Page 2587 - Politics
Stalin welcomes Rahul-Naidu meet
DMK President M.K. Stalin on Friday welcomed the meeting between Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP leader N. Chandrababu Naidu.
BJP in Telangana faces ire of party leaders over ticket denial
The BJP on Friday announced the second list of 28 candidates for next month's Assembly polls in Telangana but it triggered angry protests and attack on the party office by those denied ticket.
TJS holds talks with Cong on firming up alliance
: Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) chief M Kodandaram Friday held talks with Congress president Rahul Gandhi on firming up an alliance for the December 7 assembly elections in the state. TJS is a partner in the proposed "grand alliance" (comprising Congress, TDP, CPI and TJS) for the polls. Kodandaram, who met Gandhi in Delhi, told reporters that the proposed alliance has created confidence among people that change and a democratic rule over an "autocratic rule" (of TRS) is possible. "Since it (grand alliance) created such a strong confidence, we said better results can be achieved if it is formed early and it starts functioning. So, formation of alliance should be expedited. (We) should work together for a joint action plan," he said. Gandhi assured complete cooperation and asked Congress leaders to take steps for early formation of the alliance, he said. TJS would continue talks with state Congress leaders in Hyderabad and try to form the alliance at the earliest, he ...
Adopt zero tolerance towards illegal construction, HC to Maha
The Bombay High Court Friday said the Maharashtra government and other planning authorities should adopt a "zero tolerance" policy towards illegal construction, adding that such structures cannot be regularised. A division bench of Justices A S Oka and A K Menon was hearing a petition filed by Mayura Maru and Rajeev Mishra alleging unauthorised construction at Digha village in neighbouring Navi Mumbai. In 2015, HC had directed Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to demolish 94 unauthorised buildings in Digha village. The state government later told the court that it would frame a policy to regularise such illegal constructions not just in Navi Mumbai but across the state. The government had claimed that it was contemplating to do so to ensure the common man does not suffer. The government later submitted a draft policy before the court to this effect. But the court had, .
Court discharges AAP MLA in case of filing false affidavit in 2015 Assembly polls
A Delhi court has discharged AAP MLA Som Dutt in a case of allegedly filing a false affidavit before the Election Commission for the 2015 Assembly election here. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal refused to put the AAP MLA from Sadar Bazar constituency on trial saying that the allegations against him were not "legally sustainable". The complaint, filed by BJP leader Praveen Jain, who had lost the election against Dutt, had alleged that the AAP politician, while filing his nomination papers before the poll panel, had not mentioned his parents as dependents to escape from informing about their assets. However, when he was elected, he obtained the medical card mentioning his parents as dependents and also claimed medical reimbursement of Rs 3,421 from Delhi Government. "Charge cannot be framed against the accused. Accordingly the accused is discharged," the court said. It said that it could not be said that "dependency for the purpose of election affidavit and medical
Rahul appoints P C Zoram Sangliana co-chair Mizoram campaign committee
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday appointed P C Zoram Sangliana as the co-chair of the Mizoram Pradesh Campaign Committee. The Election Commission on Friday issued notification for the November 28 Mizoram Assembly election, enabling candidates to start filing their nomination papers. The tenure of the 40-member Assembly in Mizoram, the only Congress-ruled state in the northeast, expires on December 15. Gandhi also appointed Dr B Pushpa Amarnath as president of Karnataka State Mahila Congress.
Kejriwal meets CEC over deletion of names from voters' list
AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal met Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat Friday alleging that names of party supporters have been deleted from voters' list, and claimed that the EC has agreed to take up a verification exercise at two places in Delhi. He accused the ruling BJP of having gotten the names deleted from the voters' list in "collusion" with lower-rung officials because it was apparently staring at a defeat in 2019 general elections. "It's possible your name is deleted but you can not check it on Election Commission website because an old list is there. We have appealed to them (EC) to upload the names deleted till October 31," Kejriwal said. On Thursday, Kejriwal had written to Rawat, seeking an appointment to raise the matter. In the letter, he had said a cursory look on the deleted names "showed" most of them were AAP or Congress voters. He also alleged the deletion of names might have been done by officials "at the instance of BJP". During his meeting with Rawat Friday, ...
Election activities intensify in Mizoram
The Election Commission on Friday issued the statutory notification for November 28 Assembly elections in Mizoram, an official said.
Asean lawmakers urge governments to protect journalists
The Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) on Friday appealed to governments in Southeast Asia to check growing attacks on press freedom and punish those responsible for killing journalists.
Amnesty: UNHRC must question China about Xinjiang camps
Amnesty International (AI) on Friday urged the UN Human Rights Council to urge China to tell the truth over the mass internment of up to one million, predominantly Muslim people, in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
Japan approves bill to widen immigration doors to foreign workers
The Japanese government approved a bill on Friday to revise the immigration control law to allow more foreign workers to undertake work in a variety of sectors.
Assam killings: TMC MP seeks court-monitored probe, Sonowal's resignation
Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Friday sought a court-monitored inquiry into the killing of five Bengali-speaking people in Assam's Tinsukia district and called for the resignation of the neighbouring state's chief minister over the incident. Three members of a family were among the five people who were gunned down by a group of assailants on Thursday evening at Kheronbari village, at the edge of Dhola-Sadiya bridge, in Tinsukia. One person, who fell off the edge of the bridge, survived the firing. TMC Youth Congress president Abhishek Banerjee, who is also the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, took out a rally Friday morning from Jadavpur 8B bus stand to Hazra crossing, in south Kolkata, to protest against Thursday's incident. "We demand Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal's resignation and a court-monitored inquiry into the killing of five Bengalis. We don't have any faith in the CBI, as it is busy with its power tussle," the TMC leader said while .
Why not topple govt if agitation needed for Ram temple: Uddhav to RSS
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said Friday the RSS should bring down the Narendra Modi government if it felt the need to launch an agitation for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh said earlier Friday that it would not hesitate to launch an agitation on the issue, if needed. Speaking to the media at the Sena headquarters here, Thackeray, a BJP ally, also said the Modi government ignored the entire agenda of the Sangh. "The issue of Ram temple was sidelined after the Modi government assumed office. When the Sena took up the issue and decided to insist on the construction of the temple, the RSS now feels a need for agitation to press the demand," he said. "If you (the RSS) feel the need for agitation despite having a strong government in place, why don't you pull down this government," he said. Speaking to the media after the conclusion of a conclave of the Sangh earlier in the day, RSS general secretary BhaiyyajiJoshi said it "will not ...
MP polls: BJP's first list of candidates out; Chouhan stays in Budhni
The BJP Friday released its first list of 177 candidates for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, dropping over two dozen MLAs and fielding Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan from his traditional Budhni seat. Three ministers are among the MLAs who have been denied renomination, while seats of several legislators of the ruling party have been changed. Three sitting independent MLAs have been fielded as BJP candidates from their respective constituencies. Madhya Pradesh, which has a 230-member Assembly, will have a single phase polling on November 28. Chouhan, holding the CM's post since 2005, will once again contest from Budhni, his home turf in Sehore district. The list was released in New Delhi by Union minister J P Nadda, who is also secretary of the BJP's Central Election Committee. In the list, Urban Administration Minister Maya Singh has been dropped from Gwalior (East), from where Satish Sikarwar has been fielded, party leaders said. Another minister Lalita Yadav, elected from ..
Punjab Guv gives assent to office-of-profit bill
Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore has given his assent to the Punjab State Legislature (Prevention of Disqualification) (Amendment) Bill, 2018, paving way for the appointment of Congress MLAs as chairpersons of boards and corporations. "The assent to the bill has been given by the Punjab governor," a senior government official said Friday. His approval comes nearly two months after the Punjab Assembly passed the bill. On August 28, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha had passed the bill to add various categories of office of profit to the current list of positions which MLAs can hold without inviting disqualification. The bill was brought in an apparent bid to placate the sulking legislators who had expressed disappointment over not being inducted as ministers in cabinet expansion in April. Earlier, the Punjab government had sought to bring amendments through ordinance route, but the governor had refused to give his assent, asking the government to bring the bill to the assembly first.
Naveen reiterates demand for special category status to Odisha
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday reiterated the demand for a special category status to the state.
Former Cong MP from Madhya Pradesh joins BJP
A Madhya Pradesh Congress leader joined the BJP Friday, a development described by the ruling party leaders as an indication of the falling fortunes of the opposition in the poll-bound state. Premchand Guddu, a Dalit leader who was an MLA and MP, joined the saffron party in the presence its senior leaders from the state, including Narendra Singh Tomar, Thaawarchand Gehlot and Kailash Vijayvargiya, and hit out at the Congress as a party of "raja and maharaja". While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan have been working for the poor, the Congress is being run as an "elite class" with no concern for Dalits and the downtrodden, he said. That a Congress leader of over 30 years has decided to join the BJP underlines the falling fortunes of the opposition party, Vijayvargiya said. Guddu was considered close to Congress leader and former chief minister Digvijay Singh and had been feeling sidelined in the party, sources said. He or his son may ..
Debt-laden Malaysia surprises with big-spending budget
Malaysia's new government unveiled the country's biggest ever budget Friday, a surprise move that defied expectations of major belt-tightening to reduce national debts inherited from the corrupt former administration. Analysts had expected a raft of higher taxes and deep cuts to spending after warnings from the new administration about the dire state of the public finances after years of mismanagement by the last government. But the 2019 budget, totalling 314.5 billion ringgit ($75.55 billion), was the biggest on record. Finance minister Lim Guan Eng said the Pact of Hope alliance, which took power after a surprise win in May polls which toppled a long-ruling coalition, was aiming to improve the "well-being of the people". The government wanted to ensure that people "are better off economically in the form of higher wages, better jobs and more money to spend," he said. The figure was higher than the 290.4 billion ringgit 2018 budget presented by then prime minister Najib Razak, which .
Notification issued for Mizoram Assembly election
The Election Commission on Friday issued notification for the November 28 Mizoram Assembly election, enabling candidates to start filing their nomination papers from Friday. According to the notification, the last date for filing of nomination is November 9, while the date for scrutiny of papers has been fixed on November 12. The last date for withdrawal of nomination is November 14, and the date for counting of votes has been scheduled for December 11. The tenure 40-member Assembly in Mizoram, the only Congress-ruled state in the northeast, expires on December 15.
U.S. grants Iran sanctions waivers to eight countries including India: Bloomberg
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The U.S. government has agreed to let eight countries, including close allies South Korea and Japan, as well as India, keep buying Iranian oil after it reimposes sanctions on Tehran next week, Bloomberg cited a U.S. official as saying.