Page 2378 - Politics
Resolution urges Centre to include Khasi & Garo languages in
The Meghalaya Assembly Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution urging the Centre to bring forward an official Bill to include the Khasi and Garo languages spoken by the dominant tribes in the state in the Eight schedule of the Constitution. The two languages are understood, spoken and used by over 23 lakh Khasi and Garo tribals and both languages are recognised as the associate official languages in the state. "This House unanimously resolved to urge upon the Government of India to initiate necessary measures, as early as possible to bring forward the Official Bill to amend the Eight Schedule of the Indian Constitution to include the Khasi and Garo languages," Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said in the resolution. Although the resolution was passed in September earlier this year, but for certain corrections which were required to be made before it is officially sent to the Centre. The Assembly unanimously voted in favour of the resolution when Speaker Donkupar Roy put ..
Central ministers enjoy picnic, states pay bill: Meghalaya MLA
Congress legislator H M Shangpliang on Tuesday took a jibe at the frequent visits of central ministers to the Northeast, saying the 'Look East' Policy has become 'Visit East' Policy. Addressing the Assembly, the MLA said the ministers "enjoy their picnics" at the expense of the state governments. "The Look East Policy turned into 'Act East' Policy under (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi. The same has now become 'Visit East' Policy. The central ministers stay at good hotels and enjoy their picnics, while the state governments pay their bills," Shangpliang told the House during a special session. Under the direction of the PM, central ministers, since assuming office in 2014, have been visiting the northeast states every fortnight to review the implementation of development schemes. "As they (ministers) come as guests, the state government bears the burden of their food and car rental expenses too," the MLA added.
6 IAS officers of AAP govt transferred
In a bureaucratic reshuffle, Lt Governor Anil Baijal Tuesday transferred and posted six senior IAS officers of the Delhi government, including Additional Chief Secretary (PWD) Manoj Parida, with immediate effect. On the day, newly-appointed Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Dev, a 1987-batch IAS officer, assumed the charge of his office, superseding the 1986-batch IAS officer, Manoj Parida. According to an order issued by the services department following the L-G's approval, Parida was appointed chairman-cum-managing director of Delhi Financial Corporation (DFC). Principal Secretary (finance) Renu Sharma, a 1988-batch IAS officer, has been given the additional charge of principal secretary of the Home Department which was also earlier headed by Parida. DFC CMD Rinku Dhugga was transferred and posted as the secretary of arts, culture and languages, even as Dhugga will continue to hold the additional charge of financial commissioner. Power Secretary Sanjeev Khirwar, a 1994-batch IAS officer, .
Chouhan enjoys coffee, snack with family at eatery on poll eve
After weeks of hectic campaigning for Wednesday's Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan chose to unwind by having a cup of coffee and snack along with his family members at an eatery here. Chouhan has been criss-crossing the state along with others leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, for the past many days to ensure that his party retains power in the state. As the campaign schedule kept him occupied over the last many days, he decided to visit a coffee house at T T Nagar along with his wife and Sadhana and son Kartikey on the eve of the crucial election. The trio ordered vada sambar and coffee and spent over an hour there. "They visited the coffee house in the evening and spent more than an hour. Like common people, they chatted and laughed and enjoyed hot 'vada sambar' and steaming coffee," manager of the coffee house Kumaran said. The chief minister paid a bill of Rs 300, he added. As soon as the ...
J-K govt asks DCs to keep aside one day for grievance redressal
In its effort to reach out to the people of the state, Jammu and Kashmir government Tuesday directed all deputy commissioners to keep aside at least one day of the week for disposal of public grievances. An order was issued in this regard by Principal Secretary (Grievances) Rohit Kansal, an official spokesperson said here. "All deputy commissioners shall keep aside at least one day of the week for disposal of public grievances and submit a report on pre-decided format to the project director, Project Management Unit (PMU) regularly," the official said quoting the order. He said the principal secretary to the governor would continue to monitor and supervise all grievances as are referred to the Raj Bhawan. He would also, wherever needed, continue to hold review to monitor the disposal of public grievances, the spokesperson said. He added that subject to any stipulation, the principal secretary, planning, development and monitoring department (PD&MD), would be overall in-charge for .
Omar, Mehbooba react to governor Malik's statement
Both Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday reacted supportively to Governor Satya Pal Malik's statement that he did not look up to Delhi while deciding to dissolve the state Assembly.
Trump intensifies attacks on head of Russia probe
US President Donald Trump intensified his attacks Tuesday on the special counsel probing possible collusion between Russia and his 2016 electoral campaign, after prosecutors said his former campaign chairman lied to investigators. Trump's ongoing attacks against the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller have become more virulent this month, after the president installed a new acting attorney general who has strongly criticized Mueller's probe and suggested cutting its purse-strings. "The Fake News Media builds Bob Mueller up as a Saint, when in actuality he is the exact opposite," Trump said in a series of tweets. "He is doing TREMENDOUS damage to our Criminal Justice System, where he is only looking at one side and not the other. Heroes will come of this, and it won't be Mueller and his terrible Gang of Angry Democrats." "Wait until it comes out how horribly & viciously they are treating people, ruining lives for them refusing to lie. Mueller is a conflicted prosecutor .
Bhaichung's party to move SC over "immigrant" tag on Sikkimese
The political party launched by former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia on Tuesday announced plans to move the Supreme Court to remove the "immigrant" tag from the Sikkimese Nepali community. A large section of the Sikkimese society has been hurt by this tag but the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), despite a promise, has not done anything to change the word from the verdict, Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) leader Bhutia said. The community had been tagged as "immigrant" in a Supreme Court judgement delivered in 1993, he said. "The best way to correct this is to again approach the Supreme Court. It cannot be done in Sikkim by making political speeches," Bhutia said. "We will be going to Delhi tomorrow and file the case within the next 3-4 days. We want the word immigrant amended or removed," he told a press conference. Sikkim has three ethnic communities Lepchas, Bhutias and Nepalis, and during its merger with the Indian Union, these communities had been defined as .
Finance Commission team arrives in Nagaland
A team of the 15th Finance Commission arrived here Tuesday on a three-day visit to hold talks with Nagaland government, officials said. The 14-member Finance Commission team is led by its chairman Nand Kishore Singh. Meanwhile, interacting with mediapersons, Nagaland Finance secretary, Y Kikheto Sema appealed that the special status granted to Nagaland be upheld alongside the special funding pattern for all round development of the state. Kikheto expressed hope that the Finance Commission will understand the problems faced by the state in all fronts. On Wednesday, the commission will have meetings with Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, his cabinet colleagues and senior state government officials. The Finance commission will hold meeting with representatives of the rural local bodies and urban local bodies of the state. The commission will also hold meeting with representatives of different political parties.
'AAP rebels in Punjab may launch new party next month'
Suspended AAP MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira and seven other rebels may launch a new party next month, the Punjab legislator indicated Tuesday. Khaira, suspended AAP MP Dharamvira Gandhi and Simarjit Singh Bains, who leads AAP ally Lok Insaaf Party, said they will form a new political party to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls if they get the people's mandate. They will seek this mandate at a meeting in Patiala next month, a press release said. Khaira and seven other Aam Aadmi Party MLAs rebelled in July when the party replaced him as Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly. In the next few weeks, the eight rebels, within the 20-MLA group of AAP members in the House, held parallel meetings and passed resolutions that challenged the Arvind Kejriwal-led party. Bholath MLA Khaira and Kharar MLA Kanwar Sandhu were then suspended from the party. Khaira said they will start an eight-day long 'Insaaf' march from December 8 to seek justice in cases related to the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib
New Maldivian government has strong India-first policy: Maldives Minister
Former Maldives President Abdulla Yameen tried to play India and China against each other but the new government of Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has a strong "India-first policy" and was not interested in playing such games, its Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid said on Tuesday.
After making surprise appearance at BJP meet, RLSP MLA evades
Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) MLA Sudhanshu Shekhar, who had caused a flutter by attending the BJPs legislature party meeting with another party legislator here the previous night, on Tuesday evaded questions about his future political move. The party, which is headed by its founder Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, has two MLAs in the 243-strong assembly. Kushwaha has set a November 30 deadline for arriving at a seat-sharing arrangement among NDA constituents in Bihar and threatened to review his continuance in the BJP-led coalition if the formula was not respectable for the RLSP. Both Shekhar and the other RLSP MLA Lalan Paswan had attended the BJP legislature party meeting held on Monday night at Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modis residence to discuss the partys strategy during the ongoing winter session of the assembly. However, when asked about the development outside the assembly premises, Shekhar said there was nothing odd. RLSP is in the NDA and the BJP
Had I looked to Delhi, I would have had to install Lone-led government in J-K: claims Malik
In remarks that could embarrass the Centre, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said had he "looked to Delhi", he would have had to install a government led by Sajad Lone, a claim which the opposition said vindicated its charge he was under pressure to put in place a "BJP-supported government". There was no immediate reaction from the Centre or the BJP to the claim made by Malik, who said history would have remembered him as a "dishonest man" if he had asked Lone, the leader of the People's Conference, to form the government. But the chiefs of Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and National Conference --Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, both former chief ministers--complimented the governor for not taking "instructions" from Delhi thereby stopping the installation of a government of the "BJP and its proxies". Malik abruptly dissolved the J and K Assembly on the night of November 21 after the PDP staked claim to form a government with the backing of arch rival NC and the Congress. ...
Congress ray of hope for Madhya Pradesh: Rahul
Asserting that bailing out debt-ridden farmers would revive Madhya Pradeshs economy, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday blamed the BJP government for the state's agrarian crises, unemployment and deteriorating law and order.
Can Brexit be stopped? EU court hears Scottish case
Lawyers acting for a group of Scottish politicians argued before the top European court Tuesday that the British parliament should have the power to unilaterally halt the countdown to Brexit. A Scottish court has referred the case, which hinges on whether Westminster MPs could simply revoke Britain's "Article 50" EU withdrawal process, to the European Court of Justice. Prime Minister Theresa May's British government argues it has no intention of halting Brexit anyway and that the case has been brought as a political tactic by pro-European opponents. "Once Pandora's box is open, it's always difficult to close it," warned lawyer Lord Keen of Elie, urging the ECJ to throw out the case and "show respect for the UK parliament and the position of UK Government". May is trying to sell an agreement on a "smooth and orderly" Brexit to a hostile House of Commons, arguing that their choice is to back a deal or face the economic calamity of crashing out of Europe without a plan. But pro-Europeans
CPI(M) MLAs stages walk out in the Tripura Assembly
The opposition CPI(M) MLAs Tuesday staged a walk out in the Tripura Assembly over implementation of the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) recommendations for the state government employees. Replying to a notice on the implementation of the 7th CPC moved by CPI(M) MLA Badal Chowdhury, Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, who also holds the Finance portfolio said the BJP-IPFT government decided to implement 7th CPC for over two lakh employees and pensioners of the state from October, this year despite huge fiscal constraint. "Despite huge fiscal constraints, the new government has given 2.57 per cent booster and the employees and pensioners would get at par with the Central government employees," he said. However, Chowdhury wanted to know if the government had implemented the 7th CPC as promised in the partys vision document published before the February 2018 elections. The deputy chief minister said, "In spite of huge financial burden of Rs 1,600 crore, the new ...
Delhi Assembly adopts resolution seeking verification of names deleted from voters list
The Delhi Assembly Tuesday adopted a resolution asking the chief electoral officer (CEO) to conduct a door-to-door survey to verify names of voters deleted from electoral rolls of the national capital. The resolution also asked the government to initiate inquiries into all "deleted voters" who are subsequently found "genuine" and fix the responsibility of the "erring officials" and submit a report before the House within three months. However, Opposition leader Vijender Gupta slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying the ruling party is "misleading" the House and people of Delhi. Participating in a discussion on the resolution which was moved by AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj and later passed with voice of vote, Environment Minister Imran Hussain said that names of around 10.5 lakh voters have been deleted by the poll body. The resolution directed CEO of Delhi to put the complete list of voters that have been deleted after February, 2015 Delhi Assembly Election on its website. A physical ..
Cong promises farm loan waiver, unemployment allowance to win Telangana poll
The Congress has promised farm loan waiver of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 3,000 monthly unemployment allowance to the jobless youths if the party is voted to power in the state's ensuing Assembly polls, scheduled for December 7.Former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Uttam Kumar Reddy and RC Khuntia released the Congress manifesto here on Tuesday."The Congress party will waive off farmers' loan to the tune of Rs 2 lakh and will also give ex-gratia to the families of those farmers who committed suicide after the formation of the state," said Reddy, while sharing the key points of the manifesto with the media persons."The Congress party, if voted to power, will also give the jobless youth Rs 3,000 per month as unemployment allowance," said Reddy. The Congress manifesto also vows to make Telangana hundred per cent literate and would spend 20 per cent of the state budget on the education sector.The party has promised to give judicial powers to the ..
PM Modi to depart for G20 summit on Wednesday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for a five-day visit to Argentina on Wednesday to attend G20 summit. The summit is slated for November 30- December 1.Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale at a press conference said that Prime Minister Modi will hold bilateral meetings with a number of leaders. He will be returning on December 2."There is always scope in the margins of G20 for a meeting between the BRICS head of states and that meeting is confirmed. The Prime Minister will also meet the President of China Xi Jinping which was decided at the BRICS summit of Johannesburg," Gokhale added.He added at the 10th anniversary of the G20, India expects that the World leaders will discuss the achievements of the summit in the past 10 years and the future course of the summit. "At the tenth anniversary of the G20, it is our expectation that leaders will reflect on what has been achieved in past 10 years and what could be done in next 10 years," he said.The Prime Minister will be addressing the ..
"Pained" by KCR's repeated attacks, says AP CM
TDP president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Tuesday wondered why his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao was criticising him though he never did any injustice to Telangana. Addressing a public meeting here, Naidu said he was "pained" by KCR's repeated attack on him while campaigning for the December 7 Telangana assembly election. "I am unable to understand why KCR is criticising me. I did no injustice to Telangana. In fact, I am in the front row (of Chief Ministers) who developed Telangana. I never abused him but he is abusing me," Naidu said. The Telugu Desam Party chief is set to begin campaigning on behalf of the Congress-TDP-TJS-CPI 'Peoples Front', in Telangana Wednesday by addressing two public meetings in Khammam and Hyderabad city along with Congress president Rahul Gandhi. "KCR says I am claiming credit for building Hyderabad. I never did. I built a brownfield city Cyberabad that contributed to the development of Hyderabad, built ..