Page 684 - Politics
Does democracy to you mean buying Opposition MLAs: Kejriwal asks Modi
A day after the BJP claimed that 14 AAP MLAs were in touch of it to switch over, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Friday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi if democracy for him meant buying the legislators of Opposition parties.
SC agrees to hear DMK's plea against disqualification of 3 AIADMK MLAs
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party against the notice of Tamil Nadu Assembly speaker disqualifying the three All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (AIADMK) MLAs for supporting Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) leader TTV Dinakaran.A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi agreed to hear the plea on May 6.This decision came after the senior advocate Kapil Sibal appearing on the behalf of DMK, pleaded for an early hearing in the matter.Sibal also told the apex court that speaker of the Tamil Nadu Assembly P. Dhanapal himself had faced no-confidence motion while issuing a notice to three AIADMK MLAs, namely Rathinasabapathy, MLA of Aranthangi constituency, VT Kalaiselvan from Virudhachalam constituency, and VT Prabhu from Kallakuruchi constituency.DMK president M. K. Stalin had claimed that the ruling AIADMK had sought to disqualify the three MLAs because the intelligence agencies had warned the government that retaining .
Mahabharat, Ramayna are full of incidents of violence: Yechury
CPM leader Sitaram Yechury attacked the BJP for fragmenting the society for votes through its divisive policies.The leader went on to brand religious epics Ramayana and Mahabharata as specimens of Hindu violence."Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur said that Hindus don't believe in violence. Many kings and principalities have fought battles in the country. Even the Ramayana and Mahabharata are also filled with instances of violence. Being a pracharak, you narrate the epics but still claim Hindus can't be violent? What is the logic behind saying there is a religion which engages in violence & we Hindus don't," he said."After the initial phases of election got over, they came back to the core Hindutva agenda - Aboloition of Article 35A and 370, Construction of Ram Mandir on the disputed sight, Uniform Civil Code and NRC. On the back of such issues, the decision to bring in Sadhvi Pragya Thakur to contest from Bhopal after the third phase is a step taken based on hyping up the sentiments of
Sena slams Cong for questioning timing of JeM chief's listing
Terming the United Nations' move of designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist a "diplomatic win" for India, the Shiv Sena Friday lashed out at the Congress for questioning its timing. In an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', the party said there is no timing in the fight against terror. The UN on Wednesday had designated Azhar as a "global terrorist" after China lifted its hold on a proposal to blacklist the Pakistan-based JeM chief, a decade after New Delhi approached the world body for the first time on the issue. "Pakistan runs a factory of terrorism and Masood Azhar is its director...He is the number one enemy of India. He is the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based terror organisation. He is not only responsible for the terror activities in Kashmir, but was also behind the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai," the Sena said. "Breaking India into pieces is Azhar's dream. This satan was also behind the deadly Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 jawans. ..
Papua New Guinea PM faces no confidence vote
Three more ministers resigned from the Papua New Guinea government on Friday -- leaving Peter O'Neill's eight-year premiership hanging by a thread. O'Neill -- who is expected to face a vote of no confidence as early as next week -- suffered the loss of his defence, health and forest ministers adding to an already long list of high-profile defections. His People's National Congress Party now has a small majority in parliament and he has faced repeated closed-door requests from party allies to step down, officials said. "He refused," said health minister and long-time ally Puka Temu, who told reporters that he was "dissatisfied with the manner and way in which the prime minister has been administering his leadership in running Papua New Guinea." "We are calling on the prime minister to step down," he said today. O'Neill's long tenure in office has been marred by rampant corruption, high levels of crime and large-scale investments that ran up public debt but showed little benefit for ...
Sidhu slams PM, says he is yet to fulfil promises
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he "ditched" people of the country by promising good days which are still "elusive". The cricketer-turned-politician also charged that no action was taken against those involved in scams like Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi as they belonged to Gujarat. "Modi has ditched people by promising 'acche din', which are elusive. Good days have come only for people like Adani and Ambani. Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and others did scam worth crores and fled the country but no action is taken against them as they belonged to Gujarat," he said addressing an election meeting here Thursday in support of Congress President Rahul Gandhi. On black money, Sidhu said, "Modi used to talk about bringing back black money. Where it is? Has it come? Modi promised 2 crore jobs per year but did not give jobs to anyone." Claiming that Congress carried out a lot of development in Amethi, Sidhu said, "This time people of Amethi will not .
I am second Lalu Yadav in Bihar, says Tej Pratap Yadav
As the Lok Sabha polls nears its final lap, Tej Pratap Yadav, elder son of jailed RJD chief Lau Prasad, is seemingly becoming more vocal against his brother Tejashwi Yadav.Addressing a rally in favour of his candidate Chandra Prakash in Jahanabad, he made a veiled attack at Tejashwi who is handling the party after Lalu went to jail in a corruption case."He (Lalu Prasad) is a very energetic man. He used to attend 10-12 programmes in a day. Now, leaders fall sick in just two to four programmes," Tej Pratap said here on Thursday.Notably, Tejashwi has cancelled many of his scheduled rallies due to health constraints.Tej Pratap also claimed he was the second Lalu in Bihar. "I am the blood of Lalu Yadav. He is our idol as well as our guru. I am the second Lalu Yadav in Bihar," he said.Without naming his younger brother, who handles the day to day work of the party, he said bootlickers have been given the party ticket.Exuding confidence, he said Chandrasekhar, who has been pitted against ...
I was witness to Rahul's birth, thrilled he contested from Wayanad, says retired nurse
Rajamma Vavathil, a retired nurse and a voter in Wayanad, says forcefully that no one should contest Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's citizenship status -- after all she was one of those on duty at Delhi's Holy Family Hospital on June 19, 1970 when he was born. The 72-year-old, who was still in training to be a nurse at the time, said she was among the first to take the infant Rahul in her hands. I was lucky as I was first among the few who took the newborn baby in my hands. He was so cute. I was witness to his birth. I was thrilled... we all were thrilled to see the grandson of prime minister Indira Gandhi, Vavathil told PTI over phone from Wayanad. Forty-nine years later, the "cute baby" is Congress president and a contestant from Wayanad. And Vavathil, who now describes herself as "nearly a housewife", said she couldn't be happier. She remembers the day well. Rahul Gandhi's father Rajiv Gandhi and uncle Sanjay Gandhi were waiting outside the labour room of the hospital when Sonia ...
UP babus make beeline for politics, polls
With a highly politicised bureaucracy, it is little wonder that the line between bureaucrats and politics is blurring in Uttar Pradesh and a record number of retired bureaucrats are contesting the ongoing elections.
More Aussie candidates withdraw over social media posts
Another candidate for Australia's governing Liberals was forced to stand down over anti-Muslim comments Friday as the party struggles to fend off charges it harbours right-wing extremists. But the main opposition Labor party, which is comfortably leading in opinion polls ahead of the May 18 general election, also saw one of its own stand down Friday over lewd social media posts. Jessica Whelan became the third Liberal candidate to quit the race in the past three days over racist or homophobic social media posts. Whelan, running for the lower house of parliament from the island state of Tasmania, initially said the posts, which included references to "filthy Muslims" and called for a referendum to ban Muslim immigration, had been doctored by hackers. Party leaders supported her as late as Thursday and said police had been called in to investigate the alleged hack. But after screenshots of additional anti-Islam posts emerged in the Australian press overnight, Whelan withdrew from the ...
As coronation begins, Thai king's future role still unclear
Three days of elaborate centuries-old ceremonies begin Saturday for the formal coronation of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who has been on the throne for more than two years. What Vajiralongkorn also known as King Rama X, the 10th king of the Chakri dynasty will do with the power and influence the venerated status confers is still not clear. The 66-year-old monarch has sent mixed signals. Bursts of assertiveness alternate with a seemingly hands off approach in other matters a perception girded by the amount of time he spends at a large residence in Germany. On Wednesday, he suddenly announced his fourth marriage, to a former flight attendant who is a commander of his security detail, and appointed her Queen Suthida. The timing of the announcement, just ahead of his coronation, suggests a new commitment to his royal duties. But he is likely to remain burdened by old gossip about his personal life that has dogged him since returning from his education in England and Australia.
Trump's son-in-law still tight-lipped on Mideast peace plan
President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law acknowledged Thursday that it might not be a "smart money bet" to gamble on the success of the White House's long-awaited blueprint for Mideast peace. But he insisted that it is a very detailed, fresh approach that hopefully will stimulate discussion and lead to breakthroughs in resolving the decades-old conflict. Jared Kushner remained tight-lipped about the guts of the plan. He described it as an "in-depth operational document" not anchored to previous, failed negotiations, high-level political concepts or stale arguments. "We're building a very good business plan with a strong economic component for how Palestinians can move forward economically," he said at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. It was the latest in a series of recent public appearances Kushner has made to lay the groundwork for rolling out the plan, which has been two years in the making. In recent weeks, Kushner also has made appearances at the ...
'Missing' posters for Rahul appear in Amethi
Posters claiming that Congress President Rahul Gandhi was 'missing' from his parliamentary constituency appeared overnight in Amethi, but were pulled down on the orders of the Returning Officer following complaints from the Congress party.
Japan, Vietnam pledged to solve South China Sea issue peacefully
Japan and Vietnam have agreed that the international community should work together to resolve the South China Sea issue "peacefully".Japan's defense minister Takeshi Iwaya and his Vietnamese counterpart General Ngo Xuan Lich held bilateral talks on Thursday, reported NHK. During which, Iwaya expressed "regret" on China attempts to change the status quo of the South China Sea.He urged the International community to "speak up"China has been claiming sovereignty over the South China Sea and its untapped 11 billion barrel of oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Several countries including Malaysia, Philippines Taiwan, and Vietnam have condemned China. saying Beijing is breaching their territory.However, China in recent years has increased its military activity in the sea by conducting naval exercises.Iwaya and Lich have also agreed to advance the cooperation between Japan's Self- Defense Forces and Vietnam's military in maritime security and to maintain peace and stability of
Want not just strikes but surgery: Sibal
Former union minister and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Friday said that the United Nations listing terrorists and conducting surgical strikes is not enough to combat terrorism.Sibal, by making the statement joined the list of opposition leaders who have downplayed the recent development of the United Nations designating JeM chief Masood Azhar as a "global terrorist".The Congress leader took to Micro-blogging site Twitter and underscored, "Want not just strikes but surgery.""Pakistani terrorists under UNSC Resolution 1267December 11, 2008: Hafiz Saeed, Lakhvi, Mohammad Ashraf, Zaki ur-Bahaziq.Terror continued.May 1, 2019: Masood Azhar. Terror will continue.Surgical Strikes: UPA 6, NDA 1. Terror continues. Want not just strikes but surgery," he tweeted.On May 1, the UN designated Azhar as a 'global terrorist' after China joined efforts to blacklist him by lifting its technical hold.Earlier, Congress leader Digvijay Singh said: "How will listing (Masood Azhar as a global ...
NDA will be short, regional parties will have 'big say' in government: TMC
Predicting that the BJP-led NDA would fall short of the majority mark of 272 seats in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, Trinamool Congress has said regional parties will have a "big say" in the formation of next government but remained evasive on the issue of Prime Ministership.
Ex-Kerala Minister Vishwanatha Menon dead
Former CPI-M Kerala Finance Minister V. Vishwanatha Menon passed away on Friday at a private hospital here, said family sources. Menon was 92
Trump seeking to get money to Venezuela's Guaido
US President Donald Trump's administration is looking for ways to financially bolster Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has been recognised by Washington as the country's interim president, with an influx of cash, which could involve freeing up frozen assets or loans.
It's not easy to buy AAP leaders: Kejriwal
Hitting out at Union Minister Vijay Goel after he claimed that 14 AAP MLAs were in touch with the BJP, willing to switch sides, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said it is not easy to buy AAP leaders.Taking a dig at Goyal, Kejriwal tweeted: "Goyal Sahib, baat kahan phasi hai? Aap kitna de rahe ho? Woh kitna mang rahe hain. (Where are you facing a deadlock? How much are you paying? How much are they demanding?)""Modi ji, will you topple every government run by an opposition party by buying MLAs in the respective states? Is this your definition of democracy? And from where do you bring so much money to buy MLAs? You have tried to buy our MLA many times. Buying AAP leaders is not easy at all," the Chief Minister asserted in another tweet.On Thursday, Goel had said, "14 AAP MLAs want to leave the party because the party has gone astray from its objectives but the BJP does not need to buy these MLAs. Allegations of the BJP offering Rs 10 crores are false.All 7 Lok Sabha seats in ...
Acting speaker's order on plea against Goa minister on May 22
Goa acting assembly speaker Michael Lobo Thursday reserved his order for May 22 on a disqualification petition filed against Health Minister and BJP MLA Vishwajit Rane. Lobo had earlier issued notices to Rane and the petitioner, Independent MLA Prasad Gaonkar, and asked them to appear before him Thursday. The acting speaker heard the arguments of both sides. "I have heard both the parties and the order is reserved for May 22," Lobo said. The Independent MLA had filed the disqualification petition before the then Speaker Pramod Sawant against Rane in August 2017, seeking his disqualification from the House. Rane was elected to the Legislative Assembly from Valpoi in the March 2017 polls on a Congress ticket. He had resigned from the assembly minutes after taking oath and later quit the Congress party. According to the petition, Rane should be disqualified for resigning minutes after taking oath in the House and switching sides. He subsequently joined the BJP and was ...