Page 619 - Politics
Delhi chief secretary pays tribute to freedom fighters
Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Dev on Wednesday paid floral tributes to freedom fighters Amir Chand, Bhai Bal Mukund, Basant Kumar Biswas and Awadh Behari who were executed for hurling a bomb at a procession of then Governor-General of India Lord Hardinge in 2012. According to a government statement, Dev paid floral tributes at the memorial of the martyrs on the Maulana Azad Medical College premises. Several officers of the Delhi government attended the event, organised by the Directorate of Information and Publicity. Amir Chand, Bhai Bal Mukund and Avadh Behari were executed on May 8, 1915, while Basant Kumar Biswas met the same fate a day later for hurling a bomb at a procession of Lord Hardinge in Chandni Chowk on December 23, 1912. Hardinge was injured in the incident.
Gandhi family used INS Viraat as 'personal taxi': Modi
In a sensational charge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday accused the Gandhi family of using warship INS Viraat as its "personal taxi" when Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister. Addressing his first poll rally in Delhi ahead of the May 12 elections for seven seats, Modi alleged that the Congress insulted the warship by using it for vacations of Gandhi family. Modi's attack on the late prime minister comes close on the heels of his allegation that Gandhi died as a "brashtachari no 1". The then government led by Gandhi and the Navy hosted his family, including in-laws, and a helicopter was also deployed in their service, Modi claimed, adding that when a family becomes supreme, the country's security is at stake. "INS Viraat was insulted by using it as a personal taxi. This happened when Rajiv Gandhi and his family was out for a 10-day vacation. INS Viraat was deployed for securing our maritime boundary. But it was diverted to take the Gandhi family which was out for a vacation," ...
South Western Army commander visits Strike One corps in Mathura
South Western Army Commander Lt Gen Cherish Mathson is on a two-day visit to Mathura to review the operational preparedness of the Strike One corps, a defence spokesperson said Wednesday. The commander began his visit Tuesday, he said. "The Army commander was briefed extensively on the operational, training and administrative aspects. The formation commanders and senior staff of Strike One also attended the briefing," spokesperson Col Sombit Ghosh said here. He said Lt Gen Mathson commended Strike One for its operational readiness.
Will fight election in Rajiv Gandhi's name: Cong Varanasi candidate
Congress leader Ajay Rai, who is contesting against Narendra Modi in Varanasi, said on Wednesday he would give a tough fight to the prime minister. "I am declaring that I will fight this Lok Sabha election in the name of (former prime minister) Rajiv Gandhi ji and also vow to give a tough fight to Modi from the Varanasi seat," Rai said at a press conference here. Rai claimed that former Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav's Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) had extended its support to the Congress candidates of Varanasi and Chandauli to defeat the "communal" forces and stop them from coming to power. The Congress leader said the people would end Modi's "arrogance" this time in the polls. "All his atrocities on the people will end after the elections, as he (Modi) had even demolished temples to pave way for the (Kashi-Vishwanath) corridor," Rai alleged. He accused Modi of imposing a fee of Rs 550 on devotees visiting the Kashi Vishwanath, in an apparent reference to the ...
Puducherry LG seeks hearing to challenges Madras HC verdict
The Centre on Wednesday sought an urgent hearing in the Supreme Court regarding a Madras High Court decision curbing the Puducherry Lt Governor's powers and restraining Kiran Bedi from meddling in the administrative day-to-day affairs.
Priyanka calls herself daughter of Delhi
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday called herself "the daughter of Delhi" who knew what each resident of the national capital wanted.
Rightwing sees nothing good in Priyanka's campaign
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi was the novelty factor in the Lok Sabha battle as she made her debut as a star campaigner of her party. Her actions have been dissected on the social media and news websites. She has been trolled and praised.
Siddaramaiah rules out possibility of becoming CM now, says
Noting that many Congress leaders are pitching for making him Chief Minister out of "affection", Siddaramaiah Wednesday ruled out the possibility of any change in the top post held by H D Kumaraswamy of the JD(S). Speaking to reporters in Hubballi, Siddaramaiah said "They (Congress men) are expressing their opinion, but is it possible now? The seat is not vacant now, Kumaraswamy is chief minister. How can I become the CM?" "Some may be saying things out of affection towards me. Is it wrong to say that?" he asked. With a section of congress clamouring for Siddaramaiah becoming the CM once again, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and Pradesh Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao met Kumaraswamy Wednesday, during which they reportedly discussed the developments. According to congress sources, Kumaraswamy asked them to restrain party leaders from publicly making statements on the post of Chief Minister as it was embarrassing the government and himself. A stung JD(S),in its
Stop supporting terrorism or else river water will be stopped: Gadkari to Pak
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday warned Pakistan that India will not hesitate to stop water of rivers flowing to that country if Islamabad does not end its support to terrorism. "The Union government is already making a road map to stop water of rivers flowing from India into Pakistan," he said Gadkari was speaking while campaigning for Amritsar BJP candidate Hardeep Puri. The minister said that the government is planning to build six water dams in Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and this step would solve the water problem enormously. There was water treaty between India and Pakistan in 1960 and its basis was peaceful relations, but if the present face of terrorism is not changed, in such circumstances, India wouldn't take much time to take the harsh decision of stopping river water to Pakistan, the BJP leader said. He said that the excess water will be given to Punjab and Haryana to address shortage in agriculture. On river water distribution ...
Anupam Kher ducks question about BJP's poll promises
Anupam Kher was left red-faced when a man quizzed the actor about the promises made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Opposition abusing Modi shows desperation: BJP
Slamming the opposition for using abusing language for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP said this only shows their sheer desperation and hatred for a leader, before whom they stand no chance to win public confidence.
W.House rejects 'reckless' Congress demand for full Russia report
The White House defiantly asserted executive privilege Wednesday and refused to comply with "unlawful and reckless" demands by congressional Democrats to turn over an unredacted version of the special counsel's Russia report. "Neither the White House nor Attorney General (Bill) Barr will comply with Chairman (Jerry) Nadler's unlawful and reckless demands," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement, referring to the Democratic head of the House Judiciary Committee. The statement was released just as Nadler began a committee hearing launching contempt proceedings against Barr for refusing to turn over the complete, unredacted report and its underlying evidence. "This decision represents a clear escalation in the Trump administration's blanket defiance," Nadler said at the start of the hearing.
Election commission orders repoll at Kamaraj Nagar on May 12
The Election Commission Wednesday ordered repoll in booth number-10 in Kamaraj Nagar constituency here as the VVPAT did not allegedly tally. The polling was held for the lone Lok Sabha seat April 18. Chief electoral officer V Candavelou, in a communication through whatsapp, said the election commission has declared as void the polling on April 18 and ordered a repoll on May 12 between 7 am and 6 pm. The returning officer at the booth has been suspended, said the district election officer T Arun. The voter strength in the constituency is 952, he said.
Iran nuclear announcement 'intentionally ambiguous': Pompeo
Iran's announcement that it had stopped respecting limits on its nuclear activities agreed under a 2015 deal was "intentionally ambiguous", US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a visit to London on Wednesday. "I think it was intentionally ambiguous... We'll have to wait and see what Iran's actions actually are" before deciding the US response, Pompeo said after a meeting with British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt. "They've made a number of statements on actions they intend to do in order to get the world to jump. We'll see what they actually do. The United States will wait to observe that and, when we do, we'll make good decisions," he said. "I'm confident as we watch Iran's activity, that the United Kingdom and our European partners will move forward together to ensure that Iran has no pathway to a nuclear weapons system," he said. Pompeo also raised the subject of Instex, a trade mechanism launched by Britain, France and Germany earlier this year in a bid to allow Tehran to .
Rajnath Singh dismisses Cong claim of six surgical strikes
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday attacked Congress over its claim of six surgical strikes having been conducted during the UPA rule, saying an RTI has revealed that first such operation was carried out in 2016 during the prime ministership of Narendra Modi."According to an RTI, the first surgical strike happened in 2016," he said, addressing a rally here."They say we also did surgical strikes. Who stopped you from announcing these. Do you feel ashamed of praising the armed forces. Why you did not tell this to the people of India. Is the government not answerable?" the BJP leader said.Earlier this month, Congress leader Rajiv Shukla had claimed that six surgical strikes were conducted during former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's tenure from 2004 to 2014.Singh also slammed Congress over its poll promise to scrap the sedition law, saying, "The party wants to remove the statute to please a few people"."Congress says that the sedition law is irrelevant and bad but you people
Mayawati slams BJP for casting aspersion on alliance
BSP national president Mayawati on Wednesday accused the BJP of ignoring political decorum and casting aspersion on her relationship with her political ally, the Samajwadi party.
Allegations of corruption not exempted from RTI; CIC asks CBI Chief to sensitise staff
Emphasising that allegations of corruption are not covered in the exemption given to the CBI from the RTI Act, the Central Information Commission has advised the agency director to sensitise its RTI processing officers about the provision. Information Commissioner Divya Prakash Sinha quoted an order of the Delhi High Court wherein the Intelligence Bureau was directed to provide information pertaining to allegations of corruption to an applicant. Like the Intelligence Bureau, the Central Bureau of Investigation has also been listed in the list of organisations exempted from the Right to Information (RTI) Act. However, this exemption does not extend to records held by the agency which pertain to allegations of corruption and human rights violations and they are subjected to provisions of the RTI Act. Sinha was hearing a matter wherein an RTI applicant had sought to know status of his complaint alleging irregularities in the allotment of LPG distributorship by the officers of Indian Oil .
SC asks EC to look into complaint of dismissed BSF jawan
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Election Commission to examine the complaint of dismissed BSF trooper Tej Bahadur Yadav whose nomination papers to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Varanasi were rejected by the poll body.
AAP brought 'nakampanthi' model of governance to Delhi: PM
In an apparent attack on the AAP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said they supported the 'tukde-tukde' gang and brought the "nakampanthi" model of governance to the national capital. He was addressing his first 2019 poll rally in Delhi at the Ramlila Maidan and was accompanied by the BJP's seven Lok Sabha candidates for the national capital. "Delhi has seen 'nakampanthi' model of governance. People had come to change the country, but they themselves. They supported 'tukde tukde' gang and strengthened India's enemies," he said, without naming the AAP. Explaining the term 'Nakampanthi', which he used in reference to the AAP government, Modi said it means "not allowing Centre's Ayushmaan Bharat in Delhi hospitals". He said the BJP has reduced pollution and traffic jam in Delhi by building eastern and western peripherals. "Inflation was always an important poll issue, but now opposition is not able to corner government on this," he added. The BJP began using "tukde tukde" gang to .
Born in Delhi, aware of people's issues better than Modi: Priyanka
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday sought to strike an emotional chord with people during a road show here, saying she was born in Delhi and is empathetic towards their aspirations, unlike Prime Minister Narendra Modi who, she claimed, has been here only for five years. Holding her first road show in the national capital in support of Sheila Dikshit, the Congress candidate for Northeast Delhi constituency, Priyanka Gandhi challenged Modi to fight polls on the issues of GST, demonetisation and women security. The road show started in Seelampur, a minority-dominated area, and meandered with a sea of people towards Yamuna Vihar depot, where it culminated. Perched atop a minibus, she said, "I cannot disrespect you. We are not arrogant like the BJP. We know that you have made us what we are today." "Modi ji is in Delhi for five years. I was born in the city. I have seen every bylane. I will tell you (Modi) what the people of Delhi think. They are tired of your useless talk.