Page 2702 - Politics
UK trade minister Fox has pulled out of Saudi investment summit - BBC
LONDON (Reuters) - British trade minister Liam Fox has pulled out of a Saudi investment summit next week, the BBC reported on Thursday.
Former Uttarakhand, UP Chief Minister N.D.Tiwari dead
Former Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Chief Minister N.D. Tiwari died on Thursday -- on his 93rd birthday -- in the national capital at a private hospital following prolonged illness, doctors said.
Veteran politician N D Tiwari dies at Delhi hospital on his 93rd birthday
Congress veteran Narayan Dutt Tiwari, who served in various positions at the Centre and in states, died on his birthday at a private hospital here on Thursday after prolonged illness, doctors said. Tiwari, who was undergoing treatment at Max Super Speciality Hospital, breathed his last at 2.50 pm after he suffered a heart attack, hours after he turned 93, they said. He was admitted to the hospital in September last year after suffering a brain stroke. A team of doctors had been monitoring his condition. Tiwari had the unique distinction of having served as the chief minister of two states, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where his native place is located. He formed Congress (T), the breakaway faction of the Congress, along with veteran Congress leader Arjun Singh in 1995 during the tenure of the then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao. However, he later merged his party with the Congress when Sonia Gandhi took charge of the party. The Congress old-timer had served as a Union minister in .
Bhagwat's demand for law to construct Ram temple politically motivated: Oppn
Opposition parties and Muslim leaders Thursday said RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's demand for a law to enable construction of Ram temple was "politically motivated" as it comes ahead of assembly polls in some states. In his customary Dussehra address to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) cadres at its headquarters in Nagpur on Thursday, Bhagwat had said that the Ram temple was necessary from the "self-esteem point of view" and it will also pave way for an atmosphere of goodwill and oneness. "The statement on Ram temple given by RSS chief is a political statement before the upcoming elections," Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary told PTI here. "The RSS has not desisted from using the names of gods for political means and this statement proves their intentions in this regard once again," Chaudhary added. Congress spokesman Anshu Awasthi said it was now an open secret that whenever the RSS and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) speak about Lord Ram it should be understood that ...
BJP insulted Jaswant Singh, people of Raj will take revenge, says his son
People of Rajasthan will take revenge from the BJP for insulting Rajput leader and former Union minister Jaswant Singh in the December 7 assembly election, his son Manvendra Singh said Thursday. Singh, who joined the Congress Wednesday, exuded confidence in the leadership of Rahul Gandhi saying it is important for the country's leader to have humanity, which the Congress chief has in abundance. "It was not easy for me to quit the BJP as it was my family. But, when I was not heard within the family and a friend (Rahul) heard me, it was then that I took the step... "The people of Rajasthan, especially from Barmer, Jalaur, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur will take revenge for that insult caused to my father Jaswant Singh when he was denied the party ticket and was expelled," he told PTI. BJP veteran Jaswant Singh was denied the party ticket in 2014 Lok Sabha elections but he contested as an Independent from Barmer and lost. He was later expelled from the BJP for contesting the election against the
Dutch minister ditches Saudi summit over Khashoggi
The Dutch finance minister has pulled out of a major investment conference in Saudi Arabia over the "very serious" disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the government said Thursday. Wopke Hoekstra's withdrawal from the October 23-25 Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh -- dubbed the "Davos in the Desert" -- follows that of French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and IMF chief Christine Lagarde. The Netherlands announced it was also cancelling a planned trade mission visit to Saudi Arabia in December. "The disappearance of #Khashoggi is a very serious matter. Saudi Arabia has not yet been able to provide any clarification," Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said as he announced the decision on Twitter. "That is why we decided @WBHoekstra will not travel to Riyadh today. The Netherlands stands for press freedom, worldwide." Blok, in a letter to the Dutch parliament, later added that the decision was taken after direct talks with Le Maire. The Netherlands will now in "close
Bhagwat has said what Hindus want: Telangana BJP leader
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, who Thursday demanded a law to pave the way for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, has said what Hindus of the country want, according to a Telangana BJP leader. Krishna Saagar Rao, the official spokesperson of the Telangana unit of the BJP, said his party stood by its commitment to supporting and enabling Ram temple construction at Ayodhya. "We are duty bound to see Ram Mandir is constructed in Ayodhya", he said. He was reacting to Bhagwat's demand Thursday for a law to enable the construction of Ram temple in his customary Dussehra address to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh cadres. Rao said the RSS leader had every right to state the views of the organisation he was leading. "In fact, he (Bhagwat) has said what Hindus of this nation want. BJP will certainly wish to wait our government's response to the RSS demand...," he added.
Sri Lankan PM leaves for India
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday left for India on a three-day official visit, his office said in a statement.
Adityanath condoles demise of N D Tiwari
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Thursday condoled the demise of Congress veteran Narayan Dutt Tiwari. Tiwari, the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, died at a private hospital in Delhi on Thursday after prolonged illness. He was 93. "I condole the death of Tiwariji. He was an able administrator. I convey my condolences to the bereaved family. I have talked to them," Adityanath said. Deputy chief ministers Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya, cabinet ministers Shrikant Sharma, Surya Pratap Shahi and others also condoled Tiwari's demise.
Constitute committee against sexual harassment: Maneka to political parties
In the wake of MeToo campaign against sexual harassment, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Thursday asked all political parties to constitute an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) to hear complaints of affected women in workplace.
ND Tiwari passes away on his 93rd birthday
Veteran Congress leader and former Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Narayan Datt Tiwari passed away at a hospital in South Delhi on his 93rd birthday on Thursday.Tiwari was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Max Hospital in July following kidney infection and multiple organ failure. He was the only politician, who served as the Chief Minister of two states.Trivendra Singh Rawat, the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, paid homage to Tiwari."I express sadness over the demise of former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh ND Tiwari. I pray that his soul rest in peace and God gives his family strength to overcome his loss," Rawat tweeted."Tiwariji's departure is a personal loss for me. Despite being in the opposition party, he always kept his affection and worked above party politics. Tiwariji has played important responsibilities like the country's Finance Minister, Commerce Minister and External Affairs Minister. Uttarakhand will never forget the ...
TN CM greets Guv on eve of Vijayadasami
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami Friday wished Governor Banwarilal Purohit on the eve of Vijayadasami. The chief minister sent a flower bouquet and a message to the Governor greeting him, an official release said. "On the auspicious occasion of Vijayadasami, I convey my best wishes to you, your wife and all the members of your family," Palaniswami said in the message. He wished continued peace, happiness and good health for the governor and his family.
Oil output from Saudi, Kuwait shared zone on hold as relations sour
DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia and Kuwait will struggle to resume oil production from jointly operated fields any time soon due to operational differences and souring political ties between the previously close Gulf OPEC allies, sources familiar with the matter said.
Rahul persists with Rafale attack on govt, alleges deal re-negotiated to benefit crony capitalists
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked the Modi government over the Rafale deal alleging that it renegotiated the contract to benefit crony capitalists and reduced India's prestige globally. In a Facebook post, Gandhi said due to the renegotiated deal India could not get transfer of technology as negotiated during the UPA rule and it was shameful that Indian pilots have to put their lives at risk flying the ancient Jaguar aircraft as the new technology did not come into the country. He cited a media report to allege that instead of getting 126 Rafale aircraft together with transfer of technology that would have transformed the Indian Air Force, the NDA government renegotiated the deal to get only 36 aircraft made in France. "Since 2014, instead of taking to closure deals that had been negotiated by the UPA Government, the present government has focussed on renegotiating those deals to benefit crony capitalists. "For instance, the UPA's Rafale deal for 126 aircraft would .
Bring law to build Ram temple at Ayodhya: Bhagwat (Roundup)
Raking up the pet saffron agenda ahead of next year's Lok Sabha polls, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday pitched for a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya "at the earliest" through law and accused "fundamentalist forces" of obstructing the process.
CBI begins probe in JK arms licence case
The CBI has begun investigation into a case of arms licences issued in Jammu and Kashmir between 2012 and 2016 on forged documents allegedly involving some IAS officers of the cadre, officials said Thursday. The agency has registered two FIRs in this regard with the consent of Jammu and Kashmir government with the then DC of Kupwara listed as accused in one of them while unidentified officials of various districts have been mentioned in another, they said. The Chanigarh unit of the CBI has registered the FIRs for alleged criminal misconduct and criminal conspiracy under the Ranbir Penal Code and violation of Section 3/25 of Arms Act besides provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act. The case was transferred to the CBI on a strong recommendation of Director General of Rajasthan Police O P Galhotra who had written to Jammu and Kashmir's home department suggesting "transfer of the case" to the central agency without any further delay, they said. He had said the case pertains to the ...
Former Chinese internment camp detainee denied US visa
An outspoken former detainee in China's internment camps for Muslims says his application for a visa to visit the US was rejected despite an invitation to speak at Congress about his ordeal. Kazakh national Omir Bekali was asked to travel to Washington in September by the chairs of the Congressional-Executive Committee on China. He said his application was rejected by the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 after he was questioned about his employment status. Bekali was one of the first people to speak out publicly about his experience in a camp in China's Xinjiang region, where an estimated 1 million Muslims are being detained. The State Department declined to comment on Bekali's case, saying U.S. immigration law prohibits it from discussing individual visa cases.
BJP, Cong playing dirty politics over Sabarimala: CPI
The CPI Thursday accused the BJP-RSS combine and Congress of indulging in "double-talk" and playing "dirty games" over the Sabarimala issue to target the Left government in Kerala by exploiting people's sentiments. The Communist Party of India (CPI) is the second biggest constituent of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist. CPI National General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy termed as "very unfortunate" the protests in Kerala against the Supreme Court verdict allowing entry of women of all ages to the hill shrine. "They (agitators) should respect the SC judgement in spite of the sentiment which they may be having (against it)," Reddy said. "Gender equality has to be accepted in the 21st century. The old things cannot continue like this," he told PTI. On Wednesday, protesters opposing the apex court order allowing the entry of women of menstrual age group into the shrine turned violent at Nilackal and clashed with ...
RSS, BJP are totalitarians: Owaisi
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday said that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat calling on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government to pass a law on Ram Temple construction in Ayodhya, is a clear example of a nation being converted into totalitarianism.Owaisi's remarks come following Bhagwat's Vijayadashami speech at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur. Bhagwat in his speech said, "The Government should clear the path for construction of the grand temple through appropriate and requisite law."Speaking to ANI, Owaisi said: "Do it. Who is stopping the RSS and their government? It is a clear example of when a nation is converted into totalitarianism. The RSS and the BJP believe in totalitarianism. They don't believe in pluralism or rule of law. So do it.""The RSS chief has shown his ignorance of law, because in the Ismail Faruqui judgement, the Supreme Court has clearly said that you cannot make a law for a ..
Maha Cabinet expansion soon, says CM
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said the expansion of his Cabinet will happen soon, but refused to commit any specific deadline for the much-awaited exercise. Fadnavis' comments came Wednesday, a day after BJP president Amit Shah held a meeting of select leaders of the party in Mumbai, amid talks of the expansion of Cabinet. "The expansion of the council of ministers will be carried out soon," the chief minister told reporters in Solapur, around 400 kms from here. Responding to a query on the proposed reshuffle, Fadnavis said, "Who will be in and who will be out will be known at appropriate time". Fadnavis is heading the BJP-led government, in which the Shiv Sena is a key partner, since October, 2014. There have been talks of a possible expansion of the state Council of Ministers for the last few months. Interestingly, Fadnavis had last September also said that his cabinet will be expanded soon. A vacancy arose when Agriculture Minister Pandurang Fundkar .