Page 2579 - Politics
Vice President Naidu holds 'fruitful' discussion with Zimbabwe President
Taking forward bilateral relations between India and Zimbabwe, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday called Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the Office of the President here."Had fruitful discussions with President of Zimbabwe during my call on with him," read a post on official Twitter handle of Vice President of India.Vice President Naidu recalled India's support to Zimbabwe even during the period of isolation. President Mnangagwa expressed his happiness over Naidu's visit soon after elections in the country.Meanwhile, India and Zimbabwe signed an agreement on the Reciprocal Exemption of Visa Requirements for holders of Diplomatic Passports.MoU between India and Zimbabwe were signed on Concerning Cooperation in the fields of Geology, Mining and Mineral Resources; Co-operation in the field of Arts, Culture and Heritage; and Cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy.An Action Plan between the Ministry of Electronics and Information ...
Khamenei: Iran has beaten US in 40 years of confrontation
Iran has beaten the US throughout 40 years of confrontation, the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday.
AAP suspends 2 Punjab MLAs for 'anti-party activities'
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday suspended senior leaders and legislators of the Punjab unit Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Kanwar Sandhu from the party.
SC wing of Congress to organise meet on Constitution
The Congress's Scheduled Caste department has decided to organise a meet on November 26 to sensitise people about the socio-political philosophy of B R Ambedkar as reflected in the Constitution. This decision was taken at the first executive committee meeting of the SC Department, chaired by Nitin Raut. The 'Samvidhan Diwas Samaroh' will highlight how Ambedkar as the chairman of the Drafting Committee and the Congress party worked in close partnership. The Constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949. Raut also highlighted various steps taken by the Congress party in the past 70 years to fulfil Ambedkar's dream of creating social democracy and bring economic equality. He alleged the present BJP-led dispensation at the Centre was working to destroy the Constitution.
Centre using Ram temple, statues as distractions from its failures: Tharoor
Congress leader Sashi Tharoor on Saturday accused the BJP-led Central government of using religion and statues as part of its agenda to distract the people from its own failures.
Pakistani Christian woman in limbo despite acquittal by top court
The fate of a Pakistani Christian woman accused of blasphemy was in limbo Saturday after the government allowed Islamist hardliners to appeal against her acquittal and put her on a no fly list. Asia Bibi's lawyer who saved her from the gallows left the country early Saturday after threats to his life. Bibi, who had been on death row since 2010, was acquitted of all charges by Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday, triggering protests by Islamist hardliners who paralysed the country for three days blocking roads and disrupting traffic in major cities. The protesters however ended their action Friday night after the government reached a controversial deal to put Bibi on the no fly list and saying it would not object to an appeal against the verdict, which was filed earlier in the Supreme Court. "We have requested the Supreme Court to put Asia Bibi on the Exit Control List as soon as possible so that she could not fly out of the country," Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry, the lawyer of Qari Salam
We would implement 69% quota in Bihar on lines of Tamil Nadu: Tejashwi
Bihar opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday said he was in favour of Tamil Nadu's model of 69 per cent reservation in his state.
Tinsukia killings: TMC delegation to visit Assam on Sunday
A delegation of Trinamool Congress leaders will visit Assam's Tinsukia district on Sunday to meet the family members of those who were killed by suspected militants, party sources said. Led by Derek O' Brien, the TMC parliamentary party leader in Rajya Sabha, the team will comprise the party's Lok Sabha MP Mamata Bala Thakur, Rajya Sabha MP Nadimul Haq and MLA Mahua Moitra. "The delegation will directly go to Dibrugarh and from there they will go to Tinsukia," a senior TMC leader said. Unidentified gunmen in battle fatigue shot dead five individuals, including three members of a family, near Kheronibari village in Tinsukia district on Thursday night. On Friday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed anguish over the killings and said an "environment of violence" was prevailing in the country. Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee demanded a court-monitored inquiry and called for the resignation of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal over the incident. A TMC ...
Party workers feedback crucial in selection of candidates for Raj polls: Gajendra Singh
Senior BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Saturday said the feedback of party workers would play a crucial role in selection of candidates for the assembly elections in Rajasthan. Shekhawat, who is heading the party's election management committee in the state, said the party's parliamentary committee will decide the final candidates. He said his committee was tasked to prepare a feedback report on winnable candidates. "The party workers' opinion and feedback will be considered before finalising the tickets," the union minister of state for agriculture told reporters here. He said the party has stated that the elections will be fought under the leadership of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. When asked whether sitting MPs would contest the elections, Shekhawat said if the party directed so he or any other MP would contest the polls. Speaking on the Ram temple issue, Shekhawat said the issue was related to public sentiment and that the party was committed to construct the temple but ...
Sekhwan resigns from party posts in more trouble for Akali Dal
In another jolt to the faction-ridden Akali Dal in Punjab, senior leader Sewa Singh Sekhwan Saturday resigned as the party's senior vice president and also as a member of the core committee alleging he was being neglected by the leadership. Sekhwan is the third senior leader to quit party posts after former Union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Lok Sabha MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura. "First Dhindsa sahib resigned and then Brahmpura sahib resigned, and today I resign from the post of party's senior vice president and core committee," Sekhwan told reporters in Chandigarh. "When you are not invited in meetings for the posts I held, then what will I do with these positions. Therefore, in protest against it I resigned from both the posts," he said. After Sekhwan's press conference, the SAD said in a statement it has expelled Sekhwan from the party with immediate effect. Party's senior vice president Daljit Singh Cheema said Sekhwan was indulging in "anti-party" activities. He said Sekhwan,
Kerala BJP chief receives death threat
The BJP's Kerala unit president P S Sreedharan Pillai has received a death threat, the party said Saturday. The threat was received through a letter, sent by speed post from Maharashtra, a BJP release said. The letter, dated October 29, was sent to the party's headquarters here and carries the name of a Keralite, Mohan K Nair. He has said he would be reaching Kerala on November 1 and will be joining Pillai during the 'Sabarimala protection rathyatra' from Kasaragod, according to the release. BJP leader K Surendran said DGP Loknath Behara has been informed of the threat. The rathyatra from November 8-13 to save the temple's traditions and customs is led by Pillai and Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) leader Thushar Vellappally, according to BJP sources. BJP and various Hindu outfits are on the warpath against the left government over its decision to implement the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of menstrual age to enter the shrine.
Chautala grandsons' expulsion triggers resignations, INLD faces possible split
The INLD stared at a possible split a day after its president Om Prakash Chautala expelled grandsons Dushyant Chautala and Digvijay Chautala from the party, triggering resignations by activists in their support. Several party leaders in Haryana districts announced Saturday their resignations from the Indian National Lok Dal over the expulsion of the two leaders, both children of Om Prakash Chautala's elder son Ajay Chautala. Some of them made the announcement on social media, expressing solidarity with the grandsons who were charged with indiscipline' and then sacked on Friday. The two are seen as opponents of their uncle and Chautala's younger son, MLA Abhay Singh Chautala. There is speculation that Ajay Chautala and his two sons may float another party or join the Bharatiya Janata Party which is in power in Haryana, after the jolt months ahead of Assembly polls in the state. Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala met his supporters in Sirsa. He said the next course will be decided when his ...
C'garh health facilities under 'doctor CM' pathetic: Babbar
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar Saturday hit out at Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, a doctor by qualification, for pushing the state's "health" into "critical condition". Babbar said that Chhattisgarh ranked 20th in the list of 21 states for providing health services, and posts of doctors and nurses were lying vacant, the Congress leader added. "The chief minister has dashed the hopes of people who were thinking that health facilities would improve after a doctor became CM. Health facilities are pathetic in Chhattisgarh," Babbar said in a press conference here. "A doctor CM has pushed the state's health services into the ICU during his 15-year rule," Babbar alleged. He said the Raman Singh government had failed to build a single hospital in Bastar region for security forces getting injured in anti-Naxal operations. These injured jawans have to be airlifted to Raipur or require admission in private medical facilities, he added. Babbar also attacked former .
Rahul 'pretending' to be religious to 'deceive' voters: BJP MP
BJP MP Anurag Thakur Saturday alleged Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was "pretending to be a religious person to deceive voters", adding that the Congress' "pretence" for "Hindu interests" made it clear that only those who talked of Hindus would rule the country. The ongoing campaign for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, slated for November 28, has seen the Congress projecting Gandhi as a 'Shiv bhakt' with the party chief offering prayers at several temples, including the revered Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain. "Rahul is pretending to be a religious person. The Congress did not remember 'janeu' (sacred thread worn by Hindus) in the last 70 years. But the Congress chief is now showing his thread to deceive voters," the Himachal MP, also the BJP's chief whip in Lok Sabha, said. "Congress used to talk about Hindu terrorism and saffron terrorism earlier. But Rahul is repeatedly visiting temples now. This has made one thing clear that those who talk about interests of Hindus would rule the .
Rahul Gandhi lashes out at UP govt over caning of aspiring teachers in Lucknow
Congress president Rahul Gandhi lashed out Saturday at the Uttar Pradesh government over the caning of aspiring teachers protesting over the court rulings that quashed the results of two recruitment exams, saying those responsible for shaping the future of children are being beaten up. The police used canes Friday to disperse people protesting in Lucknow against two court rulings that quashed the selection of over 12,000 government teachers and also ordered a CBI probe into the process to appoint 68,500 more. The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had struck down Thursday the selection of 12,460 assistant teachers through an exam advertised in 2016, during the term of the Akhilesh Yadav government. The other order came as a major embarrassment for the Yogi Adityanath government. The bench directed the CBI to investigate a recruitment exercise begun earlier this year to fill 68,500 posts. Reacting to the protests, Gandhi posted pictures of the injured protesters, saying people .
AAP suspends Sukhpal Khaira, Kanwar Sandhu
The Aam Aadmi Party Saturday suspended rebel leaders Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Kanwar Sandhu from the party for allegedly indulging in "anti-party" activities, it said. The decision was taken by the core committee of AAP Punjab unit, chaired by MLA Budh Ram in Chandigarh. "Both Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Kanwar Sandhu have been suspended for indulging in anti-party activities," AAP legislator and leader of opposition in Punjab Assembly Harpal Singh Cheema said. He said the core committee has taken the consent of the Political Affairs Committee for the suspension of Bholath and Kharar legislators Khaira and Sandhu respectively. Later the party in a statement said Khaira and Sandhu had been indulging in "anti-party" activities and continuously attacked the central and state party leadership. It said it has decided to suspend the two leaders with immediate effect after exhausting all avenues. Reacting to his suspension from AAP, Khaira described the decision as "dictatorial" and said he ...
Poll panel removes Mizoram's Home Secretary, NGO bodies demand CEO's expulsion
The Election Commission has removed the Mizoram Principal Secretary (Home) from his post for "dereliction of duty and interference in election process", an official said on Saturday.
TDP likens Modi to 'anaconda'; BJP says Chandrababu 'king of corruption'
Having firmed up its ties with the Congress two days ago, the ruling Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh Saturday likened Prime Minister Narendra Modi to an "anaconda" who has been "swallowing" national institutions. In a statement, TDP politburo member and state Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu asked if there was a "bigger anaconda" than Modi. "He (Modi) has been swallowing institutions like CBI, RBI and others. How could he be a saviour," Ramakrishnudu wondered. Reacting to the comments, the state BJP said TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu was the "king of corruption" and fears that his alleged corruption would be exposed now. However, Ramakrishnudu said the TDP's immediate duty is to save the country from the BJP. The veteran leader said everyone has a primary responsibility to protect the country, democracy and constitutional values in the prevailing situation. He lashed out at the opposition YSR Congress and Jana Sena, saying they hankered only for power and did not have any .
AIADMK brainstorming session to take on DMK in 20 assy
:The ruling AIADMK held a brainstorming session here Saturday on how best it could take on the main opposition DMK and rival leader T T V Dhinakaran led-AMMK in the by-elections expected for 20 constituencies in Tamil Nadu. Chaired by party presidium chairman E Madusudanan, the meeting was steered by the AIADMK coordinator -the numero uno party slot- held by Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and party co-coordinator and Chief Minister K Palaniswami. The meet took stock of the current political situation in the 20 constituencies, AIADMK's previous performances and the dire need to win the 20 seats, vis-a-vis the challenge posed by DMK, especially in segments like Tiruvarur, represented by the late DMK patriarch, M Karunanidhi. Also, local level issues and challenges, including the one posed by rival Dhinakaran led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam in certain pockets were considered, sources said. Asked about the poll strategy evolved at the meet, party organising secretary
India, Zimbabwe ink 6 agreements as Naidu meets Prez Mnangagwa, VP Mohadi
India and Zimbabwe on Saturday signed six signed agreements, including on mining, Information and communications technology (ICT), visa waiver and traditional medicine as Vice President Venkaiah Naidu met Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his deputy Kembo Mohadi and held wide-ranging talks here. Naidu arrived here Friday night on the second leg of his six-day three-nation tour to Africa, which aims at deepening India's strategic cooperation with Botswana, Zimbabwe and Malawi. During a delegation-level talks held between Naidu and his Zimbabwean counterpart, the two sides discussed on a wide range of areas, including defence, security, mining, capacity building, health and agriculture, the Vice President's office tweeted. "5 MoUs & one Action Plan on ICT were signed in areas ranging from Mining, Visa Waiver, Broadcasting & Culture etc," it further tweeted. Earlier in the day, Naidu also met Zimbabwe President Mnangagwa and recalled India's support to the African nation .