Page 525 - Politics
Trump wants border wall painted black with spikes
US President Donald Trump wants his proposed wall along the Mexican border should be painted black and made of steel with spikes which will make it difficult for immigrants to climb, a media report said.
Remarks on Godse by party leaders against BJP ideology, party has taken serious note: 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 Hegde, Thakur and 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 "They have withdrawn their statements and have also apologised.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 said Godse was a "patriot", while on Friday, Hegde ...
Outsiders threatening voters in Varanasi: Mayawati
BSP chief Mayawati Friday alleged that outsiders are being used to lure and threaten voters in Varanasi to ensure a win for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked why the EC was not focusing on the constituency. Slamming the Election Commission, she asked why the poll body was not keeping a watch on Varanasi like it was doing in West Bengal. In a tweet, Mayawati charged, "In a bid to ensure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wins from Varanasi, outsiders are being used to lure and threaten voters. In this case, how can a free and impartial polls be held". Varanasi will go to polls on May 19.
Modi bribed Varanasi voters, why EC not keeping eye as in Bengal?: Mayawati
BSP supremo Mayawati on Friday alleged that Narendra Modi bribed and threatened voters in Varanasi and questioned why the Election Commission is not keeping an eye on the parliamentary constituency like in West Bengal.In a Hindi tweet, Mayawati claimed that outsiders are luring and threatened people in Varanasi to vote for the Prime Minister who is seeking re-election from the Lok Sabha seat.Her tweet roughly translates to, "How can free and fair polls be held Varanasi if efforts are being made to ensure Prime Minister Narendra Modi's victory in every situation through outsiders by first luring people and then threatening them? Why is Election Commission not keeping an eye on Varanasi like in West Bengal?"[{402a9a47-c945-44c0-b8af-58bc0aa6a5de:intradmin/Image1_xmHvQ9C.JPG}]Mayawati's latest barb adds to the war of words between Modi and the former chief minister. While the BSP leader has time and again accused Modi and his party of not fulfilling poll promises of 204, Modi has termed .
MP CEO submits report to EC on Pragya's remark on Godse
The Madhya Pradesh chief electoral officer has submitted a report to the Election Commission over BJP's Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate Pragya Singh Thakur calling Mahatma Gandhi's killer Nathuram Godse a "patriot". Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast, had made the comment during a roadshow in the state on Thursday and later, apologised saying that she respected the Father of the Nation. "We have forwarded the report to the EC (Election Commission) in this regard," Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) V L Kantha Rao said Friday. When asked about the details of the report, he said, "We will share it once the EC takes a decision on this." The CEO had earlier directed the Agar Malwa district election officer to file a report on Thakur's statement she made on Thursday. "Nathuram Godse was a deshbhakt (patriot), he is and will remain a deshbhakt. Those calling him a terrorist should instead look at themselves. They will be given a befitting reply in this election," the controversial leader ..
Sympathy vs development as Yadavs clash in Patliputra
With RJD chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharati pitted against BJP's sitting MP and Minister Ram Kripal Yadav from here, Bihar's Patliputra Lok Sabha constituency has become a prestige battle.
Azad does a u-turn
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday appeared to have made a u-turn saying his party must be given a chance if a stable government is needed at the Centre, in remarks that came a day after he had said that Congress was only keen on defeating NDA and the prime minister's post was not its primary concern."No, it is not true that Congress will not claim the Prime Minister's post. We are the biggest and the oldest political party. If the government is to run for five years, the biggest political party should be given a chance. But what I have been saying is that while we are in the midst of elections we should not fight among ourselves. It (PM's post) should be decided by consensus," Azad told ANI here.On Thursday, Azad had asserted that his party was only interested in defeating NDA and getting the Prime Minister's post was not its primary concerns."We have already made our stand clear. If a consensus is made in the favour of Congress, then the party will take the ...
NPF to review its alliance with BJP in Manipur
Contending that the BJP does not pay heed to its ideas and suggestions, the NPF, a partner in the saffron party-led alliance in the state, has convened a meeting of its leaders on Saturday to decide if it would continue to stay in the coalition or withdraw support. Denying the allegation, the BJP said it has extended all possible facilities to its partners to ensure smooth functioning of the government. Talking to PTI, Awangbou Newmai, the state unit chief of the Naga People's Front (NPF), claimed that the BJP "looks down" on its alliance partners. "The BJP has never respected the spirit of alliance since the formation of government in 2016. There have been instances when their leaders have refused to consider our members as alliance partners," he said, without elaborating. The NPF has four MLAs in the 60-member Assembly. Of the four MLAs, Loshii Dikho, who won from Mao Assembly constituency, is a cabinet minister. Newmai also said that the saffron party did not live up ..
Attending family function when my car was vandalized: Mukul Roy
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukul Roy on Friday denied Trinamool Congress' (TMC) allegations that he was campaigning after the stipulated time by the Election Commission and said he was attending a family function when his vehicle was vandalized by unknown assailants."I know the rules of elections fully. Normally I won't be coming to the media after the election campaign ends. I went there for a family event, when I came to join, I saw some people coming and breaking my car with bricks into pieces. There is chaos all around in Bengal," Roy told reporters here.Vehicles of Roy and BJP's candidate from Dum Dum Lok Sabha seat Samik Bhattacharya were allegedly vandalised by unidentified men in Nagerbazar area here on Thursday night. The attack took place when Bhattacharya and Roy were not present at the spot.TMC had alleged that their workers were protesting against the two leaders who were campaigning post the time stipulated by the EC.Roy said he would file a complaint with the ..
India will go Pak way if armed forces 'intermixed' with political class: Dharamvir Gandhi
Sitting MP and Punjab Democratic Alliance candidate from Patiala, Dharamvir Gandhi, feels the BJP's nationalism is chauvinism and that India will go Pakistan's way if the armed forces are "intermixed" with the political class. The 67-year-old lawmaker also accused the Narendra Modi government of usurping the power of states and giving a free hand to right-wing "fringe" groups such as the Hindu Mahasabha, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad the Bajrang Dal. On the BJP's high-pitched nationalism narrative, Gandhi said, "It's not nationalism but chauvinism. To be nationalistic is one thing, to be chauvinist and spread hatred is other." "I am not for chauvinistic agenda. I am a proud Indian and a proud Punjabi, but I do not hate Pakistan. It is as beautiful as India," he said. He also said it's wrong on the part of the Modi government to take credit for the surgical strikes conducted by the armed forces. "It is definitely wrong (taking credit for surgical strikes). The only thing why India has not .
It is advisable not to arrest me, says Kamal
Even as his anticipatory bail petition is pending before the Madras High Court for his 'Hindu terrorist' speech, actor-politician Kamal Haasan on Friday said it is advisable not to arrest him.
BJP will get more than 280 seats, NDA's tally 300 plus: BJP leader P Muralidhar Rao
Dismissing his colleague Ram Madhav's assessment that the BJP will need the support of allies to form government, senior leader P Muralidhar Rao says his party will get more than 280 seats while the NDA's tally will be 300 plus. Regional leaders like BSP supremo Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav are irrelevant in the national context, the BJP's national general secretary told PTI. Taking a potshot at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao, he said everybody is thinking of becoming prime minister regardless of the numbers their parties might get in the elections. Discussing Madhav's comment in a recent interview that the BJP will require the support of allies to form the next government, he said, My entire party does not agree with him. It is not me alone. My party president, my PM candidate and my party have expressed the opinions disagreeing... And I have also learnt that he has changed his view after his ...
Cong questions PM's silence on Pragya Thakur's remarks on Godse
Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Friday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on BJP leader Sadhvi Pragya's remarks describing Nathuram Godse as a "patriot". BJP's Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate and Malegaon blast accused Thakur on Thursday lauded Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse as a "patriot", sparking an outrage from the Opposition. Under fire for her remarks, Thakur tendered an apology on Thursday night and said she respected Mahatma Gandhi as his work for the country cannot be forgotten. In a tweet, Sibal tweeted, "When Sadhvi Pragya says: "Godse a Deshbakht" and Modi is silent with Vidyasagar's statue a victim of the violent I can only pray for my country and hope that one day the silent majority will keep violence at bay". Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also condemned Thakur's remarks and said Godse was inspired by RSS ideology. "Godse was inspired by Sangh Pariwar's ideology & so is Pragya. Former killed our Mahatma
MP: Report on Pragya Thakur submitted to EC over Godse 'deshbhakt' remark
District Election Officer from Agar Malwa on Friday submitted his report to Madhya Pradesh Election Commission in the matter related to BJP Lok Sabha candidate Pragya Singh Thakur's statement that "Nathuram Godse was, is and will remain a 'deshbhakt' (patriot)".On Thursday, when asked about actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan's remark that India's first terrorist was a Hindu (in reference to Godse), Thakur said, "Nathuram Godse was a 'deshbhakt', is a 'deshbhakt' and will remain a 'deshbhakt'."Soon after her controversial statement on Godse, the Opposition parties attacked her saying what she said reflected the mindset of the people nurtured in RSS ideology.As her comments caused a huge embarrassment to her party, BJP, which has strongly backed her candidature in Bhopal, without much delay tried to control the damage caused by her.Party spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao issued a statement saying the party condemns the statement of Thakur and said she should apologise publicly for ...
Every religion has its own terrorist: Kamal Haasan
Under attack from parties and Hindu groups over his remarks on Nathuram Godse, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan on Friday said that every religion has its own terrorists and one cannot claim oneself as "sanctimonious".The actor-turned-politician maintained that history has shown that all religions have their extremists.Reacting to the incident in which stones were thrown at his rally in Tiruchirapally, Haasan said, "I feel the quality of polity is going down. I don't feel threatened. Every religion has its own terrorist, we cannot claim that we are sanctimonious. History shows that all religions have their extremists."Issuing a clarification over his remark that the 'first terrorist in independent India was a Hindu', he said, "I have said the same thing before. It's not the first time but it's been blown out of proportion."On being asked to respond to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment during an interview to a news website, Haasan said, "I do not have to reply to ...
Goa varsity withdraws teacher recruitment ads after objections
Amid strong objections from the Goa Forward Party (GFP), the Goa University has withdrawn its advertisements issued for recruitment of teachers, in which it had dropped the 15-year domicile clause. The GFP, a constituent of the BJP-led government in the state, had expressed its opposition to the advertisements, saying the exclusion of the domicile clause would lead to non-Goans applying for all the 80-odd vacancies. In a release issued on Thursday, the university Registrar said, "The Goa University has withdrawn the three advertisements released on March 8, 2019 for recruitment of teaching positions, including for backlog, shortfall and regular vacancies." Goa Youth Forward, the youth wing of the GFP, had taken up the issue after it noticed that the advertisements did not mention the domicile clause. Taking strong objection to the advertisements, GFP chief and Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai had recently said that they were willing to go anywhere to protect the ...
Congress will give people what it promises unlike BJP: Robert Vadra
Businessman Robert Vadra, husband of Congress General Secretary in-charge for Uttar Pradesh (East) Priyanka Gandhi, on Friday accused Bharatiya Janata Party of making "false" and "hollow" promises.Vadra took to Facebook to take a dig at the incumbent government and said: "Congress will give to the people what it has promised. Not make false, hollow promises like the BJP did, and never delivered even one promise. We will fulfil every need."Vadra also posted two pictures. While in one photo he urged voters to vote for the Congress, in the other photo he could be seen giving food to the poor."We will stay true to our promises. Vote for new India," the photo stated.Robert Vadra has three cases - Bikaner land deal money laundering case, 2009 petroleum deal case under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) era and United Kingdom assets case, going on against him.As many as 59 parliamentary constituencies spread across 7 states and 1 Union Territory will go to polls in the last and seventh ...
Senior Congress leader Kadavoor Sivadasan dead
Veteran trade unionist and senior Congress leader Kadavoor Sivadasan passed away at a private hospital here early on Friday morning, party sources said. He was 87 and was under treatment for pneumonia.
Bengal will be bonus, will help BJP in crossing 300-mark: Sunil Deodhar (IANS Interview)
The BJP will cross the majority mark without West Bengal and the state will help the party in crossing the target of 300, says BJP Secretary Sunil Deodhar, who is credited as one of the key architects of saffron party's victory in Tripura where it ended 25 years of Left Front rule in 20018.
Re-polling in one Chandni Chowk booth on Sunday
The Election Commission of India ordered on Thursday re-poll at a polling booth in Chandni Chowk parliamentary constituency.The poll body declared re-poll at polling station no. 32 of Chandni Chowk Assembly Segment after the presiding officer forget to delete the test votes before the actual polling on May 12.The re-poll will be conducted on Sunday.In Chandni Chowk, sitting BJP MP and Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan is contesting against four-time Lok Sabha MP and Congress leader Jai Prakash Agarwal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Pankaj Gupta.The counting of votes will take place on May 23.