Page 2664 - Politics
Computer Baba takes lead to unite seers against
Days after he resigned as a Madhya Pradesh minister of state, self-styled godman Computer Baba Tuesday launched a campaign to unite seers against the "anti-religion" Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in the poll-bound state. Computer Baba alias Namdeo Das Tyagi had resigned on October 1, six months after he was accorded the MoS status while accusing the chief minister of not fulfilling promises, including cleaning the Narmada river. Addressing a gathering of about 1000 seers from 13 Akharas (spiritual denominations) in Indore Tuesday, the godman appealed to uproot the BJP government in the November 28 polls. "(CM) Shivraj Singh Chouhan had promised me that the Narmada river will be kept clean and illegal sand mining won't be allowed. But these promises were not kept. Now we have understood that the Shivraj government is anti-religion," he said. The godman also accused the state government of "doing nothing" for the protection of cows and "destroying Hindu shrines, ...
Imran Khan to resume peace talks post 2019 general elections
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that he will resume peace talks with India after the 2019 general elections.Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative held in Riyadh, he further claimed that his olive branch to India had been "rebuffed" by the Indian side due to the upcoming elections, as an "anti-Pakistan rhetoric brings in votes" in the nation.Khan tried to attract investments at the conference by stating that Pakistan had suffered in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York."One thing Pakistan needs more than any other country right now is peace and security," he said while outlining that the country suffered from deficits due to instability and war.The Pakistani leader further mentioned that the country had peace and stability problems with India. "What we need is stability. Stability means peace with all our neighbours. We have peace with China and Iran, right now our problems are with Afghanistan and India," according to Pakistan ...
India, Iran, Afghanistan hold first trilateral on Chabahar port project
India, Afghanistan and Iran Tuesday held their first trilateral meeting on Chabahar port project during which they reviewed its implementation. The meeting assumes significance as the strategically-located port on the energy-rich Iran's southern coast was coming under the ambit of US sanctions on Tehran. "Detailed discussions were held between the three sides on full operationalisation of the trilateral Agreement for international transit and transport through Chabahar port," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. In May 2016, India, Iran and Afghanistan had signed a pact which entailed establishment of a transit and transport corridor among the three countries using Chabahar Port as one of the regional hubs. "All sides shared the view that full operationalisation of trilateral Chabahar initiative will promote connectivity and economic development of Afghanistan and the region," the MEA said in a statement. It said the meeting decided to constitute a follow-up committee that ...
Goa BJP chief Tendulkar flays ex-CM Parsekar
Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar Tuesday accused his party colleague Laxmikant Parsekar of using "bad" words against party chief Amit Shah. Tendulkar sought apology from Parsekar for what he called using bad words against him, Shah and Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar during a telephonic talk. Parsekar, a former chief minister, had criticised the local party unit for not taking him into confidence before inducting Congress MLA Dayanand Sopte into the BJP. Sopte and another Congress legislator Subhash Shirodkar, who won from Shiroda constituency, had joined the BJP last week. Sopte had defeated Parsekar in Mandrem constituency during the 2017 Assembly elections. "Parsekar has left nothing to be discussed about. He has given bad words to our national president Amit Shah, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and me during a phone conversation with me," said Tendulkar, who is also a Rajya Sabha member from Goa. "I will speak to Parsekar only when he apologises to me and those ...
Assam BJP MLA Terash Gowalla resigns as legislator
BJP MLA Terash Gowalla on Tuesday resigned from the Assam Assembly citing unhappiness over the functioning of the saffron party.
Youth Congress holds protest, seeks Jaitley's resignation
Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Tuesday demanded Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's resignation over bank frauds and escape of the bank scam accused such as Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi.
India lodges strong protest with Pak over killing of 3 soldiers
India Tuesday summoned a senior official of the Pakistan High Commission here and lodged a strong protest over the killing of three of its soldiers during an infiltration bid by Pakistani terrorists in the Sunderbani sector of Jammu and Kashmir two days ago. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the provocative action by Pakistan revealed Islamabad's complicity in aiding and abetting terrorism and exposed the hollowness of its deceitful claims of promoting a constructive engagement with India. "A senior official in the High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi was summoned to the MEA and a demarche was made lodging strong protest at the fatal casualties of Indian soldiers during an attempted cross border infiltration on October 21 by Pakistani terrorists in Sunderbani Sector," the MEA said. Two heavily-armed Pakistani "intruders" and three Indian soldiers were killed in a gunfight Sunday after the Army foiled the infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) ..
AAP's warring factions hold talks
The two warring factions of the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Punjab unit met on Tuesday in a bid to iron out their differences ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Members of the two groups described the meeting as "positive" and "fruitful" and said they looked forward to resolving their issues through dialogue. "Our discussion was very positive and we discussed a range of issues," MLA Sarabjit Kaur Mauke, leader of a five-member core committee which was formed to reach out to the rebel group, said. Kharar legislator Kanwar Sandhu, who is a part of the dissident group, said it was a fruitful preliminary meeting. "We had a good two-hour-long meeting and had a detailed discussion," Sandhu said. "We put our points before them and they will take it to the party's core committee," he said. "We will hold a meeting again," he added. The rebel group, led by Sukhpal Singh Khaira, had already announced that the discussions will be based on the six resolutions passed at a volunteers' convention at ...
Two AAP MLAs declared eligible to visit Canada: Speaker
Two AAP MLAs Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Amarjit Singh Sandoa, who were denied entry to Canada in July this year have been declared eligible to visit that country, Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana K P Singh said Tuesday. Singh made the statement after receiving a letter from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. The two members of the Punjab Legislative Assembly, who were denied entry to Canada at Ottawa Airport on July 21, 2018, are eligible to visit the country at any time in future," said Singh, in a official statement. Canadian authorities had denied Sandhwan and Sandoa entry to Canada after they landed at Ottawa international airport, following which they had to return to India. At that time Speaker Singh had raised the matter with the Union minister. In her letter to theSpeaker, Swaraj said the Indian High Commission in Ottawa had strongly raised the matter with the Canadian government, seeking the circumstances and reasons for their immigration authorities' action. "I have been ...
Saudi Arabia to provide Pak USD 3 bn to address its balance-of-payments crisis
Saudi Arabia will provide Pakistan USD 3 billion for a year to address the cash-strapped country's balance-of-payments crisis as Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday met Saudi King Salman in Riyadh. The cash-rich Gulf kingdom has also signed an agreement to provide USD 3 billion worth of oil to Pakistan on deferred payment. The development came as Prime Minister Khan called on Saudi King Salman on the sidelines of the high-profile Future Investment Initiative forum in Riyadh. Both leaders expressed their desire to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation. According to a statement from Prime Minister Khan's office in Islamabad, it was agreed that Saudi Arabia will place a deposit of USD 3 billion for a period of one year as balance of payment support. "It was also agreed that a one year deferred payment facility for import of oil, up to USD 3 billion, will be provided by Saudi Arabia. This arrangement will be in place for three years, which will be reviewed thereafter," Geo News ...
Trump wants to meet Putin in Paris on November 11: Bolton
Donald Trump wishes to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin when the two visit Paris on November 11 for World War I commemorations, the US president's National Security Advisor John Bolton said on Tuesday. "I think President Trump will look forward to seeing you in Paris on the sidelines of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Armistice," Bolton told Putin in televised remarks as the two met for talks in Moscow.
Pakistan says Saudis offer $3 billion, defers oil payments, to ease crisis
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has agreed to give Pakistan $3 billion in foreign currency support for a year and allow it to defer payments for oil imports to help stave off a current accounts crisis, Pakistan's government said on Tuesday
Cong was always against Ram temple as it believed in dividing
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Tuesday said the Congress always "opposed" the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya because it believed in "dividing the country" and never wanted the issue to be resolved. Addressing a rally at Rajnandgaon in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, the BJP leader also took a swipe at Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his visit to temples in the states that are going to polls. The rally was held after Chief Minister Raman Singh filed his nomination papers for the state Assembly polls, scheduled to be held in two phases on November 12 and 20, from Rajnandgaon seat, 77 kms from state capital Raipur. "People have their own emotions and sentiments on Ram janmabhoomi (birth place of Lord Ram in Ayodhya). I have always maintained that public sentiments on the issue should be respected. The fight for Ayodhya is not from today but the mammoth 'Hindu Samaj' has been fighting for the cause from around 450 years," Adityanath said. He said the site in ...
Saudi to provide Pak USD 3 bn to address its balance-of-payments crisis
Saudi Arabia has agreed to provide Pakistan USD 3 billion for a year to address the cash-strapped country's balance-of-payments crisis, after Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday met Saudi King Salman in Riyadh, according to a media report. The cash-rich Gulf kingdom has also signed an agreement to provide USD 3 billion worth of oil to Pakistan on deferred payment, DawnNews reported. The development came as Prime Minister Khan called on Saudi King Salman on the sidelines of the high-profile Future Investment Initiative forum in Riyadh. Both leaders expressed their desire to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation. They also discussed issues of mutual interest, trade, investment and economic ties, Pakistan PM Office said in a press release in Islamabad. Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister for Finance Asad Umar and other senior officials were also present during the meeting. Khan has said that Pakistan would probably need loans from both friendly governments ...
Seven-member TFTC imposes sanctions on seven Taliban facilitators
In a significant action aimed at "disrupting Taliban actors and their Iranian sponsors", the US and six other West Asian countries Tuesday designated nine individuals associated with the militant group, including those facilitating Iranian support to bolster the Taliban. "Iran's provision of military training, financing, and weapons to the Taliban is yet another example of Tehran's blatant regional meddling and support for terrorism," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement after an announcement was made in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The seven nations -- the US, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - make up the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center which has an operations center in Saudi Arabia. Those designated are Mohammad Ebrahim Cowhide (also known as Jalal Valeri), Esma'il Razavi, Abdullah Samad Faroqui, Mohammad Daoud Muzzamil, Abdul Rahim Manan, Abdul Aziz (also known as Aziz Shah Zamani), Sadr Ibrahim, and Hafiz Majid ...
BJP donation drive: Amit Shah donates Rs 1000 via NaMo app
In the wake of the upcoming Assembly elections in five states, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah has donated an amount of Rs 1,000 to the party through Prime Minister Narendra Modi's NaMo app.Shah's move came as part of the BJP's new campaign to collect donations from the people, ranging from as low as Rs 5 to Rs 1000 for the party.Taking to his official Twitter handle, Shah appealed to all the Karyakartas and well-wishers of the party to join the initiative for bringing in transparency in public life and donate any amount between Rs 5 and Rs 1,000 through the NaMo app or by logging into narendramodigov.in."Keeping in line with our values of ushering in transparency in public life, the BJP has started an initiative of seeking micro donations from our karyakartas and well wishers through the NaMo app. You can donate any amount between Rs 5 and Rs 1,000," he tweeted along with a picture of the donation receipt."The Bharatiya Janata Party has always been a strong advocate .
True representatives of people should not boycott Panchayat polls: Rajnath
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that those who consider themselves as true representatives of the people of Jammu and Kashmir should not oppose Panchayat polls scheduled to be held in the coming weeks.Asserting that those who do not believe in democracy cannot be concerned about the peace and prosperity in the region, Singh requested all people and political parties to participate in the upcoming Panchayat elections."I have met with all political parties today and have requested all of them to take part in upcoming Panchayat polls and I believe they will do it. The vibrant democracy of India is its biggest identity. I believe that through democracy, many issues and problems of Jammu and Kashmir can be resolved. Those who do not believe in the democracy can't be said to be concerned about peace and prosperity of people. Hence everyone must have faith in democracy. I want to request to all those who consider themselves as true representatives of people of Jammu and ...
UP Minister challenges BJP to rename Red Fort
Uttar Pradesh's Cabinet Minister of Backward Class Welfare and Divyangjan Empowerment Om Prakash Rajbhar has challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to change the name of the historic Lal Quila or Red Fort.Rajbhar, who is the president of the BJP's ally Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), claimed that the government is changing the names of iconic places to divert people's attention."They have no work to do. They are changing names to divert people's attention. If they have the courage then they should change the name of Lal Quila (Red Fort) or demolish it," he told ANI.Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government formally rechristened the name of Allahabad to Prayagraj after a meeting held in view of the 2019 Kumbh Mela.On Monday, Union Minister Giriraj Singh appreciated Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's initiative and sought the renaming of all destinations associated with Mughals."India is a free country today. We are not slaves of the Mughal or the British. Why should ..
Khashoggi's body found at Saudi consul general's residence: Turkish leader
Slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi's body has been found in a well at the Istanbul residence of the Saudi consul general, according to Turkish politician Dogu Perincek.Perincek, the leader of the Patriotic Party in Turkey, told Sputnik, "Reliable sources from the Istanbul security service told me that the body of Khashoggi was found in a well, which is located in a garden in the residence of the Saudi consul general."The shocking revelation comes on the same day that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Khashoggi's "ferocious murder" had been "planned", rejecting the Saudi explanation of his death occurring due to a brawl within the consular premises.He further stated that trying to hide "such a ferocious murder is against the conscience of humanity," according to CNN.The Turkish President also stated that he wants the 18 detained Saudi nationals to be tried in Turkey by "an impartial team"."It is very important for the inquiry to be carried out by an impartial ...
Pak refuses to take back bodies of its men killed in Army action
Pakistan on Tuesday refused to accept the bodies of two armed intruders who were killed during a firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Sunderbani sector of Jammu and Kashmir on October 21.According to sources, talks at the Brigadier level officers of the Military Operations departments of India and Pakistan took place on Tuesday morning during which Pakistan was told to take away the bodies of the two infiltrators who were shot down by the Indian soldiers. However, sources said Pakistan denied that the two men who were gunned down while infiltrating were its citizens.On the Sunday five to six Pakistani terrorists attempted to cross the LoC and fired on an Indian Army patrol party. It was a six men NCO-led patrol of 8 Jammu and Kashmir Regiment. They were going from one post to the other when Border Action Team (BAT) of Pakistan attacked and killed three Indian soldiers in the first burst. But the remaining three soldiers chased away the BAT team and killed two of them.These armed .