Page 524 - Politics
Bhim Army chief warns Guj govt against Dalit 'atrocities'
Criticising the BJP government in Gujarat over the recent incidents of wedding processions of Dalits being stopped by some sections of the society, Bhim Army founder Chandrashekhar Azad Friday issued a warning saying such atrocities will no longer be tolerated. Talking to reporters here, Azad said 'jungle raj' is prevailing in Gujarat as members of the Scheduled Caste (SC) community are deprived of their fundamental rights given by the Constitution. "I came to Gujarat because many incidents of atrocities on Dalits have happened recently. It seems that Constitutional provisions do not apply in Gujarat. Article 15 of the Constitution, which protects all the citizens from discrimination, has been removed by the Gujarat government," said Azad alias Ravan. Not just for taking out wedding processions, Dalits in Gujarat were persecuted for keeping moustache and suffixing 'Sinh' in their names, he said. "They are still not allowed to visit temples. This is nothing but 'jungle ..
Modi kept his cabinet ministers locked during demonetization: Rahul Gandhi
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had kept his cabinet ministers locked in his residence during the announcement of demonetisation."Narendra Modi locked his cabinet ministers locked inside the 7 Racecourse Road house during the time of demonetisation. This is the truth. SPG (Special Protection Group) are deployed in my security too. They told me this," Gandhi said at an election rally here.He took a jibe against the PM for his statement regarding the Balakot airstrikes and added that Narendra Modi was living in his own dream world."See how much knowledge the Prime Minister has. He told the Air Force not to get nervous. He told them the clouds will benefit the Indian side as Pakistani radars would be rendered useless by the cloud cover. He stays in his own world, does not even listen to the people whom he should listen to," he said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed during a recent TV interview that he told the Indian Air Force to use
Amitabh Bachchan would've been better pick for PM: Priyanka's jibe at Modi
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who held a massive roadshow in Mirzapur parliamentary constituency on Friday, took a potshot at Prime Minister Narendra Modi by calling him "sabse bada abhineta" (greatest actor).Addressing the ebullient gathering, Priyanka told people that it would have been great if you had chosen veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan as the Prime Minister."You have chosen the greatest actor as Prime Minister. It would have been better if you had made Amitabh Bachchan as Prime Minister, anyhow they will not do anything for you," she said candidly.Priyanka held a roadshow in Mirzapur to show the strength of the party before campaigning ends for the last leg of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls this evening.Priyanka was campaigning for Congress leader from the constituency, Lalitesh Pati Tripathi, who was also present during the roadshow.Perched atop an open vehicle decorated with marigold flowers, Priyanka and Tripathi waved at the cheering crowd amid slogans like
Faleiro cites Bible Commandment to slam BJP's Goa power grab
Former Goa Chief Minister and Congress General Secretary Luizinho Faleiro on Friday cited one of the Ten Commandments in the Bible - "Thou shalt not steal" - to blame the BJP for stealing the people's mandate in the 2017 state assembly elections.
Pragya's Godse remark against BJP's ideology: Amit Shah
BJP President Amit Shah on Friday said that party leader Pragya Singh Thakur's praise of Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse as a "patriot" was against the BJP's ideology.
Congress-NCP candidate celebrates birthday with 'Desh ka Chowkidaar Hi Chor Hai' cake
Anand Paranjpe, Congress-NCP candidate celebrated his birthday by cutting a cake 'Desh ka Chowkidaar Hi Chor Hai' written on it.Anand Paranjpe is Congress-NCP alliance candidate from Thane constituency for 2019 general elections.Paranjpe won the 2009 general elections from Kalyan Lok Sabha Constituency as Shiv Sena's candidate. In 2014, he left Shiv Sena and contested Lok Sabha elections from NCP against Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Shinde from Kalyan Constituency but lost the elections.There are 14 criminal cases pending against Anand Paranjpe, according to an official affidavit submitted to Election Commission (EC).Paranjpe is a mechanical engineering graduate and later attained a Masters in Business Administration in 1997.
2 BJP MPs back Godse, Shah does fire fight
With two BJP lawmakers fuelling further a raging controversy, BJP President Amit Shah on Friday stepped into do some fire fighting and hinted at disciplinary action after Union Minister Ananthkumar Hegde and another party MP from Karnataka Nalinkumar Kateel backed Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse.Though both Hegde and Kateel, who are not new to stoking controversies with their statements, claimed to have withdrawn their tweets, Shah said the comments of the two MPs and that of Bhopal candidate Sadhvi Pragya Thakur were their personal opinions and the party has nothing to do with it. He has referred them to the party's Disciplinary Action Committee for a report.Following up on Thakur's remarks on Thursday, Hegde, MP from Uttara Kannada, took to Twitter and wrote, "Am glad that 7 decades later today's generation debates in a changed perceptional environment and gives good scope for the condemned to be heard upon. #NathuramGodse would have finally felt happy with this ...
Taiwan becomes first Asian-nation to legalise same-sex marriage
In a landmark move, Taiwan on Friday became the first Asian-nation to legalise same-sex marriage.The Taiwan lawmakers passed a law allowing same-sex couples to form "exclusive permanent unions" and to apply for a "marriage registration" with government agencies, reported Al Jazeera.The voting comes after Taiwan's top court ruled that not allowing same-sex marriage violates the constitution. The court gave a deadline till May 24 to lawmakers to amend the country's constitution to bring marriage equality.Hundreds of gay rights supporters gathered outside the Parliament building in the capital of Taipei despite the heavy rains before the votings.President Tsai Ing-wen said ahead of the vote she recognised that the issue had divided "families, generations and even inside religious groups"."Today, we have a chance to make history and show the world that progressive values can take root in an East Asian society," she added in a Twitter post.This comes as a blow to conservatives lawmakers as
Why is JD-U contesting minus manifesto, asks Tejashwi
Attacking Bihar's ruling JD-U for contesting the Lok Sabha elections without a manifesto, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday asked it to release it at least at the end of the campaign on Friday.
BJP pushed to corner, Cong furious as Godse centre of debate on last day of campaigning
As campaigning for the 2019 general elections wound down on Friday, the BJP was pushed into a corner and forced to ask three of its leaders to explain their comments on Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse, as the Congress questioned the prime minister's silence on the row. The Pandora's box opened on Thursday with BJP's Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate and Malegaon blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur lauding Godse as a "patriot" and issuing an apology at night saying she respected him and his work for the country cannot be forgotten. As controversy raged on the last day of campaigning, BJP president Amit Shah said the party has taken serious note of the statements from Union minister Anantkumar Hegde, Pragya Thakur and its Karnataka MP Nalin Kumar Kateel. Stating that the comments were against the party's ideology, Shah asked the party's disciplinary committee to submit a report on the issue in 10 days for further action. "They have withdrawn their statements and also apologised. ...
Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu to meet EC today
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will visit the officials of Election Commission (EC) on Friday.Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had on Thursday "strongly opposed" the Election Commission's decision to hold repolling at five booths under Chandragiri and Chittoor parliamentary constituencies and termed it as "partial one-sided and undemocratic"."I am writing this letter to strongly oppose the partial one-sided and undemocratic motivated actions of the EC. The decision to conduct repolling in five polling stations under 166-Chandragiri and 25-Chittoor parliamentary constituencies," Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said in the letter.The EC had on Wednesday declared the poll held on April 11 in these five stations as void and ordered that a re-polling be conducted from 7 am to 6 pm on May 19.Meanwhile, Naidu might also meet Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Farooq Abdullah and Sharad Yadav, today.
Remarks on Godse by BJP leaders against party ideology: Shah
BJP president Amit Shah Friday came out strongly against the controversial remarks of his party leaders, including Pragya Singh Thakur, over Nathuram Godse, saying the BJP has taken serious note of their statements, which are against its ideology. Shah has asked the party's disciplinary committee to submit a report on the issue in 10 days for further action. In a series of tweets, he said the remarks made by Lok Sabha candidate Thakur, Union minister Anantkumar Hegde and BJP MP Nalin Kateel are against the BJP's ideology, and the party has taken serious note of their statements. Shah also said these comments were their personal statements and had no link with the party. "They have withdrawn their statements and have also apologised. However, their remarks are against the decorum of public life and the BJP, and also against the party's ideology. "Taking serious note of their remarks, the party has decided to send them to the disciplinary committee," Shah said. Thakur had on Thursday ...
Delhi HC defers hearing in plea seeking review of political parties' registration connotations
The Delhi High court on Friday deferred till May 24 the hearing in a plea seeking directions to the Election Commission to review political parties' registration connotations.The hearing was deferred as the bench comprising Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Anup J Bhambhani did not assemble today as the former was on leave.The petition, moved by senior advocate and BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay on May 16, had sought directions to EC to de-register political parties with religious, caste, ethnic or linguistic connotations, within three months."At present there are many political parties such as Hindu Sena, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Indian Union Muslim League etc. with religious, caste, ethnic, linguistic connotations...De-register them if they fail to rename and change their flag within three months," Upadhyay stated in the petition.The petitioner had also sought direction to the poll body to review the flags of the political parties to ensure that they are not
Amit Shah does damage control on Godse controversy
BJP president Amit Shah on Friday sought to do damage control on the Godse controversy by saying the statements made by Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and two MPs--Anant Kumar Hegde and Nalin Kateel--were against the official stand and ideology of the party and has referred the matter to disciplinary committee for action."The statements given by Shri Anantkumar Hegde, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Shri Nalin Kateel in the past two days are their personal statements. BJP has nothing to do with them," Shah said on Twitter as a controversy raged over backing Godse, the assassin of the father of the nation.Shah's second tweet said that the statements made by three leaders go against BJP's ideology and would be dealt with strictly after the internal disciplinary committee files a report."They have retracted their statements and have also apologized for them. Still these statements, made in public, go against BJP's ideology and dignity and are being taken seriously by the party which has decided to .
Doubts raised over Pakistan's battle against terror financing
The Asia-Pacific Group (APG), a regional affiliate of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), has raised questions on Pakistan's seriousness in its campaign against terror financing and money laundering, the media reported on Friday.
Mayawati not married, does not know what family is: Ramdas Athawale
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Friday took a sexist jibe at Mayawati by saying that the BSP supremo does not know how to handle a husband as she is not married. Athawale's comments come after Mayawati stated that women leaders in BJP are afraid of their husbands meeting Modi as they fear it will result in them being abandoned.The president of the Republican Party of India, a member of the BJP-led NDA, also added that he respects Mayawati and she should refrain from making such statements."Mayawati is making remarks about Modi Ji and his wife. She (Mayawati) is not married, she does not know what a family is, had she been married she would have known how to handle a husband. We respect Mayawati, she should not make such statements," Athawale told ANI.In the same breath, the minister batted for civility in politics and said anyone's family should not be attacked."I feel Mayawati only knows how to accuse people. She is baffled and distributed and which why she is putting such ...
EU citizens in UK have their say on Brexit in European vote
Hedwig Hegtermans has lived in Britain for two decades, but she didn't have a vote when the country decided in 2016 to leave the European Union. She's determined to have her say on Brexit now. An election for the European Parliament being held this month in all 28 EU member states including the not-yet-departed U.K. is giving Hegtermans and other Europeans in Britain the chance to pass judgment on the Brexit decision that left their lives in limbo. "It is a way for people to voice their frustration," said Hegtermans, a Dutch citizen and member of The 3 Million, a lobby group for EU citizens in Britain. Like other non-U.K. EU nationals, she was not eligible to vote in Britain's EU membership referendum three years ago and like them she saw her automatic right to live and work in Britain whipped away by the Brexit decision. (The British government says all 3 million EU citizens in Britain can stay, but they have to apply for "settled status" through a somewhat glitch-prone new ...
Chandrababu Naidu to stage protest over re-poll
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is likely to stage a protest in Delhi later on Friday over Election Commission's (EC) decision to hold re-poll in five polling booths in one of the Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.
Ab ki baar 300 paar, phir ek baar Modi sarkar: Modi in MP
On the last day of campaign for Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said he is sure of the BJP-led ruling dispensation winning over 300 seats. Addressing a rally in Khargone, Modi also thanked people for deciding to make him the prime minister again. "From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from Kutch to Kamrup, the whole nation is saying- Ab ki baar, 300 paar, phir ek baar Modi sarkar," Modi said, expressing confidence that the BJP- led alliance will win over 300 seats. "This Sunday when you go to cast your vote then you will be scripting history. After decades you will elect a majority govt for a second time in a row," Modi told the voters. The fourth and last phase of Lok Sabha polls in the state will be held on May 19.
Kamala Harris invokes Indian heritage in response to Trump's immigration plan
Kamala Harris, the first Indian-origin Senator castigated President Donald Trump's merit-based immigration plan saying it was "short-sighted" and invoked her unique background as a Democratic candidate for the White House in 2020 -- being the daughter of an Indian immigrant. Trump on Thursday rolled out the system that would prioritise high-skilled workers over those who already have relatives in the country when determining who receives green cards. Harris, Senator from California, criticised the proposal, which Democratic leaders have vowed to fight, saying that Americans routinely celebrate a "unified culture" and the US Constitution guarantees equality for all people. "I found the announcement today to be short-sighted," said the 54-year-old California Democrat, slamming the Trump plan before an Asian American audience in Las Vegas. On the plan's intention to award immigrants certain points based on education or skills, Harris said, "We cannot allow people to start parsing and ...