Page 2380 - Politics
Pakistan to invite PM Modi for SAARC summit
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be invited for the 20th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit which is to be held in Islamabad, Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO) announced on Tuesday. The dates of the summit are yet to be finalised.Pakistan FO spokesman Mohammad Faisal, while addressing the Kashmir Conference here, recalled that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in his first address had said that if India took one step forward, Pakistan would take two, reported Dawn. "We fought a war with India. Relations cannot be fixed quickly," Faisal asserted.Talking about Kartarpur Corridor, Faisal termed the event of "groundbreaking" as "a great success" for the country. He said that Pakistan has invited Indian media to cover the inauguration ceremony as "we have nothing to hide.""In this century, diplomacy has completely changed. Now policies are made based on citizens' emotions and wishes," he said.It is worth mentioning that India boycotted the 19th SAARC ...
TRS government ruined Telangana: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government of ruining the Telangana state."The TRS government ruined Telangana. The reason is simple - their apprenticeship under the Chandrababu Naidu government when the state was part of Andhra Pradesh and the UPA government," Prime Minister Modi said at a rally here.Calling TRS a xerox copy of the Congress party, the Prime Minister said that both the parties back dynastic politics, casteism and vote-bank politics. "TRS is a xerox copy of the Congress. There is no difference between the two parties. Both the parties back dynastic politics, casteism, vote-bank politics."Prime Minister Modi said that both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are suffering since the time Congress divided Andhra Pradesh."Look how Congress divided Andhra Pradesh. Both the states are suffering to date. When Atal Ji divided Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, six states were formed and all of them are rapidly progressing," he
New Kerala Minister sworn in
Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leader K. Krishnankutty was sworn in as the new Minister for Water Resources in the Kerala government on Tuesday.
Ex-BJP minister crosses over to Congress in Gujarat
Former BJP minister in Gujarat, Sundersinh Chauhan, Tuesday joined the Congress in protest against "anti-farmer" policies of the ruling party. Chauhan had served as an MLA for four terms and also as a minister of state (MoS). He was inducted into the Congress fold by state unit party president Amit Chavda and party in-charge for Gujarat Rajiv Satav. Chauhan had headed Social Justice and Empowerment department and Labour and Employment portfolio as an MoS. He had represented Mahemdabad assembly seat in Kheda taluka for four terms till 2012 when he was defeated by Congress candidate Gautam Chauhan. He was not given a ticket for the 2017 assembly polls. Chauhan was also made a parliamentary secretary by the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the past. Chauhan had resigned from the saffron party a few days back. After his induction into the Congress, Chuahan told reporters that he left the BJP because of its "anti-farmer" policies. "I have resigned from the BJP as the party and ..
New govt not interested in games; 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, the country's Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid said on Tuesday.
Congress has scored self-goal by dragging Modi's parents in poll debate: Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said that the Congress has scored a self-goal by dragging Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parents into the election campaign. The BJP will be glad to fight the 2019 Lok Sabha elections if the Congress made it a contest between the "son of lesser known parents" and "someone who is known only for parentage rather than merit and competence," he said.
Getting thumping mandate in Rajasthan far more important than who will be CM: Pilot
Seeking to ensure a united fight to dislodge the ruling BJP from Rajasthan, the state Congress chief Sachin Pilot said Tuesday his party's MLAs will decide on the chief minister post and asserted that securing a "thumping" mandate was far more important than a decision on who will head the government. Pilot said he as well as senior party leader Ashok Gehlot have got enough from the Congress in the past and it was now for the party to decide what role they should have. There have been persisting talks about both Pilot and Gehlot being in race to be the party's chief ministerial face, even as both the leaders have repeatedly rejected any such friction. In an interview to PTI here, Pilot said it was the party's stated policy for the last 70 years to not declare a CM face in the state and the priority was to ensure that Congress candidates win the elections to thwart the BJP's use of "money and muscle power". Asked if a post-poll decision on the CM post may leave either Gehlot or him ...
Had I looked to Delhi, I would have had to install Lone-led government in J-K: Malik
In remarks that can embarrass the Centre, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has 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 had abruptly dissolved the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly last week after the PDP staked claim to form a government with the backing of rival NC and the Congress. This was followed by another bid from the two-member People's Conference led by Lone which claimed the support of the BJP and 18 legislators from other parties. During a pre-convocation academic conclave of ITM University in Gwalior on Saturday, he said,"Delhi ki taraf dekhta toh muje Lone ki sarkar banana padhti aur mein ithihas mein ek bayiman aadmi ke tor pe jata...(Had I looked to Delhi, I would have had to install a government led by Lone, and history would have remembered me as a dishonest man)." "Therefore, I ended up the matter. Whosoever wants to scold, can do so now but I am ...
Modi invokes Patel, slams KCR and Congress
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday Indians would have needed Pakistani visa to visit Hyderabad had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had not liberated it from the Nizam's rule. Recalling the role of Patel in the merger of the erstwhile Hyderabad princely state with the Indian union, Modi said it was only due to the country's first home minister that we are able to say "Bharat Mata ki Jai" in the capital city of the present-day Telangana. Speaking at an election rally here, Modi said had Patel, the "son of a farmer", been India's first prime minister, the condition of farmers would not have been bad. "The Congress and TRS talking about farmers does not suit them. The 70 years of Congress rule and five years of TRS government are responsible for the present plight of farmers," he said, and asked "Naamdaar" (Rahul Gandhi) not to shed "crocodile tears" for agriculturists. Modi said his government is committed to Telangana's development and welfare of its people, and listed out
AIADMK contributes Rs one crore towards cyclone relief
The ruling AIADMK Tuesday contributed a sum of Rs one crore towards relief and rehabilitation efforts in the wake of cyclone Gaja. AIADMK Coordinator and Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam handed over a cheque for Rs one crore to Chief Minister K Palaniswami, an official release said. Palaniswami is AIADMK Joint Coordinator. Cyclone Gaja hit the Tamil Nadu coast between Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam on November 16, and left behind a trail of destruction, besides claiming 63 lives.
PM Modi to be invited to Pakistan for SAARC summit, says Foreign Office Spokesman
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be invited to Pakistan for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit, Foreign Office Spokesman Mohammad Faisal said on Tuesday. The 2016 SAARC Summit was to be held in Islamabad. But after a deadly terrorist attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir in September that year, India expressed its inability to participate in the summit due to "prevailing circumstances". The summit was called off after Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also declined to participate in the Islamabad meet. Maldives and Sri Lanka are the seventh and eighth members of the initiative. Addressing a conference in Islamabad Tuesday, Faisal recalled that Prime Minister Imran Khan in his victory speech had said that if India took one step forward, Pakistan would take two. Prime Minister Modi will be invited to Pakistan for the SAARC summit, Faisal was quoted as saying by Dawn newspaper. He said that Prime Minister Khan, in a letter to his ...
Joint road shows of Rahul, Chandrababu Naidu on Nov 28, 29
Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu would conduct roads shows and address election rallies together in support of the grand alliance candidates on November 28 and 29 in Telangana, scheduled to go to polls on December 7.Telugu Desam Party (TDP) spokesperson Lanka Dinakar on Tuesday said, "TDD chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Congress president Rahul Gandhi will conduct public meetings and road shows together for the candidates of Mahakutumi, a grand alliance of opposition parties led by the Congress.""The public meetings and roadshows will take place on November 28 and 29. These public meetings and road shows of Rahul Gandhi and N Chandrababu Naidu for Mahakutumi candidates are going to create a storm in the ensuing elections in Telangana," TDP spokesperson told ANI.The polling in Telangana is scheduled to be held on December 7, which will elect 119 MLAs. The counting of votes will take place on December ..
Sidhu rakes up Rafale deal in Pakistan
Punjab Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday said that his hugging Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa was not a Rafale deal. Sidhu, who is in Pakistan to for attending the groundbreaking ceremony of Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, said, "The hug with Pakistan Army Chief was of hardly a second. It was not a Rafale deal.""When two Punjabis meet, they hug each other. Its normal practice in Punjab," said Sidhu while addressing media persons in Lahore. Sidhu on Monday paid obeisance to Kartarpur Sahib from the Indian side of the international border.Sidhu had drawn flak from within the Congress party over his decision to visit Pakistan for attending the ground-breaking ceremony of Kartarpur Sahib Corridor as Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh turned down Pakistan's invitation citing state-sponsored cross-border terrorism by Islamabad.
PM Modi responsible for fall of political discourse: Congress
Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress party on Tuesday said that the former is responsible for the downfall of the political discourse in the country.Addressing a press conference here, Congress leader Manish Tewari said that the "Prime Minister stoops too low in political discourse and other leaders emulate him.""He should take cognisance of the advice of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to maintain the dignity of the post of Prime Minister and not to stoop to a new low everyday in political discourse," said Tewari."He has a special responsibility to maintain the quality of public discourse in the country but when Prime Minister himself stoops to the new low than other leaders also feel that this is the quality of political discourse that should prevail in the country," he added.Earlier, former prime minister Manmohan Singh had alleged that Prime Minister Modi uses abusive language against opponents particularly when he visits the states ruled .
Pakistan's weapons ensure deterrent in face of 'belligerent neighbourhood': Prez Alvi
Pakistan's weapons are a deterrent to ensure that nobody looks at it with a "bad eye" as the country is facing a "belligerent neighbourhood", President Arif Alvi said on Tuesday. Alvi was addressing the opening ceremony of the 10th International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2018 here. "We want peace, we have been striving for peace in a belligerent neighbourhood but we must stay strongOur weapons are for peaceful intent," he said, without naming any country. "We are there to defend our country and that is what IDEAS is all about," he said. Pakistan's weapons will be "for defence, never for offence", he said without mentioning the country's nuclear capabilities. "When the paradigm is not in our favour, we also have a deterrent to ensure the fact that nobody looks at Pakistan with a bad eye at all." Alvi also appreciated the sacrifices of the Pakistan Army in the fight against terrorism and bringing peace in the country. Over 262 companies from from China, Russia, USA, France,
Tight security for Mizoram polls on Wednesday
Ahead of the voting to elect a new Assembly in Congress-ruled Mizoram on Wednesday, the authorities on Tuesday sealed India's borders along the northeastern state with Myanmar and Bangladesh, an official said here on Tuesday.
Pro-incumbency at work in Madhya Pradesh, says Shivraj
On the eve of Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, the longest-serving chief minister of the state is unfazed by talk of anti-incumbency. In an interview to PTI Tuesday, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said pro-incumbency and not ant-incumbency, is at play in the central Indian state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and BJP chief Amit Shah were among the leaders who addressed poll rallies in the state, where voting for all the 230 Assembly seats is scheduled Wednesday. "What is at work here is pro-incumbency and not anti-incumbency," said the 59-year-old BJP leader, whose party has been in power in the state since 2003. Chouhan exuded confidence that his party will win the election with a "comfortable majority". "The difference this time around, compared to the 2008 and 2013 polls is that we drew more crowds, especially the poor, in our public meetings," he said. Asked if demonetisation and GST will adversely affect the BJP in the state polls, Chouhan said ..
Kerala speaker rejects private bill on Sabarimala
Kerala Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan has disallowed the introduction of a private bill by a Congress legislator in the assembly on the issue of entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple. The bill, urging the LDF government to consider devotees of Lord Ayyappa as a separate religious group and a new legislation to protect their traditional rituals and customs, was proposed by Kovalam MLA M Vincent. The Speaker's office told PTI that the private bill was rejected based on the advice of the Law Department that a legislation in this regard would be "unconstitutional" and against the September 28 apex court verdict, permitting women of all age groups into the hill shrine. "The Speaker used to refer the private bills to the Law Department to know whether such bills had constitutional backing. We had sent this proposed bill on Sabarimala also to the state Law secretary for legal scrutiny," an official said. "According to the Law Secretary, such a bill is unconstitutional and not ...
Govt 'hiding' SBCC report contents even from senior mins: Oppn
Opposition Congress and NCP Tuesday alleged that the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government was keeping even senior ministers in the dark about the contents of the State Backward Class Commission (SBCC) report recommending quota for the Maratha community. Criticising the government for not tabling the report in the state Legislative Assembly, Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and NCP leader Ajit Pawar said the BJP-led dispensation was "under depression" over the issue. Earlier in the day, the Maharashtra Assembly was adjourned twice over the issue of tabling in the SBCC report in the House. Talking to reporters here, Vikhe Patil and Pawar justified their demand that the SBCC report regarding Maratha quota be tabled in the House. Both the opposition parties have been demanding since last week that the report be tabled in the Legislature. "The government plans to have a budget session in February, before the code of conduct comes into force for the Lok ..
Cong, TRS two sides of same coin: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while taking a jibe at the Congress and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), on Tuesday said that both the parties are "two sides of the same coin" when it comes to dynastic politics. He also claimed that Congress and TRS appease minority communities and believe in vote-bank politics."Congress, as well as TRS, believes in dynasty politics. They are two sides of the same coin. Both the parties appease the minority. Both the parties believe in vote-bank politics. None of them has internal democracy," the Prime Minister said here while addressing an election rally.Launching a scathing attack on the caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Prime Minister Modi said that Rao is insecure and thus refused to implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme. "In the past three months, three lakh families took the benefit of Ayushman Bharat but none of them is from Telangana. The state government is responsible for this," he added.Continuing his tirade against Rao, the ...