Page 774 - Politics
IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap will take SIT probe to logical end post polls: Pb CM
The IPS officer, who was divested of his charge as a member of the SIT which was probing the 2015 sacrilege and police firing incidents, will take the case to its logical conclusion after the Lok Sabha polls are over, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said Wednesday. "The ECI belongs to the BJP and they got the officer removed, despite the fact that even courts do not interfere in ongoing investigations," he alleged. "The same officer (Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh) will probe the case and take it to its logical conclusion once the elections are over," the chief minister said. Amarinder Singh was addressing a public gathering in Faridkot, in support of Congress candidate Mohammad Sadique. Following a complaint lodged by the Akali Dal against the IPS officer, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had directed the Punjab government to divest him of his present post for "violating" the model code of conduct. The officer had been posted as IG Counter Intelligence (Amritsar). Lashing out .
Poll authorities accept nomination of Gautam Gambhir hours after objections raised by AAP
The nomination of BJP's East Delhi candidate Gautam Gambhir was accepted by the poll authorities on Wednesday, hours after the Aam Aadmi Party raised objections, alleging that documents submitted by him had "shortcomings". AAP's East Delhi candidate Atishi had alleged that there were"issues" with the affidavit submitted by the cricketer-turned politician in his nomination. "The stamp paper which has been furnished is dated April 23, 2019 whereas the notarial stamp on two of his affidavits have a date of April 18 and April 19 respectively," the AAP candidate said in a statement. Her allegation was later examined by the Returning Officer of the constituency. "Gambhir's nomination was examined by the authorities and has been accepted," a senior official of the Delhi CEO Office said. Tuesday was the last day of filing nominations for the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, which is due on May 12. The AAP had also raised objections on nominations filed by sitting South Delhi MP Ramesh ...
Amarinder slams PM, BJP over unemployment issue
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Wednesday slammed the Modi government over unemployment issue, saying mere slogans like "I am Chowkidar" cannot address the grave problem. Giving slogans like I am chowkidar does not make any sense at a time when people are struggling to feed their children and want jobs," Singh said while addressing a public rally here in favour of Congress candidate Kewal Singh Dhillon from Sangrur seat. He said, This is a country of poor people. You can go anywhere like tribal areas of Odisha and Telangana, people there do not have food. But the government does not intend to address the issue." The chief minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi "could not do anything" on the issue of unemployment and people have no reason to vote for the BJP. Singh said demonetisation and the "flawed" Goods and Services Tax (GST) "wreaked havoc in people's lives". He alleged while the poor were harassed after the demonetisation move, big corporates were informed beforehand to
TMC's call for parivartan changed fortune of only one family:
Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman Wednesday hit out at the ruling Trinamool Congress claiming that its call for 'parivartan' has brought a change to the fortune of only one family, a member of which was intercepted while bringing gold. The defence minister did not name anyone but she was apparently referring to the wife of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee who is the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and considered number 2 in the party. "The call for parivartan has brought a change in one family only. Now a member of this family is bringing gold," Sitharaman claimed while addressing a BJP rally in Jhargram district. Mamata Banerjee, also the TMC supremo, had given a call for 'parivartan' (change) before the 2011 assembly election in the state after which she came to power ousting the 34-year-old Left Front government. A controversy had broken out last month when Rujira Naroola, wife of Abhishek Banerjee, allegedly obstructed Customs officers from checking her
PM Modi talks about Pakistan, martyrs but not real issues: Priyanka
Congress general secretary in charge of eastern UP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for citing the services of the armed forces in his election speeches and maintained that every Indian was a patriot.She also accused the PM of allegedly diverting the attention of the people from 'real issues'."He is talking about Pakistan and martyrs. But real issues are not being discussed. He does not talk about what happened to his promises and what he will do in the future," Priyanka said at a rally here."Everyone respects the martyrs. Everyone is a patriot; everyone wants the country to develop. But we want to talk about development in elections," she said.The Congress leader further said that Modi criticises the Congress to hide the failures of his government in the past five years."He is only criticising others. It is being said that nothing happened in the past 60-70 years. He only gives excuses," she said.Priyanka also said that demonetisation was a ...
Kim arrives in Russia for talks with Putin (2nd Lead)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia's Far Eastern city of Vladivostok on Wednesday, ahead of his first summit with President Vladimir Putin amid stalled nuclear talks with the US.
Gadkari attacks Patnaik govt for stalling centre's projects
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari Wednesday mounted a scathing attack on the BJD government in Odisha accusing it of stalling many projects and welfare schemes of the centre by refusing to cooperate. The senior BJP leader said Odisha remained poor and backward despite being endowed with rich mineral and natural resources as the BJD government led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik lacked vision and will. Addressing election meetings in Basudevpur and Bonth-Bhandaripokhari areas in Bhadrak district, Gadkari accused the BJD government of not implementing many welfare schemes of the central government. Stating that the BJP-led government is keen to expand railways network in Odisha, the union minister said while there is no dearth of funds for development railways, the state government is not extending necessary cooperation. A numner of important railway projects are unable to make headway as the state government has put roadblocks and failed to ensure land acquisition, he alleged
Cong rebel MLA says he and members backing him would decide
Rebel Congress MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi Wednesday said he along with legislators who are with him would discuss and decide on resigning from the party soon. Jarkiholi said he was only "technically" in the Congress and was firm on his stand to quit the party. The former minister said his resignation was delayed because those with him suggested on quitting in bulk. "I have said what I had to yesterday and today, I willnot say anything more in front of media. I'm firm on my stand.. you will have to wait for my result.. you will get good news in a few days," Jarkiholi told reporters. Stating that he had intended to resign earlier but decided to wait as his well-wishers and other legislators suggested about quitting in "bulk", he said "I'm only technically in Congress.... it is a group decision, not mine alone. I will have to hear others also, we will all sit together today andtomorrow and take a decision," he said without divulging howmany are with him and any specific ...
Half-naked man appears on stage of rally addressed by Pawar
NCP chief Sharad Pawar was in for a surprise when a half-naked man turned up on the stage of an election rally he was addressing at Niphad here in Maharashtra ahead of the fourth phase polling on April 29. The man, identified as Krushna Dongre, appeared shirtless on the dais and is seen walking towards Pawar, who was busy addressing the rally, with a piece of paper in his hand. The incident was captured on TV cameras installed to cover the public meeting. On the stage, Dongre told Pawar he had been protesting against the government half-naked over some land issue for the past two months. The government, he alleged, has been trying to quell his agitation. Dongre also submitted a memorandum to the former Union agriculture minister, who asked him "not to worry". The man said he would continue to protest half-naked till the BJP-led central and state governments are ousted. The NCP president said during his speech later that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed a rally ..
Mayawati demands explanation on reservation from PM Modi
BSP Supremo Mayawati has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the count that he is misleading the nation on the issue of reservation for SC/ST/OBC classes. Mayawati indicated that the PM's assertion that reservation will not be abolished is just one of his false promises.In a tweet from her official handle, Mayawati said, "PM Modi is misleading the nation that reservations for SC/ST/OBC will not be abolished because the present government has already made the system quite ineffective like it was earlier done in Congress rule.".
Pragya's safety cover fortified, may get Z-security
The security cover of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency, was strengthened on Wednesday, officials said.
Dushyant Chautala's JJP emerges as key player in Haryana politics
Five years after he became the youngest MP at the age of 26, Dushyant Chautala finds himself leading a fledgling party which will lock horns with the BJP and the Congress -- two of India's oldest political parties, in the Lok Sabha polls in Haryana. For the great-grandson of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal, politics may be in his blood, but taking a plunge into active politics was not a priority until he fell out with his uncle and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) secretary general Abhay Chautala last year. The feud, which became Haryana's biggest political spectacle of 2018, saw Dushyant Chautala, his father Ajay Chautala and brother Digvijay Chautala being expelled from the party by his grandfather and INLD president Om Prakash Chautala. With his father serving a 10-year prison term in 2013 teachers' recruitment scam, Dushyant Chautala launched a new party, Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), in December 2018. Recalling his journey over the last five years, Dushyant Chautala told PTI, .
Cong accuses BJP of being 'anti-Dalit', says people will show exit door to Modi govt
The Congress on Wednesday alleged that an anti-Dalit and anti-Aadivasi bias like never before has been witnessed in the last five years, and claimed that people have made up their mind to show the "exit door" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "oppressive government". Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, in a statement issued after BJP's Dalit MP Udit Raj joined the Congress, said the "intrinsic mindset" of the BJPRSS is to follow an unabashed policy of "persecution" and "prosecution" against the weaker sections such as Dalits and Aadivasis. "The last 5 years of Modi government has witnessed an antiDalit and anti-Aadivasi bias like never before, which has led to brazen attack on our Constitution. People have now made up their mind to show the exit door to PM Modi and his oppressive government," he said. He alleged "dilution" of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, is a consequence of this "deep-rooted" prejudice. In 2018, the ...
Modi weakening democracy in name of nationalism: Gehlot
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was trying to weaken the country's democracy in the name of nationalism.
Madras High Court lifts ban on TikTok app
The Madras High Court's Madurai Bench on Wednesday lifted the ban on video mobile application TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, subject to certain conditions.
PM Modi gets new epithet 'Prachar Mantri'
The opposition Wednesday gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi a new epithet 'Prachar Mantri'. Addressing an election meeting in Hardoi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav attacked the prime minister, saying, "The nation needs a 'pradhan mantri' (prime minister) and not a 'prachar mantri' (publicity minister)." Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called the prime minister 'pradhan prachar mantri' (chief publicity minister). "Water from tankers were being used to clean roads to welcome our 'pradhan prachar mantri' (chief publicity minister)", she claimed, accusing the BJP of wasting drinking water to clean roads in Banda, an arid town in Uttar Pradesh's Bundelkhand region, ahead of Modi's visit tomorrow to address an election meeting. "This is happening at a time when the entire Bundelkhand, the men and women living there, school going children, crops, birds and animals are facing the spectre of drought," she said. In a tweet, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Is he a 'chowkidar' ...
Mamata wants to form helpless govt at Centre to escape probe into chit fund scams: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of conspiracy to form a 'helpless government' at the Centre to avoid investigation into the chit fund scams in the state."When we form the government after May 23, those who have looted the poor will be sent to their rightful place. Didi was thinking they will form helpless government in Delhi so that she could escape the investigation in the chit fund scam," the Prime Minister said while addressing a rally here."We will not leave anybody walking free who are involved in Narada, Saradha and Rose Valley scams," he said.Modi cleared his stand on the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and it will be rolled out in West Bengal to identify infiltrators."When we will be voted to power again, we will identify the infiltrators through NRC so that the people of Bengal are not deprived of their rights," he said."She (Mamata), who used to cry in Parliament urging for the deportation of infiltrators from Bengal in ...
Kejriwal to release party manifesto on Thursday
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would release the Aam Aadmi Party's manifesto on Thursday, which is based on the agenda of granting full statehood to the national capital. The manifesto would be released in the presence of senior party leaders and all the seven candidates who are contesting on the party's ticket from Delhi. Sources said the manifesto would link different issues, including employment, higher education and women safety, that Delhi faces because of not having the status of full statehood. The party would come up with its manifesto that would layout the roadmap of how the AAP will take the agenda of statehood forward if elected to power. "Other than a central manifesto, each candidate would also come up with a constituency-wise manifesto which would list out local issues and how the party plans to counter them," senior party leader Gopal Rai said on Tuesday. The constituency-wise manifesto would be released in the first week of May. He also said his party would start
In front of people, cunningness doesn't work: Rahul's swipe at Modi
Attacking Prime Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday said in front of the people, cunningness does not work. With a tweet in Hindi, Gandhi also attached a video of people criticising Modi. "If reality is in front of you, acting does not work. In front of the people, chowkidar, cunningness does not work," the Congress president said. Gandhi has been attacking the prime minister, accusing him of lying and duping the people with his promises.
Modi protected interest of '15 selected people': Rahul Gandhi
Firing a fresh salvo at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday accused him of shielding the interest of "15 selected people" and leaving "high and dry" farmers and the poor. Gandhi was addressing an election rally here to boost the prospects of the party's candidate for the Kheri Lok Sabha seat Zafar Ali Naqvi and its nominee for the Nighasan assembly bypoll Atal Shukla. Claiming that Modi during his last visit to Kheri had assured farmers in Uttar Pradesh that they will get their sugarcane dues within 14 days, the Congress chief asked, "Has any assurance come true in five years?" "Narendra Modi in 2014 made a number of false assurances of 'achhe din' (better days), of two crore jobs, of Rs 15 lakh in every bank account but none of them came true," he said. Taking a jibe at Modi for referring to himself as "chowkidar (watchman)", Gandhi alleged, "This chowkidar obliged 15 selected people during his five-year term but told sugarcane farmers that ...