Page 2369 - Politics
Minister, ex-dy mayor file nominations for city Mayor post
Senior Trinamool Congress leader and minister Firhad Hakim and a BJP nominee, who is a former deputy mayor, filed their nomination papers for the post of Mayor in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Wednesday. The two filed their nomination papers a day after Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi gave his assent to a Bill enabling a non-councillor to become the mayor of the KMC. The election would be held on December 3 through secret ballot, officials said. Thursday is the last day for filing nomination and the next day is that for withdrawal. Hakim, the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister, arrived at the KMC a little after 2 pm and handed over his nomination paper to the Municipal Secretary (Returning officer) Harihar Prasad Mondal. Hakim is not a councillor of the KMC. An hour later, BJP nominee Meena Devi Purohit, now a councillor, also filed her nomination. Purohit was Deputy Mayor of the KMC during 2000-2005 when TMC's Subrata Mukherjee was Mayor in the ..
Unruly scenes in West Bengal Assembly
The Opposition Left Front and the Congress Wednesday staged a walkout from the Assembly after their demand for an adjournment motion over various issues was turned down by the Speaker. The Assembly witnessed unruly scenes as the Opposition MLAs came down to the well of the House after war of words erupted between them and the treasury benches. The Opposition had been demanding an adjournment motion over the issue of non formation of a panchayat board in Purulia despite the completion of rural poll process in May this year. The adjournment motion was rejected by the Speaker Biman Banerjee, following which the MLAs of the Left Front and Congress came down to the well of the House and shouted slogans against the government. The Speaker cautioned Congress Chief whip Manoj Chakraborty to mind his language. While speaking to reporters later on, Leader of Opposition Abdul Mannan of the Congress said the party was even ready to sweep the floor of the House clean but how can the
SAD, BJP slam Sidhu for 'disobeying' CM and visiting Pakistan
The Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP Wednesday slammed Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu for "disobeying" Amarinder Singh on visiting Pakistan despite the chief minister telling him to reconsider his decision. Sidhu crossed over to Pakistan through Attari-Wagah border to take part in groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor on Wednesday. The opposition parties said Sidhu had no right to be in the cabinet when he could not stand with his chief minister on a particular issue. "It is quite strange that Sidhu is disobeying his chief minister. If he cannot respect the feelings of his CM then he should not be in the cabinet. If you disagree with your boss, then you have no right to be under the chief minister's command," SAD spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said on Wednesday. Amarinder on Tuesday had said that he had asked Sidhu to reconsider his decision on going to Pakistan for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor. Amarinder had said he acceded to Sidhu's ...
Bangladeshi SC upholds election ban for convicts
Jailed Bangladeshi ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia suffered a fresh blow on Wednesday as the country's apex court upheld a ban on convicts from running in the general elections slated for December 30.
Assembly polls: 50% voter turnout in MP, 58% in Mizoram till 3 pm
Voter turnout of 50 percent was recorded in Madhya Pradesh assembly elections and 58 percent in Mizoram polls till 3 pm.In Madhya Pradesh, voting began at 8 am and will conclude at 5 pm. Around five crore voters are eligible to decide the fate of 2,899 candidates contesting for 230 Assembly constituencies.Elaborate security arrangements have been made in order to ensure free, fair and peaceful polls. Around 1.8 lakh security personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order in the region.Meanwhile, voting for the Mizoram polls began at 7 am and ended at 4 pm. As many as 209 candidates are in the fray to bag a seat in the 40-member Mizoram Legislative Assembly. The Congress party, which has been in power in Mizoram since 2008, is eyeing a third consecutive term in the state.The result of assembly polls in both the state will be declared on December 11.
Fearing Modi will get publicity, KCR didn't implement Centre's schemes: Shah
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Wednesday said that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao led Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government did not implement the Centre's 'public friendly' schemes in the state, fearing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would get the publicity.Shah, who was addressing an election rally here, blamed Chief Minister Rao for not fulfilling many of his promises. "KCR had promised airport in Adilabad. What happened? Not yet started. KCR had promised construction of 18 tanks. Not even excavation works were started. KCR had promised a town hall in Adilabad. What happened to that town hall," he asked."KCR had even promised two-bedroom houses. Forget about it. Even the funds sent by the Centre under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMJAY) are not being spent. KCR had promised Rs 80,000 crore for tribal welfare but did not spend even Rs 8 crore. KCR is afraid of Modi and fears that if Modi's schemes are implemented in Telangana, Modi will get much ...
Maharashtra Irrigation Scam: Opposition alleges state govt of suppression
Opposition in Maharashtra accused the Devendra Fadnavis-led state government of suppressing the opposition in the garb of Rs 35,000 crore Maharashtra irrigation scam case."The matter is in court, and I do not want to comment on it. But, the government is trying to suppress the opposition. The government has given a clean chit to their own ministers who have corruption charges against them," said S Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, the leader of opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly.The development came after Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) informed the Bombay High Court that former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had a role in the Rs 70,000 crore scam.Pawar, who belongs to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), along with others, was in-charge of Maharashtra's irrigation department when Congress-NCP coalition government was in power in the state from 1999 to 2014. That was a period during which the scam, relating to alleged irregularities in various irrigation projects, took ...
Threat of transfer remains, it's not in one's hands: JK Governor
Amid a ranging controversy over his remarks on dissolving the Jammu and Kashmir assembly, Governor Satya Pal Malik has said the threat of transfer remains as it is not in one's hands. At a function organised to pay tributes to Congress leader and former minister Girdhari Lal Dogra on his 31st death anniversary here on Tuesday, he mentioned about the threat of transfer. "Girdhari Lal ji dedicated his life to the cause of the poor. As long as I am here, I will definitely come to pay my tributes to him... It (transfer) is not in one's hands. I will not lose my job but the threat of transfer remains, he said. The transfer remark by the governor drew chuckles from the audience. Malik said he was in Madhya Pradesh and was down with fever for the past two days. "But in politics, fever or injury is not taken note of and I returned to be part of this function which was very important for me, given the stature of the departed leader," he said. Malik at another event on Saturday had said had he .
Allow displaced people from PoK to vote for J-K Assembly seats designated for area: Outfit
An outfit claiming to represent people displaced from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has urged the Election Commission to allow the community to elect their representatives to eight of the 24 Assembly seats designated for the area falling under PoK which are kept vacant. Rajiv Chuni, chairman of SOS International, has submitted a representation to the Chief Election Commissioner in New Delhi with regard to "defreezing" the eight seats in the assembly, a spokesman of the outfit said. He said the representation has also been forwarded to the Centre, state government and Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir. The displaced persons from PoK who have a population of 13 lakh are given shelter at various places in the country. However, they are facing apathy of government because they don't have political reservation," Chuni said, demanding that they should be allowed to vote to elect MLAs of constituencies under PoK. "We have appealed to the EC to look into this and take a decision ...
Rahul campaigns jointly with Naidu, says 'People's Front' coming to power
Jointly campaigning with foe-turned-friend TDP leader and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in Telangana, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday asserted the 'People's Front' will not just come to power in the southern state but will also defeat the Modi-led BJP in 2019.
BJP lacks knowledge of Mizo culture: Mizo Peace Accord signatory Lalkhama
The opposition BJP lacks knowledge of Mizo culture and there is a clash of tradition with the local people in its first serious attempt to enter the state Assembly, former Mizoram chief secretary and Mizo Peace Accord signatory Lalkhama said Wednesday. After casting his vote at Zarkawt-II polling station here, the former bureaucrat expressed fears on the possibility of horse-trading post results as "too many" Independent candidates are contesting this time. The Mizo Peace Accord was signed on June 30, 1986 by Mizo National Front chief Laldenga, the then Union home secretary RD Pradhan and Lalkhama, who was the Mizoram chief secretary then, after 20 years of violence and disturbance in the state. "BJP lacks knowledge about the Mizo culture. When they talk about Indian nationhood, they talk about culture, tradition and customs. Mizo people think that they are not in that group of culture," Lalkhama told PTI in an interview here. The 87-year old, who was actively involved in the creation
Pak wants 'strong' and 'civilised' ties with India, says Pak PM at Kartarpur ceremony
Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday said Pakistan wants a "strong" and "civilised" relationship with India and the two countries can resolve all issues, including Kashmir, with determination as he laid the foundation stone for a historic corridor linking two revered gurdwaras on both sides of the border. The much-awaited corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur. Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan is located across the river Ravi, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. It was established in 1522 by Guru Nanak Dev who is believed to have spent 18 years here. The first Gurdwara, Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, was built here, where Guru Nanak is said to have died. "We want to move forward in our relations with India," Khan said ...
Will break the jinx by forming govt in Mizoram for third time: CM Thanhawla
Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla said Wednesday he is going to "break the jinx" of no party winning the third consecutive term by forming the next Congress government with full majority. The nine-time MLA also alleged that opposition BJP, which is looking to open its account for the first time in the state, is pumping in huge money, mostly in the minority areas of Chakmas and Brus, to get votes. "I am going to break the jinx because of our good work. I am coming with full majority," Thanhawla, who was with his wife Lal Riliani, told reporters after casting his vote at Zarkawt-II polling station in the state capital. Neither the Congress nor its main opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) could ever form the third consecutive government since Mizoram got a full statehood in 1987. Zarkawt-II falls under Aizawl North-III constituency, from where the chief minister's younger brother and Health minister Lal Thanzara is contesting. Spending nearly one hour at the polling booth, the couple
Malik's statement over govt formation stripped BJP naked: JKNPP
The Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) said Wednesday Governor Satya Pal Malik's remarks over recent attempt of government formation in the state by the BJP has left the party fully exposed for its "duplicity and dishonest" intentions. Last week, the governor defended his decision to dissolve the state assembly and said had he looked to Delhi, he would have had to install a government led by Sajad Lone, and history would have remembered him as a "dishonest man". "Malik's statement over the government formation in the state has stripped the BJP naked. The BJP stood fully exposed for its duplicity and dishonest intentions by the honest confession made by the governor," JKNPP chairman and former minister Harsh Dev Singh said. Malik had abruptly dissolved the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly last week after the Peoples Democratic Party staked claim to form a government with the backing of rival National Conference and the Congress. This was followed by another bid from the ...
Sidhu can win election even in Pakistan: Imran Khan
Navjot Singh Sidhu can win an election even in Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan said Wednesday as he wondered why there was a hue and cry over the former Indian cricketer's push for peace and brotherhood during his previous visit to the country. Khan laid the foundation stone for the historic Kartarpur Corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district to facilitate visa-free movement of Sikh pilgrims. The corridor made headlines in August after the Punjab cabinet minister and Congress leader visited Pakistan to attend Prime Minister Khan's swearing-in ceremony. Sidhu was later criticised for hugging Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. "I heard there was a lot of criticism of Sidhu when he went back after my oath-taking ceremony. I don't know why was he criticised. He was just talking about peace and brotherhood," Khan said. He said ...
UP govt orders development of Ramlila grounds, opposition cries foul
The Uttar Pradesh government has directed authorities in 10 districts to raise the boundary walls and install entry gates for Ramlila grounds, leaving the Opposition fuming over what it sees as a pro-Hindutva card of the Yogi Adityanath-led dispensation ahead of 2019 polls. "Ramlila grounds should be identified as per revenue records, Ramlila committees and local beliefs and 6-8 feet high boundary walls, having murals related to the Ramayana, should be built so that the entire place is developed as an artistic Ramayana premises," Special Secretary of Culture Department Shishir said in a recent order. The order was issued to the district magistrates (DM) of Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Bareilly, Varanasi, Chitrakoot, Ayodhya, Allahabad, Firozabad, Agra and Saharanpur. The grounds should have adequate arrangements for drinking water and power supply, it said. The order suggests that the entry gates of these grounds be named after Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Mithila, Janakpur and Panchvati -- places ...
Winter session can be extended for Maratha quota Bill: Govt
The ongoing winter session of the Maharashtra legislature may be extended if needed to pass the Bill which provides for reservation to the Maratha community, Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil said Wednesday. Patil was speaking in the Legislative Council on the opposition demand to table the report of the State Backward Class Commission (SBCC) which has termed the the Maratha community as "socially and economically backward". The minister is also the Leader of the Upper House. Raising the issue, Leader of Opposition Dhananjay Munde of the NCP sought to know why the BJP-led government was "hiding" the reports of the SBCC and the TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences), providing for reservation to the Maratha and Dhangar communities, respectively. The Dhangar (shepherd) community has been pressing for reservation under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. He said if the government tables the Action Taken Reports (ATRs) on the SBCC and the TISS findings on Thursday, it means
SP says Adityanath stoking communal passions
The Samajwadi Party on Wednesday accused Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of "paying very little attention to the state and its problems" and instead stirring up communal passions for electoral gains.
SDF scotches rumour of going with BJP, to go it alone in next
Scotching rumours that the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front would contest the next polls in alliance with the BJP, the SDF on Wednesday said it would go it alone in the assembly and Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Since the inception of the party 27 years ago, the SDF has contested all the elections on its own and the people of Sikkim have blessed the party in every polls, party spokespersons Bhim Dahal, KT Gyaltsen and TN Sharma said. "The SDF will contest the assembly and parliamentary elections in 2019 on its own under the able leadership of the party supremo and Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling," Dahal said. He alleged that opposition parties were spreading rumours to create seeds of doubt about the SDF among people. On the SDF being constituent of the BJP-led NDA and the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), another spokesperson KT Gyaltsen said the party has always been a part of the coalition of the party ruling at the Centre. This is required to safeguard interests
Debate on demonetisation cannot be done for ego satisfaction of Rahul Gandhi: Prasad
Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Wednesday said that the government cannot hold a debate in Parliament on demonetisation just to satisfy ego of Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Prasad hailed the central government for measures like demonetisation and GST and said 1.5 lakh people deposited Rs 5 lakh crore after demonetisation. "Debate on demonetisation cannot be organised for ego satisfaction of Rahul Gandhi. It would be better if the discussion is based on information. They made it an issue in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh elections and had to face defeat," he told reporters at a press conference here. Prasad said the number of tax payers doubled in the last four years. Only 3.82 crore people used to file tax in 2013-14 compared to 6.86 crore in 2017-18. Tax collection, which was Rs 6.38 lakh crore in 2013-14, shot up to Rs 10.20 lakh crore in 2017-18. Nearly 1.10 crore traders, including 49 lakh new traders started filing tax after the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was implemented, he ..