Page 622 - Politics
PM is modern-day avatar of Aurangzeb: Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam
In a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam has likened him to "modern-day avatar of Aurangzeb". "The people of this constituency chose a person (PM Narendra Modi) who is actually the modern-day avatar of Aurangzeb. Because in Varanasi, in the name of corridors hundreds of temples have been demolished on the instruction of Prime Minister Modi,"Nirupam claimed at a public meeting here on Tuesday. He also claimed on the instruction of the PM a fee of Rs 550 is being charged on devotees visiting the temple to offer prayers to Baba Vishwanath. "This proves what Aurangzeb could not do, is being done by Prime Minister Modi," the Congress leader added. Nirupam claimed the prime minister who talks about the rights of Hindus is now "demolishing temples and has also imposed 'jizya' (tax) on devotees". "I condemn this act of modern-day Aurangzeb," he said.
Britain calls Iran suspension of nuclear deal curbs 'unwelcome step'
Britain on Wednesday called Iran's decision to no longer respect the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers an "unwelcome step" that could lead to new Western sanctions. "Today's announcement from Tehran is, I have to say to the House, an unwelcome step. We urge Iran not to take further escalatory steps and to stand by its commitments," Foreign Office minister Mark Field told parliament. Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman later told reporters: "We are extremely concerned about this announcement." "This deal is a crucial agreement which makes the world safer and we will ensure it remains in place for as long as Iran upholds these commitments," he said. The spokesman said Britain would hold talks with its partners, particularly France and Germany, over next steps. Field said: "We are not at this stage talking about re-imposing sanctions, but one has to remember that they were, of course, lifted in exchange for the nuclear restrictions as part of that JCPOA (Joint ...
Kejriwal, Prakash Raj campaign in West Delhi
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and actor-politician Prakash Raj on Wednesday held a roadshow in West Delhi and asked people to vote for the Aam Aadmi Party in the upcoming polls. Addressing a roadshow in Nasirpur area of West Delhi, AAP chief Kejriwal urged people to vote for the party by pressing the 'jhadu' button. The chief minister was accompanied by Raj and AAP's West Delhi candidate Balbir Singh Jakhar during the roadshow who waved and greeted as the caravan passed through the sea of supporters. Raj asked people to vote for the AAP as it is the "only party that talks about real issues and has proved its mettle in the education and health sectors". Jakhar is locked in a three-way fight with Congress candidate Mahabal Mishra and BJP's Parvesh Verma. Kejriwal's roadshows are part of the party's third phase of campaigning. The third phase of campaign started from Tuesday and would continue till the last day of campaigning. The AAP has already carried out campaigning in two ...
SC refuses to hear Cong MP's plea for action against PM, Shah for poll code violations
The Supreme Court Wednesday refused to further hear the plea of Congress MP Sushmita Dev seeking action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah for alleged poll code violations, saying the Election Commission has already decided the complaints. The apex court said it cannot examine the merits of the EC orders, giving clean chits to the BJP leaders, as they gave rise to fresh cause of action for which another petition has to be filed. Since the EC has decided "rightly" or "wrongly" the pending complaints against the Prime Minister and the BJP President, the merits of the orders can be challenged only by filing a fresh petition, said a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta. "The petition has become infructuous as the Election Commission has taken decisions on the complaints," the bench said. Senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for Dev, said the additional affidavit has been filed as the apex court had asked her to bring on ...
BJP hits back at Congress after Nirupam's Aurangzeb jibe at PM
Hitting back at Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam for likening Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "modern-day avatar of Aurangzeb", the BJP Wednesday said the opposition party always finds it "useful" to remember what "invaders" did to India and accused it of politicising the ongoing development works here. Protesting the demolition work under the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor project in Varanasi, Modi's parliamentary constituency from where he is fighting the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, Nirupam likened the prime minister to "modern-day avatar of Aurangzeb". BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said, "Nirupam is known to give controversial statements more out of compulsion than conviction. For some strange reasons, Congress finds it always useful to highlight what the invaders did but never recognise the builders of India." Before trying to politicise the development work being done by the PM, the Congress should first explain why the UPA government had "opposed" the existence of Lord Ram in an affidavit .
Poll results will make it clear who is Duryodhana and who is Arjuna: BJP leader
Results of Lok Sabha polls will make it clear who is Duryodhana and who is Arjuna, Delhi BJP leader Vijender Gupta said Wednesday, hitting out Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi for her remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On a day when Priyanka held road shows in Delhi, Gupta, the Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly, expressed confidence that the BJP is going to retain all seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital as people of the city want to see Modi as prime minister for another five years. Slamming Priyanka for her comments against Modi, Gupta said people of Delhi will give a befitting reply to Congress in the election. Attacking the prime minister at a rally in Ambala on Tuesday, Priyanka compared him with 'Duryodhana', the villain in epic Mahabharata. "This Lok Sabha election is like Mahabharata of democracy. On May 23, the results of the election will make it clear who is Duryodhana and who is Arjuna," Gupta told PTI in an interview. Gupta is part of ...
Sonia, Rahul, Priyanka among Congress star campaigners
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh figure among the list of star campaigners for Bihar in the seventh and final phase of general elections. The list, submitted by AICC general secretary Motilal Vora to the Election Commission last week, was shared by the partys state unit here on Wednesday. While Rahul Gandhi has already held four rallies in the state since announcement of the polls, the others are yet to make an appearance in Bihar for poll campaign. Other prominent leaders whose names figure among the 40 star campaigners are Ghulam Nabi Azad, Shaktisinh Gohil, Tariq Anwar and Ranjeet Ranjan. Altogether eight Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar will go to polls in the final phase for which voting will take place on May 19. Of these, the Congress is contesting Sasaram and Patna Sahib where former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and actor- turned-politician Shatrughan .
Venkaiah Naidu to deliver keynote address at Vietnam pagoda
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu will deliver keynote address at Vietnam's Tam Chuc Pagoda during his four-day visit to the country, an official statement said on Wednesday.
South Africans vote in health check for ruling ANC B
South Africans voted Wednesday in nationwide polls all but certain to return the ruling ANC despite anger over corruption scandals, sluggish growth, and record unemployment. The election is the first measure of whether President Cyril Ramaphosa can reinvigorate support for a party whose backing rests largely on its liberation credentials, but now faces the prospect of a reduced majority. "The ANC has been in power for the past 25 years and I don't see any change," lamented unemployed father-of-two Jacob Maretlwa, 30, who lives in a shack in Coligny in the North West province. Ramaphosa, 66, took over last year after the ANC, which first swept to power in 1994, forced then-President Jacob Zuma to resign after a nine-year term dominated by corruption allegations and a struggling economy. Zuma oversaw the party's most significant drop in support in the democratic era. "This is a vote that reminds us of 1994... heralding a new period," Ramaphosa said after casting his ballot at a school .
US welcomes release of two jailed Reuters journalists in Myanmar
The US has welcomed the release of two Reuters journalists in Myanmar after they were pardoned by the country's civilian government, amidst international pressure. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo walked free Tuesday from Yangon's Insein jail after spending over 500 days in prison. They were jailed under Myanmar's Official Secrets Act for reporting on a massacre of Rohingya civilians. The two men were released as part of an amnesty of 6,520 prisoners by the country's President Win Myint. "Jailed for over 500 days since December 2017 for reporting on atrocities against the Rohingya, we are delighted they will be reunited with their families, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Tuesday. The two journalists from the London-based news agency won international acclaim for their reporting on the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. The men led an explosive Reuters investigation -- which eventually won a Pulitzer Prize -- into the killing of 10 Rohingya men in the village of Inn Dinn, part of a ...
Moscow urges signatories of Iran nuclear deal to 'fulfil obligations'
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday called on signatories to abide by the Iran nuclear deal, during a press conference in Moscow with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif. "I believe the only practical steps that need to be taken in order to resolve the situation... is to convince all remaining participants to fulfil their obligations," he said. Lavrov said the 2015 deal had been "fragile" since US President Donald Trump announced Washington would pull out a year ago. European signatories of the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), were trying to "divert attention" from their inability to implement points of the agreement, Lavrov said. "We will call on them, as we have done before, to concentrate on implementing everything that is enshrined in the JCPOA and approved by the UN Security Council." Zarif's Moscow visit came as Iran said it had stopped respecting limits on its nuclear activities agreed under the deal until other ...
Don't vote for development; vote for National Security, says Amit Shah in a rally in Jamshedpur
BJP President Amit Shah asserted on Wednesday that the only relevant issue in this election is national security and there is only one man who hasdelivered results on this count and that is Prime Minister Narendra Modi."Don't give vote for development works to BJP candidate Bidyut Baran Mahto in Jamshedpur; vote for him because Narendra Modi made the country's border secure. The Prime Minister has taken effective steps to secure the borders of the country. In the regime of UPA-I and II, enemy forces used to run havoc in the country but no action was taken on that front," he said addressing an election rally."In the recent past, our 40 security personnel lost their lives in the attack by Pakistan-aided terrorism in Pulwama. Due to the decisive nature of PM Modi, our brave Indian Air Force (IAF) troops retaliated and entered enemy territory to debase their terror camps. India is only the third country after Israel and United States of America (USA) to have retaliated to terrorism in ...
Cong delegation meets Speaker, asks him to disqualify BJP MLA
A delegation of Congress MLAs Wednesday met Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi in Gandhinagar and appealed to him to disqualify BJP legislator Pabubha Manek whose election has been invalidated by the Gujarat High Court for submitting a "defective" nomination form. Despite the April 12 HC order invalidating Manek's election from the Dwarka Assembly constituency in 2017, he has not been disqualified yet, Congress leaders told reporters after the meeting and accused Trivedi of acting in a "partisan" manner. The delegation, which had around 15 MLAs, also urged the Speaker to take action against OBC leader Alpesh Thakor, who had won the 2017 Assembly election on a Congress ticket and last month announced quitting the opposition party. While quitting the Congress, the MLA from Radhanpur in Patan district had not resigned from the Assembly. Prominent members of the delegation were Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda, Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani and chief whip Ashwin ..
It's Congress that coined term 'Hindu terror': Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday accused the Congress of coining the term "Hindu terror" after the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast and keeping the "innocent in jail".
SP-BSP-RLD alliance's prospects to improve in next 2 phases of Lok Sabha polls: Mayawati
Rubbishing the BJP's claim that it was doing good in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, leaders of the opposition BSP-SP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh said on Wednesday that on the contrary, its prospects were improving day by day. "Our (electoral) prospects are improving...the prospects of the opposition alliance will further improve in the remaining two phases of Lok Sabha polls," BSP chief Mayawati said at joint rally with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav here. RLD chief Ajit Singh also addressed the rally at the Azamgarh Muslim Education and Welfare Trust ground. The BSP supremo said ever since the 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) was formed, "BJP leaders have lost their sleep". Mayawati appealed to the voters to ensure a historic win for Yadav, who is the joint opposition candidate from the seat held by the SP in the outgoing Lok Sabha. Hitting back at the BJP, the BSP chief said, "We are not 'mahamilawati', it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is 'mahamilawati' (highly ...
UN chief praises India for counter-terrorism support, says terrorists fleeing IS should be tackled
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appreciated India's support to the counter-terrorism work of the world body and underscored the need to "detect and disrupt" terrorists fleeing the Islamic State prior to them carrying out an attack as a high priority for the international community. The UN chief made these remarks during the launch of the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel Programme on Tuesday, over two weeks after the Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka claimed by the ISIS. The programme would help to strengthen international counter-terrorism cooperation, expand multilateral networks for sharing information to detect, identify, disrupt and prosecute terrorists and to ensure that member states most affected by terrorism have the capacity to tackle this evolving threat, he said. "The United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel Programme we launch today is about helping to meet all these objectives. I would like to thank the Dutch Government for its generous ...
10 firms to lay foundation stone for their plants: TN CM
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Wednesday said foundation stones for 10 new industries will be laid in June, creating employment opportunities for the youth in the state.
A battle of turncoats in Phulupur, Allahabad Lok Sabha seats
The prestigious twin Lok Sabha constituencies of Phulpur and Allahabad in the district, represented in the past by three prime ministers, is seeing a battle of political turncoats this election as majority of the main candidates are fighting polls after having switched party allegiance. In Phulpur, wherefrom Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru won the first three Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has fielded former zila panchayat chief Keshri Devi Patel while Pankaj Niranjan is fighting from the Congress with Pandhari Yadav forming the third corner of this triangular contest. The Patel community is an important electoral base and the Congress and the SP-BSP alliance is also seeking to corner an important vote share from it. Senior Congress leader from Allahabad, Abhay Awasthi, says, the 2019 general elections in Allahabad this year is essentially a "battle of political turncoats". "The twin Lok Sabha seats of Phulpur and Allahabad have seen titans fighting the poll in the past. From Nehru ...
Priyanka holds roadshow in North East Delhi in support of Sheila Dikshit
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra held a roadshow Wednesday afternoon in support of Sheila Dikshit, her party candidate from North East Delhi constituency drawing a huge crowd. Perched atop a minibus that started from Seelampur, a minority dominated area, Priyanka Gandhi and Dikshit waved at the ebullient hordes of supporters who were raising slogans "Desh me aandhi Priyanka Gandhi". The Congress banners adorned the road. People jostled with each other to catch a glimpse of Priyanka Gandhi. Some were also showering rose petals on her as the minibus passed by. "Sanitation is the main issue here. Manoj Tiwari (the BJP MP who is seeking a reelection from the seat) was never seen here. (Chief Minister) Arvind Kejriwal cannot run the government," said Zubair Ahmed, a resident of Seelampur. Priyanka Gandhi will also hold another roadshow in South Delhi later in the evening.
People planning to oust PM Modi: Reddy
Congress general secretary Apsara Reddy on Wednesday claimed that people were planning to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi from power as his NDA government "completely failed" on several fronts. Reddy also criticised Modi over his recent remarks against former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. "People are clearly designing the 'Pradhamantri Hatao Yojana' (remove PM scheme), as the NDA government has completely failed on several fronts," she told reporters here in Goa. "The way a woman like (Congress general secretary) Priyanka Gandhi is attacked, it should not be encouraged in a democratic set up. Also, what Modi said about late PM Rajiv Gandhi shows India in poor light in front of the entire world," the Congress leader said. Modi in a rally on Saturday targeted Congress president Rahul Gandhi on the Rafale issue and said "your father was termed 'Mr Clean' by his courtiers, but his life ended as 'Bhrashtachari No 1' (corrupt number 1)". Taking a jibe at a recent ...