Page 2327 - Politics
Where have you got your knowledge on Hinduism, PM asks Cong
Launching a stinging attack against the Congress for questioning his knowledge on Hinduism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday used the dynast-worker analogy to ask the opposition party where it got its expertise on the religion. Addressing an election rally in this Rajasthan town, the prime minister said in a sarcastic jibe that he was a small "kaamdar" (worker) who never claimed to have full knowledge of Hinduism but the "naamdar" (dynast) has the right to speak. Modi has often referred to Congress president Rahul Gandhi as "naamdar". He also brought up India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and first president Rajendra Prasad. Nehru objected to Prasad's visit for the consecration of Somnath temple, which was destroyed by foreign invaders and renovated by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the prime minister told the gathering ahead of elections in the state on December 7. The country, he said, was celebrating Prasad's birth anniversary. The Congress, Modi alleged, has become a ...
Firhad Hakim elected Kolkata mayor
West Bengal minister and TMC candidate Firhad Hakim on Monday secured 121 votes in the 144-member Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to win the mayoral election. The result of the mayoral election, conducted through a secret-ballot system, was announced by the civic body's municipal secretary, Harihar Prasad Mondal. BJP candidate Meena Devi Purohit, who contested the polls against Hakim, bagged five votes. Twelve Left Front and two Congress councillors boycotted the election. Last week, CPI(M) councillor Bilquis Begum had moved the Calcutta High Court, challenging Hakim's election on the ground that he was not a councillor from any ward of the civic body. The high court on Friday refused to stay the election. The ruling TMC has 122 seats in the KMC House, the Left Front 14, the BJP five, the Congress two, while one seat remains vacant. Sources said one TMC councillor gave Monday's election a miss due to ill health. Hakim, who is also the urban development and municipal affairs ...
Le Pen proposes to dissolve French National Assembly
Amid 'Yellow Vest' crisis, the National Rally (NR) leader Marine Le Pen has proposed to dissolve the lower Chamber of French Parliament and hold fresh parliamentary elections.According to the Sputnik, Le Pen, while citing the only solution to the crisis, said, "It is necessary to implement proportional representation and dissolve the National Assembly in order to hold new proportional elections."Le Pen further criticised President Emmanuel Macron for his insufficient response to the protest. "We are the best in policing the world. In this case, we have been very bad," she said on Monday.The Assembly was last dissolved in 1997 when then President Jacques Chirac dissolved the National Assembly over economic instability in the country and asked the French to elect a new Parliament.On Saturday, nearly 36,000 Yellow Vest demonstrators took to the streets to protest against the government decision to increase fuel prices. So far, a total of 133 people have been injured during the riot and ..
Journalist critical of Philippines' Duterte surrenders to face charges
The journalist who leads a news site that has battled Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte turned herself in on Monday to face what she termed a "manufactured" tax fraud case that carries the threat of a decade behind bars. A day after Rappler CEO Maria Ressa flew home to the Philippines under the threat of an arrest warrant, she surrendered at a Manila court and was allowed to remain free after paying a cash bail. Rappler has been hit by a string of government efforts to shut it down since the site took a critical tone on Duterte, in particular his internationally condemned drug war that has killed thousands. Ressa now faces the prospect of a trial in an overburdened court system that is notoriously susceptible to influence from powerful elites. "They (the charges) are politically motivated and... they are manufactured," she told journalists outside court. If found guilty of the charge that Rappler provided false information to tax authorities, she risks up to 10 years behind ...
TRS, BJP in partnership to ensure continuation of their rule: Rahul Gandhi
Congress President Rahul Gandhi Monday charged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and caretaker Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao have entered into a "partnership" to ensure continuation of the BJP and TRS rule at the central and state level. "The TRS's aim is to ensure that Narendra Modi remains Prime Minister of India, and BJP continues to rule the country, and KCR (as Rao is referred to by many) rules in Telangana", he alleged at an election rally here. In the last five years, KCR has supported the Modi Government, he said, noting the TRS backing NDA nominees in the Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections, and that he had praised demonetisation and GST "under pressure". He also said when Telangana was formed five years ago people had a dream of "bangaru Telangana" (golden Telangana), but after KCR became chief minister only one family was ruling the state. Under the TRS government, the dream "golden Telangana" had become "Golden 'kutumbam'" (Golden family), he ...
Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh polls with LS elections likely: EC sources
The Election Commission is likely to hold Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh with Lok Sabha elections due next year, highly-placed sources in the poll panel have said. The terms of the four assemblies will end in May and June, 2019. The sources also said there is a possibility of holding elections to the Jammu and Kashmir assembly, dissolved this month before it completed its tenure, along the general elections. They pointed out that by holding assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh along with the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission (EC) will be following precedents. Since the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has been dissolved, the EC is bound to hold fresh polls there within six months. "The upper limit ends in May. We may hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir along with the Lok Sabha polls. But it can be held before that also. We'll see in the coming days," a functionary said. The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly's ...
'JAI' okay if it promotes peace: China
China on Monday reacted cautiously to the trilateral meet between India, Japan and the US on the sidelines of the just-concluded G20 summit, saying Beijing was okay to such a set-up if it did not disturb peace in the region.
French govt says no plans currently for state of emergency
The French government has no plans currently to impose a state of emergency over the "yellow vest" protests which caused chaos and destruction in Paris over the weekend, junior interior minister Laurent Nunez said Monday. "It's one option among others, but for now it's not on the table," Nunez told RTL radio, after calls by several police unions for expanded powers to contain the demonstrations. States of emergency were imposed after nationwide riots in 2005 by youths in poor suburbs, and after the jihadist attacks in Paris in November 2015. Many of the provisions, including expanded ID checks and restrictions on public gatherings, were incorporated into a new security law pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron when the emergency measures were lifted last year. Some of the "yellow vest" demonstrators have already called for a third round of protests in Paris on Saturday, despite the violence over the weekend when dozens of vehicles were burned and shops vandalised. Asked about ...
BJP launches indefinite relay fast on Sabarimla issue
Launching the second phase of its agitation on the Sabarimala issue, the Kerala BJP Monday began an indefinite relay fast in front of the Secretariat here. BJP state General Secretary A N Radhakrishnan began the fast. Party workers from each of the 14 districts in the state will also be participating in the protest. BJP MP Saroj Pandey, who inaugurated the fast, said the CPI(M)-led LDF government was acting against the will of people. "We will raise this issue in Parliament," she said. Describing the protest as a new beginning for the party in the state, Pandey said the state government will have to rethink on what they were doing on the Sabarimala issue. "The road for discussion should always be open," she said. The right-wing outfits have been up in arms against the Kerala government's decision to implement the September 28 Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all ages to offer prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala. The opposition Congress-led UDF had said that ...
Congress' Avasar Nakiya files nomination for Jasdan by-poll
Congress candidate Avasar Nakiya filed his nomination on Monday for Gujarat's Jasdan Assembly seat bypoll to be held on December 20. The by-election was necessitated after sitting MLA Kunvarji Bavaliya switched sides from the Congress to join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and resigned as member of the state Assembly on July 2. Nakiya's name for the by-election was announced by Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday. Before submitting his nomination form to the election officer on Monday, Nakiya led a rally of his supporters in Jasdan along with state Congress president Amit Chavda and Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani. "We have the support of people from both rural and urban areas, and the Congress will continue to retain its stronghold in the constituency and fight for people," Nakiya said after filing his nomination. Chavda said the way people turned up to support Avasar showed that they were with the Congress. "The party has taken up the issues affecting
Iran to continue missile tests despite US sanctions
Iran has vowed to continue to carry out missile tests despite sanctions imposed by the United States (US).Al Jazeera quoted General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior spokesman for Iran's armed forces as saying, "Missile tests are carried out for defence and the country's deterrence and we will continue this."Shekarchi made the remarks after Washington D.C. accused Tehran of carrying out a new missile test. However, he neither confirmed nor denied testing of the missile.On Saturday, US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo condemned Iran's testing of a medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads as a violation of the international agreement on Tehran's nuclear programme.On November 5, the Trump administration had imposed the "toughest-ever" sanctions on Iran's banking, energy and shipping industries, with an aim to alter the "behaviour" of the country's regime.
Cong has no leader, policy or principles: Amit Shah
BJP chief Amit Shah Monday took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi for not declaring the chief ministerial candidate in Rajasthan, saying the Congress is a party which "does not have a leader, policy or principles" while the BJP is a party of "patriots" led by Narendra Modi. Addressing an election rally here, Shah said, I have been repeatedly asking Rahul Gandhi to name the leader of his party...But he doesn't say anything. On the one hand there is a group of patriots under the leadership of Narendra Modi and on the other hand there is a group which doesn't have a leader, policy and principles, he said attacking the Congress. He accused the Congress of playing with the security of the country for vote bank politics. People in the Congress see politics in surgical strikes and they stand in support of intruders in the country, he charged. The Narendra Modi-led BJP government has worked to make the country secure, he added. He hailed development works and public welfare schemes implemented by the ..
J&K Governor dispels concerns over PRC rules
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Monday assured former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that no changes were being made to the existing Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) rules in the state and asked him not to pay heed to unfounded reports.
Netanyahu to meet Pompeo in Brussels
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he will meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo later in the day in Brussels to discuss regional issues.
Amarinder a fatherly figure, will sort out myself: Navjot Sidhu
After his foot in mouth comment against the Chief Minister, Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu took two steps backwards by calling Captain Amrinder Singh a fatherly figure while promising to settle the issue with the senior leader personally.On November 30, while addressing the media in Hyderabad Sidhu said: "My captain is Congress president Rahul Gandhi, he sent me everywhere (in reference to his Pakistan visit for Kartarpur Corridor groundbreaking ceremony). Rahul is also the captain of our captain (Punjab Chief Minister)."Realising the gravity of the unsavoury remark, Sidhu said: "You don't want to wash dirty linen in public. He (Capt Amarinder Singh) is a fatherly figure, I love him, I respect him; I will sort it out myself." When asked if he would apologise to the Chief Minister, Sidhu nodded in negative.Sidhu's response comes close on the heels of two ministers and one Member of Parliament of the state demanding his resignation following his remark against the Chief ...
Congress Councillor takes on BJP MP for calling Rahul 'Pappu'
A Congress councillor got into a heated argument with a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP on Sunday after he allegedly referred to Rahul Gandhi as Pappu (colloquial Hindi word for dumb kid).Sita Damor, the Banswara councillor from the Congress party, confronted BJP MP Devajibhai publicly after he reportedly called the Congress party president 'Pappu' during a public interaction at a locality in Rajasthan's Banswara.In an amateur video, which went viral, Damor can be heard shouting at Devajibhai, asking him to apologise for his remark.Speaking about the confrontation, Damor said, "There was a political meeting going on and I was also in the locality. There was a BJP MP who said 'Pappu ko bulao, Pappu gaddhe bharega' (call Pappu, he will fill up the potholes)."The councillor, however, clarified that the BJP leader "later apologised before leaving the place."This is not the first time when the Congress president has been called a name. In December last year, a BJP leader and then ...
Sri Lanka: Rajapaksa calls for fresh elections
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa here on Sunday said that it is imperative to conduct general elections in the country in order to restore democracy and put an end to the ongoing political crisis.The statement from Rajapaksa comes after he failed to prove majority twice in the Sri Lankan parliament.Colombo Page quoted a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office, which said, "According to the country's constitution, sovereign power is vested with the people, not the parliament and emphasized that this power is being implemented through universal suffrage.""The only way to restore stability to a destabilized democracy will be through a general election. If things had gone accordingly stability would soon have been restored to this country," the statement added.Prime Minister Rajapaksa in his statement further underlined that elections were called early whenever it became necessary for the state to overcome situations of political turbulence.Sri Lanka has been reeling .
Demonetisation failed to keep check on black money: OP Rawat
Asserting that demonetisation had no impact on black money, former Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat on Monday said that the move had no impact on misuse of money during elections."After demonestisation it was believed that misuse of money during the elections will be brought down. But it couldn't be proved if we go by the data of the seizures. Compared to previous elections, there were more seizures in the same states," Rawat told ANI."Seems like political class and their financiers have no dearth of money. It has been found that money used in the elections, is generally black money. As far as the use of black money in the elections is concerned, there was no check on it," he added.On November 8, 2016, the Centre had declared Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes as non-legal and introduced new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes. Since then, various opposition parties have been highly critical of the Centre's move, while the members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have backed the ...
Kerala Assembly witnesses disruptions over Sabarimala issue, 3 UDF MLAs launch 'Satyagraha'
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala were Monday involved in a war of words in the state assembly over the Sabarimala Temple issue, leading to disruption of House proceedings for the fourth day. Three UDF MLAs also began an indefinite 'Satyagraha' at the entrance of the House on the issue. As the war of words continued and Congress-led Opposition UDF MLAs began shouting slogans, the House was adjourned for the fourth day by Speaker P Sreeramakrishann. Unlike previous days, the House even saw CPI(M)-led LDF members standing up from their seats and locking horns with opposition members, prompting the Speaker to warn both sides. As soon as the Question Hour began, Chennithala informed the Speaker that the opposition was ready to cooperate in conducting House proceedings. He said three MLAs-V S Sivakumar (Congress), Parakkal Abdullah (IUML) and N Jayaraj (KC-M)-will observe an indefinite 'Satyagraha' at the portals of the Assembly as the ..
Kerala Assembly adjourned over Sabarimala row
The Opposition created an uproar in the Kerala Legislative Assembly on Monday over Sabarimala Temple row leading to the adjournment of the House for the day.Speaking to media, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennitala said: "Opposition has been raising this demand for discussion on Sabarimala Temple for last three to four days but government isn't ready to discuss this. That is why we raised this in the House. We have decided to stage a dharna in front of the House."The Temple and surrounding areas witnessed a string of protests recently over the Supreme Court's September 28 order that lifted the ban on the entry of menstrual age women, between 10 and 50 years old, inside the Lord Ayyappa Temple.On Sunday, a four-member delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Members of Parliament (MP) met Kerala Governor P Sathasivam seeking his urgent "intervention and appropriate action" to restore "peace and tranquility in Sabarimala Temple."The delegation also submitted its complaint to the Governor