Page 2759 - Politics
Overwhelming voter turnout in Jammu, dismal in Kashmir Valley (Roundup)
An overwhelming majority of 79.8 per cent of voters exercised their franchise in the second phase of staggered municipal elections in Jammu division on Wednesday while a mere 3.4 per cent voted in the troubled Kashmir Valley.
Government yet to 'invent' justification for Rafale: Rahul
In the wake of Supreme Court seeking details from the government about the decision making process of the Rafale deal, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the "processes to justify his decision are yet to be invented".
IT raids on AAP minister: Kejriwal asks PM to apologise
Hours after the Income Tax Department raids on premises linked to his minister Kailash Gahlot, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Wednesday sought an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to people for "constantly troubling" the AAP government. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party accused the Modi government of trying to "intimidate" the AAP dispensation by getting its leaders and ministers raided by central agencies. The party party also termed the raid as "political vendetta". The Income Tax Department (ITD) Wednesday conducted searches on multiple premises linked to Gahlot, the Delhi Transport minister, in connection with an alleged tax evasion case, officials said. "Friendship with Nirav Modi and Mallya and raid on us? Modiji you conducted raids on me Satyendar and Manish what happened to those (raids). Nothing was found. "So before you go with another raid at least apologise to Delhi people for troubling their elected government," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. The Najafgarh MLA holds charge ..
China revises controversial anti-terror regulations
Anti-terror efforts in controversial "reeducation centres" in China's Xinjiang region will be governed by new standardised rules, as international criticism mounts over the detention of as many one million in the restive far west. The revised rules, passed Tuesday, call on local governments to tackle terrorism by establishing "vocational education centres" that will carry out the "educational transformation of people who have been influenced by extremism." The centres should teach Mandarin Chinese, legal concepts and vocational training, and carry out "thought education," according to a copy of the rules posted on the regional government's website. As many as a million people are believed to have been detained in extra-judicial detention centres in Xinjiang as authorities there seek to battle what they describe as religious extremism, separatism and terrorism. A previous version of the rules issued in March 2017 included a long list of prohibitions on religious behaviour including ...
Mizoram poll: Exit of 2 MLAs will not affect prospects, says Cong
The ruling Congress in Mizoram said Wednesday the exit of two senior MLAs from the party would not affect its prospects in the November 28 Assembly election and it was confident of a third term in the state. "With 32 MLAs, I am confident that we will win with comfortable majority to form the government for a third consecutive term. People of Mizoram have not lost faith in the leadership of Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla," AICC general secretary in-charge of the northeast Luizinho Faleiro said. Two MLAs might have left, but hundreds of others are joining the party in Mizoram, the only Congress-ruled state in the northeastern region, Faleiro told a press conference. Home Minister R Lalzirliana, also vice-president of the state Congress, resigned on September 14, three days after he was served a show-cause notice by the MPCC disciplinary committee accusing him of confusing party workers. He was expelled later. Another MLA and former minister Lalrinliana Sailo resigned earlier this ...
Lankan govt too slow to return civilian lands held for military activity: Report
Sri Lanka has yet to fully restore civilian ownership of thousands of acres of land taken over during the civil war with the LTTE for military purposes, according to a US-based human rights group. The Human Rights Watch, in a report published this week, said the progress, particularly since the election of a new government in 2015, has been hindered by broad military claims of national security and the lack of a transparent process. "The Sri Lankan government has yet to fully restore civilian ownership of land and property nearly a decade since the end of the civil war in 2009," said the 80-page report titled "'Why Can't We Go Home?': Military Occupation of Land in Sri Lanka." The report identifies the lack of transparency and due process, failure to map occupied land, inadequate support to affected people and communities, and prolonged delays in providing appropriate reparations for decades of loss and suffering. The military has also used some confiscated lands for commercial profit
SC asks Centre to give details of Rafale decision making process in sealed cover
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to provide in a sealed cover the details of decision making process, sans pricing and technical information, in the Rafale deal with France even as the government sought dismissal of the PILs on the issue, terming them "political petitions". Terming the averments made in the pleas as "grossly inadequate", a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi made it clear that the court was not issuing notice on the two PILs, but wanted to satisfy itself about legitimacy of the decision making process. The bench, also comprising Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, asked the government to provide the information by October 29 and fixed the PILs, filed by lawyers Vineet Dhanda and M L Sharma, for hearing two days after that. "We are not on the issue of pricing and suitability of the Rafale jets but only on the decision making process," the bench said. At the outset, the bench asked Attorney General K K Venugopal, "Suppose we ask you (the Centre) ..
Tushar Mehta appointed Solicitor General of India
Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has been elevated to the post of Solicitor General of India on Wednesday.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of the senior advocate with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the office for a period till June 30, 2020 or until further orders.The post of Solicitor General had been lying vacant since October 20, 2017, following the resignation of Ranjit Kumar. Solicitor General of India is the second-highest ranked lawyer for the Indian government after the Attorney General.Mehta was appointed as the Additional Solicitor General, the third-ranking legal advisor for the government, in July 2014.
Never named PM Modi or 15 lakhs: Nitin Gadkari
Clarifying over his alleged statement that "BJP made tall promises in 2014 elections", Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said that the reports are "false and baseless" and that he never made such statements.Speaking to the media, Gadkari further said that he did not say anything on Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the Indian government and depositing Rs 15 lakh in everyone's account.Earlier, several reports claimed that Gadkari, during an interview to a Marathi news channel, said that Modi government came to power on the basis of unrealistic promises. Congress president Rahul Gandhi had also shared the video of the interview on Twitter and said, "People also think that the government has made their dreams and hopes a victim of its greed."Stating that his statement was twisted and then published in an English newspaper, Gadkari said, "An English newspaper based out of Delhi twisted my statement. I never named Prime Minister Modi, or 15 Lakh or any such thing. This is completely .
Odisha Congress opens help cell for cyclone 'Titli'
The Odisha unit of Congress on Wednesday opened a 24-hour emergency cell to help the people likely to be affected by the cyclone 'Titli', which is fast approaching towards the coastal areas of the state. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik, in a release, said the round-the-clock help cell will start functioning for a week from the evening of October 10 till October 16. Congress president Rahul Gandhi had on Tuesday urged the party's state unit to extend help to those likely to be hit by the cyclone. Patnaik said the people in the affected districts can contact on the mobile numbers -- 7609852131, 8895203001, 9861011962, 7008799364, 9348161633, 8847858020, 9937948868 and 9237010939. Cyclone 'Titli' is likely to make a landfall at about 5.30 am on Thursday, Odisha Chief Secretary A P Padhi said.
Akbar should come clean or resign: Congress
The Congress on Wednesday asked former Editor and Union Minister M.J. Akbar to either come clean following sexual harassment charges against him or resign. It also sought an independent probe into the charges against Akbar.
BJP unites, Cong divides society: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday accused the Congress of dividing the society for the benefit of one family while asserting that the Bharatiya Janata Party believes in spreading happiness and uniting people. His remarks attacking the Congress at an interaction with BJP workers of five Lok Sabha constituencies came against the backdrop of exodus of migrants from Gujarat for which the saffron party has blamed its rival. With assembly elections in five states ahead, Modi claimed that it was not a matter of ego for his party to defeat others but an opportunity to serve people. "When you try and connect everything to elections, like unveiling the statue of Sir Chhotu Ram or Swachh Bharat Mission, it reduces the importance of the event," he said, adding that the BJP is doing social service and will continue doing it.
Ahead of elections, 42k weapons deposited in MP
Ahead of Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, more than 42,000 weapons have been deposited with the government.
Congress will get two-thirds majority in Raj: Pilot
Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot on Wednesday claimed his party will gain two-thirds majority in the Assembly election in the state scheduled for December 7, asserting they were receiving good public response. "We will come to power with 2/3 majority in Rajasthan," Pilot said at a public meeting of Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Bikaner. He said the party was receiving good response all over the state. "BJP president also came here recently. Compare the response between their (BJP) and our meetings," Pilot said. On October 4, BJP chief Amit Shah addressed a convention of Scheduled Castes in Bikaner, where he said the BJP has initiated a number of measures to uplift Dalits. In the last Assembly election in the state in 2013, the Congress faced a drubbing in Bikaner division. The party won three seats out of the 23 seats in the division. Pilot also asked Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to look at the ground situation in the state. "Open the windows of your palace ..
Son of former Thai PM indicted on money laundering charge
The son of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been indicted on charges of money laundering, as pressure mounts on the ousted leader's political allies. Panthongtae Shinawatra was arraigned Wednesday for allegedly receiving 10 million baht ($303,500) linked to an earlier corruption case in which Krungthai Bank executives were convicted of extending fraudulent loans. Panthongtae appeared Wednesday at the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases, where he was granted bail of 1 million baht ($30,340). Critics view the case as politically motivated ahead of elections planned for early next year. Authorities say they are also considering penalties against Thaksin's Pheu Thai party. Thaksin was prime minister in 2001-2006. He was ousted in a military coup amid accusations of corruption and alleged disrespect for the monarchy.
Ministry expansion to be decided after bypolls: Karnataka Deputy CM
The ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition leadership would decide on Karnataka cabinet expansion after the November 3 bypolls to Assembly and parliamentary seats in the state, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said on Wednesday. He also accused the opposition of continuing with its efforts to "destabilise" the government, and said the saffron party was facing "disappointment." On cabinet expansion, he said, "Seven positions in the cabinet are vacant, definitely we will expand the cabinet to fill them, but when we will do it... if there was no by-election, by now that exercise would have been completed." "After the bye election, the leadership will take some decision," Parameshwara told reporters here. The expansion of the H D Kumaraswamy-led government's cabinet and appointment of MLAs as heads of boards and corporations were expected to take place this week, but it has now been delayed following announcement of Assembly and parliamentary bypolls in the state. The decision to delay the ..
Jalandhar: 3 students arrested over links with terror outfit
The Punjab Police on Wednesday arrested three students of an engineering college in Jalandhar in connection with alleged links with Kashmiri terror outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH).The state police conducted an operation along with the Special Operations Group (SoG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police to bust the terror module. The students were nabbed from their college hostel in Shahpur on the outskirts of Jalandhar.A raid was conducted in the hostel early this morning and two weapons including an assault rifle and explosives were seized. The students have been identified as Zahid Gulzar, Mohammed Idriss Shah and Yusuf Rafiq Bhatt. They were second-semester students of CT Institute of Engineering Management and Technology.Director General of Police Suresh Arora in a statement said, "The arrests happened following the development and corroboration of various leads/inputs about the presence and activities of certain militant organizations/individuals operating in Jammu and Kashmir and ...
600 underprivileged children screened as part of visual acuity test campaign
Seeking to benefit the eyesight of underprivileged children, around 600 of them were screened as part of a campaign organised here to test their visual acuity, officials said Wednesday. Fiji's High Commissioner to India Yogesh Punja, and Australian Labor Party advisor and former NSW Parliament candidate, Aisha Amjad, participated in the campaign on Wednesday and distributed spectacles to school children, an NGO said. The campaign, which screened around 600 children in the Government Sarvodaya Co-Ed Senior Secondary School at Kitchener Road, Malcha Marg, concluded with the distribution of 50 spectacles to needy children with refractive errors," India Vision Institute (IVI) said in a statement.
AIMIM chief demands sacking of M J Abkar
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday demanded removal of M J Akbar from the Union Council of Ministers following allegations of sexual harassment against him. 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. "@mjakbar shame on you and you stood in parliament during T Talaaq Bill & spoke about Muslim women empowerment & to stop their exploitation..," the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief tweeted. "@PMOIndia sack this Minister of yours if you truly believe in Beti Bachao," the Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP said in another tweet.
Gujarat migrants 'exodus': Political blame game continues
Political blame game between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continued on Wednesday on the issue of alleged exodus of migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar residing across Gujarat.Speaking to ANI, Indian National Congress leader PL Punia said that BJP has failed to cope up with the situation and demanded an immediate inquiry into the matter."It is the failure of the Gujarat government and Gujarat police administration. There is no proper law and order situation in the state. There should be an investigation into the incident immediately. Culprits should be punished. If there is any evidence against Alpesh Thakor then it should be brought before the law. But, blaming someone unnecessarily doesn't befit BJP's stature," he said. Thakor is Congress member of Gujarat legislative assembly.Joining Punia's contention, another Congress leader Sandeep Dixit too blamed the state government in its inability to contain the situation. "What is the responsibility of the ...