Page 2737 - Politics
Oppn grand alliance "a non-starter," says Ram Madhav
Terming the proposed grand alliance of opposition parties against BJP a "non-starter," BJP general secretary V Ram Madhav Saturday said the party is gearing up for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls with a target of winning 315 seats. The opposition parties are proposing 'Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) as there was no leader who can match the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said. "No 'jhenda' (flag) and no agenda (for 'Mahagathbandhan'). It's a non-starter. With such a sinking 'gathbandhan', nobody can stop the victory march of BJP. BJP is gearing up for parliament elections with the target of 315 seats in 2019," he said. Madhav claimed there was no leader in the country who can match Modi's popularity. "That's why, all are doing 'Mahagathbandhan' today. There is no leader in the country who can match the popularity of Modi ji. With that fear, your Chandrasekhar Rao (Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief and caretaker Chief Minister) has brought elections by ...
NC leader joins Congress in JK's Kishtwar
A National Conference (NC) leader in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir Saturday joined Congress along with his over a dozen associates, a Congress spokesman said. Chowdhary Mohammad Ali, a senior NC leader from Inderwal, and his associates joined the Congress in presence of the party's state vice president and MLA G M Saroori at Kishtwar, the spokesman said. Welcoming the new entrants into the party fold, Saroori said it was heartening that the people in sufficient numbers are becoming part of the Congress and reposing their faith in the party's agenda which aims at bringing peace, development and prosperity in the entire state.
Local body polls: Omar criticises Centre's handling of Kashmir
National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah Saturday criticised the Centre's handling of Kashmir, seeking reasons for the all-time low voter turnout in the ongoing urban local body polls. "From the highest turnouts since 1987 in 2014 to the lowest turnouts ever recorded in 2018 why is the Modi government able to get away with its disastrous handing of Kashmir almost unquestioned?" Omar asked on his Twitter handle. Most of the assembly segments in Srinagar witnessed a voter turnout in excess of 25 per cent with the Sonawar assembly seat recording nearly 45 per cent poll percentage. However, the voter turnout in Srinagar in the first three phases of the ongoing civic polls has failed to touch the double-digit figure. The first phase recorded the highest (6.2 per cent) turnout so far, while the second and third phases have recorded 2.3 and 1.8 per cent, respectively.
Third phase of J&K municipal polls ends peacefully (Roundup)
Voting for the third phase of municipal polls ended peacefully on Saturday in Jammu & Kashmir's Samba, Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla districts, with an overall turnout of 16.3 per cent.
Separatists' strike in poll-bound areas of Kashmir
Shops were closed in poll-bound areas in Kashmir valley Saturday due to strike called by separatists against the conduct of the third phase of the four-phased municipal elections in the state. The government had also declared a holiday in the poll-bound areas so as to enable the voters to cast their vote. Shops, fuel stations and other business establishments were shut in the poll-bound areas of the valley including in some areas of Srinagar city, officials said. The shops were also closed in the city centre here where voting took place, they said. The officials said public transport was off roads in the poll-bound areas but was plying normally in the rest of the valley. The separatists - under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) had asked people living in the areas where voting takes place Saturday to observe strike. "In the poll-bound areas in the third-phase of the sham elections, people will show their complete disconnect and dismissal by staying away and boycotting ..
Trump to discuss journalist Khashoggi's disappearance with Saudi King
United States President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he will call Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud concerning the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi."I will be calling him, I will be calling at some point King Salman," Trump said on Friday when asked if he has talked to the king about the Khashoggi matter.Trump stressed that Khashoggi's disappearance is a serious problem and US officials are looking "very hard" to get answers. It is potentially a really terrible situation, he added.Khashoggi has been missing since October 2, when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, to obtain documents needed for his upcoming marriage. Turkish authorities have reportedly said Khashoggi was murdered at the consulate, but Saudi Arabia has denied the allegations. On Friday, the Bahraini and United Arab Emirates foreign ministries announced their support for Riyadh, claiming that the accusations are an attempt to defame Saudi Arabia.According to analysts in ...
Saudi Arabia refutes allegations on Khashoggi's disappearance
Saudi Arabia's Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif on Saturday vehemently refuted allegations against the state regarding the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi."The Minister of Interior affirmed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's condemnation and denunciation of the false accusations circulated in some media on the Saudi government and people against the background of the disappearance of the Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi," read an official statement.The release further said the "baseless allegations" leveled against Saudi Arabia were "lies" and further mentioned that the state is "committed to its principles, rules and traditions and is in compliance with international laws and conventions".The minister also welcomed Turkey's positive reaction regarding the formation of a Joint Investigative Commission to look into the scribe's disappearance.Khashoggi has been missing ever since cameras captured him going inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October .
India's election to UNHRC buries Pak's false propaganda: J&K BJP
The Jammu and Kashmir unit of BJP Saturday said India's election to the UN Human Rights Council has permanently buried Pakistan's false propaganda against its eastward neighbour. BJP state spokesperson Balbir Ram Rattan said, "Our country's selection by overwhelming majority buries Pakistan's false propaganda that India is a violator of human rights." India was elected to the United Nations' top human rights body on Friday for a period of three years beginning January 1, 2019, getting 188 votes in the Asia-Pacific category, the highest number of votes among all candidates. "This (the UNHRC seat) signals the world has accepted India's credentials as a sentinel of human rights. It is the upshot of Narendra Modi government's foreign policy, which has defeated the false allegations of Pakistan and united the member countries in support of India, Rattan said. The BJP leader hoped India would further go on to strengthen its position amongs UNHRC member countries.
Rajbhar not happy with bungalow being alloted to Shivpal
The Yogi Adityanath government's decision to allot a bungalow to Samajwadi Secular Morcha leader Shivpal Yadav has not gone down well with BJP ally SBSP with its leader Om Prakash Rajbhar Saturday said his demand for a government building for party office has been ignored for more than a year. "I had been asking for a government bungalow for office since March 2017 but don't know why they were afraid of granting me one...Yesterday, a decision was taken to allot the bungalow vacated by Mayawati to Shivpalji for his party," Rajbhar, the cabinet minister for Department of Backward Classes Welfare, said here. The Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party leader alleged that the senior ally was "not giving us enough importance". "After the elections, they will come to know who has more strength Shivpal or Om Prakash Rajbhar and who should be given government bungalow for office," he said. In a surprise move, the state government Friday allotted the 6, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg bungalow, which was ...
Pope defrocks two Chilean bishops for sex abuse of minors: Vatican
Pope Francis has defrocked two Chilean bishops for the alleged sexual abuse of minors, the Vatican said in a statement on Saturday after a meeting between the pontiff and the president of Chile. The decision to expel former archbishop Francisco Jose Cox Huneeus and former bishop Marco Antonio Ordenes Fernandez, the latest heads to roll in a country hit hard by the cleric abuse scandal, could not be appealed, it said.
J&K ULB polls: Safakadal, Chanapora wards record less than 10 votes each in third phase
Safakadal, a ward in the city's old town, and Chanapora, in the Civil Lines, polled less than 10 votes each in the third phase of the urban local body elections in which 20 municipal wards went to polls Saturday. The polling, which began at 6 am and ended at 4 pm saw 11 Srinagar Municipal Corporation wards recording less than 100 votes, and at the end of the day only 2,827 of the over 1.53 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the polls that have been boycotted by mainstream political parties such as the National Conference and its arch rival the PDP. Safakadal, which has a total electorate of 9,062, saw two voters turning out in the first hour of the polling and an addition of one more in the last hour taking the total number of votes polled to three. There was minor incident of stone pelting in this area and police had to use mild force to disperse the unruly mob, officials said. Chanapora, which has an electorate of 10,000, had polled only two votes till 1 pm with an addition ..
Jana Sena wants AP govt to convene all-party meet on SCS
Jana Sena party president Pawan Kalyan Saturday demanded that the Andhra Pradesh government convene an all-party meeting to discuss the vexatious special category status issue and also the means to exert pressure on the Centre to honour its promise. In an interaction with media after inaugurating the central office of the Jana Sena in Vijayawada, Kalyan said all parties should come together to mount pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for securing special category status (scs) to the state. "The state government lacked sincerity as Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu himself spoke in different voices on the SCS issue. We did not attend the all-party meeting last time due to that reason. But if the government does it sincerely, we will attend the meet and work together on the issue," the actor-turned-politician said. It is only the Jana Sena that had vociferously been speaking on the SCS since 2014, he claimed. "Chandrababu Naidu has spoken in different voices and ...
Activists criticize Hong Kong's ban of legislative candidate
Activists are protesting Hong Kong's disqualification of a legislative candidate on the grounds that she advocated self-determination for the Chinese territory. Lau Siu-lai, who was stripped of her seat in the Hong Kong legislature last year, was barred by the government on Friday from running in a November 25 election. Hong Kong authorities are trying to quash pro-independence voices ahead of the election. Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials have warned separatist activity will not be tolerated. The pro-independence Hong Kong National Party was banned in September by authorities who invoked a 1997 national security law for the first time. Pro-democracy activists complain Beijing interferes in Hong Kong's affairs in violation of its promise of a "high degree of autonomy" when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Some have called for more autonomy or outright independence for this prosperous business center of 7.5 million people. Authorities said ...
Former DMK leader who single-handedly took on AIADMK dead
Former Tamil Nadu Minister and six-time MLA, Parithi Ilamvazhuthi, who took on the AIADMK as a lone DMK legislator in the State Assembly during 1991-96 died here Saturday, party sources said. He was 58. Ilamvazhuthi, known for his oratory skills took on the AIADMK government single-handedly as the other DMK member, party patriarch, M Karunanidhi had resigned from his membership after winning from Harbour constituency in 1991. During 1991-96, the AIADMK had a thumping majority winning 164 out of 234 seats; while its ally Congress had bagged 60 seats in the 1991 Assembly election following the assassination of former Prime Minsiter Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. Ilamvazhuthi was Deputy Assembly Speaker during 1996-2001 and Information Minister between 2006-11. After spending decades in DMK, Ilamvazhuthi joined the AIADMK in 2013 following differences with M K Stalin. Following the death of AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa in 2016, he sided with now Deputy Chief Minsiter O Panneerselvam
12 killed, 32 injured in blast at Afghan election rally
At least 12 people were killed and 32 injured in an explosion at an election rally in Takhar province of Afghanistan on Saturday.A motorcycle bomb went off during the campaign rally of the Nazifa Beg, a candidate from Rustaq district, reported Tolo News.Last week, at least 10 people including a parliamentary candidate were killed and 10 were wounded in a suicide bombing inside a campaign office in the Helmand province.In July, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) of Afghanistan had announced that the parliamentary election in Afghanistan will be held on October 20 and the presidential elections will be held on April 20 next year.Around 2,500 candidates are running for 249 parliamentary seats.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey have no US ambassadors amid crisis
The disappearance of journalist and US resident Jamal Khashoggi after visiting a Saudi consulate in Turkey has thrown the large number of diplomatic vacancies under President Donald Trump into the spotlight notably in Turkey and Saudi Arabia. It's a gap the administration says it has been trying to fix but with limited success. Khashoggi's case and the fact that there are no American ambassadors in either Ankara or Riyadh have prompted concerns about dozens of unfilled senior State Department positions almost two years into Trump's presidency. And, those concerns have sparked an increasingly bitter battle with Congress over who is to blame. Aside from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Trump has yet to nominate candidates for ambassadorial posts in 20 nations, including Australia, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa, Singapore and Sweden. At the same time, 46 ambassadorial nominees are still awaiting Senate confirmation, prompting angry complaints from the administration and ...
Cong draws parallel between Jaitley and Parrikar's hospitalization
Intensifying its attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party led central government, the Congress on Saturday drew a parallel between Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's hospitalisation with that of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.While addressing the media here, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said, "Goa is facing a constitutional crisis. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is undergoing treatment in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. (Government) Meetings fail to take place, and corruption has reached at its extreme level in almost all departments in the state."However, when it came to Jailtley's hospitalisation and his subsequent recuperation period, the central government made alternative arrangements by asking Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to look after the Finance ministry, too, as an interim arrangement. Khera while citing Jaitley's case said, "Piyush Goyal was given the responsibility to head the Ministry of Finance in Jaitley's absence on temporary ...
Pondy CM charges Bedi with 'violating' rules on appointment of
Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy Saturday took strong exception to the appointment of a retired government official as consultant cum Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Lt Governor Kiran Bedi by the latter, in 'violation' of rules. Addressing reporters here, the Chief Minister, who has been at loggerheads with Bedi on various issues said former Secretary to the Lt Governor, G Theva Needhi Das retired on June 30 this year following which the former IPS officer had sought the Centre's permission to appoint him as her 'adviser.' Though the Union Home Ministry accorded permission to appoint Das as a 'consultant,' the Lt Governor 'violated' the instructions and nominated him as 'consultant cum Officer on Special Duty' in Raj Nivas, Narayanasamy alleged. Claiming that the appointment was made in violation of the Home Ministry's directions, he said, "the matter was taken up with the Ministry." A 'consultant' does not have powers or authority to peruse the official files .
Newspaper says Turkey has audio of Saudi writer's slaying
Turkish officials have an audio recording of the alleged killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi from the Apple Watch he wore when he walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul over a week ago, a pro-government Turkish newspaper reported Saturday. The new claim published by the Sabah newspaper, through which Turkish security officials have leaked much information about the case, didn't immediately explain how officials there also reportedly have video of Khashoggi's alleged slaying. However, it puts more pressure on Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to Khashoggi, who has written critically about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, after he walked into the consulate October 2. The kingdom has maintained the allegations against it are "baseless," though an official early Saturday acknowledged for the first time some believe Khashoggi was killed by the kingdom. Authorities recovered the audio from Khashoggi's iPhone and his iCloud account, the newspaper said. The journalist had ...
Bajwa writes to Union home minister for early SGPC elections
Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa has written a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, seeking early elections of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which manages gurdwaras of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. In a letter written to the Home Minister, Bajwa claimed that the present members of the SGPC were "illegal occupants" of the SGPC office, saying that their tenure had ended in 2016. "The SGPC had been instituted under the Sikh Gurdwara Act 1925, which gave Sikhs the right to govern and administer Gurdwaras and any Sikh places of worship. Today, this correlates to any Sikh places of worship in the states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The SGPC holds elections, under the auspices of the central government, every 5 years, with the last elections being held in October 2011," wrote Bajwa. "These elections, however, ran into legal trouble due to a state government notification dated October 8, 2003. This notification abrogated the voting ..