Page 2805 - Politics
J-K: Overground module of Hizbul Mujahideen busted
Police busted an overground module of banned terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen operating in Lolab area of Kupwara district in north Kashmir.Acting on a specific input, the police detained two persons, Shakir Ahmad Wani and Ghulam Mustafa Sheikh, both residents of Tekipora in Lolab for questioning.After sustained questioning, a pistol was recovered on their disclosure. The module was engaged in providing logistical support to terrorists apart from luring more youth into the path of terrorism. An FIR has been registered and further investigation is going on.On Tuesday, the Indian Army busted a terrorist hideout and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition in Doda district in Jammu region.
Indian envoy holds discussions with Speaker of UAE FNC
Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Speaker of Federal National Council (FNC) on Thursday met Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to discuss cooperation relations and issues of common concern between the two countries.During the meeting, held at FNC's premises, Dr. Al Qubaisi re-affirmed the importance of activating Parliamentary relations between the Federal National Council and the Parliament of India through the establishment of a Parliamentary friendship committee to coordinate their stances towards various issues of mutual interest.Suri, in turn, hailed the FNC's role through its Parliamentary diplomacy and active participation in international events. He also thanked the UAE government and people for participating in the celebrations of India on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The meeting was attended by Ahmed Shabib Al Dhaheri, FNC Secretary-General.
Khamenei vows 'never' to allow Iran to bow
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed Thursday "never" to allow the Islamic republic to bow to the demands of its enemies, at a time of increased tensions between Tehran and Washington. "To entertain the idea, as desired by the enemy, that the only solution is to hand ourselves over to the enemy, is the worst act of treason towards the Iranian nation, and that will not happen," Khamenei said in an address to tens of thousands of members of the Basij, an Islamic volunteer militia, broadcast live on state television. "With God's help, so long as I am alive and retain my capacities and with your help, I will never allow such a thing to happen," he said in the speech at Tehran's Azadi stadium. For Iran's clerical establishment, enemy refers firstly to the United States which is dubbed the "Great Satan" and with which relations have been severed since the aftermath of its 1979 Islamic revolution. Khamenei played down the impact of economic sanctions reimposed on Iran by the ...
Sirisena orders release of all Tamil civilian lands by Dec 31
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has ordered the release of all the Tamil civilian lands held by the state in the country's Northern and Eastern provinces by December 31, the President's office said Thursday. Sri Lanka witnessed three decades-long civil war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during which the military occupied civilian lands in the northern and eastern provinces for military purposes. Since the end of the armed conflict in May 2009, a considerable part of private lands were released to the original owners. It was not clear if the latest release instructions came from Sirisena in response to representations made by the main Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA), in late August. The TNA had told Sirisena that even 9 years after the conclusion of the civil war both agricultural and residential lands continued to be in possession of the armed forces. Pointing to the lands in Keppapilavu in the Mullaitivu district, the TNA said that 75 acres of .
Congress demands day's session for Goa floor test
The Congress on Thursday demanded a one-day session of the Goa Assembly to enable the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government to prove its majority on the floor of the House.
Congress goes to CAG again on 'Rafale scam' with new revelations
The Congress, for the second time in as many months, on Thursday petitioned Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Rajiv Mehrishi, urging him to audit the Rafale deal for "corruption" before a report is submitted to Parliament.
Rashtrapati Bhavan to resume change of guard ceremony from Oct 7
The Change of Guard ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan which was discontinued due to extreme weather conditions, will resume from October 7, a statement said on Thursday.
NSS to file review plea against Sabarimala verdict
The Nair Service Society, a body of Kerala's influential Nair Community, Thursday said it would file a revision petition in the Supreme Court against its order permitting women of all age groups to enter the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala. Since the NSS had been a party to the case from the very beginning itself, it has decided to file a revision petition in the Supreme Court in the matter, NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair said in a statement here. Nair termed as "disappointing" the stand taken by the Kerala Government and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) that they would not file a review petition in the apex court against its verdict. Slamming the TDB over the issue, the NSS said the board, which is an independent body managing Lord Ayyappa temple and 1200 other temples, has the responsibility to protect customs and traditions of these shrines. These temples are managed by using the offerings being made by the devotees and not using money contributed by the
Govt trying to polarise society to divert attention from key issues: Cong
Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge Thursday accused the Narendra Modi-led government of trying to polarise the society to deflect attention from issues such as the sliding rupee and spike in fuel prices. Kharge said when the rupee fell during the previous UPA government's rule, Narendra Modi, who was then the chief minister of Gujarat, had criticised it, but now, when he is the prime minister, he is silent over it. Petrol prices were Thursday hiked by 15 paise a litre and diesel by 20 paise, according to price notification of state-owned oil firms. Kharge claimed the government wanted to increase the petrol price up to Rs 100 per litre and diesel to Rs 78 per litre and said the crude oil price in international market was less than what it was when the Congress-led UPA was in power. "When the Indian currency was between Rs 45 and Rs 55 against the US dollar, Narendra Modi, then the chief minister of Gujarat, would constantly criticise us. But now he is keeping quiet. The ...
2 BJP, 1 Congress candidates announce withdrawal from urban local body polls in Valley
At least two BJP candidates and one from the Congress have publicly announced their withdrawal from the urban local body polls in Kashmir. Ghulam Hassan Bhat, who claims to be BJP's constituency president for Dooru in Anantnag district, Thursday said he has decided to withdraw from the contest and also resign from the membership of the party. "The BJP government has been there for the last 4.5 years but none of the promises made by it have been fulfilled. The people were sold dreams of free (domestic cooking) gas connections and Mudra loans but nothing happened," Bhat said. He said his supporters have also resigned from the party and several other BJP candidates for the Dooru Municipal Committee have withdrawn from the polls. Mohammad Maqbool Mir, who had filed his nomination papers as a Congress candidate for the Hajin Municipal Committee in north Kashmir's Bandipora district, came all the way here to announce his withdrawal. "There is no pressure on me, but I wanted to withdraw from
Uddhav to visit Ayodhya for Ram temple
Amid the competing politics over Ram temple, the Shiv Sena on Thursday announced that its chief Uddhav Thackeray will visit Ayodhya after Dussehra to reaffirm his party's commitment to the issue. The announcement came a day after Ram Janmabhoomi Trust chief Janmejay Sharanji Maharaj met Thackeray at the party's headquarters Sena Bhawan here. Sharanji Maharaj invited Thackeray to visit Ayodhya, telling him that the trust needed the Sena's assistance for the construction of Ram temple, Shiv Sena sources said. Thackeray will announce the date of his visit to Ayodhya at the party's annual Dussehra rally to be held in Mumbai on October 19, senior Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut told PTI. He said his party has been maintaining that only the Shiv Sena has the "courage" to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya. The Shiv Sena is of the view that if the Ram temple is not constructed now, then it cannot be constructed ever, he added. Thackeray had recently said that the BJP would
No political party can dent Congress fortune in M-P: Kamal Nath
No political party can dent the fortune of Congress even if there is no alliance, asserted Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath on Thursday in reference to Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati's decision to go alone in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan assembly polls due end of the year.Expressing confidence that the Congress will bounce back to power in Madhya Pradesh, Nath said that people of the state will vote only for the Congress. Reiterating his confidence, Nath said that BSP too is believed to be in favour of weeding out the BJP from the state.The senior Congress leader also revealed that he is also holding negotiations with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav for the upcoming polls. Speaking to media, Nath said, "Mayawati by breaking alliance with the Congress will not have any effect on us pertaining to the vote share. We will confidently fight the upcoming polls in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. I have spoken to Akhilesh Yadav regarding the alliance."In an attempt to ...
KCR's ex-ally pulls up socks to unseat TRS govt in Telangana
One of the things that would be keenly watched in the Telangana Assembly elections is how the party of a retired Professor, a comrade-in-arms-turned bitter critic of caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, would fare in its electoral debut. Prof M Kodandaram had taught political science at the city-based Osmania University and was Chairman of the Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), formed in 2009. The JAC, a conglomerate of various political parties, including the TRS and Congress, and social organisations, spearheaded the separate Telangana agitation. After the formation of Telangana (on June 2, 2014), the JAC had continued as a civil society group, agitating on issues concerning the people and student community. Not long after the TRS government came to power in 2014, Kodandaram started attacking the Rao regime, accusing it of "betraying the spirit and dreams of Telangana people," among other allegations. The now Caretaker Chief Minister had also later ...
India cuts petrol, diesel prices by 2.5 rupees per litre - finance minister
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India cut prices of petrol and diesel by 2.5 rupees per litre, finance minister Arun Jaitley said on Thursday, the latest in a series of measures to tackle a sharp hike in crude oil.
Congress again approaches CAG over Rafale 'scam'
The Congress, for the second time in as many months, on Thursday approached the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Rajiv Mehrishi, seeking an audit of the Rafale fighter jet deal amid alleged corruption in the defence deal with France.
Pak minister should have been more sensitive in sharing dais with Hafiz Saeed: Qureshi
Pakistan Cabinet minister Noor-Ul-Haq Qadri "should have been more sensitive" while sharing the dais with 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, the country's foreign minister has said as he promised that he would ask his ministerial colleague the reason behind his move. Qadri, the Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, was seen seated near banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Saeed as he addressed an All Parties Conference organised by the Difa-e-Pakistan Council - a coalition of over 40 political and religious parties - on Sunday in Islamabad. A banner in the background said the conference was in "defence of Pakistan", and mentioned "Kashmir" as well as "threats from India". "I will go home and certainly ask him (Qadri) why he did that. But what I am told it was an event to highlight the situation in Kashmir," Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a Washington audience on Wednesday when asked about his Cabinet colleague sharing a dais with the LeT chief ...
Goa Speaker's rejection of notice for his removal illegal:Cong
The Congress in Goa Thursday termed as "illegal" the rejection of a notice given by the party MLAs for removal of Assembly Speaker Pramod Sawant and reiterated the demand for a floor test, claiming the BJP-led coalition government has lost its majority in House. Congress leaders also alleged they had not received any response to their memorandum submitted to state Governor Mridula Sinha last month for dismissal of the government and summoning a day-long session, so that the Congress can prove its majority by virtue of being the single largest party. The Speaker had Wednesday rejected a notice submitted last month by all the 16 MLAs of Congress seeking his removal from the post, saying it is "not maintainable". The Congress MLAs had not specified any reason for removal of the Speaker in their notice filed on September 21. Addressing a joint press conference here Thursday, party leaders accused the government of being "power drunk" and ignoring the Opposition. They said the
Sabarimala: Cong, BJP attack CPI(M)-led LDF Govt
The political heat in Kerala over the Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala Temple intensified Thursday with the opposition Congress and BJP coming out against the CPI(M)-LDF government's decision not to go for a review of the judgment. The Congress made it clear that they were with the faithful, while the BJP hit out at the government alleging that it wanted to destroy the beliefs of devotees of Lord Ayyappa, the presiding deity of the famous hill shrine. Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala told reporters after a meeting with former presidents and members of Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the temple, that the party was with the Hindu faithful and would support their cause. Chennithala also asked the RSS and BJP to approach the Centre to take necessary steps to formulate a law to overcome the apex court order if they were sincere in their stand on being with believers. The BJP should desist from "acting dishonestly" with devotees, ..
PIL in HC for water, sanitation facilities to traffic cops during duty hours
The Delhi High Court has sought responses from the Centre and the AAP government on a PIL seeking that drinking water, sanitation and healthcare facilities be made available to traffic police officers on their sites in view of "extreme weather" and pollution. Apart from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao also issued notice to Delhi Traffic Police and the Central Pollution Control Board, seeking their stand on the issue. The central government's standing counsel Ravi Prakash and advocate Farman Ali, appearing for MHA accepted the notice and said that a response would be filed before the next date of hearing on January 23, 2019. The court was hearing a PIL filed by an NGO, Legal Forum for Women, claiming that the traffic police officers are not mandated to undergo regular health check-ups in view of their working conditions. It also said that they are not provided with benefits like ...
Iran will slap US in face by defeating sanctions: Khamenei
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Thursday that Tehran will "slap the US in the face" by defeating it in its economic sanctions against the country.