Page 607 - Politics
Never saw a more coward, weak PM than Modi: Priyanka
Stepping up her attack on Narendra Modi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said she had never seen "a more coward and weak" prime minister than him. "I have not seen a more coward and weak prime minister than him (Modi) in my life," she told an election meeting here, a day after Modi fired yet another salvo targeting her father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, accusing him of using warship INS Viraat as a "personal taxi" for a family holiday. Priyanka Gandhi claimed that Modi had failed to answer people's questions on his "unfulfilled" promises about generating two crore jobs and doubling farmers' income. "The power of politics does not come from big campaigns and television shows. People are the biggest in democracy. One should have the power to listen and redress people's problems. He (Modi) should have the power to listen to the opposition. Leave aside listening to you, this prime minister does know how to reply to you," she said. "You have been cheated. He ..
US won't intervene if Seoul provides food aid to N Korea: White House
The United States would not intervene in Seoul's move to provide food aid to North Korea, the White House said on Wednesday, despite the recent firing of projectiles by Pyongyang last week.Speaking to reporters in Washington, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders cleared that the primary focus of US shall remain on North Korea's denuclearisation."Our position in regards to North Korea is going to continue to be the maximum pressure campaign. Our focus is on the denuclearisation," Yonhap quoted Sanders as saying. She was referring to the US-led sanctions aimed at dismantling the North's nuclear weapons programme. "If South Korea moves forward on that front, we're not going to intervene."However, the statement was made before the firing of fresh projectiles by North Korea earlier today.Sanders further said that US President Donald Trump expressed support for South Korea's possible humanitarian assistance to the North during a phone call with President Moon Jae-in on ...
Goa BJP disowns Dy CM's 'weaponising' youth comment
The ruling BJP in Goa on Thursday distanced itself from a comment by Deputy Chief Minister and Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai who had said on Tuesday that he would "weaponise" his party's youth if domicile provisions for jobs in government and government-funded autonomous bodies are diluted by the BJP-led coalition in the state.
PM only harps on past, time to say goodbye to him, BJP: Rahul
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has nothing to say on his government's performance in the last five years and hence keeps talking about what happened in the past, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said Thursday. Addressing a poll rally here, Gandhi said it is now time to bid goodbye to Modi and the ruling BJP. The Congress chief's comments follow Modi's constant criticism of the Gandhis during the ongoing Lok Sabha poll campaign. "He (Modi) cannot talk about (the promises made about) employment, farmers, Rs 15 lakh (to be deposited in bank account of each Indian) and 'achche din' (good days). He can only talk about the past," Gandhi said. "Modi ji, India chose you as prime minister five years ago. India does not want to understand from you what others did but it wants to know what you did and will do," Gandhi said. "Congress workers have closed all doors for Narendra Modi. Time has come to bid him goodbye," he said. Gandhi said Modi should understand that running the country in ..
Imran Khan's PTI challenges Maryam Nawaz's appointment as PML-N vice-president
The elevation of Maryam Nawaz as a vice president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was on Thursday challenged by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party led by Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying her appointment violated the country's Constitution. Maryam is the politically savvy daughter of three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who is now in jail after being convicted in a corruption case. Sharif's younger brother and PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif last week approved major changes to the party's structure, including Maryam's appointment as one of the 16 vice presidents of the party. Four PTI lawmakers, Farrukh Habib, Maleeka Ali Bokhari, Kanwal Shauzab and Javeria Zafar Thursday submitted a formal petition to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the recent appointment of Maryam as a Vice President of the PML-N, Dawn newspaper reported. "Maryam Nawaz has been declared disqualified for any political or public office," the PTI claimed in the petition. According
Respond on show cause by Friday, EC tells Rahul
The Election Commission on Thursday gave another extension till Friday evening to Congress President Rahul Gandhi to respond to its show cause notice issued over his remark that the Narendra Modi government had enacted a new law which permitted tribals to be shot.
May God wipe out clan of those involved in sacrilege, cheap politics on it: Sukhbir
SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal Thursday said he has prayed that the Almighty may "wipe out the entire clan" of those who were involved in this "grave sin" of sacrilege and also of those who indulge in "cheap politics" over the issue. Lashing out at Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh at a poll rally here, Badal accused him of raking up the sacrilege issue "merely to divert attention from his utter failures" as CM. "Punjab CM was running away from the issues of development, good governance and welfare. But he lacks the courage to seek a vote on his performance," Badal said. Amarinder Singh had said he would not spare anyone, including the Badals, found to be involved in trying to divide people of Punjab by allowing desecration of the holy scriptures. The chief minister had also said they would have to pay for their "sins", including the firing on anti-sacrilege protesters in Faridkot in 2015. The sacrilege incident took place when the SAD-BJP combine was in power. A Special ...
Post Pulwama attack, Prayagraj hotel restricts entry of Pakistani nationals
It has been two months since the Pulwama terror attack rattled the nation. The anger within the nation still prevails.In retaliation to the ghastly attack, a hotel owner in Prayagraj has barred the entry of Pakistani nationals.A poster put outside Hotel Milan Palace clearly reads, "Entry of Pakistani nationals restricted"."We had put up the notice after Pulwama attack. No Pakistani national has come here but even if they come we won't allow them rooms. We're protesting in a way we can," the hotel manager told ANI.In February, a terrorist affiliated to Pakistani based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group rammed an IDF laden vehicle in a CRPF convoy, killing 40 personnel.
EC to hold high-level meeting in Bengal next week
Amid reports of widespread violence across districts in West Bengal in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, Deputy Election Commissioner Sudip Jain would come to the eastern metropolis on May 12 and hold a high-level meeting the next day ahead of the last phase of elections, an official said here on Thursday.
AAP releases poll manifesto for Punjab
The Aam Aadmi Party Thursday released its manifesto for Punjab, promising to focus on agro-based industry and putting pressure on the Centre for implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report. The Swaminathan Commission report recommended one-and-half times of the cost of production as price of crop to farmers. "The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is aware of the issues and concerns of people here. Be it farmers' distress, the problems of industrialists and traders, unemployment, and so on. These issues need to be addressed sooner than later to bring the state back on the path of progress and prosperity," AAP MLA and party's campaign committee chief Aman Arora said here. "AAP will make no false promises to the people just to grab power, but will work earnestly and honestly to live up to their expectations," he said. He said the party manifesto batted for setting up of agro-based industry in Punjab to boost the farmers' income. "The manifesto aims at providing relief to the industrialists ..
Withdraw Bharat Ratna from Rajiv Gandhi: Sirsa
Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) President Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Thursday said that keeping in view the findings of the Nanavati Commission, the government should withdraw Bharat Ratna from Rajiv Gandhi.
'Baba CM' doesn't known how to operate laptop: Akhilesh
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath did not distribute laptops as the "Baba CM" does not know how to operate one, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav alleged Thursday. He also attacked the BJP, alleging that the saffron party is spreading lies as it has realised that it will lose the general elections. "The BJP has nothing except hatred, and is spreading lies as it has realised that they are going to taste defeat.Their language has changed," Yadav said at an election rally here. "The 'Baba CM' has spoiled the ambulance service and its (help-line) number went out of order.The BJP promised to distribute laptops, but they have not fulfilled the promise because the 'Baba CM' does not know to operate a laptop," he alleged. Adityanath had taken over as the chief of the Gorakhpur math and temple from his mentor Avaidyanath. Free laptops for meritorious students was one of the poll promises of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. A scheme for distribution of free laptops was started by the
Hema Malini canvasses for Meenakshi Lekhi in Delhi
BJP MP Hema Malini Thursday canvassed for the party's New Delhi candidate Meenakshi Lekhi in Paharganj area, where she sought to strike an emotional chord with the people saying she was "flooded with memories" as her childhood was spent in the national capital. Addressing a public meeting here, the veteran Bollywood actor said she was doing pretty well in the tinsel town, but her desire to serve people made her enter politics. Asserting that she was lucky to be working with the BJP during Narendra Modi's tenure as prime minister, she urged people to bring the saffron party back in power in the Centre for the development of the national capital and the country. "It was under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, India gained a recognition in global arena," Malini said while counting some of the achievements of the BJP government and cautioned people against getting "distracted or misled" by opposition claims. She said Lekhi, a sitting MP, is her good friend in Parliament, and ...
Will quit poll race if Atishi's charge proved, file defamation case against AAP leaders: Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir, the BJP candidate from East Delhi in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, hit back aggressively on Thursday on being accused of involvement in the alleged distribution of "obscene and derogatory" pamphlets against his AAP rival Atishi, saying he will file a defamation suit against the leaders of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party. The cricketer-turned-politician also said he would withdraw from the Lok Sabha contest if the charge was proved against him. "I declare that if its proven that I did it, I will withdraw my candidature right now. If not, will u quit politics?," he said in a tweet addressed to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Kejriwal and Atishi, the party candidate from East Delhi. Atishi broke down reading a pamphlet containing "obscene and derogatory" remarks against her on Thursday. She alleged that the pamphlets were distributed in the constituency by her Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rival. Gambhir slammed Kejriwal in a series of tweets, saying he was "ashamed" to have ...
Inter-Korean exchanges: UN Command approves opening of 2 DMZ peace trails
The UN Command on Thursday approved the initial phase of two additional peace trails in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to encourage inter-Korean exchanges, according to the United States Forces Korea.South Korea announced its plan to create peace trails in the southern side of the DMZ last month, reported Xinhua. Three border towns, namely Goseong, Cheorwon, and Paju were identified for the project.The approval came before North Korea launched two short-range missiles from the Sino-ri area on Thursday evening, merely five days after its last tests.Previously, a partial withdrawal of guard posts along with the excavation of the remains of soldiers killed during the Korean War was undertaken in a bid to ease military tensions across the border.Meanwhile, civilians are allowed to visit the 7.9 km-long Goseong peace trail on a trial basis. While the opened trail does not include the DMZ section, the Cheorwon and Paju trails are slated to include routes inside the South Korean side of the ...
South African general election: Counting underway; ruling ANC leads
The preliminary results in South African general election suggest that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) will retain power, albeit with a reduced majority.With about a quarter of votes counted, the ANC has won 54.81 per cent of the ballot, standing well ahead of the Democratic Alliance (DA) with 26.30 per cent of votes, reported Xinhua.The Independent Election Commission in South Africa (IEC) said in a statement that voting on Wednesday progressed smoothly in most areas "despite isolated incidents where voting operations were adversely affected by inclement weather, community unrest, power outages and some logistic challenges".The decline in vote share of the ANC was predicted owing to several reasons. In the 2016 local elections, the party had faced a steep decline in support, and it lost some key cities to opposition parties. It also faces widespread apathy among voters born after apartheid, known as the born-free generation.Incumbent president Cyril Ramaphosa, who assumed .
Andhra minister quits 6 months after taking oath
Andhra Pradesh's youngest minister Kidari Sravan Kumar resigned from the cabinet on Thursday, a day before the expiry of six-month period during which he was supposed to get elected to either house of the state legislature.
'N Korea's projectiles launch not helpful in improving inter-Korean relations'
South Korea's Presidential Office on Thursday said that North Korea's latest round of projectiles launch is "not helpful at all" in improving inter-Korean relations and easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.This comes after South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea launched two new projectiles from Kusong on Thursday. The projectiles are believed to be short-range missiles, according to Yonhap News Agency.Cheong Wa Dae or South Korea's Presidential Office expressed serious concerns regarding the fresh tests, which come at a time when representatives from USA and Japan are in South Korea to discuss efforts towards reviving stalled denuclearisation talks.The latest projectiles launch comes just five days after North Korea launched multiple projectiles from Wonsan. Thursday's projectiles dropped into the East Sea after launching from the country's northwestern region.North Korea's projectiles launches are largely being seen as the country's displeasure at the ...
EU urges Iran to continue implementing commitments under JCPOA
The European Union (EU) on Thursday urged Iran to continue implementing its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) after the middle-eastern nation announced partial withdrawal from the deal.They also rejected Iran's two-month ultimatum, adding that they regretted the re-imposition of sanctions by the United States, reports Xinhua. Washington pulled out of the 2015 deal last year, under the leadership of US President Donald Trump.The High Representative of the European Union along with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Britain highlighted that they remain fully committed to the preservation and full implementation of the JCPOA.They further said that the Iran nuclear deal is "a key achievement of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture, which is in the security interest of all.""We strongly urge Iran to continue to implement its commitments under the JCPOA in full as it has done until now and to refrain from any escalatory steps," the ...
Release the 7 convicts in Rajiv Gandhi case: Stalin
DMK President M.K. Stalin on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court's order dismissing the case filed against the release of the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.