Page 238 - Politics
Karnataka cabinet expansion on June 12, says Kumaraswamy
Expansion of the Karnataka cabinet would take place on June 12, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy announced Saturday, in a much expected move to quell growing dissent within the Congress-JD(S) coalition that threatens the stability of its government. Kumaraswamy made the announcement in a tweet after meeting Governor Vajubhai Vala, which comes after weeks of consultations between the chief minister and Congress leaders amid coalition worries compounded by the Lok Sabha poll rout. "Today, I met the honourable governor and requested him to give time for the cabinet expansion. He has fixed June 12, Wednesday, 11.30 am to administer oath," Kumaraswamy tweeted. The cabinet expansion or rejig was in the offing after the humiliating defeat of the Congress and JD(S) in the Lok Sabha election, in which both the parties barely survived the Modi wave, getting one seat each. The BJP swept the polls, capturing 25 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. Independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh, ...
Cong seeks probe into HPSC exam
The Congress Saturday sought an inquiry into the conduct of an exam for the posts of assistant professor by the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC). Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tagged a media report in a tweet, stating that 57 persons, who had cleared the mathematics exam for the posts, were sitting close to each other. "Though people of Haryana have no expectation from the Khattar government and the counting for BJP's farewell has begun, the case should be immediately investigated and the culprits should be punished. The public service examination should be cancelled and conducted again," the Congress leader said. He accused the Khattar government of playing with youngsters' future, saying it had "created a world record of corruption during examinations". Twelve candidates, who appeared for the examination, have already complained to the commission in this regard.
Kumaraswamy to expand his ministry on June 12
The much-awaited expansion of Karnataka Ministry will take place on June 12, which is seen as an attempt to defuse the tension within the Congress-JDS coalition government.Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Saturday met Governor Vajubhai Vala and requested him to expand his ministry, which has currently 28 ministers. The oath-taking ceremony will take place at 11.30 am.Sources told ANI that two independent, H Nagesh -- Mulabagilu MLA and R Shankar -- Ranebennur MLA, both supporting the coalition government, are expected to be inducted in the ministry.Former state minister and senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy may once again take oath as a minister, sources said.Former Chief Minister and Congress-JD(S) coordination committee chairman Siddaramaiah had on Wednesday said that Congress MLA Ramalinga Reddy will be made minister at the time of the reshuffle.Currently, there are three ministerial vacancies out of which two are to be filled from the JDS quota and one from the Congress.The .
Appalanaidu sworn-in as pro-tem AP Assembly Speaker
Senior legislator S V C Appalanaidu was on Saturday sworn-in as the pro-tem Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Governor E S L Narasimhan administered the oath of office to the ruling YSR Congress MLA from Bobbili in Vizianagaram district, at a brief function in the state Secretariat. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and other YSRC leaders were present. Appalanaidu has been elected to the Assembly for the fourth time. As pro-tem Speaker, Appalanaidu will preside over the swearing-in of newly-elected MLAs on June 12 and 13. He will also conduct the election for the Speaker's post on June 13 before completing his constitutional obligation.
Several Maharashtra Congress MLAs in touch with BJP
The implosion in the Congress party refuses to subside. Amid the infighting in Congress units in Rajasthan, Punjab and Telangana, several MLAs from the party's Maharashtra unit are now likely to switch sides to the ruling BJP. The Congress has 42 MLAs in the state Assembly.
Many MLAs of Congress and NCP in touch with BJP: Mahajan
Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan Saturday claimed that at least 25 MLAs of the Congress and the NCP are in touch with the BJP. Hinting at multiple defections to the BJP, he said the Opposition is likely to receive a major jolt ahead of the state assembly elections, due in September-October this year. "At least 25 MLAs of the Congress and the NCP are in touch with me. Some of them have either met me personally or called me over phone or have sent feelers through third party that they are interested in joining the BJP," the senior BJP leader told reporters. Mahajan, who has been serving as the guardian minister of Nashik, was Friday given the similar charge for Jalgaon district. "State Congress president Ashok Chavan doesn't even know that those around him may switch sides anytime soon. The political situation is very much in favour of the BJP," said Mahajan, who is credited for the BJP sweep in local bodies elections and the Lok Sabha polls in north ...
Philippines rejects call for UN rights council probe
The Philippines on Saturday rejected a call for an independent United Nations probe into Manila's alleged human rights violations, describing it as interference in the affairs of the Asian nation. UN rights experts asked the UN Human Rights Council on Friday to look into the "staggering number of unlawful deaths and police killings in the context of the so-called war on drugs, as well as killings of human rights defenders". President Rodrigo Duterte has overseen a narcotics crackdown in which police have killed more than 5,300 suspected drug dealers and users since he was elected three years ago. Rights groups say the actual number of dead is at least three times higher. "The latest call by 11 special rapporteurs of the United Nations for an international probe of the Philippines not only is intellectually challenged but an outrageous interference on Philippine sovereignty," Duterte spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement. He accused the UN experts of "peddling a biased and ...
20 acre of prime state land in J-K's Rajouri freed of encroachment
Encroachment on 20 acre of prime state land in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district have been removed, officials said Saturday. A team of officers retrieved 20 acre of encroached state land in Siot and Berripattan tehsils during an anti-encroachment drive conducted on Friday, they said. A team of officials comprising tehsildar of Siot Dhruv Gupta, police personnel and officers of the revenue department carried out an the drive.
Army pays tribute to paratrooper killed in J-K's Shopian
Army Saturday paid floral tributes to paratrooper Karamjeet Singh who died in a firing incident during a counter-militancy operation in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. In a solemn ceremony at Badamibagh Cantonment here, Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen K J S Dhillon and all ranks paid homage to the martyr on behalf of a proud nation, an Army spokesperson said. He said in a show of solidarity, representatives from other security agencies also joined in to pay their last respects to the slain paratrooper who died on Friday. The spokesperson said Singh sustained bullet injury while he was de-inducting from the operation site at Yarwan Forest in Shopian district of south Kashmir. "He was provided immediate first aid and evacuated to 92 Base Hospital, but unfortunately succumbed to his injuries," he said. Singh (22) had joined the Army in 2015 and belonged to village Hafizabad of Chamkaur Tehsil in District Roopnagar, Punjab and is survived by his mother and two sisters. His mortal ...
DG-level talks between India, Bangladesh to be held on June 11
The chief of Border Security Force Rajni Kant Misra will embark on a four-day visit to Bangladesh on June 11.He will hold talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Major General Md. Shafeenul Islam, Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).They are expected to hold discussions on Rohingyas illegal migration in the country and further strengthening of security at India and Pakistan border.The DG Level Border Co-ordination conference with BGB is a bi-annual conference being held since 1975. The last one was held in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka between April 23 and April 27.India shares 4,096-km-long international border with Bangladesh. The BSF in India and BGB are responsible for safeguarding the border.
First India-Bangladesh border talks under Modi 2.0 govt next week
The border guarding forces of India and Bangladesh will discuss several issues, including those related to cross-border crimes, as their director generals meet in Dhaka for the first biannual talks after the Modi government was reelected, officials said Saturday. This will be the 48th DG-level conference between the two sides since 1975 and it will begin in the Bangladesh capital next week. Border Security Force (BSF) chief R K Mishra will lead a 10-member delegation to the neighbouring country for a five-day visit starting June 11. The delegation will have officials from the Union Home Ministry, which is the controlling authority of the BSF, and anti-narcotics agencies, and a diplomat from the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. Talks with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will be held at their headquarters in Pilkhana in Dhaka, the officials said. India will take up issues like BSF personnel being attacked by Bangladeshi criminals in border areas and those related to cross-frontier ...
382 officers join Indian Army after Passing Out Parade at IMA
A total of 459 cadets, including some from friendly countries, passed out of the Indian Medical Academy (IMA) after a colourful and impressive Passing Out Parade at the Indian here on Saturday.Of this, 382 would join the Indian Army while 77 other officers belong to friendly countries.These moments of happiness have come after a year of rigorous training, said Brigadier Rajbir, head of academic department, IMA.Lieutenant General Cherish Mathson, General Officer Commanding (GOC), South Western Command was the reviewing officer of the parade.After an impressive parade, the newly-commissioned cadets could be seen celebrating the day and rejoicing the memories of their days at the Indian Military Academy.After today's passing out parade, IMA has added another achievement to its honorary name as it will now hold the record of giving 61,685 young military officers to the country and abroad.
Memorandum getting ready on GST rates to save MSME; CPI
The CPI is in the process of preparing a memorandum on the GST requirements for the MSME sector, which is feeling the pinch of higher tax rates, the party MP-elect K Subbarayan said Saturday. The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector was seriously affected due to the higher GST rates in India, particularly Tamil Nadu, where more than 50,000 industries were closed in the last two years, Subbarayan claimed. The CPI leader had won from nearby Tirupur constituency, a hub for MSME and Knitwear industries. Subbbarayan asked whether the Centre was ready to come out with a 'whitepaper' on the status of MSME in the country after introduction of GST, since there were reports that more than six lakh industries were shut. The memorandum will be submitted to the government by all the MPs elected from Tamil Nadu, he added. Subbarayan, who is also deputy secretary of the party in Tamil Nadu, reiterated the CPI's stance on exempting the State from the National ...
Kerala as dear to me as Varanasi, says PM Modi in Guruvayur
Having won a massive mandate, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday said political parties and pundits failed to gauge the public mood ahead of the Lok Sabha election and thanked the electorate for reposing confidence in the saffron party. In his first public engagement after leading the BJP to a grand victory in the general election, retaining power for a successive term, Modi said he made Kerala his first stop after the win despite having no MP from the state since it was as dear to him as his constituency Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Terming the just-concluded Lok Sabha election a "festival of democracy," Modi lauded and thanked the electorate of Kerala for their contribution to it. The country has seen that "people are God" in elections, he said at the 'Abhinandan Sabha' organised by the BJP's Kerala unit. Earlier, he offered prayers at the famed Lord Krishna temple here. "Political parties and political pundits could not gauge people's mood. So did those involved in conducting ...
Modi won Lok Sabha polls by lying: Rahul
Congress President Rahul Gandhi said here on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi won the Lok Sabha elections by telling lies.
Nawaz Sharif not allowed to meet family even on Eid
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Friday criticised the Imran Khan government for not allowing the family of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to meet him in jail even on the third day of Eid.PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said in a statement that by adopting such tactics Prime Minister Khan was "taking revenge for his (PM's) incompetence and ineptness", the Express Tribune reported.She said that while Khan fully enjoyed the Eid celebrations, he did not allow the former premier, who has been incarcerated in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail since December last year, to meet his family even on Eid's last day.Meanwhile, Punjab government spokesperson Shahbaz Gill said that the PML-N had been left with no issue other than Sharif's health. He was quoted as saying that "Mian Sahib is quite healthy and living a normal life in jail".He claimed that Sharif was denied a meeting with his family due to the terms of his prison sentence. He said Sharif had met his family and over 225 party ..
25 MLAs take oath as ministers in Jagan's Cabinet
Twenty-five legislators were sworn-in as ministers in the cabinet of Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Saturday, nine days after he took over as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister.Andhra Pradesh governor ESL Narasimhan administered the oath of office and secrecy to the ministers including at a simple function at the state secretariat in Velagapudi here. Chief Minister Reddy was also present at the event.The MLAs sworn in as ministers are Dharmana Krishna das, Botsa Satyanarayana , Pamula Pushpa Srivani , Muttamsetti Srinivas Rao , Kurasala Kannababu , Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose , Pinipe Viswaroop , Alla Kalikrishna Srinivas (Alla Nani) , Cherakuvada Sriranganatha Raju , Taneti Vanita , Kodali Srivenkateswara Rao (Kodali Nani), Perni Venkatramaiah (Perni Nani) , Velampalli Srinivas Rao , Mekathoti Sucharita , Mopidevi Venkata Ramana , Balineni Srinivas Reddy , Adimulapu Suresh , Poboyina Anil Kumar , Mekapati Gowtham Reddy , Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, K Narayana Swami , ...
MLAS defection:CLP leader Vikramarka launches 36-hour fast
Congress Legislature Party leader in Telangana M Bhatti Vikramarka Saturday began a 36-hour fast here protesting the 'illegal' merger of 12 party MLAs with the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi. When contacted, Vikramarka told PTI he is on a "satyagraha-fast." AICC in-charge of Congress affairs in Telangana R C Khuntia, state Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy and several party leaders were present at Dharna Chowk in the city, the protest venue. Addressing the gathering, Khuntia alleged that the TRS sought to promote an autocratic regime and "finish" opposition parties in the state through the merger of Congress MLAs. The merger of the 12 Congress MLAs with TRS is "illegal" and "undemocratic", he alleged. The Congress party respected a Dalit leader (Vikramarka) by making him the leader of its legislature party, Khuntia said and asked if Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and TRS did not like a Dalit becoming leader of an opposition party. "Are we to understand that ...
Manila slams UN 'interference' over drug probe request
A UN request to send a team of rapporteurs to the Philippines to investigate deaths related to the government's war on drugs is an "outrageous interference", presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said on Saturday.
Coast guard detains Indonesian vessel off Gujarat Coast
An Indonesian vessel with Iranian crew off the Dwarka coast has been detained by the Indian Coast Guard on Saturday.Some suspect substance was observed on the vessel by the officials. The vessel reportedly was on its way to Kuwait.A thorough investigation into the matter is underway. More details are awaited.