Page 537 - Politics
BJP forced EC to ban campaigning in WB: Mayawati
BSP President Mayawati on Thursday alleged that the Election Commission's decision to curtail campaigning in West Bengal was taken under pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
We are not enemies, politics should not be like India vs Pakistan: Sukhbir Badal
Expressing concern about political discourse hitting a new low in Election 2019, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal says politics should not become an "India versus Pakistan" situation. The chief of one of BJP's oldest allies hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a decisive and strong prime minister and said he is the only choice to steer the NDA after the Lok Sabha election results. We need a strong prime minister...after so many years we got a prime minister who is decisive. You can't let the country run on auto mode...we need a leader who can take the country on the path of faster growth, Badal told PTI in an interview. He also articulated his concerns about personal attacks against leaders and the quality of leaders in the ongoing Lok Sabha election, now in its last lap. "We politicians are not enemies...we are not like India-Pakistan...politics should not be like India versus Pakistan, which it is unfortunately becoming. Everyone has their own views but still we are all
FIR lodged against Computer Baba for violating MCC
Bhopal police on Thursday filed an FIR against Namdas Tyagi, also known as Computer Baba, for violating the Model Code of Conduct.Congress' Bhopal candidate Digvijaya Singh, along with Tyagi had, on May 7, performed a 'havan' at a 'maha yagna' to ensure Singh's victory in the Lok Sabha elections.On May 9, BJP had moved the Election Commission accusing Tyagi of fanning communal sentiments while campaigning for Singh, following which the EC issued a notice to him.In his reply to the poll body, Computer Baba said the event was not a political program but a religious one. "No information was given about where to put any political poster. Some anti-social elements may have put the posters."Bhopal Collector Sudam Pandharinath Khade, who is also the district poll in-charge, ordered an investigation into the matter on May 9. During the course of investigation, Khade found Tyagi guilty of flouting norms.A case has been registered against him under section 188 (disobedience to order duly ...
Mamata thanks oppn leaders for backing her
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday thanked the leaders of opposition parties, who came out in her support as she protested against the Election Commission's decision to cut short the poll campaign duration in the state. "Thanks and gratitude to @Mayawati, @yadavakhilesh, @INCIndia, @ncbn and others for expressing solidarity and support to us and the people of #Bengal. EC's biased actions under the directions of the #BJP are a direct attack on democracy. People will give a befitting reply," she tweeted. The poll panel on Wednesday cut short campaigning for the last round of voting in West Bengal, in the wake of violence between the BJP and the TMC workers in Kolkata. The campaign closing time has been advanced to Thursday 10pm in the nine Lok Sabha seats - Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Joynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Calcutta South and Calcutta North. Accusing the Election Commission of acting on the instructions of the BJP, Banerjee ...
Rahul meets Alwar gangrape victim, assures justice
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday met the Alwar gang-rape victim, and assured her and the family of justice.
BJP, Cong sweat it out to capture Parrikar's Panaji
After the elections for Goa's two Lok Sabha seats, the BJP and the Congress are preparing for a face-off in the bypoll for Panaji Assembly constituency, which was held by former chief minister Manohar Parrikar. The bypoll was necessitated after Parrikar's death in March. Refusing ticket to the late chief minister's son, Utpal, the BJP has fielded former MLA Siddharth Kunkolienkar. Kunkolienkar has represented the seat in the absence of Parrikar in 2015 and 2017 assembly elections, when the latter was the Union defence minister. He is pitted against Congress's Antanasio Monserratte, a former minister in state governments led by Parrikar and Digambar Kamat. In the 2017 Goa Assembly elections, Kunkolienkar had defeated Monserratte, who had contested as an Independent and was supported by the Congress. Parrikar wrested Panaji seat from the Congress 25 years ago and had held on it strongly ever since. In the absence of strongman Parrikar, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to reach out ..
Opposition party in Nepal warns of strong protest over Media Council Bill
The main opposition party in Nepal warned of a strong protest if the federal government went ahead with the discussion in Parliament on the controversial Media Council Bill that aims to curtail press freedom by imposing strict penalty on media outlets. Nepal on Friday proposed the new media bill aimed at imposing a hefty fine of up to Rs 1 million on media outlets found guilty of damaging anyone's reputation, raising alarm among journalists who say the government seeks to punish the press in the name of regulation. The new Media Council bill aims to replace the existing Press Council Act and will have more authority to issue hefty fines and give the government more say in the hiring and firing of the council members. A meeting of the Nepali Congress parliamentary party chaired by the party chief and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Wednesday decided that they would protest on streets if the government forwarded the discussion in the Parliament. Similarly, the party also ...
Why Yadavs-Jatavs are voting together -- BJP responsible?
The SP-BSP alliance, even at the fag end of the elections, remains an enigma for many and political pundits remain sceptical about its future. The seeds of the future of the alliance lie buried in its past.
Trump moves to ban foreign telecom gear
US President Donald Trump has moved to ban American telecom firms from installing foreign-made equipment that could pose a threat to national security, White House officials said, stepping up a battle against China by effectively barring sales by Huawei, the countrys leading networking company.
Trump to visit S Korea for talks on North's nukes: White House
President Donald Trump will visit South Korea in June to meet with his counterpart Moon Jae-in over their efforts to persuade North Korea to scrap its nuclear weapons arsenal, the White House has said. It will be the second meeting between the pair since the collapse of a summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi in February after they failed to reach a deal on denuclearisation. "President Trump and President Moon will continue their close coordination on efforts to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearisation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," the White House said in a statement on Wednesday, using North Korea's official name. The dovish South Korean president, who has long backed engagement with the nuclear-armed North, brokered the talks process between Trump and Kim, which led to their first landmark summit in Singapore last June. But security allies Seoul and Washington have at times appeared to diverge on their approach to Pyongyang, and
EC lost its independence, time to review process of its appointment: Congress
Accusing the Election Commission of losing its credibility and independence, the Congress on Thursday said time has come to review the process of the poll panel's appointment. Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the order prohibiting campaigning in West Bengal by 20 hours is a "dark spot" on India's democracy and institutions like the Election Commission. "Election Commission has completely abdicated its Constitutional duty under Art 324 to ensure level playing field, besides negating the due process under Article 14 and 21 of India's Constitution," he told reporters. "The time has come to review the process of appointment of Election Commission," he said, calling for a national debate on the issue. The Congress, a responsible political party, has never cast unwarranted aspersions on the actions of Constitutional bodies, Surjewala said. "But we are deeply saddened to say that Election Commission of India has completely lost its independence and abdicated its ...
Imposing campaign ban after PM's rally unfair, EC acting under pressure: Mayawati
BSP chief Mayawati on Thursday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of acting under pressure from the Central government, a day after the poll body cut short the campaign period in West Bengal by a day.Questioning the timing of the campaign ban, Mayawati claimed the EC was being accommodative of the Prime Minister's rallies in the state."It is very sad that the Election Commission has banned campaigning in West Bengal, but from 10 pm today just because the Prime Minister has two rallies in the day. If they had to impose this ban, why not from today morning? This is unfair and EC is acting under pressure. We condemn this in the strongest terms. If a ban had to be imposed it should have been from today morning itself," Mayawati told ANI.She also attacked the Chief Election Commissioner of India and said, "This also proves that under the incumbent Election Commissioner the elections aren't being conducted freely and fairly. This is very dangerous for democracy."The BSP supremo .
White House tool lets people report social media ban
The White House has launched a new tool for people to report if they have been wrongly censored, banned or suspended on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Sardesai meets Israeli officials during pvt visit to Jerusalem
Goa Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai has called on officials of the Israel's foreign affairs ministry to discuss how the coastal state and the West Asian country could work in cooperation with each other. Sardesai, who is on a private visit to Jerusalem, on Wednesday met a delegation, including Israeli's Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV) head Gil Haskel, deputy head Yuval Fuchs, overseas programme director Daniel Zonshine and South East Asia director Yaron Mayer. "A discussion took place on concrete projects of cooperation between Goa and Israel. We are looking forward to more cooperation on various fronts with them (Israel) in the near future," Sardesai said in a statement. The deputy chief minister said he will be holding more meetings with officials of other departments for ties with Israel in fields like water resources, rural development and others, which are their key expertise areas. Sardesai, who holds the agriculture portfolio in the .
Self-obsessed Modi indulges in theatrics: Captain Amarinder Singh (IANS Interview)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is indulged in theatrics since he took over as Prime Minister, he's a self-obsessed man and the people of Punjab or anywhere else can never forget the incident of desecration of their holy scriptures, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said on Thursday.
Pentagon awards USD 787 million for US-Mexico border wall construction
The United States Defense Department on Wednesday said that it has awarded more than USD 787 million combined to two construction firms to build a wall along the US-Mexico border."Southwest Valley Constructors [of] Albuquerque, New Mexico was awarded a $646,000,000... contract for design and build of Tucson [Arizona] Sector barrier wall," the Defense Department said in a press release.The other construction firm, BFBC LLC, was awarded nearly USD 142 million to design and build pedestrian and vehicle barriers in US cities of El Centro and Yuma, reported Sputnik.It is pertinent to mention that the Defense Department has recognised four sectors along the southern border - El Centro, Yuma, Tucson and El Paso - that require reinforcement through barriers.Last week, the Pentagon had approved the transfer of 1.5 billion to build the more than 80 miles (130km) long wall, on US President Donald Trump's behest.The border wall is one of the long-standing promises that Trump had made during his ..
US' most restrictive anti-abortion bill signed into law
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has signed into law the most restrictive abortion bill in the US, which passes a near total ban on pregnancy terminations, even in cases of rape, and could punish doctors who perform them with life imprisonment.
US blacklists Huawei, places it on entity list
Escalating the bruising trade war with China, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order barring American companies from installing the foreign-made telecom equipment deemed a national security threat, a move apparently aimed at banning Chinese giant Huawei from US networks. The decision taken on Wednesday risks escalating tensions with China as the world's two largest economies clash over whether Huawei the world's largest provider of telecommunications equipment poses a spying risk to Western infrastructure networks. Under the order that will take effect in the coming days, Huawei will need a US government license to buy American technology. Soon after the executive order - "Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain" - was signed, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the Department of Commerce announced that it will be adding Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd and its affiliates to its Entity List. The Department of Commerce ...
NY Mayor de Blasio to announce 2020 presidential run
New York city Mayor Bill de Blasio will officially launch his bid to contest the 2020 presidential election on Thursday, the media reported.
Trump to unveil new immigration proposal
US President Donald Trump on Thursday will unveil a new immigration proposal that would move the country toward a more merit-based system and boost border security.