Page 2592 - Politics
Sena seeks NHRC intervention into lathicharge on MES workers
The Shiv Sena in Maharashtra Thursday sought intervention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) into the "attack" by Karnataka police personnel on the activists of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) in Belgavi over a border dispute between two states. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party is a constituent in the BJP-led governments in Centre and Maharashtra. In a released issued here, Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe said she apprised Maharashtra Revenue minister Chandrakant Patil about the issue and requested him to write to the NHRC over the lathicharge by Karnataka police. Karnataka and Maharashtra are locked in a bitter dispute over inclusion of Belgavi and other Marathi-speaking villages into Maharashtra. The matter is pending before the Supreme Court. Patil, a senior BJP leader, heads a coordination committee set up by the Maharashtra government to find a solution to the dispute. "I also requested that talks should be held with Home minister Rajnath Singh and Chief ...
'Bitter' campaign for 5 by-elections in Karnataka ends
A high-voltage campaign for the November 3 by-elections to three Lok Sabha and two assembly segments in Karnataka ended on Friday on a bitter note, as the ruling combine (JD-S-Congress) and the opposition BJP slammed each other over various issues, including defections.
Trump, Erdogan discuss Syria in phone call: Turkish presidency
US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the Syrian conflict during a phone call on Thursday, the Turkish presidency said in a statement. The statement was released not long after it was announced that Turkish and American troops had begun conducting joint patrols in the northern Syrian city of Manbij. The leaders discussed the cooperation agreement in Manbij, which is held by a US-backed Kurdish militia that Turkey deems a terrorist group, the statement said. They also spoke of Idlib, the last major area in Syria still outside the control of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, where a demilitarised zone has been planned. The presidents agreed to maintain "close contact" and maintained their "determination" to "further strengthen bilateral relations", according to the statement. Washington's support of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria has strained already tense ...
PM to launch 'Support and Outreach' initiative for MSMEs
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday will launch the Central governments 'Support and Outreach' initiative for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) here, an official statement said on Thursday.
YSRC chief writes to guv over probe into attack on him
YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy Thursday raised concerns over the Police probe into the recent attack on him and sought Governor ESL Narasimhan's intervention to transfer the case to an agency not under the control of the Andhra Pradesh government. In a letter to Narasimhan, Reddy claimed that there were serious concerns that the police probing the case was being "motivated and driven" by the state government to suit its needs. YSR Congress leaders met the Governor at the Raj Bhavan here and submitted a representation, a party release said. The YSR congress leader was injured when he was attacked by a man with a small knife at the airport lounge in Visakhapatnam. The police in its remand report in a court had said it was an attempt to murder Reddy. Terming the incident as 'drama' enacted by the BJP-led NDA government at the centre and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had hit out at them for "conspiring" against his government .
Sri Lankan Parliament will not be convened on Monday: Prez Sirisena's party
Sri Lanka's suspended Parliament will not be convened before November 16, President Maithripala Sirisena's party said on Thursday, hours after officials at Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's office indicated that the House will meet on Monday. Susil Premjayantha, a senior parliamentarian from Sirisena's United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), said Parliament is unlikely to meet on November 5. He said that Parliament needs time to prepare to meet and there is not enough time to meet on Monday. Premjayantha said reports claiming Parliament will meet on Monday were misleading and the House was most likely to meet on November 16, as announced by the president earlier. Sirisena had suspended Parliament till November 16 after Wickremesinghe sought an emergency session to prove his majority. The president is facing increasing political and diplomatic pressure to reconvene Parliament which he had suspended apparently to allow Rajapaksa to engineer crossovers from Wickremesinghe's ...
NCP workers hold protest over Modi's Rs 15 lakh poll promise
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) workers Thursday staged a novel protest to question Prime Minister Narendra Modi why Rs 15 lakh have not been deposited in the bank accounts of citizens yet as was "promised" by him. As part of the protest, the workers went to a local bank and symbolically got passbook entries made to check if the amount was deposited or not. The protest was staged under the guidance of NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, a statement issued by his office said. Munde, however, did not physically partake in the protest. During the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign, Modi had said each Indian could receive Rs 15 lakh if all the black money stashed abroad was brought back. "The NDA has completed four and half years at the Centre and four years in the state. However, only disappointment has come the people's way. People are angry and venting it in different ways," the statement said. "Accordingly, the NCP workers staged the protest to check account balance to expose the .
Gujarat BJP appoints in-charge teams for LS seats in state
In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Gujarat BJP on Thursday appointed three-member in-charge teams for each of the 26 constituencies in the state. State BJP chief Jitu Vaghani made the appointments, a party release said. The BJP had won all Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat in 2014. However, in the 2017 state elections, the party won 99 out of the 182 seats in the Gujarat Assembly, managing to retain power by a thin majority. "These in-charge teams will work hard to retain all 26 seats. We will work as a team under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah," Vaghani told reporters.
'Bus service between China and PoK is violation of India's sovereignty'
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar on Thursday asserted that any bus service between Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and China is a violation of India's sovereignty.While addressing the weekly MEA press briefing, Kumar said, "We have lodged a strong protest with China and Pakistan on the proposed bus service that will operate from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir to China under so-called China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Any such bus service through areas occupied by Pakistan will be a violation of India's sovereignty and territoriality."Talking about sanction imposed by the United States on Iran, Kumar said, "The US is aware of our expectations of the requirement for oil domestically which is critical for sustaining our economic growth. We'll continue to engage with the US and other stakeholders to ensure energy security isn't compromised."He reiterated that the US imposed sanctions on Iran are not meant to harm India in any way.When asked about the Sri
Pak govt has no plans to put Asiya Bibi's name on ECL
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Thursday clarified that it has no plans to put Asiya Bibi's name on the Exit Control List (ECL) or file a review petition against the Supreme Court's verdict which acquitted her in connection to a blasphemy case.The PTI wrote on its Twitter handle, "Federal Government has no plan to put Aasia Bibi's name on ECL or appeal for a review against the court's verdict. A review petition is been filed by the concerned party which has nothing to do with the government."The PTI government's comments came after some Pakistani media reports stated that a review petition had been filed against the verdict and to place Asiya on the ECL.Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, also rubbished the reports.According to a tweet from the official Twitter handle of the Government of Pakistan, it read, "Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting has contradicted reports appearing in a section ..
'We are coming together to save our nation': Naidu after meeting Rahul
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday met Congress president Rahul Gandhi to discuss Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-Congress alliance against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.The two leaders discussed about forming an alliance for the December 7 Assembly elections in Telangana and also form a grand alliance for the Lok Sabha polls next year.Addressing a joint press conference, Naidu said, "We are coming together to save the nation. We have to forget the past. Now, it is a democratic compulsion to unite. All opposition needs to be one."Taking a dig at the BJP, Naidu said, "I have been into politics for over 40 years but have never seen such a government, the situation in the country demands coming together of all opposition parties."Gandhi, on the other hand, announced that his party would work together with Naidu's TDP in order to "defend democracy and future of the country"."We had a very good meeting. The gist was that we have to ...
Delhi govt, railways sign MoU for Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana
The Delhi government signed a memorandum of understanding with the railways on Thursday to cater to pilgrims availing the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana, an official statement stated. It stated the MoU was inked by officials of the Delhi government and the railways in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia at the Delhi Secretariat in New Delhi. A tourism department official said as per the agreement, Railways will provide separate coaches to pilgrims who are selected under the Yojana. Under the scheme, the AAP government will bear expenses of 77,000 pilgrims every year. Delhi residents above the age of 60 are covered under this scheme. Those selected will be allowed to be accompanied by an attendant aged 18 years or above and their expenditure will also be borne by the city administration. According to the government, the scheme will enable 1,100 senior citizens from each of the 70 assembly constituencies of Delhi every year to undertake free pilgrimage.
TRS, BJP slam Naidu over meeting with Rahul Gandhi
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi and BJP Thursday attacked Telugu Desam Party over party chief N Chandrababu Naidu's meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi, saying the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister was going against the principles on which TDP was founded. Congress and TDP have come together for the December 7 Assembly elections only to trouble TRS and its president K Chandrasekhar Rao, TRS MP B Vinold Kumar claimed. "Chandrababu Naidu's behaviour is totally against what N T Rama Rao had spoken then and the basic principles for which that party was started," he told reporters here. Congress and TDP are part of the "grand alliance" for the elections. The alliance also comprises CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS). Criticising Naidu's meeting with Gandhi, BJP's Telangana unit president K Laxman alleged in Delhi that the TDP president has "mortaged the self-respect of Telugu people." Opposition parties will work together to defeat BJP to defend India, its ...
Lord Rama won't help BJP win election: Farooq Abdullah
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Thursday taunted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, saying that Lord Rama won't help the saffron party win elections.
Akhilesh says he has no prime ministerial ambitions, would rather work for UP
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said he has no prime ministerial ambitions and would rather work for upliftment of his state Uttar Pradesh. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister was speaking at a panel discussion here, which included BJP leader Ram Madhav, National Conference's Omar Abdullah, Sachin Pilot of the Congress and Jayant Choudhary of the Rashtriya Lok Dal, at the release of a book of journalist-author Priya Sahgal. As the discussion turned towards 'Mahagathbandhan' or the grand alliance that opposition parties are trying to forge to take on the ruling BJP at the Centre ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year, moderator Vir Sanghvi asked how such an alliance will work when all opposition leaders have prime ministerial ambitions. To this, Yadav replied he does not have any such aspirations. Answering a pointed 'no?' from Sanghvi, Yadav replied, "No". When the moderator asked 'never?", the Samajwadi leader said, "Never". Yadav said he would rather work to ...
India, Botswana to expedite establishment of diamond institute, boost defence cooperation
India and Botswana on Thursday decided to expedite work on establishing the India-Africa Diamond Institute in the southern African country as the two nations also agreed to enhance cooperation in defence and security. This was stated by Secretary (Economic Relations) T S Tirumurti after a meeting between Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and his Botswanian counterpart Slumber Tsogwane, and delegation-level talks between the two countries here. This is a bilateral initiative to contribute to skills development in the diamond industry in Africa, Tirumurti said. Botswana is recognised worldwide for producing some of Africa's most sparkling diamonds. "Botswana had sent a delegation to India. The Surat-based Indian Diamond Institute is the nodal institute. Of the around 20 diamond companies operating in Botswana, eight to 10 are Indian companies engaged in polishing and cutting. That is the type of expertise Botswana wants," Tirumurti said. Both leaders referred to the close defence ...
BJP is wooing us as govt is in 'dangerous fifth year': Sena
The Shiv Sena said Thursday that the BJP is now courting it as the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government has entered a "dangerous" fifth year. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party, which is a partner in the BJP-led alliance in the state and Centre, also asked Fadnavis to explain in which areas, as per his claim, the state has reached number one position. An editorial in Sena mouthpiece "Saamana" quoted Fadnavis's recent statement that a Sena-BJP alliance in the next year's Lok Sabha and state elections was necessary for preventing division of Hindutva votes. "(Senior BJP leader and minister) Chandrakant Patil and (state BJP chief) Raosaheb Danve's new-found love for the Sena stems from the fact that the fifth year is dangerous for the Fadnavis government," it said. It further asked if the BJP was so worried about division of Hindutva votes, why did it break up the alliance before the 2014 Assembly elections. The two saffron parties had joined hands once again after the .
Naidu drums up support for anti-BJP front, says alliance with Cong a 'democratic compulsion'
Aiming to forge an anti-BJP front ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Thursday met heads of several opposition parties, including Rahul Gandhi, and termed his party's alliance with the Congress a "democratic compulsion" to protect the country. Addressing a joint press conference, Gandhi and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president Naidu said the primary challenge before all the opposition forces was to work together and defend India's institutions and democracy, but they parried queries on who would lead the anti-BJP alliance. "Everything else is secondary. We will do what is our primary challenge. You are interested in candidates, we are interested in the nation," Gandhi told reporters. However, Naidu added, "It is a reality you have to understand that the Congress is the main opposition party. All other parties are necessary. So, we will work on these things. Our main motive is save nation." This is for the first time Naidu met Gandhi ...
Delhi-Centre row: SC reserves verdict on pleas challenging administrative notifications
The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on the challenges to notifications related to control over services, setting up of Commission of Inquiry and power of Anti-corruption Bureau in the ongoing tussle between Delhi and Centre. A bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan reserved the verdict after hearing rejoinder arguments from the counsels for Delhi government. "Hearing concluded. Judgement reserved," the bench said. During the earlier hearing, the Centre had told the apex court that the Lieutenant Governor (LG) has the power to regulate services in Delhi. The powers are delegated to the administrator of Delhi and the services can be administered through him, it had said. The Centre also said that unless the President of India expressly directs, the LG, who is the administrator of Delhi, cannot consult the Chief Minister or the Council of Ministers. On October 4, the Delhi government had told the apex court that it wanted its petitions relating to governance of the .
Rahul, Naidu moves ahead to counter BJP in 2019
Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday held discussions and decided to move ahead to unite the like-minded opposition parties to oust the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.