Page 2416 - Politics
Congress' priority is power, not people of Mizoram: PM Modi
Intensifying his attack against the Congress ahead of the assembly elections in Mizoram, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the party's priority is grabbing power and not people of Mizoram.Taking a strong objection to Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor's remark who had termed Naga headgear "outlandish", the Prime Minister accused the Congress of being least bothered about aspirations of Mizos."In the last four years, the BJP government at the Centre has worked for greater recognition and spread of Indian culture and traditions, far and wide. I feel a deep sense of anguish when I see the leaders of the Congress party abuse the same traditions," Prime Minister Modi said at a rally here."A Congress leader called the attire of the North-East as outlandish. Your hopes, ambitions do not matter to the Congress. Their priority is power and not the people of Mizoram," he added.While addressing a seminar in Thiruvananthapuram in August, Tharoor said: "Why does our Prime .
Singapore's ruling party signals choice of next PM
Singapore's ruling party has promoted Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat (HENG SWEE KET) to No 2 post, making him a likely choice to succeed the prime minister. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (LEE SEE'-yan LONG) has said he hopes to step down in four years. He called the leadership reshuffle "a major step forward in our political renewal." The People's Action Party has been in power since Singapore's independence in 1965. It holds 81 out of 87 seats in Parliament. Fifty-seven-year-old Heng was selected Friday from a group of younger politicians who are expected to take on more responsibilities. He was named the first assistant secretary-general and Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing was named the second assistant secretary-general.
China condemns consulate attack, asks Pakistan to ensure citizens' safety
China on Friday condemned the terror attack at its consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi and asked Islamabad to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in the country where it has multi-billion dollar investments.
Turkey says Trump turning a 'blind eye' to Khashoggi murder
Turkey on Friday said US President Donald Trump intended to turn a "blind eye" to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder after he said it would not affect Washington's ties with Riyadh. Trump's backing of Saudi Arabia, his key ally against Iran, comes despite global outrage over the grisly October 2 killing that has tarnished the image of both the kingdom and its de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "In one sense, Trump is saying 'I will turn a blind eye' no matter what happens," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with CNN Turk broadcaster. "This is not the right approach. Money doesn't mean everything," Cavusoglu said, referring to Trump's continued support for Saudi Arabia, which has committed billions of dollars in US weapons contracts. Trump on Tuesday glossed over the Central Intelligence Agency's reported conclusion that the crown prince had authorised the killing. "Maybe he did and maybe he didn't!" Trump said, implying Prince ...
Iran 'strongly rejects' US chemical weapons accusations
Iran "strongly rejected" on Friday US accusations that it has a chemical weapons programme and accused Washington of breaching its own commitments to the international watchdog. The US allegations are the latest salvo against Iran from the administration of President Donald Trump, who earlier this year pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between major powers and Tehran and reimposed crippling unilateral sanctions. "The United States... has made, as is its habit, baseless accusations against the Islamic republic which we strongly reject," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "Such incorrect and false accusations are due solely to enmity towards the Iranian nation and are intended to deflect international attention from its own broken commitments and continued support for the Zionist regime's chemical arsenal and for terrorist groups." The US accused Iran on Thursday of failing to declare a chemical weapons programme to the global watchdog in breach of international ...
Babbar compares rupee's falling value with age of Modi's mother, BJP demands apology from Cong
Congress leader Raj Babbar's remark comparing the rupee's falling value against the US dollar with the age of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother kicked up a controversy on Friday, with the BJP demanding an apology from the opposition party's president Rahul Gandhi. Babbar made the controversial remark while addressing a rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh's Indore city on Thursday. Madhya Pradesh goes to polls on November 28 and results will be declared on December 11. "(Before becoming the prime minister) Modi used to say that compared to the (US) dollar, the value of the rupee has fallen to a level where it is almost the same as the age of the then Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh)," Babbar, the Uttar Pradesh Congress chief, said. "Mr Prime Minister, at that time, you had not taken his (Manmohan Singh) name out of respect. Although our tradition does not allow this, we wish to say that now the value of the rupee has fallen to the age of your respected mother," he added. Modi's ...
Apologise for comments on PM's mother, Guj CM to Raj Babbar
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Friday sought an apology from Congress leader Raj Babbar for his alleged remarks comparing the falling value of the rupee against the US dollar to the age of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother. Rupani called Babbar's comments "repulsive" and said they were a result of the opposition party's frustration as it was losing public support and polls. Babbar, the Congress' Uttar Pradesh unit chief, had made the remarks while addressing a rally Thursday in Indore in Madhya Pradesh which is scheduled to go to polls on November 28. "Earlier, he (Modi) used to say that the rupee has fallen so much that it was nearing the age of the then prime minister (Manmohan Singh)...but now, we want to say that the rupee has dropped so low that it is getting closer to your respected mother's (Hiraba) age," Babbar had said at the Indore rally. The PM's mother Hiraba is a nonagenarian. The rupee has seen a continued fall against the USD all through the year, hovering a ..
Former IAS officer to join BJP
An Odisha-cadre IAS officer, Aparajita Sarangi, who recently took voluntary retirement, is set to join the BJP. "Yes, I'll join the BJP on November 27," Sarangi told PTI. She will join the saffron party in the presence of BJP president Amit Shah and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan at the national capital, senior party leader B B Harichandran said. The 1994 batch IAS officer was on central deputation since 2013 and served as joint secretary (MGNREGA), Ministry of Rural Development.
Haryana BJP leader Jai Bhagwan Sharma resigns from party
BJP's state executive committee member Jai Bhagwan Sharma resigned from his post on Friday and announced to join a new outfit which would be floated next month by former INLD leader Ajay Singh Chautala. Sharma told reporters here that when he joined the BJP before the 2014 assembly polls, he was assured a party ticket from his hometown Thanesar. "However later on, I was asked to contest from Pehowa against my wish. Later (after losing the polls), I was not only ignored by the BJP government but also humiliated," he alleged. Showering praise at Ajay Chautala and his son Dushyant Chautala, he said leaders like them have the vision to take the state ahead. Sharma claimed that Dushyant Chautala has assured him that if his party comes to power, northern Haryana would be given a due share in jobs and development and there would be no discrimination in any aspect. He said he will hold a big rally at Kurukshetra grain market on December 3 to welcome Dushyant Chautala to the town.
Modi government ignored plight of youth, farmers: Rahul
Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who is visiting the poll-bound state of Madhya Pradesh, attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the plight of youth and farmers in the country.
CP Joshi apologises after Rahul Gandhi slams him for casteist remarks
Senior Congress leader from Rajasthan C P Joshi Friday apologised for his casteist remarks after party chief Rahul Gandhi disapproved his comments and asked him to express regret. However, the BJP rejected his apology, saying the remarks "insulted" Indian culture and the Hindu religion. Addressing a poll meeting in poll-bound Rajasthan on Thursday, Joshi had reportedly said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP MP Uma Bharti and Hindu activist Sadhvi Ritambhara are from "lower castes" and know nothing of Hinduism. He had said it is the Brahmins who are learned and know of Hinduism. "Respecting the principles of the Congress party and the sentiments of party workers, I feel sorry if my statement has hurt the feelings of any section of society," Joshi said in a tweet in Hindi. Thursday night, he had posted his speech on Twitter and Facebook, saying, "I strongly condemn the fabricated use of my statement by BJP. To put all the speculation to rest, here is enclosed the clipping of the ...
KCR's repeated attacks on Naidu a "panic reaction": TDP
The TDP Friday hit back at caretaker Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for his repeated attacks on its president N Chandrababu Naidu, calling it a "panic reaction". TDP politburo member Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy asserted it was under Naidu's helmsmanship of undivided Andhra Pradesh that the present-day Telangana capital Hyderabad developed exponentially and now accounted for 64 per cent of the state's income. "On September 6 (the day the Assembly was dissolved) he (Rao) said TDP has a mere 0.2 per cent vote share in Telangana. Now he is devoting 50 per cent of his speech time criticising Naidu and the TDP. It shows his panic reaction and frustration," Reddy told PTI. Rao, the ruling TRS president, and other party leaders have frequently targeted Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, calling him an outsider and anti-Telangana leader who created hurdles in the way of Telangana's development during his stewardship of the undivided state. The TDP is ..
Modi slams Congress for lack of development in Mizoram
Targeting the lack of development and rising corruption in Mizoram during the Congress rule, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday appealed to the people in the state to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
U.S. asks allies to shun Huawei equipment, WSJ reports; sector stocks fall
(Reuters) - The U.S. government is trying to persuade wireless and internet providers in allied countries to avoid telecommunications equipment from China's Huawei Technologies, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
Rajasthan BJP expels 11 rebel leaders
The Rajasthan BJP has expelled 11 rebel leaders, including four ministers, for their decision to contest elections against party candidates, a party spokesperson said Friday. Ministers Surendra Goyal (Jaitaran),Hem Singh Bhadana (Thanagaji), Rajkumar Rinwa (Ratangarh) and Dhan singh Rawat (Banswara)are contesting as Independent candidates. Besides,sitting MLAs Anita Katara (Sagwara) and Kishnaram Nai (Sridungargarh), former MLAs Radheshyam Ganganagar,Laxminarayan and 3 other leaders were also expelled late on Thursday night after they did not withdraw nomination papers on the last day yesterday,the spokesperson said. Polling in the state will take place on December 7.
Sidhu credits his hug to Pak Army chief for Kartarpur corridor development
Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday took credit for the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur corridor in Pakistan saying that it was his hug to Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa during Islamabad visit that has pushed the Centre to take initiative in developing the proposed corridor.Speaking to media, Sidhu said, "My hug turned out good for 15-16 crores of people as the central government is now making move to develop the corridor from the International Border to Gurudwara Kartapur Sahib. At least this deal was not similar to Rafale deal".On Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a Note Verbale to the Pakistan government urging it to develop a corridor with suitable facilities in its territory from the International Border to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib.The cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday approved to build and develop the proposed corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to the International Border. This would allow ...
States Must Focus On Long Term Economic Model Says Vice President
The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that states must focus on long term economic model for the betterment of the people and must not settle for short-term populist measures. Addressing the gathering after presenting India Today State of State Awards 2018, he said that the relationship between the states and the centre must be built on trust, transparency and mutual respect. Naidu said both parties should practice openness and should not be limited by narrow political divisiveness. He further said that there is an agenda greater than politics before all of us, the agenda of taking development to the last man, the goal of ensuring Antyodaya. Federals should not end at door steps of State capitals, they must reach to villages, he added.
C.P. Joshi apologises for remark, BJP demands his expulsion
Rebuked by his own party and facing backlash from the BJP, former Union Minister and Congress veteran C.P. Joshi on Friday apologised for his remarks that "only Brahmins can speak about Hindu religion, not Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union minister Uma Bharti".
Tiwari writes to Lok Sabha Speaker to bring privilege motion against AAP MLA
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari plans to bring a Privilege motion against AAP Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan during the Winter Session of Parliament for allegedly assaulting and threatening him during the inauguration of the Signature Bridge across the Yamuna river recently.
TDP seeks to take fight to TRS camp in do-or-die poll battle
Under vitriolic attack from caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on its President N Chandrababu Naidu, the Telugu Desam Party is putting up a brave front in the Telangana Assembly polls. The December seven election to the 119-member Telangana Assembly is seen in some quarters as a "do-or-die" political battle for the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister in the country's youngest state. Senior TDP politburo member Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy sees Rao's repeated attacks on Naidu as a "panic reaction". "On September six (after the Assembly was dissolved), he (Rao) said TDP has a mere 0.2 per cent vote share in Telangana. Now, he (Rao) is devoting 50 per cent of his speech time criticising Naidu and TDP. It shows his panic reaction and frustration," Reddy told PTI. The Congress, the TDP, the Telananga Jana Samiti (TJS) and the Communist party of India have forged an alliance to take on the ruling TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samiti). In alliance with the BJP, the TDP had bagged 15 .