Page 529 - Politics
Pragya calls Godse 'deshbhakt', BJP seeks public apology as Congress attacks (3rd Lead)
BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Bhopal Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur on Thursday kicked up a major row by describing Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse as a "deshbhakt" (patriot), a comment which her party immediately condemned and asked her to apologise for her remark.
Mamata should change her name because she has no affection: Shyam Jaju
Senior BJP leader Shyam Jaju on Thursday hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying she was scared as her party was facing defeat in Lok Sabha polls and was trying to "throttle" democracy. The BJP and Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) are engaged in a bitter and violent confrontation in the ongoing polls, with both sides attacking each other in a no-holds-barred political situation in the state. "Banerjee has lost her mental balance due to the apprehension of her party's defeat in these elections. It is the basic right of every person and party to participate and hold road show, rally, campaign for elections. She is trying to throttle democracy for her selfish vote bank politics," Jaju said in a statement, referring to violence during BJP president Amit Shah's road show in Kolkata. He alleged that by vandalising the statue of social reformer Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar, the Trinamool Congress tried to defame Shah's road show. "Mamata should change name because her ...
Opposition attack on Election Commission 'advance alibi' for poll defeat: Jaitley
Calling the attack on Election Commission by opposition parties an advance alibi for defeat, Union minister Arun Jaitley Thursday said the aspirational India wants a better tomorrow and will not make suicidal choices by voting for "highly corrupt" and "temperamental mavericks". Fractured opposition has no agreement on either a leader or programme, the senior BJP leader said in his blog 'The Frightening and Scary Scenario of India's Opposition'. Jaitley further said as the seventh phase of election approaches to closure, the groundswell in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is becoming stronger. "Except in the last few days, not one political analyst had foreseen the velocity of this groundswell even in a state like Bengal. The largest size of the prime minister's public rallies has been in Bengal," he said. It is on this day five years ago, the BJP-led NDA got an absolute majority in the 16th Lok Sabha elections. It was also after three decades that a single party had won absolute
Juncker warns of far-right 'danger' ahead of EU vote
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned his own centre-right political grouping of the dangers of "compromising" with far-right parties, in an interview published on Thursday. "One cannot underestimate the danger from the right. My concern is that the image of Europe will become darker when the traditional European parties make verbal compromises with the extreme right," Juncker told the Austrian Der Standard newspaper. He said he would advise his own Christian Social People's Party from Luxembourg to leave the European People's Party (EPP) if the grouping makes a deal with far-right parties. Far-right parties across Europe are expected to make gains in the May 26 European parliament elections, banking on voters' anger over immigration and disillusionment with what they see as an entrenched political elite. Juncker warned that debates in the European parliament would be "strongly affected" if far-right and far-left parties have a "too strong influence", while a ...
Pragya calls Godse patriot; draws ire of BJP, opposition parties
BJP's Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate and Malegaon blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur Thursday lauded Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse as a "patriot", sparking an outrage from the Opposition with the Congress alleging that "insulting martyrs is in the DNA" of BJP, which also condemned her remarks. "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 said in Agar Malwa in Madhya Pradesh while attending a roadshow. She was replying to a question over actor-politician Kamal Haasans remark that independent India's first "extremist was a Hindu", a reference to Godse. Her remarks created a major row with the opposition parties attacking her and the BJP with the NCP saying people can now see the "real face" of the Amit Shah-led party and the Congress demanding an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP ...
Philippines says envoy recalled over Canada trash row
The Philippines has recalled its ambassador to Canada, Manila's foreign minister said Thursday, in an escalation of a festering diplomatic row over tonnes of trash dumped in the Southeast Asian nation. Ties have been deteriorating since a Canadian company sent around 100 shipping containers that included rotting rubbish wrongly labelled as recyclables to Philippine ports in 2013 and 2014. Manila set a May 15 deadline for Canada to take the rotting trash back, after President Rodrigo Duterte berated Ottawa over the issue last month. Canada has since said it is working to arrange for the containers' return, but has not given a timeframe. In a statement, Ottawa said it is "disappointed" by the recall, but "remains committed to finalising these arrangements for the return of the waste to Canada." "We will continue to closely engage with the Philippines to ensure a swift resolution of this important issue," it added. Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said letters recalling the ...
Kejriwal terms EC 'biased', asks why campaign in WB ordered to be stopped on Thursday night
Accusing the Election Commission of being "biased", Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked why the poll panel ordered campaign be stopped in West Bengal at 10 pm Thursday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rallies in the state. In the first such action in India's electoral history, the poll panel on Wednesday invoked Article 324 of the Constitution to end campaigning in nine West Bengal constituencies at 10 pm on Thursday, a day before its scheduled deadline, following violence between BJP and TMC workers in Kolkata on Tuesday. Polling for the nine Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal will be held on May 19. During his election campaign at Moga in Punjab, Kejriwal told reporters that he strongly condemns the "attitude" of the EC. "We strongly condemn the attitude of the Election Commission. Why was the campaign ordered to be stopped after Modiji's rallies. We have never seen this biased EC in the history of the country," the AAP national convener said. Expressing his support to West ..
Two pro-Iran Iraqi armed groups reject US claim of threat
Two key pro-Iran Iraqi armed groups Thursday rejected a US claim of an "imminent" threat against American personnel that prompted Washington to order the evacuation of some staff from its Baghdad embassy. Nasr al-Shomari, a military commander for the Iran-backed Harakat al-Nujaba, told AFP the claim was "a pretext" by Washington to create "an uproar" in Iraq. A leader of the pro-Iran Asaib Ahl al-Haq group, Layth al-Azari, said the allegations were part of a "psychological war" by the United States. The two groups are key factions within the Shiite-dominated Hashed al-Shaabi organisation which played a key role in the battle to defeat the Islamic State jihadist group in Iraq. On Wednesday the United States ordered the evacuation of non-emergency staff from its Baghdad embassy, citing an "imminent" threat from Iranian-linked armed groups in Iraq. It came as tensions soared in the region amid a stand-off between Washington and Tehran. The evacuation order, also covering the US consulate
BJP remains inspired by killers of Gandhi: Yechury on Pragya's Godse remarks
Left parties Thursday hit out at the BJP over its Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate Pragya Singh Thakur's remark that Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse was a "patriot", alleging that the saffron party remains inspired by the killers of the Father of the Nation. Talking to a news channel in Madhya Pradesh earlier in the day, Thakur said, "Nathuram Godse was a desh bhakt (patriot), he is and will remain one. Those calling him a terrorist should introspect. They will be given a befitting reply in this election." Reacting to her remarks, the Left parties said that facts should always be kept in mind when talking about Godse. "The truth about where RSS-BJP stands on terror gets clearer all the time. A senior minister in (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi's Cabinet said Godse was not a terrorist, now terror-accused Pragya Thakur calls the murderer of Gandhi ji a 'desh bhakt'. The BJP remains inspired by the killers of the Mahatma." CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said. CPI leader D ...
Cong not averse to supporting regional party leader for PM post: Ghulam Nabi Azad
The Congress is not averse to supporting any regional party leader for the Prime Minister's post even if it emerges as the single largest party, Congress leader Gulam Nabi Azad said on Thursday. "My party high command has already made it clear that the Congress is not averse to making a prime minister from any regional party," Azad told reporters here. He was asked if the Congress will be ready to support any regional party leader for the PM's post even if it emerges as the largest party in a hung Parliament. Speaking in the same vein in Patna on Wednesday, Azad had said the Congress will not make it an issue if the PM's post is not offered to it. Azad's remarks assume significance as the Congress has been asserting that it would be the fulcrum of any non-NDA government, which was seen as its claim for the PM's post and had led some major regional parties to maintain a distance from it. "It will be good if there is a consensus on Congress leader's name for heading the government at ...
Pragya Thakur refuses to apologise for 'Godse is patriot' remark, says 'party line is my line'.
After stirring a huge controversy for calling Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse a "true patriot", Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur retracted her remarks and said, "party line is my line".The BJP leader, however, did not directly apologise for her remarks despite condemnation by the the party, which said she should apologize publicly."Apne sangathan BJP mein nishtha rakhti hun, uski karyakarta hun aur party ki line meri line hai (I trust my party. I am a BJP worker and I will follow the party line)," Thakur said speaking to ANI.Her statement came hours after the BJP distanced itself from the remarks made by Thakur and demanded a public apology from her.Earlier in the day, when questioned 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'."The Opposition parties attacked her saying what she said reflected the mindset of the ...
Distancing not enough; BJP's nationalistic luminaries should spell their stand:Priyanka on Pragya
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Thursday dared the BJP's "nationalistic luminaries" to spell out their stand on their Bhopal candidate Pragya Singh Thakur calling Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse a patriot and said merely distancing from her is not enough. "Bapu's assassin a patriot? Hey Ram. "Distancing yourself from your candidate is not enough. Nationalistic luminaries of the BJP, have the guts to spell out your stand," Priyanka tweeted. Thakur kicked up a row as she called Godse a "patriot" but apologised for it hours later and withdrew her statement. The BJP distanced itself from her statement saying it did not agree with her, as "Mahatma Gandhi's killer cannot be a patriot". This is the second time in a month that Thakur has apologised for a controversial statement made by her. Last month, she had stoked a controversy when she said that IPS officer Hemant Karkare had died during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks as she had "cursed" him for torturing her. ..
Theresa May to confirm resignation date in June
British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday agreed to set a firm date for her resignation as Conservative Party leader to make way for a new leader in Downing Street by next month. After a crunch meeting with the party's influential 1922 Committee of backbench MPs, it was agreed that May would set out an exact timetable for her exit after her Brexit deal goes through the House of Commons for a fourth time in early June. It had been announced earlier this week that May intends to bring her controversial Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, already defeated three times by British MPs, back for another vote in the week beginning June 3. In a joint statement after the crucial meeting, Graham Brady, Chair of the 1922 Committee, said: "The Prime Minister is determined to secure our departure from the European Union and is devoting her efforts to securing the 2nd Reading of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill in the week commencing 3 June 2019 and the passage of that Bill and the consequence departure .
Pragya calls Godse patriot; forced to apologise after drawing ire of BJP, opp
BJP's Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate and Malegaon blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur Thursday lauded Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse as a "patriot", sparking an outrage from the Opposition with the Congress alleging that "insulting martyrs is in the DNA" of BJP, which also condemned her remarks. "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 said in Agar Malwa in Madhya Pradesh while attending a roadshow. She was replying to a question over actor-politician Kamal Haasans remark that independent India's first "extremist was a Hindu", a reference to Godse. Her remarks created a major row with the opposition parties attacking her and the BJP with the NCP saying people can now see the "real face" of the Amit Shah-led party and the Congress demanding an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP ...
India condemns drone attacks targeting oil installations in Saudi Arabia
India Thursday strongly condemned the drone attacks targeting oil installations in Saudi Arabia two days ago. The drone strikes hit two pumping stations on Saudi Arabia's east-west pipeline on Tuesday, resulting in shutting down of a major pipeline which can carry five million barrels of crude per day. "We strongly condemn the drone attacks on May 14, targeting oil installations in Saudi Arabia. We reiterate our resolve to fight terrorism and violence in all its forms and manifestations," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. He was responding to a query on the drone attacks. According to reports, the drone attacks have been claimed by Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels.
Repolling in Chandragiri: Naidu says EC decision 'unethical, unconstitutional'
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu Thursday criticised the Election Commission's order to hold repolling in five booths in the Chandragiri Assembly constituency as unethical and unconstitutional. Thirty-four days after voting was held in the constituency, the EC ordered repoll based on a report by the Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer, and without waiting for the recommendations of a panel set up for this purpose, Naidu alleged. On the contrary, the poll panel on May 15 relieved West Bengal Home Secretary Atri Bhattacharya for having interfered in the elections process by directing the state's CEO, he said. In a representation to the EC about the repolling ordered in his state, the incumbent Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister said, "...it is injustice. (It is) unfortunate, unethical and unconstitutional." Naidu demanded the EC play a "neutral role" to facilitate free and fair election without being "partisan at the instance of any particular party". "Hence, the Chief Election Commissioner .
TRS, YSRCP to wait for clear picture to emerge
Both the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) may skip May 23 meeting convened by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and will wait for a clear picture to emerge after the Lok Sabha battle before responding to her invitation.
US-Iran tensions: Pakistan asks all sides to show restraint
Pakistan Thursday described the developments in the Persian Gulf as "disturbing" and asked all sides to show restraint as a miscalculated move can transmute into a large-scale conflict. "The US decision to deploy aircraft carrier and bombers has added to the tensions and the existing precarious security situation in Middle East. We expect all sides to show restraint as a miscalculated move can transmute into a large-scale conflict," Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said. He said the issues between US and Iran should be resolved through negotiations and talks as war was not an option. Responding to a question, Faisal said that Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of State meeting being held on June 13-14 in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. He said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi would pay an official visit to Bishkek from May 21 to 22 to participate in the SCO Meeting of the Council of Foreign ...
Nepal-India Franchise expo formally inaugurated today
Nepal Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada on Thursday formally inaugurated the biggest franchise and investment expo of the country, Nepal-India Franchise Investment Expo and Conclave.Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Manjeev Singh Puri also attended the occasion organised at Hotel Yak and Yeti in Kathmandu.The two-day event, held on May 15 and May 16, provides a platform for the Indian companies to expand their reach in the Nepali markets as well as bridge the entrepreneurs from Nepal who wants to get connected to the renowned Indian companies.On the occasion, Khatiwada said such events would enable in spurring new business ideas in Nepal."This kind of expo may provide learning opportunities to you. You might also get some new clues on how to do businesses. Such expos would definitely help us to share experiences and motivate us to move towards that direction," Khatiwada said.The expo, which ends on Thursday, was earlier expected to be inaugurated by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. But due to
BJP to suffer net loss of seats this polls: Report
A new report has claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to suffer a net loss of seats in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, but will still emerge as the single largest party.