Page 676 - Politics
Confident of victory: Rebel Cong candidate Shakeel Ahmad
Madhubani (Bihar) [India], May 3 (ANI): Rebel Congress leader and former Union Minister Shakeel Ahmad, who is contesting as an independent from Madhubani Lok Sabha constituency exuded confidence about his victory claiming that several parties have extended him support.Ahmad is pitted against Ashok Yadav, son of four-time BJP MP Hukmdev Narayan Yadav and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) candidate Badri Kumar Purbe."I do not feel like I am fighting independently from Madhubani. I am getting support from many political parties. The Communist Party of India (CPI) has extended its support. Pappu Yadav and Kanhaiya Kumar also came forward to support me. I'm confident enough that I will win with a good margin in Madhubani," Ahmad told speaking to ANI."I am not disappointed with the Congress party's decision because I am getting support in the district from the Congress party," Ahmad added.On being asked why Congress has detained him from the party, Ahmad said: "These are all rumours, this news .
Jaitley attacks Rahul, says 'dynast' is day-dreaming
In a sharp attack against Rahul Gandhi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday said the Congress President's claim to have "dismantled" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image was a case of "day dreaming" by the "dynast".
'India could show links between Azhar and IS, al-Qaeda'
Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Gautam Bambawale said here Friday that India succeeded in establishing strong links between Jaish-e- Mohammad chief Masood Azhar and al-Quaeda and Islamic State, leading to his designation as a "international terrorist". Bambawale was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a lecture at Pune International Center here. "The listing and designation of Masood Azhar as an international terrorist by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is a big diplomatic win for India. "It is also a big victory for other countries like France, United States,United Kingdom who helped us," he said. "While deciding on listing a particular terrorist as a global terrorist, the 1267 committee the UNSC looks for linkage between the terrorist and IS and al Qaeda and in Azhar's case, India did exactly the same. "It showed a strong linkage between Azhar and IS and Azhar with al Qaeda," he said. There is no need to give evidence that a particular ...
India has become undeclared 'Hindu Rashtra', says Azam Khan
Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan on Friday claimed that India has become an undeclared 'Hindu Rastra' as the language used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders caters just to one religion.Speaking at a press conference here, Khan said, "There is only one issue in this polls and that is of nationalism. The language spoken by Prime Minister and other BJP leaders caters to one particular religion. This is why India has become an undeclared Hindu Rashtra.""Important issues such as inflation, unemployment, GST, demonetization, farmers suicide, and the increasing number of soldier's deaths during BJP tenure are not debated during the Lok Sabha elections," he added.The SP leader questioned the Election Commission's clean chit to Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his murder accused remark against BJP national president Amit Shah.Khan said, "If there is such an accusation against Shah then it is very unfortunate."The SP leader said, "There were attempts to kill me ...
Vote for 'kaam', not for 'naam': Kejriwal at roadshow
Overcast skies and gusty winds did not deter Aam Aadmi Party supporters from participating in Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's roadshow, who urged the people to vote on the basis of the "kaam" (work) done by the MPs and not their "naam" (name). Addressing a roadshow in Badarpur for AAP's North East Delhi candidate, Dilip Pandey, Kejriwal underlined the importance of the 2019 general election and said people should be careful who they would vote for. "See what work your MP has done in the constituency. Vote for 'kaam' and not for 'naam'," the AAP chief said. Pandey is locked in a three-cornered fight with Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari, and Congress leader and former chief minister Sheila Dikshit. Hitting at Tiwari, Kejriwal said the sitting MP had not done any work in his constituency in the past five years. Kejriwal urged the people to not vote for the Congress as it is a "vote-cutting" party, claiming it would even even lose the security deposits. He asked the people to ...
Congress delegation meets EC over EVMs, other issues
A Congress delegation on Friday met the Election Commission (EC) and requested it to provide details of each Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and polling stations to ensure transparency during the counting of votes on May 23 after the end of the Lok Sabha elections on May 19.
Azhar's listing watershed moment in fight against terror: French envoy
The listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council (UNSC) is a "watershed moment" in the fight against terror and has "concrete consequences", French Ambassador Alexandre Ziegler said here on Friday.
Pay market rent for govt accommodation, Uttarakhand HC tells former CMs
The Uttarakhand High Court Friday ordered the state's former chief ministers to pay the market rent for the entire period they continued to occupy government accommodation since demitting office. Passing the final judgement on a PIL, Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Ramesh Chandra Khulbe declared all government orders from 2001 till date providing housing and other facilities to former chief ministers in the state as illegal and unconstitutional. The division bench ordered the former chief ministers to pay the rent as per the market rate for government accommodation occupied by them for years after relinquishing office, counsel for the petitioner Kartikeya Hari Gupta said. They have also been asked to similarly pay for other facilities provided to them as former CMs. The court has directed that all amount due and payable towards amenities such as electricity, water, petrol, oil and lubricants etc. provided by the state government to respondents as former chief ministers ..
Ex-bureaucrats come together to mentor civil services aspirants in J-K
Former bureaucrats of Jammu and Kashmir, including ex-chief secretary and Director General of Police, have come together to mentor civil services aspirants in the winter capital. These ex-bureaucrats plan to provide free "civil services motivation, counselling and guidance" to the aspirants through their organisation 'Future Bureaucrats'. Over 40 youths from the state have been selected in the civil services in the past five years. "We will be enrolling the aspirants for mentorship. The aspirants and their parents are requested to come to ASKPC Bhawan at Durga Nagar on Sunday," former IPS officer Youginder Kaul told PTI. Former chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir Vijay Bakaya, former DGP Kuldeep Khoda and ex-DGP (Prisons) Ashok Bhan are among the distinguished names who will tutor and guide the aspirants. The retired civil servants came up with the idea around two years ago as they felt there was no guiding hand for those preparing for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) ...
EC allows Rahul to respond to show cause by May 7
The Election Commission Friday gave an extension till May 7 to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for replying to its notice, which was issued over his remark that the Narendra Modi government has enacted a new law which permitted tribals to be shot. Citing his speech made in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh on April 23, the commission on May 1 had issued a showcause notice to Gandhi highlighting a provision of the Model Code of Conduct which bars "unverified" allegations against political opponents. He was given 48 hours to respond to the notice, with the deadline ending Friday evening. To this Gandhi had sought time till May 7 to reply. "The commission had issued a notice to Mr Rahul Gandhi on May 1 in light of his impugned statement made while addressing election meeting on April 23 at Shahdol, MP. He was given 48 hours to reply. A request was received today seeking extension till May 7 for filing reply. Commission has accepted the same," the poll panel said.
Former Goa RSS chief starts 'jhola' campaign
In a unique initiative, former Goa RSS chief Subhash Velingkar on Friday, started a 'jhola' campaign ahead of the May 19 Panaji bypoll, through which, the RSS leader, along with other leaders and workers of his regional party, Goa Suraksha Manch, will "seek alms" as contribution for the ongoing election campaign.
Trump, Putin discussed Venezuela in phone talks: W.House
US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Venezuela during wide-ranging telephone talks Friday, the White House said. Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Trump had made clear to Putin "that the United States stand with the people of Venezuela." She said they also touched on trade, North Korea and the situation in Ukraine, during their talks - which lasted almost an hour and a half according to Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Syria's Kurds reject regime-imposed 'reconciliation'
A Kurdish-led Syrian force said Friday it believes in dialogue with the government but warned a settlement on the future of territory it controls cannot arrive through a Damascus-prescribed "reconciliation" agreement. "We are ready for dialogue with the Syrian regime, with the central government, in order to reach a democratic solution for all of Syria, including the north-east" said Mazloum Kobani, the chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). But "we cannot solve existing issues, and large problems in this region... through reconciliation" deals, he said in a speech to Arab tribal leaders in Ain Issa. Syria's Defence Minister Ali Abdullah Ayoub in March said that the SDF would have to strike a reconciliation agreement with Damascus or risk a regime-led military offensive in the third of the country that it controls. So-called "reconciliation" deals brokered between Damascus and rebel groups outside Kurdish controlled areas of Syria since 2014 have been preceded by ...
Pence: tariffs part of enforcement in a US-China trade deal
The removal of tough US tariffs on Chinese goods will be part of enforcing any new trade deal between Beijing and Washington, US Vice President Mike Pence said Friday. Pence told CNBC television that President Donald Trump remained "very hopeful" about the current round of trade talks, which officials have repeatedly said are nearing a conclusion. "The manner in which tariffs would come off is going to be a part of an enforcement mechanism and all of that is a subject of negotiations as we talk," Pence said. Chinese officials are due in Washington on Wednesday to continue talks held in Beijing this week. Last year, the world's two top economies slapped tariffs on more than $360 billion in two-way merchandise trade as Washington accused China of seeking global industrial dominance on the back of alleged unfair trade practices, such as forced technology transfer and massive state intervention in markets. The tariffs have hit the US agricultural sector and both sides' manufacturing ...
Turkey doctors get prison terms for criticising Syria offensive
Eleven members of Turkey's leading medical association were sentenced to prison terms on Friday over criticisms of a military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria last year. They were given 20 months in prison for "inciting hatred and hostility," one of those convicted, Seyhmus Gokalp, told AFP. The 11 had made up the central committee of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) when it issued a statement in January 2018 saying "war is a man-made public health problem" in response to Turkey's offensive in the western enclave of Afrin in Syria. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the time lambasted the group as "a gang of unthinking slaves". One member, Hande Arpat, was sentenced to a further 19 months for "terrorist propaganda" over postings on social media, the association said in a statement. The association has over 83,000 members representing 80 percent of Turkey's doctors. Five of the convicted members remain on its central council. The 11 remain free pending appeal, Gokalp ...
Rahul insulted his own party leader over caste: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday accused Congress chief Rahul Gandhi of insulting his own party's district president by allegedly asking the local leader to be his barber because of his caste. Modi referred to a media report that claimed that Gandhi, in a lighter vein, had invited Bikaner district president Mahendra Gehlot to Delhi to cut his hair when he came to know that he was from a caste of barbers. However, Gehlot had rejected the charge against Gandhi, saying the Congress chief had not made any negative comment but had praised him. The BJP had held a demonstration over the alleged insult. "This is the realty of the Congress. They are amused by insulting 'kaamgar' (workers). A barber, tea maker, everyone earns livelihood by their skills," he said, calling Gandhi a 'naamdar' (dynast). He said that Gandhi's remarks were not just an insult to a Congress leader of Bikaner, but an insult to all 'kaamgars'. "I have lived in poverty, faced hard times. If anyone who earns livelihood .
Nationalism is about loving the people: Priyanka
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Friday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its poll campaign centred around nationalism, and said that the government needed to love and respect the people of the country.
Lalu, Paswan to witness prestige fights in fifth phase
The fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election will be interesting and politically crucial for the politician fraternity of Bihar as the long term turfs of two heavyweights -- RJD chief Lalu Prasad's Saran and LJP supremo Ram Vilas Paswan's Hajipur -- will go to the polls on May 6.
Madhya Pradesh is new ATM for Congress: BJP
The BJP Friday attacked the Congress over unaccounted money being traced from "close associates" of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, saying the state has become a "new ATM" for the grand old party. Addressing a press conference at the party office, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao alleged that the Congress dispensation in the state is "minting money and diverting government funds. Rs 281 crore unaccounted cash was traced from his close associates". Describing Madhya Pradesh as a new ATM of Congress, Rao alleged that as per entries in a diary traced by Income Tax Department, senior Congress leaders Digvijay Singh and Randeep Surjewala also got a cut from this unaccounted cash. The Congress dismissed the charge, saying it was a sign of desperation of the ruling party. Senior party leader Anand Sharma said that raising these issues at this stage shows the mindset of the BJP and the ruling government which were panicking.
Additional 'factual' evidence ensured banning of Azhar: Sources
Additional "factual" evidence provided to the UN Security Council (UNSC) lately ensured lifting of 'technical hold by China on sanctioning of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar and the decision was "obviously" linked to the Pulwama attack as the process was initiated after that, diplomatic sources said here on Friday.