Page 2786 - Politics

BJP, RSS killed our workers: NC MLA

National Conference MLA Shamima Firdous on Saturday alleged that BJP and RSS were involved in the killing of two of her party workers.

By-polls to be held in 3 LS, 2 Assembly seats in Karnataka

The Election Commission on Saturday announced by-elections in three Lok Sabha and two Assembly constituencies in Karnataka on November 3 and the result will be out on November 6.

No question of alliance with BJP, we are secular people: Shivpal

Samajwadi Secular Morcha leader Shivpal Yadav Saturday ruled out forming an alliance with the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, saying "we are secular people" and there was no question of allying with the ruling party. Yadav launched his front on August 29, after being allegedly sidelined in the Samajwadi Party by his estranged nephew and SP president Akhilesh Yadav. Shivpal Yadav has said his front will contest on all 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in the next general election. "We are secular people and we have always been against the Bharatiya Janata Party. We are secular samajwadis (socialists) and there is no question of joining the BJP," he told reporters. He was responding to Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's statement that he can contest the election on a BJP ticket if he wishes to. To a question on extending support to his elder brother Mulayam Singh Yadav in Mainpuri in the 2019 election, he said: "I've offered him to contest as a Samajwadi Secular Morcha candidate from .

AIKS flay police brutality on Maharashtra farmers

The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) on Saturday denounced police caning on its activists on Saturday when they took out a procession from Sangli-to-Solapur, protesting land acquisition for the Ratnagiri-Nagpur Highway.

'Narmada bhakt' Rahul Gandhi begins roadshow in MP's Jabalpur

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Saturday started his 8-kilometre road show in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district after paying obeisance to the Narmada River, with hundreds of posters dotting the route terming him a "Narmada bhakt". The Narmada River is revered by the people of the state and thousands of them carry out its "parikrama" (circumambulation) as a holy ritual. Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh had earlier carried out such a parikrama by foot a few months ago. Gandhi Saturday kicked off his roadshow by flying from Dumna Airport here to Uma Ghat (named after Union Minister Uma Bharti) on the banks of the Narmada and performed "aarti" amid chants of "Jai Narmade" by party functionaries. Gandhi, after performing puja and handing over a gift to a young girl seated on a stage, began his roadshow from Abdul Hamid Chowk. A party functionary was seen handing over a yellow envelope to the young girl as well. The route of the roadshow covers areas in three Assembly ...

Pakistan, China plan to destroy Indian Army through drugs

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday said Pakistan and China had a long-term strategy to destroy Indian Army by smuggling in vast quantities of drugs in the country.

BJP, TRS welcome announcement of Telangana poll schedule

The BJP and ruling TRS Saturday welcomed the announcement of schedule for the Legislative Assembly elections in Telangana. Congress, on the other hand, referred to a matter related to alleged discrepancies in electoral rolls in the High Court though the party said it is ready for the polls. "We welcome it. We are prepared for it. We have already geared up our machinery," state BJP president K Laxman told PTI. BJP chief Amit Shah has already sounded the poll bugle and he would address a meeting on October 10 at Karimnagar, he said. The party's state election committee would sit and recommend the names of the candidates to the parliamentary party board, Laxman said. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson Sravan Dasoju said his party is ready for the polls, but said a case was pending in the court on alleged discrepancies in electoral rolls. "I don't know what is the hurry for them. The matter is pending. Discussion is going on. Separate date given for the next .

NC MLA blames BJP-RSS, governor's rule for party workers' killings in J&K

A day after two of her party workers were killed here in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference (NC) MLA Shameema Firdous Saturday blamed the BJP-RSS and the governor's administration for the killings. "I have no hesitation in saying that the BJP-RSS killed my workers. I have no doubt about it," she told reporters here. The Habbakadal MLA also blamed the Governor Satya Pal Malik-led administration for the killings, which she claimed were the result of a well-planned conspiracy to deter the NC and the people of the state from participating in the Assembly polls. The two NC workers were shot dead by militants in the Karfali Mohalla area of the city Friday, while another worker of the party was injured in the attack, the police said. Firdous criticised the governor and police for making "false claims" of security arrangements, saying the gunmen had come to the locality twice with a design to open fire on her party workers. "Where was the police? Where were the ...

PM put pressure on EC to delay press conference, says Cong; CEC rubbishes claim

The Congress Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "put pressure" on the Election Commission (EC) to delay its press conference to announce poll dates in five states as he was scheduled to address a rally in Rajasthan, a claim rubbished by the poll panel chief. Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat said in Delhi that the EC does not work under pressure and listed three reasons for the nearly three-hour delay in giving out the schedule. In Kolkata, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala accused the prime minister of "putting pressure" on the EC to delay its press conference. He also said the CEC's explanation is "preposterous" and wondered whether BJP is the "super EC". The EC was set to hold a press conference at 12.30 pm but had rescheduled it subsequently to 3.00 pm. The five states where Assembly polls will be held in November-December are Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana. "There is no pressure ... EC does not work under pressure ..

'Minimum bus fare reduced to Rs 1 in Himachal'

The Himachal Pradesh government announced Saturday reduction in recently increased fare of the state roadways buses. The minimum bus fare was reduced to Rs 5 per kilometer from the existing Rs 6 per kilometer after a meeting of BJP workers of Mandi constituency held in Kullu Saturday. The state government had on September 24 increased the minimum bus fare from Rs 3 a kilometer to Rs 6 a kilometer. The fare was hiked by 24.44 per cent in plain areas while 20.69 per cent in hilly region. The government's decision was criticised by opposition parties and the Himachal Congress had announced to hold protests across the state against the hike. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said the previous state government increased the bus fare soon after assuming office by 30 per cent, but the present dispensation enhanced the fare by just 20.69 per cent so that people were not burdened unnecessarily. "Now the state government has further reduced the minimum fare from Rs 6 to Rs 5 to facilitate the ...

All wars end with peace: Russian Foreign Intelligence Service head on Russia, UK relations

Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergey Naryshkin said on Saturday that he believed that Moscow and London would be able to restore friendly relations despite the recent major deterioration in bilateral relations."All wars end with peace," Naryshkin said in an interview with the Rossiya television channel when asked whether the two countries, which had fought against fascism together, will eventually overcome their differences.The bilateral relations took a nosedive in March, when the United Kingdom claimed that Russia had orchestrated the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury. Moscow has refuted these allegations, arguing that London had not provided evidence to substantiate its claims.On Thursday, London said that the Russian military intelligence service GRU was "almost certainly" responsible for a number of cyberattacks on political institutions, media outlets and companies around the world. Moscow has ...

Chinese authorities urged to clarify missing Interpol President's fate

Interpol's Secretary General on Saturday asked the Chinese authorities to clarify the status of the international police organization's President Meng Hongwei, who reportedly went missing while on a trip to China seven days ago.

PM Modi pressured EC to delay announcement of election dates: Congress

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala on Saturday accused the Election Commission of deliberately delaying its scheduled press conference to announce poll dates for five states under pressure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accused the BJP of acting as "super EC".

2019 LS polls: NCP chief Sharad Pawar won't contest from Pune, says Ahwad

The NCP has demanded a 50-50 seat-sharing formula for the state's 48 Lok Sabha seats in its alliance talks with the Congress

Not a single intruder will be allowed in India: Amit Shah

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah, who is on a visit to Madhya Pradesh, said on Saturday the country comes first for the party and no intruders will be allowed in India.

Rally vs rally: Cong, SAD prepare to show strength in Punjab

Seeking to outdo each other politically, the ruling Congress and the opposition Akali Dal in Punjab are making every effort to make their public rallies on Sunday shows of their strength. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh will hold a rally in Killian Wali in Lambi constituency in Muktsar district, SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal's bastion, and the Shiromani Akali Dal will organise a rally in Patiala, the constituency of the scion of the erstwhile Patiala royal family. Accusing the SAD of exploiting the religious sentiments of people, the Congress said it wants to "expose the dubious and hypocritical face" of Akali leaders through the rally in Lambi. The opposition SAD wants to highlight the alleged failure of the Amarinder Singh government in honouring his poll promises. "We all are geared up for a grand rally tomorrow in Lambi. We will expose the misdeeds of the Badals against the Panth (Sikh community) and how they damaged the authority of religious institutions," Punjab ...

President Kovind to visit Tajikistan from Oct 7-9

President Ram Nath Kovind will Sunday embark on a three-day visit to Tajikistan during which he will hold talks with the top leadership of the country to strengthen India's ties with the Central Asian country. During his visit from October 7-9, he will meet his Tajik counterpart Emamoli Rahmon, Speaker of Parliament Shukurjon Zuhurov, and Speaker of the Lower House (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of Parliament. Tajik Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda will also call on the president, the Ministry of External Affairs said Saturday. Kovind will also visit the Tajik National University where he will deliver an address on 'Countering Radicalization: Challenges in Modern Societies'. He will address the members of the Indian diaspora in Tajikistan during his three-day visit. The president will also pay his respects to Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore by visiting their memorials in Dushanbe and will offer floral tributes. All areas of bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation are expected to

OPS met me on his own volition: Dhinakaran

Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) leader T T V Dhinakaran on Saturday maintained that Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam met him last year on his own volition and not on the former's invitation, a day after the ruling AIADMK rejected the charge. Dhinakaran had alleged on Friday that Panneerselvam met him in July last year and wanted to meet him again in September-end this year in a bid to "oust" Chief Minister M Palaniswami. He also claimed that Panneerselvam offered to make him the chief minister. "If Panneerselvam indeed waged a 'dharmayudham' (battle for justice) against our family, as he claims, then why did he meet me secretly?" Dhinakaran asked. "Only he wanted to meet me. It is wrong to say that I wanted to meet him," he told reporters after meeting his aunt and deposed AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala at the Parappana Agrahara prison here. Recalling Panneerselvam's vote against the Palaniswami government in the last year's no-confidence motion, Dhinakaran

Youth Congress leader arrested over objectionable slogans on public walls

An office bearer of Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress was arrested by police on Saturday after some derogatory slogans against the prime minister were found on walls in the heart of the town. State Secretary of Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress OP Thakur was later released on bail but the arrest sparked protest by the outfit which alleged that the police was acting under pressure from the ruling BJP. The objectionable slogans were found on the walls of Mehlat, Mahima library and Shimla road area here. Police checked the CCTV footage and Thakur was arrested after registering a case under sections of Prevention of damage to public property Act 1984 and section 426 of IPC (mischief), an official said. Youth Congress workers led by its state president Manish Thakur assembled at Congress Bhawan and took out a protest march. They went to the office of Superintendent of Police, raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, state government and the local BJP MLA. Protesters also demanded .

Single day poll in MP, Raj, Telangana, Mizoram; Chhattisgarh on 2 days

Setting the stage for the high-stakes battle between the BJP and the Congress in at least in three states ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year, the Election Commission on Saturday announced the schedule for Assembly elections in five states, including Telangana, between November 12 and December 7.