Page 2757 - Politics
Sushma Swaraj to attend key SCO conclave in Dushanbe from Thursday
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will attend a two-day conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Tajik capital Dushanbe beginning Thursday, which is expected to focus on boosting cooperation in fighting terrorism, besides deliberating on pressing regional and global issues. The meeting of the SCO's Council of Heads of Government (CHG) is also likely to review situation in Syria, Afghanistan and Korean peninsula, officials said. "The External Affairs Minister's programme in Dushanbe will include participation in the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting, both in the restricted as well as extended formats," the Ministry of External Affairs said. It will be the second CHG meeting since India became a full member of SCO in June 2017. "The leaders will be discussing prospects for further development of SCO and will exchange in-depth views on current international and regional issues," the MEA said. India became a full member of the the China-dominated grouping last ..
KCR, Rahul pursue "break in India" while Modi follows "Make in
Pitching for a change of government in election-bound Telangana, BJP president Amit Shah said Wednesday neither the ruling TRS nor the main opposition Congress can give a push to development in the state. He also asserted that if voted to power after the Lok Sabha polls next year, the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi will ensure "not a single infiltrator" was left in the country. "Telangana's development is not possible either under KCR (caretaker chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) family or (Congress chief) RahulBaba. They are into break in India while (Narendra) Modiji pursues the policy of make in India," Shah told a public rally here. The BJP is testing the electoral waters of Telangana alone for the first time after playing a second fiddle to the TDP, which broke away from the NDA recently, for several years. The BJP president said the Congress, with is support base shrinking drastically, was incapable of becoming an alternative to the TRS. "Is ...
Give satisfactory explanation or quit: Cong to Akbar on #MeToo charges
The Congress on Wednesday said Union Minister M J Akbar must either offer a satisfactory explanation on the allegations of sexual harassment against him or resign immediately, even as it demanded an inquiry into his conduct. The opposition party also hit out at External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for not responding to a question on action against her junior minister after allegations were levelled against him, terming it "extremely unfortunate". As the #MeToo campaign gathered momentum in India, some women journalists have come out and accused Akbar, a former editor and now the minister of state for external affairs, of sexually harassing them during his stint as a journalist. Akbar was an editor of many publications before he took to politics. Congress spokesperson S Jaipal Reddy said in a press conference that, "I think Mr M J Akbar must either offer a satisfactory explanation or must resign forthwith. How can he be in the Ministry with this serious allegation being levelled ...
IT dept raids premises linked to Delhi Minister Gahlot, seizes Rs 35L cash; political vendetta:AAP
The Income Tax(I-T) Department Wednesday conducted searches on multiple premises linked to AAP leader and Delhi Transport minister Kailash Gahlot in connection with a tax evasion case and seized about Rs 35 lakh in cash, officials said. The raids sparked condemnation from Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to people for what he called "constantly troubling" his government. The AAP also dubbed the raids as "political vendetta". Another AAP leader Atishi accused the Modi government of trying to "intimidate" Gahlot for successfully leading the party's legal battle against disqualification of its 20 MLAs in the Delhi High Court and for implementing a scheme for doorstep delivery of essential public services. The Najafgarh MLA, who is an advocate by profession, holds charge of several departments in the Kejriwal government. They include Law and Administrative Reforms department that are handling the ..
Income tax raids Delhi Minister, AAP cries foul
The Income Tax Department on Wednesday raided 16 residence and business premises linked to Delhi Minister Kailash Gahlot and his family members in the capital and Gurugram, prompting Aam Aadmi Party to call it a "political vendetta".
RLSP seeks PM intervention over attacks on Biharis in Gujarat
The Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, an ally of the NDA in Bihar, on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene over recent spurt in hate crimes against people from the state living in the BJP-ruled Gujarat. RLSP national general secretary and spokesman Madhaw Anand reminded the PM of the "enormous love showered upon him by the people of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh" in the Lok Sabha polls held four years ago. "The attacks on Biharis are a matter of grave concern. A Congress MLA (Alpesh Thakor) is being blamed for these hate crimes. If these allegations are true, we wonder where is the problem. The Congress is in opposition in the state as well as at the Centre while the BJP is in power at both places. the guilty can, hence, easily be brought to book and normalcy be restored", Anand said in a statement. The party urged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to ensure proper employment for people of the state migrating from Gujarat in the wake of attacks. "In view of ...
Rahul, Sonia condole loss of lives in New Farakka Express derailment near Rae Bareli
Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi Wednesday condoled the loss of lives in the derailment of the New Farakka Express near Rae Bareli, and urged the government to take immediate relief measures. Five coaches and the engine of the New Delhi-bound New Farakka Express derailed near Rae Bareli early Wednesday, killing at least five people and seriously injuring nine. "I am very worried and sad over the derailment of New Farakka Express. Those families that have lost their loved ones, my condolences and prayers are with them. I hope the government will put all its strength in the relief and rescue work, and all medical facilities will be provided to the people without any hassle," Rahul Gandhi said in a Facebook post. Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi expressed shock and anguish at the derailment of the train. She said her thoughts and prayers were with the families of the victims. Sonia Gandhi hoped that the injured were provided prompt and ...
IT raids: Delhi BJP demands removal of Transport Minister Gahlot
Delhi BJP on Wednesday demanded removal of Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot from his post after raids were conducted by the Income Tax Department (ITD) on premises linked to him. The BJP's Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari said Gahlot should cooperate in the probe because it's the duty of the agency to investigate allegations levelled against anyone no matter how powerful they are. Tiwari claimed that the raids were conducted on the basis of complaints filed by "some AAP members". "The minister is a responsible man and he should cooperate in the probe. If you are clean, you do not have to worry. Agencies need to investigate allegations levelled against individuals no matter how powerful they are," he said. BJP's Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said the raids conducted at Gahlot's premises prove that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has turned into "Khaas Aadmi Party" (special people party). "Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should immediately remove Kailash Gahlot as ...
Canadian opposition leader meets Punjab CM
Canadian opposition leader Andrew Scheer met Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh here on Wednesday.
Human rights situation 'dire' in China: US Congress
Chinese authorities are undertaking "unprecedented" repression of ethnic minorities including Muslim Uighurs as authoritarian government tactics cause humanrights conditions to deteriorate across the country, a damning US congressional report released Wednesday concluded. The bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China, in its annual report, said repression has actually worsened in recent years despite Beijing's dramatic economic growth and broader engagement with the world. It highlights "the dire human rights situation inside China and the continued downward trajectory, by virtually every measure," since Xi Jinping became the Communist Party's general secretary in 2012 and president the following year. "Of particular concern is the mass, arbitrary internment of as many as one million or more Uighurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities in 'political reeducation' camps in western China," committee chairman Senator Marco Rubio and co-chairman congressman Chris Smith said in ..
Three Kashmiri students with JeM links held in Jalandhar: Police
The police arrested three Kashmiri students and seized an assault rifle and explosives in a raid at a college hostel in Jalandhar on Wednesday. Punjab's Director General of Police Suresh Arora described the three students as a module of Kashmiri terror outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and said they had links with Jaish-e-Mohammed. The students were picked from the hostel of CT Institute of Engineering Management and Technology, located at Shahpur on the outskirts of Jalandhar in a joint operation by Punjab Police and the Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police. The team seized two weapons, including an assault rifle, and explosives from the hostel room of second semester B.Tech (Civil) student Zahid Gulzar, Arora said in a statement. Gulzar is a resident of Rajpora in Srinagar. He was arrested along with two Pulwama residents, Mohammed Idris Shah and Yusuf Rafiq Bhatt. The DGP said the arrests followed leads about the activities of certain militant organisations and ...
Abdulla Yameen challenges Maldives election results
Outgoing Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen filed a legal challenge in the Supreme Court against his recent election defeat.Yameen's lawyer, Mohamed Saleem, however, refused to reveal the details of the case and did not clarify if the outgoing President was seeking to overturn the election results, reported Al Jazeera.A press statement released by Yameen's party, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), stated that they have decided to take legal recourse "following numerous serious complaints received by Observers, Monitors and members of the general public in the immediate aftermath of the 23rd September 2018 Presidential polls in the Maldives."The statement further highlighted that the PPM had taken the step after a thorough examination of the complaints for "authenticity" and were "overwhelmed with numerous genuine concerns related to the elections, including serious allegations of vote rigging, fraud, malpractice and corruption."According to Al Jazeera, Yameen has not offered a lot .
Kremlin no comment on claim Putin decorated Skripal suspect
The Kremlin on Wednesday refused to verify a claim that the second suspect in the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal was decorated as a hero by President Vladimir Putin. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists the Kremlin would not check out a report by British investigative group Bellingcat that the suspect it identifies as military doctor Alexander Mishkin was made a Hero of Russia, one of the country's highest awards. "This topic, if you remember, we don't discuss," Peskov said, saying this was "in order not to get drawn into debates with various organisations and media". Pressed by a BBC journalist on whether the Kremlin would check the claim, Peskov insisted: "No, no, I won't do that. We have no official requests from the British side on this matter. Here we have taken up a certain position, we will stick to it". Bellingcat has published what it says are the real identities of both of Britain's suspects in the poisoning of Skripal and his daughter in the ...
Cong demands MJ Akbar's resignation, questions Swaraj's silence
Congress on Wednesday demanded an inquiry into sexual harassment allegations leveled against Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs MJ Akbar and his resignation. Congress also questioned External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's silence.Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Jaipal Reddy said, "MJ Akbar has his own stature as a journalist and now minister also. Sushma Swaraj's silence is guilty. MJ Akbar must either give a satisfactory answer or he should resign. We demand an inquiry into the conduct of MJ Akbar."Congress also cornered the Centre over the Rafale deal and blamed it of sending a dissenting IAS officer on leave while promoting those who favoured the deal.Reddy said, "We are in favour of pursuing the truth behind Rafale deal. In slow degrees, we are collecting a piece of information. The joint secretary and acquisition manager (air) in the Defence ministry, Rajiv Verma, had objected to the deal. Rajeev Verma objected to the price and also about the ...
SC grants 4 months to UP Chief Secy to get govt bungalows vacated
The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted four months time to the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh to implement an order passed in August 2016 regarding evacuation of government bungalows.The court has also sought a status report from the state government after the same time.While many government bungalows, including those occupied by five former chief ministers of the state have been already vacated, some trusts remain in possession of the government bungalows.Former IAS officer and petitioner Satya Narain Shukla, general secretary of Uttar Pradesh based non-governmental organisation Lok Prahari, asserted that there are bungalows occupied by three trusts which are yet to be vacated, while one bungalow was reallocated to Lohia Trust.The apex court today passed these orders while hearing a contempt plea filed by Lok Prahari. The plea sought contempt action against the authorities by contending that despite the top court's judgement on August 1, 2016, the trusts and other organisations ...
INS Rana to participate in S.Korean fleet review
Guided missile destroyer INS Rana has reached Jeju in South Korea to participate in the International Fleet Review (IFR) being held from October 8 to 15, the Indian Navy said on Wednesday.
LG has delegated powers to control services in Delhi: Centre to SC
The Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that the Lieutenant Governor (LG) has the power to regulate services in Delhi. The powers are delegated to the administrator of Delhi and the services can be administered through him, it said. The Centre also said that unless the President of India expressly directs, the LG, who is the administrator of Delhi, cannot consult the Chief Minister or the council of ministers. A bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan was told by senior advocate C S Sundaram, appearing for the Centre that the powers are delegated to the administrator by the Union of India. "The LG is entrusted with the powers to consult the Chief Minister or council of ministers, if such powers are given by the President under Article 239 of the Constitution," Sundaram said. He added that it was not for the first time that Delhi and the Centre had governments of different parties, but it was the first time that dispute over the control of services has reached the ...
2002 Gujarat riots: It's now for the courts to decide, says Teesta Setalvad
The revelations made by Lt. General Zameer Uddin Shah (retd) about the deployment of Army during the 2002 Gujarat riots "corroborates what we have been saying", Teesta Setalvad, the co-petitioner seeking a criminal trial of then Chief Minister Narendra Modi and 62 other politicians and government officials for alleged "complicity" in the riots, said on Wednesday.
Will approach both friendly countries, IMF to overcome economic crisis: Khan
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday assured the countrymen that his government would seek assistance from both friendly countries and the IMF to overcome the balance of payments crisis. "We have two options: first, we can go to friendly countries and ask them to bridge this gap; and second, that we go to the IMF," he said. "The government has decided to do both," he said while addressing a ceremony to launch Naya Pakistan Housing Programme, a flagship project of his government to build 5 million houses in five years for low income people. Khan said he will present a roadmap before the nation listing steps the government will take to stabilise the economy. He said Pakistan is burdened due to debts incurred by the previous government and his government is constrained to borrow more money to pay back those debts. "We will get out of this. I will take (the country) out of this," he added. Finance Minister Asad Umar on Monday said that Pakistan would approach the IMF for a ...
Tell us how you decided on Rafale: SC to govt; Cong accuses govt of "manipulating" purchase
As the political row over the Rafale jet contract raged, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Modi government to provide to it details of the steps taken in the decision making process that led to the deal with France. Seeking the details in a sealed cover by October 29, the apex court at the same time made it clear that it does not want information on pricing and technical parameters relating to the fighter aircraft. Terming the submissions made in two Public Interest Litigations(PIL) as "grossly inadequate", a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi also said the court was not issuing notice to the Centre on them but wanted to satisfy itself about the legitimacy of the decision making process. The Centre sought dismissal of the PILs, terming them "political interest petitions". The direction by the apex court came even as the Congress accused the Modi government of "manipulating" the process of the Rafale agreement by "punishing" bureaucrats who raised ...