Page 2434 - Politics
11-member team to review poll preparedness in Telangana
: A 11-member team headed by Chief Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat would be visiting Telangana for two days beginning Thursday to review the poll preparedness, a state government official said Wednesday. During the visit, the team would hold a meeting with Chief Secretary S K Joshi, Director General of Police Mahendar Reddy, district electoral officers, superintendents of police and others, the official said. Election Commissioners Sunil Arora and Ashok Lavasa would also be coming here as part of the team. The state is going to poll on December 7. The poll was originally scheduled to be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections next year, but the assembly was dissolved on September 6.
BJP govt has converted CBI into 'collection bureau': AP CM
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Wednesday accused the BJP-led NDA government of converting the Central Bureau of Investigation into a "collection bureau" and damaging the independence of the Reserve Bank of India. The state government had recently withdrawn the "general consent" accorded to the Central Bureau of Investigation to conduct raids and carry out investigations in the state. "An official of the CBI himself revealed the Prime Ministers Office's interference in the agency's functioning. The official filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on the interference of (National Security Adviser) Ajit Doval and the Union Law secretary," the CM said, referring to CBI DIG Manish Kumar Sinha's petition in the apex court levelling allegations against various top functionaries in the Alok Verma case. A Telugu Desam Party release said Naidu made these remarks during a teleconference with party leaders Wednesday. Hitting out at the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, the
Attack on Kejriwal 'scripted' by AAP to gain sympathy ahead of polls: BJP
The BJP alleged Wednesday the attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was "scripted" by his Aam Aadmi Party and that it was its "modus operandi" before every election to gain "sympathy". Addressing a news conference here, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari listed the attacks on the AAP chief in the run-up to the 2013 Delhi Assembly election and the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. On Tuesday, a man flung chilli powder at Kejriwal outside his office at the Delhi Secretariat. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) described it as "politically motivated". "The attack on the CM was scripted by the AAP. Before the incident, the man who attacked Kejriwal was in touch with the CM's office. He gained entry into the Delhi Secretariat after the CM's office asked for it...It is the AAP's modus operandi before every election to seek people's sympathy," Tiwari told reporters. The BJP leader termed the incident as another "drama" ahead of the Lok Sabha election to be held early next year. The Delhi Police registered a case ...
Pak keen to learn from Mahathir Mohamad's experice in transforming Malaysian economy: PM Khan
Pakistan is keen to learn from the vast experience of Malaysia's veteran Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad how he transformed the country's economy, Prime Minister Imran Khan said Wednesday. Khan, who is on a two-day official visit here, said one of the main reasons he has made a trip to Malaysia is out of his admiration for Mahathir. Mahathir, 93, Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister, staged a spectacular comeback to politics in May this year, becoming the world's oldest head of government. "We look upon you as a statesman, someone who has transformed this country. "We have followed Malaysia's progress, especially since Dr Mahathir came into office, and my party (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) wants to learn from your experience how you transformed the economy and developed it, raised the per capita income, the Gross Domestic Product," he said at a joint press conference with Mahathir, the official Bernama news agency quoted Khan as saying. The 66-year-old cricketer-turned-politician ..
MGP's HC plea has created uneasiness among ruling allies: BJP
The Goa unit of the BJP Wednesday said its ally Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party's move of filing a petition seeking disqualification of two former Congress MLAs has created "uneasiness" among other ruling partners. The MGP had filed a disqualification petition before Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court on Monday seeking to disqualify two former Congress MLAs Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte- who had resigned from the party and membership of the House to join the BJP. The BJP, which has been sharing power with the MGP, the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and independents in Goa, said the MGP has filed the plea as it was worried that it might lose its MLAs in a similar fashion. "The MGP has filed a petition, which has created uneasiness among the other alliance partners. We condemn MGP's action of approaching the high court against the two leaders," BJP's Goa state general secretary Sadanand Tanawade told reporters. He, however, said that they will not request the MGP to ...
Telangana: Congress candidate Esa Misri confident of winning Chandrayangutta seat
Bodybuilder Esa Misri, Congress candidate from the Chandrayangutta constituency in the forthcoming Telangana assembly elections, expressed confidence of winning the seat since his focus is on development of the area, building government schools and hospitals, and women empowerment, unlike his rivals.Misri will be contesting against Bharatiya Janata Party's Shehzadi and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi's younger brother Akbaruddin Owaisi."I was never into politics. My full attention was on bodybuilding. I have brought three medals for India from the US and I am very proud of it. Since past one year, I have been closely monitoring old city politics. The leaders who are ruling the old city are targeting one community and threatening them that if they don't elect the leaders, the community as a whole will be in danger," Misri told ANI."In our country, all religious people live together but these few politicians are playing with the (emotions of ...
UN envoy in Yemen amid preparation for peace talks
The UN Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, arrived here on Wednesday and headed along with his delegation to downtown in capital Sanaa.
AAP stages protest near BJP HQ; calls Delhi Police 'biased'
The Aam Aadmi Party staged a protest near the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters here on Wednesday against the attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and termed the Delhi Police a "biased force" which was protecting "lunatics and anti-social elements". Party volunteers raised slogans against the BJP and its leaders marched from the AAP office, but were stopped at a barricade near the BJP office. On Tuesday, a man flung chilli powder at Kejriwal outside his office at the Delhi Secretariat. The chief minister's spectacles broke, but he was not injured in the attack. At the protest, AAP national secretary Pankaj Gupta alleged that the attacks on the party would intensify in coming days since the BJP was baffled, which, he added, was evident by deletion of 15 lakh voters' names in Delhi. MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj called the Delhi Police a "biased force", which was protecting "lunatics and anti-social elements", making the chief minister and his ministers vulnerable. Party leader Raghav ...
Committed to protect democracy despite personal abuse, says Sri Lankan Speaker
Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said on Wednesday that he was committed to protect democracy despite personal abuse and slander thrown at him by the government led by disputed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. In a statement, Jayasuriya said the baseless allegations are levelled against him "through regular press conferences by political parties that failed to show their majority in parliament in the proper manner and through political protests organised with the participation of their party members can be observed." Jayasuriya also filed a complaint with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) over a fake letter circulating on social media claiming it was sent by him to the Chief Justice, the Colombo Gazette reported. The letter quoted Jayasuriya as requesting the opinion of the Chief Justice on if President Maithripapala Sirisena was in a situation where he could not exercise, perform and discharge the powers, duties and functions of his office, the paper ...
BJP releases its Assam rural poll manifesto
The BJP on Wednesday released its manifesto for the coming rural polls in Assam promising development schemes to the rural people. The manifest was releaased in the presence of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and state party president Ranjeet Dass. Sonowal told the meeting the manifesto was aimed to uplift every family living in Assam's villages, tea gardens, char (riverine) and panchayat areas is economically uplifted, live with dignity and be benefited by the various government development schemes for their welfare. "For people to get these benefits we want to strengthen the panchayati raj system riding it of corruption so that it can work in the interest of the people of the state", Sonowal said. "Not allowing corruption in the Panchayati Raj System is our main aim so that Assam can develop to be one of the front ranking states of India", Sonowal said. The panchayat polls were scheduled to be held in two phases on December 5 and 9 in 26 districts and 14 civil ...
76.35 per cent voting in Chhattisgarh Assembly polls
Voter turnout of 76.35 per cent was recorded in the Chhattisgarh Assembly election which concluded Tuesday, poll authorities said. It was a little less than the previous 2013 polls when 77.40 per cent of voters had exercised their franchise. The election to the 90-member Assembly was held in two phases -- November 12 and 20. The incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power for the last 15 years. "An average 76.35 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the two-phased election," Chief Electoral Officer Subrat Sahoo said at a press conference here. While 76.39 per cent polling was registered in the first phase which covered 18 constituencies in eight Naxal affected districts, 76.34 per cent turnout was registered in the second phase across 72 seats Tuesday. The highest turn-out was in Kurud (88.99 per cent) in Dhamtari disrict while the lowest turn-out was recorded in Bijapur (47.35 per cent). As many as 38 constituencies witnessed over 80 per cent voting. In 24 constituencies ...
Israeli minister urges Airbnb boycott, talks up rival service
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli cabinet minister called on Wednesday for a boycott of Airbnb and promoted one of its rivals, escalating the government's response to the home-rental company's decision to delist Israel's settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Over 3,000 Sikh pilgrims in Pak for Guru Nanak Jayanti
Over 3,000 Sikh pilgrims from India arrived in this Pakistani city on Wednesday to take part in festivities ahead of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. On their arrival in Lahore, the Sikh pilgrims left for Gurudwara Janamesthan in Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, where the main function will be held on Friday on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti. Minorities Senator Anwar Lal, Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) chairman Tahir Ehsan and secretary Tariq Wazir, and Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Tara Singh were among the Pakistani officials who greeted the Sikh 'yatris' at the Wagah Railway station. "As many as 3,080 Sikh pilgrims arrived here today on two special trains. The third train is expected to arrive here to bring another 700 or so yatris," ETPB spokesman Amir Hashmi told PTI. He said the Pakistan government had issued 3,800 visas to Indian Sikhs. Sikh group leader Amerjeet Singh congratulated Pakistanis on the birth anniversary of Prophet .
EU favours implementation of Iran N-deal: Envoy
The European Union wants implementation of the Iran nuclear deal even though the US pulled out of it and imposed fresh sanctions on Tehran, EU Ambassador to India Tomasz Kozlowski said on Wednesday.
BJP dismisses MGP's claims on health of Parrikar and two MLAs
The Goa BJP Wednesday dismissed its ally MGP's claims that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and two other MLAs of the ruling party are "terminally ill". Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar told reporters that the chief minister and MLAs Francis D'Souza and Pandurang Madkaikar would attend the next session of the Legislative Assembly. In a petition filed before the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court Tuesday for restraining two former MLAs of Congress, who had joined the BJP last month, from contesting elections, the MGP said Parriker, D'Souza and Madkaikar have been "terminally ill". D'Souza and Madkaikar were dropped from the state Cabinet in September this year. The Maharahtravadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and the Goa Forward Party (GFP), each with three MLAs, are constituents of the BJP-led coalition government. Responding to a query on the change of leadership in Goa, Tendulkar said, "the decision on handing the charge to anyone other than Parrikar has to be taken by the ...
Mulayam's son, brother gear up to celebrate his 80th b'day, seek blessing before LS polls
Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav could find himself in a dilemma of choosing between son Akhilesh and brother Shivpal, both of whom will be celebrating his 80th birthday separately on Thursday and seek his "blessings" ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The uncle and nephew parted ways in 2016 after Akhilesh removed Shivpal as the SP's state president and last year, a national convention nominated the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister as party head replacing Mulayam. Shivpal Yadav's Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia (PSPL) has planned statewide celebrations, including events at the party's office at 6, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, here and Saifai, the native place of the Yadav clan, in Etawah. The Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP), which has also planned to celebrate Mulayam's birthday across the state, will have an event at its office in the Uttar Pradesh capital. The PSPL has decided to celebrate his birthday as "Dharm Nirpekshta Diwas" and organise a 'dangal' (wrestling .
Polls to LS, assemblies at one-go only by consensus: Ex-CEC
Former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi has ruled out simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for now until a consensus was arrived at. Until then, he said, it was better to go with the present system of staggered elections. There were advantages of holding simultaneous polls or staggered polls, he told PTI Tuesday. Logistically, he said, simultaneous election was the most convenient because the voter, polling station would be the same besides electoral staff and security personnel also the same. There were advantages of staggered elections too, he said, because such polls hold the politicians accountable. If there were simultaneous polls, the elected representative would show his or her face only after five years when the next election was due, the former chief election commissioner said. Another factor, he pointed out was that regional and national issues should not get mixed up as they were important in their own way, though people get confused
Amnesty to expand probe of US-led campaign in Syria's Raqqa
Amnesty International said Wednesday it is enlisting the help of thousands of online activists to speed up its investigation into the US-led campaign that drove Islamic State militants from their self-styled capital of Raqqa but left the Syrian city in ruins. The London-based rights group said the new phase of its investigation enables thousands of online activists, using satellite imagery of the city, to map out the destruction over the four-month campaign, which ended in October 2017. The UN estimates that more than 10,000 buildings were destroyed or 80 per cent of the city. Amnesty's Strike Tracker campaign, in partnership with Airwars, would help narrow down when and where coalition air and artillery strikes destroyed buildings. Amnesty hopes to compel the US-led coalition to accept greater responsibility for the destruction and conduct its own investigation into the deaths of hundreds of civilians. The coalition says it worked to avoid civilian casualties in Raqqa. Col. Sean ...
PDP, NC, Cong have agreed to an alliance to form govt, says PDP leader Altaf Bukhari
The PDP, National Conference and Congress have agreed to join hands to form a new government in Jammu and Kashmir, senior PDP leader Altaf Bukhari said here on Wednesday. The businessman-turned-politician said around 60 MLAs were supporting the proposed alliance in the 87-member House. "The leaders have agreed to form an alliance. The PDP, NC, Congress at the leadership level have agreed. What are the contours of the alliance, it has not come down to MLAs. I am an MLA and I have been told only this much," Bukhari told reporters here. The Peoples Democratic Party leader, who met National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah earlier in the day, said he did not discuss the alliance issue with the former chief minister. "We keep on meeting. I had no talks about the alliance but generally we all meet," he said. Bukhari, who is tipped to lead the alliance if it comes to fruition, denied that he had called a meeting of PDP MLAs in connection with government formation. Asked if he was in ..
Iran denounces latest US sanctions as 'fruitless'
Iran's foreign ministry denounced the latest US Treasury sanctions as "fruitless and senseless" in a statement issued on Wednesday. "These fruitless, senseless and ineffective sanctions... will undoubtedly never achieve the desired outcome of their designers and enforcers," it said. "Sooner or later they will become aware of the futility of their schemes." Washington slapped fresh sanctions on Tehran Tuesday, accusing it of creating a complex web of Russian cut-out companies and Syrian intermediaries to ship oil to Damascus, which in turn bankrolled Hezbollah and Hamas. The US considers both Hezbollah, a heavily armed Lebanese militia, and Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, to be terrorist organisations. The US Treasury said in a statement that Tehran, "working with Russian companies, provides millions of barrels of oil to the Syrian government" of President Bashar al-Assad. "The Assad regime, in turn, facilitates the movement of hundreds of millions ..