Page 2361 - Politics
Cong will win over 132 seats in MP: Digvijay
Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh Thursday claimed his party will win more than 132 seats out of the total 230 in the state Assembly. A record 75 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the state elections held Wednesday, an increase of around two per cent against the last polls held in 2013. "We are going to win more than 132 seats and wrest power from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state after 15 years," Singh told reporters here. "In the 2013 Assembly polls, there were around three per cent bogus voters. This time around, we got the electoral list pruned before the elections," he said. The Congress workers have put their "body, heart and soul" to win this poll, the former chief minister of MP said. "In fact, this time the workers put in every effort to ensure the Congress wins the polls. This election was fought between the public and the government," he said. In the run up to the elections, Singh had toured almost the entire state in a bid to thaw differences ...
Iran says it has added 2 mini submarines to its naval fleet
Iran's state TV says the country's navy has acquired two new mini submarines designed for operations in shallow waters such as the Persian Gulf. Thursday's report says the one of the submarines also known as midget submarines was built in 18 months. The other, previously built, took 10 months to overhaul. The report says the two Ghadir-class submarines have sonar-evading technology and can launch missiles from under water, as well as fire torpedoes and drop marine mines. Iran began manufacturing Ghadir subs in 2005. The first was unveiled in 2007 and by 2012, five such submarines were incorporated into Iran's navy. Midget submarines weigh less than 150 metric tons and are used for short missions, with no living accommodations for a crew of up to nine.
Suspension of RJD MLCs revoked in Bihar Legislative Council
The suspension of five RJD MLCs, who were found guilty of showing disrespect to the Chair on Wednesday, was revoked on Thursday. Deputy Chairman Haroon Rasheed made the announcement on the floor of the House in keeping with his assurance given to legislators of the RJD and the Congress, who had sat on a dharna the previous day inside the well in protest against the suspension. As the House assembled around noon, senior CPI MLC Kedar Nath Pandey rose and requested the Chair to revoke the suspension underscoring that in a democracy the ruling dispensation and the Opposition complement each other. The Chair, accordingly announced withdrawal of suspension of Radha Charan Seth, Subodh Kumar, Dilip Kumar Rai, Qamar-e-Alam and Syed Khurshid Ahmed and directed that the members be guided to their their seats with due respect. RJD legislators led by Rabri Devi had on Wednesday staged noisy protest in the state's upper house over demand for immediate discussion on the "political misuse" of CBI, .
Koreas to launch joint inspection of railways on Friday
North and South Korea are set to start an 18-day joint inspection of the former's railway system on Friday, showing a reconciliatory mood between the two countries in the Korean Peninsula.After a month-long delay, officials and rail experts from the two Koreas would carry out an inspection of western and eastern railway services of North Korea in an effort to connect and improve rail connectivity. During the initiative, a South Korean train is slated to depart for the communist country, Yonhap News Agency reported.A first of its kind initiative since 2007, the South Korean Unification Ministry said that this would be the first time a South Korean train is slated to run from Mount Kumgang to Tumen River on the Donghae Line, following the division of the two Koreas after the 1950-53 Korean War.The inter-Korean railway cooperation is being done to implement the Panmunjom Declaration, which was signed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at an ...
Make Muzaffarpur horror accused phone details public: Tejashwi
Bihar opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday demanded that the mobile phone details of Brajesh Thakur, the key accused in the Muzaffarpur shelter home rapes case be made public.
Rahul targets KCR over corruption, assures farm loan waiver
Accusing Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) of enriching his family at the cost of Telangana, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday promised farm loan waiver and employment for youths if the Congress-led Peoples Front won the Assembly elections.
Both Houses of Maharashtra Assembly clear Maratha Reservation Bill unanimously
The Maratha Reservation Bill was unanimously passed by both the Houses of Maharashtra State Legislature on Thursday. The Bill was passed by both the Houses in less than an hour after it was tabled by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the Legislative Assembly. The Bill will be now sent to Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao for his assent.The Bill gives 16 per cent reservation to the members of the Maratha community in government jobs and admission in government institutions, under the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes of Citizens (SEBC). The state already has 52 per cent reservation for OBCs, SCs, and STs in government jobs and admission in academic institutions. With 16 per cent reservation for Marathas, the total quota percentage in Maharashtra goes up to 68 per cent, the highest in the country after Tamil Nadu where the quota is up to 69 per cent."I thank all the parties including Shivsena, Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Samajwadi Party (SP), .
J-K Panchayat polls: Poonch clocking highest voter turnout
Despite terror threats and boycott call by the two major political outfits of the region -- the National Conference and the People's Democratic Party -- voters came out in large numbers to exercise their franchise in the fifth phase.The voter turnout recorded in other areas of the state are as follows: Rajouri 60.4 per cent, Udampur 60.3 per cent, Jammu 59.1 per cent, Reasi 56.2 per cent, Doda 55.9 per cent.However, the voting percentage was abysmally low in Budam (29.8 per cent), Baramulla (26.1 per cent), Ganderbal (13.2 per cent), Anantnag (6.7 per cent) and Pulwama (0.2) districts.Interestingly, after a gap of four long years, these booths have been set up by the poll body. The last elections which took place in the state were held in 2014. The voting for the Assembly elections were held in five phases from 25 November - 20 December 2014.According to the State Election Commission, after withdrawal and scrutiny, 4,763 candidates are in the fray for 309 Sarpanch and 1,534 Panch ...
Will Rahul, Amarinder sack Sidhu: BJP MLA
After former cricketer-turned-politician and state minister Navjot Singh Sidhu was seen alongside pro-Khalistani activist Gopal Singh Chawla during his visit to Pakistan, a BJP MLA here on Thursday asked Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh whether they will sack Sidhu.
Start-up conference in Goa in December: Prabhu
The government is organising a start-up conference in Goa in December for budding entrepreneurs to woo global funding, Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Thursday.
Congress policies designed to create level-playing field: Rahul Gandhi
Addressing the management and teachers of government recognised private educational institutions in Shamshabad in Telangana, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said, that his party believes in creating a level playing field for different groups of people, where everyone is treated fairly."The Congress party believes in fairness and all our policies are designed to create a level playing field for different groups of people," Rahul Gandhi stated.Recognising the issue of fee reimbursement in educational institutions, the Congress president, said, "Telangana government is not reimbursing your fee on time and it is doing so to damage your institution. So my commitment to you from this stage is that we will ensure that universal fee reimbursement takes place on a timely basis and what is your due is given to you.""Rather than educational institutions, the Government of India is favouring larger corporate institutions and they are harming the institutions that have been set up by ..
Yogi faces criticism for calling Hanuman 'Dalit', gets legal notice
Days after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath courted a controversy by claiming that Lord Hanuman was a Dalit, a legal notice was served to him by Rajasthan Sarv Brahmin Mahasabha president Suresh Mishra. Mishra has alleged that the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister called Lord Hanuman a Dalit merely for political benefit.During a poll rally in Malakheda of Rajasthan's Alwar district on Tuesday, Adityanath said: "Bajrang Bali was a tribal, a forest dweller, a Dalit and was deprived. He worked to connect all Indian communities together, from north to south and east to west." He added that those who are Ram Bhakts would vote for the BJP while those who worship Ravana would vote for the Congress.The statement drew strong criticism from the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defended Adityanath. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Thursday alleged that the Chief Minister was playing politics over god."Tomorrow they will speak about .
Modi government should pause, reflect on peace: Pakistani daily
A leading Pakistani daily said on Thursday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi should pause and reflect on what New Delhi hopes to achieve by repeatedly rejecting Islamabad's calls for peace.
Bihar Assembly adjourned till 2 pm over shelter home issue
Opposition members in the Bihar assembly Thursday charged the Nitish Kumar government with shielding those involved in the Muzaffarpur shelter home scandal and demanded that call details of prime accused Brajesh Thakur be made public. As the House assembled at 11 am, Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav rose in support of the adjournment motion moved by CPI-ML MLA Mahboob Alam who sought a discussion on the scandal in the light of the Supreme Courts severe criticism of the state government the day before. Members of the RJD and the Congress also began raising slogans and were requested by Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary to take their seats and allow the proceedings to take place. "We'll stop disrupting the proceedings of the House if Brajesh Thakur's call records are made public. People want to know with which officials and ministers he did have talks," Yadav said. He also accused the state government of trying to shield those involved in the case besides destroying ...
R'than polls: Cong promises to remove minimum educational qualification for local body elections
The Congress in its Rajasthan poll manifesto, which was released earlier on Thursday, promised to do away with the condition of minimum educational qualification for contesting local body elections in the state. Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and chairman of the manifesto committee Harish Choudhary released the party manifesto here. Pilot said it was prepared after taking opinions through multiple platforms such as social media. Choudhary said the party's promise to remove the minimum educational qualification condition was for both urban and rural bodies. The condition was introduced by the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in 2015. It requires a candidate to have passed Class X for contesting municipal elections. A candidate contesting the elections to panchayati raj institutions for the post of a sarpanch is required to have passed Class VIII and Class V in tribal reserved areas. For contesting zila parishad or panchayat samiti elections,
Opposition slams government on note ban after ex-CEA's criticism
The Congress and other opposition parties on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Modi government over demonetisation after former Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian blasted the note ban in his upcoming book.
Turkey could play 'mediator role' in Russia-Ukraine crisis: Erdogan
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said Turkey could play a mediation role to ease tensions between Russia and Ukraine after the seizure of three Ukrainian ships by Moscow sparked a major new crisis. Ankara's often brittle relations with Moscow have flourished since mid-2016 in a rapprochement that has sometimes troubled the West. Turkey is working closely with Russia on the Syria conflict and is also purchasing sophisticated Russian air defence systems. But Erdogan has always sought to emphasise the importance of Turkey's traditionally strong relations with Ukraine, even as Kiev and Moscow remain at loggerheads. "Here we could take on a mediator role and we have discussed this with both sides," Erdogan told reporters at Istanbul airport before heading to the G20 summit in Argentina. His comments came after intense telephone diplomacy on Wednesday which saw Erdogan hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko. Erdogan also talked .
On campaign trail in Tonk: Pilot asks will Yogi come to Tonk to campaign for Khan
Pitted against the BJP's lone Muslim candidate in the state assembly polls, Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot has a poser for the saffron party -- Will Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath come to Tonk to seek votes for Yoonus Khan. On his campaign trail covering nine panchayats and the city throughout the day on Wednesday, Pilot accused the BJP of playing politics of caste and religion. In his campaign speeches one after another in Tonk, Pilot is pitching his electoral contest with Khan as a battle of ideologies and not of individuals. The state Congress president, who is fighting his debut assembly election and that too from a seat outside his regular parliamentary constituency, is drawing massive crowds at meetings in urban as well as rural areas and is convoy is forced to stop every now and then by people wishing to garland him and those raising slogans in his support. The city is also abuzz with talk of a CM probable contesting from this town, who is his supporters ...
To check Naidu, KCR's party invokes Telangana pride
With little over a week left for Telangana state polls, K Chandrashekar Rao's party TRS has a new formula to check Chandrababu Naidu -- invoking the Telangana pride. Minister T Harish Rao, widely known as a key troubleshooter of the ruling party, said Naidu is a "betrayer" of Telangana people and there was a need to stop him from "indirectly controlling the state". "Had Naidu not entered Telangana, we would not have talked about Telangana pride. The issue would not have arisen if the Congress had gone solo. Since Naidu is part of the 'Maha Kutami' (a grand alliance of opposition parties), definitely Telangana pride will come into play," Rao told PTI on his campaign trail. From door-to-door visits to addressing rallies, Rao is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that his uncle KCR, as the state's first chief minister is known as, returns to power for the second time. Rao exuded confidence that his party will win 90-plus seats in the 119-member assembly and will not take support from ...
I am a 'sevak', not a 'pilot': BJP candidate Yoonus Khan's poll pitch in Tonk
I am a 'sevak', not a 'pilot' -- This is how the BJP candidate Yoonus Khan is pitching himself in his electoral fight against Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot for Tonk seat in the state assembly polls. Khan, Transport and PWD Minister in the Vasundhara Raje government, has been fielded by the BJP in the Muslim-dominated Tonk assembly constituency, replacing the party's sitting MLA Ajit Singh Mehta after the Congress gave ticket to Pilot here. Talking to PTI while campaigning in the rural areas of Tonk, Khan said the decision to field him was based on strategy and equations and not on his religion. "Don't weigh this as a Hindu-Muslim fight because if you look at it from that perspective, Muslims are lesser in number in comparison to Hindus. This election is not about caste and religion," said Khan, who is widely considered as one of the most powerful ministers in the Raje government. Asked about being the lone Muslim candidate of the BJP and if his nomination marked a departure ...