Page 754 - Politics
Maoists trigger blast in BJP election office in J'khand
Suspected Maoists on Friday triggered a blast in an election office of the BJP at Hariharganj area of Palamu district, knocking down a part of its wall, a police officer said. Nobody was present inside the election office during the incident, he said. "Preliminary investigation suggests that armed rebels came on motorcycles around midnight, planted a bomb inside the party's office and triggered the blast," Chhatarpur Sub- divisional Police Officer Shambhu Kumar Singh said. Several Maoist pamphlets, calling for poll boycott in the region, have been found lying at the blast site, he said. Palamu district is a part of Palamu (SC) Lok Sabha constituency, which is set to go to polls on April 29, along with Lohardaga (ST) and Chatra seats.
Court dismisses Yasin Malik's plea to shift case
Justice Sanjay Gupta of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Friday dismissed an appeal by the banned Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik to transfer the trial of a 30-year-old case against the separatist leader from Jammu to Srinagar.
Turkey detains 115 soldiers over Gulen ties: state media
Turkish police on Friday detained 115 soldiers suspected of ties to the group blamed for a 2016 coup attempt, state media reported, the latest arrests in a massive crackdown. The detentions came after the Istanbul public prosecutor issued arrest warrants for 210 active duty soldiers including five colonels, state news agency Anadolu reported. Officers detained 55 suspects in Istanbul, 60 suspects elsewhere, Anadolu said, without giving details about the remaining individuals. Those arrested are among tens of thousands of people detained over alleged links to US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen who Ankara blames for orchestrating the 2016 failed coup, which Gulen strongly denies. Since the attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, police have carried out raids across Turkey with operations almost everyday in recent months. The Istanbul public prosecutor's office said the Gulen movement, referred to by Turkish officials as the "Fethullah Terrorist Organisation," is the
Law equal for all, raid my house if I do anything wrong: Modi
Dispelling the impression that recent searches by Income-Tax department were politically motivated, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said the law is equal for all and his residence should also be searched if he has done anything wrong. Addressing a public meeting here in Madhya Pradesh, he targeted the Congress on corruption, saying it committed the "Tughlaq Road election scam", whose money was being used for the poll campaign of its chief Rahul Gandhi. Referring to recent I-T raids at the premises of aides of Madhya Pradesh's Congress Chief Minister Kamal Nath, Modi said, "They are crying that why were they targeted by the agencies. But they were raided as they indulged in wrongdoing. If Modi is found to do such things then he should also not be spared." The Central Board of Direct Taxes had said the department has also detected a trail of Rs 20 crore suspect cash allegedly being moved to the "headquarters of a major political party in Delhi" from the house of an ...
TDP chief asks ECI to direct AP CEO not to exceed his jurisdiction
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Friday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to direct the state chief electoral officer (CEO) not to "exceed his jurisdiction" and interrupt functioning of the state government. Naidu, in a letter to the ECI, lodged a complaint against the Andhra Pradesh CEO for making "absurd and arbitrary" comments in media that "the chief minister does not have the power to review the departments" during election period and also for "instructing additional director general (intelligence) not report to the chief minister". Both assembly and parliamentary elections in Andha Pradesh were held during the first phase on April 11. The counting is scheduled on May 23. "Since there is an unusually large gap of around 42 days before the counting takes place and results are announced, normal administration shall not be allowed to come to a standstill and crippled," Naidu informed the ECI. After the elections in the state, the chief minister said he ..
Modi's appeal to people to vote shows he is nervous, sensing defeat: Cong
The Congress Friday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to people to vote in large numbers shows that he is nervous and is sensing defeat after the first three phases of the Lok Sabha polls. The opposition party also seized on Modi's remarks that the next five years will be about results, to claim that what he meant was that he could not deliver in his five years as prime minister . Prime Minister Modi on Friday exhorted voters not to fall into the trap of those who say that he has already won the election and so it is fine not to vote. "Some people are creating an atmosphere that Modiji has already won (the election) and it is fine not to vote. Please don't fall into their trap. Voting is your right and everyone must exercise it," Modi told reporters after filing his nomination from Varanasi. Congress spokesperson Rajiv Shukla, citing Modi's remarks, claimed that the prime minister had to make the appeal as the BJP was "losing big" in the first three phases of the ...
S Korea to seek alternate sources of oil imports
South Korea said on Friday that it will seek alternate sources of crude oil imports in order to minimize the impact of sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran, reported Yonhap News Agency.The move comes after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced recently that no fresh sanctions waiver will be issued for Iranian oil imports to South Korea, China, India and five other countries.The waivers are set to come to an end on May 2.Earlier this week, South Korean officials, including Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs, Yun Kang-hyeon, visited Washington for talks on the issue.It is pertinent to mention that India on Tuesday said that it is adequately prepared to deal with the impact of the US decision."Government has noted the announcement by the US Government to discontinue the Significant Reduction Exemption to all purchasers of crude oil from Iran. We are adequately prepared to deal with the impact of this decision," said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) ...
Naik spent Rs 18 lakh on poll campaign, highest in North Goa
Union minister Shripad Naik, who contested the North Goa Lok Sabha seat as a BJP candidate, spent Rs 18.07 lakh on his poll campaign, highest among all the contestants from the constituency, an election official has said. In all, six candidates were in the fray from the North Goa seat, polling for which was held on April 23. Naik contested from this seat for the fifth time. Congress candidate Girish Chodankar spent Rs 12.84 lakh on poll campaign, a statement issued on Thursday by the Chief Electoral Office said. AAP candidate Pradeep Padgaonkar, who was also in the race, spent Rs 3.41 lakh, while independent candidate Amit Korgaonkar incurred an expenditure of Rs 43,354, it said. Two others- Bhagwant Kamat and Aishwarya Salgaonkar- who contested as independent, spent Rs 25,000 and Rs 38,420 respectively, the statement added. District Election Officer has said that the accounts were cross checked with the shadow observation registers (SOR) maintained by the assistant ...
BJP-led govt not releasing funds for Shirdi shrine: Chavan
The Central and state governments have not only cheated people but also Saibaba by not releasing funds for a Rs 3,000 crore project to develop his shrine at Shirdi, Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan said Friday. Interacting with reporters here, Chavan said the project was sanctioned during the samadhi centenary celebration but neither the state or Centre had given even a single rupee so far. However funds of the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (SSST) were being used by the government for its own schemes, he said. He hit out at the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and called it the "B team" of the BJP, alleging that it was choosing candidates to help the ruling party. Chavan said the speeches of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray would have an impact and prove damaging for the BJP. Speaking about Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, the Maharashtra Congress chief said he had received complaints about the former campaigning for BJP candidates. These ...
Priyanka's decision to not contest polls voluntary: Sam Pitroda
Sam Pitroda, advisor to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, said at a press conference here on Friday that Congress president Rahul Gandhi had left the final decision of contesting election to Priyanka Gandhi herself."The party president had given the final decision on contesting elections to Priyanka ji. The decision to not contest is her own. She thought that she has many responsibilities, and rather than contesting from one seat, she should focus on the larger job at hand," he said.Earlier speculations were rife that Priyanka may contest election against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Varanasi parliamentary constituency. She had said that if her party president wanted, she would contest from Varanasi. Congress, however, defended its decision to field Ajay Rai on the seat instead of Priyanka.Three phases of elections are now over in Uttar Pradesh with four phases remaining on April 29, May 6, 12 and 19. The counting of votes will be done on May 23.
Without entering poll fray, Raj Thackeray campaigns against BJP, Sena
His party may not be contesting the ongoing Lok Sabha polls but Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has ensured significant attention as he campaigns in Maharashtra against the BJP and its ally Shiv Sena.
Priyanka's own decision not to contest from Varanasi: Sam Pitroda
Congress leader Sam Pitroda Friday said it was Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's own decision not to contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. Speculation over Priyanka Gandhi's electoral debut from Modi's constituency ended Thursday when the Congress fielded Ajay Rai from there. "The party president had left the final decision on her, Pitroda said when reporters asked him about Rahul Gandhi not fielding his sister from the high-profile constituency. She decided that she has several responsibilities. She decided that rather than concentrating on one seat, she should focus on the job she has at hand, Pitroda, who heads the Indian Overseas Congress, said. So that decision was finally hers and she decided it," he said. Priyanka Gandhi is in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh for her party.
At Bihar rally, Rahul meets Rahul
Congress president Rahul Gandhi Friday found his namesake in a young boy while addressing a rally here and asked him to come up on the dais, much to the amusement of people. Speaking about the job crisis, for which he blamed the "slump in economy caused by demonetisation and Gabbar Singh Tax" (GST), Gandhi beckoned to the boy wearing a striped T- shirt in the crowd and asked his name. The boy answered - Rahul - evoking guffaws from the crowd and a grin from the Congress president, who asked the former to join him on the dais. As the boy came up, the Congress president interrupted his speech to say "namaste" to the boy and introduced him to other leaders sharing the stage, including RJD heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha. Resuming his speech, Gandhi told the cheering crowd, "While thousands of people are losing jobs every day, 22 lakh posts are lying vacant in various government departments and there is also a large potential of employment ...
North Korea's Kim says US acting in 'bad faith'
Kim Jong Un has accused the US of acting in "bad faith" in talks on its nuclear arsenal, North Korean state media said Friday as he left Russia following his first summit with President Vladimir Putin. Kim's armoured train departed the Far Eastern port city of Vladivostok a day after talks that saw Putin back the North's need for "security guarantees" in its standoff with the United States. The official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim told Putin the US had adopted a "unilateral attitude in bad faith" at a summit with US President Donald Trump two months ago in Hanoi. "Peace and security on the Korean peninsula will entirely depend on the US future attitude, and the DPRK will gird itself for every possible situation," Kim was quoted as saying. The Kim-Trump summit broke down in late February without a deal, after cash-strapped Pyongyang demanded immediate relief from sanctions but the two sides disagreed over what the North was prepared to give up in return. Russia has ...
LS polls: Union Min Gehlot says BJP-led NDA will win over 300 seats
Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot on Friday said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance will win more than 300 seats in the Lok Sabha elections as there is a tsunami in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also said the BJP will win all the 25 parliamentary seats in Rajasthan. "In many places across the country there is a tsunami in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There is also a wave in his favour in states like Karnataka, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh," Gehlot, who is the Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, said. He said the NDA government under Modi has taken "historic" decisions for the unity, sovereignty and security of the country in the last five years. The government gave a befitting reply to those who support terrorists, he said. Gehlot said the economy of the country has "strengthened" under Modi's rule and several welfare schemes were launched for the benefit of the people. Attacking Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the Union minister said, ...
Pragya denies 'terrorist' barb against Digvijaya
BJP candidate from Bhopal Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, who has already received two notices from the Election Commission (EC) and has an FIR registered against her since the announcement of her name, on Friday denied her controversial remarks made against her Congress opponent Digvijaya Singh.
In Jhansi, caste, law & order on people's mind amid water woes
It is ironic that Bundelkhand, a region fed by seven rivers and 20 dams, has faced 13 drought years since the turn of the century, triggering a significant migration of its population to bigger cities. Yet, in Jhansi, the biggest urban centre in the region, issues such as migration, irrigation, water scarcity and drought seem to have taken a backseat. Two factors playing on people's mind are the law and order situation, which they say has improved remarkably during the BJP rule, and caste. "During the Samajwadi Party rule from 2012-17, some members of a dominant OBC community had earned notoriety for land grabbing and other feudal activities. The situation has improved remarkably during the present regime, shifting core voters of the BSP to the BJP," a social worker said. Of the 19 lakh voters in the constituency, around three lakh are either Kushwahas or Ahirwars, making them the dominant groups. They are followed by Muslims and Brahmins, having approximately 1.5 lakh voters each. ...
Begusarai Battle: Will it be for identity or ideology?
The Begusarai parliamentary constituency, which represents Begusarai district in northern Bihar has a distinct and prominent presence on the political map of Bihar. Unlike other parts of the state and the country, Begusarai district has by and large witnessed healthy, generally clean politics based on ideology. Since independence, the politics in Begusarai has revolved around two prominent political ideologies - Communism and Nationalism. Interestingly both these ideologies have their base cutting across caste, religion and assembly segments.
Choose 'Jai Bhim' followers over those chanting 'NaMo' this election: Mayawati
BSP president Mayawati Friday said people are going to bid goodbye to those chanting 'NaMo, NaMo' and choose the ones who follow 'Jai Bhim' in this Lok Sabha election. Addressing a rally here, the former chief minister said, "This time you all are going to bid goodbye to the NaMo-NaMo people and choose Jai Bhim followers in the elections." Prime Minister Narendra Modi is often referred to as 'NaMo' by his supporters. Mayawati said the BJP will be removed from power at the Centre this time and no amount of "jumlebaazi" or "natakbaazi" was going to help them. "Their new 'natakbazi of chowkidari' is also not going to save them," the BSP supremo added. She alleged that the BJP had made several promises before coming to power but all of those turned out to be hollow. Targeting the Congress, Mayawati said although the party had been in power for most of the time since Independence, its wrong policies and works ultimately led to its ouster. She accused the Congress of ignoring those ...
Gehlot campaigns for son, BJP calls him Dhritrashtra
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who is going all out to ensure his son Vaibhav Gehlot's win from the Jodhpur parliamentary seat, has been branded "Dhritrashtra" by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).