Page 594 - Politics
China gives 50,000 jobs in 24 hours while Indian govt snatches jobs: Rahul Gandhi
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that while China provides its people 50,000 jobs in 24 hours, the Indian government had snatched jobs from 24,000 youth."India needs employment. The country is suffering because of unemployment. China government gives 50,000 jobs in 24 hours while Indian government snatches jobs from 24,000 youth at the same time. Narendra Modi said Make in India, Start up India but the employment is at an all-time high in 45 years," Rahul said at an election rally here.Elaborating his poll promise about entrepreneurs not needing permission to run business for the first three years, the Congress president said: "I want to tell youth, especially those in Chandigarh, we have to compete with China. Not only Made in India, we have to print 'Made in Chandigarh' on cellphones. Startup India is a failure.""Today, if an entrepreneur wants to start his business, he has to seek permission from the ...
Trump says top 2020 rivals are 'SleepyCreepy' Biden, Sanders
US President Donald Trump branded his chief Democratic rival "SleepyCreepy" Joe Biden on Friday, framing the 2020 nominations race as a battle between the former vice president and "Crazy Bernie" Sanders. The Republican president took to his favourite public platform, Twitter, to announce the stinging new epithet for Biden, who enjoys a strong lead in Democratic polls, and reprise his favorite sobriquet for Sanders, the liberal US senator who for months has been number two in the running. "Looks to me like it's going to be SleepyCreepy Joe over Crazy Bernie," Trump tweeted. "Everyone else is fading fast!" he added, referring to the crowded field of 21 candidates, including seven US senators, four current and former congressmen and two governors. Biden and Sanders are ruling the race, although it is still nine months before the first votes are cast in the state-by-state nominations process. Biden is grappling with his reputation as an especially tactile politician. He has been ...
India to hold WTO ministerial meeting on May 13-14
India will hold a ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) starting May 13 in New Delhi, government sources said on Friday.The two-day meeting comes at a time when the multilateral rule-based-trading system is facing grave challenges. The move is aimed at providing an opportunity to the ministers to discuss various issues and the way forward.Ministers and representatives from sixteen developing countries, including China, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Turkey, and six least developed countries will participate in the meeting to share common concerns on various issues affecting the WTO.In the recent past, there have been increasing unilateral measures and counter-measures by members, deadlock in key areas of negotiations, and impasse in the Appellate Body, which threaten the very existence of Dispute Settlement Mechanism of the WTO and impacts the position of the organisation as an effective multilateral organisation. The current situation has given rise to demands ...
'Good' Rajiv got involved in Bofors case under influence of some people: J-K Gov
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik on Thursday waded into the controversy over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'corrupt no 1' comment for Rajiv Gandhi stating that the former prime minister had allegedly got involved in the Bofors kickback scam "under the influence of some people.""Initially he was good but he got involved in the Bofors under influence of some of his aides, be it from his family or outsiders, whom I would not name," Malik told reporters here. Malik said, "Mufti (Mohammad Sayeed) ji and I abandoned Rajya Sabha on Bofors issue. We formed 'Jan Morcha' to fight on the Bofors issue. It means we considered that Rajiv Gandhi was responsible for Bofors."Asked whether the late prime minister's name should be dragged into politics given he is not alive, he said: "You raise issues related to Gandhi ji and Jawaharlal ji, then let it be Rajiv's as well."The Jammu and Kashmir governor justified an attack on the former Prime Minister on grounds that Congress president Rahul ...
Rafale jets not for 'ornamentation', necessary for security of nation: Centre to SC
The Centre strongly defended before the Supreme Court on Friday its deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, saying they were not for "ornamentation" but essential for national security. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi reserved verdict on the pleas, including the one filed by former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie and activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan, seeking review of its December 14 judgement which gave clean chit to the deal. Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, referred to the fact that Air Force in 2001-02 had raised the issue of acquiring 156 combat aircrafts. "The period from 2007 to 2015 was a great setback as combat aircraft are very essential for the country," the top law officer said, adding that "this is not for the purpose of the ornamentation. This is very essential for security". Dealing with the scope of judicial review in cases relating to defence procurement, he said, "No court in the world will go into what is to
Opposition unity moves enter Round 2 (News Analysis)
A belated effort has started in opposition ranks to rally together forces for a united stand against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA.
Pro-BJP has made Mamata 'very tense': Rajnath Singh
Taking a dig at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly not receiving Prime Minister Narendra Modi's telephone call, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that the pro-BJP wave has her "very tense.""In Bengal, the pro-BJP wave has left TMC's Mamata very tense. She has become so upset that she did not even pick up the telephone call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during cyclone Fani ," Singh said while addressing an election rally here.The extremely severe cyclone 'Fani' hit Odisha coast on May 3 and claimed the lives of 41 people while causing extensive damage to property and crops."When cyclone arrived in West Bengal, I called 'didi' again and again, but because of her ego, she didn't think it was appropriate to talk to the Prime Minister. The central government wanted to talk with the officers here and help the state, but 'didi' refused to even hold that meeting," Modi had said.The Home Minister alleged that opposition parties were using abusive language
Congress moves EC over alleged MCC violations by BJP
The Congress on Friday moved the Election Commission (EC) against "misutilisation" of government officials in preparation of manifesto by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and demanded action against the party functionaries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
BJP will get 260 seats, NDA to form govt under Modi: Athawale
Union minister Ramdas Athawale Friday expressed confidence that the BJP would win at least 260 seats in the Lok Sabha polls and the NDA would form the next government under the leadership of Narendra Modi. He was addressing a press conference after visiting some drought-hit villages in the district. "The BJP would win at least 260 Lok Sabha seats. In Maharashtra, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will get 37 to 38 seats as against the 42 in 2014," Athawale said. He said his party- Republican Party of India (A)- wouldgo with the saffron alliance even in the state assembly election to be held later this year, and demand 18 seats. When asked about the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), an alliance between Prakash Ambedkar-led Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh and Asaduddin Owaisi-led MIM, Athawale said it will not win even a single seat in the Lok Sabha polls in the state. "On the contrary, the VBA will benefit the BJP," he said. On Modi's recent remarks against former prime minister Rajiv ...
Congress will repeat 2009 performance: Hooda (IANS interview)
Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has said that the Congress would repeat its 2009 performance in the Lok Sabha elections when it won nine of 10 seats in the state and asserted that the target is also to form government in the Assembly polls later this year.
Nationalism, statehood, sealing dominate campaign in Delhi
Nationalism, decisive leadership, full statehood, sealing and employment dominated the election campaigning in the national capital this election season.
Nepal proposes new bill aimed at imposing hefty fine on erring media outlets
Nepal Friday proposed a 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. Registered on Thursday, 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. Dilip Thapa Magar, the vice president of Federation of Nepali Journalists, said increasing the government's role in council member recommendation process could jeopardise the free press. "Newsroom critical of the government might end up in trouble more frequently if political appointees increase in the new council being envisioned with greater authority to take stern actions," said Magar. Earlier, the council could ask for clarification, apology, blacklist certain press organisations, direct to the ...
US won't dare take action against Iran: top IRGC commander
Dismissing the probability of negotiations, a senior official of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Friday said that the United States "will not dare military action" against Iran."Negotiations with Americans will not take place, and Americans will not dare to take military action against us," Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, the Lieutenant Commander of the IRGC for Political Affairs, told Tasnim News Agency.This comes as diplomatic tensions between the US and Iran are at an all-time high, especially after US exited the Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions on the nation in 2018.In fact, the US recently designated the IRGC as a "foreign terrorist organisation," inviting strong countermeasures from Iran who designated the US as a "state sponsor of terrorism," labelling the US Central Command (CENTCOM) as a "terror group" in response.Furthermore, sending a strong message to Iran, the US' National Security Adviser, John Bolton on Sunday announced the deployment of the ..
'No corruption' in Rafale, says Centre; SC reserves verdict
The Centre on Friday told the Supreme Court that there is "no corruption" in the Rafale deal and it is bound to maintain secrecy on pricing as per the Inter-Government Agreement (IGA) signed with France, while stressing defence deals are not examined in a court of law.
SC notice on Centre's plea against HC verdict on Puducherry LG
The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices on a plea filed by the Centre challenging the verdict of the Madras High Court which held that Puducherry Lieutenant Governor (LG) Kiran Bedi "cannot interfere" in the day-to-day affairs of the elected government of the Union Territory. A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna sought replies from Congress MLA K Laksminarayanan, on whose plea the high court had passed the verdict on April 30, and others on the Centre's appeal. Besides this, the bench also issued notice on a separate petition filed by the administrator (LG) of Puducherry against the high court's verdict. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that the high court verdict should be stayed as governance has come to a standstill because of the order. "Please stay the order. For nine days after the April 30 order (of high court), a havoc is created there," Mehta told the bench. On April 30, the high court had allowed a plea ..
Campaign ends for 6th phase of Lok Sabha polls in Bihar
Campaigning for the eight Lok Sabha seats in Bihar going to the polls in the penultimate phase on Sunday ended peacefully on Friday.
C'garh: Probe ordered into former bureaucrat's wife's job
The Chhattisgarh government has ordered a probe into the appointment in the state's Public Health Engineering (PHE) department of the wife of a former principal secretary to ex-chief minister Raman Singh. An investigation has been ordered against Yasmin Singh, then Director of Publicity and Capacity Building under Communication and Capacity Development Unit (CCDU) of PHE, based on a complaint by state Congress spokesperson Vikas Tiwari, an official said Friday. Singh is the wife of Aman Singh, who was principal secretary to former CM Raman Singh. As per an order issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) on Friday, Principal Secretary of Skill Development, Technical Education and Employment Department Renu G Pillay has been assigned to probe the complaint against Yasmin Singh. A duration of three months has been fixed for the probe, it said. As per the complaint by Tiwari, Yasmin Singh was employed as director in the CCDU in November, 2005 on a contractual ...
Rafale case: SC poses queries on waiver of sovereign guarantee, no tech transfer
The Supreme Court Friday posed searching questions to the Centre on its deal with France to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets on issues like the "waiver of sovereign guarantee" and the absence of technology transfer clause in the IGA pact. The top court reserved its verdict on pleas, including the one filed by former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie and activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan, seeking review of its December 14 judgement which gave clean chit to the Centre's Rafale deal to procure jets from the French firm, Dassault. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi referred to a judgement in the Lalita Kumari case which said that an FIR is must when information revealed commission of cognizable offence. "The question is whether you are obliged to follow the Lalita Kumari judgment or not." Attorney General K K Venugopal told the bench, also comprising Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, that "there has to be a prima facie case, otherwise they (agencies) cannot proceed. The ...
Campaign ends for penultimate phase of Lok Sabha polls
A vitriol-filled campaign ended Friday for the sixth and penultimate phase of Lok Sabha polls to be held in 59 constituencies in six states and Delhi with barbs flying thick and fast as leaders made every effort to sway voters in their favour. On Sunday, elections will be held in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 10 seats in Haryana, eights constituencies each in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, seven seats in Delhi and four in Jharkhand. In 2014, the BJP had won 45 of these seats, the Trinamool Congress 8, the Congress two and the Samajwadi Party and the LJP one seat each among others. Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again led the BJP's campaign holding several rallies and stepping up his attack on Opposition parties, particularly the Congress. BJP chief Amit Shah, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and a host of Union ministers among others canvassed for their party candidates in the past few days, undertaking whirlwind tours of constituencies. Microphones fell silent and weeks of ...
PM, BJP slam Pitroda over 'hua to hua' remarks on 1984 anti-Sikh riots; Cong distances itself
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday led a fresh BJP offensive on the Congress over its leader Sam Pitroda's "so what" remarks on 1984 anti-Sikh riots, saying it reflected the "character and arrogance" of the opposition party. As Pitroda's remarks kicked up a storm, the Congress distanced itself from the comments and asked the leaders of the party to be careful and sensitive in future. Pitroda on his part accused the BJP of twisting the three words in Hindi on the riots to "distort facts, divide us(Congress) and hide their failures" and said things of the past are not relevant in this election. Pitroda, a close aide of Rahul Gandhi and Overseas Congress' head, on Thursday said, 'hua to hua' (So what, it happened) about the anti-Sikh riots. He made this remark in response to a question on the riots by a newsman in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. The BJP demanded that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi apologise to the nation while ally Akali Dal chief .