Page 57 - Politics

BJP attacks Rahul over 'mohabbat ki dukaan' pitch, says his shop is of lies

Senior BJP leader Avinash Rai Khanna has attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his "mohabbat ki dukaan" pitch, saying his shop is only of lies. In a speech at an event in the US earlier this week, Gandhi had referred to his slogan made during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, during which he had said "nafrat ke bazaar mein mohabbat ki dukan kholenge" (in the market of hate, shops of love will be opened). He had also criticised the BJP, saying that "India has understood that it cannot go forward with the type of hatred that the BJP is spreading in society". On Thursday evening, Khanna said here that "whatever Rahul (Gandhi) ji is speaking on foreign soil, I think that nothing could be more dirty, bad and wrong than this". He also cited that "when we (the BJP) were in the Opposition, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee was our leader, the then prime minister PV Narasimha Rao had sent Atal ji in a delegation abroad. At that time, Atal ji had praised the government on foreign soil". On Gandhi's "mohab

Ex-Pakistan PM Imran faces isolation as defectors form new political party

Jahangir Khan Tareen, one of Khan's closest aides, will lead the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party, he announced at a news conference

Erdogan appoints former US bank executive as Turkish central bank chief

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday appointed a former US-based bank executive to head Turkiye's central bank, in another sign that his administration might pursue more conventional economic policies. Erdogan named Hafize Gaye Erkan, a former co-chief executive officer of the First Republic Bank, as governor, according to an announcement in the Official Gazette. The Princeton-educated Erkan, 41, becomes the Turkish central bank's first woman governor. Erdogan won a third presidential term in elections last month as the country grapples with a cost-of-living crisis fuelled by inflation that peaked at a staggering 85 per cent in October. Critics blame the turmoil on Erdogan's policy of lowering interest rates to promote growth. The approach runs contrary to conventional economic thinking that calls for rate increases to combat inflation. On Saturday, Erdogan reappointed Mehmet Simsek, a respected former banker, finance minister and deputy prime minister, to the post of .

Sukhbir appeals to leaders who left SAD to rejoin, says ready to apologise

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal Thursday appealed to all leaders who had left his party in the last few years to rejoin, saying he was ready to apologise if he was at fault. He made the statement after welcoming two Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) members who had supported the candidature of Bibi Jagir Kaur in November last year for the post of president of the apex gurdwara body into the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). He welcomed the two SGPC members Harpal Singh Jalla from Payal and Amrik Singh Janaitpur from Ambala to the party fold, according to a party release here. Badal said another 10 to 15 SGPC members who had supported Bibi Jagir Kaur would rejoin the SAD in the coming days. The SAD chief also appealed to all leaders who had left the party during the last few years to rejoin the mother party. "If I am at fault anywhere I apologise for the same but we must all unite to defeat the forces who want to weaken the 'Panth', " he asserted. Many party leaders, includin

Rahul Gandhi has habit of criticising India abroad: EAM Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday criticised Rahul Gandhi, saying he has a habit of criticising India abroad and it is not in the interest of the country to take its internal matters to the outside world. Referring to Gandhi's recent remarks made at an event in the US, the minister said, "The world is watching us". "Rahul Gandhi has a habit of criticising India abroad," he said, replying to a question. "I don't think taking national politics out of the country is in national interest," Jaishankar said. Gandhi, currently on a visit to the US, has criticised the government on a number of issues. At an event in the US, Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to drive the Indian car by only looking in the rear-view mirror which will lead to "one accident after another.

Why the road to Modi's ambitious Make-in-India goal runs through China

It's a Catch-22 for companies in India making everything from a baby's first toy to mobile phones: the more they try to ramp up production to compete with China, the more dependent they become on it

Bulgaria forms new govt as former political rivals enter uneasy alliance

Bulgaria's parliament on Tuesday formally approved the country's new government proposed by the two main political rivals in a bid to end a 30-month-long political crisis, restore stability and spur economic development in the poorest EU member country. The GERB party of ex-Premier Boyko Borissov, which won the April general election, and the runner-up, the pro-European liberal coalition "We Continue the Change Democratic Bulgaria" have agreed to form the first-ever Bulgarian government where the post of prime minister will change hands halfway through. Lawmakers voted 132-69 to elect Nikolay Denkov, a 60-year-old chemistry professor and former education minister, as prime minister. Denkov is a founding member of the reformist "We Continue the Change" party. In a separate vote, legislators also approved the Cabinet, in which GERB's Maria Gabriel, a former European Commissioner, will serve as deputy head of government and foreign minister. After nine months, Denkov and Gabriel will

Opposition trying to score political points over train incident: Hardeep

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday accused opposition parties of trying to take "political mileage" on the recent train accident in Odisha and said the response of the government to reach out to the victims was swift to save the previous lives. He said the democracy in India is robust and no power can erode it, defending the Income Tax raids on BBC. He said the "previous actions" of the broadcaster suggested that it was in the hands of the "people with agenda on India". Puri was in Jammu to highlight the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, which recently completed its nine years in power. "My first engagement on reaching Jammu (on Monday) was a meeting with party workers. We observed a two-minute silence for all the lives lost and to pray for recovery of those injured in the train accident (on June 2)," the Union Housing and Urban Affairs minister told reporters at the BJP headquarters here. Responding to a question about the opposi

BJP has imposed undeclared emergency in Jammu and Kashmir: JKPCC chief

Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Vikar Rasool Wani on Monday said the BJP government has imposed an "undeclared emergency" in Jammu and Kashmir by not holding assembly elections in the Union Territory since 2019. "Congress believes in conducting elections at every level like panchayat, DDC (district development council), BDC (Block Development Council), and especially at the assembly level," Wani said. "In November this year, nine years will be completed without elections. If every state gets the right to vote in an election after every five years then why not here. Here BJP has made an undeclared emergency. Definitely in Jammu and Kashmir elections should take place," Wani told reporters at Khonmoh in the outskirts of Srinagar. The JKPCC chief also said Congress is preparing for municipal elections in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in other parts of the country. When asked if Congress will ally with the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) in the elections, Wani

Congress mulls 'Peaceful Karnataka' helpline against communal forces

Karnataka Congress is considering setting up of a 'Peaceful Karnataka' helpline against communal forces and to ensure law and order in the society

Is Sachin Pilot readying to fly solo?

Pilot may settle for being a King-maker even if he cannot be the King. By launching his own party, he will be a spoiler for the Congress

On the mat, WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a Nelson hold

Over the past few days, support for wrestlers has grown. Nearly all members of India's 1983 cricket World Cup-winning team appealed to the wrestlers to not throw their medals into the Ganges

BJP is in the blood of Pankaja Munde, says party's Maha chief Bawankule

Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Friday downplayed the statement of former MLA Pankaja Munde that she belongs to the party but the party does not belong to her. Pankaja Munde, daughter of BJP stalwart late Gopinath Munde, is often at the centre of speculation that she has been sidelined since her defeat in the 2019 Assembly polls from stronghold Parli to Nationalist Congress Party leader and cousin Dhananjay Munde. After the first expansion of the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis cabinet in August 2022, she had said she might not have been qualified enough to get a berth, which once again led to talks about her being unhappy in the saffron camp. Speaking to reporters in Hingoli, Bawankule said, "The BJP is in the blood of Pankaja Munde. She is the inheritor of Gopinath Munde's legacy. She is working day and night to strengthen the party." On Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil's comments that the BJP is facing issues due to some NCP functionaries .

Permission denied for Brij Bhushan's 'maha rally' in Ayodhya on June 5

The Ayodhya district administration has denied permission to BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh to hold a rally here on June 5, an official said on Friday. Singh, the BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief, has been accused of sexually abusing female grapplers. Circle Officer (Ayodhya) SP Gautam said in view of other programmes scheduled on the World Environment Day on June 5, the permission sought by BJP councillor Chamela Devi on behalf of Singh has been denied. Singh, in a Facebook post, said he has postponed the 'Jan Chetna Maharally' at the Ram Katha Park for "a few days" due to the ongoing police probe into the wrestlers' allegation against him. Prominent wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, have been holding protests since April 23 accusing Singh of sexual exploitation. Singh is the BJP MP from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh.

Modi thinks he knows everything, can even sermon God: Rahul Gandhi in US

The ex-Wayanad MP said that before we decided to start the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra,' we knew that normal tools used in Indian politics would not work anymore

LIVE: United World Wrestling issues a strong statement on wrestlers protest

Catch live updates from across the globe here

Politicians throng Shahbad Dairy victim's house to condole with family

Leaders from BJP, AAP, and Congress on Tuesday met and condoled with the family members of the 16-year-old girl who was killed in broad daylight in the Shahbad Dairy area of northwest Delhi. The girl was stabbed over 20 times and bludgeoned to death by a youth in a busy bylane of Shahbad Dairy area as passers-by looked on in fear and disbelief. While AAP leader Atishi met the girl's family members, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced an ex-gratia sum of Rs 10 lakh to her kin to help them tide over the tragedy. "The Delhi government will provide an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the family of the victim and will try its best to get the culprit punished severely by the court. Best lawyers will be fielded for this case," Kejriwal in a tweet in Hindi announced. Atishi in her turn slammed Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena and alleged that "such incidents can be averted if LG takes responsibility." "Daughters of Delhi are facing violence every day. Such incidents can be averted only if

BRS leader claims delimitation of LS will be 'injustice' to southern states

Delimitation of Lok Sabha seats after 2026 will be a "gross injustice" to southern states if it is taken up on the basis of population, BRS leader and Telangana Minister K T Rama Rao said on Tuesday. The minister's view comes amid reports that the BJP-led government at the Centre would take up the delimitation process of Parliamentary constituencies if the BJP retains power in 2024 general elections. The Lok Sabha chamber in the new Parliament building, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28, has thrice the number of seats with enough space for 888 members, and the new Rajya Sabha has the capacity to seat 384 members. This is in light of the fact that a delimitation exercise at some point in future would lead to a rise in the number of MPs in the country. According to the 84th Amendment of the Constitution, the constituency borders were frozen until the first census after 2026, or at least until after 2031. The 1971 Census continues to serve as the foundati

Road to 2024: BJP reaches out to allies amid Opposition's unity push

The BJP and the Congress understand that coalitions and alliances are not just about numbers but have symbolic value

Modi govt's 9-year rule has seen focus on welfare of poor: Scindia

In the nine years of Modi government, India has forged its image as a self-reliant country while focusing on uplift and welfare of the poor, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Monday. Addressing a press conference at the Delhi BJP office, Scindia said the Modi government is working with a focus on service, good governance and uplift of the poor. "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has undergone surprising changes in the last nine years and established a self-reliant image," he said. Citing various schemes of the BJP-ruled Centre, he said the Modi government has provided water connections to 12 crore households in nine years, given 9.60 crore cooking gas connections under the Ujjwala Yojna, helped 80 crore people by providing them foodgrains under PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojna and covered 50 crore beneficiaries under the Ayushman Bharat Health Insurance Scheme. At the press conference, state BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the nine .