Page 708 - Politics
Poll authorities issue showcause notice to DMRC
Poll authorities Tuesday issued a showcause notice to the managing director of the Delhi Metro for playing a video on its Pink Line showing events related to the metro's inauguration featuring "dignitaries from three political parties that are contesting the general elections". The video was noticed by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) of East Delhi constituency, following which the returning officer for East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency - K Mahesh, issued a notice to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation MD Dr Mangu Singh. The notice said a video is being played on Pink Line Metro showing the events relating to inauguration of Delhi Metro. Various dignitaries related to three political parties that are also contesting general elections of 2019 are appearing in the video, it said. The notice has directed DMRC to submit/produce documents/certification received from MCMC set up by Election Commission by May 2 for the video, failing which action will be taken in accordance ..
Israel swears in new parliament amid call for unity
Members of Israel's parliament are being sworn in at the Knesset, the country's legislature, three weeks after a tumultuous national election. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday delivered a message of national unity to the 120 members of parliament ahead of the swearing in ceremony in Jerusalem, calling upon them "to fight for our common home where secular, religious, ultra-Orthodox, Jews and Arabs ... right and left can find themselves equal." He urged them to "put down the cudgels of elections and to clean up the mess" after the "difficult election campaign" that saw Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prevail. Netanyahu has been tasked with building a governing coalition after his Likud party and its ultra-Orthodox and nationalist allies won a 65-seat majority. Simultaneously, the long-serving premier faces an upcoming hearing over a battery of corruption allegations.
Maharashtra CM writes to EC, seeks easing MCC for drought relief
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday wrote to the Election Commission (EC) seeking relaxation in Model Code of Conduct (MCC) to carry out drought relief measures in the state.The letter written by Fadnavis states that since polling for all constituencies of Maharashtra has concluded, therefore, the apex poll body should ease some norms to allow drought relief work to be carried out in the state."Extreme summer: There are a number of infrastructure works such as drilling of bore wells, repairs to drinking water schemes, irrigation canal maintenance works, etc. which need to be taken up during the extreme summer. The Government of Maharashtra declared 151 talukas as drought affected and the Government of India has extended the assistance of Rs 4,714 crore in this regard. Separately I am proposing the Cabinet Meeting on this issue at the earliest," Fadnavis wrote.The Maharashtra CM also said that the EC should allow relaxation for public works to be completed ...
J-K Governor's Twitter handle hacked: Raj Bhawan spokesperson
The Twitter handle of Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik was hacked by some mischievous elements following which the matter was reported to police, a Raj Bhawan spokesperson said Tuesday. "It was noticed today that the Governor J&K's Twitter handle was hacked by some mischievous elements and he was shown as follower of Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan Twitter Handle," the spokesperson said. The moment it was noticed, necessary corrections were made to the account and the Imran Khan Twitter Handle was un-followed, he said. The matter has been reported to Jammu and Kashmir Police to take necessary follow up action as per law and find out who the miscreants are, the spokesperson said.
Kejriwal to lead roadshows of AAP's Delhi candidates
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal would lead roadshows of all the seven candidates from May 1, senior party leader Gopal Rai said Tuesday. Rai said instead of holding rallies, the AAP leaders and candidates would go to the people and talk about benefits of full statehood. On May 1, Kejriwal would join the roadshow of Chandni Chowk candidate Pankaj Gupta and on May 2, he would participate in the roadshow of East Delhi candidate Atishi. On May 3 and 4, he would join roadshows of North East candidate Dilip Pandey and South Delhi candidate Raghav Chadha, respectively, Rai said. On May 5, Kejriwal would participate in the roadshow of West Delhi candidate Balbir Jakhad while on May 6 and 8, he would campaign for North West candidate Gugan Singh and New Delhi candidate Brijesh Goyal, respectively. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has divided their LS poll campaign in three phases, of which two have already been completed. The third phase of AAP's campaigning started from Tuesday
No threat to Cong-JDS coalition ministry, says Karna minister
Karnataka Forest Minister Satish Jarkiholi Tuesday said there is no threat to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy led coalition government from his brother and rebel Congress MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, who has threatened to quit the party along with some legislators. Pointing out that several attempts have been made in the past to destabilise the government, Satish indicated that Ramesh lacks the numbers. "I'm sure that there is nothreat to the government, they have been trying for about a year now, from day one. There won't be any trouble to our party," Satish said in response to questions from reporters about any problem for the government. "....Nothing will happen because of one or two or three (MLAs). They will need more numbers (to destabilise the government). They have already tried several times, they may try in the days to come also, but both parties (Congress and JDS) have the strength to stop it," he said. Ramesh Jarkiholi,who has been hobnobbing with the BJP for some ...
Cong delegation meets EC, demands fresh polling in West
A Congress delegation met the full bench of the Election Commission in New Delhi and demanded fresh polling in West Tripura seat alleging large scale rigging by the ruling BJP, senior party leader said Tuesday. Elections in West Tripura seat was held in the first phase on April 11. We met the EC full bench on Monday and demanded countermanding of the elections in the West Tripura constituency because the polls were heavily rigged by the BJP supporters," Tripura PCC president Pradyot Deb Burman told reporters here. The Congress leaders who met the EC included Jairam Ramesh, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, party candidate from the constituency, Subal Bhowmick besides Deb Barman himself. Bhowmik said that the ECI was informed about booth jamming and violence due to which Congress election agents couldnt enter 900-1,000 polling stations out of 1,679 of the constituency where polling was held in April 11. A decision on it would be taken shortly, Deb Burman ..
AAP didn't fulfil 96 per cent promises made in 2015: BJP-affiliated think tank
Less than a fortnight before Delhi votes for its seven Lok Sabha seats, a BJP-affiliated think tank Tuesday claimed the AAP has not delivered on 67 of the 70 promises made ahead of 2015 Assembly elections, and alleged the party is raising full statehood demand to hide its failures. Full statehood for Delhi is the Aam Aadmi Party's central plank for this Lok Sabha polls. Public Policy Research Centre's Director Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, who is also a BJP vice-president, termed the 2015 AAP manifesto "a tale of betrayal" and alleged the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, which presented itself as party for change by ridiculing others, hampered the cause of democratic reforms in the national capital. Releasing the review report on the implementation of the AAP's 2015 manifesto, Sahasrabuddhe claimed, "The AAP dispensation failed to deliver on 67 out of the 70 promises it made before assembly elections and mislead people on the other three promises such as One Rank One Pension (OROP) which are out of .
'Betting high on Modi's return'
Bookies in Jodhpur district have predicted a near sweep by the BJP in Rajasthan, saying it could get 20-22 Lok Sabha seats in the state while the Congress would get the remaining 3-5 seats.
It was collective decision not to contest from Varanasi: Priyanka
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said the decision not to contest from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat against Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a collective party decision taken after ascertaining the opinion of all top party leaders.
TN Assembly Speaker issues notice to 3 pro-Dhinakaran AIADMK
Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal Tuesday issued notices to three AIADMK MLAs siding with rival leader and AMMK founder TTV Dhinakaran, days after the ruling party petitioned him for action against them for alleged anti-party activities. Official sources said the Speaker issued notices to A Prabhu (Kallakurichi), VT Kalaiselvan (Vriddhachalam)and E Rathinasabapathy (Aranthangi) based on the petition filed by Chief Government whip S Rajendran seeking "due legal action" against them. The three MLAs have been given a week's time to respond. The sources did not elaborate on the contents of the notice, but hinted explanation had been sought from the three legislators in the backdrop of them publicly hobnobbing with Dhinakaran, who has floated the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam after he was sidelined by the AIADMK. However, the three MLAs have been maintaining for long that they were in AIADMK only. Rajendran had on April 26 approached Dhanapal for "due legal action" ...
Venezuela says 'attempted coup' under way
Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido said on Tuesday that troops had joined his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro as the government vowed to put down what it called an attempted coup. "We are currently facing and deactivating a small group of treacherous military personnel who took positions in the Altamira distributor road (in Caracas) to promote a coup d'etat," Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said on Twitter. "We call on the people to remain on maximum alert to -- with our glorious National Bolivarian Armed Forces -- defeat the attempted coup and preserve peace," he said. In a video recorded at a Caracas military air base posted on social media, the US-backed Guaido said troops had heeded months of urging to join his campaign to oust Maduro. "Today brave soldiers, brave patriots, brave men supporting the constitution have answered our call," he said. Television images showed soldiers and Guaido supporters at the largely empty .
Exemption from personal appearance to Kejriwal, Atishi during Tuesday's hearing in defamation case
A Delhi court on Tuesday granted exemption from personal appearance to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and others for the day during hearing of a defamation case filed by the BJP over their comments on deletion of voters' names from the rolls in the national capital. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal granted the relief to Kejriwal, Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Gupta and Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Lok Sabha candidate for East Delhi Atishi Marlena, after their counsel submitted that the accused were busy in election campaign. The court directed them to appear on June 7, the next date of hearing. While Kejriwal was busy in election campaign in Haryana, Marlena was holding a rally here, their advocate Mohd Irshad said, while moving the application on their behalf seeking exemption. Gupta was also busy in election campaign, Irshad added. The court was hearing the complaint filed by BJP leader Rajeev Babbar, on behalf of the party's Delhi unit, seeking proceedings ...
Post phase 4 polling , Oppn leaders now playing hide and seek, says PM Modi
Taking a potshot at the Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said, at the end of the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections, leaders, who used to play 'Kaun Banega Pradhan Mantri' (Who wants to be Prime Minister) are now playing a game of hide-and-seek."Jo log kuch din pehle tak aapas me 'Kaun Banega Pradhan Mantri', iska khel khel rahe they, char charno ki voting ke baad, ab wo chupan chupai me jute hue hain... Ab janta ne inke sare sapno ko char charan me chur chur kar diya hain (Those who used to play 'Kaun Banegi Pradhan Mantri' amongst themselves, are now playing hide-and-seek after the end of fourth phase of Lok Sabha. The people have shattered their dreams after four phases)," Prime Minister Modi said while addressing a rally here.He also alleged that the opposition is running a campaign to remove Modi to the extent that "some people tried to take Pakistan's help to try to get Modi out of power."Prime Minister Modi further said had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel been ...
Another warning to Himachal BJP chief over code violation
The Returning Officer in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday again issued an advisory to BJP's state chief Satpal Singh Satti over his "derogatory" comments during the Lok Sabha campaigning.
Trump mulls designating Muslim Brotherhood 'terrorist' group
President Donald Trump is considering placing the Muslim Brotherhood on a US blacklist of "foreign terrorist organizations," the White House said Tuesday. The Brotherhood, an Islamist movement with support across the Middle East, was designated a terrorist organization in Egypt following the military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. "The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process," said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders. Placing the Muslim Brotherhood on a terrorism blacklist would allow US officials to impose sanctions on any person or organization with links to it. The move comes three weeks after Trump hosted Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose government has been criticized for cracking down on secular and left-wing activists, as well as Islamists close to the Muslim Brotherhood. During their White House talks, ...
Kashmir belongs to Kashmiris, not India or Pakistan: Afridi
Former Pakistan crickerter Shahid Afridi has said that Kashmir belongs to the people of the valley and not India or Pakistan beside urging the two nations to resolve the issue through a Kashmiri-owned, Kashmiri-led peace process.
North Korea slams 'foolish and dangerous' Pompeo
A senior North Korean official on Tuesday accused US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of having "foolish and dangerous ideas", and warned Washington of an "unwanted outcome" if it does not adjust its stance on economic sanctions. Pyongyang and Washington have been at loggerheads since the collapse of a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in February with no deal reached on the North's denuclearisation. Since then tensions have mounted, and Tuesday's comments marked the second time Pyongyang has criticised the top US diplomat this month. The reclusive state has previously demanded the removal of Pompeo from future talks, labelling him as "reckless". In an interview with CBS last week, Pompeo said the US could "change paths" if Kim did not bring "real conversations" on abandoning North Korea's nuclear arsenal to the negotiation table. On Tuesday, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said Pompeo's comments were "foolish and dangerous ...
Listing of Azhar as global terrorist by UN will be 'properly resolved': China
China said on Tuesday that "some progress" has been achieved on designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN and hoped that the vexed issue will be "properly resolved" but refused to give any timeline. The comments by the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman on Tuesday came days after President Xi Jinping met Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan here. China put a technical hold in March on a fresh proposal to impose a ban on the head of Pakistan-based JeM which claimed responsibility for the deadly Pulwama terror attack. It was for the fourth time, China blocked Azhar's listing as a global terrorist by the UN. "Regarding the listing issue in the 1267 Committee, we have expressed our position many times and I just want to stress two points," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said answering a number of questions on designating Azhar as a global terrorist under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council. "First, we support the ...
BJP only wants dalit votes not dalit leader: Udit Raj
Stepping up his tirade against the BJP which he recently quit after being denied ticket, Udit Raj on Tuesday alleged a dalit can rise to any position in the saffron party only if he is "deaf and dumb". Raj, who has joined the Congress, suggested that Ram Nath Kovind was nominated by the BJP to the president's post as he did not raise his voice in the party and added he was expressing his views "about a person and not making a comment on the office of President". BJP wants dalits, not dalit leader. They would have made me prime minister if I had been deaf and dumb in the party. They want a deaf and dumb dalit and dalit votes but not a dalit leader, Raj, who was BJP MP from North-West Delhi, said at a press conference at Congress office here. Mr Ram Nath Kovind came to me on 20 May 2014 with his biodata asking me to recommend him to the party so that he may get some position and recognition. I tried also. Anyways, after that he became governor and then president also , Raj said. If a ...