Page 25 - Politics

Poland's president and new PM remain divided on rule of law despite talks

Poland's president and new prime minister said on Monday they remain divided on the key subject of rule of law in the country, despite one-on-one talks in search of common ground in various areas. Centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with pro-opposition President Andrzej Duda to discuss Poland's security ahead of Tusk's planned visit to Ukraine, but also to identify areas where they can cooperate in the society's interest above their sharp political divisions. In a sign that did not bid well for their future cooperation, both later said that they had found no common ground in the very sensitive area of the rule of law, where Poland's previous government and Duda himself clashed with the European Union. Tusk's government is taking steps to reverse the controversial policies of its predecessors, making new appointments to key offices, wrestling control of state-owned media and even arresting two former government ministers convicted and sentenced by court for abuse of power. Duda

Ram temple consecration: AAP plans 'Sundar Kand' in Delhi on Tuesdays

In an apparent attempt to counter the BJP's focus on the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the AAP has announced its plan to hold "Sundar Kand" recital programmes across Delhi on Tuesdays. The consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be held on January 22 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present there. "'Sundar Kand' recitation programme will be held in all Assembly constituencies and municipal wards on the first Tuesday of every month. Party MLAs, councillors and office bearers will take part in the programmes that will held at over 2,600 places in the city," said AAP leader and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj. He invited the people of Delhi to participate in the programme enthusiastically. "Sundar Kand" is one of the chapters in the Ramayana devoted to Lord Hanuman. The Aam Aadmi Party will organise "Sundar Kand" recitation at the Assembly level and after that, it will be done at the ward level and then at the mandal level also, the AAP

Another resolution seeking delay in Feb 8 polls moved in Pakistan Senate

A resolution seeking a delay in the February 8 general election was moved in Pakistan's Senate on Sunday, two days after a similar resolution was submitted in the Parliament's upper house. The resolution, the third of its kind to be moved in the Senate, cited cold weather and security concerns for the postponement of the elections, Geo News reported. Tabled by independent Senator Hilal-ur-Rehman, the resolution said that extreme cold weather and snowfall would create difficulties for citizens to cast votes in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and create challenges for candidates trying to campaign. In the same way, due to security concerns in the country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, candidates are facing threats of terrorist attacks while campaigning, it said. The resolution added that the security issue was also creating obstacles and limiting the participation of candidates in their campaigns, the Dawn newspaper reported. The resolution claimed that due to the increasing sen

Pak's PTI party candidates were picked with little input: Imran Khan

Pakistan's jailed ex-premier Imran Khan has said that his party candidates for the February 8 elections were picked with his little input and he was largely unaware of ticket distribution among them. Khan made these remarks on Saturday after attending court proceedings in the Toshakhana corruption case, according to a report by the Dawn newspaper. Before the court proceedings began, about two dozen PTI workers and candidates of different constituencies complained to 71-year-old Khan about being denied party tickets. He told them that the tickets were awarded with his little input and that he was unaware of their distribution. He explained to them that it was not possible for him to make a quick decision on the award of 850 tickets in a brief discussion with party leaders, the paper reported. Khan also again accused his rival Nawaz Sharif of playing the match with the umpires of choice. He said that a certified money launderer returned to Pakistan under the London Plan and was give

BJP's ST wing will hold mega tribal rally in Ranchi on February 11

BJP's Scheduled Tribe Morcha on Saturday announced to hold a mega tribal rally here on February 11 on occasion of the birth anniversary of tribal freedom fighter Tilka Manjhi. Party's national general secretary Raddha Mohan Das Agarwal told reporters here that lakhs of tribals from different states including Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya will participate in the rally. He said, "The rally will be a game-changer and bring a sea change in Jharkhand politics." Agarwal added that the recent election results of three states have made it clear that tribal community has put its faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP.

Lawlessness, corruption at peak in West Bengal, says Anurag Thakur

Union minister Anurag Thakur on Monday flayed the TMC government in West Bengal, alleging a severe breakdown in law and order and unprecedented levels of corruption in the state. Thakur's remarks come in the wake of the recent controversy surrounding the assault on three Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials during a raid at the residence of a TMC leader, accused in a ration distribution scam. "Law and order in West Bengal has collapsed under Mamata Banerjee's rule. The TMC ensures that public money from the Centre meant for welfare is being siphoned off through its infamous cut money (commission) system. Corruption is at its peak in Bengal; if action is taken against the corrupt, even the ED team is being attacked, stones are pelted at them," Thakur, who is in the city to attend a programme, told reporters at the airport. On January 5, three ED officers were injured and their vehicles vandalised during a raid at the house of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh in Sandeshkhali in North 24

Uddhav Thackeray skips INDIA bloc meeting, cites scheduled engagements

Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday didn't attend the virtual meeting of the opposition INDIA bloc citing a scheduled programme. He also said the party had already informed (the opposition bloc) about its inability to attend the meeting. "There shouldn't be any misunderstanding in this regard. I have expressed my inability to attend the meeting as I had to attend a scheduled programme which involved a lot of moving around. In such a scenario, attending the meeting would have been difficult," Thackeray said. Leaders of the bloc met virtually and discussed various aspects of the alliance and the preparations for the Lok Sabha elections, due in April-May. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader is visiting the Kalyan-Dombivli Lok Sabha constituency, currently represented by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, son of Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde. Kalyan-Dombivli is the stronghold of CM Shinde. As many as 28 opposition parties have come together under the banner of the Ind

Stalin dubs speculations of his son's elevation as deputy CM as rumours

DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday dismissed as 'rumours,' speculations that his son Udhayanidhi was being made deputy CM of the state and asserted he was healthy. Such rumours were being spread by those opposed to the January 21 DMK Youth Wing Conference in Salem, to be held under its chief Udhayanidhi, Stalin said. At a time when youth across the state were getting ready for the Salem conference, those engaged in rumour-mongering "spread false information about my health," he said in a Pongal greetings message. He said he had attended an event here on Friday where he had mentioned that he had nothing to worry about when the people of the state were happy. "I am healthy and cheerful. I am working, working, working," the 70 year-old leader added. "After this lie was shattered, rumours were being spread with an intention to create sensation, that deputy CM post (for Udhayanidhi) was going to be given," he added. Udhayanidhi himself had responded to

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge appointed as chairperson of INDIA bloc

A consensus emerged on the name of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for appointment as the chairperson of the opposition bloc INDIA on Saturday, sources said. Leaders of the bloc met virtually and discussed various aspects of the alliance and the preparations for the Lok Sabha elections, due in April-May. Sources said leaders of the Trinamool Congress, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and the Samajwadi Party did not attend the meeting. According to the sources, a consensus emerged on Kharge's appointment as the chairperson of the bloc. An official announcement on the appointment is awaited. The leaders also decided to make Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar the convenor of the bloc, but a final call will be taken after consulting the parties whose representatives were not present in the meeting, the sources said. As many as 28 opposition parties have come together under the banner of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to take on

Sheikh Hasina sworn in as prime minister of Bangladesh for fifth term

Sheikh Hasina was on Thursday sworn in as the prime minister of Bangladesh for the fifth term, days after her Awami League party won an overwhelming majority in the general elections boycotted by the main opposition BNP and its allies. President Mohammad Shahabuddin administered the oath of office to 76-year-old Hasina at a ceremony joined by politicians, foreign diplomats, civil society figures and senior civil and military officials. Following the prime minister, the new members of cabinet were sworn in by the president. Hasina's party won 223 seats in the 300-member Parliament. Major opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia boycotted the elections after their demand for a non-party caretaker government to oversee the January 7 polls was rejected.

Pakistan rules out dialogue with banned outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan

Pakistan on Thursday said that it was not interested in a dialogue with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) after a leading cleric visited Kabul and talked of dialogue following his meeting with the Afghan Taliban leadership. Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in her weekly press briefing said that Pakistan's stance was clear because the TTP had accepted responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks in the country. The spokesperson said there is no change in Pakistan's policy towards the TTP. "We have no dialogue taking place with the TTP nor do we have the intent to hold talks with it which is responsible for several terror incidents in Pakistan," she said. She once again demanded the Afghan authorities take effective action against terrorist elements including the TTP leadership. She said the Afghan authorities should ensure the elimination of terrorist hideouts and hand over to Islamabad those responsible for terror incidents in Pakistan. "Our demand from t

Tamil Nadu BJP chief Annamalai booked for promoting 'religious enmity'

Annamalai, during his rally, attempted to garland the statue of Mary in St Lourdes Church in Paapireddipatti

Congress turns down Ayodhya invite, terms it BJP-RSS political project

Congress's response to Hindutva politics inconsistent in recent years. In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Congress social media team highlighted the party's role in construction of the Ram temple

A complex region encounters bigotry and prejudice

Robert Kaplan's latest book aims to offer a fresh survey of the 'Greater Middle East', but in doing so, it grossly simplifies complex political issues, reflecting American interests and prejudices

Congress not even eligible to be Opposition party: BJP chief Nadda

BJP national president JP Nadda criticised the Congress on Wednesday, stating that they are "not eligible" to even be the opposition party in the country due to their response to the recent Maldives controversy. Addressing party workers during the executive meeting of Assam BJP, Nadda criticised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's reaction to the recent statement by three Maldivian ministers. Nadda said, "They (Congress) were not capable of running a government. Now, they are not even eligible to be an opposition party." On the recent spat on social media with Maldives, Kharge had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of taking everything personally. Nadda also criticised opposition alliance INDIA, claiming that it was formed to protect the black money and the families of the leaders of the respective parties. "All the leaders involved have CBI cases against them. It's an alliance formed for personal gains. It has no relation to India," he emphasised. Regarding the Congress' .

Seat-sharing talks with AAP likely to be held in Jan 12 meeting: Congress

Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely on Wednesday said the key discussions on seat-sharing between his party and the AAP to fight the Lok Sabha elections together from Delhi will take place in the next meeting likely to be held on January 12. Lovely said that no discussion on seat-sharing took place in the first meeting held on January 8 and added it was the first time that the Delhi Congress and the AAP came together for a discussion. "No discussion on seat-sharing has taken place yet. Media reports stating the AAP offered three seats to the Congress is incorrect. The meeting held on December 8 was the first time we came together for a discussion and various strategies to fight the elections were discussed," Lovely told PTI. "Seat-sharing will most likely be discussed in the next meeting," he added. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) maintained its stand on contesting in an alliance with the Congress in five states, including Punjab, and the discussion has so far been positive, .

Gabriel Attal becomes France's youngest PM as Macron shakes up govt

Gabriel Attal was named on Tuesday as France's youngest-ever prime minister, as President Emmanuel Macron seeks a fresh start for the rest of his term amid growing political pressure from the far right. Macron's office announced the appointment in a statement. Attal, 34, rose to prominence as the government spokesman and education minister. He is France's first openly gay prime minister. His predecessor Elisabeth Borne resigned Monday following recent political turmoil over an immigration law that strengthens the government's ability to deport foreigners. Macron, a 46-year-old centrist whose term ends in 2027, is to name a government in the coming days.

French PM Borne resigns following recent political turmoil over immigration

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne resigned on Monday following recent political turmoil over a new immigration law, paving the way for President Emmanuel Macron to seek fresh momentum by appointing a new government in coming days. The shakeup was widely seen as an attempt by the 46-year-old centrist Macron to head off a looming lame-duck status. Macron's term is to end in 2027, and he won't be able to run again for president in line with the French Constitution. In her resignation letter, Borne suggested she resigned at Macron's request, citing the president's will to appoint a new prime minister. Borne's resignation followed the passage late last month of contentious immigration legislation backed by Macron aimed at strengthening the government's ability to deport some foreigners, among other measures. Macron's centrist alliance was able to pass the measure only after making a deal with the conservative Republicans party, which many observers saw as the government's shift to t

DoE issues show cause notice to Moitra for not vacating govt bungalow

Former TMC Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra was issued a notice on Monday by the Directorate of Estates (DoE) for not vacating her government bungalow, a source in the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said. The Trinamool Congress leader, who was expelled from Lok Sabha on December 8 last year, was earlier asked to vacate the house by January 7 after her allotment was cancelled. The DoE has now asked her to submit her reply to the notice within three days. "A show cause notice has been issued to Mahua Moitra, seeking her reply within three days as to why she has still not vacated her government accommodation," the source said. On January 4, the Delhi High Court asked the TMC leader to approach the DoE with a request for allowing her to continue to occupy the government accommodation allotted to her. Justice Subramoniun Prasad, while dealing with the TMC leader's challenge to an official intimation asking her to vacate the government bungalow by January 7 on account of cancellation

Bilkis case: SC verdict showed who gives patronage to criminals, says Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Monday slammed the BJP over the Supreme Court quashing the Gujarat government's decision to grant remission to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, saying the verdict has shown once again who the "protector of criminals" is. Earlier in the day, the apex court said the Gujarat government abused its power in grating the remission to the men convicted of gang-raping Bilkis Bano and murdering seven of her family members during the 2002 riots, and ordered that they be sent back to jail within two weeks. The Gujarat government's remission order was without application of mind, a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan said and asked whether "heinous crimes against women permit remission" whatever faith she may follow or creed she may belong to. In a post in Hindi on 'X', Gandhi said, "The tendency to 'murder justice' for electoral gains is dangerous for a democratic system. Today, the Supreme Court's decision once again showed the country who gives .