Page 2456 - Politics
BJP MLA does U-turn on resignation after meeting Fadnavis
Maharashtra BJP MLA Anil Gote Monday said he will not go ahead with its decision to quit the assembly and also the party after holding a meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis here. On November 12, Gote had said he will resign from the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly as well as the BJP to protest against what he called induction of "criminals" into the saffron outfit. The MLA from Dhule in North Maharashtra said he has now agreed not to tender his resignation on two conditions. "I have decided to change my mind after meeting with the chief minister. I have laid down two conditions before him - the BJP should not induct criminals into the party and the upcoming Dhule Municipal Corporation polls should be fought (by the party) under my leadership," Gote said. Gote said Fadnavis asked him to meet Maharashtra BJP president Raosaheb Danve and state party organisation secretary to sort out the issues raised by him. "The CM has assured me that I will have right to ...
MP Polls: Rahul suffers from Modi phobia, says Amit Shah
Continuing his tirade against Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Monday said the Gandhi scion was suffering from "Modi Phobia."Addressing an election rally here, Shah said, "Rahul has developed Modi phobia. He keeps on saying Modi-Modi in his speeches. Rahul wants to remove Modi, while we want to remove poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy from the country."Further sharpening his attack, Shah said, "Recently, he took Prime Minister Modi's name 44 times in his 22-minute long speech. I wonder if he is campaigning for the BJP or for the Congress."Lauding the efforts of Prime Minister Modi, Shah assured that India would soon surpass the United Kingdom in terms of economy."By the time counting of elections is over, India would surpass the United Kingdom to become the fifth largest economy in the world," he added.The 230- assembly seats of Madhya Pradesh will go to polls on November 28. The results will be declared on December 11.
Indian fire 'effectively responded' despite restricted liberty of action along LoC: Pak Army
Pakistan Army said on Monday that despite restricted liberty of action due to presence of "our Kashmiri brethren" on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC), Indian fire is always "effectively responded". Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor made the comments while talking to a group of journalists from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Hazara Division of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Ghafoor apprised them about the situation along the LoC and said that army operated in a restricted environment due to the presence of "our Kashmiri brethren" on the other side of the LoC, the Inter Services Public Relations, the media wing of the military, said in a statement. "Despite restricted liberty of action for response to Indian fire due to presence of our Kashmiri brethren on both sides of LOC, Indian fire is always effectively responded focusing on Indian posts," he said. He went on to say that Pakistan looks for peace yet any misadventure shall be responded befittingly.
Ram temple issue, BJP's pre-poll 'political gimmick' : Oppn
With various saffron outfits upping their ante on the Ram temple issue in Ayodhya, the Uttar Pradesh opposition parties Monday dubbed their activities as a BJP's "political gimmick" before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls aimed at exploiting the peoples' "sentiments" in its favour. "The BJP is once again playing the Ram temple card to exploit the sentiments of people in its favour before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. It is a political gimmick as the BJP does not have any development agenda and has decided to rely on an issue which is subjudice," Samajwadi Party leader and MLC Rajpal Kashyap told PTI. He said the state government has "nothing to its credit in over one year and eight months of its rule". "Except for renaming and relaunching projects started by the previous SP regime, the BJP government has done nothing on the ground and the people are well aware of it," he said, adding that raking up the Ram temple issue and renaming cities will not work this time and the BJP is "bound to taste ...
Cong will return to power in Chhattisgarh: Moily
Senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily Monday said his party would return to power in Chhattisgarh after a gap of 15 years, riding on a "strong anti-incumbency" wave. He also claimed that the Congress would increase its tally from 12 to 15 of the 18 seats in the Naxal-hit areas of the state. "We are definitely returning to power in Chhattisgarh after a gap of 15 years, because there is a very strong anti-incumbency wave against the Raman Singh and Narendra Modi governments in the state and at the Centre," the former Union minister told PTI here. The Congress would win 50 to 55 of the 90 Assembly seats in Chhattisgarh, he said, adding, "I will not be surprised if we win even more (seats)." In the 2013 Chhattisgarh polls, the Congress had won 12 seats in the Naxal-hit areas, Moily said. "The problems of unemployment, law and order and security of jobs have contributed to a strong anti-incumbency wave against the Raman Singh government (in Chhattisgarh)," he added. As many as 37,000 women
UK PM May vows to stick to Brexit deal as opponents seek formal challenge
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May vowed on Monday to stick to her contentious draft European Union divorce deal as dissenting lawmakers in her own party tried to trigger a leadership challenge.
Putin told Pence Russia did not meddle in vote: Spokesman
President Vladimir Putin denied any Russian involvement when US Vice President Mike Pence asked last week about meddling in the 2016 election, the Kremlin's spokesman said. Dmitry Peskov told Russian television that Pence had "started the conversation with this subject" in a 10-minute talk with Putin on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Singapore. "The Americans are constantly repeating election interference as a mantra," Peskov said on a Sunday night talk show on Russian state television. "The Russian side... also repeat as a mantra: 'Why don't you understand us, how can we explain to you once again that the Russian state has nothing to do and can have nothing to do with interference in internal affairs or electoral processes'," he said. "This, by the way, was also said to Pence," Peskov said. "We presume that all of Putin's words will be passed on to the head of the American state." Russia has been accused of manipulating the 2016 US ...
Modi regime replay of Indira's Emergency, says new book
There is a striking similarity between the unfolding of events during the 1975-77 Emergency under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the contemporary times under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a new book suggests.
It's clear case of terrorism: Amarinder on grenade attack
Even as the Punjab Police maintained that some leads were being investigated, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday said the grenade attack on a religious congregation of the Nirankari sect was a clear case of terrorism and there was no religious connection to it.
India for more joint projects with China in Afghanistan
India on Monday said it is ready for more joint projects with China in Afghanistan, a strife-torn country whose diplomats are being trained by both Beijing and New Delhi.
Bill to give land rights to enclave dwellers in Bengal passed
The West Bengal Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a Bill to give land rights to enclave dwellers in north Bengal, ending an era of uncertain future of the people residing in those enclaves. Bangladesh and India had exchanged a total of 162 enclaves on Aug 1, 2015, ending one of the world's most complex border disputes that had lingered for seven decades since Independence. Moved by the Minister of State for Land and Land Reforms Chandrima Bhattacharya, the West Bengal Land Reforms (Amendment) Bill, 2018, was passed in the House unopposed. Speaking in support of the Bill, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said this "historic Bill" would help the enclave dwellers to get full-fledged status as citizens of India, along with all civic amenities and citizenship rights. The Bill will help in the distribution of land-right documents to the people of the enclaves in the border district of Cooch Behar, the chief minister said, adding that the state government was working hard to give ...
BJP humiliated founders, ignored Dalit chief's funeral: Congress
Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing the saffron party of allegedly humiliating the founders of the party and ignoring its first and only Dalit president Bangaru Laxman's funeral.Taking to his Twitter handle, Patel said, "Is it true that when BJP's first & only Dalit President, Bangaru Laxman ji's funeral was held in Telangana, except Advani ji no one from present BJP leadership bothered to attend?""The way BJP founders L K Advani ji & Murli Manohar Joshi ji have been humiliated by the BJP leadership, no founder of any political party in India has been treated in such a manner," the Congress treasurer said in a separate tweet.Patel's remarks come a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing an election rally in Chhattisgarh's Mahasamund, accused the Congress of "throwing" Sitaram Kesri "out of office" when he was the party's president from 1996 to 1998 because of his "Dalit" ...
Inquire into Naxal letter with 'Digvijay's number': BJP MLA
A BJP MLA Monday demanded a probe into a letter seized by the Pune police which refers to a mobile number purportedly belonging to senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh. Earlier in the day, a Pune police official said the letter in question had been made part of the charge sheet against activists arrested for alleged Maoist links in connection with the Elgar Parishad case. The letter was seized during nationwide raids conducted by the Pune police in connection with the case following which these activists were arrested, the official added. Speaking to reporters Monday, Kandivali East MLA Atul Bhatkalkar said he met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and demanded a detailed inquiry into the issue. Bhatkalkar said he had asked the CM to ensure the inquiry was completed before the end of the winter session of the state legislature on November 30. Congress' spokesperson Sachin Sawant, however, hit out at the BJP and alleged the Pune police was helping the ruling party with an
Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena not to contest Telangana polls
The Jana Sena Party of actor-politician Pawan Kalyan Monday decided not to contest the December 7 assembly elections in Telangana and said it would fight the Lok Sabha polls next year instead. The issue was discussed with all leaders of the party, and it has been decided to prepare for the Lok Sabha polls from now itself, Kalayan said. "Had the assembly elections been held as per schedule (in April 2019), the Jana Sena would have surely jumped into the fray. Since the assembly polls have been advanced, we are not geared up for the contest. "It's really difficult for a fledgling party like ours," Kalyan said. Filing of nominations for the Telangana Assembly election ended Monday. The YSR Congress had earlier announced it would stay away from the Telangana polls since its complete focus was on the 2019 general elections in Andhra Pradesh, its actual base. The YSRC, however, said it would gear up for the 2024 assembly elections in Telangana.
Lankan MPs seek suspension of state funds allocated to Rajapaksa
Sri Lankan lawmakers have submitted a motion to Parliament seeking the suspension of state funds allocated to disputed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has lost two no-confidence motions. Ousted prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's United National Party Parliamentarian Navin Dissanayake said that six United National Front MPs handed over the motion to be debated in Parliament, the Colombo Gazette reported Monday. They are of the opinion that state funds of the "illegitimate Prime Minister" should be suspended forthwith, the paper said. The motion is to be placed in the order paper and debated and a vote taken on the November 29, it added. The Parliament, which was convened Monday for a third floor test against Rajapaksa, was adjourned just 10 minutes after its opening. The public and VIP galleries were shut for diplomats on a request by Rajapaksa's United People's Freedom Alliance. The security was also tightened to prevent any incident, officials said. Sri Lanka is witnessing a
R'than polls: Cong fields 15 Muslim candidates, BJP 1
The Congress has given tickets to 15 Muslim candidates, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded only one candidate for the Rajasthan Assembly election. The number of Muslim candidates from the Congress was similar to the last Assembly election, but all of them had faced defeat. Whereas, the BJP had given tickets to four Muslim candidates in 2013, two of them had won. The saffron party's candidate, Yoonus Khan, who is the state transport minister, has been fielded from Tonk constituency, where state Congress president Sachin Pilot is contesting. Khan, a sitting MLA from Deedwana constituency, was kept reserved by the party till the last moment. After the Congress fielded Pilot from the Muslim-dominated constituency, the BJP replaced sitting MLA Ajit Singh Mehta, who figured in an earlier list, and announced Khan's candidature on Monday. The Congress, meanwhile, has reposed trust on eight Muslim candidates, who lost in the last Assembly election. It has fielded three women, among
Nigerian opposition's Abubakar says to invest $90 billion annually on infrastructure: election manifesto
ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar said on Monday he would invest $90 billion annually in infrastructure over the next 5 years if he wins presidential elections in 2019.
Sabarimala pilgrims being treated like 'dacoits' by Kerala govt: Alphons
Union minister Alphons Kannanthanam Monday hit out at the Kerala government for turning the Sabarimala temple complex into a "war zone" and treating the pilgrims like "dacoits". "They have imposed Section 144 (prohibitory orders). The pilgrims are being treated like dacoits. Where is the basic infrastructure...this is pathetic," the minister, who arrived here to take stock of the facilities at the hill shrine, told reporters. "The state government has turned the temple complex into a war zone. The devotees are not militants, they are pilgrims," he said. Restrictions have been imposed at the temple complex following protests by activists of the BJP, RSS and right-wing outfits over the state government's decision to implement the September 28 Supreme Court order allowing the entry of women of all ages into the shrine. "The state government must take responsibility...The Union Tourism ministry had given Rs 100 crore...They have not spent even a rupee..," Kannanthanam said. The Union ..
No comparison between Modi and Indira: Ramesh
No comparison could be drawn between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former prime minister Indira Gandhi, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said Sunday, noting that Gandhi would never have taken a "tughlaqi" decision like demonetisation. The former Union minister was speaking to reporters after the release of his book on Indira Gandhi by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson and her daughter-in law Sonia Gandhi at the former prime minister's memorial here. Sonia Gandhi released the Hindi version of Ramesh's book, "Indira Gandhi - A Life in Nature", on the former prime minister's love for nature. On Indira Gandhi's birth anniversary, Ramesh said it was true that after 30 years, someone got a clear majority in the general election like Indira Gandhi did and that Modi had full control over the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "Indiraji was a different person. There is no comparison between Modi and Gandhi. She would have never taken a tughlaqi decision like notes ban," he
Prez Trump's tirade against Pakistan shows he suffers from "perpetual historic amnesia": Minister
Pakistan Monday reacted angrily to Donald Trump's latest tirade against it for not doing "a damn thing" for America in curbing terrorism, saying the US President "suffers conveniently from perpetual historic amnesia!" Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari's terse remarks came a day after President Trump defended his administration's decision to stop hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Pakistan for not doing enough to curb terrorism and criticised Islamabad for offering a hideout to Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in the garrison city of Abbottabad. The minister, known to be a hawk, in a series of tweets said that whether China or Iran, US policies of "containment and isolation" do not coincide with Pakistan's strategic interests. Mazari, a close aide of Prime Minister Imran Khan, said Trump's latest criticism of Pakistan should be a "lesson" to those Pakistani leaders who "appeased" America, especially after the 9/11 terror attacks. "Trump's tirade against Pak & his ..