Page 243 - Politics
Abdullah bats for talks with Pakistan and domestic stakeholders on Kashmir issue
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah Friday called for external as well as internal dialogues to address the Kashmir issue and expressed hope that the new dispensation at the Centre would use its massive mandate to usher in an era of peace in Jammu and Kashmir. "The resumption of talks between India and Pakistan will help the people of our state to live a better life free of insecurity and tension. I am hopeful that the new dispensation at the Centre will use its massive mandate to usher in an era of peace in the state. "We in our party will continue to impress upon the central government to engage with the neighbouring country. Internally too, the Centre should initiate talks with all stakeholders," Abdullah said. Addressing various delegations that called on him here, Abdullah said the central government had not done any thing towards bringing rapprochement and reconciliation in the state for the past five years. "However, I am hopeful that the new dispensation at the ...
Rahul renews attack on BJP, Modi during 'thanksgiving' visit to Wayanad
Returning to his fiery-self in attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi post the Lok Sabha polls debacle, Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused him and the BJP of spreading "hatred and intolerance" and said the Congress will continue to fight them. Holding a massive roadshow in Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency amid heavy rains to thank voters for electing him, the Congress chief said his party will emerge as a strong opposition and defend the poor. "Modi might have so much money. He might have media by his side.... He might have rich friends with him but the Congress party will continue to fight against the intolerance created by the BJP," said Gandhi, who travelled in a special open vehicle along with state leaders. "The hatred and intolerance created by the BJP and Modi will be dealt by the Congress party with love and affection," Gandhi said in his first public function after the drubbing in Lok Saha polls where it bagged 52 seats. Gandhi, who also contested from his pocket borough of Amethi .
Iran rejects French idea of re-opening nuclear talks
Iran on Friday rejected an idea mooted by France of re-opening nuclear talks, warning that seeking to broaden an existing landmark treaty could lead to its collapse. President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that his goal of "regional peace" would require new negotiations, adding that Paris aimed to rein in Iran's nuclear and ballistics activities and its regional influence. He made the comments at a press conference with US President Donald Trump, who last year withdrew from the multi-lateral agreement known as the JCPOA. But Tehran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi warned Friday that "bringing up issues that are beyond the JCPOA does not help in saving the JCPOA, but will instead cause increased distrust among the remaining parties" to the deal. European leaders, bitterly angered by Trump's pullout from the deal in May last year, have struggled to find ways to salvage it in the face of Washington's re-instatement of tough sanctions. In a statement on the foreign ministry's ...
Defection of MLAs:Cong to move HC Monday, announces agitations
A day after two-thirds of its 18 MLAs crossed over to ruling TRS, the embattled Congress in Telangana Friday said it would move the high court Monday and announced state-wide protests against the Assembly Speaker's decision recognising their merger. Also alleging that the MLAs were 'purchased' by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the party said it would approach the Lokpal and also raise the issue in coming Parliament session. As Congress activists took to streets in various parts of Telangana Friday protesting against the merger, state Congress president Uttam Kumar Reddy announced that the Leader of the Opposition in the assembly Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka will stage a 36-hour long fast here from 11 am Saturday. He also said Congress would hold protest demonstrations across the state from Saturday. In dramatic turn of events, Telangana Assembly Speaker P Srinivas Reddy Thursday recognised 12 MLAs of Congress as members of TRS hours after they moved him seeking merger of ...
Mamata says no to Niti Aayog meet, says "it's fruitless"
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday refused to attend a meeting of the NITI Aayog to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 15, saying it is "fruitless" as the body has no financial powers to support state plans. Banerjee further said it is "simply useless" to attend the meet as its agenda is fixed by the Centre without consulting the states. Her decision to skip the meeting of the top plan panel comes days after she stayed away from the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 30 citing as "untrue" claims by the BJP that 54 of its party workers were murdered in political violence in Bengal. She conveyed her decision not to attend the NITI Aayog meeting in a letter written to the prime minister. Later in the day, while talking to reporters, Banerjee said Planning Commission was more effective than NITI Aayog and sought its return. "I have also written a letter to like minded chief ministers of opposition parties raising the issue of ...
Rahul attacks Modi, BJP in thanksgiving Wayanad roadshow
Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in his roadshow in Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency Friday said the hatred and intolerance spread by the BJP will be dealt with love and affection. In the massive roadshow to thank voters for electing him with a massive majority, Gandhi said his party will emerge as a strong Opposition and defend the poor. "Modi might have so much money. He might have media by his side... He might have rich friends with him but the Congress party will continue to fight against the intolerance created by the BJP," Gandhi said. "The hatred intolerance created by BJP and Modi will be dealt by the Congress party with love and affection," he added. Gandhi said he looked forward to represent the people of his constituency to build a better Wayanad. Braving heavy rains, the Congress chief took out a roadshow in his constituency, spread over in the districts of Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode, thanking voters for electing him ..
Congress questions BJP over poll expenses, demands poll fund
The Congress on Friday said the BJP spent around Rs 28,000 crore of the total Rs 60,000 crore spent by all political parties during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and demanded that the BJP disclose the details of the source of the money.
MHA warns of penal action against NGOs changing office bearers without approval
The Home Ministry has warned of taking penal action against NGOs which change office bearers without taking its approval, saying replacement of key functionaries of FCRA registered organisations without prior permission is a violation of law. In a notification, the home ministry said incidents have come to light that some NGOs, having registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), have changed their office bearers without its approval and without updating this data on a real time basis through the online application meant for change of these details. The ministry told the NGOs to submit applications for addition/ deletion/change of details about office bearers/ key functionaries by July 7, failing which penal action will be initiated against them. "It may be noted that the online application for any service must be signed by the chief functionary of the association and the name of the chief functionary/ signatory must also be reflected in the list of office bearers/ .
TRS ahead of rivals in Telangana MPP elections
The ruling TRS continued its dominance in the rural local body polls in Telangana, winning indirect elections to Mandal Praja Parishads(MPP) that were held Friday. TRS is ahead of its rivals in the MPP elections across the state, official sources said. The data on the polls would be known after compilation, they said. MPP chairperson and other posts are elected by the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) members. The TRS bagged 3,548 of the total 5,817 MPTCs in the rural local body polls (to elect MPTCs and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency- ZPTC members) held last month. Congress and BJP managed to win 1,392 and 208 respectively. The ruling TRS has won 449 of the total 538 Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs) and the party is expected to bag all the 32 Zilla Parishads whose indirect election would be held Saturday. TRS returned to power in the Assembly polls held in December last with a massive majority (winning 88 of total 119 ...
Now Z-plus, additional Delhi Police components to guard Amit Shah
Within a week of his taking over as Union Home Minister, the security of Amit Shah has been reviewed by Delhi Police which has deployed an "additional component" of its personnel at the residence of the BJP leader who already enjoys 'Z-plus' category of protective cover.
Cabinet panel on parliamentary affairs meets at Rajnath's residence
The newly-set up Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs met here on Friday ahead of the first session of the new Lok Sabha. The committee met at the residence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who chairs it. Home Minister Amit Shah was among the ministers who attended the meeting which comes days before the parliament session beginning June 17. A decision on the pro-tem Speaker who will administer oath to new members, election of Speaker on June 19, presentation of the Union Budget on July 5 are some of the important issues the committee is believed to have discussed. The session will go on till July 26. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi earlier today met Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi, seeking her party's cooperation for smooth functioning of the Parliament session. Joshi's visit to Gandhi's residence is part of the government's exercise to reach out to the opposition. The meeting lasted around 15 minutes, sources said. Joshi has also met Leader of ...
Free ride for women: Kejriwal directs MLAs, councillors to hold public meetings to seek feedback
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday directed his MLAs and councillors to hold public meetings across the city to take feedback from the people about his government's proposal to make travel free for women in public buses and metro. The step is also aimed at mobilising public opinion in favour of the party ahead of the assembly polls. Addressing a press conference at Kejriwal's official residence here, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the Chief Minister held a meeting with MLAs, councillors and the party's women wing and directed them to hold 1,000 'sabhas' (meetings) across Delhi. People participating in these planned 'sabhas' will be told that the BJP is opposing the AAP government's decision, Sisodia said, adding that the party will also seek to know who all are supporting the saffron party. "The CM has directed all AAP MLAs and councillors to hold 1,000 small public meetings across Delhi to take people's feedback on the scheme. Every MLA and councillor has been asked to .
Mamata seeks SC-like collegium to appoint election commissioners
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee demanded on Friday the setting up of a collegium on the lines of the Supreme Court to appoint election commissioners, asserting that the three nominated members of the poll panel should not be given the mandate to hold elections. The Trinamool Congress chief hit out at the Election Commission for what she alleged was its partisan approach during the Lok Sabha polls. "In the Supreme Court, there is a collegium to decide (on the appointment of judges). In the Election Commission, too, there should be a collegium to decide on the appointment of elections commissioners," Banerjee said. "Three nominated members can't have the mandate to conduct the polls." The TMC had hit out at the commission several times during the general election, accusing it of being under the influence of the Centre. The chief minister appealed to the Opposition to together demand the constitution of a fact-finding committee to unravel the alleged tampering of electronic ...
Singhvi says he wants to challenge Leader of Opposition rule, if Congress party permits
Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi on Friday said the single largest party in Lok Sabha deserves the post of Leader of Opposition and alleged that the rule cited to deny it the status was unconstitutional. The eminent lawyer said he is keen to challenge the rule, if the party permits. The Congress leader also called for constructive introspection and said this was a "transition period" for the party that would also pass. The Congress did not get the post of Leader of Opposition in the last Lok Sabha as it had only 44 seats in 2014, which is below the 10 per cent seats mark as cited in the rule. After having won 52 Lok Sabha seats in this general election, the Congress is unlikely to get the post this time again. "Denying the Congress the Leader of Opposition is illegal. No Act of Parliament states that the Congress cannot be given the post if it gets less than 10 per cent of total Lok Sabha seats. There is no convention either. The Congress deserves the post," Singhvi said. "How can you
Rahul attacks Modi, says will combat intolerance spread by BJP
Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Friday said the hatred and intolerance spread by the BJP will be dealt with love and affection. In his massive roadshow in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency to thank voters for electing him with a massive majority, Gandhi said the congress party will emerge as a strong opposition and defend the poor. "Modi might have so much money. He might have media by his side... He might have rich friends with him but the Congress party will continue to fight against the intolerance created by the BJP," Gandhi said. "The hatred and intolerance created by BJP and Modi will be dealt by the Congress party with love and affection," Gandhi added.
Mamata terms LS polls scandalous, demands fact finding committee
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday claimed that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used in the recently-held Lok Sabha elections were "programmed" and urged the opposition parties to start a movement demanding a fact finding committee to probe the issue.
AAP to hold 1,000 public meetings for proposed free rides for women
Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party on Friday said its MLAs, councillors and women volunteers will hold 1,000 public meetings in the next seven days to get public opinion on the proposed free metro and bus rides for women.
BJP should make public sources of 'humongous' funds it spent during Lok Sabha polls: Congress
The Congress Friday asked the BJP to make public the sources of the "humongous amount of Rs 27,000 crore" it had reportedly spent in the Lok Sabha polls, and pitched for a national election fund to provide a level-playing field to all contesting parties. Citing data from a study on election expenditure by parties, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the government should come out with a white paper on electoral funding and expenditure. According to the study by Centre for Media Studies, a total of Rs 60,000 crore was spent by all parties put together in the Lok Sabha election and the ruling BJP alone spent Rs 27,000 crore or 45 per cent of it. The Congress leader claimed that the total amount was equivalent to 30 per cent of India's education budget, 43 per cent of health budget, 10 per cent of defence budget and 45 per cent of allocation for rural job scheme MGNREGA. "If Rs 60,000 crore is spent in on electioneering by parties, it can never be good for Indian democracy - the .
Jitendra Singh attributes victory from Udhampur to BJP workers' hardwork
Union Minister Jitendra Singh Friday attributed his victory from the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir to the dedication of BJP workers. Hundreds of party leaders and supporters gathered at the airport and along roads here to welcome Singh on his return from Delhi after his induction into Narendra Modi's council of ministers. BJP state president Ravinder Raina and other senior leaders felicitated the newly-inducted minister. Speaking at the party's headquarters at Trikutanagar, Singh thanked BJP leaders and workers for their hardwork during the general elections and the people for their support. "It is the dedication of our workers that we have today won this seat by 3.5 lakh votes. I also salute the voters who voted in large numbers despite scorching heat and long queues," he said. Singh had secured 7,15,406 votes while Vikramaditya Singh from the Congress got 3,66,123 votes. He retained Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Development of North-eastern
NPP gets national party status
The ruling National People's Party (NPP), which is in an alliance with the BJP in Meghalaya, was on Friday granted recognition as a national party by the Election Commission. The NPP becomes the first party from the North East to get the national party status. It is a recognised party in four states of the region. "The party has fulfilled the eligibility condition for being a recognised as a national party as laid down in paragraph 6B (iii) (the party is recognized as state party in at least four states)," ECI secretary Pramod Kumar Sharma said in an order issued Friday. As per the party's request, the symbol 'book' has been allotted to it, Kumar said. NPP chief and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma took to twitter to announce the news. "Glad to announce to our party supporters, well wishers and members of the party that #ElectionCommissionOfIndia has accorded "National Party" Status to National People's Party @nppmeghalaya Thank you #Northeast for all your support. ...