Page 360 - Politics
NDA likely to get majority in RS by 2021
The BJP-led NDA, which currently has 99 Rajya Sabha members, is likely to get a majority in the Upper House of Parliament by the end of 2021, making it easier for the ruling alliance to carry out its legislative agenda. After securing a thumping majority in the Lok Sabha polls with victory in 303 seats, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is looking at a rise in its numbers in the Rajya Sabha in the months ahead as it is all set to win most of the seats in states like Uttar Pradesh. Assembly polls are due in some states like Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand later this year and the BJP's show in the Rajya Sabha polls, slated for 2020, will depend on its numbers garnered in these state elections. BJP's floor managers in the Upper House are confident of putting up a good show in the Assembly polls, going by the party's huge victory in the Lok Sabha polls in these states and are confident of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) crossing the majority mark of 124 in the Rajya ...
No threat to my government, ready for floor test, says MP CM
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath Monday asserted there is no threat to his five- month-old Congress government and expressed readiness to take the floor test to prove his majority in the assembly. Nath's statement came in the backdrop of Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava of the BJP writing to Governor Anandiben Patel on May 20, requesting a special session of the assembly to discuss pressing issues and also seeking division (voting) on financial matters. A division of votes in the House will indicate whether the Congress government enjoys majority support or not. "There is no threat to my government. Let the floor test takes place. We are ready for it," Nath told reporters. The Chief Minister along with senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh and others arrived at Shivrajpur, Churhat near here to pay tributes to Saroj Singh, the wife of former Union minister, the late Arjun Singh. Saroj Singh died in New Delhi two weeks ago and her last rites were conducted at the
Karna govt will not survive beyond June 10: Cong leader
Compounding the ruling Congress-JDS' woes, Congress leader K N Rajanna Monday hit out at Karnataka deputy chief minister G Parameshwara and claimed the government will not survive beyond June 10. Lashing out at Parameshwara, Rajanna said,"This government would have collapsed by now... I got to know that since Modi is taking oath (as PM) on May 30, it has been decided in their party (BJP) not to do anything. At the most, this government will survive till June 10." Targeting Parameshwara, Rajanna said there was no chance for any defeat for the Congress-JD(S) coalition but 'zero traffic' led it to defeat...there was no chance for any defeat here (in Tumkur). Then what's the reason behind the defeat...if there is any reason... it's 'zero traffic , there is no second thought about it," the former MLA told reporters at Tumkur. JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda had lost to BJP's G S Basavaraj in Tumkur Lok Sabha constituency. When asked what he meant by ...
AAP appoints Sanjay Singh as Odisha in-charge
Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was on Monday appointed in-charge of party's affairs in Odisha. He will take over from AAP leader Khemchand Jagirdar.The AAP leader is already in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan.The Political Affairs Committee of the party presided by AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal met today and deliberated on a host of issues. Several decisions regarding the organisation of the party were made, the party said in a statement."In the meeting, a proposal was made to make Sanjay Singh the Odisha in-charge which was unanimously accepted," the party said.AAP drew a blank in Delhi in the recently held Lok Sabha polls where it is the ruling party. It could win just one seat in Punjab as against four in 2014.
Congress in crisis as resignations pile up
In the wake of electoral debacle, the Congress appeared to be in a crisis on Monday with resignations of its leaders piling up and the leadership planning to crack the whip.
Goa: 4 newly-elected MLAs to take oath tomorrow
The four newly-elected MLAs in Goa would be sworn in on Tuesday, acting assembly Speaker Michael Lobo said on Monday.The swearing-in ceremony of all the four MLAs, comprising BJP MLAs Subhash Shirodkar from Shiroda, Dayanand Sopte from Mandrem and Joshua D'Souza from Mapusa, as well as Congress' Atanasio Monserrate wrested the Panaji seat.The ceremony will take place at 10:45 am at the assembly complex, Lobo told ANI.The bypolls in Shiroda and Mandrem became necessary following the resignation of their sitting Congress lawmakers.Panaji Assembly seat 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.Joshua retained the BJP seat where the by-poll was necessitated after the death of his father Francis D'Souza. He registered his victory against Congress' Sudhir Kandolkar in the seat - a stronghold of the BJP for the last 20 years.Goa Assembly has a strength of 40 members out of which BJP currently ..
Pema Khandu to be sworn in as Arunachal CM on May 29
BJP leader Pema Khandu will take oath as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh on May 29."Pema Khandu will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh on May 29. Extend my gratitude to BJP MLAs for electing Khandu as the BJP legislature party leader," BJP leader Kiren Rijiju tweeted on Monday.BJP emerged as the single largest party in Arunachal Pradesh by winning 37 out of 55 Assembly seats in the recently held polls.On the other hand, the Janata Dal-United (JDU) won seven seats, while Congress and National People's Party (NPP) could manage to win only four seats each.
How two BJP spearheads breached Mamata's bastion
BJP leaders Kailash Vijayvargiya and Mukul Roy are getting accolades as the chief architects of the party's stunning electoral success story in West Bengal.
Pak-origin UK home secy Sajid Javid joins race to become British PM
Pakistani-origin UK home secretary Sajid Javid on Monday became the ninth contender for the post of British prime minister as he confirmed his intention to contest the Conservative Party leadership race starting next month. The senior-most minister in the UK Cabinet made the announcement with a video message posted on Twitter, calling for people to join Team Saj. "I'm standing to be the next leader of Conservatives & Prime Minister of our great country," read his statement. "We need to restore trust, bring unity and create new opportunities across the UK. First and foremost, we must deliver Brexit. Join Team Saj to help me do just that," he said. Javid, 49, becomes the latest candidate to throw their hat in the ring to enter Downing Street since Theresa May announced her intention to step down as Conservative leader and therefore as British PM on June 7. A formal Tory party election process will kick off from June 10, with former foreign secretary Boris Johnson seen as a ...
Rahul Gandhi authorised to make changes in party, state govts in Cong's interest: Ashok Gehlot
Facing flak over the Congress' rout in the state, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday said party president Rahul Gandhi has been authorised by the working committee to decide whatever changes are required in the organisation or in states ruled by it and these will be binding on all. In an interview to PTI, he said that in such challenging times for the party, no leader should hanker after any position and the only priority should be to revive the party by standing behind Rahul Gandhi, who has been asked to fix accountability for the losses. Asked about certain reported remarks made by Rahul Gandhi at the CWC meet against him, he said they were "quoted out of context", but maintained that the Congress president "has all the right to make any remark he deemed fit, in party interest". He did not give a direct answer when asked whether he would resign in the wake of the party's defeat in Rajasthan, where the Congress failed to open its account and his son was defeated from ...
FIR lodged against senior journalist of Kannada daily
Bengaluru police have filed an FIR against Vishweshwar Bhat, the editor of Kannada daily Vishwavani, for allegedly publishing derogatory remarks against Nikhil, son of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.The FIR was registered on a complaint filed by General Secretary of the Legal Cell of Janata Dal (Secular) Pradeep Kumar S.P. here on Sunday.The complaint stated that the news item on an alleged heated conversation between Nikhil, who recently lost Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, and his grandfather--JD(S) party supremo H.D. Deve Gowda, was meant to tarnish Nikhil's political career and to extract money.No such incident as reported had taken place, and the whole news item was a figment of imagination, the complainant claimed.Nikhil Kumaraswamy was defeated by Sumalatha Ambareesh, wife of late former Congress lawmaker MH Ambareesh. She created history by becoming the first independent candidate to successfully contest Lok Sabha polls from Karnataka in 52 years.According to the Election ...
DRDO successfully test fires new version of Akash air defence missile
DRDO on Monday successfully test fired the new version of the Akash surface to air defence missile system with a new indigenously-developed seeker.The missile was test-fired in Balasore off the Odisha coast.This is the second successful test of the missile in last two days as a successful test was done by them on Saturday also.This is a new version of the missile fitted with an indigenous seeker.Akash missile is a medium range Surface to Air Missile with multi-target engagement capability.The missile was developed as part of Integrated Guided-Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) other than Nag, Agni, Trishul, and Prithvi missiles.The supersonic Akash missile has a range of around 25 km and up to the altitude of 18,000m.The missile uses high-energy solid propellant for the booster and ramjet-rocket propulsion for the sustainer phase. The missile system is said to be highly mobile.Several variants of the missile- Akash MK1, Akash-MK2 with improved accuracy and higher ranges are under ..
Modi invited to Naveen's swearing-in ceremony
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony of BJD President Naveen Patnaik as the Chief Minister of Odisha, a party leader said on Monday.
Madagascar votes in latest battle of political feud
Madagascar held parliamentary elections Monday in what is being seen as the latest round of a bitter feud between President Andry Rajoelina and his longstanding rival Marc Ravalomanana. Beaten to the top job in December, Ravalomanana has been pushing hard in support of candidates of his TIM ("I Love Madagascar") party, determined to secure a victory in his rivalry with President Rajoelina. The two men have dominated politics since the early 2000s, sometimes cooperating but mostly fighting for advantage and high office. "These elections will define our future for the next five years," said Rajoelina after voting in the capital Antananarivo. "The candidates who will be elected MPs have the duty not only to pass laws, but also to represent the aspirations of the people." Ravalomanana also voted in the capital, and he raised allegations of fraud in the presidential election last December. "People are less enthusiastic to vote because of the fraud that has already been noted in previous ...
Savarkar was first proponent of two-nation theory: Baghel
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel Monday claimed Hindu Mahasabha leader Vinayak Damodar Savarkar had first sown the seed of the two-nation theory which was later taken forward by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the late founder of Pakistan. The Congress leader claimed efforts are being made to change Jawaharlal Nehru's idea of India and said the first Prime Minister started nuclear and space programmes and oversaw building of world-class institutions. Addressing Congress leaders and workers at a function on Nehru's 55th death anniversary organised at the partys state headquarters 'Rajiv Bhawan' here, Baghel paid rich tribute to the first prime minister of the country and gave an account of works done by him. "Savarkar, who was a leader of the Hindu Mahasabha, had sown the seed of division of the country which was later implemented by Muhammad Ali Jinnah," he said. Later, talking to reporters on the sidelines of the programme, Baghel said, "It is a historical fact that in ..
After his defeat, Jakhar sends resignation to Rahul Gandhi
After losing the Gurdaspur seat to BJP's Sunny Deol, Sunil Jakhar has sent his resignation as Punjab Congress chief to party president Rahul Gandhi, a step which chief minister Amarinder Singh felt was "totally unnecessary". "He sent his resignation to Rahul ji a day after the results were declared," an aide of Jakhar said Monday. Jakhar was on his way to Delhi and was not immediately available for comment. In the letter, Jakhar mentioned that despite the support of party's senior leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Amarinder Singh, he could not retain the seat. The ruling Congress in Punjab won eight out of 13 parliamentary seats in the state, bucking the pro-Modi trend. Jakhar had won the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat in the by-polls in October 2017. It had fallen vacant after the death of BJP MP Vinod Khanna. The Congress leader had then defeated BJP's Swaran Salaria by a margin of over 1.93 lakh votes. However, Jakhar lost the seat this time to ...
Israel says accepts US-mediated talks with Lebanon on sea border
Israel's energy minister said Monday his country had agreed to enter US-mediated talks with Lebanon on maritime borders that would have an impact on offshore oil and gas exploration. Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said in a statement after meeting US State Department official David Satterfield that Israel agreed to move forward with the talks. Lebanese officials said last week that Satterfield, the acting assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs, had informed them that Israel agreed to the negotiations. Israel had not commented at the time. Last year, Lebanon signed its first contract to drill for oil and gas in its waters, including for a block disputed by its southern neighbour Israel, with which it has fought several wars. A consortium composed of energy giants Total, Eni and Novatek was awarded two of Lebanon's 10 exploration blocks last year. It is set to start drilling in block 4 in December, and later in the disputed block 9. Last year, Total said it was aware of the ...
BJP is still an untouchable: Modi
The BJP, with whom political parties were reluctant to tie up a couple of decades ago, is still considered a political untouchable because of "created perception" against it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.Addressing his party workers on his first visit to his constituency Varanasi after elections, the prime minister said that BJP has been ruling for a long time but "our nature is not divisive"."Baba Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi spent all their lives fighting for eradicating untouchability. But unfortunately, political untouchability is increasing with each passing day. BJP workers have regularly been killed on the one hand and BJP is considered untouchable."We have been ruling for a long time but our nature is not divisive. A perception has been created which is still that we are untouchable even today," he said.Citing an example of his days as Gujarat chief minister, Modi said that when the state government took the help Bollywood to promote state tourism, people raised .
Modi's swearing-in: Invite to BIMSTEC leaders in line with 'Neighbourhood First' policy, says MEA
The invitation to leaders of BIMSTEC member states for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony on May 30 is in line with the government's focus on the 'Neighbourhood First' policy, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Monday.Kumar added that an invite has also been extended to Kyrgyzstan's President Sooronbay Jeenbekov and to the Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth for the occasion."Government of India has invited the leaders of the BIMSTEC Member States for the Swearing-in ceremony. This is in line with the Government's focus on its 'Neighbourhood First' policy," Kumar told reporters on Monday."The President of the Kyrgyz Republic, who is the current Chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Prime Minister of Mauritius, who was the Chief Guest at this year's Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, have also been invited," he added.In 2014, when Modi won his first term, all the SAARC leaders, including the then Pakistan Prime Minister ...
Excited Mimi, Nusrat arrive in Parliament, pose for pictures
Excitement was clearly visible on the faces of actress-turned-politicians Mimi Chakraborty and Nusrat Jahan on Monday, when they arrived at Parliament for the first time after getting elected in the recently concluded elections from the Trinamool Congress.