Page 2572 - Politics
Congress worker alleges gangrape threat by BJP leader's supporter
In a serious allegation, a Congress party worker and a practicing lawyer on Sunday accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subhash Shirodkar's supporters of threatening her with gangrape if she campaigned against him in his constituency.Narrating her ordeal to ANI, Diya Shetkar, the Goa Pradesh Mahila Congress state secretary said, "I received a call from an unknown number today who threatened me not to visit Shirodkar's constituency and not to campaign against him. To harass a woman, Shirodkar's supporters have stooped so low to threaten me of gangrape.""I have already filed a complaint at the Panaji Police Station and I urge the police to investigate the matter very seriously. The dignity of a woman has to be respected in this democratic setup," she added.In October, Shirodkar joined the BJP after stepping down as the Congress Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA). Shirodkar represented Siroda in the Goa Legislative Assembly.
Sabarimala Temple: Congress stage protest ahead of one-day opening
Ahead of the opening of the Sabarimala Temple for one-day special prayers, the leaders of the Congress party in Kerala held a protest in Pathanamthitta district on Sunday against the Supreme Court verdict allowing the entry women of all age groups in the temple.The temple will be opened for a day from the evening of November 5 to the evening of November 6.Speaking to ANI, Congress leaders PJ Kurien and Ramesh Chennithala accused the Centre and the state governments of politicising the issue instead of finding a solution to it.The former deputy speaker of Rajya Sabha, PJ Kurien, told ANI, "We don't want any violence, but the government (state) is trying to enforce the Supreme Court's order, trying to allow women between 10-50 years to enter the temple. My view is that the government (state) should call the interest of all parties and try to settle the issue."He suggested that similar to the Jallikattu row, an ordinance can be issued to solve the problem."The government (state) can move
Israeli air force launches large-scale exercises
The Israeli Air Force on Sunday began two large-scale exercises, a military spokesperson said in a statement.
Assad, Russia envoy discuss Syria constitutional committee
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and an envoy from ally Russia on Sunday discussed "removing the obstacles" to forming a constitutional committee demanded by international powers to help end the seven-year war, the presidency said. The leaders of Russia, rebel backer Turkey, Germany, and France last week in Istanbul called for the committee to be formed by the end of the year to discuss a post-war constitution, "paving the way for free and fair elections" in Syria. On Sunday, Assad held talks with Russian envoy Alexander Lavrentiev on "forming the committee to discuss the current constitution", the presidency said in a statement. They agreed "to continue joint Syrian-Russian work towards removing the obstacles still in the way of forming this committee", it said. A Turkish-Russian deal for Syria's last major rebel bastion of Idlib has revived a push towards a diplomatic solution to the country's conflict, with international efforts focused on setting up the 150-member committee. Under
Odisha govt stops farmers marching to Bhubaneswar, draws flak
With a large number of farmers marching to Bhubaneswar to stage a demonstration here Monday, the Odisha government stopped them Sunday midway at various places, triggering criticism from the opposition Congress and BJP. The farmers, who are on 'padayatra' demanding "price, prestige and pension", were stopped by the police at various places to foil their protest, alleged Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS) convenor Akshya Kumar. As the farmers marched to the state capital from Cuttack and Khurda, the administration clamped prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code at Hansapal and Tamando to stall the protest, said a leader of the NNKS, which is spearheading the agitation. He alleged the farmers have been held up at various places like Keonjhar, Balugaon, Jatasinghpur and Jajpur since October 29. Accusing the state government of trying to suppress the farmers' voice, Kumar and other NNKS leaders said the action is being taken also against the people for ...
Iraqi Kurds say upgrade raises oil pipeline capacity to 1 million bpd
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An oil export pipeline in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region has been upgraded to a capacity of 1 million barrels per day from 700,000 bpd, the Kurdish regional government's natural resources ministry said on Sunday.
'PM Modi wants to do same with India, what Hitler did to Germany'
Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to do the same with India, what dictator Adolf Hitler did in Germany.Speaking at a Samvidhaan Bachao Sammelan organised here, the Congress leader said, "Efforts are being made to bring dictatorship in the country. What Adolf Hitler did in Germany, Prime Minister Modi wants to do the same in India."He further accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of destroying the Constitution and asserted that the Congress party would not let it happen."The Constitution does not belong to the people of a particular caste, religion or community, it belongs to every Indian," he said.Further targeting Prime Minister Modi, Kharge said the government is restricting the freedom of speech and curbing the press.
Peeved Kushwaha digs up 'DNA remark' to attack Nitish
Union minister and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha borrowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2015 remark over Nitish Kumar's DNA Sunday to attack the Bihar chief minister who is also the JD(U) president. Kushwaha reminded Kumar that Modi had made the remark in some other context but he (Kumar) had taken it as an insult to him and Bihar and asked his partymen to collect samples of hair and nail to be sent to Delhi for verifying the DNA. "We are still eagerly waiting for that DNA report. If the report is with you, please share its content. If the DNA remark had really hurt you, then what happened to the report my dear elder brother," Kushwaha said at an RLSP rally. The Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) chief has been peeved after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally, the Janata Dal (United), decided to contest an equal number of seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election in Bihar. The state sends 40 members to Parliament and after the BJP-JD(U) deal, there is speculation that whether this ..
Delhi Cong rues ex CM Sheila Dikshit being forgotten during Singature Bridge inaugural
Delhi Congress joined the AAP-BJP tussle over the credit for the Signature Bridge that was inaugurated Sunday, saying the Kejriwal government should have invited former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit who was the "real architect" of the project, to the inaugural function. Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken alleged the Kejriwal government has failed to launch a single project in its four-year rule and is just taking credit by finishing those started by erstwhile Congress governments in Delhi. "@INCIndia conceptualised and built most of the iconic Signature Bridge. The AAP Govt, which first delayed the project, is now taking the credit. Kejriwal should've respectfully invited @SheilaDikshit as she was the real architect of this project (sic)," Maken said in a tweet. He said the AAP government like the Modi government was only giving final shape to projects launched by the Congress governments. "Kejriwal government like Modi government is giving final shape to projects launched by the ...
Vicious environment prevailing: TMC leaders after meeting families of Tinsukia victims
A vicious environment of "aggressive regionalism" is prevailing in the country, said a Trinamool Congress delegation that visited Dhala in Assam's Tinsukia district, where militants gunned down five Bengali Hindus on November 1.
MP polls: Congress releases second list of candidates
A day after releasing the first list of candidates, the Congress party on Sunday released the second list of 16 candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.In the second list, there are three Schedule Caste candidates from Guna, Devsar, and Amla constituencies, while two Schedule Tribe candidates from Alirajpur and Petlawad constituencies. However, there is no woman candidate in the second list.With the new list being released, there are a total of 25 SC candidates and 40 ST candidates.The party released the first list of 155 candidates on Saturday. The previous list included senior leader Digvijay Singh's brother Lakshman Singh, and son Jaivardhan Singh, former Members of Parliament Vijaylaxmi Sadho, Suresh Pachouri amongst others.Ajay Singh, son of former chief minister Arjun Singh, also got a ticket from Churhat constituency in the first list.Madhya Pradesh is slated to go for polls for 230 constituencies on November 28. The Bharatiya Janata Party released the .
India, Zimbabwe agree to strengthen existing areas of cooperation
India and Zimbabwe have agreed to take the bilateral relations between the countries to the next level by strengthening existing areas of cooperation and opening new areas of engagementVice President M Venkaiah Naidu, who was on a two-day official visit to the African country, met Zimbabwean President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa and discussed issues of mutual interest between the two countries.The Vice President and the accompanying delegation also held bilateral talks with the Zimbabwean delegation, co-chaired by Zimbabwe Vice President Kembo Dugish Campbell Mohadi. The two sides reviewed the entire gamut of the bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation.Both the leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and stressed that there can be no justification whatsoever for any act of terrorism.The leaders also expressed their commitment to work together at the United Nations and other multilateral for fighting the menace of terrorism.Zimbabwe also welcomed the defence training ...
BJP sacks Uttarakhand leader over sexual harassment charge: Sources
The BJP has decided to remove a Uttarakhand general secretary over allegations of sexual harassment by a former party worker, sources said. "The party leadership has taken cognisance of the entire issue and appropriate action will be taken as per the set procedure, state BJP president Ajay Bhatt told PTI. Other sources said the leader has been removed from his position. An official announcement, however, is yet to be made. Asked about the allegations against Uttarakhand BJP general secretary (organisation) Sanjay Kumar, the state unit media cell head Devendra Bhasin told reporters the party is aware of them and is looking into them. The harassment took place six months ago, it is alleged. There has been no formal complaint, party leaders said. "Whatever I know about the incident is through the newspapers. As the matter involves a general secretary it would not be proper for me to comment on it unless I hear from the leadership," Bhatt said.
Pak blasphemy case: Asia's husband appeals to Trump, PMs of UK, Canada to help family leave country
The husband of a Pakistani Christian woman acquitted by the Supreme Court after being sentenced to death for blasphemy has appealed to the international community, including US President Donald Trump, to help the family leave the Islamic nation, saying he feared for their safety. Though the apex court's judgement was pronounced on Wednesday, there has been no official confirmation yet about the status of Asia Bibi that whether she was released from the jail or where she has been kept after being released, if at all. On Thursday, an official of the Multan jail, where Bibi was languishing, had told PTI that she was released on early hours of that day. However, it is believed that Bibi and her family members are 'kept' at some safe place by the Pakistani intelligence agencies. Also the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) patron-in-chief Pir Afzal Qadri had claimed that the woman has been sent back to jail on "our demand". "I request President Donald Trump to help us to leave Pakistan and I .
Congress releases second list for Madhya Pradesh polls
The Congress party on Sunday released the second list of 16 candidates for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh assembly polls.
BJP ministers second seers demand for law for Ram temple
A number of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Ministers including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday seconded a demand by Hindu seers for an ordinance or law for construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Cong seeks governor's intervention into Odisha lawyers' strike
Congress on Sunday sought the intervention of Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal to resolve the ongoing lawyers' agitation in the State. A party delegation led by Cuttack district Congress president Mohammed Moquim met the Governor and submitted a memorandum seeking his intervention to end the impasse which has been affecting court works for more than two months. The lawyers of Odisha are on strike since August 29 demanding the arrest of a police constable and a police havildar for allegedly beating up a lawyer on August 28 here. The Congress leaders hit out at the Odisha government accusing it of having failed to resolve the issue. "The lawyers have been observing a cease-work for the last 65 days which has crippled the entire justice delivery system in the state," alleged Moquim. The Congress leader said the party delegation urged the governor to advise the state government to take concrete steps to settle the lawyer-police row so that normalcy can be restored in ...
MP polls: Cong announces second list of 16 candidates
The Congress Sunday issued its second list of 16 candidates which included five sitting MLAs and several new faces for the November 28 Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls. The party since Saturday has declared the names of 171 candidates for the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections. Senior Congress legislator Ram Niwas Rawat has been renominated from the Vijaypur seat in Sheopur district where he will be pitted against BJP's Sitaram Adivasi. Sources said Rawat wanted to contest from Sabalgarh in Morena district, but dropped his demand following opposition within the party. Four other sitting MLAs who have been renominated comprise Mahendra Singh Yadav, Gopal Singh Chauhan, Vikram Singh Natiraja and Brijendra Singh Yadav. They have been give tickets from Kolaras in Shivpuri district, Chanderi in Ashoknagar district, Rajnagar in Chhatarpur district and Mungaoli in Ashoknagar district respectively. The party has nominated a new face, Sidhharth Lada (36), against Yashodharaja Scindia, MP minister .
Sirisena announces reconvening of Parliament on Nov 14
President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday announced reconvening of Parliament on November 14, which he had suspended two days after sacking Prime Minister Ranil Wickeremesinghe and replacing him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksha. According to a gazette notification, issued by his Secretary Udaya R Seneviratne on Sunday evening, the assembly would be recalled on November 14. In a dramatic turn of events last month, Rajapaksha became the new Prime Minister of the Indian Ocean island nation after Sirisena sacked premier Wickremesinghe who termed the move as "unconstitutional" and vowed to prove his majority in Parliament. The sudden development came amid growing tensions between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe on several policy matters and the President has been critical of the Prime Minister and his policies, especially on economy and security.
Exhibition offers a visual dive into Indian polity
Photographs of key current and former Indian political figures are on view at the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS) here.