Page 354 - Politics
Allies and performers will be rewarded in Modi 2.0 Cabinet (IANS Special)
Even as the count down to the PM's swearing in has begun for May 30, several names for prominent ministries are doing the rounds in the capital. Sources close to developments reveal that the architect of Bengal's victory Mukul Roy, once Trinamool strong man who defected to the BJP, is a shoo-in for a Cabinet position.
LJP says Ram Vilas Paswan to be its representative in Modi cabinet
Ram Vilas Paswan will be the Lok Janshakti Party's representative in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Council of Ministers, his son and Parliamentary Party chief Chirag Paswan said here on Tuesday.
Zero tolerance to terrorism, checking influx of illegal immigrants to be focus of new Modi govt
Zero tolerance towards terrorism and checking illegal immigration will be the focus areas of the second Modi government, which may also take some tough actions like implementing the NRC across the country and annulling Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP-led NDA has received a landslide mandate in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections with the saffron party winning 303 of the 542 seats that went to polls this time.Narendra Modi is set to assume the charge as prime minister for a second time on Thursday. The "decisive leadership" of Modi has "fundamentally altered" the national security paradigm of India in the last five years and his government will look at a zero tolerance approach towards terrorism in the next five years, according to the BJP manifesto 'Sankalp Patra', released before the general elections. "Our security doctrine will be guided by our national security interest only. This is exemplified by the surgical strikes and the air strikes carried out recently. "We ...
4 newly-elected MLAs take oath in Goa Assembly
Four newly-elected legislatures on Tuesday took oath at Assembly complex here.Acting Assembly Speaker Michael Lobo administered the oath of all the four MLAs, including three from BJP and one from Congress, elected in the recently concluded by-polls.Chief Minister Pramod Sawant was amongst the dignitaries present for the swearing-in ceremony of BJP MLAs- Subhash Shirodkar (Shiroda), Dayanand Sopte (Mandrem), Joshua D'Silva (Mapusa) and Congress' Atanasio Monserratte (Panaji)."I am especially here to congratulate them and wish them best luck for their tenure being a legislature in Assembly," Sawant told reporters here."I will take notice of people's problems in my constituency and will try to resolve it quickly," Dayanand Sopte said.Congress MLA Atanasio Monserratte was elected from Panaji Assembly seat which became vacant after the demise of former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who held the seat for nearly two-and-a-half decades since 1994."I have been eyeing on Panaji ...
Andhra CM-designate Jagan Reddy to offer prayers at Lord Balaji temple
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister-designate YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is scheduled to leave for Tirumala this evening to pay obeisance to Lord Balaji in the early hours of Wednesday.At the Renigunta airport, Reddy will be received by Chittoor district Collector, joint collector, Superintendent of Police, MLAs and MPs.Chittoor district collector PS Pradyumna has ordered officials to make adequate arrangements the chief minister-in-waiting. He also ordered a review of the arrangements for Reddy's welcome.Jaganmohan Reddy's swearing-in ceremony will be held on May 30. After the swearing-in ceremony, Reddy and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao will reportedly fly to Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Reddy's YSRCP decimated Chandrababu Naidu's TDP in the recently-concluded elections. YSRCP achieved a landslide victory by winning 151 seats in the 175-member Assembly and 22 out of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh.During his election campaign,
Rahul should continue as Cong chief, poll setback passing phase: Moily
Backing the continuation of Rahul Gandhi as the Congress president, senior party leader M Veerappa Moily on Tuesday termed the Lok Sabha election setback for the grand old party as a "passing phase". The former Union minister said the outcome of one or two elections could not be a pointer to the future prospects of the party, which had seen many ups and downs in its long history. Describing Gandhi as the "inspiration" for the party, Moily said it was not appropriate for him to quit as the Congress chief. "Just because (Narendra) Modi has won...that is not a criteria to leave the presidentship. After all, ups and downs are common for the Congress party. We have seen them many a time," he told PTI. Recalling that the Congress had secured more than 400 seats in the 1984 Lok Sabha election, Moily said, "...the future prospects of the Congress cannot be decided in one Lok Sabha election or one or two Assembly polls." "The BJP, after all, can play a game for some time, but it cannot play a .
Goa: CM Sawant unveils Savarkar portrait in state assembly
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday unveiled a portrait of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in the state secretariat."We have unveiled his portrait in the State Assembly so that his deeds in the freedom movement reach the youngsters," said Sawant.Recalling Savarkar's role in the freedom movement Sawant said, "People have forgotten the tortures endured by Veer Savarkar during freedom struggle in Andaman prison in 1883.
Molasses seized at two places in Hailakandi district
A person was arrested on Tuesday and over 4,000 kg of molasses, used for making illicit liquor, seized from two places in Hailakandi district of Assam. Personnel of the Excise Department conducted raids at Aeinakhal Bazaar and Aeinakhal Laltila areas and 208 tins containing 4160 kg of molasses were seized, a government release said. One person identified as Alimuddin Choudhury has been arrested, while another is absconding, the release said. Assam government in March had banned molasses across the state, after consumption of illicit liquor had claimed 158 lives in Jorhat and Golaghat districts. Taking a stern view of the hooch tragedy, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on March 4 had ordered the ban as molasses are used to prepare Silai, a locally made liquor.
Shocked TRS counts LS election losses in Telangana
The ruling TRS in Telangana is in an introspection mode after the unexpected Lok Sabha election shocker that's seen as a setback to the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. The Rao-led outfit welcomed into its fold as many of 11 Congress MLA since early March expecting them to further shore up the party's prospects in the April 11 Lok Sabha elections. But that was not to be. In fact, the move to get them on board may have backfired, a senior TRS leader said. Before the poll in Telangana, which has a total of 17 Lok Sabha segments, TRS was confident of sweeping the elections in the company of AIMIM led by Hyderabad Lok Sabha member Asaduddin Owaisi. And its hope sounded credible in many quarters as both the Congress and the BJP had put up a dismal show in the Assembly elections just four months ago. The Congress won only 19 Assembly seats in the 119-member House, while the BJP could bag only one. The TRS returned to power with a rich haul of 88 seats. "Admitting the (11 ...
J-K: Exchange of fire between terrorists, security forces in Anantnag
An exchange of fire broke out between terrorists and security forces at Kokernag in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Tuesday.Further details are awaited.Anantnag is one of the most sensitive districts in the Valley.Eight terrorists have been neutralised and at least two have been captured by the security forces from Kashmir in May alone.Security forces had got a major breakthrough when one of the most wanted terrorists, Zakir Musa, was killed in an encounter in Tral in Pulwama on May 24.
Azad, Venugopal rushing to Bengaluru amid reports of rift between Cong, JD(S)
Amid reports of a rift between ruling coalition partners Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka, top Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and AICC general secretary in-charge of the state K C Venugopal are rushing to Bengaluru to sort things out. Voices of dissent are gaining ground within the Congress as two of its MLAs met former Karnataka chief minister S M Krishna at his Bengaluru residence on Sunday. The coalition government in the southern state has been fragile since its inception with reports of its collapse surfacing every then and now. Following the drubbing of the Congress-JD(S) combine in the just-concluded Lok Sabha election, where the two parties managed to win only one seat each in Karnataka, a senior Congress leader has claimed that the state government will collapse after June 10. Of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, the BJP bagged 25 and an Independent candidate won one. Two Congress MLAs -- Ramesh Jarkiholi and Sudhakar -- met BJP leaders at Krishna's ...
Some have forgotten Savarkar's torture in Andamans: Goa CM
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said some people have forgotten the torture endured by Vinayak Damodar "Veer" Savarkar during his incarceration in the Cellular Jail in the Andaman Islands as well as his contribution to the Indian freedom struggle.
Only filling up of three vacant posts: Siddaramaiah on cabinet reshuffle
Amid reports that Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will reshuffle his cabinet to save the coalition government, the JD(S)-Congress Coordination Committee chief Siddaramaiah Tuesday said it would only be an expansion to fill three vacant posts. "No reshuffle, it is a kind of expansion. Three (posts) are vacant. There is plan to fill them," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Mysuru. On reports of some ministers being asked to resign to make way for the disgruntled, he said, "I'm not aware of it." According to reports, some Ministers may be asked to step down to make way for disgruntled legislators, with an aim to keep the government safe. The Karnataka cabinet which met on Friday after the coalition's rout in the Lok Sabha polls, had discussed the issue, which may also come up at the Congress Legislature Party meeting on Wednesday and AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal's meeting with Congress ministers this evening. Out of 34 ministers, Congress and JD(S) have 22 and 12 ...
Wait and see, says Stalin on whether DMK will bring no-confidence motion in TN assembly
Riding high on his party's recent electoral success, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin on Monday said that his party will take a decision on whether to bring a no-confidence motion against AIADMK led government in the state after the announcement of dates for the assembly session."You are going to watch what we are going to do. Till now, the date of the assembly session in Tamil Nadu is not announced, after that announcement, we will take a decision (on bringing a no-confidence motion)," Stalin said at a press conference here."Wait and see," said the DMK president, whose party thwarted the ruling AIADMK in recently held elections.Earlier today, 13 DMK leaders, who won in the recently held by-polls in the state, were administered the oath of office by Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal.In the recently concluded by-polls in 22 assembly constituencies of Tamil Nadu, DMK got 13 seats while AIADMK managed 9 seats.Now, DMK's tally has reached 101 in the 234-member assembly, ...
Goa CM to raise mining issue after appointment of Mines minister
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said the Goa government would lobby with Prime Minister Narendra Modi for resumption of mining once a Central Mines Minister is appointed in the Union Cabinet.
Dr Payal suicide case: Family holds protest outside BYL Nair Hospital demanding swift justice
Amidst the row over the suicide of the 22-year-old Dr Payal Tadvi, a protest was held outside the BYL Nair Hospital in Mumbai on Thursday by the victim's mother Abida Tadvi along with her family members, locals and various social organisations.Salman, late Dr Payal's family member, alleged that the young doctor had been facing casteist slurs from the day she joined the hospital and the situation had turned so bad earlier that they had even requested the administration to intervene."She was selected in the Gynaecology department of Nair Hospital in May 2018. Ever since her joining she had to undergo ragging and was also ridiculed for coming from a lower caste. When we came to know about this we complained to the hospital administration of the abuse being meted out by three girls. The administration sided with us at first by sending her to an allied posting and also told us that they would change her unit," Salman told reporters here.He said that the situation remained unchanged after ..
Trinamool MLAs, councillors reach Delhi to join BJP
In what is bad news for West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress after its Lok Sabha election blow, at least four MLAs and a host of municipal councillors are set to join the BJP in Delhi on Tuesday afternoon.
Congress blames 'polarisation', Modi wave for rout in Karnataka
Shocked by its worst defeat in parliamentary elections, in which it managed to retain only a lone seat in Karnataka, the Congress has blamed the "polarisation" of votes and an unseen Modi wave for the spectacular performance of rival BJP, which won 25 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the southern state.
Telangana Congress rallies behind Rahul Gandhi
Amid reports that Congress president Rahul Gandhi was insistent on stepping down from his post following the party's rout in Lok Sabha polls, Congress in Telangana rallied behind him Tuesday. "We are urging from Telangana PCC. We have complete confidence in the leadership of Rahul Gandhi ji. Our desire is that he should continue as AICC president," Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president and MP-elect N Uttam Kumar Reddy told reporters here. The TPCC urges Gandhi to withdraw his resignation and supports the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution that asked the him to restructure the party, Reddy said. The PCC president addressed the media along with other Congress winners in Lok Sabha polls from Telangana--A Revanth Reddy and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy. The three were felicitated by Congress workers and leaders. Gandhi, who offered his resignation in the wake of the party's rout in Lok Sabha polls, had reportedly been adamant about going ahead with his ...
Indian-American supporters of BJP organise victory parties across US
Indian-American supporters of BJP and several other organisations held victory parties across the US to celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's re-election in the general elections and expressed hope that it will further enhance ties between the US and India. Overseas friends of BJP (OFBJP) Houston organised "NAMO Victory Celebrations" here in which over 500 people, including members from local political parties and leaders from various supporting organisations participated. OFBJP Chicago and Atlanta also organised victory celebrations over this weekend and hundreds of Indian Americans participated the events. Congratulating Prime Minister Modi on his stunning election victory, Indo American Chamber of Greater Houston (IACCGH) president Swapan Dhairyawan said, "We firmly believe that the country will prosper under a strong and proven leadership of Modi and indicated that this historic win will further enhance trade and economic growth between our two democracies". IACCGH, the voice .