Page 2413 - Politics

No Brexit is not an option, warns Theresa May

Britain faces "more division" and "uncertainty" if a draft Brexit deal falls through, Prime Minister Theresa May warned on Friday, but refused to rule out resigning if Parliament voted down the divorce agreement with the EU. May on Friday took to the airwaves for a second time in days to reach out for public support over her controversial Brexit withdrawal deal with the European Union (EU). In a phone-in BBC radio show, she reiterated that the agreement she had finalised was the best possible outcome and that the EU would not be offering a better deal even if it is defeated by MPs in the House of Commons next month. "If this deal doesn't go through we are back at square one. What we end up with is more uncertainty and more division," she warned. "My job is to persuade people. I believe this is the right deal for the UK. My job is to persuade people in Parliament of that view. "Personally, there's no question of no Brexit because the government needs to deliver on what people voted for

Ban on export of beef demanded

A group of citizens under the banner of 'Hindu Charter' demanded on Friday the government earmark Rs 10,000 crore for restoration of dilapidated temples and heritage of the country, and put a ban export of beef. A workshop was held here where participants discussed an eight-point charter of demands, including equal rights for practitioners of various religions in the country. Addressing the gathering, former Delhi minister and rebel Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Kapil Mishra alleged Hindus have been treated as "second class citizen" in the country by successive governments. He demanded a complete ban on export of beef. Speakers at the workshop demanded the government set up a body with a seed money of at least Rs 10,000 crore for restoration of dilapidated temples and heritage institutions.

Wickremesinghe's supporters win control of key Lankan Parliament committee

Lawmakers supporting sacked Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have taken control of Sri Lanka Parliament's main committee on Friday, in a major setback for President Maithripala Sirisena and his prime ministerial appointee Mahinda Rajapaksa.A vote was taken by name through the electronic voting system, where the opposition secured the 12-member committee with Wickremesinghe's alliance voting 121 for and none against in the 225-member Sri Lankan Parliament, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said, Colombo Page reported.The Speaker named five members each from the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by Sirisena and United National Front (UNF) led by Wickremesinghe, and one each from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) respectively.During the voting process, pro-Rajapaksa supporters created a brief ruckus in the Sri Lankan Parliament, when they staged a walkout, alleging that the Speaker was "biased".Prior to the vote, the UPFA demanded a ..

Election in 10 Tripura municipalities will be held on Dec 22

The Tripura State Election Commission (SEC) Friday announced that elections in 10 municipalities will be held on December 22. Along with the election to the 10 municipalities, by-elections will also be held for vacant seats in five other urban local bodies including the Agartala Municipal Corporation on December 22, it said. State Election Commissioner, G Kameswar Rao told a press conference here that "the state government has dissolved 10 municipalities due to certain grounds by issuing a gazette notification. Apart from this, there are also other casual vacancies in five municipal bodies which were caused due to resignation and other reasons." Ballot papers would be used in the municipal election and by-elections instead of EVMs as the Election Commission of India has declined to give Electronic Voting Machines for the polls, he said. The notification for the election to the 10 municipalities and by-polls in five urban local bodies would be issued by the State ...

PM not keeping dignity of office, needs crash course in India's history: Anand Sharma

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday for accusing the opposition party of practising "dynastic" politics, saying he needs a "crash course" on the country's history. Sharma alleged that the prime minister has not kept the dignity of his office and is making "frivolous" statements. "It is unfortunate that the prime minister is making such statements. The prime minister is less literate in history, geography and economics," he said. "Regarding using word dynasty and democracy, PM Modi needs a crash course. Advise him to read the objectives resolution moved by Pt. Nehru in the constituent Assembly on December 13, 1946, which laid the foundation of a robust democracy," Sharma said. "On dynasty, Modiji must know that after Rajiv Gandhi's oath in 1985, no member of the family took oath even as a minister. Rahul Gandhi was MP since 2004 but declined ministerial office. The PM is running scared as people are angry and the BJP is headed for a ...

Congress is an army without commander in MP: Shah

Taking a dig at the Congress for not declaring its chief ministerial face for the November 28 Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, BJP chief Amit Shah on Friday said the opposition party was an army without a commander in the state. Shah also slammed former prime minister Manmohan Singh over his recent criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and claimed that the latter had enhanced the country's prestige in the world. "In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP is contesting the election under the leadership of Shivraj Singh Chouhan. But who is the chief ministerial face of the Congress?...It is an army without a commander," the BJP chief said at an election rally in Seoni district's Lakhnadon. "Who is the commander of the (Congress) army? A king, an emperor and a tired industrialist...Rahul (Gandhi) should tell which of these is the commander of the army," Shah said, in an apparent reference to Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Kamal Nath respectively. Targeting Manmohan ...

Raj Babbar says rupee value nearing age of Modi's mother; BJP seeks apology

Babbar made the remark while addressing a rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh's Indore

On 26/11 eve, Chabad House to be rechristened 'Nariman Light House'

Mumbai's Chabad House in the Nariman House Colaba, one of the bloody targets of the 26/11 terror strikes, will be renamed as 'Nariman Light House' on the 10th anniversary of the attacks and 10 months after Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit, official sources said on Friday.

Hope Kartarpur corridor will act as soothing balm for India, Pak: Sidhu

Expressing his gratitude to the central government over its initiative to develop the proposed Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur corridor in Pakistan, Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday hoped that the corridor would "yield undeniable and implicit change and thaw" in the relations, adding that it will "build bridges, burn animosity and will act as a soothing balm for two neighbouring countries."In a letter to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Sidhu wrote, "It fills my heart with joy unspeakable on learning that the Government of India has agreed to build a corridor for pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Sahib on 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. As a Sikh devotee and as a man committed to the cause of Punjab and its people, I am extremely grateful and indebted for the steps initiated by the Government of India."He said that the Kartarpur corridor has been a "long-standing demand of the Sikh community across the globe" and the recent step taken by the Centre "has ...

BJP bandh to condemn Kerala cops' "disrespectful" behaviour

The Bharatiya Janata Party Friday observed a dawn-to-dusk bandh in this district, to condemn the "disrespectful" behaviour of police towards Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan while he was en route to Sabarimala two days ago. Most shops remained closed. BJP workers shouted slogans against the Kerala government and its police. They also blocked some Kerala State Transport Corporation Buses for sometime before police persuaded them to disperse. At Gudalur in Theni district, some BJP workers blocked a KSRTC bus for an hour before police intervened. Radhakrishnan's Sabarimala visit got entangled in a controversy after the BJP alleged that a senior IPS officer Yatish Chandra allegedly behaved arrogantly" with the minister Wednesday. Radhakrishnan, who was on his way to the shrine, engaged in a brief altercation with the police at Nilackal over restrictions on private vehicles heading to Pamba, the last entry point to the Lord Ayyappa shrine. BJP workers also alleged that ...

Delhi BJP protests alleged misbehaviour with Union minister at Sabarimala

The South Indian cell of Delhi BJP staged a demonstration outside the Kerala House here Friday, protesting alleged misbehaviour with Union minister Pon Radhakrishanan and other devotees by the state police at Sabrimala temple complex. The minister had expressed displeasure during his pilgrimage to Sabarimala earlier this week, over the behaviour of a senior police officer. On Tuesday, the Union minister had engaged in a brief war of words with the police in Nilackal over the restrictions on private vehicles heading to Pamba, the last entry point to the Lord Ayyappa shrine. Though Superintendent of Police Yatish Chandra had said Radhakrishnan could travel in his official vehicle, he proceeded to Pamba from Nilackal in a state-run KSRTC bus as a mark of protest against the restrictions that were "causing difficulties" for pilgrims. The BJP men protested outside Kerala House at Jantar Mantar raising slogans against the CPI(M) government in the state. The protesters including Delhi BJP ..

BJP to raise issue of Somnath Bharti abusing woman scribe in special session of Delhi Assembly

Opposition parties Friday continued their attack on AAP MLA Somnath Bharti for allegedly hurling abuses at a woman journalist, with the BJP saying it will raise the issue in one-day special session of the Delhi Assembly. The Mahila Congress staged a protest outside the Aam Aadmi Party's office at DDU Marg here. "Bharti's behaviour with the woman anchor of a private TV news channel was utterly disgusting and revolting. He is a repeat offender," said Delhi Mahila Congress president Sharmishtha Mukherjee. Bharti had apologised to the anchor in a tweet, saying that his words were not targeted towards her. BJP's Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said he will raise the issue in the special session called by the AAP government on Monday. Gupta also attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the issue, alleging that he was defending Bharti. "He is defending Somnath Bharti instead of taking strict action against him for his misbehavior with the woman ...

Raje accuses Cong of promoting 'one family'

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje accused Friday the Congress of promoting one family instead of focusing on the country's development. Raje made the remarks at an election rally Friday ahead of the December 7 polls. "The BJP treats the country as its mother but the Congress's mother is Sonia Gandhi. She is more than the Mother India for the party. They believe in worshipping one family than the country," Raje said referring to sloganeering in Bikaner where a Congress leader allegedly asked workers to raise slogans of 'Sonia Gandhi ki Jai' instead of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'. Raje was campaigning ahead of the assembly polls in Tonk, Bundi, Banswara and Chittorgarh districts. She said the Congress worked to create a divide among different castes in the last 50 years. Raje exuded confidence that saffron will again bloom in Rajasthan riding on the development work and public welfare schemes of the BJP-led state government.

Rajasthan polls: Rebels queer the pitch for BJP, Cong

Over 50 of the 200 assembly constituencies in Rajasthan will see a triangular contest with rebels from both the BJP and the Congress remaining in the fray as independent candidates on many of these seats. There will be three-way contests also for seats where other independents and parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party are challenging the two major parties. The BJP Thursday night suspended four Rajasthan ministers from the party for six years for not withdrawing their nomination papers in favour of the official nominees. Three other sitting MLAs who insisted on contesting again as independents in the December 7 elections were similarly punished. The party called the action expulsion for six years. Surendra Goyal (Jaitaran), Hem Singh Bhadana (Thanagaji), Dhan Singh Rawat (Banswara), Rajkumar Rinwa (Ratangarh) are the four rebel ministers. They stop being party members but have not been sacked as ministers. The sittings MLAs affected by the recent action are Navnit Lal Ninama ...

Damodar Rout floats new party in Biju Patnaik's name

Former Odisha minister and expelled Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Damodar Rout Friday announced formation of a new regional political party the 'Biju Samata Kranti Dal'. Rout said the new party was named after Biju Patnaik as the BJD had "deviated" from the ideologies of the legendary leader. Announcing the partys name at a press meet here accompanied by former Union minister and founder of Samata Kranti Dal, Braja Kishore Tripathy and Odisha Jana Morcha (OJM) chief Jagnesar, Rout hit out at the BJD government headed by Naveen Patnaik. "The ruling party has become corrupt. Biju Samata Kranti Dal will preserve and promote the ideologies and principles of former chief minister Biju Patnaik," the Paradip MLA told reporters. Tripathy and Jagneswar had also been expelled from the BJD in the past. Odisha Assembly elections are due next year along with the Lok Sabha elections. Rout was expelled from the BJD on September 12 for alleged 'anti-party' activities. Rout had alleged ...

Farmers' unrest will hurt BJP in Rajasthan, MP: CPI(M)

Farmers' "unrest" in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh will hurt the BJP's poll prospects in these states, senior CPI(M) leader Hannan Mollah claimed Friday. Elections in BJP- ruled Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are scheduled to be held on December 7 and November 28, respectively. The CPI(M)'s in-charge for Rajasthan, Mollah, also claimed that since the BJP came to power in these states, there has been "agricultural distress". "Farmers' unrest in both Rajathan and Madhya Pradesh will hurt BJP's electoral prospects in the assembly poll. "Farmers in both the state are angry over agricultural policy decisions adopted by the BJP governments. There has been agricultural distress in both the BJP ruled states in last five years," said Mollah, who also general secretary in the All India Kisan Sabha. The Mandsaur police firing incident in which five protesting farmers were killed in Madhya Pradesh was a turning point and a political set back for the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, he told ...

Opposition seeking to build state-level alliances against BJP: Pawar

The opposition parties are trying to forge state-specific anti-BJP alliances and not a grand coalition at the national level, NCP president Sharad Pawar said on Friday. Earlier this month, Telugu Desam Party supremo Chandrababu Naidu had met Pawar and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah in Delhi, as part of his efforts to build a pan-India alliance to take on the BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha polls. "We are not trying to make a nationwide mega alliance. Our effort is to form state-wise alliances, giving primacy to the major political party in every state. "For this, we are going to meet in Delhi on December 10. The issue of use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) would also be discussed in the meeting," he said. Some opposition parties have expressed reservations about the use of EVMs, alleging that they can be tampered with. Asked about the decision of the West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh governments to withdraw the "general consent" to the CBI, Pawar said, "If the BJP-led central ..

Bihar Minister confident Tejashwi will vacate govt bungalow

Minister of Building Construction Department Maheshwar Hazari is confident that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav will abide by the Patna High Court's orders and vacate the official residence which he was accorded during his term as Bihar's deputy chief minister.Speaking to ANI, Hazari said: "During the 'Mahagathbandhan' government, the bungalow was allotted to Tejashwi ji. When the NDA government was elected to power, it was decided to reserve it for Deputy Chief Ministers only. The matter then went to court, which directed him (Tejashwi) to vacate it. My department has also written to the district administration to oversee the eviction lawfully. I believe he will respect the law and vacate it."Additionally, Hazari confirmed that his department quashed RJD supremo Lalu Yadav's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav's appeal for the provision of government accommodation, which he was given while he served as the Health Minister in the state government.Hazari said, "We thought about

Sidhu welcomes centre's move on Kartarpur corridor

Punjab Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday welcomed the Central government's move to construct the infrastructure for the Kartarpur corridor in Punjab.

A day on Amit Shah's campaign trail: Jibes at 'Rahul Baba', Diggy Raja

Hopping from one rally to another across western Madhya Pradesh, BJP president Amit Shah on Friday exhorted people to chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', cracked jokes and took jibes at the Congress for what he called its misgovernance and dynastic rule. As poll campaign heated up in Madhya Pradesh in the run-up to the November 28 assembly election, Shah stepped up his offensive against the Congress, taking potshots at its president Rahul Gandhi and former chief minister Digvijay Singh. Addressing multiple rallies on a day of hectic electioneering across Chhindwara, Balaghat and Jabalpur regions, capped with a road show in Katni, Shah exhorted people in his meetings to raise slogan of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' in such a loud voice so as to reach Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigning in distant Mizoram in the Northeast. As he travelled from one rally to another, Shah waved at people from his chopper, cavalcade and dais, cracked jokes in his speeches, targeted the dynastic rule by four-and-half ..