Page 567 - Politics
TMC complains to EC about central forces, BJP leaders
A Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation, here on Monday, met Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain and sought action against the central forces for favouring a political party, as well as some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates for creating confusion among voters.
'You should be ashamed', Rahul lashes out at Pitroda for remarks on 1984 riots
Facing a mounting attack from the BJP, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Monday again rebuked his party's overseas unit chief Sam Pitroda, saying he should be "ashamed" for his "totally wrong" remarks on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and should apologise to the country. Gandhi's remarks came at his first poll rally in Punjab in an apparent damage control exercise after an uproar over Pitroda's "hua to hua" response to a query on the riots. The Congress chief had earlier tweeted his disapproval and the party had distanced himself from Pitroda's remarks. "What Sam Pitroda said about 1984 was totally wrong and he should seek an apology from the country. "I am saying this publicly and I also told the same to him over phone. Pitroda ji, what you had said was completely wrong and you should be ashamed of yourself. You should seek a public apology," Gandhi said towards the end of his speech here. The BJP stepped up offensive against the Congress over Pitroda's remarks as the 1984 riots is an ...
Sudan army rulers, protesters resume civil rule talks
Sudan's army rulers and protest leaders resumed crucial talks Monday over handing power to a civilian administration after days of deadlock in negotiations, a spokesperson for the protest movement told AFP. Protest leaders Omar al-Digeir and Satea al-Haj were among those attending the talks on behalf of the Alliance for Freedom and Change umbrella movement, the group's spokeswoman Mashar Darraj said. The meeting was being held behind closed doors at a convention centre in central Khartoum, an AFP correspondent reported from the venue. The latest round of talks, which have hit snags on several key issues, comes as thousands of protesters remain camped outside the army headquarters in central Khartoum. They say they are determined to force the ruling military council to cede power -- just as they pushed the army into deposing veteran president Omar al-Bashir on April 11. The protest alliance said Saturday the generals had invited the movement for a new round of talks. The army generals .
Non-BJP opposition parties unlikely to meet on May 21
The non-BJP opposition parties are unlikely to meet on May 21 as Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee has requested TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu to fix a date after the declaration of results on May 23 for it, at the convenience of other parties. "Our leader is yet to take a call on this. It depends on the outcome of the elections. The meeting, though, is bound to happen after the 23rd," a member of the TDP politburo said here Monday. During their meeting on Thursday last, the AP Chief Minister reportedly suggested to his West Bengal counterpart that a meeting of the non-BJP opposition parties be convened on May 21 to discuss the post-poll strategy. She, however, expressed reservations over this, citing the impending counting of votes on May 23. TDP sources here aver that Mamata Banerjee expressed apprehensions over the safety of the EVMs stored in strong rooms across the country and, as such, there was a need for all opposition parties to keep a constant vigil to thwart
Congress suspends state general secy for brawl with former MP
Congress Monday suspended its state general secretary Nagesh Mudiraj for his 'sordid and unruly behaviour' towards senior leader V Hanumantha Rao during a protest by the opposition here two days ago. The decision to suspend Mudiraj was announced by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee's (TPCC) disciplinary action committee chairman M Kodanda Reddy. "The Disciplinary Action Committee of TPCC has received complaints from the Congress party functionaries and also from newspapers with regard to your indecent behaviour and ugly brawl with Hanumantha Rao, former PCC president and former AICC secretary," the panel said in a letter to Mudiraj. It may be noted that a scuffle had broken out Saturday between Mudiraj and Hanumantha Rao at a protest organised here over the intermediate results fiasco. Leaders and activists of several opposition parties took part in the protest. Video footage of the incident showed Rao and Mudiraj involved in a heated argument followed by a ...
Raje govt glorified Savarkar, Deendayal: R'than education minister
Rajasthan Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra on Monday accused the previous BJP government of glorifying Sangh ideologues Veer Savarkar and Deendayal Upadhyaya. Dotasra pointed out that the curriculum review committee, constituted after the Congress government came to power last year, had written on the basis of strong facts and evidences that Savarkar had begged the British for mercy. It has been added into the curriculum, the Congress leader said. "It might affect the BJP, but it doesn't affect us. We will teach whatever is in the history." Dotasra's comments came after former education minister Vasudev Devnani had alleged that the Congress government had "insulted" Savarkar. "After Maharana Pratap, the Congress government has insulted great patriot and freedom fighter Veer Savarkar by its anti-Hindutva mentality. The party idolising only one family has always shown such conduct about other great personalities," Devnani tweeted earlier in the day. Dotasra claimed that the ...
No work, only publicity campaign during Modi regime: Priyanka
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's five-year tenure saw only "publicity campaign" and no work. Addressing a rally here, hours after Modi spoke at a rally in the area, she also claimed that the PM did not find "even five minutes" in his tenure to solve problems faced by the poor in his constituency Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. She also slammed Modi's "tapasya" remark, saying "tapasya" (hard work) destroys arrogance, but the arrogance of the Modi government had grown too big. In a recent media interview, Modi had said that his image was not created by the " Khan Market gang" (located in Delhi), but his 45-year tapasya (hard work). "Modi ki chhavi, Delhi ke Khan Market ke gang ne nahi banayi hai, Lutyens Delhi ne nahi banayi hai. 45 saal ki Modi ki tapasya ne chhavi banayi hai...You cannot dismantle it," Modi had said. "Normally, political leaders should talk about real issues during campaign, like problems of people and how could
Bandipora rape case: 47 security personnel injured in clashes on Srinagar-Baramulla Highway
Over 40 security personnel deployed in Pattan area of Jammu and Kashmir were injured on Monday in stone pelting by protestors, demonstrating the rape of a minor in Sumbal area of North Kashmir's Bandipore district last week.A total of 47 security personnel, including an assistant commandant of the SSB, deployed on the National Highway in parts of Baramulla were injured in the incident today, police said."Seven miscreants were also injured but all are stable," police said.Over the past week, Kashmir Valley has been witnessing unrest and protests over the rape of the three-year-old on May 9. Police have reportedly arrested the accused, who hails from the same area.Earlier on Monday, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik expressed pain on the extremely heinous incident of rape of the minor girl in Bandipora and directed the police to "ensure culprit gets exemplary punishment for this shameful act".Former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have also condemned the ...
BJP moves EC for 5-day ban on Kamal Hassan
The BJP on Monday moved the Election Commission seeking a 5-day ban on renowned actor and MNM President Kamal Haasan for describing Nathuram Godse, who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, as the first Hindu terrorist in independent India.
KCR meets Stalin in Chennai
Taking forward his efforts to form a third front, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Monday met Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin at the latter's residence here.The two leaders reportedly held discussions on emerging political developments amid speculation over a hung Parliament and possibilities of forming a non-BJP, non-Congress federal front.Both the leaders did not make any comments to the media after the meeting that comes after Rao's parleys with his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram last week and discussed the possibilities in the post-poll situation,After their meeting, Vijayan had said that the meeting with Rao was "highly significant" as he asserted that regional parties will play a major role in the formation of the next government at the Centre."A new government will come at the Centre which will follow federal system and secularism. The state will effectively lend support to ..
Netanyahu gets more time to form new Israel government
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday got more time to put together a new coalition government, after the initial 28 days granted him following last month's elections expired. Israeli law says that after the first four weeks of political bargaining a further 14 days is granted by the president on request. Netanyahu on Monday called on President Reuven Rivlin at his official Jerusalem residence and received his official blessing. "At the end of the meeting, the president acceded to the prime minister's request and granted him a further two weeks to form a government," a statement from the presidency said in English. Netanyahu's Likud party won 35 seats in the April 9 general election, with most parties represented in the 120-seat parliament recommending that he form the next governing coalition. On April 17 Rivlin formally tasked him with the mission. Such negotiations generally run close to the wire as parties seek to extract the maximum in cabinet portfolios and other ..
Telangana CM meets DMK President Stalin
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekar Rao on Monday evening called on DMK President M.K. Stalin at his residence here in an attempt to form a non-Congress, non-BJP grouping of political parties.
Pak Parliament gives nod to bill seeking more representations from tribal areas
Pakistan's parliament on Monday unanimously passed a bill, which formalised an increase in the number of seats for tribal areas in the National Assembly and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly. The 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill, which was introduced in the National Assembly by independent lawmaker Mohsin Dawar on Thursday, was passed with 278 votes in the 342-member House. With the passage of the bill, districts from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) will have nine seats in the National Assembly, while their representation in the KP Assembly province will stand at 26. Earlier, representations from tribal districts were six in the National Assembly and 16 in the KP Assembly following merger of FATA into KP province in 2018, which ended the semi-autonomous status of seven tribal districts along the Afghan border. The bill also seeks four reserved seats for women and one for minorities. Addressing the House, Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his appreciation over ...
Tejashwi Yadav supports Kamal Haasan, says killer of Gandhi 'way more than terrorist'
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday supported Kamal Haasan for his statement against Nathuram Godse saying, the killer of the father of the nation was 'much more than a terrorist'."The person who killed Mahatma Gandhi is way more than a terrorist, he has said nothing wrong," Yadav told reporters here in Gaya.Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan had stirred a controversy by asserting that first terrorist in independent India was 'a Hindu, his name is Nathuram Godse.' The chief of political outfit Makkal Needhi Maiam was campaigning in Aravakurichi of Tamil Nadu when he made the remarks."I am not saying this because many Muslims are here. I am saying this in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue. The first terrorist in independent India is a Hindu, his name is Nathuram Godse," Haasan said.Union Minister Giriraj Singh, on the other hand, slammed Haasan for his statement stating that he had started speaking in Congress' language and alleged that he was trying to falsely .
Pitroda must apologize for anti-Sikh riots remark: Rahul
Congress leader Sam Pitroda must apologize to the nation for his remarks in connection with the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 and those guilty of the riots should be punished, party President Rahul Gandhi said on Monday.
China slams terror attack in Pakistan
China on Monday strongly condemned the terror attack at a five-star hotel in Pakistan's port city Gwadar, which is being developed by the Chinese.
Iran jails its national for UK spying
Iran has sentenced its national to 10 years in prison for spying for the UK, the state media reported on Monday.
Congress has problem with patriotism, not abusing me: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday attacked the Congress saying that the party had a problem saying "Bharat Mata ki jai" but found pleasure in abusing him. He said that the country will now decide whether it would be run by "desh bhakti" (patriotism) or by "gaali bhakti" (abuse).
DMDK's Premalatha confident about second term for PM Modi
DMDK leader Premalatha Vijayakanth Monday exuded confidence about Prime Minister Narendra Modi getting a second term, as she predicted a win for the AIADMK-led alliance in the bypolls to 22 assembly seats in Tamil Nadu. The treasurer of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, which is part of the AIADMK-led coalition along with the BJP and PMK, also sought to playdown the meeting between DMK leader M K Stalin and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao here, terming it a "casual visit." "It is sure that PM Modi would be elected again. When he assumes office, on behalf of AIADMK-led coalition and DMDK, we would be meeting the PM to raise the foremost demand to interlink rivers," the wife of actor and DMDK chief Vijayakanth told reporters here. Referring to yearly water crisis in Tamil Nadu, she said the party would also seek schemes aimed at restoration of groundwater and rainwater harvesting from the PM. In the last two years, the northeast monsoon rainfall has been .
Rahul terms Pitroda's 'Hua to hua' remark as shameful, says guilty of anti-Sikh riots will be punished
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that those guilty of 1984 anti-Sikh riots "should and will be punished," while reiterating that Sam Pitroda's 'Hua to Hua' remark on the tragic event was shameful.Calling the riots totally wrong and tragic, Rahul said that Pitroda should be ashamed of his remark on the 1984 riots and should publicly apologise for it."Whatever he said about 1984 anti-Sikh riots is wrong. He should apologise to the nation for this. He should be ashamed of what he said," Rahul said, while addressing an election rally in Fatehgarh Sahib, which goes to polls on May 19.Overseas Indian Congress (OIC) chief Pitroda stirred controversy on May 9 when he said: "It (riots) happened in 1984. So what" while referring to the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.Later, the Congress party issued a statement, distancing itself from Pitroda's comments, saying that justice must be given to the victims of both -- 1984 and 2002 riots.Flanked by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and ...