Page 2288 - Politics
Merkel bids emotional farewell to CDU party
German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave an emotional farewell speech to her ruling Christian Democrats (CDU) as she stepped down as party leader on Friday and was given a standing ovation of over six minutes.
AASU asks govt to remove names of Bangladeshis from NRC
The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) Friday demanded that the state government take immediate steps to remove the names of Bangladeshis from the NRC. The Sarbananda Sonowal government should take up a suo motu verification drive for this as it has the power do so, AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya told reporters here. Assam, which faced an influx of people from Bangladesh since the early 20th century, is the only state having a National Register of Citizens (NRC), first prepared in 1951. It is being updated under the monitoring of the Supreme Court. The complete draft of the NRC was published on July 30 and included the names of 2.9 crore people out of the total applications of 3.29 crore. There has been a huge controversy over exclusion of 40 lakh people from the draft NRC. "The names of Bangladeshis have entered the NRC and they must be removed by the government and an error-free NRC should be given to people of the state," Bhattacharya said. The government can verify and delete ...
'Surgical Strikes' unnecessarily hyped: War veterans
The September 2016 'Surgical Strikes' were unnecessarily hyped by the Centre to gain political mileage, endangering India's future military cross-border responses, war veterans said at the Military Literature Festival (MLF) here on Friday.
Under NDA regime, all past records of ceasefire violations have been broken: Cong
The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress on Friday claimed more ceasefire violations had taken place under the present government than ever before. "During the present NDA regime, all past records of ceasefire violations have been broken by Pakistan," party spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said, while condemning the killing of two soldiers on Thursday. He said the Narendra Modi government was silent on the heavy causalities of jawans and civilians. Sharma said the BJP-led government at the Centre owed an explanation to the nation for its "failure" to control the violations and terrorism from across the border.
Fadnavis challenges oppn over performance of his govt
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Friday called for a comparison between the performance of his government and the erstwhile Congress-NCP dispensation in the state. Addressing an election rally in Ahmednagar ahead of the December 9 civic polls, Fadnavis said the previous rulers had neglected historic cities due to lack of planning. "Let us compare the performance of four years of my government and 15 years of your (Congress-NCP) rule," he said. Before the BJP-led government came to power in Maharashtra in 2014, the state was ruled by the Congress-led Democratic Front government for 15 years. "Issues of food, education, health, employment and accommodation are being addressed now," the chief minister said. Fadnavis said the government has allocated Rs 600 crore for the development of Ahmednagar, including for housing and infrastructure. Without naming Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and senior leader Balasaheb Thorat, he said the ..
ED raids against Vadra's associates for allegedly receiving commission in defence deals
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Friday carried out searches against three people linked to Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, in connection with its probe into alleged "commissions received by some suspects in defence deals" and illegal assets stashed abroad, officials said. This is for the first time that Vadra's associates have been linked to alleged commissions received in defence deals by the Enforcement Directorate. The raids that began around 12 noon were carried out at multiple premises in Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru, they said. "The searches were carried out at the premises of two employees of firms linked to Vadra and another person. These people are suspected to have received commissions out of a defence deal and they subsequently invested these funds to procure illegal assets abroad," ED sources claimed. They said they have some "fresh evidence" to take action. They, however, did not disclose the names of the people whose premises were searched or the ...
BJP attacking opposition, says CPI-M
The CPI-M on Friday 'gheraoed' the Tripura Police headquarters to protest against attacks on party cadres and leaders by alleged BJP workers and against attempts to turn the ongoing local urban body election process into a "farce".
Pakistan is ready to host 19th SAARC Summit: FS Janjua
Pakistan Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua said Friday that Islamabad is ready to host the 19th SAARC Summit, two years after it was called off when India declined to participate following a deadly terror attack in the country. Janjua addressed a ceremony organised by Ministry of Foreign Affairs to celebrate the 34th SAARC Charter Day in collaboration with the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Arbitration Council and SAARC Energy Center. Janjua said being the founding member, Pakistan stands steadfastly by the principles of the SAARC charter. Janjua emphasised that only through adhering to the principles of sovereign equality and mutual respect among member states, the SAARC grouping can achieve the cherished goal of a prosperous and developed South Asian region. She pointed out that the SAARC countries over the years have focused on poverty alleviation. However, life of a large population remains far from satisfactory. "We have enormous responsibility to deliver
Shahidul Alam's photo archives on Bangladesh among works exploring 'place'
Segments of a photographic archive -- the documentation of the volatile Bangladesh of early 1990s by photojournalist Shahidul Alam, now a global figure emerging as a contemporary fierce voice for free speech -- are on view from Friday here, among other exhibits, and provide continuity to narratives of struggle, place and identity.
Cancer institute in Jhajjar will operate from January: Nadda
With a project value of Rs 2,035 crore, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) hospital being set up at AIIMS Jhajjar in Haryana will be functional by next month, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda said on Friday.
BSF pays tributes to jawan killed in Pak firing
The BSF on Friday paid tributes to Constable Prosenjit Biswas, who was killed in Pakistani firing while defending the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district. The Pakistani Army Thursday violated the ceasefire by resorting to unprovoked firing in Sunderbani-Nowshera sector in which Biswas was killed and another BSF man got injured. A wreath-laying ceremony was organised at the Jammu frontier BSF camp at Paloura, where rich tributes were paid to the slain soldier. IG BSF Ram Awtar said Biswas was a brave and sincere borderman, and the nation will always remain indebted to him for his supreme sacrifice. He said after the ceasefire violation from Pakistani side, the BSF retaliated strongly and effectively on Pakistan Army posts. The mortal remains of the martyr will be sent to Kolkata and then to his native place -- Balla Shisha village in Nadia district of West Bengal.
BJP eyes to maintain winning streak in Dhule, Ahmednagar polls
With the Maharashtra Assembly polls less than a year away, the ruling BJP is making every effort to continue its winning spree in the local bodies and aims to pocket the Dhule and Ahmednagar municipal corporations, where elections will be held on December 9. The result of Ahmednagar civic body would be crucial for the Congress and play a decisive role in the political future its leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, former minister Balasaheb Thorat and state Youth Congress chief Satyajit Tambe. There are total 27 municipal corporations in Maharashtra. Out of the 25 civic bodies, where elections were held in the last two years, the BJP has emerged as the single largest party in over a dozen of them. A few months ago, it swept the Sangli and Jalgaon municipal corporations amidst the Maratha quota stir. BJP spokesperson Keshav Updhayay said his party would win Dhule and Ahmednagar civic bodies based on the performance of the four
Two former CMs not invited to Kannur airport opening
Two former Chief Ministers who played a key role in the development of Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL) have not been invited to its opening on Sunday, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said here on Friday.
Folk singer Gaddar votes for first time
: Folk singer Gaddar, who had held ultra left views earlier, voted for the first time in his life in the Telangana assembly polls Friday. The balladeer, who campaigned in support of the 'People's Front' (comprising Congress, TDP, CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti) in the polls, said he exercised his franchise as voting is a tool to bring about a change. "I voted for the first time after the age of 70... Voting revolution should come... It should bring about a change. I voted with the view that it should bring about a political change," he told reporters. He called for safeguarding the Constitution and providing jobs to the youth, who form a major part of the population. Asked why he had changed his view towards voting, he said it could bring about a change and added that voters should decide as per their conscience, the change they wished to see. Gaddar, whose real name is Gummadi Vittal Rao, had held ultra left views and worked for the uplift of the downtrodden. He still ...
HC raps WB govt, directs top officials to decide on BJP rath yatra by Dec 14
The Calcutta High Court Friday came down heavily on the West Bengal government for not responding to letters of the BJP seeking permission for its rath yatras in the state and directed top officials to take a decision on the processions by December 14. A division bench of justices Biswanath Somadder and A Mukherjee said the government's silence on the permission is "astonishing and astounding". The court disposed of an appeal by the BJP against a single bench order of Thursday that refused permission for its rath yatra and directed the state to hold the meeting by Wednesday. The chief secretary and home secretary and the director general of police shall hold a meeting with three representatives of the BJP by December 12 and take a decision on the matter by December 14, the court directed. Observing that an injunction upon the petitioner could not have been passed by the single bench, the division bench modified its ad interim order of Thursday. The bench criticised the state ...
Governor encroaching on democratic space: Mufti
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday took on Governor Satya Pal Malik, accusing him "encroaching on the democratic space" and taking decisions against the interest of state at the behest of the Centre.Implicitly targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led central government, Mehbooba said: "The Governor is encroaching on the democratic space and is issuing orders that are not required; there seems to be no emergency for issuing such orders. It seems that some agenda is being run in Jammu and Kashmir and Governor is part of it," said Mufti."Whether it was about declaring Jammu and Kashmir Bank a Public Sector Unit, or changing the procedure of the state subject or the Juvenile Act, the Governor's decisions have left all the political parties in Jammu and Kashmir worried barring a few," she said.Elaborating on the "worry" people of the state is undergoing, Mehbooba observed that if the Governor makes Ladakh a ...
India, UAE discuss ways to curb radicalisation, terrorism
Experts from India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) jointly discussed ways to counter the growing menace of radicalisation and terrorism during a two-day seminar titled 'Indo-UAE co-operation against Radicalization and Terrorism' here on Friday."All the civilised nations in the world, the civil societies and the international communities are concerned about its spread and are desperate to find ways to contain this menace because it is causing danger to humanity itself," Anwar Alam, an academic at the conference noted while referring to radicalisation and terrorism."It is in this background that we have been trying to examine the whole development of radicalisation over the last 30 years. We realise that India and UAE are two of the exceptional countries where the trend of radicalization is almost negligible," he added.Furthermore, experts asserted that the underlying principles of non-violence and tolerance are behind the success stories of both India as well as UAE."Not only now, ..
Taliban being used as hedge against India: US officer
The newly-appointed US Central Command (Centcom) Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie has said that Pakistan is using Taliban as a "hedge against India"."At this time, Pakistan does not appear to be using the full extent of its influence to encourage the Taliban to come to the table. We continue to see the Taliban being utilised as a hedge against India rather than as part of a stable, reconciled Afghanistan," Dawn quoted Lieutenant General McKenzie as saying during a congressional meeting this week.While noting that Pakistan is an important element in the long-term stability in Afghanistan, he, however, said that Islamabad's policies on Kabul has often led to frustration between the US governments and militaries.Lieutenant General McKenzie, who will replace Army General Joseph Votel in near future as Centcom chief, said that Pakistan will be his priority engagement.Indicating his possible policies towards Islamabad, he said that US Centcom would continue to support efforts "towards a .
About 70 percent voter turnout in Telangana (Roundup)
About 70 percent of 2.8 voters votes in the Telangana Assembly election on Friday as the polling ended on a peaceful note, barring minor incidents.
'Unnerved' Modi govt unleashing vendetta against Vadra: Cong
The Congress on Friday slammed the ED raids against Robert Vadra's associates, saying an "unnerved" Modi government was unleashing "vendetta" against party chief Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law to divert the narrative. The Congress' sharp reaction came after the Enforcement Directorate on Friday raided the premises of three people linked to firms of Robert Vadra in a case related to assets held abroad. The searches at the premises of the three people were related to alleged commissions received by some suspects in defence deals, an ED official claimed. "Sure shot defeat in 5 States unnerves Modi Govt to again use the old tools - unleash revenge & vendetta against Mr. Robert Vadra to divert the narrative," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter. "Such cowardice & intimidation will not subjugate either the Congresa Party or the will of people," he said.