Page 2479 - Politics

MP polls: Rahul corners PM for favouring the rich

Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of favoring rich and ignoring the welfare of poor and downtrodden.Addressing a public gathering here he said, "if we wanted two Hindustans, we would have hoisted two flags at Independence, one of the rich people and one of the other of poor, backward, farmers and the common man. We do not want two flags; we do not want two India. We want one country and we want justice.''Gandhi scion also cornered the incumbent Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan-led government for allegedly not providing jobs to the youth of the state and claimed that in last two years unemployment has doubled.Rahul Gandhi said, "In Madhya Pradesh, the biggest question is of employment. The youth of Madhya Pradesh be it of any religion, caste or place say that the state government has given them no employment. In the last two years, unemployment has doubled and suicide rate amongst youth has increased by 2000%. In Madhya Pradesh, 1,00,000 government ...

India developing systems against ballistic missiles of more capability: Nambiar

Noting that that Russian-made S-400 Triumf missile system is one of the most advanced air defence systems, Eastern Air Command Chief, Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar on Friday said India is also developing systems to defend itself against ballistic missiles of more capability.

Need to take concrete measures to enhance youth exchanges between India and China: Chinese envoy

There is a need to take concrete measures to enhance youth exchanges between India and China, Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui said Friday, noting that the future of relations between the two countries lies in their hands. Speaking at the China-India Youth Dialogue, Luo said India and China relations are at "one of the best periods in history". "(Chinese) President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister (Narendra) Modiji held the Wuhan Informal Summit in April. It is a historic milestone in the bilateral relations. Both sides are implementing the consensus reached by the leaders," he said The dialogue was organised jointly by the Chinese embassy and the Confederation of Young Leaders (CYL). Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his congratulatory note for the dialogue. "The dialogue will provide a platform for the youth of both nations to build a great wall of trust and cooperation between the two countries," Modi said in the note read out at the dialogue. Calling youth the "pioneers and driving force" ..

EVMs should not be used for coming LS, Assembly polls: Vaghela

Former Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela has demanded that 2019 Lok Sabha elections as well as upcoming Assembly elections in various states should be held through ballot paper and not Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). In a letter sent to Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat Thursday, Vaghela said EVMs should not be used as both voters and political parties have doubts about them. In the letter, which he shared with the media Friday, the former Union minister said till the Election Commission reverts to paper ballot, Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) facility should be provided at every polling booth. "Developed countries like Germany and the Netherlands reintroduced ballot paper after finding technical flaws and shortcomings in EVMs. In our country too, people as well as political parties are having doubts about EVMs following reports of tampering," Vaghela said in the letter. Talking to reporters at his residence in Gandhinagar Friday, Vaghela claimed he ...

NDA destroying institutions like CBI, RBI, BJP will be reduced

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday accused the NDA government of destroying key institutions like the CBI and RBI, and claimed that after the Lok Sabha elections, the saffron party that has made "building statues" its poll agenda will itself be reduced to a statue. Giving a call for "BJP hatao, desh bachao", she said the BJP should be ousted from power for "failure on all fronts" and that her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), could play a vital role in saving the country from such destructions. Banerjee also alleged that the BJP has been on a name changing spree to suit its political interests. "BJP is not a game changer of India as claimed by its leaders but is a name changer and danger for the country," she said. The BJP, however, refused to attach much importance to Banerjee's remarks and said the TMC being a small party does not have the stature to take it on. State BJP president Dilip Ghosh said, "We are not bothered about what she (Banerjee) is saying against ..

Sri Lanka MPs spray chili powder, hurl chairs inside Parliament

Sri Lankan Parliament continued to remain disrupted for the second day on Friday, with legislators supporting the disputed prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, hurling chairs at police officers and throwing chilli powder at the leaders of opposing parties."They (MPs of Sirisena - Rajapaksa faction) have assaulted me by using a copy of the constitution, and they have used chilli power mixed water to attack the MPs," Sri Lanka Guardian quoted Member of Parliament, Vijitha Herath, as saying.The island nation has been reeling from a political turmoil since October 26 when President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as the prime minister and replaced him with former president Mahinda Rajapakse.Gamini Jayawickrema Perera, a legislator from Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP), was quoted by several media outlets as claiming that during the melee in the parliament on Friday, chilli mixed in water was thrown at his face, requiring him to rush for a medical treatment.The ..

Six-time independent MLA to launches political party in UP

Ahead of the Lok-Sabha elections 2019, Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, the political strongman and six-time Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Kunda in Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, on Friday announced the formation of a new political party. He said that he has already approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) for its registration.Addressing a press conference, Singh said, "I have completed 25 years in politics, have been an independent politician and MLA, so now have decided to form a political party. I have approached the EC for registration."Raja Bhaiya had held important portfolios in the governments led by Kalyan Singh, Ram Prakash Gupta, Rajnath Singh, Mulayam Singh Yadav, and Akhilesh Yadav, though he never contested elections on any party's ticket.However, the new party's name has not been decided yet. He said that names like Jansatta Dal, Jansatta Party, Jansatta Loktrantik Party may get finalised.

Indo-china relations are at best presently: Chinese Ambassador

Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui on Friday asserted that Indo-China relations are the best at present.The Chinese ambassador made these remarks while delivering the keynote address at the China-India Youth Dialogue 2018 jointly organised by the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in India and Confederation of Young Leaders (CYL) at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in India.Outlining the bonhomie between the people of the two countries, Zhaohui said, "In contemporary China people admire Indians. They think every Indian is either a singer, or a dancer, or an IT expert, or Maths genius. Three things are most fashionable among Chinese youth in urban areas, namely, watching Bollywood movies, practicing Yoga and tasting Darjeeling tea".He also drew comparisons between India's Act East policy and China's One Belt One Road (OBOR) project."Right now connectivity, free trade has become a policy of every country. China and India share the same policies on connectivities

Pune, Ahmednagar LS seats likely to be thorn in Cong-NCP pact

Pune and Ahmednagar Lok Sabha constituencies are likely to become a bone of contention between Congress and NCP while sealing an alliance for the 2019 general elections. During the 15-year alliance of the two parties, which parted ways ahead of the 2014 assembly polls, Congress has contested Pune, while NCP has fought Ahmednagar. In 2004, NCP had won Ahmednagar, while Congress had bagged Pune. In the 2009 LS polls, Congress's Suresh Kalmadi had retained Pune, while NCP had lost Ahmednagar seat to BJP's Dilip Gandhi. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP had defeated Congress in Pune and NCP in Ahmednagar. This time, NCP is seeking Pune. But, Congress is vehemently against leaving that seat to NCP, which claims to have better chances of winning. Congress sources said that at the party's review meeting held in Mumbai, workers and leaders from Pune strongly opposed any move of giving the Pune seat to NCP during the seat-sharing talks. In Ahmednagar, Congress has sought the ..

UP govt releases Rs 640 crore for land acquisition of Bundelkhand Expressway

In a bid to expedite land acquisition for the proposed Bundelkhand Expressway, the Uttar Pradesh government has released Rs 640 crore to make payments to land owners. The Industrial Development Department has issued a government order in this regard. "The government has issued Rs 640 crore to the district magistrates of Chitrakut, Banda, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jalaun, Auraiya and Etawah to expedite acquisition of land for the expressway," a senior government official said here Friday. While Rs 210 crore has been given to Jalaun followed by Rs 136 crore to Auraiya, Rs 100 crore for Banda, Rs 82 crore for Hamipur, Rs 45 crore for Mahoba besides other districts, he said. In a tribute to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the UP government had decided to name the proposed Bundelkhand Expressway as Atal Path, which is likely to pass through Bateshwar in Agras Bah tehsil, the ancestral village of Vajpayee. UP Transport Minister Swatantra Dev Singh had made the announcement in August ...

Baghdad strikes deal with Kurds to restart Kirkuk oil exports

Iraq's central government has agreed with Kurdish authorities to resume oil exports from Kirkuk, the oil ministry said Friday, a year after federal forces seized the lucrative fields. Iraqi security units took the fields from Kurdish forces in October 2017, in retaliation for a controversial independence referendum in the Kurdish region. But since the pipeline to neighbouring Turkey ran through Kurdish-held territory, there was no way to take significant sums of oil out of Kirkuk, so exports stopped. On Friday, oil ministry spokesman Assem al-Jihad said Baghdad and Arbil had agreed on restarting them. "The federal government and the government of the Kurdish (autonomous) region of Iraq reached a preliminary agreement to resume oil flows starting today from the Kirkuk fields through the KRI's pipeline to the Ceyhan port in Turkey," he told AFP. He said between 50,000 and 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) would be exported through the Kurdish pipeline. A source from the state's North Oil ...

Cong can only daydream of winning polls: Amit Shah

Accusing the Congress of telling "lies" to people, BJP chief Amit Shah Friday said the opposition party can only daydream of winning the upcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Addressing a rally here ahead of the November 28 Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was working to enhance the country's prestige in the world. Shah said he heard Congress chief Rahul Gandhi saying in his speech that his party would come to power in Madhya Pradesh. "However, he (Rahul) seems to have ignored that the BJP has been on a winning streak since 2014. "After the 2014 (Lok Sabha) elections, there were polls in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kashmir, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Goa and Himachal. The BJP won everywhere," the BJP president said. "Now MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are going to polls and the result is clear. They can only daydream about winning," he said. Shah said ..

J&K headed for Prez rule but assembly not to be dissolved for now: Malik

Jammu and Kashmir is headed for President's rule but the state assembly will not be dissolved for now, Governor Satyapal Malik said Friday. His statement comes amid speculation that efforts are being made behind the scenes to cobble together a coalition government by various parties to succeed the PDP-BJP dispensation that collapsed in June when the BJP withdrew support to the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP. However, the numbers for a government formation don't seem to add up for now. Malik himself is convinced that a popular government will not be possible. "I still do not see any government formation. No party has numbers so far and there is a clear message that nothing illegal will be allowed," he said. However, he justified the decision to keep the 87-member state assembly alive on the ground, saying that at least the MLAs will be able to cater to the daily needs of the people of their respective constituencies. "I still don't see any government formation from the present assembly but I ..

May fights for survival, urges unity amid Brexit turbulence

UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday appealed to her Cabinet to stick together as she battled to cling onto her job, a day after a wave of resignations thrust her terms for a departure from the EU into jeopardy.

SKD MLA becomes Congress legislator in Odisha Assembly

Odisha Assembly Speaker P K Amat Friday announced that lone Samata Kranti Dal MLA George Tirkey would be recognised as Indian National Congress legislator in the House. Amat made the announcement in the House after Tirkey joined the INC. The leader of Congress Legislature Party, has also informed the Speaker about his acceptance of Tirkey as party MLA, Amat said. The Speaker said he has accorded status of a Congress member to Tirkey and allotted him a separate seat in the House. Amat said that the new Congress MLA Tirkey will now be allotted Seat No 11 at Block-H of Odisha Assembly. Earlier, Tirkey had joined the Congress at New Delhi in presence of AICC president Rahul Gandhi. Amat also informed the Assembly that he has accepted the resignation of Congress MLA Krushna Chandra Sagaria who represented the Koraput (SC) assembly constituency. Sagaria on Noveber 6 had tendered resignation from his assembly membership and submitted a letter in this regard to the Speaker. "The

Let there be contest to assess performance of 'family' and 'chaiwala': PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he was ready for a contest between the performance of "four generations" of the Nehru-Gandhi family and that of "four years of a chaiwala", and asserted his government provided the poor people with amenities like access to banks, power and LPG which the Congress was unable to do during its 55-year rule. Addressing a rally here ahead of the November 28 polls in Madhya Pradesh, Modi said the Congress, which was seeking an account of the BJP government's performance, should explain what it did for the state during its over five-decade rule. "It is clear before you, 15 years (of the BJP rule in Madhya Pradesh) versus 55 years (of the Congress rule). And I am surprised! You should also seek an account of (the performance of) Modi. I insist on it. "What have the governments of four generations of a family given to the nation and what has a chaiwala given in four years. Come on, let there be a contest," he added. Modi said his government has ...

Greenland seeks tourists, investors with new airports

Greenland's parliament has adopted a plan to upgrade or build airports to serve the massive North Atlantic island, keen to attract more tourists to its pristine Arctic wilderness. Two airports -- in the capital Nuuk and in the tourism centre Ilulissat -- will be substantially upgraded, making it possible to fly directly to Greenland from Europe and North America. A new national airport will be built in Qaqortoq in the south. Greenland is an autonomous Danish territory. The plans have been controversial because of Copenhagen's direct financial involvement. The project is estimated to cost at least 3.6 billion kroner (USD 546 million). Almost 20 per cent of the financing will be provided by Denmark, which contributes 3.6 billion kroner to the island's annual budget. Parliament adopted the proposal late Thursday with 18 out of 29 votes. In September, the project plunged Greenland into a three-week political crisis, with an independent supporting party quitting the government coalition in

Kejriwal backs Naidu on barring CBI officials; also advises IT ban

Backing the Chandrababu Naidu government in Andhra Pradesh on barring the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from conducting raids in the state, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said his counterpart should not allow even the Income Tax Department in the state.

Defence expo at Jaipur military station showcases hi-tech equipments

Hi-tech and state-of-the-art defence equipments were displayed under a day-long defence exhibition at the Jaipur military station here on Friday. South Western Army commander Lieutenant General Cherish Mathson said that the aim of this expo was to showcase such equipments to users and stakeholders. "We have tremendous potential within the country to produce state of the art equipment comparable with the best in the world. This first event of it's kind is the stepping stone for future events of much bigger magnitude," he said at the expo. Latest equipment from the fields of radars, simulators, unmanned aerial vehicles, electro optics, night vision devices and equipment related to security, crowd control, traffic control, communication surveillance, special forces, fire fighting, training, medical and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief were displayed in the expo. Firm from various parts of the country participated in the event. Units of the South Western Command also displayed .

Eye on LS polls, Yogi and his ministers to take part in bike rallies

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his cabinet colleagues will be seen riding motorcycles on Saturday as part of the BJP's efforts to garner support for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has organised a "Kamal Sandesh Yatra" across UP to propagate the work done by both central and state governments, a senior party leader told PTI. The campaign will be held at all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Besides Adityanath, who will participate in the motorcycle rally in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi, state BJP president Mahendra Nath Pandey will hit the streets in Chandauli. The BJP's campaign is seen as a counter to the Samajwadi Party's proposed bicycle rallies in December in which the SP chief, Akhilesh Yadav, will himself ride the vehicle. Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma will join the motorcycle rallies at Prayagraj and the state capital, respectively, the BJP leader said. UP BJP ...