Page 272 - Politics
60K Kashmiri pandits likely to visit Mela Kheerbhawani in Valley: official
Over 60,000 displaced Kashmiri pandits from various parts of India and abroad are expected to visit five famous temples in the Kashmir valley during "Mela Kheerbhawani" starting on Zeasht Astami on June 10. Relief Commissioner T K Bhat Tuesday completed his visits to all the five shrines in the Valley to supervise the massive arrangements on the occasion and expressed satisfaction over the administrative measures for it. "We have finalised all arrangements in connections with the yatra. I along with the respective heads of various districts and officers visited all the five temples and put in place all the required arrangements," Bhat told reporters here. For the last few days, Bhat has been busy visiting the five temples of goddess Ragniya and Mata Tripursundri in Kashmir valley to finalise the security, boarding and lodging, and transportation facilities enroute and at the shrines. Bhat visited the temples along with All Party Migrant Coordination committee (APMCC) chairman Vinod ...
NIA gets 10-day custody of Shah, Bhat, Andrabi
A Delhi court on Tuesday allowed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to question Kashmiri separatist leaders Shabir Shah, Masrat Alam Bhat and Asiya Andrabi till June 14 in connection with a terror funding case.
Madurai collector transferred for alleged breach of poll code
The Tamil Nadu government transferred Madurai Collector S Nagarajan on Tuesday for alleged breach at a storage room in which records of the April 18 Lok Sabha elections were kept. He was appointed as Collector in April. Two additional chief electoral officers have also been transferred and appointed to different posts, according to an order from the Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan. Nagarajan has been posted as director of Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Institute, the order said. The Madurai district revenue officer "shall hold full additional charge of the post of collector," until further orders, it added. Earlier, a row erupted after a Tahsildar violated the election code by entering a storage room here where polling records were kept. The women Tahsildar was suspended in connection with the incident. The then Madurai Collector and Returning Officer S Natarajan was also transferred, with Nagarajan replacing him. On Tuesday, the government also transferred M Balaji, .
Jagan seeks Vizag seer's blessings after victory
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday took the blessings of Hindu seer Swamy Swaroopanandendra Saraswati at the latter's ashram here.
Masarat shifted to Tihar for NIA questioning
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has brought separatist leader and alleged ringleader of stone pelting in Jammu and Kashmir, Masarat Alam Bhat, from a state prison to Delhi to question him in connection with a terror funding case.
Afghan President to visit Pakistan on June 27
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday said that he will visit Pakistan on June 27 in an effort to improve bilateral relations that are often hampered by mistrust and reciprocal accusations.
Silence, US tensions mark Tiananmen 30th anniversary in China
Beijing marked 30 years since the deadly Tiananmen crackdown on Tuesday with a wall of silence and extra security, while trading barbs with the United States over China's human rights record. Police checked the identification cards of every tourist and commuter leaving the subway near Tiananmen Square, the site of the pro-democracy protests that were brutally extinguished by tanks and soldiers on June 4, 1989. Foreign journalists were not allowed onto the square at all or warned by police not to take pictures. Officials also told one reporter that "illegal media behaviour" could impact visa renewals. The United States marked the occasion by hailing the "heroic" movement of 1989. But in China the Communist Party made sure the anniversary remained a distant memory, detaining several activists in the run-up to June 4 while popular livestreaming sites conspicuously shut down for "technical" maintenance. Searches by AFP for the term "Tiananmen" on the Twitter-like Weibo platform on Tuesday
SP to go solo in UP Assembly bypolls if BSP tie ends: Akhilesh
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said the party will fight bypolls alone on all 11 Uttar Pradesh Assembly seats if its alliance with the BSP ends, stressing that he would deliberate on the decision carefully. After the BSP president Mayawati announcing her decision to go solo in the bypolls, the alliance with the SP appeared to be falling apart on Tuesday. Yadav, who was in Ghazipur to visit the residence of SP worker Vijay Yadav to express his condolence after his murder, said, "If the gathbandhan (alliance) has disintegrated or whatever that is being said about the gathbandhan is true, then I will deliberate on it very carefully..." "When there is no alliance, we will prepare on our own for the upcoming UP bypolls and contest on all the 11 seats. We will be preparing for it and a decision will be taken after consulting senior members of the party," he told reporters. He said that even if the BSP treads a separate path, it is welcome. The SP chief said, "At this point of ...
Mahatma Gandhi's kin defends IAS officer over controversial tweet on Bapu
Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi on Tuesday defended Mumbai-based IAS officer Nidhi Choudhari over her controversial tweet on 'Bapu' and said the backlash is uncalled for and against Gandhian values."The controversy over Nidhi's tweet on Gandhi was uncalled for. I have seen that shoes were slammed against her picture which is totally against Gandhian belief and ideology. People should have the right to speak their mind," Tushar told ANI here.He batted for Choudhari's freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the Constitution and said the criticism should be seen as an attempt to muzzle people's right to air their views.Tushar said, "Our Constitution gives the citizens freedom to express their opinion which is the essence of democracy. It is against democratic values to try to muzzle one's opinion. ""I have no problem with her tweet. She has maintained that she has faith in Gandhi. Even if she was motivated by hatred, we should respect her right to express the ...
Victory should make us humble, not arrogant: Vijayvargiya
The BJP's victory in Lok Sabha polls in Bengal should be accepted with humility by party workers as people are looking to the saffron party as an alternative force in the next assembly polls, BJP national secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said Tuesday. The senior BJP leader urged all party representatives and leaders in the state to reach out to the masses and prepare for future challenges. The BJP in Bengal bagged 18 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats. The TMC's tally came down to 22 from the 34 it had won in 2014. Lashing out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for being "an arrogant administrator", Vijayvargiya said the TMC has lost its golden opportunity to serve the people of Bengal, despite being voted to power for two consecutive terms. "We have won hearts and blessings of masses. In victory, we should be more humble and grounded. We should not be arrogant. The masses are watching us. The people of Bengal have ensured our victory that means they have given us added responsibilities. "We
Mahagathbandhan goes soft on Nitish, says "not allergic" to
With the BJP-JD(U) ties under apparent strain, Senior RJD leader leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh has extended an olive branch to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying non-BJP parties including the JD(U) should join forces against the BJP and that his party is "not allergic" to anyone. Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, whose LJP is a constituent of the 3-party NDA bloc in the state apart from the JD(U) and the BJP, however, asserted the alliance is "intact". Down in the dumps following the Mahagathbandhan's Lok Sabha poll whacking, Singh's comments are being seen as indicative of a shift in his party's tough stance on Kumar, after he spurned the offer of "symbolic" presence of his party in the Modi cabinet, insisting on "proportional representation". "All non-BJP parties, whether Nitish or a, b or c should come together on a single platform to provide a national alternative. We are not allergic to any particular party or leader," Singh said on Monday when asked about
There should be fairness in allocation of portfolios: K'taka Cong' leader Ramalinga Reddy
Karnataka Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy on Tuesday again cried foul over being dropped from the state cabinet saying that he had never lobbied for Opposition but there should be fairness in the allocation of portfolios."You can't give 'makkhan' (butter) to one side and 'chuna' (lime) to other. I have never lobbied for Opposition. But there should be fairness in the allocation of portfolios. Not raising voice against injustice is wrong, that is why I have spoken," Reddy told ANI.Taking up the caste issue, Reddy said, "Berths in the cabinet have been given considering some castes. Brahmins have been given four posts, Lingayats - two but why not to Reddy community."In an open letter posted on Twitter, Reddy has stated that the Congress suffered a massive defeat in the Lok Sabha polls due to the lack of the party's elderly presence in the state government and the lack of organisational vision of some ministers.In a major setback to the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition government in ...
Ashwini Choubey assumes charge as MoS Health; takes metro ride to office
Ashwini Kumar Choubey Tuesday took charge as the Minister of State for Health. He took the metro from his residence to reach Udyog Bhawan station from where he walked down to his office--Nirman Bhawan. Before taking charge, the minister performed an elaborate puja and planted five trees in the Nirman Bhavan campus. Choubey has been reassigned the health portfolio in the Modi government's second term. Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said he will carry on with his efforts to implement the mandates of Ayushman Bharat so that more people are able to avail the benefits of the scheme. Choubey said 'sarve santu niramaya' (health for all) is the policy mandate of the government and he will make all efforts towards realising it. "The Prime Minister has visualised a New India and thus it is our responsibility that we take a pledge to work towards realising this vision of New India, a Healthy India. "Environment affects our health and hence, we should make efforts to keep it clean and .
Cong veteran Vikhe Patil resigns as MLA, likely to join BJP
Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil on Tuesday resigned as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA).Patil had resigned from the post of Leader of Opposition in the Assembly in April.He, however, said that he has no issue with the party leadership."I didn't campaign for the party during the Lok Sabha election. I don't doubt the high command. I was given the opportunity to become the Leader of Opposition. I tried to do good work but the situation has compelled me to resign," Patil told media persons.According to sources, he is likely to join the BJP later in the day. He met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.His son Sujay Vikhe Patil was recently elected to the Lok Sabha on the BJP ticket from Ahmednagar.Patil submitted his resignation to the Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagade.Abdul Sattar, who was ousted from the Congress party, said that more leaders are expected to leave the Congress to join the BJP."Eight to 10 more leaders will leave the Congress party to join the BJP. ..
Unrest in Rajasthan Congress after election rout
Infighting in Rajasthan's ruling Congress has come out in the open after the party was wiped out in the Lok Sabha battle in the state, with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot blaming his deputy Sachin Pilot for his son's humiliating defeat.
Country will welcome Jagan's decision to allow CBI's re-entry: Ex-agency official
Former joint director of Central Bureau of Investigation NK Singh on Tuesday said people of the country will welcome the new Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy's decision to allowing CBI to investigation in the state."Chandra Babu Naidu at a particular time had withdrawn the consent of the state extending jurisdiction to the CBI. Now new government has come and he has restored that concept which will allow CBI to investigate in Andhra Pradesh. As a former CBI joint director, I think the country will welcome it," Singh told ANI here.Overturning a decision of the previous TDP government, YS Jaganmohan Reddy allowed CBI to re-enter Andhra Pradesh on Monday."Chandrababu banned CBI and he prevented IT raids. He questioned how ED comes in the state. Now Jagan has issued orders allowing the CBI into the state. CM made it clear that thieves will not be spared. Look out Chandrababu," YSRCP leader Vijaysai Reddy said in a series of tweets.N Chandrababu Naidu had withdrawn the ...
Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil quits as Congress MLA
Veteran Congressman and former Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil on Tuesday quit as a legislator from Ahmednagar, official sources said.
Karnataka's JD-S state President resigns from party post
Karnataka's ruling Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) state President A.H. Vishwanath on Tuesday resigned from the party's post, owning moral responsibility for the party's poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections in which it won only one seat.
RSS chief Bhagwat warns against 'misuse of power'
The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) has asked the elected governments to guard against "misuse of power".
Trump says wants 'substantial trade deal' with UK
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he hoped his country would agree a "very, very substantial trade deal" with post-Brexit Britain. "We are going to get it done," he said as he and Prime Minister Theresa May hosted a meeting of business leaders on the second day of the president's state visit.