Page 2666 - Politics
Tripura CM visits Mizoram to campaign for Assembly polls
Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb and state Social Welfare Minister Santan Chakma left for Mizoram on Tuesday to campaign for the assembly elections scheduled to be held there on November 28, party leaders said. Deb and Chakma also addressed a poll rally at Kamalanagar, the headquarters of Chakma Autonomus District Council, BJP spokesperson Subrata Chakraborty said. Deb was given special responsibility to join the Assembly poll campaign in Mizoram, he added. Many chief ministers from the northeastern states will join the campaign for the Mizoram Assembly elections, including Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Chakraborty said. In the 40-member Mizoram Assembly there are at least five seats which are dominated by the Reang and Chakma community voters. Earlier this month, BJP president Amit Shah visited Aizawl to kick off the partys election campaign and he had said the BJP would contest all the 40 Assembly seats in Mizoram.
Parties underestimating AAP in Haryana like they did in Delhi: Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday said political parties had underestimated the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) before it registered a record win in the national capital and now they were doing the same in Haryana, where the "party's graph was on the rise". "Many parties make fun and tell us that we have no base in Haryana. They did the same in Delhi when they used to say that no one would vote for us. But people of Delhi had made up their mind and voted for us with overwhelming majority,he said addressing a public gathering here. Stating that the AAP can provide a viable alternative to parties like the BJP, Congress and INLD, Kejriwal said his party was growing in Haryana. "There are 6,200 panchayats and 7,000 villages in Haryana. Out of these 7,000 villages, families in 4,500 villages have put up flex boards saying they were with the AAP... "Seeing this, the INLD, BJP and Congress are losing sleep and are approaching people to put up their respective party flex boards, but people ..
Supporters of Togadia clash with police in Faizabad
The supporters of former Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia clashed with the police Tuesday after the former broke boundary barricades of the disputed Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid premises here, trying to enter the area. After the clash, all roads to Ayodhya were blocked by the police. The police had to use force to disperse the mob, said officials, adding that the roads were opened after conditions became normal. The mob was stopped as they tried to enter the premises from the wrong side, said Faizabad SSP Joginder Kumar. Later in the day, Togadia announced plans to float a new political party, whose candidates will contest Lok Sabha seats in the coming General Elections. Addressing a gathering of activists of his Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad in Ayodhya, Togadia said his new political party will take on the BJP in the run up to the next Lok Sabha elections due next year. He said he will announce the name of the party and candidates for all Lok Sabha seats in Delhi next ...
C'garh CM Raman Singh files nomination for Assembly polls
Accompanied by his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Tuesday filed his nomination papers from Rajnandgaon Assembly constituency for next month's polls. Singh, 66, touched the feet of Adityanath, who is 20 years younger to him, and took his blessings before filing the nomination papers. Singh is seeking a fourth term as the chief minister of Chhattisgarh. He has been a two-time MLA from Rajanandgaon constituency. In 2004, he had got elected from Dongargaon assembly constituency in Rajnandgaon district. Chhattisgarh has 90-member Assembly and the polls there are being held in two phases - on November 12 and 20. The votes will be counted on December 11. Tuesday was the last day of filing of nominations for the first phase of the polls. Congress has fielded Karuna Shukla, the niece of former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee against Singh from Rajnandgaon. Candidates from BJP, Congress and other parties also filed ...
MP Cong working president snubs own party in campaign faux pas
The Congress in Madhya Pradesh is left red faced with its state working president Jitu Patwari's purported remarks in which he appealed to voters to elect him for "keeping his honour" and snubbed his own party. A video of Patwari's remarks has become a talking point on the social media in the poll-bound state, where assembly elections are scheduled to be held on November 28. In the video, the MLA purportedly says: "Aapko Meri Izzat Rakhni hai, Laj Rakhni hai...Party Gai Tel Lene (You have to keep my honour, dump the party)". The clip shows Patwari, who represents Rau assembly constituency in Indore district, and his supporters seeking blessings from an elderly couple during door-to-door campaign, when he made the remarks. After the video went viral, Patwari clarified that he had used the phrase--"Party Gayi Tel Lene"--for the ruling BJP and not for his party. However, the BJP said the video has exposed the "selfish politics" of Patwari. "Now, Patwari may say anything in ..
Left parties toorganise public hearing on Rafale deal Wednesday
The Left parties will organise a public hearing on the Rafale deal in the national capital Wednesday with a view to take forward their demand for a probe by the joint parliamentary committee in the issue. Legal, policy experts and Left leaders will speak on the matter and the public will also participate in the deliberations, according to Left leaders. CPI leader D Raja said the Left parties will raise the demand for a JPC probe into the alleged scam in the Rafale fighter jet deal and will evolve their strategy to take on the government on the issue. He said legal expert Prashant Bhushan along with policy experts Ravi Nair and Raghu Nandan and Left leaders like CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI (ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya will participate in the public hearing. "We have been demanding a JPC probe in the issue. The needle of suspicion is on the prime minister as he has not spoken on the Rafale deal yet. We will build a strong public opinion and ..
US sees promise in Zimbabwe economic moves
The top US diplomat for Africa on Tuesday voiced optimism over economic reforms by the new government in Zimbabwe, which remains under sanctions dating from Robert Mugabe's 37-year reign. Tibor Nagy, the assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said that Zimbabwe's level of education and infrastructure meant it stood to enjoy "dramatic economic progress" if the right policies were put in place. "We are very much encouraged by some of the things they say; we are now looking for some concrete examples of moving forward," Nagy said of the Zimbabwean leadership. "I can tell you that Zimbabwe is another country that the American business community could be very excited by based on concrete achievements," he told a press conference by telephone with African journalists. He stopped short of saying whether the United States would lift sanctions, which target government officials and state-run businesses but do not include a blanket ban on US investment. President Donald Trump in ...
CBI war: CPI-M says government bent upon undermining democracy
The CPI-M on Tuesday blamed Modi governments bid to undermine the Indias democratic foundations for the CBIs "internal war" and alleged that Special CBI Director Rakesh Asthana -- who has been booked for alleged corruption -- was pushed into the agency to subvert investigations against BJP leaders.
Romania urged to heed rule of law before assuming EU presidency
The European Union on Tuesday warned Romania to respect EU democratic values before it assumes the bloc's rotating presidency in January, or risk undermining its bid to join Europe's passport-free zone. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, has expressed concern about changes to Romania's penal code recently pushed through by the ruling Social Democratic Party which its critics say are unconstitutional. During a debate in the European Parliament with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned Romania not to undermine its bid to join Europe's passport-free Schengen zone. "I hope Romania joins the Schengen zone, but it must not mortgage that by turning away from the (European) principles on rule of law," Juncker said during debate in the European Parliament. "I hope in Romania there is a consensus for the fight against corruption, otherwise the European Commission will have trouble with its recommendations and getting them adopted ...
J'khand govt assured sanctity of Sammed Shikhar: NCM member
The Jharkhand government has assured that it would maintain the sanctity of Sammed Shikhar, a major pilgrimage site of the Jain community there, a member of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) said here Tuesday. The Jain community has been expressing concern after some social media reports said the Jharkhand government was planning to develop a tourist spot at the pilgrimage point. A delegation, including NCM member Sunil Singhi and representatives of Jain trusts met Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Monday to discuss the issue. Talking to reporters here Tuesday, Singhi said Das assured them that his government was committed to maintain the sanctity of Sammed Shikhar, a range of hills in the state's Giridih district, considered as an important pilgrimage centre by the Jains. According to Singhi, "misleading information" was being spread on social media over the last few months about the development of tourist spot at the site, which could affect the ...
Ready to hold talks with anyone, but terror and dialogue cannot go together: Rajnath Singh
The Centre is ready to hold talks with anyone including Pakistan but terror and dialogue can never go together, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said here Tuesday. Singh, who met representatives of various political parties in Srinagar, said he has appealed to all of them to participate in the upcoming panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir. "Biggest of problems can be faced and issues resolved through democratic means. Many problems of Jammu and Kashmir can also be addressed through democracy. I appeal to people of the state to take part in this festival of democracy," he said at a press conference here. Singh said those who do not believe in democracy can never be well-wishers of people. The National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party had boycotted the the recent urban bodies election in Jammu and Kashmir. Singh told reporters that as far as talks are concerned, the government has no problem in holding dialogue with anyone. "At least, they should see that Pakistan is ...
Congress blames Modi for CBI mess, questions his meet with CBI chief
The Congress on Tuesday held Prime Minister Narendra Modi solely responsible for "dismantling, denigrating and destroying" the CBI and accused him and BJP chief Amit Shah of "perpetually misusing" the central probe agency.
SAD MP Brahmpura relinquishes party posts, won't contest 2019 polls
In a blow to SAD, senior SAD leader and Lok Sabha MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura Tuesday relinquished all party posts on health grounds, the second party leader to do so within a month. The Khadoor Sahib MP, who was holding the post of senior vice-president and was a member of party's core committee, also declared he would not contest the next Lok Sabha polls, but would complete this term. Addressing the media at his residence here, Brahmpura said he was upset with the way the sacrilege incidents were handled by the previous SAD-BJP government. Brahmpura is the second senior leader to quit the party within a month after Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa had resigned as party secretary general and its core committee, also on health grounds. Brahmpura, a Taksali (traditional Akali leader), said he would remain active in politics and continue to work as a member of the party, but without holding any office. He was accompanied by senior Akalileader Rattan Singh Ajnala. He also expressed ...
Israel Prez, Punjab CM discuss cooperation in water management, agri, internal security apparatus
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday met Israeli President Reuven Rivlin here and discussed a wide range of subjects of mutual interest, with an eye on engaging with the Jewish nation for technical collaboration and support in the key areas of water management, agriculture and homeland security technologies. During the talks, the President shared Israel's experience on judicious management of water to transform a desert into an agricultural nation, while the chief minister spoke about the need to take urgent steps to check the depletion of water levels in Punjab through better water management and conservation, according to a press release. The President also observed that India's water problem had also been raised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Tel Aviv earlier this year. Rivlin suggested use of desalination to make water drinkable, as was being done extensively by Israel through various innovative technologies. Referring to Punjab's hostile ...
Rajnath appeals to Kashmiris not to visit gunfight sites
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday expressed condolences with the families who lost their dear ones in the Kulgam explosion and announced relief of Rs 5 lakh for each bereaved family.
BJP's party workers' meetings result of Raje's failed 'Gaurav Yatra': Pilot
Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot on Tuesday said the BJP's party workers' feedback meetings were prompted by the poor response from its cadres and people to chief minister Vasundhara Raje's recently concluded 'Gaurav Yatra'. Raje had undertaken a 58-day pre-poll tour to seek people's mandate ahead of the December 7 Assembly elections. BJP president Amit Shah flagged off the tour on August 4. "They did not get the required support from their cadres, therefore they conducted meetings to seek feedback from the party workers at Ranakpur and Jaipur. This kind of outreach programme is just to make the party workers happy, but things have already been decided," Pilot told PTI here. He said Raje's pre-poll tour has been a failure. The BJP held three-day party workers' feedback meetings in Ranakpur and Jaipur from October 14-16 and October 20-22 respectively. The meetings sought the party workers' opinion about the probable candidates. Opinion from 12,000 party workers from all the ...
Trump presidency inspires wave of books on impeachment
More than 40 years after working on the impeachment of Richard Nixon, former Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman is back on the case. This time, it's with a book: "The Case for Impeaching Trump." "The book really forced me to think this through," Holtzman, a New York Democrat and member of the House Judiciary Committee in 1974, said during a recent telephone interview. "There's so much news every day being thrown at you that it's hard to separate it all out. When I did, it became clear there was a basis for proclaiming the president had committed high crimes and misdemeanours." "The Case for Impeaching Trump" is part of a wave of new books and reissues of older works that is inspired by ongoing debate about President Trump and such allegations as collusion with the Russians during his 2016 campaign and his May 2017 firing of FBI Director James Comey, who had been looking into Trump's Russia ties. While few imagine Trump's actual expulsion a two-thirds vote in the Senate would be required polls .
What did India gain from Modi's foreign tours? asks Sena
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Shiv Sena said on Tuesday that he has "broken all previous records" of going on international tours, and asked what has the nation gained out of it. Taking a dim view of India's defence deals with France and Russia, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party claimed that US President Donald Trump was "threatening" India with trade sanctions, if Delhi does not agree to F-16 fighter jets deal. The Sena, in an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', took a swipe at Modi, saying he is a "reincarnation of Lord Vishnu which is probably why he has been travelling across the world to give a darshan to his devotees". Though Sena is part of the ruling BJP-led alliance at the Centre and in Maharashtra, the two parties have had strained ties ever since the BJP decided to go it alone in the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections. Asked about comments made in the 'Saamana' editorial, Mumbai BJP spokesperson Niranjan Shetty said his party does not react to observations ...
TRS disssolved assembly to avoid "Modi factor" in 2019: Nadda
BJP leader and Union Minister J P Nadda Tuesday alleged the ruling TRS advanced the assembly elections in Telangana to avoid facing the Modi factor as the polls were originally scheduled to be held simultaneously with Lok Sabha elections next year. "Why these elections have come eight months earlier? Why KCR (TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao) has preponed the elections and put the burden of tax on your shoulders? Because, KCR knows and knew that if elections are held along with Lok Sabha, elections would be full of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and ... they will lose," he said. Nadda, BJP's incharge for the December 7 assembly polls in Telangana, was addressing a party meeting at Makthal in Mahabubnagar district. He rejected the reason given by the TRS that it chose to dissolve the assembly prematurely and seek fresh mandate as opposition Congress tried to create hurdles for development by filing petitions in courts. The assembly was dissolved on September 6 as per a .
Aam Aadmi Party promises Rs 3-lakh loan waiver for farmers
Loan waiver for farmers, a house for the roofless and higher budget allocation for agriculture are the promises made by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in its manifesto for the December 7 assembly polls in Telangana. The party, which has no presence in the outgoing dissolved assembly, Tuesday released its manifesto and the first set of 15 candidates for the elections. The AAP in-charge of the southern states and Delhi MLA Somnath Bharti had said the Arvind Kejriwal-led party would contest all the 119 assembly seats. The manifesto promised a Rs 3-lakh loan waiver for farmers and a two-bedroom house for those who do not have any property. The AAP would provide 20,000 kilo litres of free clean drinking water every month for each household and also pay half the rate for electricity, it said. Convenor of the AAP local unit Ramu Goud said the party was planning to complete the process of selecting the candidates by this month-end.