Page 534 - Politics
Amit Shah not God, but Mamata Banerjee no saint either: Sena
Blaming West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the violence during Amit Shah's road show in Kolkata, the Shiv Sena on Thursday said the BJP president was not God but Banerjee was "no saint" either. It said Banerjee did not give permission for the BJP leaders' choppers to land in her state which started the conflict between the saffron party and her Trinamool Congress (TMC). "Her (Mamata Banerjee's) government was elected democratically. Whether she wins or loses will be decided democratically. She will not win by becoming a roadblock in the way of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi-Shah," the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana' After the violence in Kolkata on Tuesday, Banrejee remarked that the BJP president was "not God". Referring to it, the Marathi publication said, "Amit Shah is not God, but Banerjee is also not a saint or a Goddess. Bengal has seen violence during the time of Marxist regime and now Mamata Banrejee is also doing the ...
BJP condemns Pragya's praise for Nathuram Godse, asks her to apologise
The BJP on Thursday condemned its Bhopal Lok Sabha seat candidate Pragya Singh Thakur's praise for Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse as "patriot" and asked her to tender a public apology. "We completely disagree with her statement with regard to Mahatma Gandhi. We strongly condemn this statement. The party will seek clarification from her as to why she gave this. It would be proper for her to seek and tender a public apology for her objectionable statement," BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said in a statement. Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon blast case, ignited a fresh controversy Thursday by claiming that Godse "is and will remain a patriot". Talking to a news channel in Madhya Pradesh, she said, "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." Thakur said this in response to a question over actor-turned-politician Kamal .
SUCI (Communist) demands immediate arrest of culprits involved in vandalising Vidyasagar statue
The Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) Thursday demanded strong action against those involved in vandalising the bust of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar during BJP president Amit Shah's roadshow in Kolkata and asserted that the incident was a "well-planned conspiracy" to muzzle secular and scientific thinking. The Delhi state organizing committee of SUCI (Communist) staged a protest at Jantar Mantar and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits involved in vandalising the bust. Shouting anti-BJP and anti-RSS slogans, the protesters said the statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagr has been demolished at a time when the entire country is preparing to celebrate his 200th birth anniversary. "The demolition of the statue of the great Vidyasagar should not be mistaken as just a part of electoral violence, but it is a well-planned conspiracy to muzzle the secular and scientific thinking" KC Tiwari, a member of SUCI (Communist) said. Kolkata witnessed wide-spread violence during BJP president ..
Pragya calls Godse 'patriot', BJP 'doesn't agree' with her
BJP's Bhopal Lok Sabha seat candidate and Malegaon blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur Thursday kicked up a row as she called Mahatma Gandhi's assassin a "patriot". The Madhya Pradesh BJP, however, distanced itself from her statement saying it did not agree with her as Mahatma Gandhi's killer cannot be a patriot. Talking to a news channel here, Thakur said, "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." Thakur said this in response to a question over actor-turned politician Kamal Haasan's remarks that free India's first terrorist was a Hindu", a reference to Nathuram Godse. Pragya Singh was in Agar Malwa for a road-show for Mahendra Solanki, BJP candidate from Dewas Lok Sabha seat. Addressing an election campaign rally at Aravakurichi (Tamil Nadu) on May 12, Haasan had said, "I am not saying this because this is a ...
PIL in HC for review of parties having names with religious connotations
A PIL has been moved in the Delhi High Court seeking directions to the Election Commission (EC) to review political parties having names with religious connotations or using symbols similar to that of the national flag and to de-register them if they do not change them within three months. The petition by BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay has contended that use of names with religious connotations or symbols similar to the national flag or emblem might prejudicially affect the poll prospects of a candidate and would amount to a corrupt practice under the Representation of the People Act (RPA) of 1951. "Review the political parties, registered with religious, caste, ethnic or linguistic connotations and ensure that they are not using a flag, similar to the national flag and de-register them if they fail to change it within three months," the plea has urged the high court which is likely to hear the matter on Friday. Upadhyay, also a lawyer, has claimed in his plea that such a step ...
Nobody can take away Kashmir from India till BJP is alive: Amit Shah
BJP President Amit Shah on Thursday asserted that whether the BJP government stays or goes nobody can take Kashmir away from India till party leaders are alive,"Omar Abdullah said that Kashmir should have a separate Prime Minister. How can a country have two Prime Ministers? These people want to separate Kashmir from India. Rahul Gandhi and Omar Abdullah should know that Kashmir is India's inseparable part and till the day BJP's leaders are alive, nobody can take Kashmir away from us. Reinstate Narendra Modi as our PM and we would remove article 370," he said.Shah said that Congress was thinking of removing sedition law which the BJP would never allow. "Congress says sedition law will be repealed. People like Zakir Naik who kept spreading terrorism have run away from the country fearing PM Modi.He says that he will return when a Congress or Gathbandhan government comes to power. We challenge him to set foot on Indian shores; if he does, we will surely put him behind the bars," he ...
IUML bastion Ponnani hasn't returned a single Congress candidate in 68 years
It's been represented by stalwarts like G.M. Banatwala, Ebrahim Suliamn Sait and E. Ahamad of the IUML but the Ponnani Lok Sabha constituency in North Kerala hasn't returned a single Congress candidate since the first General Election in 1951. That's all of 68 years and it's likely to maintain the record even this time around.
LS polls: 6 of top 10 richest candidates from Congress
Of the top 10 richest candidates in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, six are from the Congress, according to the National Election Watch (NEW) and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
Amit Shah incited violence in West Bengal, alleges Arvind Kejriwal
Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday alleged that BJP president Amit Shah incited violence in West Bengal during the Lok Sabha polls."Whatever Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah have done in West Bengal is wrong. There is a limit to doing dirty politics. We strongly condemn the way Shah has incited violence in West Bengal," he told ANI."People of West Bengal will give a befitting reply to Modi and Shah. We all are in support of Mamata Banerjee," he added.Kejriwal was referring to incidents of violence in West Bengal especially to incidents that took place during Shah's roadshow and to vandalisation of bust of iconic social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had also accused Shah of inciting violence and criticised PM Modi for not condemning the acts of violence in the state.The AAP national convenor further said, "We condemn the openly biased role played by the Election Commission. The EC
Former Australian PM Bob Hawke dead at 89
Bob Hawke, one of Australia's longest-serving Prime Ministers and a former Labour Party leader, died on Thursday at the age of 89.
Philippines recalls envoys in Canada over trash shipments
The Philippines is recalling its ambassador and consuls in Canada over Ottawa's failure to comply with a deadline to take back truckloads of garbage that Filipino officials say were illegally shipped to the Philippines years ago, officials said Thursday. Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. tweeted that the Philippines "shall maintain a diminished diplomatic presence in Canada until its garbage is ship bound there." The drastic move is the latest strain in Philippine relations with Canada under President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte threatened last month to forcibly ship the containers of garbage back to Canada and dump some at its embassy in Manila if Canadian officials don't take back the waste. Officials later set a May 15 deadline for Canada to comply. Locsin said in his tweet that letters for the recall of the Philippine ambassador and consuls in Canada have been sent and that they were expected back in Manila after about a day. "That recall shows that we are very serious in asking ..
Varanasi not yet like Kyoto as promised, time to replace PM Modi: Akhilesh
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday for not fulfilling his promise of transforming Varanasi into a smart city like Kyoto."In this very place the PM had said that he will make Varanasi into Kyoto. If Varanasi has not been made into Kyoto, then the PM has to be changed," Akhilesh said."Only one day of campaigning is left in this Lok Sabha election. Only seven days are left and there will be a new PM. We have come here to appeal to the public of Varanasi to make the right choice," the SP leader remarked.Elections to 484 constituencies stand completed in the first six phases of the Lok Sabha election. Varanasi is amongst the 59 remaining seats which will go to polls on May 19 in the final phase of the election. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.
Missouri Senate passes bill to ban abortions at 8 weeks
Missouri's Republican-led Senate has now passed a bill to ban abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy. Senators approved the legislation 24-10 early Thursday with just hours left before a Friday deadline to pass bills. It needs at least one more vote of approval in the GOP-led House before it can go to Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who voiced support for it on Wednesday. Parson called on state senators to take action, joining a movement of GOP-dominated state legislatures emboldened by the possibility that a more conservative Supreme Court could overturn its landmark ruling legalizing the procedure. Their vote came only hours after Alabama's governor signed the most stringent abortion ban in the nation on Wednesday, making performing an abortion a felony in nearly all cases. The Missouri proposal includes exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for pregnancies caused by rape or incest. Doctors would face five to 15 years in prison for violating the eight-week cutoff. Women who ...
Aware of defeat, SP-BSP at each other's throats: PM Modi in Mirzapur
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), who are in alliance in Uttar Pradesh, are "grabbing each other's collars" as they are aware of their defeat in the ongoing polls.Addressing a rally here, Modi, citing a recent scuffle between the SP and BSP workers, said, "SP-BSP leaders make deals in the comfort of their AC rooms in Lucknow and this is the reason why they have lost touch with the ground reality. Now that the parties know that they are going to lose the elections, their party workers are pulling each other's collars."Continuing his tirade against SP and BSP, the Prime Minister said the parties have increased their "daily dosage" of hurling abuses against him."Even if they spew poison at me, the public knows that these people (Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati) are corrupt. They sit on a pile of money and call themselves 'Samajwadi'. They have looted the state turn by turn," he added.The Prime Minister also accused the ...
TDP protests EC decision for re-poll
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Thursday staged a protest over Election Commission's decision to conduct re-polling in five more polling booths in Andhra Pradesh.
TN must take steps to free Rajiv Gandhi killers: Ramadoss
PMK founder S. Ramadoss on Thursday said the Tamil Nadu government should take steps to release the seven persons convicted in connection with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination under the Criminal Procedure Code.
Hong Kong student leader Joshua Wong sent back to jail
Prominent Hong Kong student leader Joshua Wong was sent back to prison Thursday after he lost an attempt to quash a jail sentence over his leadership of huge democracy protests five years ago. Wong, 22, became one of the most recognisable faces of the "Umbrella Movement" in 2014 which paralysed key intersections of the financial hub for more than two months. Protesters were demanding a greater say in how the city is run, including the right for Hong Kongers to directly elect the city's leader. The movement -- which took its name from the umbrellas protesters used to defend themselves against police -- failed to win any concessions from the city's pro-Beijing authorities, and its leaders faced a slew of prosecutions. Wong, who was 17 when the protests began, was jailed for three months in January 2018 on a contempt charge after pleading guilty to obstructing the clearance of a major protest camp. He served only six days of that sentence before being released on bail pending an ...
Iran committed to nuclear agreement: Foreign Minister
Iran is committed to the 2015 nuclear agreement it signed with a group of world powers despite the withdrawal of the US from the landmark pact, the Gulf country's Foreign Minister said on Thursday, calling the reimposing of the sanctions by Washington "unacceptable".
French PM defends questioning of reporters over weapons after outcry
France's prime minister on Thursday defended the interrogation by the secret service of three reporters who published details over French arms sales to the Gulf, after an outcry by press freedom activists. Two reporters from the investigative news site Disclose and one correspondent with Radio France were interrogated this week by the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), France's domestic intelligence organisation. They had worked on a Disclose story based on a leaked military intelligence dossier, which showed how French tanks, artillery and ships sold to France's allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were being used in the war in Yemen. Geoffrey Livolsi and Mathias Destal of Disclose were questioned on Tuesday and Radio France's Benoit Collombat on Wednesday. Livolsi and Destal subsequently denounced their questioning as an "attempt at intimidation". But Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said while he respected the journalists' right to report, there were also .
India's multilateral naval exercises proves its commitment for Act East policy; says Indian envoy
India's profound role in conducting wide-ranging multi-lateral and bilateral naval exercises proves its commitment towards the Act East Policy and an inclusive, open and balanced Indo-Pacific region, India's High Commissioner to Singapore Jawed Ashraf has said. Speaking at a reception on board INS Kolkata on Wednesday, Ashraf said that the multi-lateral and bilateral naval exercises are part of India's growing strategic engagement and defence diplomacy in the South East Asian region. INS Kolkata and INS Shakti are participating in a three-day International Maritime Defence Exhibition Asia (IMDEX) that commenced here on May 14. "India conducts wide-ranging multi-lateral and bilateral naval exercises in the region and that complements the country's diplomatic, economic, developmental and cultural ties in the region," he said at the event held to celebrate the success of the Indian Navy in recent exercises and responses to disaster and rescue operations. The IMDEX Asia-2019 also ...