Page 247 - Politics

Amid rift in Raj Congress, party vice president shifted out of his office

Rajasthan Congress vice president Mumtaz Masih was Friday shifted out of the room that he occupied for about 20 years at the party headquarters here, a move seen by some as a result of the rift in the party's state unit. Masih, who is said to be close to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, has now been allotted a smaller room, Congress sources said. Factional fights have surfaced in Rajasthan Congress after the party's debacle in the state Lok Sabha elections. But Masih denied that the change of his room had anything to do with it. "I don't think that it should be connected with the recent incidents reported in the last few days. I do not feel like saying anything about the room change. So I have not even spoken about it with the party president," Masih told PTI. Masih's old room has been made available to a 'senior vice president', the newly put up nameplate suggests. There are three senior vice presidents in the state Congress -- former MP Gopal Singh Idwa, Vishvendra Singh and Bhanwar Lal

Government approaches Sonia for cooperation in Parliament

In an effort to reach out to the Opposition ahead of the commencement of the Parliament session, a delegation of ministers from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led cabinet met United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence here on Friday.

Kejriwal rules out implementing Modicare in Delhi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday ruled out his government implementing the Ayushman Bharat scheme, known as Modicare, turning down a request from Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan in this regard."I am very pleased to tell you that Ayushman Bharat Yojana is in implementation since a long time. Delhi government's health scheme is ten times bigger and more inclusive than Ayushman Bharat. Delhi government's scheme has everything that Ayushman Bharat has along with many additional facilities", he said in a letter to Vardhan.Kejriwal also pointed out some key differences between Ayushman Bharat and his government's health scheme and claimed that Delhi's scheme covers more people, offers more financial aid and also includes a waiver for OPD fee, tests and medicines.Asserting that lakhs of patients from two neighbouring states, UP and Haryana, where Ayushman Bharat is implemented, come to Delhi for treatment, Kejriwal claimed that this shows the Delhi scheme to be better than

Olympian Aslam Sher Khan offers to replace Rahul Gandhi as the Congress chief

Former union minister Aslam Sher Khan on Friday said he has offered to step into Rahul Gandhi's shoes as the Congress President after Rahul said he wanted someone from outside the Nehru-Gandhi family to assume the responsibility."I wrote the letter when Rahul Gandhi offered to leave the post of Congress President and asked someone from outside the Nehru-Gandhi family to take over his role. In the letter, I mentioned that if Rahul wanted to continue at the post he very well could, but if not, then I would like to assume the responsibility for two years," he told ANI here.Khan is the first leader to stake claim to the post after Gandhi offered his resignation at the Congress Working Committee meeting in Delhi on May 25 following the debacle in Lok Sabha elections.The Congress Working Committee (CWC) had unanimously rejected the offer and passed a new resolution which authorised Gandhi to revamp the organisation.Khan added his intent behind writing the letter was to ensure a makeover ..

Theresa May officially resigns as head of Conservative Party

British Prime Minister Theresa May formally resigned as the head of the Conservative Party on Friday, setting off the campaign among eleven Members of Parliament to replace her, both as the party head and the country's PM.However, May will remain the acting Prime Minister until a new leader is chosen, reports Sputnik.In a tearful speech last month, 62-year-old May had announced that she would step down as the PM and party head, in consideration to the fact that she failed to pass her Brexit agreement in the Parliament despite repeated efforts and negotiations with the Labour Party.At least eleven Conservative MPs are aiming to replace her, including the country's former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, and current Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, among others. The candidates are required to announce formal nominations next week, starting June 10.May assumed the Prime Minister's office in July 2016 after her predecessor and party colleague David ...

Strong showing by Brexit Party in local election

Britain's main opposition Labour Party on Friday held onto a parliamentary seat in a by-election in Peterborough constituency, but the newly-established Brexit Party was not far behind.

Take charge, douse fire in Cong: Moily tells Rahul Gandhi

Appealing to Rahul Gandhi, Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily Friday asked him to step in and quell dissidence raging in some state units, saying he can't quit as the party president without putting in place an alternative. "We are all concerned in the party," the former Union Minister said referring to reports of infighting in Punjab and Rajasthan and desertions in Telangana and Maharashtra. "When leadership does not act, all these things will happen". Gandhi offered to quit as the chief in the May 25 meeting of the Congress Working Committee after the party's Lok Sabha poll debacle. The CWC had unanimously rejected his offer but Rahul is reportedly firm on quitting the post. "And even if he wants to resign, this is not the time. Unless he puts an alternative in place to handle the situation, I don't think Rahul Gandhi should just leave the position," the former Karnataka Chief Minister told PTI. The senior Congress leader said Gandhi should immediately "recall" his ...

Give up power if you can't rule, Yeddyurappa tells Cong-JD(S) coalition

Karnataka BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa Friday asked the Congress-JD(S) to give up power if it cannot run the government and asserted that his party would govern in case the coalition collapses and would make sure there is no mid-term polls. The former chief minister said no one has confidence that the H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition government would last long. "Kumaraswamy's son (Nikhil) has asked JD(S) workers to prepare for election. I'm saying that there won't be election at any cost. It has been just a year (since assembly elections). We (BJP) have 105 legislators, if they can, let them govern, if they can't let them give up, we will govern," Yeddyurappa said. Speaking to reporters at Hubballi, he said, "There is no question of going for fresh elections for any reason. We will not agree to it. We will go to election only after five years. No one has confidence that this government will continue for long, let's wait and see." Yeddyurappa was reacting to a video doing the rounds on ...

Sudan: Death toll climbs to 113 after crackdown on protesters

The death toll following the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters here has risen to 113, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said on Friday."Due to internet cuts and pressure on doctors, we have just received information since Wednesday on those who lost lives. The death toll rose to 113, including four in Port Sudan and one in Khartoum, due to the bullets of the Cancavit militias and the Transitional Military Council (TMC),'' Anadolu Agency quoted the committee as saying.The country's health ministry, however, maintained that only 61 people had lost their lives in the crackdown."Since the first day of the events, the number of bodies delivered to hospitals has reached 61," Sudan's Deputy Health Minister, Solaiman Abdul Jabbar said, according to the state news agency.Violence erupted on Monday after the military stormed the main camp of the protesters here in a bid to break up the agitation. The demonstrators had demanded that the TMC, which toppled Sudanese leader Omar ...

Kumaraswamy to begin "Grama Vastavya" programme from June 21

Karnataka Chief Minister H.D Kumaraswamy will commence his "Grama Vastavya" scheme from Northern Karnataka this time from June 21.The programme will be initiated from Yadagiri, Kalburgi, Raichur and will finally finish in the Bidar city of Karnataka.The agenda is an extension of the "Grama Vastavya" programme, first started in Kumaraswamy's regime as the state's chief minister during 2006-2007 with BJPs Yeddyurappa as his Deputy Chief Minister.After his party, Janata-dal Secular (JDS), faced a huge defeat in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the programme focuses upon strengthening its relations with the locals and noting the plight of the common man.Kumaraswamy said that the village stay scheme will pave the party's way to an enhanced political standing. The CM also met his party leaders, along with Siddaramaiah to lay out an action plan for the smooth functioning of the presently ruling Congress-JDS government in the state.The landslide victory of BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha

Qureshi writes to Jaishankar; offers talks on 'all important matters'

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in a letter to his new Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on Friday said that Islamabad wants talks with New Delhi on "all important matters" and remains committed to efforts for establishing peace in the region. Qureshi wrote the letter to Jaishankar to congratulate him for taking over as the External Affairs Minister. Former foreign secretary Jaishankar assumed charge as the External Affairs Minister on May 30. Qureshi told Jaishankar in the letter that "Islamabad wants talks with New Delhi on all important matters and remains committed to efforts for establishing peace in the region," the Dawn newspaper reported quoting diplomatic sources. Tensions between the two countries worsened after the Pulwama terror attack and both the countries were almost on the brink of a war after India's military planes struck a terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26 and Pakistan carried out a counter-offensive the next day. Breaking the

There is no question of joining BJP, says Cong's Goan MLA Dias

There is no question of joining the BJP, said Congress MLA Clafasio Dias here on Friday, setting to rest all speculations about his switching the side.Dias, who represents Cuncolim assembly constituency, in the state Assembly, said: "I will stay with the Congress and work for the party. There is no question of joining the BJP."He said that he read the news in a section of media that he was going to join the BJP along with three others. "It is not true. I told my supporters that I will not take any step without taking them into confidence," he said while talking to ANI.On Thursday, news surfaced online that Dias had sought views of his supporters on whether he should quit the Congress and join the BJP for the development of his area.It is worth mentioning that on Thursday 12 MLAs of Congress sought their merger with the TRS. They met Telangana Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy in the afternoon and submitted a memorandum to merge the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) with the TRS.

Govt reaches out to Opposition

Government on Friday sought to reach out to the main opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi along with his two deputies met UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi at her residence here on Friday seeking her cooperation for smooth conduct of business in the coming budget session of parliament.Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and MoS Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal and Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar were also present at the meeting.Earlier this week, Joshi, Meghwal and his other deputy V Muraleedharan also met the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, to ensure smooth transaction of business.The first session of the 17th Lok Sabha will be convened from June 17 to July 26 during which the Union Budget will be presented by the new government on July 5. The first two days of the session will be earmarked for members to take the oath. Followed by the speaker's election the next day.The President will make .

Govt may remove 'landing charges' at 15 defence airports for aircraft with less than 80 seats

In order to boost regional connectivity, the Centre may remove the 'landing charges' for aircraft having less than 80 seats at 15 defence airports in the country, government officials said Friday. 'Landing charges' are paid by an airline to the airport as per the weight of the aircraft during each landing. Defence airports come under the control of Indian Air Force. "An airline has requested the Civil Aviation Ministry to waive the landing charges on 15 defence airports for aircraft that have less than 80 seats. It has been decided that the Civil Aviation Secretary would formally take up this matter with the Ministry of Defence soon," a senior government official told PTI. Another senior government official told PTI, "The aircraft, which have less than 80 seats, are helping in ensuring regional connectivity from the cities where these 15 defence airports are located. Therefore, the (civil aviation) ministry thinks that landing charges should be waived by the Defence Ministry." The ...

Mamata behaving like 'anti-national', trying to scuttle

Lashing out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her decision to skip the Niti Aayog meeting on June 15, the state BJP unit on Friday said the TMC supremo was behaving like an "anti-national" and trying to scuttle the growth of Bengal. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) was quick to hit back, saying it does not need lessons on nationalism or development from a "communal party like the BJP". Talking to PTI, West Bengal BJP vice-president Jay Prakash Majumdar said Banerjee's move was against the interest of the nation. "When the entire country is moving forward under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mamata is the only one opposing it. Even chief ministers of Congress-ruled states are attending the Niti Aayog meeting. "This (Mamata's decision) is against the interest of the nation. She is behaving like an anti-national, trying to scuttle the growth of Bengal," he said. Banerjee on Friday expressed her inability to attend the meeting of the policy think-tank on ...

Rahul Gandhi arrives in Wayanad LS constituency on 3-day thanksgiving visit

Congress president Rahul Gandhi arrived at his Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency Friday on a three-day thanksgiving visit. In the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, Gandhi won from Wayanad by a margin of over 4.31 lakh votes, a state record, even as he lost Congress stronghold Amethi in Uttar Pradesh to BJP's Smriti Irani. The Congress president arrived at Kozhikode airport around 2 pm and is scheduled to participate in at least 15 public receptions across the constituency, spread over in the districts of Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode. His first programme is expected to be at Kalikavu in Malappuram district on Friday evening, sources said. Thousands of party workers and leaders were at the airport to receive Gandhi, who is attending a public function for the first time after the party's drubbing in the general elections. The Congress chief met senior UDF leaders, including Ramesh Chennithala and P K Kunhalikutty. A senior Congress leader from the constituency told PTI that Gandhi's .

Twitter restores Army's Srinagar-based Chinar Corps' handle after suspending it

The Twitter handle of the Army's Srinagar-based Chinar Corps was Thursday suspended by the social media giant, but restored on Friday, an official said. The Twitter verified the handle and added back its followers, the Army official said. The official said it was unclear as to why the official account of the Army's Srinagar-based headquarters was suspended. "We contacted the Twitter and the handle was verified and restored. Its followers have also been added back," the official said. The Chinar Corps -- also known as 15 Corps oversees anti-militancy operations on the Line of Control (LoC) and hinterland in the Kashmir valley. "#ChinarCorps Twitter handle is fully functional & verified now. Thank you all for the constant support, encouragement & suggestions. #MissionPeaceKashmir #AwaamArmyConnect #TerrorismFreeKashmir @adgpi @NorthernComd_IA @Whiteknight_IA @easterncomd," the handle put out in a tweet after it was restored and verified.

'Difficult for Congress MLAs to resist BJP pressure'

Goa Congress President Girish Chodankar on Friday did not rule out the possibility of more legislators leaving the Opposition party to join the BJP, claiming it was "very difficult" to resist the BJP's aggressive overtures and accused the ruling party of using money and government agencies to pressurize non-BJP MLAs.

Govt will complete full term, says Kumaraswamy after son speaks of polls

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Friday said the coalition government headed by him would complete its five-year term and any talk of mid-term polls now is "irrelevant". His comments came as a video of his son Nikhil asking JD(S) workers to get ready for assembly polls doing rounds on social media. "Nikhil Kumaraswamy cheering up party workers has told them that they should always be ready to serve the society. Not only during elections, they should always keep the party in a state of activeness so as to win the election whenever it comes. This statement of his has been quoted out of context by the media to represent that there may be election anytime," H D Kumaraswamy said in a statement. He said, "The coalition government will successfully complete its five-year term. Any talk of mid-term polls now is irrelevant." In an indication of lack of trust between coalition partners the JD(S) and the Congress, the video purportedly showed Nikhil asking JD(S) workers to prepare ...

'Indo-Nepal Treaty to be amended soon'

With the aim to strengthen connectivity between India and Nepal, New Delhi is taking the lead to amend a clause of the Indo-Nepal Treaty of Trade and Transit in order to explore water routes for better links between the two countries, an official said here on Friday.