Page 2489 - Politics
'Rename all Indians as Ram, if changing names can return India's glory'
Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi led central government for the name changing spree of cities, Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel on Wednesday said if by merely changing names of cities can bring back India's glory then 125 crore Indians should be renamed as Lord Ram."In this country, if changing the names of cities could restore its glory, then I think all 125 crore Indians should be renamed as Lord Ram. The country is reeling under unemployment and farmers' issues but the Centre is busy with renaming cities and erecting idols," he stated.The statement from Patel came just a few days after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath declared renaming of Faizabad as Ayodhya and Allahabad as Prayag Raj.A few weeks back, Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande had also reiterated the party's demand to change the name of Aurangabad to Sambhaji Nagar and to rename Osmanabad as Dharashiv."The demand for the renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad into Sambaji ...
Cong ignored genuine Muslim ticket aspirants: Abid Rasool Khan
Alleging that genuine Muslim ticket aspirants have been ignored, senior Telangana Congress leader Abid Rasool Khan on Thursday threatened to quit the party if the minority community does not get "social justice". A former chairman of the state Minorities Commission, Khan said the Congress should give tickets to Muslims in one constituency each in the 10 old districts of the state where the party have chances to win. "Can they not do that much?" the state Congress vice-president asked in a poser to the party's central leadership. The Congress has so far announced candidates in 75 constituencies, which include four Muslims, for the December 7 polls to the 119-member state Assembly. The party has forged an alliance with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) to take on the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). Under the seat-sharing formula announced by the Congress, the TDP would contest in 14 constituencies, TJS in eight and ..
Indian-origin minister leads resignations in fresh Brexit turmoil for Theresa May
British Prime Minister Theresa May's uneasy Brexit truce was shattered Thursday as Indian-origin Shailesh Vara became the first of the four ministers to resign over a "half-way house" divorce deal with the European Union. Minutes after Vara stepped down as Northern Ireland minister, Prime Minister May was hit by a bigger blow as her Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab resigned from the Cabinet saying he "cannot in good conscience" support the draft of the withdrawal agreement with the 28-member bloc. "We are a proud nation and it is a sad day when we are reduced to obeying rules made by other countries who have shown that they do not have our best interests at heart. We can and must do better than this. The people of the UK deserve better," said Vara, Conservative Party MP for North-West Cambridgeshire, who has been a minister in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) since January. He attacked the draft withdrawal agreement which would form the basis of the UK's exit from the EU by March 2019 ..
India reiterates vision of open Indo-Pacific region
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reiterated India's vision of an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region during the 13th East Asia Summit here.
Pence says White House media spat incomparable with Myanmar jailings
US Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday said there were no double standards at play when he criticised Myanmar for jailing two Reuters journalists, given the White House's own combative relationship with Washington media. President Donald Trump routinely criticises reporting he dislikes as "fake news" and often labels journalists "enemies of the people". In the administration's latest spat with the media the White House pulled the credentials of a CNN correspondent, promoting a court challenge by major news networks. During a summit in Singapore, Pence took Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi to task for the jailing of two reporters for seven years for breaching the Official Secrets Act. Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were arrested over their coverage of a massacre of Rohingya men during an army operation last year. In his Wednesday meeting with Suu Kyi Pence called on the Nobel Peace Prize laureate to pardon the pair, calling their prosecution and jailing "deeply ...
EC removes Mizoram chief electoral officer after protests
Accepting the demand of some civil society groups, the Election Commission on Thursday removed S B Shashank as chief electoral officer of poll-bound Mizoram and appointed IAS officer Ashish Kundra in his place The order came after some civil society groups in Mizoram demanded Shashank's ouster over a row on allowing Bru voters lodged in Tripura relief camps to exercise their franchise from there. "The Election Commission of India in consultation with the Government of Mizoram hereby nominates Ashish Kundra as the chief electoral officer for the state of Mizoram with immediate effect," a notification issued by the EC said. The poll panel had earlier asked the Mizoram government for a panel of names to replace Shashank, who has been camping in Delhi since the agitation against him began a fortnight ago. Mizoram goes to the polls on November 28. The NGO Coordination Committee, the apex body of civil societies and students' organisations in Mizoram, has been demanding that Shashank be ...
US, China clash over WTO at Asia-Pacific meeting
A bid by Washington to use an upcoming APEC summit to pillory the World Trade Organization has left member states deeply divided on the eve of leaders' arrivals. The United States insistence that members of APEC agree to publicly criticise the WTO -- saying the organisation is not working and needs major reform -- has prompted Chinese opposition. The issue is currently derailing an effort by foreign ministers meeting in Port Moresby to agree to a joint communique -- an embarrassment for what is meant to be a bloc united in promoting free trade. "We've made significant progress on our joint ministerial statement," said Papua New Guinea's foreign minister and host Rimbink Pato, but admitted that the text had not yet been agreed. "There is potential agreement on many of the issues" he said, adding that diplomats were battling to reach compromise over the statement's final language. Some APEC members are said to agree with the basic sentiment of Washington's complaint, but disagree over ..
Brexit Secretary resigns over EU agreement
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab resigned on Thursday saying he "cannot in good conscience support" the UK's draft Brexit agreement with the European Union (EU).
Naxalism will end in next three-five years: Rajnath
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday expressed confidence over eliminating naxalism in the coming three-five years and asked Maoists to join the mainstream by surrendering under the rehabilitation policy for them.
Brexit deal 'good news for French economy', says minister
A proposed Brexit withdrawal agreement is "good news for the French economy", but Paris must keep an eye on its implementation, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Thursday. The fact that an agreement has been found "is good news for the French economy, good news for all French firms. It's in everyone's interest that Brexit should go ahead smoothly", he told France 2 television. "It should allow both us Europeans and Britain to find a way out which is in everybody's interest," he added. But echoing comments made Wednesday by government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux, Le Maire also warned that France should be "cautious" ahead of full agreement on the Brexit deal and "guard French and European interests". "If Britain remains in the customs' union, we must be sure that Britain respects all European rules", including "fiscal rules and environmental norms", he said. The deal "must not weaken our common market", he added. The near 600-page draft, negotiated with Brussels, covers citizens' ...
Second Trump-Kim summit in 2019: Pence
US Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday confirmed that a second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would take place next year.
Top India, China officials hold defence, security dialogue, agree to maintain peace on the border
A year after the Doklam standoff, top defence officials of India and China have agreed on the importance of maintaining peace in the border areas while implementing the consensus reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at Wuhan. The ninth annual defence and security dialogue on November 13 was held over a year after the 73-day military standoff in the Sikkim sector. The talks were held between the two defence delegations headed by Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra and China's Deputy Chief of Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission Lt General Shao Yuanming, a press release by the Indian Embassy here said on Thursday. Asked about the outcome of the defence and security dialogue, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said the two sides have exchanged ideas on the management of border affairs and upholding peace and tranquillity. "We believe the two sides will try to follow the consensus between the two leaders to ensure peace and .
US, China see rival visions for entwined Asia-Pacific region
The US and China offered rival visions for the Asia-Pacific region Thursday at a summit of Southeast Asian nations whose economies and strategic interests are deeply entwined with both powers, with Vice President Mike Pence saying there was no room for "empire or aggression" in the region. Pence stressed the "steadfast and enduring" American commitment to the Indo-Pacific region as he met with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations during their annual summit in Singapore. "Our vision for the Indo-Pacific excludes no nation. It only requires that every nation treat their neighbors with respect, they respect the sovereignty of our nations and the international rules of order," Pence said in a veiled swipe at China's growing influence and military expansion in the South China Sea. He is standing in for President Donald Trump at the ASEAN meeting and another summit later this week in Papua New Guinea. The ASEAN meetings focus on enhanced trade and security in a region of ...
NC open to participate in assembly polls in J&K, hints Omar Abdullah
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has hinted his party would participate in assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir if fresh elections to the state legislature were announced in near future. "You got the control of a handful of towns & cities because NC & PDP stayed away (and the Congress did such a poor job of putting up a fight). Do you really think we will give you a walkover in the Assembly polls?" Abdullah wrote on his Twitter handle Wednesday. He was responding to BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav, who had asked the National Conference and the People's Democratic Party if they would participate in assembly polls if held in near future. "On one hand, they (NC and PDP) say they will not take part in elections to safeguard Article 35A, on the other, they demand dissolution of assembly and fresh elections. Tomorrow if assembly elections are held, will you will fight or go by your boycott?" Madhav said at a function in Kathua on Tuesday night. NC and PDP did not ...
Dassault CEO's statement slap on Rahul Gandhi's face: Tiwari
Terming Dassault CEO Eric Trappier's recent statement on the Rafale deal as a "slap on the face of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi", Delhi BJP unit chief Manoj Tiwari said speaking a lie again and again did not turn it into truth. The BJP leader, who was here to campaign for party candidates in the forthcoming civic body polls, said Wednesday, "The Congress president seems to believe that telling a lie again and again makes it a truth, but the Dassault CEO's statement is a slap on his face". He was speaking to reporters at the state BJP office here. Trappier had in a media interview defended the Rs 58,000 crore-Rafale deal between India and France. He had claimed no wrong-doing and said his company chose Reliance as an offset partner. When asked about Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) prospects in the November 18 civic body polls, Tiwari evaded a direct reply. He nevertheless added that the recent attack on him by the "AAP's goons" in front of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at Signature ...
Maratha reservation: Commission submits report to Maha govt
The Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission submitted on Thursday its report on social and economic conditions of the Maratha community to state Chief Secretary D K Jain. According to a government source, the report has made favourable recommendations on the demands of the Maratha community for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions, without disturbing the quota granted to Other Backward Classes (OBC). "We have received the report, which is based on the economic, social conditions of the Marathas. Appropriate decision will be taken after studying it," Jain told reporters at Mantralaya after receiving the report. A government source said the commission went through 2 lakh memorandums submitted to it, surveys of about 45,000 families as well as empirical data on the social, financial and educational backwardness of the Maratha community. "The commission went through old historical records, old verdicts, studied constitutional provision, writings by noted ...
PM Modi leaves for home after attending ASEAN summit in Singapore
Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for home on Thursday after a two-day visit to Singapore during which he attended the ASEAN and the East Asia Summits besides holding a number of bilateral meetings with several world leaders, including US Vice President Mike Pence. "PM @narendramodi departs for Delhi after a productive 36 hour visit to Singapore that highlighted our importance to East Asia Summit and ASEAN-led mechanisms to regional peace, prosperity & security," Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Prime Minister Modi on Thursday participated in the ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit here and underlined the need for maritime cooperation and centrality of trade for the prosperity of the strategic Indo-Pacific region. Later, he attended the 13th East Asia Summit (EAS) during which he reiterated India's vision of a peaceful, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region and strengthening maritime cooperation. Modi also felicitated the winners of the first India-Singapore
Oppn faces credibility crisis, Cong resorting to lies: Rajnath
Opposition parties were facing a credibility crisis in Chhattisgarh as well as in the country, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Thursday, accusing the Congress of resorting to "blatant lies" for political gains. Talking to reporters here, Singh also said Naxalism was "on its last leg" in India and assured that it would be wiped out in the next three to five years. In Chhattisgarh since Wednesday to address campaign rallies for the second phase of Assembly polls on November 20, Singh said, "Congress and other opposition parties are struggling with credibility issues in the country". "The condition of Congress has weakened in the country and it has lost its strength. That is why Congress has not named its chief ministerial candidate in Chhattisgarh. It is like Congress has taken out a 'baraat' (marriage procession) without a groom," he said. Terming the Congress poll manifesto as a "post-dated cheque of a bankrupt bank", he said the party has made "false promises" in
Rohingya crisis besieges Suu Kyi at Singapore summit
Diplomatic niceties have been in short supply for Aung San Suu Kyi at a summit in Singapore, where the one-time rights champion has been publicly chastised over her handling of the Rohingya crisis, compounding a dismal week for Myanmar's de facto leader. Suu Kyi has refused to speak up for the Rohingya, a stateless, persecuted Muslim minority driven by violence into Bangladesh in huge numbers. Her reticence on the issue has cut her adrift from the global rights community including the United Nations, whose investigators say last year's Myanmar army campaign amounted to genocide. Many of the honours previously showered upon Suu Kyi for her stoic, peaceful resistance during years of house arrest by Myanmar's junta have been rescinded. This week the bad news got worse. On Monday Amnesty International, whose campaign to free Suu Kyi galvanised global recognition of her democracy struggle, stripped her of its highest honour over her "indifference" to the atrocities against the ...
British PM suffers ministerial resignation over Brexit deal
A junior minister quit Prime Minister Theresa May's government on Thursday over the proposed Brexit withdrawal agreement, saying it failed to leave Britain as a sovereign nation. Shailesh Vara, a Northern Ireland minister, became the first member of the government to quit over the deal as May began trying to sell the draft accord to parliament. The agreement "leaves the UK in a half-way house with no time limit on when we will finally be a sovereign nation", he wrote in his resignation statement, which he published on his Twitter account. Vara backed Britain staying in the European Union in the 2016 referendum in which 52 per cent of Britons opted to leave the bloc. He said the vote had to be delivered upon. "With respect, prime minister, this agreement does not provide for the United Kingdom being a sovereign, independent country leaving the shackles of the EU, however it is worded," he wrote. "We are a proud nation and it is a sad day when we are reduced to obeying rules made by ...