Page 2463 - Politics
President Kovind reaches Vietnam
President Ram Nath Kovind is in Vietnam on a three-day visit during which he will discuss with the Southeast Asian country's top leaders ways to strengthen bilateral ties. This is Kovind's first visit to Southeast Asia as president. "Received a warm welcome on my arrival in Da Nang, Vietnam. This is my first visit to Southeast Asia as President of India. India and Vietnam share close and cordial relations. I look forward to strengthening our bilateral ties," President's Secretariat said in a tweet. Da Nang is a coastal city in central Vietnam. After his arrival in Vietnam, Kovind interacted with leaders of Da Nang People's Committee. "Interacts with leaders of Da Nang People's Committee led by Mr Truong Quang Nghia, Party Secretary of Da Nang," the tweet said. Kovind will also travel to Australia as part of his two-nation tour.
May to continue negotiations on UK's EU exit
The United Kingdom's Prime Minister on Sunday confirmed she will travel to Brussels later in the week to continue Brexit negotiations following a tough week in which she published a provisional deal on the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.
Germany remembers victims of war
Germany's Chancellor was joined by the French President and several senior German political figures on Sunday for a ceremony to mark the country's national day of mourning, which solemnly pays homage to all victims of war and tyranny.
Raj polls: Ex-Congress MLA joins BJP after son denied ticket
Former Congress MLA Mamta Sharma Sunday joined the ruling BJP in Rajasthan after her son was denied a ticket by the Congress in the upcoming state assembly polls. Sharma met Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje here and announced her joining the party. "I had demanded a ticket for my son from the Congress, but he was denied the same despite the fact that he has done so much work for the party. I was hurt at the party's style of functioning and therefore, decided to join the BJP," she told reporters after meeting Raje. The former Congress MLA said the chief minister has promised her a ticket from Pipalda constituency of Kota. Sharma said there was no transparency in the Congress party with respect to ticket distribution and many 'parachute candidates' were given tickets for the assembly elections. The state will go to polls on December 7.
Minorities Front quits Rajasthan polls, supports Congress
The All India Minorities Front (AIMF) on Sunday decided to withdraw the nominations of its candidates in the upcoming Assembly polls in Rajasthan to help the "secular forces" defeat "communal elements" led by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
BJP says there's no ultimatum by RLSP on seat-sharing
A day after Union minister and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha gave the BJP an ultimatum to resolve the issue of seat-sharing by November 30, the saffron party Sunday said there is no such deadline. The NDA is firm and united in the state, BJP's Bihar in-charge Bhupendra Yadav said here. "Upendra Kushwaha met me twice (in Delhi) and apprised me of all issues (concerning seat sharing). Talks were held in a cordial atmosphere," Yadav told reporters on the sidelines of a party programme. On the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) president's ultimatum to the BJP, Yadav said, "There is no ultimatum." The RLSP chief had Saturday given an ultimatum to the BJP to conclude seat-sharing talks by November 30 as the offer made to it was "not respectable and, hence, not acceptable". The Union minister had, however, declined to divulge the number of seats that were offered to his party. "I also sought an appointment with BJP president Amit Shah twice, but the same did not materialise," he had told a .
BJP releases fifth list of candidates for Telangana polls
The BJP in Telangana Sunday released the fifth list of 19 candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. With the release of the fifth list, the party has so far announced the names of 112 candidates out of 119 seats member assembly. Telangana is going to polls on December 7. Party chief Amit Shah had launched the election campaign on September 15 at Mahabubnagar and addressed another rally at Karimnagar last month. He had also addressed a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha national convention last month. The BJP had five MLAs in the recently dissolved state assembly and all of them have been renominated. Telangana Assembly was dissolved on September six, more than eight months ahead of the expiry of its term, on the recommendation of (now) Caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who opted to go for early elections.
Cong hits out at PM for Kamal Nath video reference at poll rally
The Congress hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for speaking about a video purportedly featuring its Madhya Pradesh unit chief, Kamal Nath, at an election rally in Chhindwara Sunday. Nath is a nine-time Lok Sabha MP of the Congress from Chhindwara. Targeting Nath over a video that went viral on the social media, Modi, in his speech, said the state Congress chief had said the winnability of a candidate was the most important factor for him, rather than whether he was corrupt, a goon or facing criminal cases. The prime minister went on to ask the gathering, "Should Madhya Pradesh be saved from such people (Congress candidates) or not? Should the state go into such hands?" Reacting to Modi's speech, the Congress said it had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) about the "doctored and edited" video. "Narendra Modi, who is holding the top post of prime minister, has dished out lies in Chhindwara on the basis of this doctored video," Congress spokesperson Narendra ...
Israel's Netanyahu in crucial talks as he resists snap polls
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resisted calls for snap polls Sunday, saying elections now would be "unnecessary and wrong", ahead of what he called last-ditch talks to hold his embattled coalition together. Netanyahu's right-wing coalition was thrown into crisis Wednesday after Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman's resignation over a controversial Gaza ceasefire deal, leading to speculation over whether early elections have become inevitable. After Lieberman's withdrawal along with his Yisrael Beitenu party, Netanyahu's government was left clinging to a one-seat majority in the 120-seat parliament. Key coalition partners say that is unworkable. Netanyahu, who has sought to delay calling elections, made his case at the start of a cabinet meeting on Sunday. "In a period of security sensitivity, it's unnecessary and wrong to go to elections," Netanyahu said. He noted past instances when right-wing governments had called elections that did not turn out as they had hoped. "We ...
Chhattisgarh election: Campaigning for final phase of polling ends
A high-voltage campaign for the second and final phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls, dominated by the issues of farmers, jobs and corruption, came to an end Sunday evening. Polling will be held across 72 seats in 19 districts on November 20. In the first phase, polling was held for 18 seats in the eight Naxal-affected districts of the state on November 12. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), ruling the state for 15 years, and the main opposition Congress fielded their top leaders in the campaign. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath campaigned for the ruling party on the last day. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and BJP president Amit Shah had addressed rallies in the state Saturday. The BJP top brass targeted the Gandhi family during the campaign for the "misrule" of 50 years. The Congress focussed on farmers' issues, promising loan waiver, bonus on paddy procurement and setting up of food processing ...
Gujarat seeks revision in FAQ norms for groundnut procurement
The Gujarat government has requested the Centre to relax quality norms for purchasing groundnut from farmers as deficient rainfall has affected the produce, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel has said. The state government has written a letter to the Centre in this regard, he said here Saturday. "The government wrote to the Centre following demands by farmers from the state to revise the fair average quality (FAQ) norms for groundnut," Patel told PTI. As per FAQ norms, groundnut should have enough weight so that 35 kg of oilseeds could be packed in one bag. Those produce not meeting this criteria are liable for rejection at procurement centres. The government has started procuring groundnut through 122 centres, mainly in the Saurashtra region, from last Thursday. Farmers have been demanding that the government revise the weight norms to 30 kg per bag instead of the current norm of 35 kg per bag. Farmers have argued that due to deficient monsoon, they were unable to ...
Dudi expresses resentment on dropping Jhawar's name from third list
Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly Rameshwar Dudi expressed his resentment on dropping Kanhaiya Lal Jhawar's name from the list of candidates released by the Congress on Sunday for the upcoming assembly polls. Jhawar was given the ticket from Bikaner East constituency in the first list but his name was dropped and replaced by Yashpal Gehlot on Sunday. "The party should review the decision and if this not done, I will not contest the election," Dudi, who is the party candidate from Nokha constituency told party workers in Bikaner. The Congress in its third list of candidates for the assembly election on Sunday declared 10 new names and replaced three previously-declared nominees. It has left five seats for its allies. The party decided to field former PCC chief B D Kalla from Bikaner West. He replaces the already-declared candidate Yashpal Gehlot.
Yogi predicts BJP victory in C'garh
Ahead of the second and final phase of voting in Chhattisgarh on November 20, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would emerge victorious in the state for the fourth consecutive term and the menace of Naxalism would be completely wiped out from the state."The BJP is the need of the hour in Chhattisgarh. The kind of support all the section of the people has for Raman Singh, I am confident that the BJP will form the next government for the fourth consecutive term. This will help Chhattisgarh project itself as a role model in the field of development and good governance at the national level," said Yogi while addressing a press conference."The fourth term of Raman Singh will not only root out the menace of Naxalism from the state but will also help Chhattisgarh emerge as a role model of development and good governance for the other states in the country," he added."So as far as the Congress party is concerned, we should know ..
3 killed, 20 injured injured as grenade hurled on religious congregation in Amritsar
Three persons were killed and 20 injured in a grenade attack on a religious congregation here on city outskirts on Sunday, an incident which the police are treating as a terrorist act. The incident took place insidethe Nirankari Bhavan at Adliwal village near Amritsar's Rajasansi, police said. A religious congregation of the Nirankaris was being conducted inside the Bhavan at the time of the incident. The Sant Nirankari Mission is a spiritual organisation and the Bhavan here lies close to the international airport. The grenade was lobbed by two persons who had come on a bike and had their faces covered. The Director General of Police Suresh Arora, who along with senior police officers rushed to the spot, said the incident appears to be a terrorist act. He said that three people had died in the incident and 20 others were injured, two of them seriously. Inspector General of Police S S Parmar,who visited the incident spot, told reporters that about 200 devotees including many women were
Modi accuses Congress of having double standards on cow protection
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday accused the Congress of adopting double standards on cow protection, saying that while the party talks of bovine protection in Madhya Pradesh, its workers in Kerala slaughtered a calf and claimed eating beef was their right. Addressing a rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara, the home turf of state Congress chief Kamal Nath, Modi said the opposition party had "mastered the art of speaking lies". He asked Congress president Rahul Gandhi, whom he addressed as "naamdaar" (dynast), to clarify his party's stand on the issue of cow protection. "The Congress talked about cows to confuse the voters in Madhya Pradesh. They can talk about cows, it is their right. But is Kerala Congress different?" Modi asked. "In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress manifesto talked about protecting cows, but in Kerala, its workers slaughtered a calf in open and circulated its pictures claiming it was their right to eat beef," he said. In May last year, Youth Congress ...
Odisha CM stops tree felling for beer-bottling plant
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday directed the administration to put a stop to the cutting of trees at the proposed beer-bottling plant near Balarampur in the Dhenkanal district after protests by the villagers.
Centre following propriety on Ram temple issue: Hussain
The BJP Sunday said the Centre was following "maryada" (propriety) on the Ram Temple issue as the case was being heard in the Supreme Court. He, however, said the Hindus and Muslims wanted an early decision on the matter. BJP national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain was speaking to reporters here in Madhya Pradesh, which goes to polls on November 28. "The Ram temple case is currently pending in the apex court. Both Hindus and Muslims want an early decision on this issue. Lord Ram is called 'Maryada Purushottam'. On the issue of the Ram temple, our government is following the path of 'maryada'," he said. "Discussions on the issue are underway. People will not need to wait for this (resolution of the issue) till doomsday. We hope that the issue will be resolved soon," the BJP leader added. Hussain said all options for a solution, from passing a law in Parliament to sorting it out through negotiations, were open before the Narendra Modi government. Speaking on the grenade attack on a ..
Modi mocks Congress' pledge to protect cows in MP
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit out at the congress for their pledge to protect cows in Madhya Pradesh, reminding the party that its workers in Kerala last year slaughtered a calf in the open.
BJP releases fifth list of 19 candidates for Telangana
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday released its fifth list of 19 candidates for the ensuing Assembly election in Telangana on December 7.
Cong threw 'Dalit' leader Sitaram Kesri on road to make way for Sonia: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday alleged that Sitaram Kesri, who was from a "Dalit and exploited community", was not allowed to complete his term as the Congress president so that Sonia Gandhi could take over the reins of the party. Speaking at a poll rally here in Chhattisgarh, Modi claimed that Kesri was ousted unceremoniously, "was locked in a bathroom" and "thrown out on the footpath". "The Congress had said a chaiwala became the prime minister by the grace of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. I challenged them (to show that) when he (Nehru) had established such a democratic and liberal system, then make someone from outside the Gandhi family the Congress president for at least five years," he said. "The country knows that Sitaram Kesri, who was from a Dalit and exploited community, was not allowed to complete his five-year term as the Congress president and was removed from the post," Modi added. "The country knows how he was locked in a bathroom and then, thrown out of office and on ..