Page 681 - Politics
Rahul appeals to voters of Amethi, promises speeding up development projects 'blocked' by BJP
Congress president Rahul Gandhi has made an emotional appeal to the voters of Amethi urging them to re-elect him and promising to give momentum to the development works in his Lok Sabha constituency "blocked" by the BJP government. In a letter written in Hindi to members of his "Amethi pariwar" (Amethi family), Gandhi said he drew strength from them to stand firmly and listen to their woes. He accused the BJP of starting a "factory of lies" and using huge cash to lure voters but said he was confident that the people of Amethi won't fall into this trap. Voting in Amethi will be held on May 6 and Gandhi is pitted against Union minister Smriti Irani, whom he had defeated in 2014 by a margin of over one lakh votes. Gandhi alleged the BJP has stalled development of the area and sought public support for ensuring speedy completion of work. "Amethi is my family. My Amethi family gives me the strength to stand with the truth and hear the pain of the poor and the downtrodden and raise their ...
Elect SP-BSP candidates to undo the wrongs of Cong, BJP governments: Mayawati
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati Friday appealed to the people of Uttar Pradesh to elect SP-BSP candidates in the Lok Sabha polls to "undo the wrongs" of Congress and BJP governments. At an election meeting in Siddharthnagar district in favour of the alliance's Domariyaganj candidate Aftab Ahmad, she accused the Congress of failing to eliminate poverty. Referring to the Congress' proposed minimum income guarantee scheme 'Nyay', she said, "If we form government at the Centre, we will focus on providing both government and private jobs to people instead of doling out Rs 6,000." Under 'Nyay', the Congress has promised Rs 6,000 to poor families every month. Targeting the BJP, Mayawati said, "The party will be voted out of power due to its pro-capitalist policy and even the 'chowkidari' drama won't be able to save them." Claiming that there is a wave against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she alleged that under the BJP government the people did not get reservation benefits. "Corruption .
Cong telling 'lies' by saying its govt also conducted surgical strikes: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday challenged the Congress' claim that its government too had conducted surgical strikes across the Line of Control, accusing the party of telling "lies". "Pehle upeksha, fir virodh, ab me too me too (They initially rejected it, then opposed and now saying 'me too' )," Modi said at an election rally here. Modi's remark came a day after the Congress came out with a list of six anti-terror surgical strikes carried out during the UPA term. The UPA government carried out six surgical strikes -- Bhattal sector in Poonch (June 19, 2008); Sharda sector, across Neelam River Valley, in Kel (August 30-September 1, 2011); Sawan Patra checkpost (January 6, 2013); Nazapir sector (July 27-28, 2013); Neelam Valley (August 6, 2013); and one on December 23, 2013, Congress spokesperson Rajeev Shukla had said in a press conference on Thursday. "They initially mocked and rejected surgical strike but people had faith in me and they stood by me," he said. He accused the ...
Masood Azhar ensured his sanction by UNSC: Sources
China, which had been blocking the sanctioning of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), lifted its "technical hold" after "factual" and "sufficient" evidence was provided collectively by some countries, along with India, diplomatic sources said here on Friday.
Modi deceived youths by promising 2 crore jobs: Rahul
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of deceiving youths and leaving them unemployed. "Forget about Rs 15 lakh in bank account, he (Modi) did not deposit even Rs 5. He thinks that people of the country do not understand anything," Gandhi said at a rally in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. "He (Modi) kept assuring that money will come in bank accounts he had opened. He deceived youths the most by promising 2 crore jobs and left lakhs of them jobless," the Congress chief said. Gandhi said issues like corruption, farmers, employment were common in speeches of Modi five years ago, saying such things were not heard in the prime minister's speeches now.
Rahul Gandhi's adopted village awaits his visit
Five years after Congress president Rahul Gandhi adopted Amethi's Jagdishpur village under the 'Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana' (SAGY), residents say they have been waiting for him to visit and get the development work started. The last time Gandhi visited Jagdishpur was in December 2014, when he adopted the village. "Rahul Gandhi visited only once in 2014. At that time, every tree, pole and road was measured with a view to fill the gaps in development. But nothing has been done ever since," a villager, Kesri Nandan, said. Under SAGY, members of Parliament are required to choose a village in their constituency and develop it as a model village. In this aspiring model village, roads are rutted, there is no piped water supply, the only school is found wanting on many fronts and healthcare facilities are dismal. After a long wait for Gandhi to return, Jitendra Yadav, the village head, recently joined the BJP in the hope of a brighter future for Jagdishpur. Yadav said he quit the Congress ...
'Me too, me too': PM Modi's dig at Congress over surgical strike claim
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday mocked the Congress over its claim of having conducted surgical strikes during the UPA regime telling the party that it is not a video game.A day after the Congress claimed that six surgical strikes were carried out by the Manmohan Singh-led government, he said the Congress, which earlier used to mock the surgical strikes, is now saying 'me too, me too'."After losing in the first four phases of the Lok Sabha elections, now Congress is doing a new drama. A senior Congress leader last night said that during their time surgical strikes were done many times. Now Congress is trying everything to prove that it too had carried out surgical strikes. Congress claims that they carried out six surgical strikes," Prime Minister Modi said while addressing a rally here."What type of strikes were these about which the terrorists did not get to know, Pakistan didn't know and even Indians didn't know. First they mocked it. When they saw that the people are ...
Peace process advanced despite no agreement from 2nd US-N Korea summit: S Korea
South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Friday said the "peace process has advanced" even though the second summit between the US and North Korea in Vietnam ended without an agreement."The peace process has advanced although the second summit between the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump ended with no agreement in late February in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi," Xinhua quoted Kang as saying during a presser here."We remain optimistic that at some point, they'll return to the dialogue," she added, referring to Kim's earlier statement, wherein he showed interest for a third summit with the United States, provided Washington offers a "fair" and "mutually acceptable" deal.Held in the last week of February in Vietnam, the second US-North Korea summit broke down without an agreement after the two sides failed to resolve their differences on sanctions waivers.While Pyongyang has sought sanction relief for the steps it has taken towards denuclearisation,
AAP MLA Anil Bajpai joins BJP, says not getting 'respect' in party
Anil Bajpai, Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Delhi's Gandhi Nagar, on Friday joined the BJP in presence of Union Minister Vijay Goel.The move comes just two days after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged that the BJP has approached as many as seven AAP MLAs and offered Rs 10 crore each to its lawmakers allegedly in its bid to buy them."I worked with AAP for 15 years. But I was not getting respect in the party. I was also not happy with the way the party was functioning. If you and your family do not get respect in their personal lives then it is better to move ahead. If I had stayed there for longer, it would have been a situation of "committing suicide" for me," Bajpai told ANI."In AAP, they used to ask us to bring donations for the party. From where would we get it? You can see my tears to know the kind of behaviour I have been gone through," he added."You pls wait," said Bajpai on being asked if 14 other AAP MLAs were in a bid to join the BJP. Earlier on Thursday, Goel had said ..
Teleprompters tell PM not to speak of jobs, Rs 15 lakh: Rahul
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's teleprompters tell him not to speak about unfulfilled election promise of jobs and depositing Rs 15 lakh in bank account of every Indian, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Friday. Addressing a poll rally here, Gandhi also said Modi is now afraid of uttering the word 'chowkidar' as he knows what follows next. "You have heard Modi's speech. He used to talk about (his) 56-inch chest. What is happening now? It is clearly written on the teleprompters that Modi ji, don't talk about (the 2014 poll promises of) employment (generation) and giving Rs 15 lakh (to each Indian) even by mistake, else it can damage (the partys prospects)," he said. A teleprompter is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script. Modi is known to speak extempore at political meetings but was seen using teleprompters at some poll rallies. The machines were not visible in the television frame. "Congress people have .
Submit expenditure details in 90 days: Poll officials to MNS
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has been asked to submit details within 90 days of expenses incurred on the election rallies of its president Raj Thackeray. An election official said the notice for submission of election expenditure was issued after consultations with the Election Commission following a complaint from the BJP demanding that expenditure incurred on MNS rallies be shown in the accounts of opposition candidates in the nine Lok Sabha constituencies where Raj Thackeray addressed rallies. "We sought guidance regarding the complaint and were told that the MNS is a registered political party and should give details of the expenses incurred on its election rallies. The notices to this effect are being sent to Raj Thackeray through district collectors of the areas where he addressed rallies," the official said. The official said this was a routine procedure and all national, state and registered parties have to submit their statement of accounts. Though the .
Sumitra Mahajan holds review meeting for 17th Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Friday called a meeting with all Parliament's senior officials to review the preparedness for commencement of 17th Lok Sabha.Mahajan has advised officers to welcome new MP's at the Delhi Airport as well as at New Delhi and Anand Vihar railway stations in a hassle-free manner.She apprised that, unlike previous years, the elected MP's this year will not be staying in hotels as 100 rooms are ready in the Western Court and 200 rooms are ready in the State BhawanThe Lower House speaker has also ordered officers to tighten securities at the western court and has asked for a new medical center and canteen for MPs.The first time MPs would be given a CD and pen drive loaded with rules of Constitution, she said, adding that Parliament's computer management branch should provide computer knowledge to all the new MPs and their person staff.The Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases and the results would be announced on May 23. The date of the ...
Doubt if Modi knows about Bhagat Singh: Cong leader Manish Tewari
Congress Lok Sabha candidate Manish Tewari Friday said he doubted if Prime Minister Narendra Modi knew about freedom fighter Bhagat Singh as the PM never turned up to pay respects to the martyr. Tewari is contesting the Anandpur Sahib constituency in Punjab against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) nominee and sitting MP Prem Singh Chandumajra. "I really doubt if PM Modi has any idea about 'Shaheed-e-Azam' Bhagat Singh as he never turned up to pay respects to the legendary hero here," Tewari said at a public meeting at the memorial of the freedom fighter. He announced that the first thing he would do after getting elected would be to move a resolution in Parliament to officially declare Bhagat Singh as 'Shaheed-e-Azam'. "His sacrifice in India's freedom struggle remains unmatched, unparalleled and officially unacknowledged, as we have failed to recognise it on record," Tewari claimed. "Our great martyrs like Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru have not got their due," he claimed, adding we, at
US Air Force General Tod Wolters sworn in as NATO commander
US Air Force General Tod D. Wolters has been sworn in as the top military officer of the 29-nation NATO military alliance. The former pilot, who has served in Afghanistan and Iraq, became Supreme Allied Commander Europe at a ceremony on Friday at NATO's military headquarters in Mons, southern Belgium. Wolters, who replaces U.S. Army General Curtis M. Scaparrotti for a term likely to run two to three years, will also be commander of U.S. forces in Europe. The NATO post of SACEUR is always held by an American military officer. NATO's top civilian official, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, says the command is "one of the most challenging and most important military positions in the world." Wolters will oversee NATO's biggest reinforcement of its collective defenses in Eastern Europe since the Cold War.
Afghanistan to release 175 Taliban prisoners
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday announced the release of 175 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture as a five-day summit on peace ended here with a call for an urgent ceasefire and a schedule for a proposed withdrawal of foreign troops from the war-torn country.
Rahul, Priyanka to boost Congress campaign in Haryana: Hooda
Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will tour Haryana over the next few days for election campaign, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said on Friday. Hooda said the Congress chief would launch the election campaign in Haryana on Saturday by addressing a rally in Gurgaon, where former state minister Ajay Singh Yadav contesting against Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh. Another rally is being planned for Mahendragarh later, he said. Notably, in the 2014 election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won seven of of the eight seats they contested and reaped electoral gains particularly from south Haryana, including Gurgaon and Mahendragarh. Hooda said Vadra would visit Ambala, Hisar and Rohtak next Tuesday. Rohtak was the only seat won by Congress last time. From Ambala, former MP and senior leader Kumari Selja is contesting. In Hisar, senior leader Kuldeep Bishnoi's son, Bhavya, has been fielded against sitting MP Dushyant Chautala of the ...
Nothing new in youngsters joining ULFA-I : Sarma
Nothing new in youngsters joining ULFA-I : Sarma
Azhar's blacklisting symbolic victory for India: Experts (Special)
Blacklisting of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar is an important symbolic victory for India in relation to terrorism emanating from Pakistan, experts have said and noted that New Delhi should remain steadfast to ensure that the perpetrators of the Pulwama and Mumbai terror acts are brought to justice.
Azhar's listing has 'concrete consequences': French envoy
The listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council (UNSC) was a "very important political decision" with "concrete consequences", French Ambassador Alexandre Ziegler said here on Friday.
RSS should merge with BJP instead of supporting it inconspicuously: Gehlot
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Friday hit out at the RSS, saying it should merge with the BJP and enter in active politics openly rather than supporting the saffron party inconspicuously and misleading people in the name of Hindutva. "I would like to say it to RSS people that it should come openly in politics rather than misleading people in the name of Hindutva, being a cultural organisation and supporting BJP inconspicuously,"Gehlot told reporters here. The Congress leader said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh should merge with the BJP and announce themselves a political party as doing politics "behind the curtain" is not good for the country People will evaluate their principles, programme and policies and the fight will be face-to face, the CM said. "Congress has the strength to face them. People will evaluate and take decision. Doing politics behind the curtain is not in welfare of the country," Gehlot said. He said that when Mahatma Gandhi was murdered the then Union home .