Page 26 - Politics

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 .

Red Sea crisis: No claims yet, but insurance cost may rise if tensions grow

Insurers are keeping a close eye on the developments and have made an upward revision to their risk perception with companies turning cautious of the tense geopolitical scenario

Congress concludes the 18-day 'Uttar Pradesh Jodo Yatra' in Lucknow

The Congress accused the Narendra Modi government of putting the country under Emergency and called on the people to unite against the BJP government, as it concluded its 18-day Uttar Pradesh Jodo Yatra here on Saturday. The Yatra started from western UP's Saharanpur on December 20. "The way the Modi government of the centre is playing with the Constitution and has set up an emergency in the country, the time has come to stand against him," Avinash Pandey, National General Secretary of the Congress, said in a statement. Pandey, the newly made party in-charge of UP, also called on people to join Rahul Gandhi's Nyay Yatra, which will start from January 14 and traverse the swathe of the country from Manipur to Mumbai. The party workers on the last day of the 'UP Jodo Yatra,' walked from Rakab Ganj in Lucknow to the martyr memorial, where they concluded the rally. State Congress President Ajay Rai, who was involved in the entire yatra, said the campaign would not have been possible ..

Cong blames EVMs, internal sabotage for rout in MP polls at review meeting

Most of the 164 nominees of Congress who lost the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls last November on Saturday blamed EVMs for the poor show against BJP at a review meeting held here, a leader said. Some contestants claimed "internal sabotage" was the reason for the drubbing and demanded strict action ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP swept the state assembly elections to retain power by winning 163 seats out of 230, reducing the Congress tally to 66. About 164 defeated contestants of Congress attended the marathon meeting which lasted for nearly six hours chaired by MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari, one of the candidates who contested unsuccessfully. Many of them said the "EVM issue" should be raised nationwide and those in the state Congress unit responsible for the sabotage should be dealt with an iron hand if the party wants to put up a good show in the Lok Sabha elections, said the party leader, who had lost the elections, after attending the meeting. "Majority of the defeat

BJP sets target of increasing vote share by 10% in Lok Sabha polls in HP

The Himachal Pradesh BJP has set a target of increasing its vote share by 10 per cent in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, banking on the opening of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, party leaders said on Saturday. The party charted a road map for the elections at a meeting of its state core committee in the presence of national president J P Nadda Friday night. The leaders discussed about increasing the vote share and winning margin, the party's media department in-charge Randhir Sharma said on Saturday. The target is to increase the vote share by 10 per cent in the Lok Sabha polls, due in April-May, coming after the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. After the party's victory in recent assembly elections in three states, the aim is to surpass the previous victory margin in Himachal Pradesh, he told reporters. He said Nadda visit to the state, following the party's victory in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, has enthused the party cadre in the hill state. A meet

INDIA bloc to decide in 10-15 days on who will hold which post: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said leaders of INDIA parties would take a decision within 10-15 days on allocation of posts in the opposition bloc, remarks that come amid speculation that the alliance could pick a convener ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a press conference, he also said that all other matters including seat-sharing of the INDIA bloc would be resolved soon, with party sources indicating that this is likely to be concluded by the month-end. Kharge said the Congress is working on all the 545 Lok Sabha constiutencies and has appointed observers for all the seats, but which party will contest which seat and how many will be decided soon after consultations with all constituents of the opposition alliance. Asked on how many seats the party would contest, he said, "We have already finalised parliamentary observers for all the constituencies... We will go and assess in each Parliamentary constituency." "Ultimately, when INDIA alliance is the

Rahul chose Manipur to launch Nyay Yatra due to concern about state: Cong

Congress spokesperson Mahima Singh on Saturday said party leader Rahul Gandhi has chosen Manipur to launch the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' due to his concern over the situation in that state. She also alleged that the BJP is not bothered about the problems faced by people, and it is only concentrating on headline management. "The BJP, wherever it is in power, is concerned with headline management and people's issues have been sidelined," Singh, also the in-charge of communication and media coordination in Assam for the yatra, told reporters here. "Look at Manipur, the situation remains volatile. Rahul Gandhi was among a handful of national leaders who went and spent time there. That is why he has chosen Manipur to start this yatra," she said. More than 180 people have been killed and several hundred injured due to the ethnic conflict between the Kuki and Meitei communities in Manipur since May last year. The Rahul Gandhi-led Manipur-to-Maharashtra yatra, which will begin on January 1

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, who mimicked Jagdeep Dhankhar, now lauds vice-prez

'I am truly overwhelmed that the vice president spoke to me and my wife and invited us for dinner at his place,' TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said on Friday

68 Rajya Sabha members including nine Union ministers to retire in 2024

Sixty-eight Rajya Sabha members, including nine Union ministers, are completing their tenures this year, triggering a race of sorts among leaders across political parties to eye a six-year term in the Upper House of Parliament. Of the 68 vacancies, elections have already been called for three seats in Delhi where AAP leaders Sanjay Singh, Narain Dass Gupta and Sushil Kumar Gupta will complete their tenures on January 27. Elections have also been called for the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Sikkim where SDF member Hishey Lachungpa will retire on February 23. As many as 57 leaders, including Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav, Health Minister Mansukh Madaviya and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, will complete their tenures in April. Uttar Pradesh will have the highest number of vacancies of 10 seats, followed by Maharashtra and Bihar (six each), Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal (five each), Karnataka and Gujarat

Congress renames Rahul Gandhi-led yatra as Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra

The Congress on Thursday renamed the Rahul Gandhi-led Manipur-Mumbai yatra starting on January 14 as 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' which will travel through 15 states, including Arunachal Pradesh. This was announced by Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh after a meeting of party general secretaries, state in-charges, state unit chiefs and Congress Legislature Party leaders chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge at the Congress headquarters here. Earlier it was named Bharat Nyay Yatra. Ramesh said the Congress invites all INDIA bloc leaders to participate in this yatra and pointed out that invitations were being sent out for it. He said the yatra of over 6,713 km will be covered in buses and on foot. It will cover 110 districts, about 100 Lok Sabha seats and 337 assembly segments. Ramesh claimed the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra would prove to be as transformative for politics as the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir did.