Page 47 - Politics

US State Department encouraged Pakistan to remove Imran Khan as PM: Report

One month after the meeting with US officials was revealed in the Pakistan government's document, a no-confidence vote was held in Parliament, resulting in Khan's ouster from power

Media bodies allege 'targeted campaign' by politicians against NewsClick

Several media associations on Wednesday said the accusations levelled by political leaders against NewsClick suggesting that the portal serves as a mouthpiece of a neighbouring country were "unwarranted and condemnable". "While NewsClick, like other media outlets, critically examines government actions, this does not render it unpatriotic or a tool of any foreign nation," a statement by Press Association, Press Club of India, Delhi Union of Journalists and Indian Women Press Corps said. Expressing deep concern over the alleged "targeted campaign", they said if sources of funding of NewsClick were under scrutiny, the same transparency should extend to portals "aligned with the establishment". "It is imperative for the interests of complete transparency that the sponsors and funding sources of all such portals be disclosed. Without such disclosure, the recent actions targeting NewsClick could rightly be characterised as a witch-hunt," the media bodies said. NewsClick is again in the

PM Modi sees himself as the PM of just BJP & Hindus: CM Ashok Gehlot

While inaugurating new districts in Rajasthan, CM Ashok Gehlot questioned how Manipur situation has been dealt with, stating that violence is not the answer

Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan can only be knocked out by votes, not courts

Past Pakistani leaders, including Khan's predecessor Nawaz Sharif, have been disqualified on equally flimsy grounds. In many ways, though, Khan's hold over his followers is unique

BJP gen secy in Gujarat, Pradeepsinh Vaghela resigns on 'personal grounds'

Pradipsinh Vaghela, one of the four general secretaries of BJP in Gujarat, has resigned on personal grounds, his party colleague said on Saturday and added the resignation has been accepted. BJP general secretary Rajni Patel also said no complaint was received against Vaghela and he remains a party worker. Patel dismissed as "baseless" some reports claiming that Vaghela has been barred from entering the BJP's state headquarters 'Kamalam'. "Pradipsinh Vaghela worked actively as a state general secretary. He resigned due to personal reasons and his resignation has been accepted," Patel said. Vaghela was holding the post of general secretary since 2016 and was the in-charge of the south zone, Ahmedabad city and district, and the state BJP headquarters. The development comes at a time when the Surat crime branch arrested three persons for allegedly circulating a defamatory letter containing accusations against Vaghela and some other leaders.

BJP leader Kapil Mishra appointed vice-president of party's Delhi unit

After a long wait of nearly four years, firebrand BJP leader Kapil Mishra was on Saturday appointed a vice-president of the party's Delhi unit. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, who appointed Mishra, said his name was on the list of the new office bearers of the party announced earlier this week but it could not be declared due to some reason. Mishra, a former minister in the AAP government here, joined the Delhi BJP in August 2019 after his differences with party supremo Arvind Kejriwal became public. Known for his "fiery" speeches on Hindutva ideology, Mishra was not given any organisational responsibility in the Delhi BJP since his joining. He contested the 2020 Delhi Assembly election from the Model Town constituency on a BJP ticket but lost to the AAP's Akhilesh Pati Tripathi. Mishra's name had also surfaced in connection with the northeast Delhi riots in which over 50 people were killed and hundreds injured in 2020.

50 arrested for indulging in violence during Chandrababu Naidu's rally

As many as 50 people have been arrested for indulging in stone pelting and arson during TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu's tour of the district, police said on Saturday. Also, 200 others involved in the riots are likely to be arrested as police are watching the footage to identify those who indulged in the violence. At least 20 police personnel and several supporters of the opposition TDP as well as the ruling YSRCP were injured in stone pelting and arson during Chandrababu Naidu's tour of the district on Friday. "We have video footage and are expecting to pick up another 150 to 200 people. We have also brought extra forces, 300 police personnel, from within the district and Andhra Pradesh Special Police (APSP) and deployed them across the district," Chittoor district superintendent of police Y Rishant Reddy told PTI. "We have picked up all the persons who have assaulted police personnel, including women police personnel with stones, beer bottles, sticks and other objects," he ...

We could have shown truth of Kejriwal's governance to K'taka minister: Cong

As the war of words between the AAP and the Congress over 'mohalla clinics' in Delhi hots up, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Saturday said he could have shown the real truth of Arvind Kejriwal's governance to visiting Karnataka minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. Dikshit's remarks come in the wake of Rao calling the mohalla clinics run by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) "overhyped" and that he was left "disappointed" after a visit to one such facility. Taking to social media, Dikshit tweeted, Wish you'd met us also Dinesh Gundu Rao - would have shown real truth of Arvind Kejriwal's education, health, finance, environment, water, roads, buses, infra, rampant corruption. Perhaps you could have conveyed this to his new drum beaters in Congress. Hours after praising the AAP government's mohalla clinic initiative, the Karnataka health minister on Friday said it was "overhyped" and that he was left "disappointed" after visiting it. The AAP, in a statement, alleged that Rao received a phone call aft

Rahul calls on Lalu Yadav after SC stays his defamation case conviction

In a tweet, the All India Congress Committee shared pictures of the two leaders meeting at the New Delhi residence of RJD MP and Lalu's daughter, Misa Bharti

Manipur cabinet asks Governor Uikey to summon Assembly on August 21

The Northeast state has been in the throes of violence, claiming over 100 lives so far and displacing thousands of people

HM Amit Shah arrives in Odisha for day-long visit, to chair meetings

A day after Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) extended support to the Centre on the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Union Home Minister Amit Shaht arrived in Bhubaneswar on Friday late night for a day-long visit.The contentious Delhi Services Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday by a voice vote, amid an Opposition walkout.During his visit to the state, Shah is scheduled to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for various development projects in the city.Shah was received warmly at the Bhubaneswar airport by leaders of the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party as well as party workers.Taking to Twitter, the office of the Home Minister posted, "Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri @AmitShah Ji will Inaugurate & lay the foundation stone of various projects in Bhubaneswar, tomorrow at 11:00 AM".The inauguration ceremony is scheduled to be held at a convention centre, Lok Seva Bavan.The BJD had earlier announced its ...

20 cops injured during stone pelting in Chandrababu Naidu's rally in Andhra

At least 20 police personnel and several supporters of TDP as well as the ruling YSRCP were injured in stone pelting and arson during N Chandrababu Naidu's tour of the district on Friday, police said. Thirteen of the policemen were severely injured and are undergoing treatment at Chittoor town government hospital. "The rest of the policemen (seven) are doing fine but were injured by the stones hurled at them. The situation is under control now and I think we don't need to go for (imposing prohibitory orders under) CrPc 144 Section as of now, Chittoor district superintendent of police Y Rishant Reddy told PTI late in the night. Several supporters of Naidu's TDP as well as ruling YSRCP were also injured, police said. Naidu is on a Yudha Bheri' tour to highlight the failure of the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government in completing irrigation projects in various districts that were started by him when he was the chief minister. Yudha Bheri' is a 2,500-km tour from Nandikotkur to ...

INDIA coalition's next meet likely on Aug 31-Sept 1 in Mumbai: Reports

Opposition bloc INDIA is likely to hold its next meeting on August 31 and September 1 in Mumbai, sources said on Friday. They said it would be held on the format of the Bengaluru meeting with leaders first confabulating in an informal setting on August 31 before their main meeting the next day. "The opposition meeting will be a two-day affair and will take place on August 31 and September 1 with all leaders approving the dates," a source said. The likely venue would be a hotel in Pawai and there will be a press conference on September 1 evening, the source said. There have been several dates that have been talked about earlier but those did not work out as all leaders were not available on those dates. The third meeting of the bloc is being hosted jointly by the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP's Sharad Pawar faction, with support from the Congress -- the three constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance. The MVA constituents had been holding parleys to schedule the meeting. The I

No force can silence voice of people: Cong on SC stay on Rahul's conviction

The Congress on Friday hailed the Supreme Court ruling staying the conviction of Rahul Gandhi in a 2019 defamation case, calling the judgment a strong vindication of truth and asserting that "no force can silence the voice of the people". The Congress described it as a "victory of love over hate". The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the conviction of Gandhi in the defamation case over his Modi surname remark. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the Supreme Court judgment is a strong vindication of truth and justice. "Despite the relentless efforts of the BJPs machinery, Rahul Gandhi has refused to bend, break or bow, choosing instead to place his faith in the judicial process," he said on Twitter. "Let this be a lesson to the BJP and its acolytes: you can do your absolute worst but we will not back down. We will continue to expose and call out your failures as a Government and as a party. We will continue to uphold our Constitutional ideals and .

We are very serious about middle path solution: Jairam Ramesh on RS logjam

The Congress on Friday accused the Modi government of not being serious in finding a solution to the logjam in Rajya Sabha, saying the INDIA opposition bloc had offered a "middle path" solution and that a debate on Manipur under a mutually negotiated motion should have ideally taken place today or "very soon". Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said parties of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) offered a "middle path" solution to the Modi government to enable the smooth functioning of the Rajya Sabha. "We said let us have a mutually negotiated Motion on Manipur under Rule 167 and start a discussion on it. Modi government appeared to agree but indicated that the earliest that the discussion could take place was only on Friday, August 11th. This shows the government is not serious," he alleged in a tweet. "The discussion should ideally have taken place today for which INDIA parties were ready or very soon on Monday or Tuesday. We are very serious about

Amit Shah to visit Odisha, to hold meetings on left-wing extremism

Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah is scheduled to pay a two-day visit to Odisha from Friday, during which he will attend official meetings. Shah will reach the Biju Patnaik International Airport here at 10.40 pm on Friday and launch a national highway project the next day, officials said. He is also slated to attend meetings on left-wing extremism and disaster management on Saturday. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is likely to attend the meeting, they said. There is, however, no official confirmation about a possible meeting between Shah and Patnaik. But Shah is scheduled to attend a meeting at the airport lounge before leaving for the national capital on Saturday evening, the officials said but did not specify who would be present in it. The union minister's sudden visit and his review meetings on left-wing extremism and disaster management assume significance as these will take place after the ruling BJD announced its support to the Delhi Ordinance Bill and its

Ask PM to speak in Parliament, visit Manipur: Opposition urges President

Opposition bloc INDIA on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu over their demand for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement in Parliament on the Manipur issue. They also demanded that the prime minister visit the strife-torn state to restore peace. In the memorandum submitted to the President, 31 leaders of the opposition bloc also raised the issue of communal tension in Haryana's Nuh and alleged that the Central government was not bothered about the developments that are taking place "barely 100 km from the Prime Minister's Office". Addressing the media here, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the members of the delegation that included MPs who visited Manipur also apprised the President of the situation in the state and shared their accounts. "We implore you to press upon the prime minister to urgently address Parliament on the prevailing situation in Manipur, followed by a detailed and comprehensive discussion on the matter," the opposition bloc

BRS neither with opposition INDIA alliance nor NDA, says Telangana CM

BRS chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has clarified that his party was neither with the opposition INDIA alliance nor with the BJP-led NDA. Rao made the remarks during his visit to Maharashtra on Tuesday. "BRS national president K Chandrasekhar Rao made it clear that his party is not siding with either INDIA alliance or NDA. The BRS is not alone, it is with its friends," an official release issued here late on Tuesday night said. "What is New India? They ruled country for over 50 years and there was no change," Rao said. The CM said there should be a change for the better in the country. On poll preparations in Maharashtra, he said the BRS was constituting organisational committees at various levels and has sounded the poll bugle. A brigade of 14.10 lakh workers was formed and they have started work at ground level in the western state. Expressing concern over the continuous struggle of Dalits in Maharashtra, he said injustice was meted out to the ...

Oppon leaders meet President Murmu, seek intervention on Manipur issue

Opposition leaders on Wednesday met President Droupadi Murmu here to seek her intervention on the Manipur issue. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had sought time from President Murmu on behalf of the opposition parties. The opposition parties are seeking the President's intervention in the matter, claiming that violence in the BJP-ruled northeastern state is continuing unabated. Some MPs of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) who visited Manipur on July 29-30 are part of the opposition delegation meeting the President. The opposition is demanding a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi followed by a discussion under Rule 267 after suspending all other House business, while the ruling dispensation wants a short-duration discussion on Manipur which will be replied to by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Sibal takes 'achche din' dig at BJP over Haryana clashes, Manipur violence

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday took a swipe at the BJP over the Maharashtra train firing incident, clashes in Haryana and the violence in Manipur, asking if these were the "achche din" promised. He said politics of hate was responsible for such incidents. RPF constable Chetan Singh (33) allegedly shot dead his senior Assistant Sub-Inspector Tikaram Meena and three passengers -- Abdul Kadarbhai Mohammed Hussain Bhanpurwala (58), Asgar Abbas Sheikh (48) and Syed S (43) -- near Palghar station on the outskirts of Mumbai. In Haryana, mobs killed a cleric in a late-night attack on a mosque, torched an eatery and vandalised shops as communal violence that began in Haryana's Nuh spilled over into neighbouring Gurugram. Manipur witnessed violence for over two months, which broke out on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts of the state to protest the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, killing over 160 people since then