Page 283 - Politics
AP allows CBI probe in state
Overturning a decision of the previous TDP government, the new government under Y S Jaganmohan Reddy has allowed CBI to carry out investigations in the state."Chandrababu banned CBI and he prevented IT raids. He questioned how ED comes in the state. Now Jagan has issued orders allowing the CBI into the state. CM made it clear that thieves will not be spared. Look out Chandrababu," YSRCP leader Vijaysai Reddy said in a series of tweets.This comes after the previous government headed by N Chandrababu Naidu had withdrawn the 'general consent' to CBI to conduct raids and carry out investigations on central establishments in Andhra Pradesh in November last year.The move came at that time when opposition parties were accusing the BJP-led central government of misusing the investigating agency for political benefits.As per rules under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act of 1946 that governs the functioning of the CBI, the investigating agency has complete jurisdiction over Delhi and
Doval to stay National Security Advisor, gets Cabinet rank
The all-powerful National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval has been given a Cabinet rank in the Modi government.
Bill to ban triple talaq to be brought again: Prasad
The government will bring a bill to ban the practice of instant triple talaq again in Parliament, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Monday. With the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha last month, the contentious bill on banning triple talaq had lapsed as it could not be passed by Parliament and was pending in Rajya Sabha. Bills that are introduced in Rajya Sabha and pending there do not lapse with the dissolution of Lok Sabha. Bills passed by Lok Sabha, and pending in the Rajya Sabha, however, lapse. The opposition had been opposing provisions of the bill in Rajya Sabha where the government lacked numbers to ensure its passage. Asked whether the bill on triple talaq would be brought again, Prasad said, "Obviously. (The issue of) triple talaq is part of our (BJP) manifesto. Why not?" Responding to a question on uniform civil code, he said the government would hold "political consultations" on the issue even as he goes through the Law Commission report on the issue. On August 31 last
Will stick to priorities in highways; contribute towards path chosen: Gen VK Singh
Contributing towards the path already chosen for the highways sector and fulfilling targets will be priority for former Army chief Gen Vijay Kumar Singh, who assumed charge as Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Monday. Singh, who has been retained in the new Union Council of Ministers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was talking to PTI after taking the charge. Gen Singh, 68, who retired as Army chief in 2012 has served as MoS for External Affairs in the previous government. In the last tenure, he has to his credit among others, successful 'Operation Rahat' in war-torn Yemen in 2015 when 4,800 Indians and 1,972 people from other countries were evacuated. "This ministry is one of those which already has priorities and it has followed the priorities for the last five years. The job cut out now is to ensure that we stick to these priorities and fulfil the targets that we have set for ourselves," Singh told PTI. He said: "The Minister (Road Transport and Highways Minsiter ...
RJD leader asks Nitish Kumar to join Grand Alliance
Senior Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh on Monday asked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to join the Grand Alliance.
Cong-JD(S) govt in K'taka may fall before year-end: BJP leader
Senior BJP leader P Muralidhar Rao Monday said his party would not try to destabilise the Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka but indicated the coalition may fall before the year end. The party general secretary in charge of Karnataka affairs said the BJP has maintained in the past year that the coalition government is not a stable one, it cannot survive and it would not last. Rao, asked if the coalition government would last the calendar year 2019, told PTI here: "2019 itself may be a little longer; I don't know because things are not stable is the fact." "New development has added to the problem", he said, obviously referring to the coalition worries that have been compounded by the BJP's spectacular performance, winning 25 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state, leaving a mere one each to the Congress and JD(S). The BJP-backed independent Sumalatha had also won. The BJP had won 104 seats in the Assembly elections last year and added one more to its tally in the bypolls held
Ajit Doval reappointed NSA, elevated to Cabinet Minister rank
Ajit Doval was Monday appointed as the National Security Adviser (NSA) for a second consecutive term and elevated to the rank of Union Cabinet Minister, according to a Personnel Ministry order. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment with effect from May 31, 2019, it said. His appointment will be co-terminus with the term of the prime minister. "During the term of his office, he will be assigned the rank of Cabinet Minister," the order said. Doval was appointed as the NSA in May 2014 in the rank of Minister of State.
Chhattisgarh Congress prefers booth workers in corporation, commission posts
The Congress party said on Monday it will give preference to its booth workers for the important posts in corporations and commissions in Chhattisgarh.
Trump slams London Mayor as he arrives in UK
US President Donald Trump arrived in the UK on Monday for a three-day state visit and set a combative tone by attacking London Mayor Sadiq Khan, with whom he has clashed in the past, as his plane landed.
Smriti Irani assumes charge as WCD minister
Amethi giant slayer Smriti Irani took charge as the Minister of Women and Child Development here on Monday.In the current Prime Minister Modi's cabinet, she retained the Ministry of Textiles from her earlier stint.Irani held portfolios including Ministry of Human Resource (HRD), Textiles and Information & Broadcasting Minister during Narendra Modi-led NDA government's maiden tenure from 2014 to 2019.Irani emerged as a giant killer of 2019, pulling off one of the biggest victories by de-throning Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Congress's bastion in Amethi for the first time in the recently held Assembly polls.Irani took oath along with the Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence minister Rajnath Singh and other prominent BJP cabinet ministers and representatives of BJP allies - Ram Vilas Paswan (LJSP), Harsimrat Kaur (Akali Dal), Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena) and Ramdas Athawale (RPI-A) on May 30.
AR Rahman welcomes new changes in the education policy
Music director A R Rahman on Monday welcomed the changes made to the draft National Education Policy saying the alteration will enable students to choose any language they want to study.The musician took to his Twitter account to express his contentment, which roughly means, "Hindi is not compulsory in TN. The draft policy has been revised."According to the new version of the draft policy, "Students who wish to change one or more of the three languages they are studying may do so in Grade 6 or Grade 7, so long as they are able to still demonstrate proficiency in three languages (one language at the literature level) in their modular Board Examinations sometime during secondary school."The change in the draft came after a huge outcry in Tamil Nadu where political parties accused the Centre of trying to impose Hindi on the state.In the original Draft National Education Policy 2019, a three-language formula recommended the inclusion of English and Hindi besides mother tongue in the ...
BJP's Patnekar to take on Cong's Rane for Goa Speaker post
BJP MLA Rajesh Patnekar Monday filed his nominations for the post of Speaker in the Goa Assembly. The Congress has pitted Pratapsinh Rane against him, elections to which will be held Tuesday during a day-long session called by Governor Mridula Sinha. The post of speaker has been vacant after Pramod Sawant became Goa Chief Minister in March this year following the death of Manohar Parrikar on March 17. Patnekar is MLA from Bicholim in North Goa. The BJP had to nominate Patnekar after MLA Michael Lobo, who is officiating as speaker, refused to take up the post on a full-time basis claiming it would curb his freedom to take up issues concerning public interest. Patnekar filed his nomination papers in the presence of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Deputy Chief Ministers Vijai Sardesai and Manohar Ajgaonkar. "We are confident of winning as we. along with out allies, have 23 MLAs," Sawant told reporters. The Congress has 15 MLAs in the 40-member House. Leader of Opposition ...
Delhi plans free travel for women in Metro, DTC buses
The Delhi government plans to allow women to travel free in DTC buses, cluster buses and Delhi Metro in the national capital within the next three months.
TRS wins MLC bypolls in T'gana
The ruling TRS in Telangana Monday emerged victorious in Legislative Council bypolls from Nalgonda, Warangal and Ranga Reddy Local Authorities' constituencies. TRS nominees Tera Chinnapa Reddy (Nalgonda), Pochampalli Srinivas Reddy (Warangal) and P Mahender Reddy (Ranga Reddy) defeated their Congress rivals in the bypolls, held on May 31, official sources said. The win in the MLC bypolls brings cheer to the TRS which faced unexpected results in Lok Sabha polls. The party bagged nine of the total 17 seats, conceding four to the BJP and three to the Congress. After its massive victory in the Assembly polls held in December last year, TRS was widely expected to secure 13-14 seats in Lok Sabha elections. TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao congratulated Chinnapa Reddy, Srinivas Reddy and Mahender Reddy on their triumph. He thanked the representatives of local bodies who handed a "one-sided victory" to TRS candidates, a party release said. TRS working ...
Arjun Munda takes charge as tribal affairs minister
Arjun Munda, a former chief minister and a prominent tribal face from Jharkhand, took charge as the Union minister for tribal affairs on Monday. Senior officials in the ministry welcomed Munda, the MP from Khunti constituency, as he assumed office. Later, the minister held a meeting with officials, who briefed him on issues at hand. Munda takes over from Jual Oram, who represents Odisha's Sudargarh Lok Sabha constituency. Renuka Singh Saruta, BJP MP from Chhattisgarh's Surguja, also took charge as the minister of state in the ministry. Saruta had served as the Jharkhand women and child development minister in the Raman Singh government from 2003-2005.
'Purged' top NK envoy seen with Kim Jong-un at a show
A senior North Korean official, Kim Yong ChoI, who was reportedly 'purged' after Washington - Pyongyang talks collapsed in February, made an appearance at an event with leader Kim Jong-un, Yonhap media reported on Monday.ChoI was the North Korean counterpart of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the several rounds of talks between the two countries. The talks failed after two hopeful summits collapsed.Media reports erupted that he had been sent to a hard labour and re-education camp near the Chinese border. However, recent pictures emerging from an art performance raise questions over these claims.South Korea's presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, earlier said it's premature to conclude that such a purge is actually underway in North Korea."There's nothing we can confirm (for you)," Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung told reporters Friday. "We are monitoring all related situations (in North Korea). But I think it's important to figure out how much information in the article has ..
Trump lands in Britain for state visit
US President Donald Trump arrived in Britain on Monday for a three-day state visit during which he is to attend a banquet hosted by Queen Elizabeth II and meet outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May. On landing, Trump sent out a tweet calling London Mayor Sadiq Khan a "stone cold loser" for criticising Britain's decision to roll out the red carpet for the White House chief.
Kushner suggests Palestinians not ready to govern themselves
US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner has suggested in an interview that the Palestinians are not ready to govern themselves ahead of the expected release of his peace plan. Speaking to US news site Axios, Kushner also said he was not concerned over whether the Palestinians do not trust him since they will base their decisions on whether the plan will improve their lives. "The hope is, is that over time, they can become capable of governing," Kushner said when asked if he believes the Palestinians can govern themselves without Israeli interference. According to excerpts from the interview published late Sunday on the Axios website, Kushner said the Palestinians "need to have a fair judicial system... freedom of press, freedom of expression, tolerance for all religions" before the Palestinian territories can become "investable". Kushner told Axios that the Palestinians "should have self-determination", without saying whether that would mean an independent ...
Shah takes stock of internal security situation
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday took stock of country's internal security situation, continuing the tradition of regularly getting first-hand information from top security officials, including National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, officials said. Shah was given a detailed briefing on the prevailing security situation in the country by Doval, Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, Intelligence Bureau chief Rajiv Jain, besides others. Apart from the hinterland, the home minister was apprised of on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in border areas, an official said. Holding a security review meeting regularly by the home minister has been a tradition since long and such a deliberation gives an overall impression on latest internal security situation of the country. While the secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), who also attends this meeting, gives an overview on India's neighbourhood, the director of the Intelligence Bureau briefs on internal intelligence ..
Rahul Gandhi remembers M Karunanidhi on his 95th birth anniversary
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday took to Twitter to pay homage to DMK Patriarch late M Karunanidhi on his 95th birth anniversary."Remembering Kalaignar Karunanidhi on his birth anniversary. A true leader of the glorious Tamil people, whose memory will never fade away," he stated in the tweet.Earlier in the day, Stalin, along with his party cadres, paid tribute to Karunanidhi by showering the colossal photo of the demised leader with flowers.Karunanidhi, who was Tamil Nadu's longest-serving chief minister, breathed his last in August last year at the age of 94 after a period of prolonged illness.