Page 2750 - Politics
In favour of 'mahagatbandhan', but difficult to say if it will form at national level: RLD
The Rashtriya Lok Dal Thursday said it is in favour of a 'mahagatbandhan" to defeat the BJP but it's difficult to say if the alliance will take shape at the national level or will vary from state to state. Party vice president Jayant Chaudhary said here that parties with similar ideologies will come together to defeat the "anti-farmer, anti-youth BJP at any cost". "The RLD is in favour of a mahagatbandhan to defeat the communal BJP at any cost, but it's difficult to say at this stage if it will come up at the national level or will be different in every state," he said. Taking potshots at the Uttar Pradesh government's claims of making the state roads pothole-free, Chaudhary said that his party is launching a campaign "selfie with potholes" from today to highlight the plight of the common people. "The government had claimed that roads will be made pothole-free by June 2017 but there's no change anywhere in the state... As per the available figures, 3,597 people have lost their ...
BJP to wait for Akbar's explanation on charges of sexual harassment: Sources
The BJP expects its leader and Union minister M J Akbar to offer an explanation to the party's top brass on the allegations of sexual harassment against him before it takes a call on his future, sources said. A party leader said the allegations levelled against the Union minister of state for external affairs were serious but added that there were several aspects to it, including that there was no legal case against him. Several opposition parties have demanded Akbar's resignation. The Congress has said he should either issue a satisfactory explanation or resign. Some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders are of the view that the charges against Akbar would do no good to the party's image in the run-up to crucial state Assembly elections and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, more so when the party has gone on an overdrive to highlight the Narendra Modi government's "pro-women credentials". Incidentally, the women's wing of the saffron party will embark on a five-day relay marathon from Friday .
Lone BSP minister in Congress-JDS coalition resigns in Karna
: In a blow to the Congress-JDS coalition government in Karnataka, the lone BSP Minister N Mahesh today quit his post citing personal reasons, but said he would continue to support the ruling coalition. His surprise move came days after BSP chief Mayawati announced that her party would not forge an alliance with the Congress "at any cost" for the Assembly polls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, in a setback to efforts to forge opposition unity. Speaking to reporters after submitting his resignation toChief Minister H D Kumaraswamy,Mahesh said he quit to focus more on his assembly constituency Kollegal and to strengthen his party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. "There had been a campaign against me in my constituency that I have camped in Bengaluru and was not focusing on Kollegal. Also, there was a need to strengthen the party base ahead of the Lok Sabha elections," said Mahesh. The BSP leader said he has not yet informed Mayawati about his decision to resign. "No I ...
Arunachal will witness lot of economic activities: CM
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu Thursday said the state will witness lot of economic activities after completion of vital infrastructure projects. Inaugurating a conference hall at Mebo, the ADC headquarters of East Siang district, Khandu said that the Centre has taken lots of initiative in strengthening connectivity in the state and the region. The chief minister said the foothill belt of the state can lead the future of Arunachal's economy towards the path of prosperity. He informed that to supplement the Central government initiative under the UDAAN project, the state government has launched the CM Air Connectivity Scheme to connect other uncovered Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) of the state like Aalo, Mechuka, Tuting and Walong. "The foundation stone for Airport in the state capital will be laid in December this year," Khandu said. Referring to the need for carrying out railway connectivity works to connect Pasighat and foothill areas, Khandu sought ...
Erdogan, Trump step up pressure over missing Saudi journalist
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Saudi Arabia to release footage of Jamal Khashoggi and President Donald Trump demanded answers over his fate, as the kingdom faced growing pressure Thursday to provide a convincing explanation for the journalist's disappearance. The Washington Post, the daily to which Khashoggi was a contributor, added to the mystery by reporting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered an operation to "lure" the critical journalist back home. Khashoggi has not been seen since October 2 when he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain official documents for his upcoming marriage. Turkish officials quoted in media have said he was killed but Riyadh denies that. The mystery has captivated the world but also threatens to harm brittle Turkish-Saudi relations and hurt efforts by the crown prince to improve the image of his country with a reform drive. Erdogan challenged Saudi Arabia to provide CCTV images to back up its account that Khashoggi .
Maldives SC to hear case against presidential poll results
The Maldives top court has agreed to hear a legal challenge filed by the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) against the results of last month's presidential elections, the media reported on Thursday.
US investigators working with Saudis, Turkey on missing journalist: Trump
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said US investigators were working with both Ankara and Riyadh to probe the suspicious disappearance in Turkey of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. "We can't let it happen. And we're being very tough and we have investigators over there and we're working with Turkey and frankly we're working with Saudi Arabia," Trump said in an interview with "Fox and Friends". "I have to find out what happened," Trump said, when asked if US-Saudi relations would be jeopardised by the disappearance of Khashoggi, a US resident who Turkish officials suspect was murdered after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. "We're probably getting closer than you might think," he added.
Searches at Raghav Bahl's premises indicate clampdown on free press: Amnesty International
Human rights watchdog Amnesty International India Thursday expressed concern over the Income Tax department's search at media baron Raghav Bahl's residence and office, saying it indicates a "clampdown on free press". "The Income Tax Department's 'search' on Quintillion Media Private Ltd, which runs a news website - 'The Quint', and the homes of its owners, Raghav Bahl and Ritu Kapoor, indicates a clampdown on free press," Amnesty International India said in a statement. "It raises disturbing questions on whether the news website is being targeted for speaking truth to power. It appears that the authorities are attempting to silence anyone expressing views that are critical of the government," it alleged. A team of I-T sleuths raided the premises of the founder of The Quint in Noida early Thursday, looking for documents and other evidence related to a case of "bogus long-term capital gains (LTCG) received by various beneficiaries". Apart from Bahl, premises of three other ...
Rahul building his political career with lies, corruption: BJP
Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Sambit Patra on Thursday tore into Congress President Rahul Gandhi and said that the latter is building his political career with the help of lies and corruption."Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa called the Rafale Deal as a 'game changer' deal, on the other hand, Rahul Gandhi is saying the opposite. Now the people of the country should decide who will they believe in - Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa or on Rahul Gandhi," he said.Continuing his tirade against the Congress president, he said, "The person whose entire family is corrupt is pointing fingers at others."Patra added, "Rahul Gandhi, you come from a family of a middleman, where a middleman-ship is extremely important. You have earned money out of every deal that took place before 2014. You have jeopardized the defence of the country.".
Handwara encounter: Hizbul top commander killed
One of the two terrorists who were gunned down by security forces on Thursday morning has been identified as Hizbul Mujahideen's top commander Manan Wani.Giving the details, the Jammu and Kashmir police informed that the other terrorist too was a Hizbul operative and identified as Ashiq Hussain Zargar, a resident of Tulwari Langate.Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti described the killing of the top Hizbul commander as a 'loss'. Taking to twitter, she wrote that security forces gunned down two top HM terrorists including a former Ph.D scholar-turned-terrorist Manan Bashir Wani, Handwara district of north Kashmir.Mehbooba twitted, "Today a PhD scholar chose death over life and was killed in an encounter. His death is entirely our loss as we are losing young educated boys every day. It is high time that all the political parties in the country realise the gravity of this situation and try to facilitate a solution through dialogue with all the stakeholders including ...
Pawar to meet state NCP leaders for LS candidate selection
NCP president Sharad Pawar has called a meeting of senior leaders of the party's Maharashtra unit Friday to discuss candidates for the next year's Lok Sabha elections. "He is keen to finalise or at least shortlist the candidates as early as possible so that preparations for the polls can start," a party leader said here Thursday. "Seat-sharing talks with the Congress are likely to be concluded soon. Except three or four seats which might be contentious, both parties know which seats they will contest," the leader said. "We will have to give some seats to smaller allies. Out of 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, we (Congress and NCP) should be able to declare candidates for 38 seats early on," the leader said. The NCP has demanded that the two parties should contest equal number of seats in Maharashtra this time. In 2014, the Pawar-led party had contested 21 seats in the state, winning four, while the Congress contested 27 and won two seats. State unit leaders ..
BJP Rath Yatras to garner support for Assam NRC, Citizenship
The BJP Rath Yatras in West Bengal to be held in December would reach out to the general people in the state to garner support for the Assam NRC and the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, party state unit president Dilip Ghosh said Thursday. The matter was discussed by the party's central leadership and its West Bengal unit Thursday in a meeting here. The office bearers meeting was attended by the party national general secretary Kailash Vijayvergiya and senior leader in-charge of the state Arvind Menon, party sources said. Ghosh said the Rath Yatras would be held in December but the campaign for it will begin just after Durga Puja this month. During the meeting, he urged party workers to reach out to the people on the two issues so that TMC'S "falsehoods" on the two issues can be countered, the sources said. The NRC includes the names of Indian citizens who have been residing in Assam before March 25, 1971 and is touted as the proof of Assamese identity. ' The ...
INLD chief dissolves party student & youth wings
INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala Thursday dissolved the party's student and youth wings, days after a group of youths created ruckus at the Gohana rally attended by Chautala's son and grandsons. The development has brought to the fore an apparent rift within the Chautala family as Abhay Singh Chautala, younger son of senior Chautala, was booed during the October 7 Gohana rally. In contrast, there were cheers when Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala, son of Ajay Singh Chautala, spoke at the event. Ajay is the elder son of INLD chief. Ajay's sons-- Dushyant and Digvijay--head the party' youth and student wings, respectively. By dissolving the party's student and youth wings, 83-year-old senior Chautala has thrown his weight behind his younger son, say political observers. "Om Prakash Chautala in his capacity as INLD's national president, has dissolved the youth wing of the party and the national and state units of Indian National Students Organisation (INSO)--party's student wing," a party ...
Rahul asked me to do politics that unites country: Alpesh Thakor
Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor, under fire over the violence against Hindi-speaking migrants in Gujarat, said Thursday that party president Rahul Gandhi had advised him to practise the politics that united the country. The MLA from Radhanpur in Patan district sat on a day-long "goodwill fast" near his house here Thursday to promote "peace and harmony". "At this point, I remember Rahul Gandhi's words. He told me Alpesh, we should do the politics which unites the country," Thakor said, addressing the people at the venue of his fast. "Alpesh, we have to make people understand the language of love," he further quoted the Congress president as saying. Thakor, however, did not make it clear as to when did Gandhi give him the advice. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have demanded that the Congress should take action against Thakor, blaming him for the incidents of violence against migrants and their resultant exodus from Gujarat. Since the rape of a ...
Swaraj holds talks with Tajik counterpart
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met her Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Muhriddin here and the two leaders discussed stepping up close bilateral ties in development assistance, science and technology, health, defence and security. The two leaders met on the sidelines of a two-day conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's Council of Heads of Government (CHG). "Both (leaders) discussed stepping up our close relationship in development assistance, Science and Technology, IT, agriculture, defence and security, health and tourism," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. Earlier in the day, Swaraj arrived in Tajik capital Dushanbe to attend the SCO's CHG, which is expected to focus on boosting cooperation in fighting terrorism, besides deliberating on pressing regional and global issues. Kumar said that over the next two days, the minister will participate in SCO-related meetings, hold bilateral talks and interact with the Indian community in ...
Maldives court to hear strongman's election challenge
The Maldives Supreme Court said Thursday it would examine President Abdulla Yameen's petition to annul his September election defeat despite international pressure on the strongman leader to go quietly. "The Supreme Court has decided to accept the constitutional dispute filed by President Yameen and it would be heard," the court said on Twitter, raising the prospect of fresh upheaval in the country's turbulent recent politics. It later said a hearing will be held on Sunday at 1:00 pm (0800 GMT) in the tourist paradise Indian Ocean archipelago at the centre of a tussle for influence between India and China. The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), whose candidate won a landslide at the September 23 vote, said Yameen should respect the results and drop his spurious challenge. "The Joint Opposition calls on Yameen to immediately withdraw this blatantly unsubstantiated case, and to step aside and to facilitate a peaceful and smooth transition," the MDP said in a ...
Former PDP leader Vikramaditya Singh joins Congress
Former People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Vikramaditya Singh, on Thursday, joined Congress in the presence of senior leaders Ambika Soni and Ghulam Nabi Azad.Singh is the son of senior Congress leader Karan Singh and the grandson of last ruling Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh.Expressing happiness, Singh said, "It is a very important day for me as I joined Congress today; my father has been associated with Congress since the time of Jawaharlal Nehru. I joined the PDP in 2014 after Mufti Mohammad Sayeed asked me to. I resigned as the government did not fulfill the promises it made and it felt like the public was being cheated."Addressing the media, Soni said, "All of us know Vikramaditya Singh. Last year he resigned from his post as the Member of the Legislative Council from the BJP-PDP government after they failed to fulfill their promises. We wanted him to join Congress since then."Welcoming Singh into the party, Azad said, "He is the elder son of Karan Singh ...
Indian Naval ship, aircraft reach Indonesia for coordinated patrol
Indian Naval Ship Kulish, a Kora class missile corvette, and an Indian Dornier (naval maritime time patrol aircraft) from Andaman and Nicobar command entered Belawan harbour, Indonesia, for the opening ceremony of the 32nd edition of India - Indonesia coordinated patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT), to be held from October 11 - 27, 2018.The ships and aircraft from both the countries would undertake patrolling on the respective sides of 236 nautical miles long International Maritime Boundary Line. The patrolling would be conducted in three phases from 14-24 October followed by a closing ceremony at Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Island, scheduled from October 25-26.The visit seeks to emphasise India's peaceful presence and solidarity with friendly countries towards ensuring good order in the maritime domain, consolidate interoperability and strengthen existing bonds of friendship between the two countries.During their stay in Belawan, various activities are planned such as official calls, ...
'Rahul won't meeting HAL employees exclusively'
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao on Thursday clarified that his party president Rahul Gandhi will not be meeting Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) employees exclusively.Rao said, Rahul will be attending an event in Bengaluru, which has been organised to discuss HAL's contribution to India."It is not that Rahul Gandhi is coming to meet HAL employees. It is about HAL's contribution to India and on this topic there is going to be a discussion. In this program anyone can participate, ex-HAL employees, HAL employees, people interested in HAL developments or who have faith and pride in the company, can participate," he said.Elaborating further on why the Congress is organising such an event, he said, "HAL is national pride. It is facing a lot of criticism, it is being said that it lacks some credibility. HAL is a public sector undertaking which has done tremendous work for this country, and it has been criticized and defamed by the defence minister ...
US envoy: Continue sanctions until Russia exits east Ukraine
The United States' envoy for the conflict in eastern Ukraine says the West must remain firm with sanctions against Moscow because Russia is not withdrawing its forces from the separatist region. Kurt Volker spoke to reporters on Thursday from Brussels, where he is meeting EU officials about keeping the sanctions in place. Volker was appointed under President Donald Trump to push for resolution of the conflict. More than 10,000 people have been killed since 2014 in fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists. Sanctions imposed by Washington and the EU include asset freezes and travel bans. "It's very important that we continue to keep sanctions in place given that Russia has not withdrawn its forces from Ukraine or made any steps really toward resolving the conflict there," he said.