Page 278 - Politics
Cong not to host Iftar at national level this year
After its Lok Sabha poll debacle, the Congress is not hosting an Iftar party at the central level this year, but its state units are organising such parties at their own level. Congress's minority cell chairman Nadeem Javed confirmed that no Iftar was being organised at the national level, but the state units were hosting such parties. The Delhi Congress, led by former chief minister Sheila Dikshit, hosted an Iftar party last week. Congress president Rahul Gandhi had hosted an Iftar last year at a plush hotel in the national capital, but no such party was being thrown this year, a senior party leader said. Last year's Iftar party was the first one to be hosted by Gandhi after becoming the Congress president. Sources said the drubbing in just-concluded Lok Sabha polls is cited as one of the reasons for not hosting an Iftar this year.
Cong pays tributes to Karunanidhi on his birth anniversary
The Congress paid tributes on Monday to former Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi on his birth anniversary, with party chief Rahul Gandhi saying the memory of the veteran leader could never fade away. "Remembering Kalaignar Karunanidhi on his birth anniversary. A true leader of the glorious Tamil people, whose memory will never fade away," Gandhi said in a tweet. The Congress party described Karunanidhi as a stalwart of the Dravidian movement. "M Karunanidhi was a prolific writer who went on to become the longest serving Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He was a stalwart of the Dravidian movement and a true representative of the Tamil people. We remember his contributions on his birth anniversary," the party said on its official Twitter handle.
DSGMC president urges PM Modi to appoint sitting SC Judge to inquire 'Operation Blue Star'
Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to appoint a sitting Judge of the Supreme Court to inquire about the 'Operation Blue Star' which was undertaken during the regime of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi."Urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji to appoint a sitting Judge of Supreme Court to enquire how circumstances were created by the then Indira Gandhi government against Sikhs to execute Operation Blue Star," Sirsa wrote on Twitter."Sikhs expect an apology from Indian govt for the barbaric Operation Blue Star," he added.Sirsa had earlier today asked the central government to tender "unqualified apology" to the Sikhs for 'Operation Blue Star'.In a statement, Sirsa said that it was most unfortunate to see that even 35 years after the attack, successive governments at the Centre failed to apologise to the Sikh community for "causing them wounds which have never healed till date.
Centre releases new draft policy to calm anti-Hindi protesters
The Central government on Monday released a revised Draft National Education Policy (DNEP) after several states opposed the compulsory teaching of Hindi in schools under the three-language formula.
India, China hold dialogue on disarmament and non-proliferation
India and China on Monday exchanged views on a variety of issues relating to disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control, the External Affairs Ministry said. The two sides shared their respective positions on the issues during the 6th round of India-China bilateral dialogue on disarmament and non-proliferation. The Indian delegation was led by Additional Secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs) Indra Mani Pandey while the Chinese side was led by Ambassador Fu Cong, Director General, Department of Arms Control of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "The two sides exchanged views on a variety of issues of mutual interest related to disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control. They decided to continue the dialogue at regular intervals in future," the MEA said. Ambassador Fu Cong invited the Indian delegation to Beijing for the next round of consultations at a mutually convenient time, it added. Meanwhile, diplomatic sources indicated that External Affairs Minister S ...
BSP wouldn't have won a single seat on its own: SP leader
SP leader Hariom Yadav on Monday slammed BSP supremo Mayawati and said that her party would have not won even a single seat if it had not forged an alliance with the Samajwadi Party.Yadav said that his party suffered a "huge loss" in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections because of entering into an alliance with the BSP."Only Mayawati benefited from the allaince, Samajwadi Party faced a huge loss. If this alliance was not formed then Mayawati would have been at zero and Samajwadi Party would have won 25 seats on its own. Samajwadi Party has suffered a big loss," Hariom Yadav said here."Yadav community voted for her but Behen Ji's vote share went to BJP. We did a rally on January 22 in Ramlila Maidan. That time only we had told the people that this alliance will end after the Lok Sabha elections will get over," he added.Riding high on Modi-wave, BJP bagged 62 seats in Uttar Pradesh, while BSP and SP managed to bag only 10, 5 seats respectively. RLD drew a blank.His statement came .
US top diplomat presses Dutch to be tough on China over tech
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo put pressure on the Netherlands on Monday to follow Washington's tough line on China as the Dutch government prepares to auction off new "5G" internet rights. Speaking after meeting his Dutch counterpart Stef Blok, Pompeo said they discussed, among other issues, "concerns about technology in infrastructure and technology and the 5G infrastructure network." Fifth-generation, or 5G, infrastructure is a key battle ground in a US-China trade war, with Chinese tech gear supplier Huawei at its heart. The Netherlands and several other European countries are in coming months going to auction off rights for 5G networks to telecom operators. The operators, meanwhile, are signing deals with tech suppliers for the new gear needed to run 5G internet. A 2018 US. law bars Huawei, the biggest global maker of network equipment that enjoys a lead in 5G technology, from selling telecoms equipment to U.S. government agencies and contractors. The Trump administration says
Austria swears in first female chancellor, pledges stability
Austria swore in its first female chancellor Monday at the head of an interim government that will serve until after an election expected in September. The 69-year-old Brigitte Bierlein, previously the head of Austria's top court, will lead a Cabinet of non-partisan experts. "I am particularly glad ... that for the first time in history we will have a female chancellor at the head of the government, and secondly that women and men are equally represented in this government," President Alexander Van der Bellen said as he swore in the new team. "In the future, no one will be able to say 'unfortunately that's not possible.'" Bierlein was named as interim leader after Sebastian Kurz lost a confidence vote a week ago, following the collapse of a governing coalition of his right-wing People's Party and the far-right Freedom Party. That followed the publication of a video showing Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache appearing to offer lucrative government contracts to a purported ...
KPCC forms 'fact-finding' panel into party's dismal show in LS
After the drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress' Karnataka unit Monday formed a "fact-finding committee" to find the reasons for the party's poor show in both parliamentary and 2018 assembly elections. The five-member committee is headed by the state PCC vice-president and former legislative council chairman V R Sudarshan and former minister Basavaraj Rayareddy. The committee would travel to every district, conduct assembly constituency-wise meetings and contact party leaders from booth to state level, find reasons for the party's defeat and gather suggestions from them about organising the party for the future, the Karnataka pradesh congress committee said in a release. It said the committee would submit a comprehensive report to the KPCC president, adding that it would dwell onreasons for the congress candidates defeat and opinion in the minds of the people regarding the party. The congress, which fought the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the JD(S, has won ...
Chennai-Salem Expressway: SC refuses to grant interim stay against Madras HC order
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant an interim stay on the Madras High Court order which quashed the land acquisition proceedings initiated by the Centre and the state government for the ambitious Rs 10,000 crore Chennai-Salem eight-lane expressway.The top court's order came after the Centre filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the Madras High Court's order.A vacation bench of the apex court presided by Justices Indu Malhotra and MR Shah issued notice to PV Krishnamoorthy, who had filed the petition before the High Court against the government's decision and sought his response by July first week.Krishnamoorthy, a farmer, is one of the petitioners who had approached the High Court against the government's move to acquire the land for the project.On April 8, a division bench of the Madras High Court had quashed the land acquisition after holding that environmental clearance was mandatory since the project would have an adverse impact on the environment, including ..
Niti Aayog's Rajiv Kumar to continue 'till further orders'
Rajiv Kumar, the Niti Aayog vice chairman whose tenure is co-terminus with that of the Modi government, will continue "till further orders", sources said.
Lanka Muslim ministers resign over Easter suicide bombing allegations
Nine Muslim ministers holding top positions in the Sri Lankan government resigned on Monday to allow authorities to investigate allegations against some of them on links to an Islamic extremist group which was blamed for the deadly Easter suicide bombings. The Muslim politicians in the government also protested what they term the government's inability to ensure the safety of the Muslim minority who constitute 9 per cent of the island's 21 million population. Following the April 21 attacks that claimed 258 lives, some Muslim politicians representing the government came under criticism for their alleged support extended to the rising Muslim militancy. Industry and Commerce Minister Rishath Bathiyutheen was accused of supporting the ISIS linked local Islamist group National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) which carried out the attacks. The Sinhala majority nationalists were demanding the sacking of Industry and Commerce Minister Bathiyutheen. The Opposition had moved a vote of no confidence ...
Rajya Sabha to meet on June 20
The Rajya Sabha has been convened to meet for the Budget Session from June 20, the day President Ram Nath Kovind will address the joint sitting of Parliament.The session will continue till July 26, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said on Monday. In all, there will be 27 sittings of the Upper House of Indian Parliament.The Lok Sabha has already been convened from June 17. Newly elected members will take oath on June 17 and 18. The Speaker's election will be held on June 19.Budget will be presented on July 5.
India takes offence to OIC's mention of J and K.
India on Monday took offence to the reference to the Jammu and Kashmir in the final communique of the 14th Islamic summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that was held in Saudi Arabia and asked it to refrain from making "unwarranted" references."We categorically reject yet another unacceptable reference to matters internal to India in the Final Communique adopted at the conclusion of the 14th Islamic Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states held at Makkah, Saudi Arabia on 31 May 2019," said the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).He further said that OIC has no locus-standi in matters relating to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India and OIC should refrain from making such unwarranted references.Earlier on May 31, OIC had reiterated the grouping's support for the legitimate rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the United Nations resolutions, according to the .
Maneka, Radha Mohan, Virender Kumar in contention for speaker's post
Several senior BJP parliamentarians, including former Union ministers Maneka Gandhi, Radha Mohan Singh and Virender Kumar, are in contention for the post of Lok Sabha speaker as the party top brass deliberates to finalise its choice, sources said Monday. Former Union ministers Jual Oram and S S Ahluwalia are also among the probable candidates, they said. Eight-term MP Gandhi is the most experienced BJP lawmaker in Lok Sabha and is being seen as a natural choice for the speaker's post. She is also likely to be appointed as pro-tem speaker, being the senior most parliamentarian in the seventeenth Lok Sabha. Singh, a six-term MP, has emerged as a strong contender for the job due to his deep roots in the organisation and image of an affable and gentle leader, the sources said. Also a six-time MP, Kumar's Dalit identity might work in his favour, they added. Ahluwalia was a minister of state for parliamentary affairs in the previous government and is known for his knowledge of legislative ..
Kejriwal's announcement of free travel for women a publicity stunt:Congress
The Delhi Congress dubbed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's announcement on Monday to provide free travel to women in public transport buses and Metro trains as a "publicity stunt" made in view of the coming Assembly elections here. Reacting to the decision, Delhi Congress spokesperson Jitender Kochar said the state government should also provide free travel to students and senior citizens in buses and Metro trains. "Kejriwal often makes announcements which he either does not fulfil or which do not come under his jurisdiction. The Assembly elections in Delhi are due in the next few months and he should stop publicity stunt by making such announcements," Kochar said. Stating that the AAP lost all the seven Lok Sabha seats in recent polls and was pushed to the third spot on majority of the seats, he said that was why the party was making "populist" announcements for political gains in Assembly elections due early next year. Both Congress and AAP were routed and the BJP won all the Lok ..
Huge amount spent in LS polls should 'scare' us: CMS report
A whopping amount was spent in 2019 polls and the scale of expenditure should "scare us," a city-based think-tank Monday claimed. The Centre for Media Studies after releasing a report on 2019 polls expenditure, also claimed the recently-concluded election has signalled that the more the expenditure, the "more vicious and ugly" the campaigns become. At a function held at the IIC here, a panel discussion was also held in which former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi also participated. The CMS, in its report has claimed that about Rs 60,000 crore were spent in the 2019 elections, and the formal expenditure component, i.e. the amount spent by the Election Commission is nearly 15-20 per cent of that." "The scale of the expenditure should scare us and compel us to think of taking corrective steps to build a stronger democracy," CMS's chairman N Bhaskara Rao said. The report has also claimed that, on an average "nearly Rs 100 crores per Lok Sabha constituency has been spent". "It is .
How many will you sack, asks Tom Vadakkan over Abdullakutty's expulsion
Expressing surprise over the sacking of AP Abdullakutty from Congress for praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP member Tom Vadakkan on Monday said that Abdullakutty did nothing wrong by praising the prime minister."Abdullah has only criticised the policy of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and the national leadership. He has praised the prime minister of India and he has done the right thing. And for that if he is removed, how many members of the Congress party will they remove? It is a question that the people of India are asking," Vadakkan told ANI.AP Abdullakutty was expelled by the KPCC on Monday for praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi."Is it wrong to praise the prime minister of the country?," Vadakkan added.The BJP leader said that every KPCC member will praise the PM in coming days, asserting that see how many members the Congress party will sack."Who all will be left in the KPCC and who all will they finally remove is going to be a big question," he ...
BJP slams Congress for expelling Kerala leader for praising Modi
The BJP on Monday criticised the Congress for expelling its Kerala leader A P Abdullakutty after he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying praising the country's PM is no crime and that it will only set the tone for more leaders of the opposition party to come out and laud him. BJP spokesperson Tom Vadakkan, who had switched over from the Congress to the saffron party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, said the Congress's decision to expel Abdulkutty will spark an exodus of leaders from the party. "He has not been expelled for Kerala Congress leadership or its national leadership. His crime is that he has praised India's Prime Minister. How many members the Congress is going to remove from the party for this? It will start an exodus as the praising prime minister is no crime," Vadakkan said. As a citizen of India, he can praise the prime minister but the Congress has punished him for this, the BJP leader from Kerala said.
Delhi govt proposes to make metro, bus travel free for women: Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday announced his government has decided to make commute for women in public transport buses and Metro trains free, a move the Opposition decried as "populist" and aimed to "mislead" people ahead of assembly polls due early next year. Kejriwal said his government will provide subsidy, which will amount to nearly Rs 700-800 crore, for the scheme to be implemented in 2-3 months. "Delhi Metro is on board. I have asked for a detailed report from them in seven days," he told reporters at a press conference. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) refused to comment on the announcement. The Centre and the city government have 50 per cent equity each in the Delhi Metro. As per the mandate, if Delhi government wants to introduce a scheme, it will have to inform or take approval from the central government. "Delhi government will have to send a file of the proposal to the Lt Governor for approval as the Centre has a 50 per cent stake in Delhi Metro," an .