Page 599 - Politics
Pitroda's views on anti-Sikh riots issue reflects Congress mindset: PM Modi
Rohtak (Haryana) [India], May 10 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday stepped up his attack on the Congress on the anti-Sikh riots issue, saying the views of Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda reflects the party's mindset from the beginning and because of this "arrogance" people will push it below 44 seats in the Lok Sabha.He said Pitroda's views should not be considered as the views of an individual but that of the entire party."This reflects Congress's mindset. They have done this for years. This has been their image from the beginning. That's why Rajiv Gandhi had said 'when a big tree falls, the earth shakes'," he told ANI here in the midst of hectic election campaigning in Haryana.The Prime Minister was reacting to a comment by Pitroda, who on Thursday said, "I don't think so, this is also another lie, and what about 1984? You speak about what you have done in five years. It happened in 1984, so what? (1984 hua toh hua). What have you done? (Ab kya hai '84 ka? ...
'Terrorist killed in Shopian associated with Islamic State-inspired group'
A terrorist associated with Islamic State-inspired group was killed in an encounter with security forces on Friday at Shopian, Jammu and Kashmir police confirmed.Speaking to ANI, Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbagh Singh said the terrorist, Ishfaq Ahmed, was earlier associated with Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen."A terrorist identified as Ishfaq Ahmed has been killed. He was once arrested when he was associated with Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen and prior to his release, he joined the Islamic State-inspired group. Another terrorist managed to escape," he said.Arms and ammunition were recovered from the site where the brief exchange of fire took place.
Have complained to DCW, will approach EC and Delhi Police: Atishi
A day after AAP East Delhi candidate Atishi accused BJP candidate Gautam Gambhir of circulating pamphlets with derogatory and casteist remarks against her, the AAP leader filed a complaint with Delhi Commission of Women.Speaking to ANI, Atishi said she plans to file a complaint with the Election Commission as well as Delhi Police in connection with the matter."If BJP and Gautam Gambhir can do this with an empowered woman then how will he ensure security to rest of the women? We have filed a complaint with the Delhi Commission of Women, we will soon file a complaint with the Election Commission and Delhi Police," said Atishi.Yesterday, DCW took suo-moto cognisance on reports of a pamphlet being circulated against Atishi. She even broke down at a press conference earlier in the day while accusing Gambhir of circulating pamphlets with derogatory and casteist remarks against her.Gambhir has, however, rubbished the allegation saying if proved guilty, he would quit politics. He also sent a .
Anti-Sikh riots: Delhi BJP asks police to lodge FIR against Sam Pitroda
Bharatiya Janata Party's Delhi unit on Friday asked the police to file an FIR against Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda following the latter's comments on the anti-Sikh riots that took place in 1984.Pitroda, when asked about BJP's claim that instructions to "kill" in 1984 had come from late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, had said, "It (riots) happened in 1984, so what?"In connection with this, the spokesperson of BJP's Delhi unit Tajinder Bagga, through his lawyer Advocate Alakh Alok Ranjan, filed a complaint against Pitroda."That the Complainant abovenamed Mr. Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, being a Sikh himself, is deeply and personally aggrieved by the aforesaid deliberate and malicious acts committed by the above named accused person, and thus the Complainant is requesting your good self to immediately register a First Information Report (FIR) against the above named accused person, namely Sam Pitroda, U\s 295-A, 153-A, 153, 504 and 505 IPC, amongst others," the letter read."No ..
CRPF conducts route march in East Midnapore ahead of 6th phase of LS elections
A team of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel conducted route march here on Friday, two days before the constituency is slated to go to polls in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 12.Security was beefed up in the constituency after the convoy of West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh and Assam Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma was allegedly attacked by Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters.West Bengal was marred with violence in the last five phases of Lok Sabha election.Barrackpore Lok Sabha candidate Arjun Singh was allegedly attacked by TMC supporters during the fifth phase of elections on April 29.Earlier, the convoy of Union Minister Babul Supriyo was also attacked.
Modi hates my family, I will repay him with love: Rahul
Congress president Rahul Gandhi Friday said he will reply with love to prime minister Narendra Modi's hatred towards him and his family. Addressing a rally in Himachal Pradesh's Una, he also flayed Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party government over demonetisation and the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Modi may spread hatred against me and late PMs Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, but I will repay with love, he said. In the last few days, the Modi has referred to alleged corruption during Rajiv Gandhi's term as prime minister. The anti-Sikh riots in 1984, around the time Rajiv Gandhi took over as PM, have also figured in his speeches. The meeting in Una, in support of the party's Hamirpur candidate Ram Lal Thakur, was the first poll rally addressed by Rahul Gandhi in the state, which goes to the polls in the last phase. In his 25-minute speech, the Congress president said demonetisation had hit people's lives. Terming GST as Gabbar Singh Tax, Rahul Gandhi said it ...
Modi's 'chowkidari' is making the rich wealthier, says Mayawati
BSP supremo Mayawati Friday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging "chowkidaari" is making the rich wealthier and his "theatrics and rhetoric" will not yield any result in the Lok Sabha polls. Addressing a rally in support of her party candidates in Northeast Delhi, she said no development was carried out for minorities, Dalits and backward castes in the last five years. Their condition was no different during the Congress' rule, she said. "The BJP will go out of power. Their natakbaazi (theatrics) and jumlebaazi (rhetoric) won't work. This chowkidari (guarding) won't work. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised acche din but he hasn't fulfilled even one-fourth of them. "GST and demonetisation was implemented without proper planning and this has increased poverty," she said. Mayawati said Modi and BJP President Amit Shah have tried every tactics to see to it that the gathbandhan between her party, the Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal, does not win. "Modi and Amit ...
Cong will try to 'rig' May 19 election in Punjab: Badal
Former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal Friday cautioned the EC to take necessary steps to ensure free and fair polling in the state on May 19, claiming the Congress would try to "rig" the election with the help of government machinery and the muscle power at its disposal. He exuded confidence that the SAD-BJP alliance would win all the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state with a huge margin. "Election results in Punjab would be shocking for the Congress. The Akali-BJP alliance would win hands down in the May 19 polls in the state," Badal claimed. Showering praises on Narendra Modi, the Akali patriarch said he will become the country's Prime Minister once again. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the SAD-BJP had won six seats, the AAP won four and the Congress secured three seats.
US sanctions against Iran's steel, mining sectors may impact Indian players there: TPCI
Fresh sanctions by the US against Iran's steel and mining sectors are expected to impact Indian manufacturers in the Persian Gulf nation, TPCI said Friday. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced tougher-than-ever sanctions against Iran's steel and mining sectors, hours after Tehran said it would suspend some curbs under a denuclearisation deal rejected by Washington. The restriction may impact those Indian manufacturers who are into steel, billets and bars for export purposes, in Iran, Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) Chairman Mohit Singla said in a statement. "This fresh restriction will not impact India immediately as the import of metals and other mining products from Iran are not much. However, it will surely deter India's potential investor sentiment in Chabahar port and also impact the Indian manufacturers in Iran who are into steel, billets and bars for export purposes," he added. India imports iron and steel, machinery, mechanical appliances, nuclear reactors,
Politics at all-time low, desperate measures visible: Vadra
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra on Friday said the country's politics was at an all-time low and desperate measures were visible as Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a personal attack on former PM Rajiv Gandhi, accusing him of using a Naval warship for a holiday. "Politics at an all time low ...Desperate measures are visible. Hitting out at an assassinated Prime minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi, to mislead the people of India. A person who cannot defend himself... "We the family will strive for his vision and the people of India will. Fight for his dignity and respect. It's only time, for a respectful change in our country," he wrote on Twitter and Facebook. Vadra is married to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the daughter of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. A controversy broke out on Thursday over Modi's allegation that Rajiv Gandhi had used INS Viraat as a "personal taxi" for a holiday, a charge rejected by the Congress as well as former Navy chief ...
Cong, BJP candidates 'politically insignificant' in Haryana: JJP leader Dushyant Chautala
JJP founder and MP Dushyant Chautala took a dig at Congress and BJP candidates in Haryana, saying they were "politically insignificant" and their deposit would be fortified if they sought votes in their name. Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), that was founded in December last year after a feud broke out in the Chautala clan, is fighting the Lok Sabha elections in an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party in Haryana. "Last time also the contest was with Modiji this time also it is with him, people hardly know anything about BJP candidate, same is case with Congress candidate, both are politically insignificant," Chautala, great grandson of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal, told PTI in an interview. Confident of his victory, he said if he can win the 2014 general election despite the 'Modi wave' then "why not this time". "I have done a lot of development work for the constituency," he said. The Hisar parliamentary seat will see a contest between Chautala, BJP's ...
Cong will remove Modi from India: Surjewala
The Congress hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accusing him of ruling the country by dividing it and used the Time magazine cover headline that says "India's Divider in Chief", followed by a secondary one that reads "Modi the Reformer". Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the way the party had removed the British from the country, it would do the same with Modi. "Modiji's definition - divide and rule. The Congress first freed the country of the British and will now remove Modi too," Surjewala said in a tweet in Hindi, along with the cover of the Time magazine that also carried a picture of Modi. The TIME magazine has featured Modi on the cover of its international edition with a controversial headline and a secondary one that reads "Modi the Reformer" as the country enters the final phase of the mammoth general election. The American magazine's May 20 international editions -- Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia and South Pacific -- feature the Modi ..
US Navy chief to visit India on 3-day visit from Sunday
US Navy chief Admiral John Richardson will be in India for a three-day visit beginning Sunday to meet his Indian counterpart and other senior officials to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two navies, amidst China flexing its muscle in the strategic Indo-Pacific region. The visit from May 12 to 14 will be Richardson's second visit to India as the Chief of Naval Operations. His visit comes amid Indian Navy participating with the navies of the US, the Philippines and Japan in their first joint naval exercise in the disputed South China Sea, where China is flexing its muscle. The US Navy said in a statement that the visit "aims to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two navies by emphasising the importance of information sharing and exchange". "I am looking forward to this trip," said Richardson. "The strategic environment is becoming more complex and the nature of our shared challenges requires frequent discussion of our views of the maritime .
Price rise not an election issue for the first time since 2004
The Narendra Modi government has kept inflation firmly in check and this is the first time since 2004 that price rise is not an issue in the general elections, Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh claimed on Friday. The Modi government has also demonstrated that it is capable of punishing terrorists, unlike the Congress regime. By virtue of sound financial management and crackdown on corruption, prices have been kept under check. It is just the second occasion, since Independence, when price rise is not an election issue. The last time we witnessed this phenomenon was in 2004 when the nation went to polls under the leadership of Atal Bihar Vajpayee, Singh told an election rally in Saraiya block under Vaishali Lok Sabha constituency that goes to polls on Sunday. Singh had also served as a minister in the Vajpayee government. Above all, we have demonstrated that we are capable of punishing terrorists, unlike the previous Congress government, which ...
No new social security schemes to be launched in Goa: Sawant
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said he will continue all the existing social security schemes, but not launch any new programme during his tenure. Sawant said during his tenure as the chief minister, the stress would be on making individuals "sustainable" rather than make them depend on government doles. The Chief Minister clarified that the social welfare schemes, introduced by his predecessor, the later Manohar Parrikar, would not be discontinued. "All the schemes that were introduced by the Manohar Parrikar-led government will continue. Parrikar had also stressed on creation of infrastructure as the focus for development. "I would like to add to it aspect of human development," Sawant told PTI in an interview Thursday. "You cannot achieve human development by giving them social welfare schemes. "We need to implement the ideas of human development and take care of a person right from his education to employment. For that, we need to formulate schemes which will ..
12 years on, locals in Nandigram feel 'disenchanted, betrayed'
Twelve years after the anti-land acquisition movement changed the political landscape of West Bengal when the three-decade-long Left rule ended and the TMC came to power, many locals in the cradle of change, Nandigram, feel "disenchanted and forgotten" and are yearning for another change. Nandigram in East Midnapore district along with Singur in Hoogly district, were considered to be two pillars which laid the foundation of the TMC government led by Mamata Banerjee in 2011. But now, many people here not only feel disenchanted but also betrayed as they count on the losses of the violent anti-land acquisition. Nandigram falls under Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency and will go to polls on May 12. The bloody agitation over land acquisition for a 14,000-acre chemical hub project by Indonesia's Salim Group which started in January 2007 led to the death of 14 people in police firing in March during the then Left Front government's rule. Riding on anti-land acquisition protests, the TMC ...
BJP seeking votes in Modi's name, AAP in Kejriwal's: Mahabal Mishra (IANS Exclusive)
Both the BJP and AAP candidates have no grounds to seek votes in West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency except taking the names of their heavyweights Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal, Congress MP candidate Mahabal Mishra said.
Kirron Kher hits out at Cong's Pawan Bansal for spreading 'rumours' against her
BJP's Chandigarh candidate Kirron Kher Friday hit out at her Congress rival Pawan Kumar Bansal for allegedly spreading "rumours" that no one turns up for her rallies and dared him to prove if he can pull a bigger crowd than her. "Come to any place alone in the city and I will also reach there without accompanying anyone. Then we will see who attracts the crowd," she said. "Rumours are being spread that nobody comes in my rally shame on you (Bansal). Is the Congress fighting elections on its own or a PR company is helping the party," Kher asked. Kher, 66, claimed that she had got many development works done for people of Chandigarh in the last five years. "Bansal sahib you had been non-existent here and remained in Delhi. We know you can hire big PR companies but elections are fought on the basis of work done. Remember that BJP and Kirron Kher will win elections with a huge margin on May 23," she said. Kher is pitted against Bansal and AAP's Harmohan Dhawan from the Chandigarh Lok ...
India and France hold biggest naval exercises -- with one eye on China
With the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle at the centre, France and India on Friday stepped up their biggest naval exercises as the Indian Ocean's strategic shipping lanes draw ever more envious eyes. Without naming the Asian giant, India and France worry about China's growing economic clout and its territorial claims that have caused tensions in the South China Sea. "We think we can bring more stability to a region that is strategic, that has huge stakes, notably for international trade," said Rear Admiral Olivier Lebas, who commands the French fleet that includes its only aircraft carrier. The vast majority of trade between Asia and Europe and the Middle East -- particularly oil -- is carried across the ocean, while internet-communications cables straddle the seabed that is rich with its own oil and gas fields. The 42,000 tonne Charles de Gaulle is one of 12 warships and submarines -- six from each country -- taking part in the 17th annual exercises off the coast of the Indian ...
Talks with Maoists if they drop weapons: Baghel
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday said that talks can be held with Maoists if they respect the Indian Constitution and give up their weapons.