Page 2613 - Politics
MP BJP MLA, former MLA, Kirar leader join Congress
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Sanjay Sharma, former MLA Kamlapat Arya and Akhil Bhartiya Kirar Samaaj leader Gulab Singh Kirar joined the Congress in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday in the presence of party President Rahul Gandhi.
Akali Dal accuses Congress of distortion of Sikh history in books
Accusing the Congress government in Punjab of a "deep-rooted conspiracy" to distort Sikh history in textbooks for students of senior classes in Punjab schools, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is all set for an agitation over the issue.
BJP offers two seats to RLSP in Bihar
The BJP is understood to have offered two seats to its ally Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) in Bihar for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Cong condemns Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh, says Raman Singh has no right to be CM
The Congress condemned the Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh in which two police personnel and a Doordarshan (DD) News cameraman were killed on Tuesday. Two policemen were also injured in the attack in Dantewada district of the poll-bound state. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala paid tributes to the deceased and termed the BJP government in the state "incompetent and worthless". "The people of Naxal-hit Chhattisgarh have made up their mind to oust the incompetent and worthless government of Chief Minister Raman Singh," Surjewala tweeted. He said, "A coward and scared Raman Singh has no right to be the chief minister even for a minute now".
BJP should not take me for granted: Parsekar
As the ruling BJP is eyeing to field former Congress MLA Dayanand Sopte for the upcoming Mandrem Assembly bypoll in Goa, former state Chief Minister and BJP leader Laxmikant Parsekar Tuesday indicated that he might rebel against his party. Sopte and another Congress MLA recently resigned as members of the Goa Legislative Assembly and joined the BJP, dealing a blow to the opposition party in the state. Now, as the Congress started consolidating anti-BJP forces ahead of the upcoming bypoll in Mandrem Assembly, Parsekar said the BJP should stop taking him for granted. His statement comes two days after Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) chief Girish Chodankar met him at Mandrem, which the former had represented in the state assembly till 2017. Parsekar had lost to Sopte from Mandrem constituency in north Goa in the February 2017 Assembly polls. Earlier, Parsekar had criticised BJP's Goa unit chief Vinay Tendulkar for not taking him into confidence while inducting ...
AAP announces five candidates for Lok Sabha polls in Punjab
Taking a lead over other parties in the state, the Punjab unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday announced the names of five candidates for the Lok Sabha elections likely to be held in April-May next year.
TDP welcome to join UPA, says Veerappa Moily
The N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is welcome to join the UPA for the cause of a united fight against the NDA, senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily said Tuesday. The TDP is currently engaged in seat-sharing talks with the Congress for the December seven Assembly elections in Telangana, which was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014. The TDP broke away from the NDA earlier this year over the Centre's refusal to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh. In an interview to PTI, Moily said the idea was to bring all the opposition parties together to unitedly fight the BJP-led NDA. He was responding to a query if the electoral alliance in Telangana would continue for next year's Lok Sabha elections. On whether TDP, headed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Naidu, is welcome to join the UPA, the former Union Minister said, "Naturally. We would like to have proper understanding between the Opposition. This (TDP) is one such opposition party". "It's a good signal. ...
Sri Lanka braces for protest over PM's sacking
Sri Lanka on Tuesday braced for a protest called by ousted prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's party against what it said was a "coup" by President Maithripala Sirisena, amidst efforts by opposing sides to secure their numbers in parliament to end the country's political crisis. Sri Lanka, a Buddhist-majority nation in the Indian Ocean, was plunged into chaos on Friday when President Sirisena sacked Prime Minister Wickremesinghe in a surprise move. He also suspended parliament in an apparent bid to shore up support for newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Sirisena is under increasing political and diplomatic pressure to reconvene parliament and resolve the constitutional crisis. Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) is set to hold a protest on Tuesday in the capital, Colombo. "We are calling upon all sections of the society who believe in democracy and rule of law to gather and protest," Champika Ranawaka, a former minister said. Mangala Samaraweera, the ...
Madhya Pradesh: BJP MLA joins Congress
State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Sanjay Sharma joined the Congress party on Tuesday ahead of assembly elections.The MLA from Damoh's Tendu Kheda constituency joined the party in the presence of Congress president Rahul Gandhi.Sharma had previously left Congress to join the BJP and was offered a ticket from Tendu Kheda constituency.Elections in the state are scheduled to be held in a single phase on November 28 while counting of votes will take place on December 11.
Bangladesh ruling party invites major opposition alliance for poll talks
The ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) party on Tuesday invited a newly-formed opposition alliance for talks on the general election slated for December.
NIA raids Srinagar residences of businessman, family in decade-old terror funding case
The National Investigation Agency Tuesday carried out raids at three residences of absconding businessman and Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Nasir Safi Mir and his family at Lal Bazar area here in connection with a terror funding case, officials said. Mir, 48, is accused of funding Hurriyat leaders and believed to have fled the country after jumping bail, they said, adding the raids were carried out nearly 10 months after the case was re-registered by the NIA. Details of the raids were not immediately available as the NIA teams assisted by the Jammu and Kashmir Police and para-military forces were in the process of collecting documents from the three places where the raids were conducted, they said. The NIA probe is likely to ascertain how Mir alias Babul managed to secure a passport from a southern state which he allegedly used in Nepal to leave for Europe in October, 2008. A resident of North Kashmir, Mir allegedly used carpet trade and later a money exchange business in Dubai for ...
Sushma Swaraj interacts with Indian community in Qatar
External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj interacted with the Indian diaspora on Monday and put forth the initiatives which have been taken by the government for the Indian community's welfare in Qatar."I always look forward to meeting members of the Indian diaspora on my foreign visits, and always request Ambassadors to schedule such events irrespective of its size," Swaraj said while welcoming the attendees.She further conveyed that immense progress has happened in India ever since the Qatari-Indian community left their native land. "India is one of the fastest growing economies, it is capable of shaping global; agenda. The Indian PM is counted amongst the eminent leaders of the nation. The welfare of the Indian community in foreign lands is an integral part of our foreign policy, and that is one of the biggest initiatives taken during this government's tenure," she said.Swaraj further said, "You must have felt this for yourselves, as we've sensitised our Ambassadors to cater to
Congress' Jitendra Deshprabhu says Parrikar may not be alive
Goa Congress spokesperson Jitendra Deshprabhu on Monday stated that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who has not been seen publicly since October 14, may not be alive.The Chief Minister has not been seen in public since he returned from Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).Speaking to ANI, Deshprabhu said, "He (Parrikar) is nowhere to be seen either publically or privately. It leaves a very serious doubt in our mind, whether there is a chief minister at all. We want to see the chief minister, whether he is still alive."The Congress leader further said as Parrikar is the chief minister of the state, people have every right to know about his health.Further stressing on the issue, Deshprabhu demanded that members of the Congress party should be allowed to see the Chief Minister for surety, or else they will go to the court.On October 28, Goa's Health Minister Vishwajit Rane revealed that Parrikar is suffering from pancreatic cancer.Citing Parrikar's ill-health, the ...
PM welcomes Italian counterpart
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday welcomed his Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte, who is on a day-long visit to India. "A warm welcome to the Italian Prime Minister, Mr. Giuseppe Conte in India. I look forward to meeting him and to participate together at the Tech Summit later today," Modi tweeted in English and Italian. During his visit, Conte will hold talks with PM Modi to boost cooperation in key areas such as trade and investment, besides participating in the India-Italy Technology Summit. The highlight of the visit will be the Italian prime minister's participation at the 24th edition of the India-Italy Technology Summit which is being organised by the Department of Science and Technology in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry.
Trump plans aggressive campaign for mid-term elections
US President Donald Trump and his team is leaving no stone unturned to campaign in favour of his Republican party ahead of the crucial November 6 mid-term polls which will decide the balance of powers in the Congress over next two years. Only a week is left for the November 6 mid-term elections, in which Americans would elect 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 Senate seats in Congress. The Republican party currently has majority in both the Senate and the House and Trump and his team is leaving no stone unturned to campaign in favour of his Republican party. Political pundits say that the opposition Democrats are all set to regain control of the House, while Republicans will retain control the Senate, where it has a wafer-thin majority of 51-49. Given that the two chambers are going to be crucial in fulfilling his political agenda as he goes for re-election in 2020, Trump for the past several weeks has been campaigning several days a week in support of the ..
Trump plans aggressive campaign for mid-term
US President Donald Trump and his team is leaving no stone unturned to campaign in favour of his Republican party ahead of the crucial November 6 mid-term polls which will decide the balance of powers in the Congress over next two years. Only a week is left for the November 6 mid-term elections, in which Americans would elect 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 Senate seats in Congress. The Republican party currently has majority in both the Senate and the House and Trump and his team is leaving no stone unturned to campaign in favour of his Republican party. Political pundits say that the opposition Democrats are all set to regain control of the House, while Republicans will retain control the Senate, where it has a wafer-thin majority of 51-49. Given that the two chambers are going to be crucial in fulfilling his political agenda as he goes for re-election in 2020, Trump for the past several weeks has been campaigning several days a week in support of the ..
'Scorpion', not 'Shiva lingam', is Tharoor's subject (Book Review)
Book: The Paradoxical Prime Minister: Narendra Modi and his India; Author: Shashi Tharoor; Publisher: Aleph Book Company; Pages: 504; Price: Rs 799
India-Japan relationship has transformed into a partnership with great substance and purpose: PM
The India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, firmly rooted in history and based on common values is the mainspring for advancing the two countries' shared strategic objectives and achieving peace, prosperity and progress to realize a better future for the people of the two countries. The two leaders shared their view that in order to achieve this shared vision, India and Japan must endeavour to work together for a rules-based and inclusive world order that fosters trust and confidence by enhancing communication and connectivity to ensure rule of law, unimpeded trade and flow of people, technology and ideas for shared prosperity.
MP CM to file criminal defamation suit against Rahul
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has threatened to file a criminal defamation suit against Congress president Rahul Gandhi for making "frivolous and mala fide statements" regarding an alleged involvement of him and his family in the Vyapam scam and Panama Papers cases.Issuing the warning to the Congress chief through a tweet on Monday night, Chouhan said that he would take criminal action for maximum damages against Gandhi."@RahulGandhi You have been making patently false allegations of Vyapam to Panama Papers against me and my family. Tomorrow, I am filing a criminal defamation suit for maximum damages against you for frivolous and mala fide statements. Let the law take its own course now," the Chief Minister wrote on Twitter.This came after the Congress chief, while addressing a rally in Jhabua on Monday, claimed that the serving Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan's son was named in the Panama papers.Launching an attack on Chouhan, the Congress
Terrorists enjoyed military training in Pak, Afghanistan: EFSAS Director
In a recently-held high profile conference by a Europe-based leading non-governmental organisation, it was revealed that Pakistan is one of the countries, which give military and psychological training to terrorists. Junaid Qureshi, the Director of the European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) made these observations at the Crans Montana Forum, which promotes "International Cooperation and works to promote best practices to ensure a permanent dialogue between all those who handle high-level responsibilities around the World".Qureshi mentioned that sleeper cells have "enjoyed" military and psychological training at Pakistan and even in Bangladesh and Afghanistan. "Some extremists in Europe have shown to derive inspiration from successes of other extremists elsewhere and as such establish sleeper cells which threaten the basic fundamentals of democracy in Europe and pose serious challenges to security concerns that the rest of the world has," the Director said at the 20th ...