Page 2235 - Politics
Asked Pak to vacate all areas under its illegal occupation last month: Govt
The government on Wednesday said India has repeatedly called upon Pakistan to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation and it made this assertion to Islamabad last month as well. Replying to a question in Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said India's "consistent and principled" position is that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir has been, is, and shall be an integral part of India. Pakistan has been in illegal occupation of approximately 78,000 sq km of Indian territory in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, Swaraj said. "Under the so-called 'Boundary Agreement' signed between China and Pakistan on March 2, 1963, Pakistan illegally ceded 5,180 sq km of Indian territory in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir to China," she said in her written reply. "We have repeatedly and consistently called upon Pakistan to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation, most recently on November 30, 2018," Swaraj said, without elaborating on where the ..
Scindia harps on partnership with BJP for MP's welfare
Expressing his willingness to be the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday called upon the BJP to work in tandem with the Congress for the betterment of the state.
India attaches utmost importance to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Vice President
He said that Mexico is a very important partner for India and India attaches great importance to relations with Mexico. India has been an active member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and participated in all meetings/events, he said. We cherish our relationship and engagements with the IPU family, he added.
People reject BJP's attacks on Nehru-Gandhi family, institutions: Pawar
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) attacks on the Nehru-Gandhi family and subverting national institutions did not go down well with the voters who rejected the party.
Kamal Nath stakes claim to form government in MP
Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath met Governor Anandiben Patel on Wednesday and staked his party's claim to form the next government in the state.
Kerala Assembly adjourned for 8th straight day
The Kerala Assembly was adjourned for the eighth consecutive day on Wednesday with the opposition Congress-led UDF disrupting proceedings over the Sabarimala issue. As soon the House assembled for the day, opposition MLAs trooped in with banners and placards, raising slogans demanding the withdrawal of prohibitory orders at the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa. Three UDF MLAs V S Sivakumar (Congress), Parakkal Abdullah (Indian Union Muslim League) and N Jayaraj (Kerala Congress-Mani) have been observing "Satyagraha" in the portico of the House for 10 days, demanding lifting of the curbs and provision of more amenities to pilgrims. Despite the three MLAs being on an "indefinite satyagraha", the opposition claimed that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has refused to intervene to discuss and resolve the issue. Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala later told reporters that the government's stand was "unfortunate". Holding banners and placards in front of the podium of Speaker P ...
Lanka court postpones hearing on petition against Rajapkas'a authority
A Sri Lankan court on Wednesday postponed until next month the hearing of a petition restraining Mahinda Rajapaksa and his purported government from functioning amidst a political crisis that erupted after the sacking of premier Ranil Wickremesinghe. Sri Lanka is going through a major political crisis since October 26 when President Maithripala Sirisena, in a controversial move, removed Wickremesinghe and installed ex-strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place. The Appeal Court ordered to hear the petition filed by 122 Members of Parliament on January 16, 17 and 18. Parliamentarians of Wickeremesinghe's UNP, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and Tamil National Alliance on November 23 filed the petition in the Court of Appeal challenging Rajapaksa on continuing to hold the office of Prime Minister after a no confidence motion was passed in Parliament against him. The order means that the current political crisis will spill over to the new year. When the case was taken up on Wednesday, ...
Raj Advocate General submits resignation to Governor
Rajasthan Advocate General Narpat Mal Lodha resigned from the post Wednesday after the BJP lost the assembly elections in the state, officials said. Lodha handed over his resignation to Governor Kalyan Singh, a Raj Bhawan spokesperson said. The Congress emerged as the single-largest party in Rajasthan in Tuesday's vote count, winning 99 seats. It's ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) won one seat for a total of 100 seats -- the required number to form government. The BJP got 73 seats, and the Bahujan Samaj Party won 6 seats.The CPI(M) got two seats, Independents won 13 and other parties got 6, according to the state Election Commission.
Modi's address to BJP MPs, key party meeting on Thursday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address BJP MPs Thursday and it will be followed by a seven-hour meeting of its key organisational leaders. The state poll results Tuesday handed the party its biggest electoral setback since it stormed to power at the Centre in 2014. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost power to the Congress in all three states -- Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan -- it ruled, and its ambition of emerging as a strong power in Telangana all but evaporated as its tally fell to one seat from the earlier five. In Mizoram, the BJP won one seat while the opposition Mizo National Front defeated the ruling Congress. Modi addresses the BJP parliamentary party almost every week when Parliament is in session but his speech assumes more significance following the party's losses in the assembly elections. He is expected to touch upon the election results, and throw light on the road ahead as the party gives final touch to its campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha ...
KCR elected leader of TRS legislature party
TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao was Wednesday elected leader of the legislature party, paving the way for his return as Chief Minister for the second straight term. The newly-elected MLAs met at Telangana Bhavan, the TRS headquarters here, and took the decision unanimously, the party sources said. In the December 7 assembly elections, the TRS had won 88 seats in the 119-member House. Rao was re-elected from Gajwel in Siddipet district by a margin of 58,290 votes.
NOTA votes in 15 Raj constituencies outscore victory margin
In Rajasthan assembly elections, at least 15 constituencies polled more NOTA (None Of The Above) votes than the victory margin of the wining candidates. Votes polled as NOTA could have yielded 7 to 8 more seats to either the Congress or the BJP. None of The Above (NOTA) option gives the voter the choice to reject all candidates in the election fray. Health minister Kalicharan Saraf in the outgoing Vasundhara Raje led BJP government won by 1704 votes from Malviya Nagar constituency where NOTA was exercised by 2371 voters. The lowest victory margin was witnessed in Asind constituency where BJP's Jabbar Singh Sankhala trounced Congress's Manish Mewara by only 154 votes while 2943 voters opted for NOTA. Similarly in Pilibanga, BJP's Dharmendra Kumar defeated Congress's Vinod Kumar by just 278 votes but 2441 NOTA votes were polled, as per the election commission data. While on Marwar Junction seat independent candidate Khushveer Singh defeated BJP's Kesaram Choudhary by 251 votes against ..
Ex-Canadian diplomat 'detained' in China
A former Canadian diplomat who is currently an employee of the International Crisis Group (ICG) has reportedly been detained in China, the non-profit organization said on Wednesday.
Rajasthan: Cong delegation to meet governor at 7 PM
A Congress delegation will meet Governor Kalyan Singh at 7 PM Wednesday to stake claim on government in Rajasthan. The governor has given an appointment to a Congress delegation at 7 PM today, Raj Bhawan sources said. The delegation led by the chief ministerial candidate, to be decided by party president Rahul Gandhi on the basis of feedback from the MLAs, will call on the governor and stake claim to form government. The contenders for the chief minister's post are Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, both of whom won huge victories in their constituencies. "We have full majority and will stake claim to form government in the evening. We will take along all non-BJP parties and elected members who are against BJP and are willing to support us," Pilot told reporters at the Pradesh Congress Committee before the Congress Legislative Party meeting. Asked about the choice of the chief minister, Pilot said the party's newly elected MLAs ...
BJP losses show people are unhappy: CPI-M
CPI-M leader and former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said on Wednesday that the election results in five states "reflected the agony and distress of the people due to misgovernance of the BJP-led Central and state governments".
Election results signal beginning of BJP's end: Raj Babbar
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar on Wednesday said the electoral reverses suffered by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Assembly polls signalled that the ruling party's end had begun.
Alarm bells have already rung for BJP: Ram Gopal Yadav
The Samajwadi Party on Wednesday said the "alarm bells have already rung" for the BJP and indicated that the party could join a grand alliance of opposition parties to take on the BJP in 2019 polls. A day after the Congress ousted the BJP from power in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, senior SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav also said that had the Congress coordinated in a better manner with his party, the poll results could have been different for both the parties. "The alarm bells have already rung for the BJP," he told PTI when asked if the BJP was being rejected by people. "The results could have been better and the SP and Congress could have won more seats, had the Congress leadership coordinated (with us) in a better manner," Yadav said. Asked if there was possibility of the SP joining a grand alliance against the BJP, he said, "I think so." However, Yadav expressed scepticism over ties with the Congress, saying wherever the Rahul Gandhi-led party is strong they don't treat ..
Kamal Nath stakes claim to form MP government
Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath met Governor Anandiben Patel on Wednesday to stake claim to form the next government in the state.
Verdict in Hindi heartland states gives Congress hope for 2019 (News Analysis)
The Congress recorded its best-ever performance against the BJP since the disastrous 2014 Lok Sabha polls capturing power in the three Hindi heartland states and reviving its hopes in the next general elections. But the outcome has also sent signals that defeating the BJP nationally may not be an easy task.
Cong claims support of 121 MLAs in MP
The Congress has the support of 121 MLAs in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, party spokesperson Narendra Saluja claimed Wednesday. The Congress won 114 seats in the state polls, but was two short of the simple majority mark of 116 in the 230-member Assembly. "With the support of BSP's two, SP's one and four independent candidates, the Congress' tally is 121 in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly," Saluja told reporters at the Raj Bhawan after Congress leaders met Governor Anandiben Patel. Senior Congress leaders, including Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Digvijay Singh, Arun Yadav and Vivek Tankha, met the governor to stake claim to form the government in the state. "The Congress has emerged as the single largest party with majority support. The BSP, the SP and Independents have assured their support in favour of the Congress," Nath, the state Congress chief, said in a letter to the governor. He further requested the governor in the letter to call the Congress to form government in ..
Rajasthan Congress lawmakers ask Rahul Gandhi to decide on chief minister
Congress legislature party (CLP) in Rajasthan Wednesday passed a resolution authorising party president Rahul Gandhi to decide name of the chief minister. "A resolution has been passed by the members in legislature party meeting. The final decision on the chief minister's name will be taken by party president Rahul Gandhi," a Congress leader said. AICC General Secretary Avinash Pande and party's observer K C Venugopal sought individual opinion of party MLAs in the meeting, which is still underway at the state Congress office here. State Congress chief Sachin Pilot and former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, both front runners for the post, are present in the meeting. The name of the chief minister will be announced in the evening and a delegation of the party will then meet Governor Kalyan Singh to stake claim for forming government.