Page 2785 - Politics
Need a national policy to tackle drug menace: Pb CM
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday alleged that Pakistan was "pushing" drugs through Indian borders to destroy the youth in the northern states as he called for a national policy to tackle the menace. He also expressed concern over the erosion of the states powers, leading to a weakening of the Centre-state relations in the federal structure. Participating at the HT Leadership Summit, the Punjab chief minister alleged that drugs were being sent to Amritsar from Gujarat, even though they could fetch better prices in Delhi and Mumbai. The motive was to destroy the youth and starve the Indian Army of manpower in the long run, he said, pointing out that two-thirds of the Army's recruits were from the northern belt. If you don't have healthy youth, where will you get jawans from, he said, adding that his government was going all out to solve the drug problem, which was at a critical point. Making it clear that he had no problems in working with the Centre, from whom it had ..
Rajasthan will break tradition of changing governments every election this time: Modi
Accusing the Congress of working for only one family and practicing vote-bank politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asked the people to keep it away from power, breaking the state's tradition of alternating power between the Congress and the BJP every five years.
US must not view Pakistan ties through Afghan or Indian lens: Qureshi
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Saturday that Washington should not view its ties with Islamabad only through the perspective of the Afghan issue or the ties with India.
Model code of conduct comes into force with immediate effect in five states
With the announcement of elections in five states, the model code of conduct (MCC) has come into force immediately, which will be applicable to the Union government also insofar as announcements and polity decisions pertaining to the states.
Tripura will go in for NRC if exercise successful in Assam: CM Deb
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Saturday said that he will go in for National Register of Citizens (NRC) in his state if the exercise was successfully implemented in Assam.
NCP chief Pawar won't contest 2019 Lok Sabha polls: Ahwad
NCP president Sharad Pawar will not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, party leader Jitendra Ahwad said here Saturday. Putting to rest speculations that Pawar will contest from Pune Lok Sabha seat, Ahwad told reporters that Pawar had already made it clear in 2014 that he will not contest the Lok Sabha polls again. "Pawar has told the party not to consider his name as he will not be a candidate. In today's meeting, Pawar said he is not in the (LS) race and nobody should propose his name," said the NCP MLA from Mumbra-Kalwa, in neighbouring Thane district. Awhad also denied that the NCP chief had opposed the candidature of Parth Pawar, son of senior leader Ajit Pawar, for the Mawal Lok Sabha seat. "Preliminary discussions are on. The name will be finalised after discussions with party workers," Ahwad said. The former Union Agriculture minister is currently holding a two-day meeting with NCP leaders and functionaries at the party's state unit office to discuss candidates
No dates yet for TN Assembly by-poll
The Election Commission on Saturday did not announce the date for by-polls to two Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu after a request from the state in view of the forecast about heavy rains in the next few days.
Cong attacks EC, Rawat says no pressure
The Election commission on Saturday rejected the Congress allegation that it had rescheduled the press conference to declare the poll schedule in five states under "pressure" from the Prime Minister to accommodate his election rally in Ajmer in Rajasthan.
Natural for alliance partners to have occasional differences:
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma Saturday said as India is a diverse country it is natural for alliance partners to have occasional differences. Sangma's Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government comprises of the National People's Party (NPP), United Democratic Party (UDP), People's Democratic Party (PDF), Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP), BJP, NCP and Independents. "The BJP-led NDA supported my father during the presidential election in 2012. Since India is a diverse country, it is natural that we will have occasional differences. For example, we have openly expressed our differences with the BJP on the Citizenship Amendment Bill," he said while addressing India Today Conclave East 2018 Talking about the political scenario in the Northeast, the Meghalaya chief minister said there is a need for a pan-Northeast party that represents all north eastern states. "There are no doubts that we share the national ethos but there are issues specific to the region
High-stakes polls in 5 states in Nov-Dec; Chhattisgarh to vote in 2 phases
Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana will be held between November 12 and December 7 in what may be a virtual semi-final to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Counting of votes will be taken up together in all the five states on December 11, the Election Commission announced Saturday. While Chhattisgarh will go to the polls in two phases on November 12 and 20, elections in Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram will be held on November 28. Polling in Rajasthan and Telangana will be held on December 7, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) OP Rawat announced. The Congress, which is ruling in Mizoram, is trying to wrest power from the BJP in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. In Telangana, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) had dissolved the assembly on September 6, paving way for early elections. Like in the past, Chhattisgarh will have elections in two phases. In the first phase, 18 seats in south Chhattisgarh affected by left wing extremism ...
Cong denies Oppn unity has fallen apart, hopeful of alliance with BSP at 'some other stage'
The Congress on Saturday refuted suggestions that opposition unity is falling apart before the Lok Sabha election and expressed the hope of having an alliance with Mayawati's BSP at "some other stage". The opposition's efforts to stitch together a united front against the BJP before the 2019 Lok Sabha election had received a set back with Mayawati earlier this week deciding not forge an alliance with the Congress for the upcoming assembly polls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The Bahujan Samaj Party supremo had announced an alliance with former chief minister Ajit Jogi's Janata Congress party in Chhattisgarh which is also going to polls. She had even said that though Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi appear to be in favour of an alliance, there were other senior leaders who had worked to foil any possibility of an understanding. Congress, she had said, was more interested in destroying the BSP politically than dislodging the BJP. Senior Congress leader ...
Sabarimala: Protests mount; CPI(M), Cong want dialogue before
: Both the ruling CPI(M) and opposition Congress Saturday wanted a dialogue with the people concerned before implementing the Supreme Court verdict on entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple. The parties' stand comes in the backdrop of mounting protest by devotees of Lord Ayyappa across the state. Hundreds of devotees, mostly women, took part in the 'namajapa' (chanting the name of Lord Ayyappa marches in Kottayam and Malappuram districts against the LDF government's decision to implement the top court verdict without going for a review. In a related development, minor violence marred the protest march taken out by activists of Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of BJP, to the house of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A Padmakumar at Aranumla in Pathanamthitta district, where police chased them away. According to Yuva Morcha, about 10 people, including its state president Prakash Babu, were injured in the melee. Addressing devotees who ...
J&K all set for ULB polls beginning Oct 8
As many as 2,990 candidates are in the fray for the four-phased urban local bodies (ULB) polls in Jammu and Kashmir, where nearly 500 over ground workers (OGWs) have been arrested to ensure peaceful polling scheduled to begin next week after a gap of eight years, officials said on Saturday. The polls are scheduled to begin on October 8, followed by the second phase on October 10, third phase on October 13 and last phase on October 16. The counting of votes will be done on October 20. As many as 244 candidates have been elected unopposed, majority of them from Kashmir valley where candidates braved militant threats to take part in the democratic exercise. Two mainstream state parties -- National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party -- have boycotted the polls over the challenge to the validity of Article 35-A of the Constitution. CPI(M) and BSP are the other two parties which have also stayed away from the municipal polls, leaving the BJP and the Congress in a direct ...
Not just in govt, Congress failed as Opposition too: PM
Setting a tone for Rajasthan assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday targeted the Congress saying that the party not only failed in government for 60 long years, but has also failed as an opposition.Addressing a rally to mark the completion of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's state-wide 'Gaurav Yatra', Prime Minister Modi said: "There is a huge difference between those who do vote bank politics and those who support 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas'. Those who do vote bank politics enjoy playing 'Hindu-Muslim' games and upper caste, lower caste games, men-women, rich-poor, rural-urban. They seek ways to create issues. It's easy to break, but it takes a whole life to bring all together. We are those who try to bring all together - all places and all religions.""If the parties who do vote bank politics come to power, they divide the government officers too according to their politics and provide posts only to those who fit their vote bank politics, and thus, ...
Declare drought in north Maharashtra, Marathwada: Chavan
Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan Saturday demanded that the state government declare a drought in north Maharashtra and Marathwada regions as they were facing a severe rain deficit forcing people to walk over five kilometres to get water. He said that farmlands there were parched despite the Jalyukt Shivar programme of the Devendra Fadnavis government and accused state Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil of repeating promises of commissioning reports, holding cabinet meetings and asking for Central government assistance. Hitting out at the government for its all round failure, Chavan said, "We will not rest till we throw this government out of power. We are ready to come onto the streets for this demand." Chavan was speaking at the party's "Jan Sangharsh" yatra in Shahada area of Nandurbar district Saturday. Attacking Union minister Nitin Gadkari, Chavan said, "Sometimes, Nitin Gadkari slips up and speaks the truth. In a recent TV interview, he revealed that the ...
Ahead of Rajasthan polls, Cong asks ECI to keep a watch on CM Raje
Soon after the schedule for Rajasthan Assembly election was announced, Congress' state chief Sachin Pilot on Saturday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to keep a strict watch on Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and her colleagues.Speaking to ANI, Pilot expressed hope that the elections would be conducted peacefully without any biases. "I welcome the election dates announced by the Election Commission.. We are hoping and confident that election will be conducted peacefully without any biases. And now that the Model Code of Conduct is in place, it's imperative that the Election Commission keeps a very strict watch on the Chief Minister of Rajasthan and minister's colleagues because they can misuse the administration in bureaucracy," Pilot said.The Congress leader further asserted that people of Rajasthan are ready to shower their blessing to the Congress. He also advised the BJP to introspect its work in the state instead of criticising the Opposition."People are ready to give
With N Korea on mind, Pompeo arrives in Japan
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday arrived in Tokyo and is expected to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other high-ranking officials on North Korea's denuclearisation exercise.Pompeo is also slated to meet Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono. The two leaders are expected to hold discussions on North Korea's nuclear weapons programme and the issue of Japanese citizens' abductions.After Japan, Pompeo will make a brief stopover at Pyongyang on Sunday, where he is expected to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on denuclearisation and lay out the groundwork for a possible second meeting between Kim and US President Donald Trump.After these engagements, the US Secretary of State will proceed to Seoul on the same day, before visiting Beijing on Monday (October 8).Before embarking on his four-nation trip to East Asia on Friday, Pompeo tweeted that the US will "continue its efforts to build out a pathway for North Korea's ...
MP: Rahul accuses BJP of exploiting marginalized
Ahead of Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday intensified his attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing it of exploiting the marginalised in the state.Gandhi also claimed that the farmers, Adivasi (tribals), Dalits and minorities are exploited under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government while promising that the Congress has always stood with the marginalised and will continue to do so.Addressing a public gathering at Morena, Gandhi said, "Today, farmers, Aadivasis, Dalits and minorities are exploited. One by one their rights are being taken away from them. The Congress party is standing with them. We promise, we will give you your rights related to water, forest, land. We will not give up."Tribals and farmers from 17 different states were gathered in Morena Stadium Ground for Gandhi's speech.Further hitting out at the BJP-run governments in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi alleged that the BJP .
Understanding in Washington on India's position, say experts on signing of S-400 deal with Russia
As the threat of US sanctions lingers after the signing of the S-400 air missile defence system deal with Russia, experts feel there is a certain understanding in Washington on New Delhi's position which may allow India to avoid American action. Strategic affairs expert Commodore (retd) C Uday Bhaskar said the USD 5 billion deal, signed between India and Russia on Friday during the two-day visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is going to test the resilience of the India-US relationship. The deal could attract sanctions under CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act), a legislation that is aimed to counter Russia, Iran and North Korea through punitive measures by imposing restrictions on deals in defence and strategic areas. During the 2 plus 2 dialogue, the Modi government had conveyed to the US that for India, the military relationship with Moscowis very deep and goes back to the 1960s.So I feel there is a certain understanding in the US on the Indian ...
After fuel price cut, former HP transport minister seeks reduction in bus fare
Former Himachal Pradesh Transport Minister GS Bali has sought a reduction in transport charges and bus fare in the state, as the BJP-led state government announced cutting down fuel prices. The state government decided to reduce the value added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel to effect a Rs 2.50 per litre reduction in fuel prices. "If the prices of petrol and diesel have been reduced, the government should also slash bus fare. It should have given relief to the transports by reducing the VAT and not hit the poor in the pockets," Bali told mediapersons. He said there were many ways to relieve the transports, but the government adopted the "shortcut method". Instead, he said, the Centre and state should have considered ways to provide relief to the common man. "Lower the VAT on fuel oil and bring it to that level where it was two years ago," Bali asked the governments. He said that increasing bus fare is not a solution to any problem as it leads to increase in inflation. He claimed that .