Page 748 - Politics
Fresh trouble within BJP supporters over Pragya remarks
Pragya Singh Thakur, needs a full-time firefighting department on her campaign trail. Exasperated party leaders are sweating it out to defend her frequent inflammatory remarks. She has had to retract on her statements or her party had to do that on her behalf in the past one week since she was fielded to face Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh.
Tamil Nadu govt. whip asked for action against 3 AIADMK MLAs for anti-party activities
The chief whip of AIADMK S. Rajendran on Friday met Tamil Nadu assembly speaker P. Dhanapal and filed a petition to take action against three party MLAs on account of their "anti-party activities."The three legislators have been identified as E A Rathinasabapathi, MLA of Aranthangi constituency, A Prabu from Kallakuruchi constituency and VT Kalaiselvan from Virudhachalam constituency.Rajendran has accused the MLAs of working for Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) General Secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran.Out of 234 seats in Tamil Nadu assembly, the ruling AIADMK has 114 members, the DMK has 88, the Congress has eight, while the IUML and the Independent members represent one constituency each.In 2017, a total of 19 AIADMK MLAs had submitted a letter to then Governor CV Rao withdrawing support to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami. As a retort, Rajendran asked Dhanapal to disqualify the MLAs stating that their actions amounted to voluntarily giving up their party ...
Vote out failed Modi government, says MNS chief
MNS chief Raj Thackeray Friday asked people to dislodge the Narendra Modi dispensation in the current Lok Sabha polls as the government had failed to fulfil promises it made. Speaking at a poll rally here, Thackeray hit out at Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah for asking votes in the name of armed forces' jawans. He also showed the gathering a video clip of a woman going inside a well, in Nashik's Bardechi Wadi, to fetch water because of its level receding. He said the governments at the state and Centre had done nothing to mitigate woes of the people due to the prevailing drought. Thackeray lashed out at Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for failing to develop Nashik city after announcing earlier that he had adopted the city. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader asked the Centre what had happened to its promises of Rs 15 lakh in the accounts of people and of two crore jobs. Modi had not taken a single press conference since becoming prime minister, Thackeray ...
Palamu gears up to vote, this time without fear of Naxals
Palamu (Jharkhand) [India], April 26 (ANI): People of Palamu are gearing up to cast their votes in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, this time without any fear of Naxalites.The area is badly affected by Left Wing Extremism. Previously, Naxalites have threatened people with dire sequences if they did not boycott the elections.However, that has become a thing of the past as people are now coming forth even to condemn Naxalite activities."Things have changed now. We will cast our vote without any fear. Security forces and the administration have taken over entire Naxal affected areas at a large scale. So, there is nothing to worry now," said a voter.75-year old Brijmohan Prasad, who runs a confectionery shop, says that this time Naxalites have not circulated any threats.Given the unprecedented change in the ground situation, the total poll percentage is expected to go much higher than the 62 per cent votes polled in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.The total number of voters in Palamu is 9,86,372
Congress intensifies poll campaign in Delhi
The Congress on Friday intensified its campaign in the national capital with former Union Minister Ajay Maken and Jay Prakash Agarwal holding meetings in several places across the city.
Kerala CM hits back at PM Modi for his statement on BJP workers' safety
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his statement on the safety of BJP workers in the state."On what basis did he say that BJP activists couldn't walk free in the state? His intent is to insult the state with such statements," said Chief Minister Vijayan.Prime Minister Modi on Friday morning in Varanasi said that the BJP workers in Kerala did not know whether they would return safely once they left home.Terming such statements as unbecoming for a person holding the post of PM, Vijayan said, "National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data reveals that Kerala is one of the most peaceful states.""Sangh Parivar activists who indulge in violence may get special privilege in the BJP ruled states like UP and Gujarat but won't get that in Kerala," he said.Accusing the RSS of repeatedly trying to instigate communal thoughts to disrupt peace and harmony, Vijayan said: "The people of Kerala have always stood firm against such attempts. Such ...
Russian air strikes kill 10 civilians in Syria's Idlib: Monitor
Air strikes by regime ally Russia killed 10 civilians in the jihadist-held region of Idlib in northwestern Syria Friday, a war monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said those killed included two children. The raids took the lives of three civilians including a boy on the outskirts of the town of Kafranbel, and seven including a girl in the town of Tal Hawash, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. Russia and rebel-backer Turkey in September inked a buffer zone deal to prevent a massive regime offensive on the Idlib region, near the Turkish border. But the region of some three million people has come under increasing bombardment since former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took full control of it in January. The latest air raids came as two days of talks on ending the war in Syria -- sponsored by Russia, fellow regime ally Iran, and rebel backer Turkey -- concluded in Kazakhstan. In a statement released by the three countries after .
Venezuela opposition deputy Caro arrested
Venezuelan opposition lawmaker Gilber Caro has been arrested by intelligence agents "violating his parliamentary immunity," the opposition-controlled legislature said on Friday. Caro was previously detained in January 2017, accused of plotting an armed revolt against President Nicolas Maduro, before he was released in June last year. "The dictatorship has again arbitrarily detained the deputy @gilbercaro violating his parliamentary immunity," said the National Assembly, the only branch of Venezuela's government not controlled by Maduro, on its Twitter account. It said it was "holding the usurper regime responsible for his life and integrity." Caro was arrested in a restaurant in the Las Mercedes neighborhood of the capital Caracas, fellow deputy Adriana Pichardo said in a news conference. "We have no idea what this arrest is for, we think it could be another set-up, an attempt to implicate him in another macabre plot." Caro is from the same party as opposition leader Juan Guaido, the .
Trump says he welcomes China, Russia help over NKorea
President Donald Trump on Friday welcomed Russian and Chinese help with North Korean nuclear negotiations, despite Kim Jong Un accusing the US of "bad faith" at a first summit with Vladimir Putin. "I appreciate that Russia and China are helping us," he told reporters at the White House. Putin's first summit with Kim on Thursday was seen as a response to the failure of a Kim-Trump meeting in Hanoi in February, where talks broke down without agreement. But Trump indicated that he does not see China and Russia as rivals in the struggle to get North Korea to give up its nuclear arsenal. "China is helping us because I think they want to. They don't need nuclear weapons right next to their country," Trump said. "I think we're doing very well with North Korea. A lot of progress is being made," he added. "I appreciated President Putin's statement yesterday. He wants to see it done also. I think there is a lot of excitement for getting a deal done with North Korea." Kim left his summit with ...
Himachal ex-Cong chief Sukhu destroyed party: Virbhadra
Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Friday accused erstwhile state Congress president Sukhvinder Sukhu of destroying the party. Singh alleged that Sukhu did not do any good for the Congress and "broke the party and destroyed its traditions" when the latter headed the party. The former chief minister also praised present Congress chief Kuldeep Rathore for strengthening the party, saying many important leaders and workers were brought into the party fold during Rathore's short tenure. Singh was in Sirmaur district to address two rallies in Sangrah and Shillai in support of Shimla Congress candidate Dhaniram Shandil. Hitting out at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Singh claimed people of the state were facing numerous problems as Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had no control over the bureaucracy. The state administration is in a mess and there seems to be "no control" over it by its political boss. The government is not working as per the aspirations of the ..
After targeting me, opposition training guns at EVMs: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at the opposition parties on Friday, saying after targeting him, they had now trained their guns at electronic voting machines (EVMs). He also said while the opposition showed a united face after the Karnataka Assembly polls, its leaders had now started attacking each other. The prime minister said the opposition had not been able to come up with an alliance in the country and the only thing that united them was attacking Modi. In an interview to the India Today group, Modi said he could never imagine how West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee had changed over the years. He recalled how Banerjee had pressed for deportation of illegal Bangladeshis and demanded holding the state election under President's Rule. "But it is the same Mamata didi under whose rule killings are taking place every other day. This leaves me wondering which Mamata didi is this. This is worrisome. I could never imagine that she would
EC to convene meet on April 30 to discuss possible dates of J-K Assembly polls: Sources
The Election Commission officials will meet in the national capital on April 30 to discuss the possible dates of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls, official sources said Friday. On Friday, top officials from the Jammu and Kashmir government, including Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmaniam, Home Secretary Shaleen Kabra and DGP Dilbagh Singh, met the Election Commission officials here to discuss the poll preparedness in the in the state, officials said. However, the Jammu and governor administration is not in favour of holding polls to the state legislative assembly in the near future in view of the ongoing tourist season and the forthcoming Amarnath Yatra in the Valley, which will begin on July 1, they said. The sources said the "full commission" comprising the chief election commissioner and two fellow commissioners will meet on April 30 to discuss the possible dates of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls. The officials said the EC, during the meeting, rejected the assertion of the .
Jodhpur auto driver campaigns for PM Modi in his 'Modi Express'
An auto driver in the city has grabbed many eyeballs, thanks to his unique way of supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the ongoing Lok Sabha election.Nemichand is endorsing the Prime Minister in the neighbourhood areas of the city in his auto rickshaw, which is named as 'Modi Express.'Speaking about his love for Modi, he told ANI: "I have been a fan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi since the day he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat."On the occasion of BJP president Amit Shah's roadshow, the auto driver was seen calling out people on the streets for participating in the event."This is the first time Amit Shah is coming to Jodhpur for the roadshow. I want people to participate in a huge number so that he remembers it forever," he said.All 25 parliamentary constituencies in Rajasthan will go to polls in two phases -- April 29 and May 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.
EC bars BJP's Mahadev Sarkar from campaigning for 48 hours
The Election Commission of India (EC) on Friday barred Nadia (West Bengal) BJP chief Mahadev Sarkar from campaigning for 48 hours for allegedly making statements attacking personal life of TMC leader Mahua Moitra.The ban came into effect from Friday 4 pm itself and will remain in place till 4 pm on April 28."The Commission under Article 324 of the constitution of India and all other powers enabling in this behalf, also bars Mahadev Shankar, District President, BJP, Nadia from holding any public meetings, public processions, public rallies, road shows and interviews, public utterances in media in connection with ongoing elections for 48 hours," EC said in its order.The EC order came after Supreme Court on Thursday asked EC to pass appropriate directions over a plea filed by Moitra on a "sexist remark" made against her during an election campaign.A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi asked the ECI to pass appropriate direction on the petition filed by ..
Art 370, 35A have done maximum damage to J&K: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that Article 370 and 35A have done maximum damage to Jammu and Kashmir and only former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's formula of "Insaniyat, Kashmiriyat and Jamhooriyat" will work in Jammu and Kashmir.
After Gambhir attack, BJP questions Kejriwal for having three voter IDs in 2013
Hitting back at the AAP for cornering its East Delhi candidate Gautam Gambhir on the allegation that he had double entries in voters list, the BJP sought answer from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly having three voter identity cards in 2013. A BJP spokesperson also claimed that Kejriwal's wife currently held three voter identity cards one each for Delhi, UP and West Bengal. AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said that the chief minister's wife is a private person out of politics and added, "Even then, if BJP wants to equate the two cases, let both Gautam Gambhir and Mrs Kejriwal be disqualified from 2019 elections." Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari asserted that the information furnished by Gambhir in his nomination papers was "true" and the AAP was "misleading" the media. "There is nothing that endangers his candidature. The information furnished by him is true and nothing has been hidden," he said. The AAP claimed that Gambhir's name figures twice in the electoral .
Congress won't get even 50 seats, says Modi in Mumbai
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday claimed that the Congress won't get even 50 seats in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Speaking at an election rally here along with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Modi cited a survey to support his claim. "Dont waste your vote. Better to vote for a party that is coming to power and you can strengthen it with your vote," Modi said. "The only question now is if the BJP will better its own 2014 tally," he added. Modi also attacked the Congress for neglecting the police forces force and turning it into a "punching bag" while the party was in power. Modi's attack on the opposition party came in the backdrop of a raging controversy over BJP candidate Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur's remarks about 26/11 Mumbai terror attack martyr police officer Hemant Karkare. Had it not been for the alertness of Mumbai Police, who have paid a heavy price including martyrdom, the city would have paid a heavier price due to terror activities, he said. "The ...
Cong did nothing for poor in last 55 years: Amit Shah
BJP president Amit Shah on Friday said that the Congress governments failed to do anything for the poor despite ruling for more than five generations in the country."Rahul Gandhi says that he will ensure justice for the poor in the country. Except giving slogans to the poor people, has your party done anything for them in more than 55 years of its rule?," asked Shah, while addressing an election rally here.Commending the performance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government at the Centre, Shah said: "I have visited more than 259 Lok Sabha constituencies across the nation.""Everywhere people are chanting the slogan of Modi-Modi. It is not because of his popularity but thanks to the welfare work done by the BJP government in the last five years," he said.Terming Rajasthan as "the land of braves," Shah also paid homage to five CRPF personnel from the state who were martyred in Pulwama terror attack on February 14 this year.Elections for 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan are scheduled .
J&K administration opposes state polls before Nov
The Governor's administration in Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday opposed the holding of state Assembly elections before November this year, informed sources said.
Russian agent Maria Butina sentenced to 18 months
Maria Butina, the only Russian arrested and convicted in the three year investigation of Moscow's interference in US politics, was sentenced to 18 months in prison in Washington on Friday. The leader of a small Russian gun rights group, Butina used her ties to the NRA firearms lobby to build a network of powerful Republican contacts. She had admitted one count of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government without registering. Prosecutors said that although she worked openly and was not tied to any Russian intelligence agency, she was a threat to the United States.