discussions that lasted hours, the Congress Wednesday failed to bring about a consensus in its ranks in Rajasthan on who should be the chief minister even as it staked its claim to form the government. The decision on the chief minister will be taken Thursday by party president Rahul Gandhi, All India Congress Committee general secretary Avinash Pande told reporters after a party delegation met Governor Kalyan Singh to seek an invitation to form the government. Pande said Gandhi will be briefed about the deliberations by the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Jaipur over the chief minister's post Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, both MLAs, are the frontrunners for the post and were part of the delegation that met Kalyan Singh. Earlier in the day, the CLP held a scheduled meeting at the party office, where it passed a one-line resolution in which the newly elected MLAs authorised Gandhi to decide on the chief minister's ...
J-K Governor expresses satisfaction over completion of local bodies poll
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik expressed satisfaction Wednesday over the successful completion of the local bodies polls and said it was not his duty to "satisfy" politicians. The state recently had four-phase urban local bodies polls and nine-phase panchayat elections. Major regional parties -- the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party -- had decided not to participate in the local bodies polls. Malik said the situation in the state has marked an improvement and is near normal, but expressed displeasure over the "negative publicity" of Kashmir by national media. "I am not here to satisfy them (politicians). Personally, I respect them, and interestingly I might be the first governor who jumped his protocol and had tea with both of them (former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti)," he told reporters. He said he had no political agenda and his mandate was development, outreach, interaction and addressing the grievances of the people with ...
DMK chief Stalin unfurls mega party flag on 114-ft high mast
DMK president M K Stalin Wednesday hoisted a giant-sized party flag atop a 114-feet-tall pole here, saying it was symbolic of future electoral victories and the party's lofty ideals. Unfurling the 30 feet wide x 20 feet high flag at the party headquarters "Anna Arivalayam," here, Stalin said the "DMK will emerge victorious in the electoral battle," and the high flying flag was a prelude to it. The flag will fly all time with two high-beam lamps facing upward the mast to reflect its light on the red and black party flag during night, he said. The day and night flag drove home the point that party cadre should work tirelessly all the time for electoral win. DMK leaders T R Balu and Duraimurugan took part in the flag unveiling event. Later, in a letter to party cadres, Stalin said his recent visit to Delhi to meet several leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, to invite them for the inauguration of Kalaignar's (late M Karunanidhi) statue on December 16 here, showed that all ...
Kamal Nath, Gehlot, Baghel emerge front-runners for CM posts (Roundup)
Veteran Congress leaders Kamal Nath, Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel appear to have emerged as the frontrunners in the race for chief ministership in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh respectively as the party put in motion the process of government formation in the three states where it dislodged the ruling BJP from power in the just-concluded Assembly elections.
WiFi hotspot service active in 10,775 panchayats: Minister
Communications Minister Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said a total of 10,775 gram panchayats in the country have active WiFi hotospots catering to 11 lakh subscribers.