Page 472 - Politics
Swaraj meets Kyrgyz counterpart; to attend SCO foreign ministers meet on Tuesday
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj held a "productive discussion" with her Kyrgyz counterpart Chingiz Aidarbekov ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting during which several pressing issues including the threat of terrorism are expected to be discussed. In her first engagement in Bishkek, Swaraj had a "productive discussion with Aidarbekov on all aspects of bilateral relations, including in political and defence, trade and investment, health, capacity building and people-to-people ties," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. Swaraj, who arrived here in the Kyrgyz capital on Tuesday to attend a two-day meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers, was given a traditional welcome on her arrival here. The External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi said Monday that the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) will exchange views on topical issues of international and regional importance, besides reviewing the preparation for the SCO Summit in ...
Hindu Rao resident doctors call off strike
Resident doctors of the NDMC-run Hindu Rao hospital called off their strike on Tuesday, a day after launching an indefinite stir over non-payment of salaries, as an "arrangement" was reached to disburse their dues, an official said. The strike by the doctors, who claimed they had not been paid salaries for three months, had partially hit health services at the hospital. NDMC officials had said the salaries could not be paid due to delay in release of funds by the Delhi government, which released around Rs 206 crore to the cash-strapped municipal corporation on Monday. "The strike was called off as an arrangement was reached about their salaries and payment of arrears... It was done in the presence of Union minister Vijay Goel and North Delhi Mayor Avtar Singh," a senior North Delhi Municipal Corporation official said. The official said salaries for the month of March have been released and are also being paid for April. "As per the charter of demands put up by resident doctors' ...
Himachal government withdraws facilities of ex-Cabinet minister
The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday decided to withdraw facilities, including free accommodation and staff, provided to former Cabinet minister Anil Sharma who resigned on April 12.
PM Modi meets Council of Ministers at BJP headquarters
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired a meeting of Council of Ministers at BJP headquarters here ahead of counting of votes for the Lok Sabha polls on May 23.The Prime Minister's meeting is currently underway with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister for Road and Transport Nitin Gadkari, Human Resources Minister Prakash Javadekar, PMO Jitender Singh and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal.BJP president Amit Shah, Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, Minister of Labour and Employment Santosh Gangwar, Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Cabinet Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan and Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi are also present in the meeting.
Ban suspect exit poll agencies: Goa Congress
Asserting that neither the Election Commission (EC) nor the state and Central governments could be trusted on EVMs and counting of votes, Chandrakant Kavlekar, Leader of the Opposition in the Goa Assembly, on Tuesday demanded a ban on exit poll agencies that wilfully misguided voters.
Power play: MP Congress alleges BJP 'luring' MLAs with money
Charges and counter-charges flew thick and fast over the BJP's alleged attempt to pull down the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh. The row gathered momentum on Tuesday with the Chief Minister himself claiming that the BJP was trying to lure the ruling party legislators. On Monday the leader of the Opposition, Gopal Bhargav wrote a letter to Governor Anandiben Patel requesting her to convene a special session of the state assembly.
EC agrees to record dissent of Commissioners
In a victory of sorts for Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday decided to record dissent of any member during proceedings of the full Commission.The decision was taken at a meeting of the full Commission which was called specifically to take on board the concerns expressed by Lavasa after he kept away from the meetings protesting against non-recording of his dissent on the clean chits given by the Commission on the complaints of opposition parties regarding alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah.In the meeting of the full Commission today which was also attended by Lavasa, it was decided that proceedings of the Commission meeting would be drawn including the views of all the Commission members, sources said.Thereafter, formal instructions would be issued in consonance with the present laws and rules, they said.The meeting was chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora ...
Iran President rules out negotiations with US
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has ruled out the possibility of negotiations with the US under current circumstances. "Today's circumstances are not suitable for negotiations at all," he said.
Army to conduct 'large-scale' training exercises in Punjab, Haryana
To test the efficiency of its newly acquired equipment and weapons, the Army's Kharga Corps will hold training exercises in the hinterlands of Punjab and Haryana, an official statement said on Tuesday. Focussing on tackling future security threats, the "large scale" exercises are likely to be held "somewhere in May-June", the defence release said. "The exercise will be conducted in the obstacle ridden terrain. Latest military concepts designed to deliver a swift punitive blow to the adversary will also be validated," the release said. "The exercise entails the jointmanship between arms and services and honing of inter army and interservices good practices," it added. The components of Indian Air Force will also participate to validate joint manoeuvres and derive inputs for further consolidation of existing war fighting concepts and evolution of joint operational doctrine for the future. Various units and formations are in the advanced stages of practices and preparations necessary ...
CoI into helicopter crash in Budgam: Commanding officer of IAF's Srinagar base shifted
The Indian Air Force has transferred the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of the Srinagar base in the midst of a court of inquiry probing the crash of an Mi-17 helicopter in Kashmir during a standoff with Pakistan on February 27, according to official sources. The senior-most official of the strategic base was removed to ensure impartial probe into the crash, the sources said Tuesday. The helicopter crashed in Budgam on February 27 when Indian and Pakistani fighter jets were engaged in a fierce aerial combat, a day after India's airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot. The Pakistani Air Force had unsuccessfully attempted to target various Indian military installations in Kashmir on February 27. Sources said the CoI was also probing whether the helicopter crashed after being accidentally hit by the IAF's air defence system, which was on highest alert following the Balakot strikes. They said the IAF will initiate action based on the report of the CoI ...
K'taka MLA Roshan Baig calls leaders 'buffoon' , 'flop show'; party serves him showcause
Infighting in Congress party's Karnataka unit reared its ugly head publically with one leader, Roshan Baig, levelling a series of strong allegations against the party leadership.The party has served a showcause notice seeking an explanation from him within a week. To which, the Congress MLA said he will not even bother reading the notice as it has "clearly been sent on the orders of the same people whose incompetencies were highlighted" by him.Baig had earlier said Congress general secretary KC Venugopal is "a buffon", the party's state unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao "a flop show" and blamed Congress Legislature Party Leader (CLP) Siddaramaiah for the "collapse" of the Congress-JD(U) alliance in the state.Speaking to ANI earlier today, Baig also reiterated he is upset with the fact that no seats were given to Christians and only one seat to Muslims in Karnataka."No seats were given to Christians and only one seat was given to Muslims in Karnataka, they were ignored. I'm upset with
Sheila Dikshit, Vijender Gupta settle dispute over govt fund misuse, HC informed
Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit told the Delhi High Court on Tuesday that she and BJP leader Vijender Gupta have settled the dispute between them over the alleged misuse of government funds by her in the 2008 assembly polls. A court official said the matter was listed before Justice Sunil Gaur who, taking note of the submission, disposed of Dikshit's plea against a trial court order to lodge an FIR against her on Gupta's complaint alleging misuse of government funds by her. The detailed order is awaited. The trial court's August 31, 2013 direction had come on the BJP leader's complaint alleging that she had misused government funds of Rs 22.56 crore in an advertisement campaign ahead of the 2008 assembly polls. The petition against the trial court order was pending in the high court since September 2013 when it had ordered that status quo be maintained in respect of registration of FIR against Dikshit. In his complaint before the trial court, Gupta had sought registration ..
Man booked for hate comment on Facebook in J-K's Kathua
An FIR has been registered against a man for allegedly making an objectionable comment on Facebook against a particular community on a sensitive issue in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, officials said Tuesday. Police have taken cognisance of the matter and legal action as warranted under law will be taken against the accused, they said. "An FIR under sections 153 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion) and 295 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feeling) of RPC and under the IT Act has been registered at police station Kathua and investigation started," a police spokesperson said. People in Kathua blocked a highway at Chadwal to protest against the hateful post on Facebook. They threatened that they would launch a massive agitation if the accused is not arrested. The administration urged the people not to pay heed to any propaganda or rumour and to maintain communal harmony.
New docu captures back story of 2019 polls; to premiere soon on National Geographic channel
From the highest echelon of the Election Commission to booth level officers, and from the topmost political leaders to ground-level party workers, a new documentary has captured the dramatic events during the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls and the challenges in carrying out the mammoth democratic exercise. The 2019 general election saw 8,049 candidates across the country battle it out for getting berths in Parliament. National Geographic has shot the film over the last few months capturing the high-octane drama during campaigning period and crucial moments in parties' war rooms, and also shines a light on the role of social media in the just-concluded polls. "The multi-crew production shot at 37 locations across the length and breadth of the country tells the tale of the largest democratic exercise in the world," a spokesperson of the network said. Some of the cities shot during the film are -- Varanasi, Amethi, Nagpur, Salem and Bishing, the official said. "From the highest echelons of .
Naidu to meet Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy
Continuing his efforts to unite opposition parties against the BJP ahead of Lok Sabha results, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu is scheduled to meet former Prime Minister and JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda later in the day in Bengaluru. Naidu will later on Tuesday have a meeting with his son and Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, official sources said. The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister is expected to discuss the post election result scenario and weigh all options in case of a hung Parliament even though various exit polls have forecast the return of Narendra Modi government. Naidu on Sunday met Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar and Sitaram Yechury, among other leaders, to discuss the issue. On Saturday, he held talks with opposition leaders, including Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav in the national capital and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati in Lucknow.
Denmark bats for permanent border control to ward off terrorism
With general elections in Denmark less than a month away, the country's Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen proposed permanent border control in a bid to keep cross-border crime in check along with warding off terrorism."We must ensure that we have permanent border control. We are facing a number of challenges, such as immigration pressures, cross-border crime and terrorism. Therefore, as a nation state, we need to control our borders," Sputnik quoted Rasmussen as saying.This reportedly goes against the European Union's basic idea of free border movement amongst member-states. The Danish Prime Minister also stressed on the need for new Schengen rules, in order to re-instate Denmark's authority over its own borders.He also put forth the need for the allocation of USD 7.5 million for research and new technology which will make carrying out border checks easier.Seven Schengen countries -- including Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Poland, and Sweden -- introduced border ...
Political rival has done this: Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister on death of MLA Tirong Aboh
Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister Kumar Waii suspects 'political rivalry' behind the killing of sitting National People's Party (NPP) MLA Tirong Aboh and 10 others.Waii, also said that an enquiry would be initiated into the matter." I condemn this incident. This kind of incident has never taken place before. An inquiry into the incident is important. A political rival has done this," said Home Minister, Kumar Waii on the death of MLA Tirong Aboh and his family.Sitting National People's Party (NPP) MLA Tirong Aboh was killed along with six other people on Tuesday by suspected NSCN terrorists near Bogapani area of Arunachal's Tirap district.The information was confirmed by the District Collector today.Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma also confirmed the death of the MLA and posted on Twitter."The NPP is extremely shocked and saddened by the news of the death of its MLA Shri Tirong Aboh (Arunachal Pradesh) and his family. We condemn the brutal attack and urge Rajnath Singh and PMO ...
EC refutes reports regarding complaints of alleged movements of EVMs
The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday rubbished reports of alleged movement of EVMs purportedly to replace polled EVMs in strongrooms and terming them as "absolutely false"."Complaints of alleged movement of EVMs, purportedly to replace polled EVMs in strongrooms, doing rounds in sections of media. Would like to unambiguously clarify that reports are absolutely false. Visuals seen viral on media do not pertain to any EVMs used during the polls," the EC said in a statement.The poll watch dog stated that provisions and protocols have been explained to the political parties on multiple occasions including in several of the 93 meetings held with them at the Commission since the announcement of elections."The aspersions in clips being used in media merely pertain to the storage or movement of reserve unused EVMs. However any case of lapse even in the handling of reserve EVMs is thoroughly investigated and disciplinary action taken against the officers responsible," it clarified.The ...
TMC meets EC against BJP demand for deployment of central forces in West Bengal till May 25
Questioning the BJP demand for deployment of central forces in West Bengal till the Model Code of Conduct is in place, a miffed Trinamool Congress on Tuesday asked the Election Commission "if Emergency has been declared" in the state, sources said. A delegation of opposition leaders met the EC and demanded verification of VVPAT slips of randomly-selected polling stations before the counting of the votes polled in the just-concluded Lok Sabha election begins on May 23. TMC's national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Derek O' Brien raised the issue of the central forces with the EC and demanded that the poll body take action, the sources said. "BJP's minister announced that central forces will be in Bengal for one week more. Has Emergency been declared by the BJP in Bengal? BJP-RSS members disguised as central forces are torturing citizens. Why special rules for Bengal. This is unacceptable," O' Brien was quoted to have told the EC. Addressing a press conference on May 19, Defence ...
Karnataka JDS chief welcomes Baig's attack on Cong leadership
Karnataka JD(S) President A H Vishwanath Tuesday welcomed senior Congress MLA R Roshan Baig's outburst against the party's leadership, saying his remarks were "true" and "a reality." A bete noire of Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah, Vishwanath said "Our Roshan Baig at least has come to know about the truth at the end. Thanks to Mr Roshan." Asked if he was thanking Baig for his comments against Siddaramaiah, he said, "I'm saying thanks for his statement today in total, after understanding the truth and reality." "...Roshan has understood the ground realities at the end. There is nothing wrong in what he has said; there is nothing that is false. He has spoken the truth," he said. Hitting out at Congress leaders for the party's performance in the Lok Sabha polls as projected in the exit polls, Baig Tuesday held Siddaramaiah's "arrogance" andKPCC chief Dinesh Gundu Rao's "immaturity" responsible for the "flop show". Baig, who objected to Siddaramaiah's Chief ...