Page 609 - Politics
Telangana CM visits Kalam's memorial in Rameswaram
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Thursday visited the memorial of late president A P J Abdul Kalam here, along with a few of his party TRS functionaries. He would be offering special prayers at the Ramanathaswamy temple here Friday. On Tuesday, Rao had met the Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and visited Kanyakumari the next day. The Telangana Rashtra Smiti (TRS) supremo, who floated the idea of a non-Congress, non-BJP Front some time ago, had met Vijayan at his official residence and discussed the current political scenario of the country.
LS polls: Campaigning for 6th phase to end tomorrow
Campaigning for the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections will end on Friday evening in 59 constituencies spread across seven states which will go to polls on May 12 to test the fate of Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Congress leader Digvijay Singh and BJP's Pragya Singh Thakur among others.Voting will be held in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, ten in Haryana, eight seats each in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, seven in Delhi and four in Jharkhand. Bharatiya Janata Party had won 44 of the 59 in the last general elections.According to the Election Commission, a total of 968 candidates are in the fray.In UP's Sultanpur, BJP has fielded Maneka Gandhi instead of her son and sitting MP Varun Gandhi who won in 2014 by a margin of over one lakh votes. She is contesting against BSP candidate Chandra Bhadra Singh and Congress' Dr Sanjay Sinh.Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is in the fray in Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat, currently represented by his father ...
Former President Zail Singh's son-in-law joins BJP
Former President late Giani Zail Singh's son-in-law and ex-Punjab bureaucrat S.S. Channy joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday.
British minister blasts 'lazy thinking' on Brexit
Britain's Brexit minister on Thursday condemned "lazy thinking" about the country's divorce from the European Union, urging Brussels to be ambitious in future cooperation, particularly on security issues. As EU leaders met in Romania to debate the bloc's future without Britain, Steve Barclay used a side event to urge them to move on from the "Nigel Farage little-Englander portrayal of Brexit". Barclay pleaded with the EU to look beyond the bitter wrangling in Westminster over the divorce deal and focus on the potential for future cooperation. "From my generation of politicians within the UK, Brexit was an opportunity of confidence, of optimism, a desire to be more global," Barclay said. "It certainly wasn't the Nigel Farage little-Englander portrayal of Brexit and I think too often there is lazy thinking to be frank on Brexit and a failure to look at that longer term relationship between the UK and Europe." Britain was due to leave the EU on March 29 but the departure has been delayed
Rahul to address three rallies, Priyanka to hold two road shows in HP
Congress president Rahul Gandhi will address three rallies, while party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will hold two road shows in Himachal Pradesh, a party leader said on Thursday. All four Lok Sabha seats-- Shimla (SC), Mandi, Hamirpur and Kangra-- in the state will vote in the seventh and last phase of the ongoing general elections on May 19. Himachal Pradesh Congress affairs in-charge Rajni Patil said that Rahul Gandhi will address a rally each in Una, Solan and Mandi and Priyanka Gandhi will be wooing the voters of Theog and Sundernagar with her grand road shows, Patil said. The Congress chief will address his first rally in Una on May 10 in support of party's Hamirpur candidate Ram Lal Thakur, who is pitted against the sitting BJP MP Anurag Thakur, a three-time parliamentarian from the constituency. Ram Lal is the Congress MLA from Sri Naina Deviji assembly segment. However, the dates for his Solan (Shimla Lok Sabha seat) and Mandi rallies are yet to be finalised, Patil
India urges UK to consider improved tax rules for its professionals
India has called on the UK government to look into some tax and visa norms that make it difficult for Indian professionals and students to fully contribute to the bilateral relationship. At the Conservative Friends of India (CFIN) annual dinner in London on Wednesday evening, Indian High Commissioner to the UK Ruchi Ghanashyam urged UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid to look into regulations around compulsory tax contributions required from Indian professionals who come to the UK only for a short period, resulting in a loss of millions of pounds. Referring to some latest figures from Grant Thornton's 'India Meet Britain Tracker 2019', the Indian envoy pointed to an increase in the number of Indian companies operating in the UK over the previous year to 842 in 2019. It shows the confidence that Indian business has in the UK and the positive momentum that they keep on adding to the India-UK economic relations. Here, I want to draw attention to the National Insurance (NI) exemption which for .
Debate with me, I'm also a Gujarati: Pitroda
Congress leader Sam Pitroda on Thursday said the BJP-led government at the Centre had failed on all sectors and challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a debate with him as he is also a "Gujarati". Pitroda said an atmosphere had been created where people do not believe in facts, but "lies" that are being promoted on social media. "Modi has misused the public money on self-promotion and advertisement," Pitroda said, alleging that half of the budget of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao was spent on advertisement. "Come, debate on issues. Have a debate with (Congress chief) Rahul Gandhi and, if not him, then debate with me. I am also a Gujarati," Patroda told reporters here. Rather than talking about the work done in the past five years, Pitroda said, Modi was drawing attention to the border, nationality of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and attacking former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Pitroda said the Lok Sabha election is the most important in the history of India, saying it is not a ...
Gambhir challenges Kejriwal to prove charges or leave politics, says will file defamation
Challenging Aam Aadmi Party chief to prove the allegations levelled against him, BJP's East Delhi candidate Gautam Gambhir on Thursday asserted that he will be filing a defamation case against AAP leaders for "tarnishing" his image by alleging that he had made defamatory pamphlets against his rival Aatishi.Gambhir's comments came hours after he was accused of circulating pamphlets with derogatory and casteist remarks against his rival candidate Atishi Marlena."If they can get proof, I will resign right now and if they get a proof by May 23 I will resign on that particular day. But if Delhi chief minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal do not get the proof, will he accept the challenge and leave politics forever on 23rd?," Gambhir told ANI.He also threatened to file a defamation case on the issue and said, "I will definitely file a defamation case against them. You cannot tarnish someone's image just like that if you don't have the proof. I have never given a negative statement ...
Re-polling in 13 booths in TN on May 19
Repolling in 13 polling booths in Tamil Nadu on May 19 has been necessitated as the presiding officers there forgot to format the EVMs and there were allegations of some people were not allowed to vote, the state Chief Electoral Officer said on Thursday.
Mamata 'Bengal tigress', taught lesson to Modi: AP CM
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday hailed his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee as a "Bengal tigress" and said she had "taught a lesson" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
BJP going all out to wrest Rohtak, but breaking into Hooda family citadel uphill task
The ruling BJP has worked intensely over the past five years to weaken the Congress stronghold in the Jat-dominated Rohtak Lok Sabha constituency in Haryana, but the saffron party may find breaking into the citadel of the Hooda family an uphill task. Sitting MP Deepender Singh Hooda (41), seeking a fourth-term in this election, fought the strong "Modi wave" to emerge as the only Congress leader in the state to make it to Lok Sabha in 2014. He defeated BJP's O P Dhankar by a margin of over 1.70 lakh votes. Barring Rohtak, BJP won all the remaining seven seats it fought in 2014. INLD won two seats and Congress one in that election. After the defeat, the saffron party stepped up political activities in Rohtak in a bid to weaken the Hooda family stronghold and the Congress. Of the nine assembly segments under Rohtak parliamentary constituency, which has a voter strength of over 17 lakh, four including Hooda's home town Rohtak, were won by BJP in 2014 assembly polls. Rohtak MLA Manish ...
Cong's Divya Spandana slams PM for taking Canadian Akshay Kumar aboard INS Sumitra
Congress' social media strategist Divya Spandana on Thursday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly taking Canadian citizen Akshay Kumar with him onboard Indian Navy warship Sumitra. Her attack on Modi came a day after he accused late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi of using warship INS Viraat as a "personal taxi" for a family holiday. "Yeh teek tha? @narendramodi you took a Canadian citizen @akshaykumar with you on-board INS Sumitra," Spandana tweeted with the hashtag 'sabse bada jhoota Modi (biggest liar Modi)'. Setting to rest speculation about his citizenship, actor Akshay Kumar had earlier this month said he holds a Canadian passport. Spandana also tagged a link to an article which raised questions as to why Bollywood was roped in for International Fleet Review at Visakhapatnam in 2016. "Kumar even sailed in the presidential yacht INS Sumitra along with naval chiefs and other VVIPs," the report said. Spandana also asked Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan to clear his stand
UF government destabilised India: Modi
With opposition parties initiating moves to discuss the possibility of forming a coalition government at the Centre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday recalled the formation of the United Front government in 1996 and said it had "destabilised" the country."We have to be cautious of the 'Mahamilavati Mahagathbandhan' (adulterated alliance). These people have done nothing but destabilised the Indian polity. 20 years ago, there was a United Front government at the centre which destabilised India in an unprecedented way."Then India saw an inefficient and corrupt government between 2004 and 2014 of the UPA which ran scams cutting across categories," he said at an election meeting in this constituency in which SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is the candidate of the SP-BSP alliance.After the completion of the fourth phase of polling, opposition leaders including TRS chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and TDP chief and his Andhra pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu ...
SC dismisses petition seeking ban on US drone strikes in Pak
Pakistan's Supreme Court Thursday dismissed a petition filed to halt US drone strikes in the country, saying the government was authorised to deal with such matters. Raja Saad Sultan in a petition had challenged a verdict by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) which earlier rejected the case by forwarding the issue of drone strikes to the defence ministry. A three-member apex court bench led by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa upheld the PHC dismissal with observation that government of the day was authorised to deal with such matters. The bench further said that Ministry of Defence and the government can approach the US if necessary to stop any further strikes. The court also said that the drone strikes virtually ended, as the last such strike reportedly took place in January 2018. The petitioner had sought directives for the government as how to deal with such attacks as according to petitioner's lawyer innocent people are killed in the drone strikes. According to the Bureau of ...
'Mahamilavatis' will put nation's security in peril, don't vote for a 'khichdi' coaltion: PM
Accusing the mahamilavati opposition parties of putting the nation's security in peril, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday urged people not to vote for a "khichdi" coalition that will only bring in anarchy and instability. These are the parties indulging in politics of vote bank and caste equations, these 'mahamilavatis' had put the country in danger, he said. These people had allowed Pakistan to dominate India, he said at a rally in the constituency where Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav is the SP-BSP-RLD alliance candidate. Modi has been referring to the opposition alliance in UP and possible coalitions elsewhere in the country as mahamilwati, or adulterated. He said before the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power Azamgarh used to be linked to terror attacks by the investigating agencies. This is because the SP and Bahujan Samaj Party leaders in Uttar Pradesh used to give patronage to those who helped terrorists, he alleged. He claimed when opposition parties were in ...
UK government to fund removal of Grenfell-type cladding
A scheme costing $260 million to urgently remove unsafe and dangerous cladding from high-rise apartment blocks in England was announced on Thursday by Prime Minister Theresa May.
Ex-Admiral refutes Modi's charges on Rajiv's 'joy cruise'
In a major embarrassment to the government, retired Admiral L. Ramdas on Thursday refuted Prime Minister Narendra Modis claim that the late Rajiv Gandhi and his family had enjoyed a family cruise on the INS Viraat.
'Fed up' of US criticism of BRI, says China
China on Thursday said it is "fed up" of the US' constant criticism of its trillion dollar Belt and Road Initiative, as it claimed that over 150 countries have extended their "vote of support and confidence" for the ambitious project. The US has been extremely critical of the BRI. The Trump administration has recently stepped up criticism against the mega initiative, cautioning countries around the world about the "predatory financing" of the project aimed at enhancing China's global influence by financing and building huge infrastructure projects. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has made scathing criticism of the BRI during his recent tours to the UK and Finland. During his visit to Britain, he reportedly said the BRI had undermined sovereignty of the countries and asked the UK government to be vigilant about it. Reacting to Pompeo's remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing that despite US criticism, over 6,000 officials representing over 150 ...
BJP to lose Lok Sabha polls unless it tampers EVMs: Gogoi
Veteran Congress leader Tarun Gogoi on Thursday claimed that the BJP has just one option to win this Lok Sabha election - that is tampering the EVMs, which the opposition parties are fearing. Claiming that the saffron party will lose in Uttar Pradesh and other states in north and south India, the former Assam chief minister said the next government at the Centre will be formed with the support of the Congress. "(Prime Minister) Narendra Modi's days have come to an end. He is sure to go. They (the BJP) will lose unless they go for tampering of EVMs, that is what the opposition parties are suspecting," Gogoi said at a press conference here. The BJP will lose badly in Uttar Pradesh along with other places in north and south India, while the Congress will improve its tally in many states, including Assam, he claimed. "Even (BJP national general secretary) Ram Madhav has also hinted that the BJP is losing," Gogoi said. Gogoi was referring to Madhav's recent interview in which .
Never saw 'a more coward, weak' PM than Modi: Priyanka
Stepping up attack on Narendra Modi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said that she has never seen "a more coward and weak" prime minister than him. "Insey bada kayar, insey kamjor Pradhan Mantri main jeevan me nahi dekha, (I haven't seen a more coward and weaker PM than him in my life)", she said at 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. The Congress leader claimed that Modi has failed to answer people's questions on "unfulfilled" promises about providing two crore jobs and doubling the income of farmers. "The power of politics does not come from big campaigns and TV shows. People are the biggest in democracy. One should have power to listen and redress people's problems. He should have the power to listen to the opposition. Leave aside listening to you, this PM does know how to reply to you," she .