Page 58 - Politics

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PM Modi become most trusted, popular leader with his Seva Bhaav, says FM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought in change in the mindset and earned the trust and faith of the people of this country through his unflinching 'Seva Bhaav', Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday. Participating in a national conclave to celebrate nine years of the Modi government, she said, compared to earlier governments when corruption was rampant, there is not even a whiff of corruption since 2014. The government in the last 9 years has achieved many things in different areas and in each category it has improved its performance with every passing year, she said. Beyond numbers, she said, "there is something that I have to tell you. Mindset has changed. Those governing have changed their mindset. People who voted for such a government see the change in mindset even among our friends and families." Mindset change comes when the government trusts people and when people trust the government in turn, she said, adding people have faith that Prime Minister Modi wi

BJP trying to replicate Manipur-like situation in Bengal: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday alleged that the BJP was trying to replicate a Manipur-like situation in her state by planning to orchestrate ethnic riots. She condemned the attack on state minister Birbaha Hansda's vehicle and said that the BJP activists, not members of the Kurmi community, were behind the incident that took place on Friday. "The BJP was behind ethnic violence in Manipur. The saffron party is trying to replicate similar riots between communities in West Bengal. They want to create a situation wherein Adivasis will fight Kurmis so that army can be called in and the military will have shoot-at-sight orders," she said at a rally in Salboni in Paschim Medinipur district. Banerjee said those trying to fuel ethnic riots in the state will not be spared. The state minister's vehicle, which was part of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee's convoy, was damaged after being pelted with stones in the tribal-dominated district. "I condemn ..

Congress questions govt on country's economic health, national security

Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken on Saturday accused the Narendra Modi government of compromising on national security, using politics of hatred for electoral gains, and weakening constitutional values and democratic institutions. The Congress on Friday had said it would hold press conferences, titled 'Nau Saal, Nau Sawaal' (nine years, nine questions), in 35 cities over the next few days to highlight the "failures" of the Central government in the last nine years. Accusing Modi of not addressing important issues, the grand old party asserted that it will continue to play the role of a responsible opposition and hold the government accountable for its actions. Addressing a press conference here, Maken said, As the Modi government completes nine years in power, the Congress has nine questions and we want to know their response. We know that they don't want to address serious issues like unemployment, price rise and will rather try to divert attention to frivolous matters. With .

Bihar CM Nitish blames Centre for failure to attend Niti Aayog meet

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday blamed the Centre for his inability to attend the Niti Aayog meeting on Saturday where he wished to raise issues like caste census and special status for the state. The JD(U) leader, whose party is boycotting the inauguration of the new Parliament building on Sunday, dubbed the function as an attempt to change history by those who had made no contributions to the freedom struggle. Kumar, who was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function to mark the death anniversary of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, said, When I received the schedule of the Niti Aayog meet I sought a change in the timings since it clashed with the function here. We have respected Pandit Nehru since our childhood, though politically I have pursued a different line, said the veteran socialist leader, who now has the Congress as an ally. They (the Centre), however, did not agree to change the timing of the Niti Aayog meeting. Had they even agreed to hold

Boycotting NITI Aayog meet by some CMs is anti-people, irresponsible: BJP

The BJP on Saturday lashed out at chief ministers who boycotted the governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog, calling their decision "anti-people" and "irresponsible". The meeting, which began here on Saturday, has on its agenda to discuss several issues including, health, skill development, women empowerment and infrastructure development, with an aim to make India a developed nation by 2047. Addressing a press conference, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the NITI Aayog is a key body for determining the entire objective, policy framework and roadmap for the development of the country. He said as many as 100 issues are proposed to be discussed in the eighth governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog but chief ministers of eight states are not coming to attend it. Prasad said chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwant Mann, Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar, M K Stalin, K Chandrashekar Rao are among those not attending the meet. "I have been told

Oppn's boycott of new Parl building inauguration an insult: Anurag Thakur

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday hit out at the Opposition for its decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building, saying it was an "insult". Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the new Parliament building on Sunday and 20 Opposition parties, including Congress, AAP, TMC and Samajwadi Party, have announced a boycott of the function contending that President Droupadi Murmu should do the honours. "It is a different matter that some people got barred from Parliament. Earlier, they used to find excuses for not allowing Parliament to function. Now, they are talking of boycott which is also an insult," Thakur said. The minister for information and broadcasting was addressing the inaugural session of a day-long national conclave organised by Doordarshan to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the Modi government. India takes pride in being the "mother of democracy" and Prime Minister Modi has given a new Parliament building to the nation, .

India's 'mini-demonetisation' may have political motivations: Chris Wood

India will see a series of state polls this year and a general election in 2024

Around 25 parties expected to join new Parliament building inauguration

As many as 25 parties are expected to attend the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday even as 20 Opposition parties have decided to boycott the event. Apart from the 18 members of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including the BJP, seven non-NDA parties will attend the ceremony, going by their stated position on the issue which has snowballed into another political flashpoint between the ruling and opposition camps. The BSP, Shiromani Akali Dal, Janata Dal (Secular), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), YSR Congress, BJD and TDP are the seven non-NDA parties expected to be present at the event. The presence of these seven parties, which together account for 50 MPs in the Lok Sabha, will be a major relief for the BJP-led NDA. Their participation will help the NDA blunt the Opposition's charge that it is all a government event. Besides the BJP, the 18 NDA members include Shiv Sena, National People's Party, Nationalist Democra

Parties which ruled many years couldn't get out of dynastic politics: PM

Parties which ruled the country for many years and made tall claims of introducing high-speed trains could never get out of the constraints of dynastic politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday while flagging off the Delhi-Dehradun Vande Bharat Express. He also said that the budget for expansion of the railway infrastructure in Uttarakhand now stands at Rs 5,000 crore. Before 2014, it was less than Rs 200 crore, the prime minister said, addressing the launch event of the first Vande Bharat train for Uttarakhand via video conference. "India of the 21st century can prosper even faster by modernising its infrastructure. Parties in power for a long time earlier did not realise this. Their focus was on indulging in scams and corruption. They could not get out of the constraints of dynastic politics. They also made tall claims about high-speed trains but years went by and nothing happened," Modi said. He said that for the first time, there is a government in the country whic

Likely to withdraw from collective security deal: Armenia PM Pashinyan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that a possible withdrawal from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is still on his country's agenda

VP urges MLAs to immobilise remote controls to contribute max in Parliament

Expressing concern over the growing tendency to "weaponise disruption and disturbance as a political strategy" in Parliament and Legislative Assemblies, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday urged MPs and MLAs to "immobilise their remote controls" to contribute their maximum in the temples of democracy. Dhankar, also Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, said there was widespread pain and anguish among people over the growing tendency to "weaponise" disruption and disturbance as a political strategy in Parliament and Legislative Assemblies. "Legislatures in particular -- I leave a thought with you -- can we weaponise as a political strategy disruption and disturbance of the House?" Dhankar asked while inaugurating the silver jubilee celebrations of Kerala Legislative Assembly building-Niyamasabha here. He said people were asking why Parliament and legislatures are not debating and discussing and "why we are spending crores of rupees only for disturbance?" Dhankar appealed to legislators

Polls open in Greece's first election since international controls ended

Polls have opened in Greece's parliamentary election, the first since the country's economy ceased to be subject to strict supervision and control by international lenders who had provided bailout funds during its nearly decade-long financial crisis. The two main contenders in Sunday's vote are conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, 55, a Harvard-educated former banking executive, and 48-year-old Alexis Tsipras, who heads the left-wing Syriza party and served as prime minister during some of the financial crisis' most turbulent years. Although Mitsotakis has been steadily ahead in opinion polls, a newly introduced electoral system of proportional representation makes it unlikely that whoever wins the election will be able to garner enough seats in Greece's 300-member parliament to form a government without seeking coalition partners. The winner of Sunday's election will have three days to negotiate a coalition with one or more other parties. If that fails, the mandate to .

LIVE: Success, security of Indo-Pacific important for whole world, says PM

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Bengaluru swearing in and the shifting sands of opposition alliances

While several key Opposition leaders have not been invited, a few others who have, are not attending the oath taking ceremony on Saturday

LIVE: elhi reports 29 new Covid-19 cases, and one death in the last 24 hrs

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Will not put up posters, votes are won on basis of service: Gadkari

Senior BJP leader and Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday asserted that votes are won on the basis of politics of service rather than on "posters and banners". He said he has now decided that he will not put up any posters or offer tea to people in his constituency in the next election as "those who have to vote will vote and those who do not will not". At the same time, he exuded confidence in increasing his winning margin in the next poll. Gadkari was addressing a programme on the death anniversary of former vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat at Khachariyawas village in Sikar district of Rajasthan. I have fought the election in a very tough constituency. Everyone had asked me not to contest from there, but I fought with determination. Now I have decided that in the next election, I will not put up posters or banners, will not give tea or do anything else. Those who have to vote will vote and those who do not will not," he said. Votes are obtained by 'politics of service',

Tayyip Erdogan ahead in Turkey initial vote results, but gap to narrow

HaberTurk and other Turkish broadcasters said the results, given less than two hours after polling stations closed, were based on 9.1% of the ballot boxes counted

40% corruption in K'taka, 100% in Maha: Sanjay Raut after MVA meeting

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's government alleging that there is 100 per cent corruption in the state.The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader's remarks came after a meeting of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was held at the residence of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar.Leaders including Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, Nana Patole, Ajit Pawar, Balasaheb Thorat and others were present in the meeting.While talking to the media, after the MVA meeting, Raut said, "There is no misunderstanding internally in the party (MVA). If there was 40 per cent corruption in Karnataka, there is 100 per cent corruption in Maharashtra. This current government is corrupt and it will get defeated."Hours after the Supreme Court verdict on last year's political crisis in Maharashtra, Sanjay Raut on Thursday said that the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra "is illegal and formed against the Constitution"."Supreme Court

You inspire us, show true meaning of selfless love: Rahul on Morther's Day

On the occasion of 'Mother's Day', Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday wished all the mothers for showing the meaning of selfless love