Page 2390 - Politics
Russia warns US against deploying new missiles to Europe
A senior Russian diplomat warned Monday that the planned US withdrawal from a Cold War-era arms control pact could critically upset stability in Europe. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Monday that if the US deploys intermediate-range missiles in Europe after opting out of the treaty banning their use, it will allow Washington to reach targets deep inside Russia. US President Donald Trump declared his intention last month to withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty over alleged Russian violations. Moscow has denied breaching the pact and accused Washington of violating it. Ryabkov warned that if the US stations the currently banned missiles in Europe, Russia will have to mount an "efficient response." He didn't elaborate. "We won't be able to turn a blind eye to the potential deployment of new US missiles on the territories where they may threaten Russia," he said, adding that such intermediate-range missiles would tilt the existing strategic ...
Cong accuses PM of playing politics on nat'l security issues, lists terror attacks during his rule
The Congress on Monday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he criticised the party on issues of terrorism and Naxalism, alleging he was playing politics on matters of national security and had "compromised" the country's interests. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that lack of political action on the part of the BJP-led central government had led to disquiet at the border and an alarming security situation. He said that "16 major terror strikes" were held on security installations during the last 54 months. The Congress' attack came after Modi said at a poll rally in Bhilwara, Rajasthan that the party, which was in power when 26/11 Mumbai attacks took place, had questioned the BJP government's surgical strikes in Pakistan. Modi said when terrorists struck the country's financial capital 10 years ago, the country was governed by "madam" through remote control, an oblique reference to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Condemning Prime Minister Modi's ...
Italy may cut deficit target in bid to appease European Commission
ROME (Reuters) - Italy's governing coalition may reduce next year's budget deficit target to as low as 2 percent of gross domestic product to avoid disciplinary action from Brussels, two government sources said on Monday.
AAP MLAs wear party caps in Assembly, BJP lodges complaint with Speaker
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, cabinet ministers and AAP legislators wore caps with party logos in the Delhi Assembly during its special session on Monday, drawing criticism from the opposition BJP which termed it a violation of rules. BJP's Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta said according to the Legislative Assembly of National Capital Territory of Delhi Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business, members cannot display any badges, flags, emblem and exhibits while in the House He wrote to Speaker Ram Niwas Goel seeking "strong action" so that the dignity of the House is maintained in future. When the Assembly session began, AAP legislators did not wear the caps with party logs. The caps emerged after the House reconvened following a 30-minute break. The occasion was the sixth foundation day of the Aam Aadmi Party and in this enthusiasm, the MLAs wore caps inside the House, said AAP MLA and party spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj. "I don't think that there is procedural lapse and it ..
Ex-Norway PM's J&K visit: Cong says Modi govt 'compromised' on national security
The Congress alleged Monday the "weak" Narendra Modi government "compromised on" the national security by allowing a "third party mediation" in Jammu and Kashmir, days after an ex-Norwegian prime minister's visit to the state. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the policy underlines that only India and Pakistan can hold a mutual discussion on the boundary dispute and accused the central government of violating the country's 71-year-old policy to deal with the issue. "You must have read in newspapers... I don't want to take his name, I don't disrespect him. But for the first time, Modiji has sent a former prime minister of a third country to J&K to talk with separatists...Why? This question should be asked to him," Surjewala told reporters. He was apparently referring to the recent visit of former Norwegian prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik to Jammu and Kashmir where he met top separatist leaders. Surjewala was replying to a query on Congress minister Navjot Singh
Maldives top court clears Nasheed of terror conviction
The Maldives top court overturned a terrorism conviction on Monday against the country's first democratically elected leader Mohamed Nasheed, who fled into exile after being sentenced to 13 years behind bars. The Supreme Court said Nasheed was wrongfully charged and should not have been convicted in the 2015 trial described by the United Nations as politically motivated. Nasheed went into exile a year later while abroad seeking medical treatment, and was branded a fugitive from justice. "President Nasheed's entire trial was a politically-motivated sham," his lawyer, Hisaan Hussein, said after his conviction was quashed. "It is appalling that an innocent man was unjustly forced to spend a year in jail, 35 months in exile, and was prevented from standing for political office." The opposition icon only returned to the Maldives this month after his political rival Abdulla Yameen, who ruled the Maldives with an iron fist for five years, was beaten in a presidential election. The strongman .
Coalition culture not suited to J&K: NC leader
A senior National Conference (NC) leader said Monday the coalition culture was not suited to a state like Jammu and Kashmir, claiming that his party was all set to provide a strong government to ensure political stability in the state. "NC derives its strength from the people and the people are determined to have a politically-stable government, which steers out the state from the prevailing morass and a nightmarish era of the last three years of misgovernance," party provincial president Devender Singh Rana said. Addressing a meeting at the party headquarters here, Rana said: "The recent spell of misrule was an aberration for Jammu and Kashmir's political history. The nightmarish experience of misgovernance, plagued with corruption and nepotism, will keep haunting the people for a long. "The coalition culture is not suited to a state like Jammu and Kashmir," the NC leader said. Rana said the NC had been braving conspiracies of the self-seekers and political opportunists, adding that .
'Why is PM Modi not talking about farmers, employment': Kamal Nath
Launching a counter-attack on Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath on Monday questioned as to why the former doesn't speak about himself or his party, youth, farmers, employment, suicides, instead of speaking about Congress president Rahul Gandhi."Why he doesn't talk about himself and is only concerned, Rahul Gandhi? Why he doesn't talk about youth, farmers, employment, suicide?" Nath questioned.He further hit out at Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for calling Congress the "biggest communal" party in the country and said, "They don't have anything left to say and they will continue to do the same. I don't want to get into any of these comments. People of the country know what really the Congress party is."Chouhan's made the comment after a video of Nath seeking Muslim leaders votes for the Congress in order to oust BJP government in Madhya Pradesh went viral.The state will go to polls on November 28 .
Three services conduct joint drill off Goa and Karwar coasts
In a move aimed at fine-tuning joint war-fighting capabilities and enhancing operational synergy, a largescale tri-service exercise involving the assets of the Navy, the Army and the Air Force was conducted at sea off Goa and Karwar from November 17-23, the Navy said Monday. Besides the deployment of naval assets such as Kolkata-class destroyers, landing ships, fleet support ship with ship-borne helicopters, Marcos and other force levels from all the three maritime commands of the Navy, the exercise saw participation of amphibious troops, special forces, engineers along with support elements from the Army, C-17, C-130J, IL-76, AN 32 aircraft and Garud special force of the IAF. Major activities conducted during this exercise included amphibious landing operations, air-landed operations, helicopter-borne insertion of special forces from sea, combat free fall by the tri-service special forces teams culminating in tactical follow-on operations on land. This exercise was coordinated by the
Rahul promises farm loan waiver if Congress wins Rajasthan
In an attempt to woo farmers in Rajasthan which goes to polls on December 7, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday promised to waive off farmers' loans in 10 days if the Congress formed a government in the state.
BJP trying to buy votes and "brainwash" people with RSS ideology, alleges Mizoram CM
Confident that the Congress will retain power in Mizoram, Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla said on Monday the BJP will have to wait another five years to open its account in the state and alleged the saffron party was trying to "buy" votes with money power. In an interview to PTI, the nine-time MLA Thanhawla also alleged that the BJP is trying to buy votes of Chakma and Bru communities by taking their leaders to Guwahati and "brainwashing them with RSS ideology". "As a ruling party in the Centre, they should try to open their account in Mizoram, which they have not been able to do so far. They are most welcome, but I would advise them not to try to spoil the Mizo people with money power. Money has never played any role in Mizoram. Elction in Mizoram is most free, fair and peaceful," he said. Talking about the high-decibel campaign by the BJP in the last 10 days, Thanhawla said, "Empty pots or bottles sound the loudest" and predicted that the saffron party is unlikely to get a single seat .
Congress in Meghalaya to target government on coal, attacks on women activists
Meghalaya's opposition Congress is set to corner the National People's Party (NPP)-led government over the murder attempt on frontline women's activist Agnes Kharshiing and her aide over illegal mining and transportation of coal during the one-day special session on Tuesday.
Left, Congress boycott Assembly for the day
The opposition Left Front and the Congress Monday boycotted the West Begal Assembly for the day after their demand to discuss the issues of disparity in pay structure of primary teachers was not allowed. Leader of the Opposition, Abdul Mannan raised the issue of disparity in the pay structure of primary teachers in Bengal and wanted a discussion on the matter. But his demand was rejected by Speaker Biman Banerjee. Following it Left and Congress MLAs shouted slogans against the government and staged a walkout from the assembly. They later on boycotted the house for the day. Mannan said the opposition is not allowed to speak inside the house. "We are neither allowed to speak nor allowed to raise any issue inside the house. Whenever we try to bring any motion to discuss a issue we are not allowed to do it," Mannan said. Reacting to the allegations, state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters that opposition parties in Bengal Are only interested in disturbing the
Gujarat signs MoUs with IAAI, CMAI to promote textile industry
Gujarat government Monday signed two memorandum of understandings (MoUs) with the Intimate Apparel Association of India (IAAI) and the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) to promote garment and apparel sectors in the state. The MoUs were signed here during a roadshow for an investment summit, Vibrant Gujarat 2019, in the presence of chief minister Vijay Rupani. The summit, to be held from January 18-20, 2019, in Gandhinagar, would be the ninth edition of the event. "We are expecting good response this year. We expect delegates from 110 countries this year," Rupani told reporters after the event. He said more than 30,000 delegates from 100 countries participated in the last summit. In the eighth edition of Vibrant Gujarat last year, the state signed around 25,000 MoUs in sectors such as MSME, chemical, pharma, engineering and IT, among others. In the 2019 edition of the summit, the state expects 25,000-30,000 number of MoUs to be signed, according to a ...
Constitution under threat, need of the hour is to protect it: Opposition
The basic ideas enshrined in the Constitution are under "threat" under the BJP-led government and it is the need of the hour to come together and protect it, Opposition leaders said Monday. They also accused the NDA government of weakening the institutions of the country over the last four years. In a convention organised by the Scheduled Caste department of the Congress on the occasion of Constitution Day, Congress leaders asserted that it is the only party that can save the 'Idea of India'. Opposition leader Sharad Yadav said people of different castes, creed, religion and ethnicity reside in the country, and the Constitution had taken the composite culture of the nation into consideration. But, as the republic grows older, its limits of democracy are being tested, Yadav said. CPI leader D Raja said B R Ambedkar never wanted India to be a theocratic state, but efforts were being made to change it. He asserted that no change in the Constitution would be allowed. Former Uttarakhand ...
Kartarpur Corridor: Amarinder differs with Sidhu on going to Pakistan
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday said state Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu's decision to go to Pakistan for their ground-breaking ceremony of Kartarpur Corridor is "his way of thinking" but he personally cannot think of going there while Indian soldiers and civilians are being killed by them.
Cong leader compares MP CM to Jallianwala Bagh's General Dyer
Congress leader Ashok Chavan Monday compared Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to infamous British military officer Reginald Dyer, who had ordered the firing on unarmed citizens in Punjab's Jallianwala Bagh in 1919, killing over a thousand people. Chavan, who was campaigning at Sausar in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, brought up the Dyer comparison against the backdrop of the police firing on farmers in Mandsaur district of the state in June last year. Six farmers, part of massive crowds protesting against poor crop prices and demanding farm loan waivers from the Chouhan government, had died in the firing on June 6 last year. "Like General Dyer had fired on poor Indians under the British Raj, Chouhan fired on innocent farmers in Mandsaur," Chavan, the Maharashtra Congress chief, told the gathering. He alleged that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Chouhan had lied about farm loan waivers, adding that both were running "feku ..
Kartarpur corridor will be the beginning of new chapter in India-Pak ties: VP
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Monday hailed the foundation stone laying of the Kartarpur corridor as the "beginning of a new chapter" in India-Pakistan ties and said it will act as a unifier to build "bridges across old chasms". This corridor will be a bridge between the two peoples who have so much in common, Naidu said in his address at the foundation stone-laying ceremony here. "This is a corridor that opens new doors. It is a path that opens up new possibilities. It is a unifier, building bridges across old chasms. It promotes deeper understanding and a new resolve to connect the people of our two countries through love, empathy and invisible threads of common spiritual heritage," Naidu said. Underlining that it was the Indian government which urged the Government of Pakistan to develop the corridor, he said Indians are happy that Pakistan has accepted their long-pending demand. "This momentous, historic occasion has been made possible by the Government of India's decision to ...
India asks Pak to give up double standards, bring 26/11 perpetrators to justice.
On the 10th anniversary of 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes, India on Monday once again asked Pakistan to give up "double standards" and expeditiously bring the perpetrators of the horrific attack to justice. The External Affairs Ministry said Islamabad has been showing "little sincerity" in punishing those involved in the terror attack and its planners are still roaming the streets of Pakistan with "impunity". It noted that a former prime minister of Pakistan had earlier this year admitted that the terrorists were sent from Pakistan's soil, a reference to Nawaz Sharif's remarks on the issue. "We once again call on the Government of Pakistan to give up double standards and to expeditiously bring the perpetrators of the horrific attack to justice," the MEA said. "This is not just a matter of Pakistan's accountability to the families of the innocent victims who fell to terrorists, but also an international obligation," it said. India also welcomed the US statement Monday calling on Pakistan .
DMK chief Vaiko asks Stalin to spell out stand on coalition
: MDMK chief Vaiko today asked DMK president M K Stalin,whom he has supported on common issues for over a year, to make clear the party's stand on coalition after a DMK leader remarked that only the Congress and IUML are its allies 'as of now'. DMK treasurer Duraimurugan had recently told a Tamil television channel and an English daily that "as of now, only the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League were allies of the DMK." MDMK, Thol Thirumavalavan-led Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the CPI and CPI(M) were the only friendly parties as of now and no electoral pact existed between DMK and them, the top DMK leader had said. Vaiko asked party president M K Stalin to make known his stand on the coalition. "Our cadres across Tamil Nadu are saddened...Duraimurugan has aired his views. Let the DMK president make his opinion known," Vaiko told reporters at Pudukottai. Vaiko had campaigned for the DMK candidate in the R K Nagar bypoll in December 2017 and had even said ..