Page 7 - Politics

CM Soren distributes portfolios to ministers, keeps Home to himself

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday distributed portfolios among the new ministers, keeping Home (including prison), Cabinet Secretariat and several other departments to himself, according to a government notification. Radhakrishna Kishore, a Congress MLA, got finance while JMM's Chamra Linda was allotted the department of Schedule Tribes, Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes and Minorities. RJD's Sanjay Prasad Yadav was given the Department of Labour, Employment and Training, while Irfan Ansari of the Congress got Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Department. The chief minister also kept to himself the departments of Personnel, Administrative Reforms and Official Language, Road Construction, Building Construction, and those yet to be distributed to anyone. A total of 11 MLAs took oath as ministers in the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand on Thursday. Soren himself was sworn in as the CM on November 28.

Sonia kept me waiting for an hour when I called from Berlin, writes Najma

After being elected president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in 1999, Najma Heptulla rang up the then Congress chief Sonia Gandhi from Berlin to convey the news but had to hold the phone line for an hour as a staff told her that "Madam is busy". The former deputy chairperson of Rajya Sabha, who had left the Congress after reported differences with Gandhi and joined the BJP in 2004, mentions this incident in her just-released autobiography "In Pursuit of Democracy: Beyond Party Lines". Heptulla says the IPU presidency was a "historic first and a great honour, marking the pinnacle of my journey from the Indian parliament to the world parliamentary stage". First, she telephoned Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee from Berlin and he received her call instantly. "When he heard the news, he was delighted, first because the honour had come to India, and second, it had come to an Indian Muslim woman. He said, 'You come back and we will celebrate.' I could also connect to the ...

Post-independence narratives manipulated to credit select people: Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday lamented that India's history books have done injustice to some heroes of the freedom struggle as post-independence narratives were "manipulated" to credit only select individuals. He said that it was imperative to present "unvarnished" historical accounts to ignite patriotic fervour in future generations. The Vice President also called on farmers to work for the resolution of problems through dialogue and understanding. Addressing an event here to mark the 138th birth anniversary celebration of Raja Mahendra Pratap, he said the country cannot nurture its history by bestowing "indulgent, sycophant, credit rating to those who played a role, of course, but not the role which others played. We cannot allow our heroes to be downsized." Referring to farmers, Vice President Dhankhar said, "We have to remember that we don't fight with our own people". "How can one sleep when the problems of farmers are not being resolved promptly?" he said. He .

Ladli Bahan scheme not aimed at getting votes, says Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said the "Ladli Bahan' scheme launched during his tenure as the Madhya Pradesh chief minister is aimed at empowering women and not at getting votes, as he launched the third edition of a national campaign against gender-based violence. Speaking at an event here to launch the third edition of "Nayi Chetna -- Pahal Badlaav Ki", a national campaign against gender-based violence, Chouhan talked about the women-centric schemes launched during his tenure as the Madhya Pradesh chief minister, including the direct-benefit-transfer scheme "Ladli Bahan", which was a game-changer that helped the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win another term in power in the state. Similar schemes launched in Maharashtra and Jharkhand recently were also a major factor behind the incumbent regimes retaining power in those states. Chouhan, however, said the scheme is not intended at getting votes. "The Ladli Bahan yojana was not brought to get votes. I ..

Jairam Mahato's JKLM shakes up Jharkhand elections with Dumri victory

Jharkhand Assembly elections: 30-year-old 'Tiger' Jairam Mahato registered his party Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JKLM) just three months ago

Maharashtra poll results: Tracing five years of political twists and turns

Maharashtra elections results 2024: With the past five years witnessing two alliances and a split, Maharashtra's political landscape has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride

Maharashtra, Jharkhand results to set tone for Parliament's winter session

Counting of votes is set to take place on Saturday and this could set the tone for Parliament's winter session, which begins on Monday and is scheduled to end on December 20

No place for violence in democracy: Kejriwal reacts to Deshmukh's attack

The Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) leader and former Maharashtra minister was reportedly injured when his car was attacked with stones on the Katol-Jalalkheda Road in the Katol Assembly constituency

'Super year for elections' turns tumultuous for those currently in power

2024 saw a string of elections globally, with incumbents struggling, historic shifts in Africa and Europe, and firsts for women in leadership, writes Archis Mohan

The truth behind the rhetoric: India still holds influence, allies nearby

Of course, the elephant in the South Asia room continues to be China. But a strategy of containment that goes beyond banning apps is in place in the neighbourhood

Lower import tariffs to diversify IT exports: 6 steps to navigate Trump 2.0

India must avoid being caught off guard on trade, tariffs, outsourcing, and data policies, and engage with the US as an equal partner

South Korea's president Yoon Suk Yeol denies wrongdoing in growing scandal

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol denied wrongdoing Thursday in a burgeoning influence-peddling scandal involving him and his wife that's severely hurting his approval ratings and providing political munition to his rivals. The political firestorm coincides with South Korea facing a slew of critical foreign policy issues, such as Donald Trump's election win to become the next president of the United States and North Korea's reported entry into the Russia-Ukraine war. The scandal centers around allegations that Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee exerted inappropriate influence on the ruling People Power Party to pick a certain candidate to run for a parliamentary by-election in 2022 at the request of Myung Tae-kyun, an election broker and founder of a polling agency who conducted free opinion surveys for Yoon before he became president. For weeks, the scandal has been making headlines in South Korea as Myung's leaked phone conversations show he boasted of his influence over the ...

Germany's Scholz fires his finance minister amid coalition's collapse

Germany's centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Wednesday he was firing Finance Minister Christian Lindner, signalling the collapse of the ruling three-party coalition that relied on Lindner's pro-business party. Scholz announced the move at a news conference following weeks of disputes among the coalition partners over ways to boost the country's ailing economy. He said he would seek a vote of confidence in January that he said might lead to early elections that otherwise would be due next September. I feel compelled to take this step to prevent damage to our country. We need an effective government that has the strength to make the necessary decisions for our country," Scholz said. Lindner, from the pro-business Free Democrats, had rejected tax increases or changes to Germany's strict self-imposed limits on running up debt. Scholz's Social Democrats and the environmental Greens, who are also part of the coalition, wanted to see massive state investment and rejected the Free

MPLAD schemes: Detractors warn of eroded separation of powers in governance

Critics point out that rarely are questions asked and probes ordered on the utilisation of public money under these schemes, or when done, it is mostly to settle political scores around election time

Anmol Bishnoi booked for making threatening calls to Bhim Sena chief

Gurugram Police has booked gangster Anmol Bishnoi, brother of Lawrence Bishnoi, for allegedly threatening Bhim Sena chief Satpal Tanwar from abroad, an officer said on Sunday. Anmol is accused of making threatening calls from the US and Canada using numbers from Zimbabwe and Kenya. Police in the wake of the complaint constituted a team from the members of STF and several crime and cyber crime units for investigation. The officer said efforts are being made to bring Anmol Bishnoi to India. According to the complaint, Bhim Sena chief Satpal Tanwar received several calls from Anmol Bishnoi on October 30 with the threat that he would cut him in pieces. In total, the phone calls lasted 6 minutes 41 seconds, and were received by a female secretary of Tanwar. Police booked Anmol Bishnoi under sections of BNS at Sector 37 Police Station on Saturday. Anmol Bishnoi is said to be hiding in the US and carries a reward of Rs 10 lakh on information leading to his capture, announced by the Nat

Cong leader Rahul Gandhi promises to establish medical college in Wayanad

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday assured that he and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the UDF candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha bypoll in Wayanad, are committed to establishing a medical college in the hill constituency. Addressing a public meeting at Areekode in nearby Malappuram district as part of the election campaign, the former Wayanad MP said it's not easy for him to leave the hill constituency as the people cutting across party lines supported him during his tough time. "Some commitments that I have made to you. Commitment to medical college... commitment of night traffic. I guarantee you, your new MP is going to be committed to doing these things. And also, your old MP is also going to be committed. We will personally build one of the best medical colleges in the country in this constituency," he said. The mountainous constituency faces a shortage of basic infrastructure, with the need for a well-equipped medical college emerging as a key issue highlighted by all

Stand for credibility of promises under PM Modi, Congress for crisis: BJP

The BJP on Saturday asserted that it stood for credibility of promises made to people under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and the Congress for crisis of credibility, as the ruling party fired a fresh salvo at its rival in a war of words between them over unkept poll pledges. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi told reporters that the ruling party had gradually stepped up the scope of its welfare schemes, ranging from health insurance to free grains and cash transfer for farmers, by resorting to first creation of wealth followed by its distribution as the size of the Indian economy grew over the past decade. "We believe in first the creation of wealth and distribution. The Congress stands for creation of corruption and destruction of wealth," he said, citing a host of alleged unfulfilled promises of Congress-led governments in different states. A day after Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that "Modi ki guarantee" was a cruel joke on people after the prime minister had seized on

The Midwest question: Can US politics move beyond white working class?

This week may be a trial for US President Joe Biden's core strategy-- that appealing to the white working class in the American Midwest is key to the White House

EC rejects Congress' allegation over irregularities in Haryana polls

In a letter to the Congress party, the Commission urged them to refrain from making unfounded claims after every election, accusing the party of creating "generic" doubts without substance

Japan's Shigeru Ishiba vows to bring stability after losing majority

"The LDP suffered a crushing defeat," said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute, who sees a December rate hike as the main scenario